CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THINGS IN THE DARKNESS
"Alright, so what happens if you don't find a passage in these disgusting walls?"
The night and the morning had past without any more disturbances. Once again they had begun inspecting the walls. She was sure that there had to be one; at least one opening. Otherwise it wouldn't be a Labyrinth. She was also sure of the fact that if her and Sprout continued down this alley they would continue in the direction forever. It was one of the spells of the Labyrinth- it would swallow them up. She shuddered at the thought of becoming part of the maze. Sprout's words caused some uneasiness inside her. "Just keep looking!" she had told him. Finally she let go her conscious self, closed her eyes, and threw herself at a wall.
Hardly expecting her foolish notion to work, she was surprised to find herself lying in a new passage. It was a dark tunnel, with a brick walk, lit with candles that hung from the walls. "Sprout! Get in here quick!" Sprout stood amazed at the apparently solid wall, and following suite instantly found himself standing in the same tunnel.
"Wonderful! Now we can truly begin!" He looked around. The tunnel began where they stood and burrowed down to the right. Wax laden candles were sporadically lit on the walls, casting convulsing shadows on the floor. Little waves of warmth came from them.
Some little creature scuttled across the floor. Or rather did it roll? Sarah watched it stop outside a circle of light, and then roll back and forth in a hesitant manner. It hit a wall, rolled backwards, and eventually hit the opposite wall. It rolled around the outside of the light, all the while keeping a good distance from her and Sprout. It's looking at us. She took a step toward it, and noticed it shrink a little. "Sprout," she tapped his shoulder. "What do you make of him?"
He looked at the ball of fuzz. "Some other annoying creature."
Rolling her eyes, she took up a candle and moved toward the creature. It rolled back in surprise and then slowly began to roll towards her. "Hello," she said as she bent towards it. Hidden among folds of red fur two beady eyes reflected in the light. There didn't seem anything threatening about the little guy; the air around him was cool. "Do you talk?" A growl mixed with a squeak was the reply. Sarah rested on her knees.
"Careful Wild Cherry," cautioned Sprout. He ran a hand behind his back and plucked his bow.
"I don't think he's going to hurt us. Do you live here?" Another squeak. "Do you understand me?" The creature rolled back and forth in a confident manner, allowing itself to move closer to her. Seems like a 'yes' answer to me. "Good! Do you know where this tunnel goes?" Again the creature rolled, and suddenly spun its beady eyes away from her and started down the passage. "Come on Sprout!" she took after it.
"I don't know about this Wild Cherry. You don't even know what he said!"
"Oh just grab another candle and come on!" Rolling his eyes he retrieved a candle and ran after her.
The creature rolled along at an amazingly fast pace. Occasionally it would roll into a wall, wobble for a few seconds as if regaining its direction, and then scuttle on. The tunnel became narrower and more worn down, but still on it led. Now and then heat wafted over them, and there was a ringing of some pebble falling. It became darker as the candles became fewer. Sarah wasn't sure why she had trusted the little guy. There was just a good feeling about him. Nothing even remotely questionable transmitted from his body of fur. Catching up with him, she found him perched upon some tumbled bricks. It made a barking like noise, as if urging them on faster. It continued to bark and make some weird hissing noise until Sprout finally caught up. Then it just sat and made a whining noise, wobbling from side to side. Lifting her candle she took a look around- fallen stones blocked a good deal of the tunnel. "Great!" complained Sprout. "We've followed this little beast, only to end up at a dead end. We're doomed and why is it so hot in here?!"
Sarah whipped her forehead. It was hot. Stiflingly hot. The creature began to bark again.
"What is it?" She grunted and raised her candle again. The creature hopped awkwardly where it sat. The heat was intensifying to furnace status.
The air suddenly moved as if shaken by some force. "Sprout, did you just bump something?"
"Whatever are you talking about?" was his crossed reply.
The ground had moved. Something is not right here. It's way too hot. And why is he making so much noise- barking like an alarmed dog. Ah! There it is again! There's something coming from the other end of the passage. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the blackness move. Oh my… She started and screamed, as the little creature suddenly jumped onto her back and then made another leap some where else. Up- it had gone up. She heard Sprout let out some elvan curse and the swift swish of his bow as he drew it over his back. "Sprout! There's something at the other end of the passage!" She moved to block his aim with her arm. "Don't fire-" The ground moved with an incredible boom.
"Where did that intolerable little fuzz ball go?"
The barking came from over head. Dangling from a protruding ladder sat the creature. Again the boom came and heat like brimstones came rushing at them. Between screams and shouts of undefined fear Sprout was hoisting Sarah up to the ladder where the little creature latched on to one of her bags. Actual fire scorched the rocks below as Sprout flung himself up after them.
