River wandered silently through the house without Nolan following. The living room was to the right and the jikoni to the further-on left. The immediate left was a ukuta with a door. He knew not where to, nor did he care unless it was the bedroom which he hoped it wasn’t due to how close that was to the outside world.
Stairs stood at the front of the right as he neared the kitchen. These must have led to a second-story bedroom. The railing with its holey support-posts, going up with the stairs themselves, let in the afternoon sun, allowing it to stretch and cling to the ukuta and the carpet-covered steps. The slight dimming of light throughout the house seemed to almost hurt the light… it was trying to stay with him. The light was creating something on him.
River knew that when he walked up these stairs it would be his last chance to abandon this warning. Was the house itself evil? No… the house was simply a location. The night was evil and where the walls and furniture casted shadows…
…there was darkness to grow in.
The light was beginning to dim more. How long had it been now? He could not have been standing there for an entire hour. The bedroom was his salama place. If he just got into the room he would be safe. Whether he would sleep was completely different.
River felt the pain of pulling himself up these steps. Was he really standing that long? His first step caused the light to dim slightly, and the inayofuata a little more. Each step made him zaidi sore and the area darker. The light was dimming and the shadows were grinning, tasting, waiting.
The bits of light still between the posts made it almost seem as though the shadows were a mouth, smacking it’s lips open and shut for a meal. With his legs actually shaking from pain, River managed to pull himself to the juu of the stairs.
The sunlight was gone from the house, but there was still time. The sunset had begun. River had to get to the bedroom. Which door was it? Five were across to his right, stretching to the window that held his sunlight so desperately needed.
The first door, as he turned a ninety-degree angle, held a bedroom but not the master bedroom. It was a child’s room. It was not his room. He needed his room. The door closed and River felt himself collapse to his knees. His legs were too weak.
The sunset was nearing its end now. The sekunde door held an office, empty of computers but filled with shelves. It had a window at its back that held no sunlight. River wriggled his hands to close the door and continued onward.
Time was moving too fast. The third door was larger than the others. This must have been it, and it was. River slammed the door behind himself and relaxed against it. The terror was beginning to subside, but what had caused his he did not know.
River awoke against the same door. He hoped that kwa some manner of magic he had sleep-walked into the vacant master bedroom in front of himself. Unfortunately the sore in his neck told him that this was not the case and soon he was rising.
His mind was clearing from the strangeness of before. He had another illusion attack. His parents were dead. He was rich. This was all too soon. Was he really this wealthy? Was he actually in this house?
He opened the door and exited to the living room below. He remembered it from the siku before so at the very least he knew that he did go here. “Hold on.” He froze. “What… what city am I even in!?”
Footsteps swiftly approached the tense echidna, prompting him to whip around in a defensive stance, only to quickly tunga himself in an attempted, but unfortunately awkward, casual stance. Nolan was walking over to him from the kitchen.
“Well Quarner is the state. Primmore is the city; wewe know, the one the asylum was at?” The male feline informed while juggling a pear behind himself in a tick-tock back-and-forth motion.
“When did wewe get here?” River questioned immediately.
“Thirty dakika ago.” Nolan replied casually, ending his speech perfectly with the stopping of his juggling; the pear now in his right hand, which was perfectly pointed to a ten-o-clock angle, his left at the thirty mark. River understood the message. “Still stressed, right?” He questioned.
“Wouldn’t wewe be?” The echidna asked, put off kwa Nolan’s laid-back mood. “Did your parents die recently au something?”
“Not recently.”
“… wewe mean-“
“Yeah. Not the same way but that’s for another time,” He smirked ever so slightly before finishing. the saa of never.”
The saa of Never… that was number eight of the stories they told at the cemeteries; a tale where a man had an saa added to each siku every week, except that nothing ever happened each saa until the hours filled months, leading to an eventual suicide. Why would Nolan talk about that? Why was he being so insensitive?
“Don’t make me think about that.” River demanded in a breathing tone, shaking his head in a very warning-intending way.
Nolan did not give him an immediate response. He simply took a bite of his pear and nodded. “Are wewe going to look around your house?” He muffled out between bites.
“Why? How long do I have here? What about the gang au mafia au whatever that wants me dead now?”
“Right, your name is now Dennis Knox.”
“… What?”
Nolan swallowed before continuing. “You’ve got a new name, a new Social Security Number, an account with money in it, and even some background-” He made a sort of handing-over gesture as he interrupted himself as if to hand something to River, “I left out a bit so wewe could make up whatever wewe wanted in it.”
River had a bit of difficulty processing this. “Then…” He began, “what, happened, to, me? M-me me.”
“Suicide after leaving the asylum. I’ll be attending your funeral as your lawyer in about a month.”
“Just like-“
“that.” Nolan interrupted. “Yes… what you’re mad? Would wewe rather wait and give people time to figure it out? All people know about Dennis Knox is that he’s got a nice house. No one here ever met River Percival. People can look up River Percival though and find out that his parents are dead, he is mentally unstable, and he just got out of a mental nyumbani only to be jumped kwa who knows who.”
River slowly sat at one of the living room couches. “I… do I have a job? What, what do I do?”
“You have investments in stocks of various companies. You’re rich enough without them, congratulations kwa the way, but a good cover is a good cover.”
“Then what do I do in the meantime?”
Nolan patted River on the shoulder. “Just recuperate for now. Don’t want to put wewe back in the mental nyumbani so soon.” He handed River a pair of keys, three, on a chain, before walking towards the front door. “You’ve got another personal assistant too kwa the way.”
River knew that Nolan was going to ignore him if he asked who the assistant was, so he decided to remain silent. The door closed and River was supposedly alone. He took a deep sigh, thinking over if he wanted to go to bed, explore the house, au eat.
River felt… nothing, physically and emotionally. It was a sort of nothing in the confusion way. He did not know what to feel. Maybe it was because he was gone for so long and it just did not hurt as much. Still… he needed some kind of closure.
A car would be required. River had previously owned a driver’s license, but after being admitted into the hospital it was revoked on the grounds of his mental illness. He was not mad over this; it made sense and he certainly did not want to be driving only to see a giant monster smash through the care as a mirage.
That did not solve the issue at hand though. The echidna male needed a way to his destination. Maybe the assistant could help. River walked instinctively to the jikoni to find a young woman, a Gobi jerboa to be precise, standing at 3ft.12 as opposed to Nolan’s 4ft. 8. She had bouncing red hair with crowning bangs and long curls at the back, turquoise eyes, and white fur, manyoya which faded to a plain tan beginning at her forehead to what River assumed would go to her back.
Her legs definitely helped in terms of height, with her actual feet being very hoof-like with two toes sticking out from her sandals. Her ears were large and long, stretching to the sides with small holes at the top-right. Her tail was quite long, stretching a good half-foot zaidi than her height, with a very large black, white, and tan, puff at the end. In fact the tans seemed to be at the hands and feet of her as well.
Her attire started with a turtleneck tank top, which River found extremely self-contradicting but not unheard of after recalling similar outfits being noticed kwa himself in public, black, with a pink mustache at the center. Around her arms were white arm-mitts that began at her shoulders, stopped at her elbows, and continued with a sekunde pair till they reached her wrists. These almost completely faded into her fur, manyoya color which confused River as to why she would wear them if not to have others notice without effort. Her pants were about a half-foot from her ankles, and also black, with stitched blue maua, ua designs around the knees and hips. A very small nose-ring clang to her left nostril, while a circular metal implant was seen on her left shoulder.
