Only Human

Sarah stilled her movements, holding her breath. The noise was back. She knew the pattern by now. It would only take a few minutes for the beast to catch up to her. She needed to move. As quickly and silently as she could, Sarah maneuvered herself through the maze of stone walls, while keeping track of the hooves clacking behind her.

The beast had been chasing her for the better part of three days now. Sarah could only keep track of the days by the slightest increase in light. The thick fog had remained in the maze, leaving only a twilight glow when the sun was in the sky. At night, Sarah was surrounded in complete darkness.

It was her second day in the maze when the beast began tracking her. The first time Sarah heard hooves approach, she hid herself in a small alcove in the stone wall. She could see only its shadow as it passed, hearing the heavy sound of its breathing. She knew it was searching for her, having heard her movements.

Thankfully, sound seemed to be the only way the beast tracked her. Every time Sarah hid from it or create a decoy noise to throw the beast off, it was only a few hours later that it was back on her trail.

Sleep deprivation tormented her. She could only sleep one or two hours maximum in between their interactions. She was feeling too weak to outrun the creature. It was getting closer. Despair descended as thick as the fog.

This can't be the end... this can't be how I die...

The hooves were getting closer as Sarah found herself at a crossroads in the stone maze.

Fucking crossroads.

Steadying her breath, she went left, advancing only a few feet before making out the enormous shape of the creature in the distance. Despite it being shadowed by the fog, its bulky frame was apparent. Hot breath poured from its nostrils like steam from a kettle. Large curved horns sprouted from its massive head, and its hungry, glowing red eyes met hers.

Fuck...

Sarah ran, the beast chasing after her. It took every ounce of remaining energy for Sarah to twist and turn around corners, feeling it gain on her. It would only be a matter of seconds before the thing was at her back, and she felt tears streak her face as she focused all her remaining energy on keeping her legs moving forward.

Keep going... keep going...

Suddenly, in the distance, she heard a sound. As she continued running, the sound grew louder, a constant rushing sound that could only be one thing.

A river?

Sarah focused all her energy on running towards the sound, forcing her legs forward, gulping as much air into her lungs as they would take. Turn after turn, she followed the noise. It was louder, clearer. She had to be close. Taking another sharp corner, the sounds of rushing water now intermingled with the sound of the beast's heavy breathing. Every step she took brought her closer to the source of the water, and the beast closer to her.

Another turn, each one slowing her down, each one allowing the beast to gain a couple of steps. Another turn, then another. Then she abruptly came upon a ledge, barely able to make it out in the dark. Looking down, she only saw black, but the sound of rushing water drowned out the noise of the beast.

There must be a river down there, but how far down?

Then the sound of the creature's labored breaths filled her ears, its heavy hooves on the ground vibrated through her. She had only one choice.

She jumped into the blackness below, feeling a whooshing noise at her back. It was the beast, attempting to grab her but just missing as she fell below, a snarl emanating from it in frustration.

A few seconds of free fall were met with ice-cold water, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs. She struggled to swim to the surface, forcing her head above water and gasping for air.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Sarah rode the river, all her remaining energy focused on keeping her head above the water. The current was strong and guided her out from the dark tunnel it flowed through. It led into another part of the Labyrinth. Suddenly, Sarah was bathed in the bright light of the sun. She cursed out in pain and slammed her eyes shut. She had not seen the sun in four days. As her eyes adjusted, she opened them to slits and began scanning the shore. High cliffs slowly gave way to rocky beaches and Sarah began angling her body to move closer to the shoreline.

Soon, a sandy part of the beach became visible at a bend in the river. Sarah began swimming furiously towards it, fighting life back into her frigid limbs. Barely making it ashore, she crawled from the river like an injured animal and collapsed.

Never had she felt so exhausted and yet elated. She survived the beast. She advanced.

After a few minutes, she forced herself to sit up. Sarah made note of her belongings, making sure she had lost nothing to the river. She found her canteen and dagger still attached to her belt.

At the very least, I have water and a weapon.

Touching her hand to her chest, she felt Ludo's necklace he had gifted her. The pebble vibrated against her touch.

Breathing out a sigh of relief for the first time in days, Sarah's exhaustion finally overtook her. She crawled her way through the sand over to a fallen log and settled in, allowing herself to fall into a deep sleep.

~.~.~.~.~.~

She took a step forward, beginning her ascent. The black obsidian stairs stretched out before her, calling to her as she climbed.

