My legs began to burn as we continued through the tunnels, cold muggy air sticking to my skin. For some reason, I can sense the same dread I felt before. It seems this place reeks of suffering and pain.
I eyed the fingerprints covering the walls, tracing my own alongside me. Mud collects beneath my nails for a good while before something else catches my eye.
It's a wooden sign hanging above a fork in the tunnels. There's four different halls to go down, each of them have their own sign at the front.
"Which way do we go?" Victor asked me, eyeballing each sign. They all tell us to go left aside from one that tells us to go straight.
"I don't know. Give me a minute." I walked around the small area, searching for some kind of clue. Unfortunately, the words written along the walls are not in my language, so that would be of no help.
"The cold is helping keep me awake."
"That's good!" I stopped as I noticed a small sheet of paper lying on the floor. I bent down and slipped two fingers beneath it to read the front.
TURN OVER
I didn't think much of it, but flipped the paper over, finding a string attached to the back of it. "What the-" Three of my fingers were suddenly crushed with heavy metal, a bear trap barely hidden beneath the dirt nearly snapping them off. I screamed and slammed my fist into the dirt wall beside me, unable to move.
"Shit!" Victor hobbled over to me and examined the damage. "Fuck- okay, let me try to open it."
"And get your own hand stuck? Sounds smart."
Extremely loud music began to play from one of the tunnels, slowly growing louder. Victor looked at me in a panic and quickly pulled the trap apart. His fingers slipped the first time and the trap slammed back down on my hand. "Ow!"
"Look at me." He grabbed my face with one hand and forced me to look at him. "This is gonna hurt really bad and I'm really sorry but we have to go."
"What?" I attempted to look over at my hand but he held my face tightly, pulling a sharp knife from his back pocket. "Victor what're you doing?"
"We have to go, Eve!" The music suddenly stopped, leaving him more panicked than before. "Just trust me."
"No- no no no!" I tried to tear my head from his hand when he placed the knife at the base of my fingers. "Victor don't do this-"
"We don't have time." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, okay?"
I heard footsteps behind me and glanced back, finding a tall and lanky creature crawling from within the hall labeled "go straight". His head is covered in what looks like teeth. "What the fuck is that?!"
"I told you we have to go!" He jerked the knife back toward his side, sliding through my fingers and grabbing my arm to pull me to my feet. I didn't even have time to process the pain, I don't even remember feeling it. "Come on!"
He pulled me down the farthest tunnel from the creature and made sure I was keeping pace with him.
I felt a little dizzy, looking down to my hand and watching blood pour relentlessly down my palm. Two of my fingers seemed to have been cut, but my pinkie must have gotten stuck due to it being ripped off. It's a gruesome sight. "Where did you find a knife?"
"It was in my pocket before we got here." He ripped off a large chunk of his shirt, making sure to choose a piece with no blood on it. He then wrapped it generously around my hand, pulling my shoulders close to him. "Don't worry, they won't be gone when we get back."
"How do you know?"
"Your soul is malleable. It's not like every piece of you is gone."
We both tried to keep a quick pace, helping each other move forward without looking back once. I can hear the music behind me, following me, but I refuse to listen.
We made it a few miles farther, the tunnel slowly shrinking as we continued. When we reached the end, we found that it led up to a small hole in the ground, about big enough for a child to fit through. "You're joking..." I stared at the small exit.
"You led us the way out. This is on you." He began to pull dirt downward from the edges of the hole, making it wide enough to climb through. I watched him grasp the dirt and pull himself up, disappearing into the grass above me. "Come on."
I gently reached my hand upwards, looking closely at my last two fingers. "I'm not sure I can. What if I can't grab it?"
He reached his hand down to me, music behind me growing louder now that I stood in place. "I'll grab your other arm."
He wrapped his fingers around my wrist, my other hand grabbing onto the edge to pull myself up. He's stronger than I thought, his grip reminding me of the pain thumping in my hand.
It's a tight squeeze, but I make it out onto the grass and stand, quickly kicking in the hole until our exit has been properly sealed. At least for now. "Okay..." I glanced at my surroundings. "Where are we now?"
We're back in the woods but something is different. The trees are barren, the ground singed and covered in a thin coat of ash. It's dark, empty.
"You're going to burn, we're all going to burn." Victor mutters to himself, but this time it catches my attention. I stared at him, his eyes glued to the ground.
"Why are you saying that?"
"Saying what?" He furrows his brows and meets my gaze, his expression unreadable.
"You said I'm going to burn."
He winces, confused. I can tell he's not sure what he meant by it. "I said that?"
"Yes. You did. You've been talking to yourself since I found you."