The Jerboa alisema nothing as she sat upon River’s jikoni counter. She was busy with a handheld video game. River cleared his throat, unintentionally drawing her attention. She half-jumped when looking to him. After realizing that someone had to speak now, he asked “Are wewe the assistant Nolan talked about?”
“Jeremy wewe mean.” She replied in a Scottish accent. “Yeah that’s me.”
“… And do I call you… uh…”
“Taxi normally, au Cab.” She shut off her game. “Long story behind those, iroe’nically before I got my driver’s license. If wewe want a real name, I’m Eril. Get why I use nicknames now?”
“Uh, yeah.” River had trouble thinking over what the best course of action was. He was both stunned kwa the young, and quite attractive, young lady in what was apparently his house, and uncomfortable with the idea of giving someone orders, especially a woman. She looked no zaidi than seventeen at the most, which caused many zaidi reasons for alarm to ring up in River’s head.
“… So you’re here to talk au wewe need something?” Taxi asked.
“Well… I needed someone to get me to a cemetery. I have some personal business.”
“Jeremy alisema that’s a no-can-do. They’ll be waiting for wewe there.”
River tensed. “When can we go then?”
“A week probably.”
“But…”
“Your mum and dad ‘ern’t goin’ anywhere. My job’s keepin’ wewe from the dy’en life.”
River raised his hands in a sort of picture-visualizing motion, squinting as he comprehended the accented-girl. “So, you’re my assistant, and wewe call the shots?”
“I tak-, oh hold on.” She paused in a huff before going through a bag previously concealed behind herself. Cat pulled out a notepad and a pen. “Now where wa- ah!” She clicked the pen and began scribbling. “I, take you, wherever wewe want to go,” dot, “shop for whatever wewe need,” dot, “keep wewe from the dy’en life,” dot, “find people, bring people, make people leave,” dot dot dot, “perform dirty work both literally, maliciously, and stealthily,” dot. She closed the notebook before looking up at River, flipping her had ever so slightly and leaning mbele ever, so, slightly, “and, various.”
“Various?” River questioned.
“Various.” She repeated before flipping her game open again.
River had an idea as to what she was implying but other things were on his mind. He turned about in aspiration. “Alright then what is Nolan doing?”
“Meeting people probably.” She answered.
“What should I do here?”
“Medication I guess… au sleepin’. Work out.”
River wasn’t going to get help here. He walked to the refrigerator and gently pulled the door open. Fresh pancakes lay inside in a bag with a note saying “Also I cook”. River turned to look over at his hivi karibuni assistant, who was looking back.
“Find the cakes?” She asked. “I was worried you’d find those before we talked. That would’ve made no sense.”
“You have a lot of skills.” River noted before taking out the bag.
“Oh yeah.” She replied with a proud grin. “You can find the condiments ‘n all, right?” She made her way out of the kitchen. River did not stop her. Despite feeling… tempted to become zaidi acquainted with this girl, things were too odd, and suspicious. Of all the people to meet him it was Nolan. Yes they were Marafiki most of their lives but that was before that night, and this Nolan was definitely different. Of course people changed with age. River had to acknowledge that he himself was far less trusting than he had been years before, to say nothing of his nerves. Shouldn’t he have been happy that someone was still alive?
The girl, Eril- er, TAXI, CAB, whatever she called herself; she did not feel safe. River felt like any moment he’d pass out and wake up in police custody for pedophilia. He never DID ask what her age was, and would she give the right one if he did?
Regardless, whatever feelings he had for this girl they were entirely physical, similar to Meredith in a sense when she appeared at the last cemetery night. He was only interested in Mara if anyone, not because of how she looked but simply because he enjoyed her company. When he Lost his friends, it was a void, and that void was filled kwa a new companion—Paige—but Paige was not here and he certainly never considered her to be a romantic interest for himself.
Now he was free but while the asylum felt very lonesome, it was not completely so. Here it was as if the entire world was filled with millions of opportunities with no one around them, and every opportunity broken in some way. He was blocked both mentally, and physically, from complete freedom.
Not only was this temporary, but he was to be accompanied kwa either Nolan au Cab at all times. He was a new person to the world, but never himself, and that is where the conflict originated from. It was still incredibly difficult to believe Nolan’s story about River’s parents. Nolan would not let River see the grave, there was an elaborate story, and his identity was changed. Was Nolan hiding something? Every turn to River’s parents was blocked. For all the pale blue echidna knew, they were alive and well back at his hometown. He needed to find the grave, the records, and witnesses. He needed to make sure.
*gurgle* He also needed to actually eat. It took very little time to find the condiments and stuff down the pancakes. He washed it down with some maziwa and water, then walked out to Eril, who was still playing on her game.
“You know if wewe keep looking at a screen up close for too long, it’s bad for your eyesight.” He noted.
The Jerboa flipped her head towards him initially stunned, but quickly reeled back into a skeptic stare. “You’re pullin’ my strings, e’rn’t ya?”
“Do wewe have internet on that?” He replied, confident in his statement. The assistant remained still momentarily, then quickly did some typing on her device, an closed it, “Well that was fun while it lasted. Can’t drive like that, ‘n I’m not getting’ glasses, that’s fer sure.”
“How…” River stopped himself. He had no idea how to ask the age of this young lady.
“… With a wheel… one that steers.” She made a steering motion with her hands. “How something else?”
Might as well blurt it out. “How old are you?”
“… Oh.” She did not seem too stunned kwa this. That was fortunate. “A mwezi from nineteen, why?”
“Er- uh,” River realized that telling her ‘Well if I end up in romance with wewe I don’t want the police to lock me up’ was most-likely a fatal mistake, though he was not entirely sure if she would react negatively to it. He would need a different explanation. “Nolan’s… employees- assistants. Is this just a friend-favor thing? No disrespect but I couldn’t help but be a bit surprised when the assistant he talked about was so young.”
The girl shrugged. “I’m just another helper. I’ve got my graduation and my driver’s card. I get paid and I do whatever’s asked.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“I heard about Nolan years and years ago. He finally let me play a part about a mwaka ago. ‘Course I had all my trainin’ before that. I prepared.”
“… Prepared for bodyguarding?”
“Yyyyeah.” She stated as if it were obvious. “It’s loads of fun. Wanna know how many fights I got into?”
“Not, really.” River replied with a worried tone before shaking back to his initial reason for talking. “L-look, wewe can’t bring me right? To the graves?”
“Perdy much.”
“How much are wewe paid to stick to that order?”
She caught on immediately, placing down her game. “Money buys thrills, but I don’t need any excess currency.”
“If we go to those graves, won’t that mean zaidi chances for thrills?”
“Look, Mr. formerly Camelot Knight, I’m not that dumb, and I do care about some people in here. That includes valuing the trust of some of them, like Nolan.”
“Fine.” He was done trying to be cautious. “I don’t know what is actually going on here but I don’t believe that story about my parents. I don’t know where this house came from; I don’t know if that is even Nolan au not, so I want to go see those graves, and I want to see proof that my parents died the way Nolan alisema they did.”
