Sleep was only needed for a little more than a few minutes. It was hard to tell but Orsay had settled down by a large lake with had a small waterfall. She had dug a hole as deep as she could near the waterfall so that only a small drop fell in it every second. She watched it for a hole minute before making a mark and then making multiple marks up it the same size with a small number to suggest how many minutes passed. Just to be sure she even fell asleep with her fingers just hanging over the edge of the hole so she would be woken by the cold liquid before it over flowed. It took a lot of time setting it up but soon she was woken after ten minutes of sleep. She found another spot and dug a similar hole where only a drop would get in every second and dug it so her hole body could fit in before she once again fell asleep. Orsay woke on her own this time and quickly checked to see how deep the water was. According to the marks she had made, Orsay had been sleeping for just under twenty five minutes. This could just be an off day so Orsay made to empty the water in the hole, filling it with mud so she could re dig it and try again when she was next tired.
It was a good thing she had set up by the lake as her little home. She could wash in the water, occasionally wet her tongue if it felt too rough though she didn't need to drink and the water tasted horrible anyway. The place she was, was surrounded with thick vine covered bushes and only a very small gap for Orsay to crawl in and out of when she wanted to go anywhere. The dogs would not be able to squeeze through and if they tried to tear the bushes to pieces then Orsay had practiced swimming under the lake out into the river to safety. She had discovered she did not need to breath. She held her breath for almost thirty minutes before she grew bored and decided to stop. It was uncomfortable and she couldn't look in the water because it burned her eyes but it would help her if she needed to escape. The ground she knelt on was soft under her legs, the grass was wet and the mud slick. It wasn't exactly nice but it was the best she could do in terms of hiding.
When Orsay had woken up she had been on a beach that was incredibly warm. She had walked along the beach until she had found the river and then followed the river up to her hiding spot. It had slowly grown cooler the closer she came to the lake and while it was not cold it was no longer warm. Orsay had managed to keep her clothes clean. She stripped down from her denim skirt and cleaned the worst of the muck off of it in the river and lake before hanging it on a skeleton bush to dry and did the same with her light pink blouse. She had no shoes but she did have a cotton jacket that she had torn up (since it wasn't really cold) and made into little slipper like shoes, tied with a string of the material to hold them on her feet.
Orsay used her fingers to brush through her hair when it got tangled and then took some more torn material from her jacket to tie it up into a ponytail. She wrapped the rest of the torn material in one of the larger pieces and tied it so it resembled a back pack that she could wear on her shoulders with thick knots to make sure it didn't come loose.
She had been in that world for a while and had so far survived. She survived a while before a dog showed up for the first time. It was just one but it was big, much bigger than her or any dog she had seen before in the other world with black fur and strange metal bits of fur and bright green eyes. It looked like a Dobberman. Orsay had found a Dobberman once on the streets while she had lived with her mother before her relapse. It was vicious but nowhere near as viscous as this animal. This animal was drooling with sharp teeth and had an almost red outline aura like to it.
The dog had jumped on her and Orsay had screamed, fighting before she managed to kick it and break free in a one in a million lucky chance. She had gotten onto her feet and ran along the river but the dog chased and caught up quickly. Orsay had thrown herself over the river to avoid it but slipped and fell back into the water with splash. She sat up in the water, coughing and spluttering, the heavy cotton on her jacket and the parts lined with thick fur felt heavy like it might drag her down. The dog had barked by the side of the river but did not get into the water though it kept moving like it wanted to and reached out as far as it's neck would allow.
Orsay had stood and stared at the dog but it made no move to get into the water and eventually gave up, turning and running away for easier prey. Orsay watched it go but didn't dare leave the water and walked the rest of the way in the middle of the river, fighting the current until she saw a little gap in a thick bush that soon became the new front door of her home.
The dogs occasionally did pass, she heard them. One day, Orsay was sitting in the middle of the river, completely naked as she washed her blouse while her skirt dried on one of the bushes when two dogs appeared. They looked exactly alike, right down to the amount of silver metal fur that they had. The dogs growled at her angrily but Orsay barely moved. She was used to it and as long as she was in the water she was safe.
