Devryn - "Forgotten Times"
The crawlspace pushed tight against
me as I wormed myself backwards, feet-first. Jagged rocks stabbed into my back and sides, the grit rough on my hands and forearms. The sense of an earthy weight pressing
in did little to help. But, the fear of capture fed my
quickened, painful pace.
Footsteps rushed towards the
entrance that now appeared a good distance away. It slightly winked like an eye of white light
as shapeless forms moved across the opening.
Staring forward, watching for someone to climb in, the imp’s murky-colored
skin threaded together into existence, from empty space to a silhouetted pest
inches from my face.
“Here! Look around.
He’s hiding somewhere,” a guttural voice echoed in the space.
I pushed backwards, inching further
into the darkness. Tiny, clawed hands
pushed on my forehead as if it would help. Slide,
slide. They are looking for your ugly,
monkey face. The oily words filled my
brain. He's such a little prick.
“Sergeant, a tunnel,” another said as a portion of the light source became blocked.
“Possibly an air vent into the lower
section. Stupid bastard,” said the sergeant, followed by chuckles.
“Shen
Oni,” spoken in unison from several soldiers now outside the entrance, followed by scuffled steps.
“Where is he?” The venom in the words stung. She was there.
“He went below. This area sits over the lower levels, from
what I would guess.” There was a
pause. “They will get him.”
Her voice cracked with her mounting
anger from this chase, “WE will get him.”
“But the Shen Oni… the ‘eaters’…”
I couldn’t see what was happening
but the hair on my arms rose as murmurs filled the darkness. Sound became dampened in my crowded world,
like holding my head under water.
The stillness broke. Faint sniffing. I held my breath.
“You think you should fear the ‘eaters’…?”
Another pause. No sounds of disobedience from her order,
only boots racing away… and a low, deep snarl.
Her words, clear as if she laid next
to me, “Here is something for you to run from, scared rabbit.”
The light became nearly blocked, a
large swell of fur obscured my limited view outside.
She has a pet?
Grunts and the sound of the earth
being sundered begged me to be quick to discover where this hole leads.
A determined pet.
A determined pet.
I continued my backwards crawl but found my
escape was dropping out from under me. My legs now extended over open air.
“Shit.”
The beast was making some major
progress.
The imp spun around in circles, Down. I said down.
There is a forgotten city below.
Fate has brought you to its doorstep... or poop hole, whispered
across my frantic thoughts.
I scooted until my lower half hung
down the side of a rock face. My boots struggled
to find purchase on its surprisingly smooth surface.
You
never listen…
In the dimness, the imp pursed his lips, drew up his hand, and blew a
kiss. A dense gust of hot wind pushed me
from my uncertain perch, sending me over the edge.
Damn…