“… Or, I could just kno-“
“I know, yeah, wewe could.” He interrupted in a huff. “You could. And that means wewe can lock me away, kicking and screaming, go through the trouble of Nolan and yourself going around in circles trying to solve the problem with me, and who knows what other problems that will cause. Nolan wanted me out for a reason, if he IS Nolan. You’ve got nothing to hide? Fine. If that’s the case I’m not going to pull either of wewe down if I get found out. If wewe say no then whether au not everyone thinks I’m a raving lunatic, I’m still going to scream it over and over howe-“
“OKAY!” She yelled, stuffing her game back into her bag. “If Nolan blames me for this, I dunno what’ll do but I think of something to do to you.” She got up, holding car keys, and headed towards the door. River followed but was stopped when Cab shoved him back. “You get a rain kanzu, koti au somethin’ to hide your face… and your dreads.”
River sighed, rolling his eyes. “Where’s the closet?”
While a raincoat was not in sight, a large black vazi, pazia was apparently on hand. When River asked Taxi what it was meant for, she simply shrugged with a disinterested stare. It was large enough to conceal the echidna, regardless of how odd it seemed, so he brought it with them.
It was an hour-long drive to get to the inayofuata city. The car was an eight-seat flat thing, grey, with brown inside designs, and black seats. It was clean, high-tech, but simple. River was not ready for a limousine-level vehicle quite yet, and this suited his needs fine. They spent it almost completely silent.
Forty-two dakika into the drive however a bit of guilt began to set in with River. He did not know this girl, au her past. Even if something was being withheld from him, Cab was most-likely just doing her job; a foot and arm for hire that didn’t ask questions. And now he was making her jeopardize a part of her career for something that was probably all in his head… that is… if all that was happening now wasn’t all in his head.
“Look…” He began, “I didn’t mean to… make this, some kind of conspiracy accusation. Originally… still now, I just… I just wanted to see them…” Taxi didn’t onyesha a sign of acknowledgement, but why not keep going? “I Lost everyone after what happened and even though I was in the nut-house, I… they were still alive. I didn’t know if they didn’t upendo me, if they weren’t able to handle the pain, au what happened. I just always thought that when I got out, I’d see them again. Now all I can do is look at their graves and hope their ghosts look back… smiling when they see that I got back up again.”
The driver-girl, started to speak back to him, but stopped herself. It was a good dakika before she finally let it out. “You don’t sound all that broken up… tone ‘n all.”
“I feel…” He began, “bland.” He sighed. “I don’t feel like I have enough in me to cry. I probably will when I have the strength but… I guess I’m just too far in disbelief to actually accept everything that’s happening.”
“Well you’re not wigging out yet; that’s a good sign. When was the last time that happened kwa the way?”
“Last night.” River grumbled. “Happens off and on, usually if I’m stressed au if I let myself daydream too much.”
“That’s reassuring. Ever find out how to control it?”
“Sometimes if I manage to calm myself down it will stop happening, but whatever has already happened lingers. This isn’t just normal schizophrenia. I can feel what happens, hear, smell… taste. If I’m seeing an illusion of a blade slicing down on my head au arm, it hurts, a lot.”
“So wewe think you’ll wig out at the graves?”
River sighed. “I might… I don’t care at this point. Even though I can actually feel it it’s not happening. I just wait it out… deal with the pain.”
It seemed that Taxi was done talking about River’s problems as she simply remained silent for the rest of the drive. River didn’t know if she was simply disinterested at this point, au perhaps maybe his tale upset her in some way. It was far from the strangest thing that happened that day.
The sky was grey when they arrived. It looked so different when darkness did not glide over it. The lampposts were still numerous, the trees still spaced far and thin, the benches nearly twice-posted as the trees, and the graves reaching thousands of numbers. River could hardly believe that they would allow their graves to be built at the place that started their problems; Cemetery Menacaust; Cemetery Restlessness.
Already his moyo began pumping. He was both depressed kwa what he was going to look for, and terrified kwa what may happen. Despite everything he had stated just dakika ago… what happened five years past was real. What was he going to find here?
River began opening his door but Cab called over “Hey, hold it!” He stopped, and looked over to her. “What???” He asked in an irritated tone.
“Do wewe have the kofia on?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.” Upon hearing this, River started to the door again but Cab locked the door. “When wewe find the graves wewe need to act like wewe aren’t looking at them; like you’re going to a different one.”
“Fine… now can I go?”
“Yes.” The locks clicked and River stepped out. Normally it would take some time to find the right graves, but unfortunately River knew this place very well, and he knew where his parents would have wanted to be buried.
Step kwa step he strolled past the tombstones. He ignored the names on them. At the moment his priorities were watching his feet. Even after all this time, River would not be surprised if he saw a serpent dart for his ankle. The thought of this increased his nervousness but he could not let it take him over. He needed to hold together, for his parents’ sake.
This was the moment now. The tree, the bench, the type of stone, the height, everything; he found what he was looking for. All that was left was to read the names.
Brooke Percival
3029------3071
Mother, Sister, Wife
“Shimmer like water in all of your beauty”
Carl Percival
3027------3071
Father, Husband
“Remember your spirit, and hold close your soul.”
Now, River would cry. There was no conspiracy. This happened. They… wasted their lives gambling money. It was still so unbelievable, but here were the graves. How could they be doing that? When did they find the time? Why would they… risk that much? River felt almost as though he was entirely insignificant, oblivious; USELESS… how did he let this happen…?
The echidna had entirely forgotten about pretending not to look. He was holding the graves, hugging them, clinging to them. “Don’t be dead”, “I never alisema goodbye”…
“River?”
“Yeah?”
“What are wewe and your Marafiki doing again?”
“We’re going to hang out at a cemetery, tell some creepy stories.”
“Do wewe think that’s a respectful thing to do?”
“… Respectful?”
“Playing around where the dead rest.”
“Oh…w-well…”
“Maybe wewe should ask your Marafiki to do something else this year?”
“But… we do this every year. Mara’s bringing her cousin this time too.”
“River… son, if wewe died and they buried wewe in that place, would wewe like it if people danced around your grave at night?”
“…”
“I’m sorry, honey but we need to be respectful to everyone, including their memory.”
“… I…. but if I don’t go they’ll be upset.”
“It’s your choice, River. I do not approve of it but I’m going to trust wewe to do the right thing here.”
“… Okay…”
“I didn’t do the right thing.” River murmured, now standing over the graves with a monotone voice. “You were right. It wasn’t respectful. And then I turned around and got Dad to do it.”
“Alright, we’re here.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Hold on.”
“What?”
“Just hold on for a minute. I just need a minute.”
“Okay…”
“Your mother told me what you’re planning to do here with your friends.”
“She… then why did wewe drive me here?”
“Because we both agree that it’s your choice, and we want wewe to make the right one. wewe can go to that cemetery and dance all night, telling your stories with each other, au wewe can respect the dead.”
“It’s just their bodies.”
“If these were just bodies would we burry them and give them names?”
“… No…”
“River, we both upendo you, we care about you, and we want to trust you. wewe being here isn’t against our wishes, but parading around is. wewe can call us if wewe decide to come home.”
“… Okay.”
“Maybe all of this is punishment. Maybe I’m alive because I had sekunde thoughts.” River continued. “Seventeen stories… Seventeen graves… Seventeen people we used for games.”
It was time to leave. River started making his way back to the car, though he was a bit Lost as to where it was parked. He went past many graves until one actually caught his eye… it was Marty’s grave.