The dogs growled but turned and began to walk down the lake away from her, not staying nearly as long as the other dog had. Orsay watched them go and returned to washing her top. She had no soap but if she rubbed at the muck and dirt long enough the water eventually washed it away.
But then Orsay heard a scream and she froze where she was. So far she had not seen or heard from any one else human, though part of her assumed they were there, but now she could not pretend she didn't know.
The scream was loud and petrified. It was childlike and Orsay felt cold listening to it. Then came the excited howls and barks from the dogs as they gave chase. Before thinking about it, Orsay pulled back on her top, her underwear and her skirt and began to run down the stream in direction of the screaming. She splashed in the shallow end but as it grew deeper she was slowed down and struggled to keep moving. Orsay slipped and fell down hard onto her hands and knees, water splashing into her mouth and up her nose. She struggled back onto her feet and pushed on, running further down the street until she came to a second short waterfall like drop that was still higher than the one near her hide out. Orsay came to a stop at the top of it, resisting as the water pushed at the back of her legs and threatened to drop her over the edge.
Orsay gasped. Down on the muddy grass, right beside of the river was a young girl that had been one of Orsay's followers to see her for her visions back when Nerezza had been controlling her. She was one of the many young children that Orsay had spoken to after entering her mothers dreams. Orsay couldn't remember her last name but the bright red hair was a dead giveaway. Her name was Clementine, barely eight years old.
Clementine screamed as the two dogs had a hold of her ankles when she was inches away from the safety of the water and was dragged back with them. She opened her mouth and shrieked loudly. The dogs dragged her before letting her go just long enough to jump on her again and start biting once again.
It was such a terrifying shock. Orsay opened her own mouth and screamed to see the dogs pulling Clementine to pieces, tearing at her flesh. She screamed loudly but neither of the dogs noticed her. They were both too excited and too caught up in the flesh and the blood filling their jaws.
Orsay dropped down hard onto her knees, openly sobbing as Clementine was killed brutally and slowly in front of her. Her screams lasted for much longer than Orsay felt they should. It was only after her lower jaw had been torn off that she finally stopped screaming. Thankfully Orsay was too far to see the detail but she was not too far to make out the puddle of blood all around Clementine that grew until it was trickling into the river and being washed away towards the sea. Her jaw was carried away by one of the dogs who chewed on it like a toy while the other dog dug his face deep in Clementine's open belly. She seemed dead now. Or paralyzed so she couldn't move but Orsay hoped she was dead.
She counted in her head. Slowly. Orsay stayed at the top of the water drop and counted slowly in her head how long before she could move again. She didn't bother with minutes just seconds. She counted two thousands eight hundred and fifty five before Orsay finally managed to get back onto her feet. Shivering, she turned and walked slowly back to her little home, trying to block out the sounds of squelching as the dogs chewed one an inner organ.
Orsay vowed never to leave again. She didn't even want to see such a horrible sight ever again.
*G*O*N*E*
Orc hated the colour grey because that was how he had looked when he was a monster, yet the clouds above him were grey and the water looked almost grey and even the sand had a grey tinge to it. He moved slowly through the land. For a moment he had considered trying to climb up the rocky banks but quickly gave up on that idea, he was far too big and heavy... Though he was normal. His skin was no longer grey and stone, he looked normal again as far as he could see but he couldn't really see his own face, just his arms legs and body. He was still only dressed in some grey boxers but he didn't mind the feeling of the nice wind on his skin. It was nice to feel anything.
He had moved along the beach until the ground evened out and he didn't need to climb so much. He kept walking for an unknown amount of time until he found an even ground of grass and soft mud. Orc wasn't sure what to do here but now that he had his human body back he wanted to look for food. He wasn't hungry but he wanted to find something to chew anyway. In the end there was nothing and Orc found a seat by the river, picking leaves from a bush and chewing on them.
He sat, chewing leaves but there was no real taste. He couldn't taste anything at least. It was hard to explain but he tasted nothing in his mouth though he certainly felt the gritty leaves in between his teeth and on his tongue. While he was sat, chewing on leaves and staring at the river, he heard a noise. It sounded like someone screaming.
Orc was not new to screaming but still he wasn't sure what to do. For a moment he fumbled to stand up, looking around and part of him found himself wishing Howard was here with him to help him decide what to do. But Howard wasn't. He was on his own.
