by HP Mallory
It seemed to arise from the ground because it was the same dark brown as the dirt, but this creation almost looked like moving clay … Claymation. Of human form, it stood upright and had two long legs and even longer arms that trailed on the ground. That could have been because it was so hunched over. Its back was very misshapen with an enormous lump on its right shoulder that probably weighed it down. I couldn’t see the monster’s face, but it was completely hairless; and when it moved, it did so with extremely sharp, jerky actions.
Looking beyond it, I noticed three other creatures that stood maybe ten feet behind it. They appeared to be in the midst of climbing out of the earth. And beyond them, I saw even more who were also crawling out of the soil. Taking a deep breath, I mustered all my courage and forced myself to stand up.
You must be imagining all of this, I explained. This must just be another vision, another instance of your mind showing you things that aren’t really there.
No! I argued with my other voice. If there’s even a fraction of a chance that these things could actually exist, I have to be prepared for them. Otherwise I’m in big trouble!
Protect yerself, said Tallis’s voice in my head. Find the bone.
I nodded as I realized I was unarmed. The monster was steadily making its way toward me and stood less than ten feet away. A surge of fear shot through me as I searched desperately for the femur.
I spotted it immediately, right where I’d dropped it beside me. I bent down and clutched it at the same time the creature jerked its way toward me. It raised its downturned head to reveal its face, which looked like a shriveled-up apricot.
The moonlight suddenly shone brightly when the clouds freed it from their grasp, and I could see the beast in all its freakish glory. Its eyes were sunken into its head so deeply that I could barely see them. And its mouth looked like a circle with tiny, razor-sharp teeth that glistened like silver in the elusive moonlight.
The thing started to shake its head as if it were on fast forward, just like Tallis was doing. Well, the imaginary Tallis, anyway. When the thing stopped shaking its head, it vanished. Suddenly, Tallis stood right in front of me. I dropped the femur with a start as I tried to understand how that was possible.
“Tallis, look out behind you!” I warned him as soon as I realized it must have been another trick of the light. The creature had to be right behind the giant Scotsman. But Tallis made no motion to turn around; instead, he just looked at me vacantly.
That’s because he isn’t Tallis! I chastised myself.
The monster, having morphed into Tallis’s form, began to shake its head again until it returned to the ugly, shriveled-up apricot face I’d seen only seconds earlier.
I didn’t waste any time as I gripped the femur with both hands and held it over my shoulder like a baseball bat. Cranking my arms back, I slammed the femur straight into the creature’s head. The thing not only looked like clay, but felt like it too. The femur sunk into its head with a squishy sound, and it was almost a chore to yank it back out again. The creature fell over and a huge crater appeared in the side of its face, but there was no blood, brains, or anything else oozing out of it. Nope, it just looked like smashed-in, brown Play-Doh.
Hearing the sound of a skirmish behind me, I wheeled around and saw Tallis slamming his sword into another clay man who was standing behind me. Right before the creature hit the ground, I noticed it wasn’t misshapen and hunched over like the first one I had the misfortune of encountering.
When the next one landed, I spotted a large hole in its chest, presumably from Tallis’s blade, which, again, produced no blood or guts. Its face was shriveled up like the other one’s was, but instead of looking feeble and handicapped, this one gave the appearance of strength. It had long legs, long arms and a straight torso. I watched it start to decompose, its body suddenly melting into the ground below it.
“Coome!” Tallis called to me as he handed me my sword. I dropped the femur, very happy for the trade. Temporarily unable to find my voice, I just nodded as I took his proffered hand and came up right behind him.
Again, I wondered if he were really Tallis, or just another figment of my overactive imagination. I took a step back, studying him as I did so. He looked at me curiously, his eyes narrowing only seconds later.
He’s another trick of your mind, I decided. Don’t trust him! You can’t trust anyone!
Fully convinced of that fact, I took another few steps back.
“Ah am the true Tallis, lass,” he said in a flat voice as he studied me with unmasked scrutiny.
“How do I know that?” I asked, shaking my head.
Trust no one! I yelled at myself. They are all out to get you! They are all trying to destroy you! The only person you have to rely on is yourself!