Marty… He was always so chipper; always a jokester. Even if he were a part of this, he didn’t deserve to die. He was just playing the game… then Nolan, au Meredith, killed him. “Marty… I’m… wewe didn’t… wewe shouldn’t have been the one to die, man.”
Anger boiled up in River. He did not want to blame Nolan but he was not going to be able to take his anger out on snakes that were most-likely never going to reappear. But on the other hand… he could not begin to imagine what it was like for Nolan… knowing that he killed all these people. Sure he was calm and collected now… but was that a front? Deep down he might very well have been torn to pieces, and all River could think about was blaming him.
River just kept walking. He just needed to get to the edge of the cemetery and find his way back from there. He saw a sidewalk in the distance and went towards it. It seemed that everything was going to be normal at first… but things were never that easy.
The sky darkened and the graves rose, growing in height until they were like pillars in the ground, puncturing the sky itself. It was happening now… of course now.
River’s immediate thoughts were to dart around them and get to the car, but then he saw the inscriptions on every tombstone; Carry Alekson.
“He was unable to hide from the white death forever. After all, Carry was the firstborn.” These words echoed through the graves, booming in Mara’s voice, gentle, dainty, and horrifying. River knew what was coming next. He had to get out, before it continued.
He darted mbele to pass kwa two of the graves but before he could *SLAM!* “He was stuck in the labyrinth, completely trapped.”
Walls grew between the graves as above him a wingu began to lower, sprouting spider-like legs as it settled at a remote part of the cemetery. River could see it’s mist flowing from the juu of the walls as it madly searched, getting closer. He made tracks, taking the first open path.
“The only safety he had was when a corner was turned and the mist guessed wrong what location he was in. But it was so quick that Carry had no time to relax. He kept running and running, panting, and coughing as the mist got closer.”
River was passing a corner when he ran straight into the mist itself. He felt poking hands grabbing his head, turning it so that teeth could bare into his side and scream cries into his mind. He turned aside, pulling himself free just enough to slip through. The cream had dazed him but he could not stop. He took off in the direction the mist came from, and soon it was on his tail again.
“He could not let it catch him but he was quickly exhausting… then, he saw it; the end of the maze.”
River saw the sidewalk again. Across from it was the street, and… the car. The car was there. He charged forward.
“Dashing at full speed he charged at the exit but he could not reach it. No matter how close he got, it was still far away. He was too terrified to realize he would not make it.”
Every step, every stone, stung. Memories of his friends, and family, screaming, crying, surged into River’s head. He could feel them tearing at him from behind, pulling him, screaming for him to stop and help them escape too. River was not able to songesha anymore. He fell back.
“He was panting and pushing himself so much that finally his lung blew out. Carry collapsed, rolling and rolling until stopping just at the edge of the exit. The white mist approached him but as it arrived directly in front of him it stopped, turned, and left. Carry was already dead.”
The mist hang above River, circling his still body. He was conscious but he could not move. It reached at him and began puncturing it’s appendages into his skin. He felt like it was crushing him. It felt… zaidi real than the other times. This… this couldn’t be real could it?
As River’s thoughts betrayed him, the mist enlarged itself, rising high into the air… then diving and forcing itself through his mouth, and down his throat. It tasted like death, like smoke, like as it was pushing through him, something was being pulled out of him. He could not breathe. His body began to shake. He felt his own hands raising, and clutching his throat, forcing the echidna to choke himself.
He was coughing now, au trying to, but the zaidi he did, the zaidi his hands tightened. It felt like everything was over. He could not stop it. Then, when he thought it was going to be over, he saw them.
Slowly in the grass, hiding, then reappearing as they neared him, like evil S’s swerving back and forth as they neared their prey. It was the snakes. They had gotten his friends. Now they were going to get him.
They both opened their jaws, extending and preparing to bite at him. It was then that River realized… if these were here… this was not over.
Just as the serpents leapt to his sides River tore his arms and still tightened hands from his neck, clawing off skin as they became fists, digging into their own palms. His hands slammed against both heads of the snakes, driving them into the ground, hissing and whipping. River kept them there until they stopped moving then grabbed hold of the mist, still hanging above and inside of him.
The echidna pulled at the mist, still stinging him. It was mist, he could not grasp it. He had to make it something else. Still without breath, River focused, and the mist became plastic, wriggling inside of his throat and stomach. It stung him, made him gag, but he could grab it.
Slowly he pulled it from him. The mist screamed, whipping him from inside but he would not let it stay. The tip of it was thrown out of him and then vanished. River gasped for air repeatedly between vomits. Despite the pain… he felt relief. He took control for once.
He looked down and saw them still there, the snakes; dead. He reached for them but they turned to dust, vanishing like the mist. Ahead of him, blurred, he saw a figure coming towards him, before he passed out.
“He trespassed…”
“He is the one I told wewe about.”
“I know… I know his thoughts… I know… He was punished…”
“You could have killed him.”
“And then what…? I killed you… to make you…”
River was on a couch. He felt alive again… healthy. He got up. He was in the living room. In the jikoni he heard an argument. The first voice was Nolans. He sounded upset… he was… accusing… Accusing who?
The sekunde was… It was Taxi’s voice. River moved in more.
“He was going to go crazy. If I didn’t onyesha him, he would’ve thought we were lyin’ ‘er somethin’.”
“He almost died.”
“I tried to… I just was…”
“… Forget it. He’s okay, right?”
“Yeah I got him out before it-“
“Sh! Don’t… mention that.”
“Right… sorry.”
“*sigh* Alright… let’s go.”
They walked out and up to River.
“Heard all that, right?” Nolan asked with a stern tone.
“I don’t know why you’d hide it.” River replied. “… Look, Nolan, I just wanted to see-“
“You were alone. wewe left. I alisema stay. I was telling wewe that because you’re under my protection.” Nolan fumed. “I don’t know if wewe hate me right now, River, but I’m trying to keep wewe from NOT dying.”
River lowered his head… but then he remembered… “I saw the snakes again, Nolan.” He rose his head back up. Nolan did not look surprised. “I saw the snakes at the graves, like last time. Can wewe explain that? Is that what wewe were keeping me from? Did wewe know?”
Nolan didn’t respond. He walked directly in front of River, giving him a very stern look, then walked past, and out the front door. River felt as Lost as ever again. Who could he trust? He turned back and was reminded that Taxi was still in the room. She was leaning against the ukuta looking both kuvuka, msalaba and saddened.
“He hates me now probably.” She said. “He was your friend. Why can’t wewe just trust him?... Do wewe trust anyone?”
“No.” He replied bluntly. “I don’t know what to trust… who to trust… even myself.”
Deep… back at the cemetery, a grave glows… from it the ground begins to bubble as a body lifted from the dirt. A scaly hand ripped through, reaching, re-living… re-animating.
To be continued…
Stairs stood at the front of the right as he neared the kitchen. These must have led to a second-story bedroom. The railing with its holey support-posts, going up with the stairs themselves, let in the afternoon sun, allowing it to stretch and cling to the ukuta and the carpet-covered steps. The slight dimming of light throughout the house seemed to almost hurt the light… it was trying to stay with him. The light was creating something on him.
River knew that when he walked up these stairs it would be his last chance to abandon this warning. Was the house itself evil? No… the house was simply a location. The night was evil and where the walls and furniture casted shadows…
…there was darkness to grow in.
The light was beginning to dim more. How long had it been now? He could not have been standing there for an entire hour. The bedroom was his salama place. If he just got into the room he would be safe. Whether he would sleep was completely different.
