The Unwitting Thief

Chapter 10a - The Tunnel

How much time had passed whilst they edged, blindly, down the tunnel, Thomas didn't know. But, eventually, they stopped to sit, cramped in the tight space, to fumble around in their packs for food.

Thomas had never considered himself tall, but that all changed as he tried to find room for his legs in the narrow passage.

"Ow! Thomas, keep your feet to yourself will you?" Avelyn kicked back at him but she missed, and there was a crunch as her foot slammed into the wall beside him, which was then joined by a string of curses.

Monty laughed, and quickly curbed the noise as it echoed all around them.

When silence returned, they waited until they heard no response to their noise before they sighed with relief.

The sound of bread being torn and water being gulped was almost deafening. Thomas's sense of hearing seemed to be improving to make up for his inability to see anything. Not that his eyes weren't also putting themselves in knots trying to make shadows out of pitch darkness. All he achieved was a pair of dry and sore eyes.

"So, which one of you wants to indulge me in a wonderful story about these Daekhu?"

"Depends, you sure they're not just made up?"

"Avelyn, don't. The lad lost two knives to those beasts, distracting them to give us enough time to get out of that situation."

"You're right, I'm sorry. Not to mention, he did find us a way out."

Thomas waved, even though he knew it was pointless. "Hello? I'm right here you know. You don't have to talk about me as if I'm not. Even if you can't see me."

She kicked at him again.

Monty chastised her. "Avelyn."

She sighed and Thomas heard her pull her feet up, away from him.

Monty pressed on, "Daekhu are vicious beasts, as you saw. They are incredibly strong, fast, and as Avelyn mentioned, they have venom in their fangs. A single bite from one of those beasts is enough to drive you insane if it doesn't kill you first. Though it's very rare anyone escapes a daekhu after being bitten to find that out."

Thomas remembered Dennis's tale. "So is that why no one ever came back from Roimar? Or, when they did, they were crazy?"

Monty grunted in agreement. "Must be. We should have known really. They're attracted to places where there has been alot of death. I don't know if they can feel it, smell it, or whatever. But, they congregate around it like vultures to a carcass."

Well you couldn't find much more death than a burnt down city, so it made sense that they were here, and if Monty knew they existed, he was right, they should of expected them.

Thomas berated himself for being so hard on Monty. Hadn't Avelyn said that they were rare, supposedly extinct. It wasn't fair to judge Monty for not assuming the absurd.

"You missed out a part." Avelyn interjected. "Another reason it's rare to survive an encounter with a Daekhu, is because once they get your scent, they will hunt you to the ends of the earth to finish the job."

"A bit extreme there Avelyn, don't you think? No one ever proved that."

"Oh come on! You know it and I know it. No one in our generation has even 'proved' they exist, let alone bothered to check their description is accurate. Seeing as Thomas was in that room too, they'll have his scent as well, so he needs to know. I'm telling you, we should have just stayed and had it out there are then."