High in the rocky foothills overlooking the Western Sea a man lies spread-eagled in the dust. His eyes snap wide open, and in the split second before he takes a huge gulp of air into his deflated lungs, the expression of terror is swiftly overcome by one of pure rage. Then all expression is lost in the fit of gasping which overcomes this man, or what seems to be a man.
The fit subsides, and the man lies still again, still panting for his breath. When he finally has his breathing under control, realization crosses his face. He reaches up and begins to claw at his face. His eyes! His tongue! But that spider…
The man- shaped creature leaps to his feet with unconscious grace and grins triumphantly. He does not know what old magic, what ancient remainder of the prim has paid him this favour, but he knows he has been given another chance.
And this time, he will not waste it. He sees now how he had grown slow and blind, but that spider that made him claw out his own eyes has made him see again. The creature known as Flagg, or Walter o'Dim, laughs manically at this. Took his eyes to make him see. Sounds almost like something that man Jesus might have said. But Mordred will pay. Roland will pay. The Crimson King will pay. All creation will pay for seeing Walter o'Dim feed his eyeballs to that whoring runt.
But there is something else, first. Oh yes…
The creature in the black robe raises his hands and lets forth a piercing shriek which sounds not at all human.
Right, that feels much better now.
Eddie wakes up to a horrible screech from the hills. He scrambles to his feet and turns to wake Roland, and realises that the gunslinger is already up with his revolver drawn and cocked. The other lies on the ground where he dropped it after trying to draw with his mutilated right hand. Damn but he's fast, Eddie thinks with both fear and respect. They have become compadres of a sort since he saved Eddie's life and Eddie saved his, but Eddie could still hate the man for taking him away from
(heroin)
his home. But he's glad to have him on his side. Sure is a hell of a lot better than having him on anyone else's side, Eddie thinks. The gunslinger looks at him and the firelight is reflected in his bombardier's eyes.
'Wildcat?' Eddie ventures to Roland.
He shakes his head, 'That was no cat. But I don't think there's any need to keep a watch tonight.'
'Fuck that, I'm gonna be wide awake all night now anyway. What the fuck as it?'
The gunslinger holsters his gun and reaches for his other. As he straightens up his fingers briefly caress the ancient horn he carries and a ghost of a smile crosses his lips. Eventually Eddie decides he isn't going to get an answer.
'You really know how to put a man at his ease, Roland, you know that? Sweet dreams, don't let whatever the fuck made that noise bite.'
The gunslinger had rolled back up in his cover by the glowing embers of the fire, and makes no sign he heard Eddie.
'Jesus Christ, man.' Eddie rolls his eyes and lies back down by the fire and tries to put the sound and whatever might have made it out of his mind.