River felt the pain of pulling himself up these steps. Was he really standing that long? His first step caused the light to dim slightly, and the inayofuata a little more. Each step made him zaidi sore and the area darker. The light was dimming and the shadows were grinning, tasting, waiting.
The bits of light still between the posts made it almost seem as though the shadows were a mouth, smacking it’s lips open and shut for a meal. With his legs actually shaking from pain, River managed to pull himself to the juu of the stairs.
The sunlight was gone from the house, but there was still time. The sunset had begun. River had to get to the bedroom. Which door was it? Five were across to his right, stretching to the window that held his sunlight so desperately needed.
The first door, as he turned a ninety-degree angle, held a bedroom but not the master bedroom. It was a child’s room. It was not his room. He needed his room. The door closed and River felt himself collapse to his knees. His legs were too weak.
The sunset was nearing its end now. The sekunde door held an office, empty of computers but filled with shelves. It had a window at its back that held no sunlight. River wriggled his hands to close the door and continued onward.
Time was moving too fast. The third door was larger than the others. This must have been it, and it was. River slammed the door behind himself and relaxed against it. The terror was beginning to subside, but what had caused his he did not know.
River awoke against the same door. He hoped that kwa some manner of magic he had sleep-walked into the vacant master bedroom in front of himself. Unfortunately the sore in his neck told him that this was not the case and soon he was rising.
His mind was clearing from the strangeness of before. He had another illusion attack. His parents were dead. He was rich. This was all too soon. Was he really this wealthy? Was he actually in this house?
He opened the door and exited to the living room below. He remembered it from the siku before so at the very least he knew that he did go here. “Hold on.” He froze. “What… what city am I even in!?”
Footsteps swiftly approached the tense echidna, prompting him to whip around in a defensive stance, only to quickly tunga himself in an attempted, but unfortunately awkward, casual stance. Nolan was walking over to him from the kitchen.
“Well Quarner is the state. Primmore is the city; wewe know, the one the asylum was at?” The male feline informed while juggling a pear behind himself in a tick-tock back-and-forth motion.
“When did wewe get here?” River questioned immediately.
“Thirty dakika ago.” Nolan replied casually, ending his speech perfectly with the stopping of his juggling; the pear now in his right hand, which was perfectly pointed to a ten-o-clock angle, his left at the thirty mark. River understood the message. “Still stressed, right?” He questioned.
“Wouldn’t wewe be?” The echidna asked, put off kwa Nolan’s laid-back mood. “Did your parents die recently au something?”
“Not recently.”
“… wewe mean-“
“Yeah. Not the same way but that’s for another time,” He smirked ever so slightly before finishing. the saa of never.”
The saa of Never… that was number eight of the stories they told at the cemeteries; a tale where a man had an saa added to each siku every week, except that nothing ever happened each saa until the hours filled months, leading to an eventual suicide. Why would Nolan talk about that? Why was he being so insensitive?
“Don’t make me think about that.” River demanded in a breathing tone, shaking his head in a very warning-intending way.
Nolan did not give him an immediate response. He simply took a bite of his pear and nodded. “Are wewe going to look around your house?” He muffled out between bites.
“Why? How long do I have here? What about the gang au mafia au whatever that wants me dead now?”
“Right, your name is now Dennis Knox.”
“… What?”
Nolan swallowed before continuing. “You’ve got a new name, a new Social Security Number, an account with money in it, and even some background-” He made a sort of handing-over gesture as he interrupted himself as if to hand something to River, “I left out a bit so wewe could make up whatever wewe wanted in it.”
River had a bit of difficulty processing this. “Then…” He began, “what, happened, to, me? M-me me.”
“Suicide after leaving the asylum. I’ll be attending your funeral as your lawyer in about a month.”
“Just like-“
“that.” Nolan interrupted. “Yes… what you’re mad? Would wewe rather wait and give people time to figure it out? All people know about Dennis Knox is that he’s got a nice house. No one here ever met River Percival. People can look up River Percival though and find out that his parents are dead, he is mentally unstable, and he just got out of a mental nyumbani only to be jumped kwa who knows who.”
River slowly sat at one of the living room couches. “I… do I have a job? What, what do I do?”
“You have investments in stocks of various companies. You’re rich enough without them, congratulations kwa the way, but a good cover is a good cover.”
“Then what do I do in the meantime?”
Nolan patted River on the shoulder. “Just recuperate for now. Don’t want to put wewe back in the mental nyumbani so soon.” He handed River a pair of keys, three, on a chain, before walking towards the front door. “You’ve got another personal assistant too kwa the way.”
River knew that Nolan was going to ignore him if he asked who the assistant was, so he decided to remain silent. The door closed and River was supposedly alone. He took a deep sigh, thinking over if he wanted to go to bed, explore the house, au eat.
River felt… nothing, physically and emotionally. It was a sort of nothing in the confusion way. He did not know what to feel. Maybe it was because he was gone for so long and it just did not hurt as much. Still… he needed some kind of closure.
A car would be required. River had previously owned a driver’s license, but after being admitted into the hospital it was revoked on the grounds of his mental illness. He was not mad over this; it made sense and he certainly did not want to be driving only to see a giant monster smash through the care as a mirage.
That did not solve the issue at hand though. The echidna male needed a way to his destination. Maybe the assistant could help. River walked instinctively to the jikoni to find a young woman, a Gobi jerboa to be precise, standing at 3ft.12 as opposed to Nolan’s 4ft. 8. She had bouncing red hair with crowning bangs and long curls at the back, turquoise eyes, and white fur, manyoya which faded to a plain tan beginning at her forehead to what River assumed would go to her back.
Her legs definitely helped in terms of height, with her actual feet being very hoof-like with two toes sticking out from her sandals. Her ears were large and long, stretching to the sides with small holes at the top-right. Her tail was quite long, stretching a good half-foot zaidi than her height, with a very large black, white, and tan, puff at the end. In fact the tans seemed to be at the hands and feet of her as well.
Her attire started with a turtleneck tank top, which River found extremely self-contradicting but not unheard of after recalling similar outfits being noticed kwa himself in public, black, with a pink mustache at the center. Around her arms were white arm-mitts that began at her shoulders, stopped at her elbows, and continued with a sekunde pair till they reached her wrists. These almost completely faded into her fur, manyoya color which confused River as to why she would wear them if not to have others notice without effort. Her pants were about a half-foot from her ankles, and also black, with stitched blue maua, ua designs around the knees and hips. A very small nose-ring clang to her left nostril, while a circular metal implant was seen on her left shoulder.
The Jerboa alisema nothing as she sat upon River’s jikoni counter. She was busy with a handheld video game. River cleared his throat, unintentionally drawing her attention. She half-jumped when looking to him. After realizing that someone had to speak now, he asked “Are wewe the assistant Nolan talked about?”
“Jeremy wewe mean.” She replied in a Scottish accent. “Yeah that’s me.”
“… And do I call you… uh…”
“Taxi normally, au Cab.” She shut off her game. “Long story behind those, iroe’nically before I got my driver’s license. If wewe want a real name, I’m Eril. Get why I use nicknames now?”
“Uh, yeah.” River had trouble thinking over what the best course of action was. He was both stunned kwa the young, and quite attractive, young lady in what was apparently his house, and uncomfortable with the idea of giving someone orders, especially a woman. She looked no zaidi than seventeen at the most, which caused many zaidi reasons for alarm to ring up in River’s head.