"I'm sorry, I-" he held a hand to the side of his head painfully. "I don't know what's gotten into me."
"You're starting to worry me, that's all." I watch him sway back and forth, struggling to maintain eye contact with me.
"I don't feel like myself." He turned away and began trudging along the path before us, smearing ash across his shoes as he dragged his feet behind him.
I followed close behind him, keeping my eyes peeled for anything out of the ordinary. As we continue, we reach a large village. It's littered with people dressed in brown and dark greens, each of them weeping as they tend to their children and home chores. I quickly grab Victor's hand. "I didn't imagine this."
"It's probably part of the path. They seem busy, just keep your head down."
The fire damage seems to pass through the village as well, some houses crumbled to ground while others are dusted lightly with soot. As I walked past them, they began to murmur to each other. "Victor, I don't like this. Something doesn't feel right."
He squeezed my hand. "Just keep moving."
They begin to step closer, some sniffing my shoulder as I walk by. I only move my side against Victor, watching them. They never stop crying.
"Excuse me." One of them, older than the rest, loosely gripped my hair to make me stop. I jerked my head away and took a step back, pulling my hair over my shoulder. "Would you like to stop for some tea?"
"I beg your pardon?" Victor didn't seem to understand her very well, still stuck in his own head. "Did you say tea or teeth?"
"Tea, young man."
"Oh dear god, yes!" He answered quickly. "We've been at this for a long while."
"Victor-" I tried to warn him but he followed the older woman without a second thought, leaving my hand at my side.
"It's just tea." He shrugged, motioning for me to follow.
I did so, but hesitantly. The old lady led us into her singed home, plopping us both down on the couch before running off to her kitchen.
Looking down below me, I can see a dent in the carpet. I glanced back to make sure she was still in the kitchen before I bent down and lifted up the edge of it. Beneath, there's a small wooden hatch that leads below the house, almost like an escape tunnel. As I hear her return, I quickly shut the door and rest the carpet back on top, sitting down beside Victor.
The woman sat down in a chair across from us, handing each of us a warm cup of tea. I'm not sure I want to drink it, but Victor downs the cup in a matter of seconds. "So what's it like living here?" He asked her.
"It used to be quiet." She motioned to the heavy wails outside her windows. "Then there was a fire. It took everything."
"I'm sorry to hear that." I spoke up, her eyes darting to me with a smile.
"No need to be sorry." She eyed me up and down, taking a good long look at the markings on my wrists and hands. "Tell me, where have you come from?"
There's something different about these people. Unlike everyone else I had met, it seemed like they weren't even aware of their own death. Like they didn't know they had died yet. "Lonbourne."
She didn't seem pleased with that answer. Her tone fell cold, angry and untrusting. "Welcome to Molgham."
The moldy city. I knew where Molgham was, I had been there in person. It burned down years ago, now coated in a thick layer of mold and ivy. If you search hard enough, you can find overgrown bones. "I love your home. It's very beautiful."
"Thank you." She glared at me. "Where is your husband from?"
"He's not my husband, just a close friend." I eyed Victor. "Where are you from?"
"Mudend, not far from you." He shrugged.
"You know, Lonbourne is tainted with wickedness, don't you?" She wouldn't take her eyes off of me.
"It used to be. Magik isn't as common these days." I shrugged but due to her expression, I had confirmed her suspicions of me.
"I see." She took a slow sip of her tea. "Why don't you stay for our bonfire? We worship at dusk."
"I don't know, we have a long journey ahead of us."
"I insist, truly. We dance before the fire to praise our lord, you'll love it. Honestly, you look like you could use a break my dear."
"I guess it couldn't hurt." Victor could use the rest, he's still weary. I only agree for his sake. "Why not?"
"Oh, how lovely! I'll let the others know!" She jumped up out of her chair and was out the door in minutes, leaving me alone with Victor.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" He asked me. "She doesn't seem to have a sound mind."
"We need this. It's safe here and I'm not sure how much farther you can make it like this."
"But-"
"It'll be okay." I grabbed his hand and gave him a warm smile for comfort. "Just be respectful of their beliefs, I bet we'll be just fine. She's been friendly."
"To me." He raised an eyebrow. "She didn't seem to like you very much."
"They're from an older time, that's all."
She burst through the door excitedly and plopped back down. "They're very happy to have you visit. Now, tell me more of yourself boy."
"Me?" Victor glanced at me before confidently speaking to her. "I'm an author."
"Oh, do tell! What do you like to write?"
"I like to write about love and the demolition of it."
"You know, people who speak openly about love are quite enchanting. You must have a very beautiful heart."
"Thank you." He smiled at that, pulling his hand from my own and resting it in his lap. "I'd like to think so."