After a moment the screaming continued and Orc found himself stumbling in direction of the screams automatically. It was a person at least so he wasn't here on his own. Maybe he could find someone who could tell him where he was... And maybe if he found this person then he might have a chance of finding Howard again. He missed Howard!
The screaming stopped before Orc reached it but he still found the source. Whatever had happened to the person, they had stopped screaming a while ago. The remains of the person made them unrecognizable. Orc had seen plenty of disgusting murder and so the sight of what was left of the body, bloody with only bones really left behind, and a small portion of clothing, didn't both him nearly as much as it should have. Orc stared down at the remains and silently wondered what had caused this and who this person had been...
It was then he heard the splashing sound. He glanced up toward a small waterfall but there didn't seem to be anyone near him unless they were up the river and out of sight.
"Hello?!" Orc called after them. "Oi!"
There was no answer and the splashing grew quieter the further it went. After a moment he began to follow where the splashing was last heard. Maybe it was Howard, or someone who knew Howard or at least where he was.
The splashing was always just in ear shot as Orc stumbled along. Orc couldn't seem to get any closer and even though he tried to keep to the river, sometimes a tree or bush was in the way and he had to skirt around it which slowed him down and sometimes took him away from the water. Finally the splashing sound came to a stop, leaving Orc standing in the middle of a broken bush he had trampled in his haste. He glanced around but he couldn't see anyone nearby.
"Hello?" Orc mumbled, glancing around. He didn't know why but he had a feeling someone was watching him.
There was still no answer, and now things seemed frighteningly silent with trees hanging overhead.
"Anyone..." Orc mumbled, feeling sick. He didn't like it here.
"I don't... Remember you."
Orc blinked and looked up sharply. At first he didn't see anyone. But then a young girl appeared from behind a thick looking tree, hidden in the dark shadows. She was young, hair tired back out of her face with a strange pair of slipper like shoes on her feet. She had wide eyes and Orc was sure he knew her from somewhere.
"I thought I knew almost everyone from the FAYZ. I saw them all in their dreams at least..." She whispered.
At the mention of dreams Orc remembered who she was. "Your the Prophetess..."
"Just call me Orsay." She instructed, stepping forward. She was different from when Orc remembered her as the Prophetess. Back then she was timid and shy, only really saying much when it came to her dream visions and mostly hiding behind of her friend, Nerezza. Now she just somehow seemed stronger.
"Orsay..." He mumbled. So it wasn't Howard he heard after all. Orc tried to suppress the disappointment.
"What's your name? I really don't remember you." Orsay mumbled.
"Or-" Orc paused. No. He hated that nickname. He wanted people to stop calling him it but that was how they knew him. "Charles."
"Charles." Orsay smiled. "When did you get here?"
"I dunno..." He mumbled. "A while ago..."
"Yeah." Orsay smiled. "It's hard to keep a track of time here. I've got a way of counting time, but it's mostly just to tell stuff like how long we need to sleep for. It's not really for long term time keeping."
"Oh..." Orc mumbled.
"Come on, Charles. We better get back to my hide out before the dogs come back." Orsay said quietly, glancing around nervously.
"Dogs?" Orc blinked.
"Wow, you are new." Orsay smiled. "This way. I'll explain everything."
Orc hesitated but then followed Orsay as she made her way back to her hide out. They didn't have to go far. Orsay led them around the tree she had been hiding behind and down back towards the river. Finally she came to a stop in front of a large bush with a small hole in the side. Orsay immediately went to crawl through but then stopped and looked back when she heard Orc was not following her any longer.
"What's the matter?"
"The hole's too small for me to fit in through." Orc grumbled.
"Oh... Well you're certainly big. Maybe we can make the hole bigger and then cover it up with a tree branch or a rock..." Orsay mumbled. "Trust me. It's the best hiding spot but the small hole keeps the dogs out... I know!"
She stood and hurried around the small hide out, climbing over a fallen tree and landing with a splash in the river. Orc followed her, landing in the river behind her as she hurried further up and came beside a set of branches she had set up beside the river. She began to shift and move them out of the way.
"But..." Orc mumbled. "The dogs?"