“… So you’re here to talk au wewe need something?” Taxi asked.
“Well… I needed someone to get me to a cemetery. I have some personal business.”
“Jeremy alisema that’s a no-can-do. They’ll be waiting for wewe there.”
River tensed. “When can we go then?”
“A week probably.”
“But…”
“Your mum and dad ‘ern’t goin’ anywhere. My job’s keepin’ wewe from the dy’en life.”
River raised his hands in a sort of picture-visualizing motion, squinting as he comprehended the accented-girl. “So, you’re my assistant, and wewe call the shots?”
“I tak-, oh hold on.” She paused in a huff before going through a bag previously concealed behind herself. Cat pulled out a notepad and a pen. “Now where wa- ah!” She clicked the pen and began scribbling. “I, take you, wherever wewe want to go,” dot, “shop for whatever wewe need,” dot, “keep wewe from the dy’en life,” dot, “find people, bring people, make people leave,” dot dot dot, “perform dirty work both literally, maliciously, and stealthily,” dot. She closed the notebook before looking up at River, flipping her had ever so slightly and leaning mbele ever, so, slightly, “and, various.”
“Various?” River questioned.
“Various.” She repeated before flipping her game open again.
River had an idea as to what she was implying but other things were on his mind. He turned about in aspiration. “Alright then what is Nolan doing?”
“Meeting people probably.” She answered.
“What should I do here?”
“Medication I guess… au sleepin’. Work out.”
River wasn’t going to get help here. He walked to the refrigerator and gently pulled the door open. Fresh pancakes lay inside in a bag with a note saying “Also I cook”. River turned to look over at his hivi karibuni assistant, who was looking back.
“Find the cakes?” She asked. “I was worried you’d find those before we talked. That would’ve made no sense.”
“You have a lot of skills.” River noted before taking out the bag.
“Oh yeah.” She replied with a proud grin. “You can find the condiments ‘n all, right?” She made her way out of the kitchen. River did not stop her. Despite feeling… tempted to become zaidi acquainted with this girl, things were too odd, and suspicious. Of all the people to meet him it was Nolan. Yes they were Marafiki most of their lives but that was before that night, and this Nolan was definitely different. Of course people changed with age. River had to acknowledge that he himself was far less trusting than he had been years before, to say nothing of his nerves. Shouldn’t he have been happy that someone was still alive?
The girl, Eril- er, TAXI, CAB, whatever she called herself; she did not feel safe. River felt like any moment he’d pass out and wake up in police custody for pedophilia. He never DID ask what her age was, and would she give the right one if he did?
Regardless, whatever feelings he had for this girl they were entirely physical, similar to Meredith in a sense when she appeared at the last cemetery night. He was only interested in Mara if anyone, not because of how she looked but simply because he enjoyed her company. When he Lost his friends, it was a void, and that void was filled kwa a new companion—Paige—but Paige was not here and he certainly never considered her to be a romantic interest for himself.
Now he was free but while the asylum felt very lonesome, it was not completely so. Here it was as if the entire world was filled with millions of opportunities with no one around them, and every opportunity broken in some way. He was blocked both mentally, and physically, from complete freedom.
Not only was this temporary, but he was to be accompanied kwa either Nolan au Cab at all times. He was a new person to the world, but never himself, and that is where the conflict originated from. It was still incredibly difficult to believe Nolan’s story about River’s parents. Nolan would not let River see the grave, there was an elaborate story, and his identity was changed. Was Nolan hiding something? Every turn to River’s parents was blocked. For all the pale blue echidna knew, they were alive and well back at his hometown. He needed to find the grave, the records, and witnesses. He needed to make sure.
*gurgle* He also needed to actually eat. It took very little time to find the condiments and stuff down the pancakes. He washed it down with some maziwa and water, then walked out to Eril, who was still playing on her game.
“You know if wewe keep looking at a screen up close for too long, it’s bad for your eyesight.” He noted.
The Jerboa flipped her head towards him initially stunned, but quickly reeled back into a skeptic stare. “You’re pullin’ my strings, e’rn’t ya?”
“Do wewe have internet on that?” He replied, confident in his statement. The assistant remained still momentarily, then quickly did some typing on her device, an closed it, “Well that was fun while it lasted. Can’t drive like that, ‘n I’m not getting’ glasses, that’s fer sure.”
“How…” River stopped himself. He had no idea how to ask the age of this young lady.
“… With a wheel… one that steers.” She made a steering motion with her hands. “How something else?”
Might as well blurt it out. “How old are you?”
“… Oh.” She did not seem too stunned kwa this. That was fortunate. “A mwezi from nineteen, why?”
“Er- uh,” River realized that telling her ‘Well if I end up in romance with wewe I don’t want the police to lock me up’ was most-likely a fatal mistake, though he was not entirely sure if she would react negatively to it. He would need a different explanation. “Nolan’s… employees- assistants. Is this just a friend-favor thing? No disrespect but I couldn’t help but be a bit surprised when the assistant he talked about was so young.”
The girl shrugged. “I’m just another helper. I’ve got my graduation and my driver’s card. I get paid and I do whatever’s asked.”
“How long has this been going on?”
“I heard about Nolan years and years ago. He finally let me play a part about a mwaka ago. ‘Course I had all my trainin’ before that. I prepared.”
“… Prepared for bodyguarding?”
“Yyyyeah.” She stated as if it were obvious. “It’s loads of fun. Wanna know how many fights I got into?”
“Not, really.” River replied with a worried tone before shaking back to his initial reason for talking. “L-look, wewe can’t bring me right? To the graves?”
“Perdy much.”
“How much are wewe paid to stick to that order?”
She caught on immediately, placing down her game. “Money buys thrills, but I don’t need any excess currency.”
“If we go to those graves, won’t that mean zaidi chances for thrills?”
“Look, Mr. formerly Camelot Knight, I’m not that dumb, and I do care about some people in here. That includes valuing the trust of some of them, like Nolan.”
“Fine.” He was done trying to be cautious. “I don’t know what is actually going on here but I don’t believe that story about my parents. I don’t know where this house came from; I don’t know if that is even Nolan au not, so I want to go see those graves, and I want to see proof that my parents died the way Nolan alisema they did.”
“… Or, I could just kno-“
“I know, yeah, wewe could.” He interrupted in a huff. “You could. And that means wewe can lock me away, kicking and screaming, go through the trouble of Nolan and yourself going around in circles trying to solve the problem with me, and who knows what other problems that will cause. Nolan wanted me out for a reason, if he IS Nolan. You’ve got nothing to hide? Fine. If that’s the case I’m not going to pull either of wewe down if I get found out. If wewe say no then whether au not everyone thinks I’m a raving lunatic, I’m still going to scream it over and over howe-“
“OKAY!” She yelled, stuffing her game back into her bag. “If Nolan blames me for this, I dunno what’ll do but I think of something to do to you.” She got up, holding car keys, and headed towards the door. River followed but was stopped when Cab shoved him back. “You get a rain kanzu, koti au somethin’ to hide your face… and your dreads.”
River sighed, rolling his eyes. “Where’s the closet?”
While a raincoat was not in sight, a large black vazi, pazia was apparently on hand. When River asked Taxi what it was meant for, she simply shrugged with a disinterested stare. It was large enough to conceal the echidna, regardless of how odd it seemed, so he brought it with them.