“Ye will have tae take mah word fer it,” Tallis answered.
“No, I don’t!” I snapped as I turned around and ran right into one of the earth creatures. The thing immediately wrapped its stringy arms around me, and before I could realize what was happening, I was suddenly shrinking, along with it.
Looking down, I watched the earth suddenly open up underneath us. The creature clung to me as its body began to dissolve into the earth. But my body didn’t do the same at all. It looked as if the ground was trying to eat me from the bottom up. I didn’t feel any pain, only the pressure of the dirt as it closed in around my legs first, and then my waist.
As soon as I realized the monster was trying to inter me underground, I wrestled with it, using all my resistance and strength to pull away from it. But its tenacious embrace was strong and relentless.
Release yourself! That hissing voice started up again. Stop fighting! It is useless-s-s-s! We have already won! We always win …
Facing the creature, I noticed its mouth wasn’t moving. I assumed it must have thought the words and somehow transmitted them to me telepathically, but it was just as if the thing had spoken them right into my ears.
“No!” I screamed while thrashing against the creature. But it proved to be a losing proposition; the ground had already swallowed me up to my rib cage. I heard Tallis’s voice as he yelled something in what I assumed was Gaelic. Seconds later, the blade of his sword speared the creature straight through the top of its head. I gasped before Tallis’s arms came underneath my armpits and in a matter of seconds, he hoisted me clean out of the hungry earth.
He dropped me on the ground and his expression told me he wasn’t happy. To avoid seeing the anger in his countenance, I glanced back at the creature just before the earth swallowed it. The hole that sucked me down into the ground appeared to fill itself with dirt until it was solid ground once more.
I glanced back at Tallis as he suddenly strode forward and, without any warning, gripped me around the waist, lifting me high up and over his shoulder. Still not fully convinced he really was Tallis, I started to fight him until he suddenly produced a blade, which he held directly beneath my chin.
“If ye squirm, Ah will slit yer throat,” he announced, his tone turning cold as ice. “Ah cannae bear yer weight with ye frolickin’.”
I immediately fell silent as I figured my fate was now in his hands, whether he were really Tallis or not. The truth was that I was too exhausted to fight any longer. I took a deep breath and accepted my destiny. I wasn’t sure why, but I suddenly felt better, as if my decision to cease fighting allowed me a brief respite.
Tallis started to hurry his steps and I found myself facing what looked like a forest full of the dirt creatures that were still in the midst of blossoming up from the ground. After a few seconds, however, the earth appeared to reclaim them all. Some were completely formed and standing, while others just had their torsos or heads exposed. But they all began melting en masse back into the earth, as if they’d just received the order to do so.
“That was a close call, nerdlet,” Bill said with a wide smile as he appeared behind me. “I sure as hell am happy we finally found you, nips,” he finished as he patted my arm encouragingly.
&nbs
p; “Are you really Bill?” I asked as I studied him, looking for the truth.
“What the hell kinda question is that?” he answered with an expression of total dismay. “’Course I’m the real frickin’ Bill. Who the fuck else would I be?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. My former feelings of powerlessness suddenly overcame me. “I don’t know anything anymore.”
“What the hell?” Bill started.
“She isnae in her right frame o’ mind,” Tallis explained as he patted my leg. “It was the doin’ o’ the Kremelions.”
“The what?” Bill asked.
“The creatures we jist came oop against,” Tallis responded. “They are called Kremelions. They are the protectors o’ the City of Dis,” he continued. “They guard the middle land ’atween the Oonderground an’ the city o’ Dis. Their purpose is tae keep all visitors oot o’ Dis by makin’ any travelers lose their way. They alter yer consciousness, an’ make ye see things that arenae there.”
“Is that why nerdlet sounds like a total Fruit Loop?” Bill asked.
“Aye,” Tallis answered with a brief nod.
“So how the hell long is she gonna be a vegetable for?” Bill continued as he eyed me cautiously.
“Nae long,” Tallis replied as he patted my leg again. “Ah will make sure she is jist fine.”