Boom went the rocks around them and the whole of the world- air and stones alike- seemed to be engaged in a massive quake. It shook their lungs and caused their knees to tremor. Up, up, up they went pulling themselves further away from whatever form was inside the tunnel. Light! She saw it and forced her body towards it. Cool air and calm earth was on the other side of the light. With a cry of tremendous effort she heaved herself through the light, climbed over some mass and felt the ground crunch beneath her knees. Sprout cashed next to her, and scrambling the two moved away from whatever exit they had taken praying that the unseen form would not venture so far as to follow. To their surprise they saw a large container made to look like a giant pitcher. Smoke curled lazily out from it. The air was cool though. Nothing moved, except a light breeze. "W-w-what was that?" were the words that came out of her air hungry mouth.
"I don't know. Don't stop, come on...let's keep going. Come on!" He pulled her arm and randomly picking a path ran in between a row of bushes.
They were some where inside the Labyrinth, some where among a maze of green hedges. The little creature rolled ahead of them, poking its furry face in among the leaves and then scuttling along. Exhausted from the heat and amount of exertion, the elf and young woman walked along at a slower pace, taking corners and turns without much thought. Neither of them had a clue what had been lurking in the shadows and had flooded the tunnel with fire. There are things in this darkness which can't be seen. His words echoed in her mind. "Alright," she began as her thoughts began to form sharper images and things organized themselves. "We only travel during the day." Sprout looked at her. "And we try to stay where there's sufficient light at all times."
"Scared you that bad, eh?"
"It's more than that Sprout. There seems to be some connection between danger and darkness. Remember where you and the other scouts found me- out in the Outer Limits? Those creatures only came out at night. That dream I had- the blackness that invaded me. Then the tunnel." She crossed her eyebrows and bit her lip. "There just seems to be a pattern."
"As you see fit Wild Cherry. Now, whatever is that little fuzz ball doing? Looks like he's eating something." He eyed her. "I do see your point. Back in the tunnel, it's hard to explain, but I did not feel quite like myself. It was almost as if there was another presence in my mind."
She stopped abruptly and looked him in the face. Shaking her head she said, "You must careful Sprout. Remember there are things in the darkness which cannot be seen." He gave her a puzzled look and then a sort of uncertain smile, as if his own words made him uncomfortable.
The night was given extra care. Sprout worked the fire into a blaze and insisted that as long as they stayed within the circle of light the fire would protect them. Their new companion, the little furry creature, had stayed with them. He snuggled next to Sarah and slept when she slept, and watched when it was her turn. Passing the hours she named him, Hobbes. Sprout sleepily laughed at the name, but with held any remarks. Hobbes licked her hand affectionately and burrowed in her lap, as she made up his own past. By the time her watch was over she had determined that he was an innocent little creature who had gotten stuck in the tunnel and had wanted to escape, knowing full well the dangers that laid in the darkness.
Two nights had passed since the tunnel. They established themselves as seekers of light and were cautious with the night and every shadow. Eventually the hedges morphed into broken brick walls, where corners became more frequent, and dead ends multiplied. Odd shrubbery still wedged its way through cracks and holes. They camped in the shelter of a dead end after a long day of winding, turning, and retracing steps. It seemed like the safest thing to do- every thing that came toward them could be seen. The watch would be easy. Sprout sat against the wall, shrouded with a blanket, his beady elf eyes searching the darkness. Sarah was playing with Hobbes, waking her senses for her watch. Laughing, she scooped him up in her arms and turned toward Sprout. "All right there, my companion, you can take your rest," she told him.
His eyes relaxed. "Wake me when you've gotten too tired. Good-night."
"'Night."
He folded himself over into the blanket and then stretched out. She stirred the fire and began playing with Hobbes again.
An hour passed and the night grew chilly. She reached for her own blanket and wrapped her shoulders. Hobbes sat in her lap, taking advantage of her warmth. He snuggled and burrowed his little body between her legs. Patting him, she leaned against another section of wall and pulled the blanket closer. It was cold, and dark. The fire lit everything brilliantly in its circle of light, but as the edges gave way darkness crowded near. Hobbes suddenly squeaked. "What? What is it Hobbes?" She pushed the blanket aside and felt him tremble. She looked around her- glowing light and growing darkness. The last time he was like this…An understanding had grown between them.Leaving him wrapped in her blanket, she stood at the edge of the circle. It was watching, waiting, lurking. What was, though? A presence felt once before came creeping around the edge of the light. Sarah felt the same fear she had felt in the tunnel. The darkness moved. "Sprout!" she managed in a hoarse whisper. Had something just tripped across the walkway? "Sprout!" she let out again. The darkness was becoming too obvious. It was too cold. She turned to call again, but suddenly he was up and reaching for a burning log. Without apparently taking aim, he hurled the flame-laden torch into the darkness. How long had he been awake?
"What was it?"
They watched the wheeling mass of fire hit the ground. Forms with long skinny fingers immediately began to retreat. The wind hit her neck gently. Exhaling slowly, Sprout crawled back to his bed.
"Well?"
"It knows we're coming."
"What knows?"
"The entity." He turned to her. "What- you're surprised?"
"Well…I mean, I thought…you mean it's something more than a thing inside Jareth?"
"If something is slowly killing off everything that is good, what naturally is left behind? No, it wasn't the entity itself, but things it has employed." He pulled his blanket over him. "Don't let the fire go out." She cuddled Hobbes awkwardly.