It was an hour-long drive to get to the inayofuata city. The car was an eight-seat flat thing, grey, with brown inside designs, and black seats. It was clean, high-tech, but simple. River was not ready for a limousine-level vehicle quite yet, and this suited his needs fine. They spent it almost completely silent.
Forty-two dakika into the drive however a bit of guilt began to set in with River. He did not know this girl, au her past. Even if something was being withheld from him, Cab was most-likely just doing her job; a foot and arm for hire that didn’t ask questions. And now he was making her jeopardize a part of her career for something that was probably all in his head… that is… if all that was happening now wasn’t all in his head.
“Look…” He began, “I didn’t mean to… make this, some kind of conspiracy accusation. Originally… still now, I just… I just wanted to see them…” Taxi didn’t onyesha a sign of acknowledgement, but why not keep going? “I Lost everyone after what happened and even though I was in the nut-house, I… they were still alive. I didn’t know if they didn’t upendo me, if they weren’t able to handle the pain, au what happened. I just always thought that when I got out, I’d see them again. Now all I can do is look at their graves and hope their ghosts look back… smiling when they see that I got back up again.”
The driver-girl, started to speak back to him, but stopped herself. It was a good dakika before she finally let it out. “You don’t sound all that broken up… tone ‘n all.”
“I feel…” He began, “bland.” He sighed. “I don’t feel like I have enough in me to cry. I probably will when I have the strength but… I guess I’m just too far in disbelief to actually accept everything that’s happening.”
“Well you’re not wigging out yet; that’s a good sign. When was the last time that happened kwa the way?”
“Last night.” River grumbled. “Happens off and on, usually if I’m stressed au if I let myself daydream too much.”
“That’s reassuring. Ever find out how to control it?”
“Sometimes if I manage to calm myself down it will stop happening, but whatever has already happened lingers. This isn’t just normal schizophrenia. I can feel what happens, hear, smell… taste. If I’m seeing an illusion of a blade slicing down on my head au arm, it hurts, a lot.”
“So wewe think you’ll wig out at the graves?”
River sighed. “I might… I don’t care at this point. Even though I can actually feel it it’s not happening. I just wait it out… deal with the pain.”
It seemed that Taxi was done talking about River’s problems as she simply remained silent for the rest of the drive. River didn’t know if she was simply disinterested at this point, au perhaps maybe his tale upset her in some way. It was far from the strangest thing that happened that day.
The sky was grey when they arrived. It looked so different when darkness did not glide over it. The lampposts were still numerous, the trees still spaced far and thin, the benches nearly twice-posted as the trees, and the graves reaching thousands of numbers. River could hardly believe that they would allow their graves to be built at the place that started their problems; Cemetery Menacaust; Cemetery Restlessness.
Already his moyo began pumping. He was both depressed kwa what he was going to look for, and terrified kwa what may happen. Despite everything he had stated just dakika ago… what happened five years past was real. What was he going to find here?
River began opening his door but Cab called over “Hey, hold it!” He stopped, and looked over to her. “What???” He asked in an irritated tone.
“Do wewe have the kofia on?” She asked.
“Yes.”
“Good.” Upon hearing this, River started to the door again but Cab locked the door. “When wewe find the graves wewe need to act like wewe aren’t looking at them; like you’re going to a different one.”
“Fine… now can I go?”
“Yes.” The locks clicked and River stepped out. Normally it would take some time to find the right graves, but unfortunately River knew this place very well, and he knew where his parents would have wanted to be buried.
Step kwa step he strolled past the tombstones. He ignored the names on them. At the moment his priorities were watching his feet. Even after all this time, River would not be surprised if he saw a serpent dart for his ankle. The thought of this increased his nervousness but he could not let it take him over. He needed to hold together, for his parents’ sake.
This was the moment now. The tree, the bench, the type of stone, the height, everything; he found what he was looking for. All that was left was to read the names.
Brooke Percival
3029------3071
Mother, Sister, Wife
“Shimmer like water in all of your beauty”
Carl Percival
3027------3071
Father, Husband
“Remember your spirit, and hold close your soul.”
Now, River would cry. There was no conspiracy. This happened. They… wasted their lives gambling money. It was still so unbelievable, but here were the graves. How could they be doing that? When did they find the time? Why would they… risk that much? River felt almost as though he was entirely insignificant, oblivious; USELESS… how did he let this happen…?
The echidna had entirely forgotten about pretending not to look. He was holding the graves, hugging them, clinging to them. “Don’t be dead”, “I never alisema goodbye”…
“River?”
“Yeah?”
“What are wewe and your Marafiki doing again?”
“We’re going to hang out at a cemetery, tell some creepy stories.”
“Do wewe think that’s a respectful thing to do?”
“… Respectful?”
“Playing around where the dead rest.”
“Oh…w-well…”
“Maybe wewe should ask your Marafiki to do something else this year?”
“But… we do this every year. Mara’s bringing her cousin this time too.”
“River… son, if wewe died and they buried wewe in that place, would wewe like it if people danced around your grave at night?”
“…”
“I’m sorry, honey but we need to be respectful to everyone, including their memory.”
“… I…. but if I don’t go they’ll be upset.”
“It’s your choice, River. I do not approve of it but I’m going to trust wewe to do the right thing here.”
“… Okay…”
“I didn’t do the right thing.” River murmured, now standing over the graves with a monotone voice. “You were right. It wasn’t respectful. And then I turned around and got Dad to do it.”
“Alright, we’re here.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“Hold on.”
“What?”
“Just hold on for a minute. I just need a minute.”
“Okay…”
“Your mother told me what you’re planning to do here with your friends.”
“She… then why did wewe drive me here?”
“Because we both agree that it’s your choice, and we want wewe to make the right one. wewe can go to that cemetery and dance all night, telling your stories with each other, au wewe can respect the dead.”
“It’s just their bodies.”
“If these were just bodies would we burry them and give them names?”
“… No…”
“River, we both upendo you, we care about you, and we want to trust you. wewe being here isn’t against our wishes, but parading around is. wewe can call us if wewe decide to come home.”
“… Okay.”
“Maybe all of this is punishment. Maybe I’m alive because I had sekunde thoughts.” River continued. “Seventeen stories… Seventeen graves… Seventeen people we used for games.”
It was time to leave. River started making his way back to the car, though he was a bit Lost as to where it was parked. He went past many graves until one actually caught his eye… it was Marty’s grave.
Marty… He was always so chipper; always a jokester. Even if he were a part of this, he didn’t deserve to die. He was just playing the game… then Nolan, au Meredith, killed him. “Marty… I’m… wewe didn’t… wewe shouldn’t have been the one to die, man.”
Anger boiled up in River. He did not want to blame Nolan but he was not going to be able to take his anger out on snakes that were most-likely never going to reappear. But on the other hand… he could not begin to imagine what it was like for Nolan… knowing that he killed all these people. Sure he was calm and collected now… but was that a front? Deep down he might very well have been torn to pieces, and all River could think about was blaming him.
River just kept walking. He just needed to get to the edge of the cemetery and find his way back from there. He saw a sidewalk in the distance and went towards it. It seemed that everything was going to be normal at first… but things were never that easy.
The sky darkened and the graves rose, growing in height until they were like pillars in the ground, puncturing the sky itself. It was happening now… of course now.