“Good,” Bill answered, although he continued to regard me suspiciously. Meanwhile, I was so exhausted, I couldn’t even form words. I felt like my brain was completely numb, and it took all I had just to listen to their conversation and try to understand it.
“So, if those ugly fuckers we just met are the protectors of Dis, does that mean we’re close to the city limits?” Bill asked.
“Aye, we are close,” Tallis answered. They both fell silent as we approached the base of the hill.
“And as though wouldst to the sweet world return...”
- Dante’s Inferno
EIGHTEEN
When we reached the top of the hill, Tallis gently unloaded me from over his shoulder. He set me down on the ground beside the train tracks, but once my feet touched down, I discovered I could barely support my own weight and nearly collapsed. Apparently, Tallis noticed as much because he tightened his grip around my waist as he helped me sit on my butt before positioning my legs out in front of me.
Even though I was well beyond wiped out, there was one thing I could take comfort in: the rain had finally let up. Yes, my entire body was soaked, but I figured it was better to focus on the positive … At least, eventually, my clothes would be dry.
“Where to now, sweet cow?” Bill rhymed as he eyed us with interest while crossing his arms over his chest.
“Naewhere,” Tallis answered. He sat down beside me and didn’t bother to look up at Bill.
“Naywhere?” Bill repeated, shaking his head and looking annoyed. “D’ya mean nowhere? What the hell are we gonna do up here then? Wait around ’til we get hit by the flippin’ train?”
“We willnae be hit by the train,” Tallis answered without the least sign of concern. “Now, we rest.”
“Rest?” Bill scoffed. Throwing his hands in the air theatrically, he did his best to look perturbed. “REST!? We’ve gotta get a move on, yo! Think of the soul we gots ta save an’ the demons you gotta kill! There ain’t no time to rest, yo! We got us some shit-kickin’ to do!”
“Nae,” Tallis replied, shaking his head as he studied me for a few seconds. “Besom cannae travel yit,” he explained. He studied me for another few seconds before he reached into the sporran around his waist. “She is still tae weak. The damage from the Kremelions will take soome time tae heal.”
“Time! We ain’t got time,” Bill protested. Then his attention fell on me and his tone softened, ostensibly because I probably looked as bad as I felt. “How much time we talkin’?”
“Oontil she heals,” Tallis answered, looking annoyed. He produced what looked like a twig from his sporran. It was a small tree branch that had five or so green leaves on it. He pulled one of the leaves free and eyed me emphatically. “Ye moost chew this, lass,” he stated. “’Twill help ye restore yer mind.” Then he silently returned the twig to his sporran.
Although I could see Tallis’s mouth moving and I heard his words, I failed to process them. I felt like I was half asleep—that weird phase when your brain doesn’t really connect to your thoughts. Tallis watched me for a few seconds before he took a deep breath. After exhaling it, he reached forward and very gingerly opened my mouth by pulling down on my lower lip. He neatly folded the leaf in half and stuck it on top of my tongue, closing my mouth by pushing up on my jaw. Then he faced me squarely.
“Chew,” he instructed while demonstrating it with pantomime.
I nodded as soon as his instructions made sense to my befuddled brain. I began to chew on the leaf, and despite the bitter taste, I couldn’t say it bothered me. It just was. It seemed almost as if the thought that the leaf didn’t taste good couldn’t make it all the way from my tongue’s receptor cells to my brain central.
I continued to chew the leaf, though, breaking it up into smaller pieces. I swished the pulp around in my mouth until my teeth macerated whatever was left into oblivion.
“Dude! Is she like brain-dead or somethin’?” Bill asked. He almost looked comical as he studied me with one eyebrow raised and a worried frown on his face.
“Nae,” Tallis answered.
“Then what the hell’s wrong with her? She looks like she just got a lobotomy or some shit,” Bill complained as his eyebrows knitted in the middle. Then surprise took hold of him and he suddenly faced Tallis with a newfound sense of purpose. “Dude, she’s turnin’ into a zombie, isn’t she?” Tallis didn’t respond but Bill was already nodding emphatically, apparently already convinced such was the fact. “She’s been infected,” he announced as he eyed me warily. Then he glanced over at Tallis again. “That means you an’ me ain’t got much time left.”