"Oh, it's okay. The dogs can't step in the water. I learned that pretty quickly so it means we can have a big entrance here for you to come in and the dogs won't be able to get in." Orsay beamed. "We just have to make sure the rest of the bushes and trees stay in place."
"... Okay." Orc mumbled, not really following along.
Orc helped move the branches and set them up the way Orsay told him to before he slipped inside after her. It was a very small tight space with Orc when he stretched out but there was a surprising amount of room for such a small girl who made it. There was a large set of holes that looked damp like they had been full of water at one point and a thick layer of leaves that Orsay sat down on.
When they were both inside the shelter, Orsay took her bag from the side and set it down on the ground beside one of the holes.
"So... What are the dogs?" Orc mumbled.
"Well... They're the dogs." Orsay shrugged, unsure of where to start. "They're dogs that attack any person that comes near them. They kill everyone in a dozen of horrific ways!"
Orc stared at her, blinking. "But... Where are we? Why are they here?"
"Well..." Orsay again fell short. "Well this is... I think... I mean I don't have all the answers but I think this is where we go when we die." She paused, looking uncomfortable. "As for why the dogs are here. I have no idea. Maybe we all came straight to hell or something and they are part of the torment."
"No. Not hell." Orc scowled.
"Well... Charles... The point is it could be... I mean we don't know where we are." Orsay reasoned.
"It's not hell. God wouldn't send us to hell. Not the good people. You're good, you wouldn't be in hell. And hell is full of fire. That's what the bible says." Orc grumbled.
"Oh... Bible lover, huh?" Orsay asked. "I'm not really a Christian, but I still believe in a heaven and a hell. I just think it's different to what we're told."
Orc frowned at her but said nothing. After a long moment he looked at her and asked; "How long have you been here?"
"It's hard to tell time." Orsay shrugged.
"So you don't know?" Orc frowned.
"No." Orsay said calmly.
"But is anyone else here?" Orc pressed.
Orsay shrugged once again. "You're the first person that I've seen that hasn't been killed."
"Have you seen a small boy? Dark skin? Dark hair? Skinny? Named Howard?" Orc mumbled, trying to show exactly how small and skinny with his large and clumsy hands.
"Howard? Howard... Howard..." Orsay whispered, thinking back to the name. "I think I remember his mother dream of him. I remember." She nodded her head. "He used to hang around the big guy, made or gravel. Sorry. I haven't seen him."
Orc chose not to mention that he was the big guy Howard hung around. It was nice not to be recognized as the monster made of gravel.
"So what have you been doing?" Orc asked.
"What?" Orsay blinked.
"Since you've been here?" Orc frowned.
"Um... Surviving." Orsay laughed nervously. "There's not much to do so I kind of just... Have just been staying here. I mean we don't need to eat, or drink or use the bathroom and we only need to sleep for about twenty five minutes or so. I've just been avoiding the dogs."
"Well I want to find Howard." Orc moved to leave the small hide out.
"Wait!" Orsay shouted as he climbed into the river. "Howard could be dead. I just saw a friend of mine get killed by the dogs. As far as I know you're not reborn into this world after you die. You just stay dead. Not many people are here and those that are here have been either killed or hide away. I doubt you'll find him. You should stay here. It's safe here. The dogs can't get to us."
"I need to find Howard." Orc mumbled.
Orsay watched him go feeling sick. She had been excited to see someone else that she had managed to get to her safe spot with her. But now he was leaving and she would be alone again. But it was safe where she was and she couldn't leave... She promised she wouldn't leave again.
"Wait! Wait for me!"
Orsay quickly crawled out of the hide out and hurried to catch up with Orc.
"Charles! Please! Wait!" Orsay shouted. "Look, I can help you if you just listen to me for a bit. Come back to the hide out, rest, get some sleep and I can help you and if you still want to go find him... I'll help you."
"Why?" Orc frowned.
"... Even safe... Nobody wants to be alone." Orsay admitted, looking down at her feet, ashamed. Orc stared at her and nodded. He understood that. Still, he was surprised and a little embarrassed when Orsay took his hand to lead him back to her hide out.
I gotta know, (not sure if I should make it happen or not but) what would you guys say to a Orc and Orsay pairing? Well now that Orc is looking human again anyway.
Next Chapter: Bette and Dennis
