The Way It Is

it's not real - part 1

A faint voice, cursing and repeatedly saying, "No. No way. No. It isn't possible. Son of a whore! Fuck! NO!" It is faint. But I can hear every word.

"What the hell? Is that the Dukri female?" How did she get down there? She had run in the opposite direction.

The world is circular. They always are.

Ufrik speaks in my mind but makes sure not to look at me. We don't need the Gnarr getting suspicious.

This has to suck for the Dukri. Running to get away, just to end up where she started—made sense, though. The point is to face the challenge of the world.

I suddenly hear something else.

It's not the Dukri. Yet it came from her direction.

I look at my companions. We nod to each other, silent agreement. We won't leave her to face whatever is down there alone.

I feel my energy collect around me, and my feet float off the ground, and instead of sprinting in the Dukri's direction, I fly. Ok then. This is new.

Thankfully, after last time, I am a little more prepared. Still, this is a little trippy. I see Ufrik running silently just below me.

He is fast, as powerful as I had imagined. I don't know how he manages to stay silent, but I like the idea of us having the advantage of surprise.

The Gnarr lumbers behind us. Not as fast as us, and in his effort to be quiet, he is slower than normal. But that is ok. He will be there if we need him. I am sure he could jump half the distance if he wanted. It just wouldn't be very subtle. Or quiet.

I hear the sound again. This time it is closer, easier to decipher. Something heavy and sharp is being dragged on the ground. It scrapes on the stones, echoing down the road.

It is the only other sound besides the dripping, creaking and leaves rustling. It occurs to me that even though I hear the leaves, I don't feel the breeze.

What the stars is moving the leaves or making the creaking sound then?

Suddenly the hair all over my body stands up. Goosebumps break out everywhere.

Both Ufrik and I slow our pace. Something evil is up ahead. The whole place feels wrong. I sniff the air.

All I can smell is damp earth, rotting wood and sewage. Not the most pleasant of smells, but it tells me nothing.

We reach the spot where the Dukri should be or had been quicker than I thought. But she is gone. My head snaps to my right. The scraping sound is getting louder. There is a small stone path between two rundown townhomes. It is too dark to see what is down there, but the sound is down there.

I hear the creaking sound again, this time right beside me, to my left. I stifle a yelp as I come to the sudden and the rather surprising realization that the store sign beside me is not a sign at all. It is a swinging corpse.

A dead male Dukri swings gently back and forth right beside me. Blood from the male's torn throat runs down the length of his body, dripping off his bare feet. One slow drip at a time. What I had thought were leaves turns out to be his torn pant legs, gently brushing together as he swings.

Ufrik glances up at my sharp intake of breath and stares blankly at the corpse. His face says he notices the same thing I did. The body is fresh.

The swinging is just the leftover momentum from being hung up there like a trophy. And not that long ago.

As I hover beside him, I quickly survey the area. I can't see any threats and the only other sound is the scraping sound.

Wait. What happened to the scraping?