"When you are ready, you will find me... Blood of my blood..."

Sarah woke with a start, quickly taking inventory of her surroundings. It was night; the sky filled with stars and a ¾ full moon. She was shivering despite how warm the evening felt. Looking down, she found her clothes still wet from the river and caked in sand.

Of course, stupid of me to fall asleep in wet clothing.

Sarah stripped off her clothes, hanging them over the log. She thought back to her dream. Even here, in the Outer Lands Labyrinth, she wasn't free of them. Fabien must still be sending them to her.

Fabien.

She was only supposed to have thirteen hours. No matter what happened, she would be back with Jareth after those thirteen hours. But no, Fabien took her, took them, and now she was stuck in this Hell he created.

It had been four days, and she had only entered the second part of the Labyrinth. Looking around, she wondered how long it was going to take her to reach the end. A month? How many months?

If I make it at all...

She had come so very close to the end by the hands of that beast, and she chalked up her ability to survive her fall into the river as a miracle.

What happens to Jareth if I fail? If I die?

Her racing mind soon overwhelmed her. The consequences of the past few days pressed on her chest so heavily that a deep sob escaped her throat, chased by a river of tears. Sarah let her despair envelop her. She knew that as soon as the sun rose, she would need to move. If the rest of Fabien's Labyrinth were anything like what she had experienced so far, there would be no more time for tears. Tonight, however, she allowed herself to break down, making a silent promise that it would be the last time until she won.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Fabien sat back in the comfort of his chambers, watching Sarah as she broke down by the riverside. Like Jareth, he also used a crystal to keep track of her journey.

She's even more beautiful when she cries.

Swirling the wine in his glass, Fabien drank in her pain and sorrow. He had carried the same emotions for centuries.

As he let himself get lost in Sarah's tear-soaked eyes, a dwarf entered his chambers with a letter in its hand. "From Asgrandia."

The letter bore his father's seal. He opened it.

"I have been summoned to appear in my father's court at noon tomorrow."

Fabien smiled.

Everything was going as planned.

~.~.~.~.~.~

Sarah woke the next morning, her wave of grief subsided. Standing up for the first time since coming to the beachy shore, she stretched her muscles, taking inventory of herself. She was sore, tired still despite the rest, but she also felt something she hadn't since returning to the Underground.

Peace.

There was a peace. There was grief at losing Jareth, hatred towards Fabien and frustration towards her situation but...

There was peace, a sense of home.

Unnerved, Sarah shrugged off the feeling and assessed her surroundings. The landscape surrounding the river was prairie-like: tan grass stretched out over small rolling hills, eventually abutting a forest far off in the distance.

Thankfully, her clothes had dried in the warm air overnight. After dressing and re-braiding her now-matted hair, she began walking forward. A few hours passed before Sarah's first feeling of exhaustion crashed down on her.

I shouldn't feel tired this quickly. I need to find food.

It had been five days since she had a morsel. She searched out the nearest hill, hoping the view from the top might point her toward edible vegetation. Making her way up a slope, Sarah saw a herd of animals grazing some half mile or so away.

Horses?

Sarah didn't know whether horses existed in the Underground. She had seen none in her few short months living there, but the creatures before her had their general shape. Given that the animals were grazing in the tan grass, she assumed they must be herbivores.

As she approached, the animal's features became more apparent. They looked like horses, or more accurately, the living corpses of horses. Their bodies looked emaciated, smooth black skin on bone with beaked mouths and white eyes with glowing red pupils.

"Of course. Demon horses. I shouldn't have expected different." Sarah mumbled under her breath.

Despite their appearance, there was a gracefulness in their movements, which disarmed her.

Closing the gap between herself and the herd, one of the larger specimens lifted its head to glare at her. Sarah took a tentative step back as the creature began stalking towards her.

Fight or flight... fight or flight...

Again, a calm presence overtook her as the creature advanced, stopping mere inches in front of her and lowering its head, as if in acceptance of her presence. Sarah paused, then slowly reached her hand out, contacting its black skin. Surprisingly, the creature was hot to the touch, with the texture of soft leather.

"You seem like such a nice beast." She said, calmly. The dead horse let out a whinny, stepping forward, pushing its head into Sarah's hand as she continued rubbing its head and speaking to it.

"Any chance you know where I can find some food?"

The horse made a snort and dropped its front two legs down to its knees, as if the thing was inviting her to climb on its back. Sarah looked at the horse in astonishment.