“She isnae ah zombie!” Tallis railed at the much smaller man.
Bill immediately held his hands up. “Dude, I know you’re attached to her an’ shit an’ so am I, but we both gotta think about ourselves, yo. Pretty soon, she’s just gonna be a slobberin’ mess that can’t walk straight. She’s gonna start rottin’ an’ flesh is gonna start hangin’ off her. All she’s just gonna be thinkin’ about is makin’ dinner outta yours and my’s brains.”
“She isnae ah zombie, ye bludy dobber!” Tallis yelled at Bill. “The Kremelions attacked her mind an’ ’tis wounded, that is all!” he continued, his eyes still angry. “She needs tae rest sae her mind can remembah how ta function.”
“Zombie or no zombie, you think by feedin’ her a tiny leaf she’ll come back?” Bill continued, sounding less than convinced. “Sorry ta tell ya this, Conan, but she ain’t no fuckin’ rabbit!”
“’Twas not jist a leaf, stookie angel,” Tallis answered calmly. He momentarily speared Bill with a cross look before he stopped and shook his head, appearing frustrated. “’Tis medicinal, frae the boughs o’ the Prismoos tree.”
“The whatmus tree?” Bill asked, and his eyebrows seemed to reach for the dark night sky.
“The Prismoos tree,” Tallis repeated curtly.
“What the hell is a Priss-moose tree?” Bill demanded.
“’Tis ah healin’ plant, stookie angel,” Tallis simply explained. Sighing deeply, he held his breath and only exhaled some long seconds later. “Mah people, the Druids, brewed tea frae the leaves o’ the Prismoos tree. They used it tae treat all types o’ infections an’ diseases.”
“Pishh!” Bill grumbled while waving Tallis away with a stroke of his hand. He shook his head in disbelief. “Why start fuckin’ around with that hocus-pocus bullshit when you should be givin’ her good, ol’ antibiotics?”
“The sap o’ the Prismoos tree is superior tae any modern medicine,” Tallis declared with a tightened jaw.
“Yeah? Whatevs,” Bill replied, finally conceding to the wisdom of the bladesmith. He c
ircled the area in front of him a few times, like a dog would do, before finally sitting down. After a good scratch, he asked, “Whaz next, dude?”
“Now Besom an’ ye rest,” Tallis answered with feigned interest. “An’ Ah moost assume the role o’ sentry.”
“The role o’ what?” Bill asked as he rolled onto his back and plopped his fleshy arms behind his head. One of his stocky legs sought refuge beneath the other. He looked about as comfortable as could be expected, given that we were lying on the hard ground.
“Ah will stand guard over ye,” Tallis finished. When his eyes found mine, his scowl vanished, and he immediately grew softer. “Rest, Besom, ye need yer strength.” I was surprised when he patted his lap to let me know he wanted me to curl up next to him. However, I didn’t want him to rethink his offer, so I immediately nodded and scooted over until I was beside him.
With my head against his chest, I immediately heard the comforting sound of his heart beating beneath my ear. I wasn’t sure why, but the rhythm soothed me somehow and surprised me at the same time. It surprised me because it proved that Tallis was human, after all. Well, wait … that wasn’t altogether a truthful statement. But at least, he was human enough to possess a beating heart.
Tallis enclosed me with his arm, pulling me closer. I reveled in the heat radiating from his body. I had no clue why he was suddenly okay to be in such close proximity to me, but I didn’t dare jinx it, so I said nothing.
“Sleep now, lass,” Tallis crooned in my ear. I nodded with a smile and closed my eyes.
***
I was searching for something, but I wasn’t sure what it was …
I knew I had to find it, though, if I were to hold up my end of the bargain with Alaire.
I tried not to pay attention to the monsters that surrounded me. It was strange, but I couldn’t quite make them out. They appeared only as blurred objects visible from the corners of my eyes. Whenever they came close, they suddenly backed off again. It was almost as if I were surrounded by a magical force field, which repelled demons just as efficiently as a citronella candle repels mosquitoes.