River’s immediate thoughts were to dart around them and get to the car, but then he saw the inscriptions on every tombstone; Carry Alekson.
“He was unable to hide from the white death forever. After all, Carry was the firstborn.” These words echoed through the graves, booming in Mara’s voice, gentle, dainty, and horrifying. River knew what was coming next. He had to get out, before it continued.
He darted mbele to pass kwa two of the graves but before he could *SLAM!* “He was stuck in the labyrinth, completely trapped.”
Walls grew between the graves as above him a wingu began to lower, sprouting spider-like legs as it settled at a remote part of the cemetery. River could see it’s mist flowing from the juu of the walls as it madly searched, getting closer. He made tracks, taking the first open path.
“The only safety he had was when a corner was turned and the mist guessed wrong what location he was in. But it was so quick that Carry had no time to relax. He kept running and running, panting, and coughing as the mist got closer.”
River was passing a corner when he ran straight into the mist itself. He felt poking hands grabbing his head, turning it so that teeth could bare into his side and scream cries into his mind. He turned aside, pulling himself free just enough to slip through. The cream had dazed him but he could not stop. He took off in the direction the mist came from, and soon it was on his tail again.
“He could not let it catch him but he was quickly exhausting… then, he saw it; the end of the maze.”
River saw the sidewalk again. Across from it was the street, and… the car. The car was there. He charged forward.
“Dashing at full speed he charged at the exit but he could not reach it. No matter how close he got, it was still far away. He was too terrified to realize he would not make it.”
Every step, every stone, stung. Memories of his friends, and family, screaming, crying, surged into River’s head. He could feel them tearing at him from behind, pulling him, screaming for him to stop and help them escape too. River was not able to songesha anymore. He fell back.
“He was panting and pushing himself so much that finally his lung blew out. Carry collapsed, rolling and rolling until stopping just at the edge of the exit. The white mist approached him but as it arrived directly in front of him it stopped, turned, and left. Carry was already dead.”
The mist hang above River, circling his still body. He was conscious but he could not move. It reached at him and began puncturing it’s appendages into his skin. He felt like it was crushing him. It felt… zaidi real than the other times. This… this couldn’t be real could it?
As River’s thoughts betrayed him, the mist enlarged itself, rising high into the air… then diving and forcing itself through his mouth, and down his throat. It tasted like death, like smoke, like as it was pushing through him, something was being pulled out of him. He could not breathe. His body began to shake. He felt his own hands raising, and clutching his throat, forcing the echidna to choke himself.
He was coughing now, au trying to, but the zaidi he did, the zaidi his hands tightened. It felt like everything was over. He could not stop it. Then, when he thought it was going to be over, he saw them.
Slowly in the grass, hiding, then reappearing as they neared him, like evil S’s swerving back and forth as they neared their prey. It was the snakes. They had gotten his friends. Now they were going to get him.
They both opened their jaws, extending and preparing to bite at him. It was then that River realized… if these were here… this was not over.
Just as the serpents leapt to his sides River tore his arms and still tightened hands from his neck, clawing off skin as they became fists, digging into their own palms. His hands slammed against both heads of the snakes, driving them into the ground, hissing and whipping. River kept them there until they stopped moving then grabbed hold of the mist, still hanging above and inside of him.
The echidna pulled at the mist, still stinging him. It was mist, he could not grasp it. He had to make it something else. Still without breath, River focused, and the mist became plastic, wriggling inside of his throat and stomach. It stung him, made him gag, but he could grab it.
Slowly he pulled it from him. The mist screamed, whipping him from inside but he would not let it stay. The tip of it was thrown out of him and then vanished. River gasped for air repeatedly between vomits. Despite the pain… he felt relief. He took control for once.
He looked down and saw them still there, the snakes; dead. He reached for them but they turned to dust, vanishing like the mist. Ahead of him, blurred, he saw a figure coming towards him, before he passed out.
“He trespassed…”
“He is the one I told wewe about.”
“I know… I know his thoughts… I know… He was punished…”
“You could have killed him.”
“And then what…? I killed you… to make you…”
River was on a couch. He felt alive again… healthy. He got up. He was in the living room. In the jikoni he heard an argument. The first voice was Nolans. He sounded upset… he was… accusing… Accusing who?
The sekunde was… It was Taxi’s voice. River moved in more.
“He was going to go crazy. If I didn’t onyesha him, he would’ve thought we were lyin’ ‘er somethin’.”
“He almost died.”
“I tried to… I just was…”
“… Forget it. He’s okay, right?”
“Yeah I got him out before it-“
“Sh! Don’t… mention that.”
“Right… sorry.”
“*sigh* Alright… let’s go.”
They walked out and up to River.
“Heard all that, right?” Nolan asked with a stern tone.
“I don’t know why you’d hide it.” River replied. “… Look, Nolan, I just wanted to see-“
“You were alone. wewe left. I alisema stay. I was telling wewe that because you’re under my protection.” Nolan fumed. “I don’t know if wewe hate me right now, River, but I’m trying to keep wewe from NOT dying.”
River lowered his head… but then he remembered… “I saw the snakes again, Nolan.” He rose his head back up. Nolan did not look surprised. “I saw the snakes at the graves, like last time. Can wewe explain that? Is that what wewe were keeping me from? Did wewe know?”
Nolan didn’t respond. He walked directly in front of River, giving him a very stern look, then walked past, and out the front door. River felt as Lost as ever again. Who could he trust? He turned back and was reminded that Taxi was still in the room. She was leaning against the ukuta looking both kuvuka, msalaba and saddened.
“He hates me now probably.” She said. “He was your friend. Why can’t wewe just trust him?... Do wewe trust anyone?”
“No.” He replied bluntly. “I don’t know what to trust… who to trust… even myself.”
Deep… back at the cemetery, a grave glows… from it the ground begins to bubble as a body lifted from the dirt. A scaly hand ripped through, reaching, re-living… re-animating.
To be continued…
G-Sil was getting stronger kwa the minute, while Silhouette was getting weaker. Everyone tried helping, but whatever damage they did to G-Sil, she would transfer it to Silhouette. Eventually the city became destroyed in the process. And we are where we are now. G-Sil chokeing a half-dead Silhouette above a pond. G-Sil could've dropped her at any second, but she wanted Silhouette to suffer first. Claws screamed "Don't hurt her anymore!" "YEAH!" agreed Shock. But G-Sil couldn't be negotiated with. If wewe listened closely, wewe could hear Silhouette's limbs creaking. She truly was in pain. And no one knew what might happen next........
Stay tuned for Part 5!!!!!!!!!!
(FC's belong to original owners!)
Stay tuned for Part 5!!!!!!!!!!
(FC's belong to original owners!)
After Stage 2 Boom, he always looked the same
If u would like ur shabiki Character uploaded as our ikoni soemtime please send me a link of ur character au an ikoni u already have.
It really helps and might even bring u closer to our club.
Im doing this because I feel like a jerk for not posting many other icons, made kwa others.
Please send me some viungo below in the commentary.
Ur help is really appreciated and send me some ideas ide really like that aswell.
Also it would be really cool if u could give them a background of some sort in the picture.
It really helps and might even bring u closer to our club.
Im doing this because I feel like a jerk for not posting many other icons, made kwa others.
Please send me some viungo below in the commentary.
Ur help is really appreciated and send me some ideas ide really like that aswell.
Also it would be really cool if u could give them a background of some sort in the picture.