"Am I to believe you can understand me?"

The horse gave out another snort, remaining in its knelt position. Sarah risked it and climbed onto the creature's back. As soon as she was seated, the creature rose and began trotting towards the rest of the herd.

Sarah found herself enveloped by the strange creatures, who seemed just as interested in her as she was in them. Horse after horse approached, nuzzling her side, back and hands, longing for pets and strokes. Sarah gladly obliged.

The herd was, in fact, not grazing on grass. Sarah noted a collection of thorny plants with small purple berries, roughly the size of a plumb, sticking out in clusters. She watched the creatures graze on the fruit and her mouth began watering.

Reaching down and plucking one of the berries, she pierced it with her thumb and inspected the flesh, taking a deep inhale. It smelled like rotting flesh. Repulsed, Sarah dropped the fruit to the ground, where one of the smaller horses greedily gobbled the fruit up.

"Okay, I kind of get it. You guys look dead, and you enjoy fruit that smells of the dead."

Sarah felt a push on her right shoulder. Turning around, she found the horse that had initially come to her. She locked eyes with it and let out a sigh.

"Beggars can't be choosers, right?"

The dead horse simply stared at her.

Sarah took a breath, then bent down to snatch one of the berries. Pinching her nose shut, she bit into the fruit. It tasted like honey and heavy cream mixed in with some sort of herb she couldn't quite place. She scarfed the entire thing, immediately foraging for more. After a time, she put down 6 of the fruit along with stuffing her leather jacket pockets to the brim.

Sarah gave her new friend a generous rub up and down his jaw as the dead horse nestled his head on her chest.

She spent the rest of the day and evening with the herd, settling in with them for the night and, for the first time in a week, she felt safe.

Not every creature here wants to kill me. Fabien really did frame this Labyrinth after Jareth's.

Sarah thought of Ludo then, placing her hand instinctively on her pebble necklace, feeling the vibrations it emitted at her touch and finding comfort there.

The next morning, the dead horse took Sarah to the edge of the prairie, where it bordered a large forest. She gave it a kiss on its snout and set off into the trees, a renewed sense of hope driving her forward.

~.~.~.~.~.~

King Judan expected Fabien at noon. Queen Jessamine sat next to her husband in the Asgrandian throne room. She had insisted on being present.

As the sun hit the highest point in the sky, a wave of heat and light rolled through the room as Fabien appeared before the court.

"Father, I've received your summons. What can I do for you?"

King Judan rose from his throne. "What have you done with your brother and the Lady Sarah?"

Fabien kept his stoic expression. "I've taken Jareth to the Outer Lands. Don't worry, he's quite safe. I have every intention of returning him to his Kingdom as soon as Lady Sarah completes her run." Fabien spoke very matter of fact, as if King Judan's question was a stupid one.

The King looked at his son, dumbfounded. "What are you saying? Sarah is running Jareth's Labyrinth?"

"No, father. Not Jareth's Labyrinth, mine."

King Judan stiffened. "Yours? What do you mean, yours?"

Fabien folded his hands behind his back. "I built my own Labyrinth. I had intended that Jareth would be the first Runner, but when Sarah came along, I couldn't resist. Jareth is being held as her prize. If she becomes Champion, they will be reunited and will return to the Goblin Kingdom."

"Why would you do this?" Queen Jessamine cried out, jolting up out of her throne and marching towards Fabien. "You love Jareth. I know you do. Why would you hold him prisoner?"

Fabien looked at Queen Jessamine. "Because it's time the whole of the Underground takes notice of my power."

The room fell silent.

After a moment, King Judan said, "Are you hoping to create a Fourteenth Kingdom?"

Fabien's eyes were indifferent.

King Judan's face burned. "You are playing with fire here, boy. And just like last time, it will lead to disaster and death."

"Fabien, please!" Queen Jessamine pleaded. "I know you are upset at your father, but don't punish your brother and that sweet Sarah. I'm sure we can come to some sort of compromise!"

Fabien was tired of their condescension and ignorance. "Enough. I have other pressing business."

King Judan saw red. "Son, if you leave my Kingdom before we resolve this, I will consider it an act of war."

Fabien locked eyes with his father. His lips slowly curled into a bitter smile.

There was a burst of light, and Fabien vanished.

Author's Note:

Song:
Only Human by Cold Showers

You can find The Keepers playlist on my Spotify account: EastOfGatewood

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