I looked at the far-off ocean and saw the dead sun hanging like a sphere of rot between the gray clouds. The red gashes in the sky hung like tinsel from a forgotten Christmas tree and I watched as Suicidals bled through the long ooze and dripped to the soggy earth below.
I continued to take in the dismal sights and spotted a trio of Keepers lumbering along the coast, their enormous crosses like grave markers in the sky.
Trent…Kevin…
I knew deep down that they were probably swinging from one of those monstrous creations.
Shaking the view from my eyes, I looked back down the way I had come. I really didn’t want to go back down, but knew Pudge probably wouldn’t come unless I went and retrieved him. The idea was alluring, but I needed him. I needed his gun. Just because we hadn’t run into any Pig Born didn’t mean we wouldn’t. And who knew what awaited us at the summit.
Exhaling, I slowly began to make my way back down toward my dim witted companion. I almost fell as I descended, but breathlessly caught myself a split second before I tumbled down the length of the mountain. Heart hammering in my chest, wind beating against my face, I made my way back to Pudge.
As he came into view, I saw he was still sitting exactly where I had left him.
But something was wrong. He was clutching his shotgun to his chest, his knuckles white against the barrel. I climbed the last few feet, brushed my cracked hands against my pants, and stood silently next to the big man. His eyes were wide and his face was ghostly pale.
“Pudge?”
He didn’t move, just continued to stare off into the distance.
I nudged him with the toe of my boot. “Hey, what’s going on?”
He jumped at my touch and shivered violently. Slowly, he raised his hand and pointed toward the rocks.
His voice was a trembling whisper, “I seen ’em…”
I looked at where he was pointing. “What have you seen?”
He gripped his shotgun tighter. “The Eyes…they were watching me.”
I felt something cold sink into my stomach and I scanned the array of jutting mountain sprawling out in front us. I didn’t see anything, the wind whistling around us. It almost sounded human.
Fear began to grip my throat and I licked my chapped lips, “What do you mean? How do you know it was the Eyes?”
Pudge looked up at me, terror written across his face. “It was them. I know it was. I was just sitting here, thinkin’, and suddenly I…I saw two…figures…walking over that way,” he said pointing again. “I didn’t move, the sight of ’em scared the everliving shit right out of me. I felt like I was paralyzed. After a second, one of them looked at me…just…just looked right at me…” he swallowed hard. “Think I pissed myself.”
I realized my heart was racing. “What’d they look like? Where’d they go?”
Pudge squeezed his eyes shut. “After a couple seconds, they started laughing…just…looked at me and laughed. And then they were gone…back up the mountain.”
I tore the landscape open with my eyes, gutting every nook and cranny. “Pudge, we need to keep moving. We have to catch up to them.”
Pudge’s eyes were as big as twin moons as he shook his head. “Hell no, I ain’t takin’ another step up this damned mountain. I ain’t never been so terrified in my life,” he shuddered, his voice dropping. “We ain’t supposed to be here. We shoulda never come.”
“Pudge,” I said, voice hardening despite my creeping fear, “don’t you wimp out on me now. We’re getting close; we can’t give up now. Don’t you want to confront them? Don’t you want to get some goddamn answers?”
Pudge exhaled loudly out his nose. “No, sir. I’m done with this hunt. If you want to die alone up here, then keep truckin’. But I ain’t takin’ another step. I’m through, you hear me?”
Do not let him leave with that gun.
I slowly squat down next to him, my hand reaching discreetly behind my back. I picked up a rock as I addressed Pudge.
“Don’t do this,” I hissed, my fear giving way to anger. “Don’t abandon me completely defenseless up here.”
Pudge shook his head, “I’m sorry, but I’m going back down. This hunt ain’t worth it.”
I squeezed the rock hidden behind my back. “Well…if your mind is set, then I guess I can’t talk you out of it. But I’m going to need that gun.”
Pudge shook his head, still sitting, and pulled it into his chest. “I ain’t givin’ you my gun so stop askin’. I’m sorry.”
I leaned forward and brought my lips to his ear. “Don’t make me fucking do this.”
Pudge turned to look at me, shock sparking across his eyes as I raised the rock over my head.
He only had a second to scream before I brought it down into his face, crushing his nose in a single blow. Pudge fell onto his back, blood pouring down his face and into his mouth as I stood over him. I planted a boot into his massive gut, forcing the air from his lungs. Pudge wheezed, trying to recover, fumbling with the shotgun.
I kicked him in the balls as hard as I could, reaching down as he gasped, and snatched the gun from his grip.
“Sorry it had to be like this,” I said, dropping the rock and pointing the twin barrels at his face. “But I need this. Now get your fat ass back down the mountain and don’t look back.”
Pudge, eyes bulging, curled into the feeble position, still had the breath to snarl, his voice pained but full of fury. “Oh…you fucked up now…Nick. No one…takes my gun from me.”
“Don’t be stupid,” I growled. “You’ll be fine. Go make another one.”
“Fuck you, you back stabbin’ traitor,” he spat, glaring knives at me.
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” I asked, towering over him.
Pudge’s face twisted into a sneer. “Would you?”
I pulled the hammers back. “Probably not.”
I blew his head off, the report deafening. The blast echoed off the mountain side as gore erupted from Pudge’s face, the buckshot annihilating his head and spitting bloody chunks onto my clothes.
I lowered the smoking gun, face grim. I stood there for a moment, watching as Pudge’s blood emptied from the gaping ruin that had been his face. Tiny red waterfalls dripped down the rocks and painting the gray with the color of death.
I fumbled with the gun and found the release. I popped it open and discarded the shells, tossing them aside like empty candy wrappers. I knelt down and searched Pudge’s overalls for more ammo. I found six more shells in his pocket and stuffed four of them into my own. I reloaded the gun and snapped it closed. I looked down at the corpse.
He didn’t deserve that…
“The fuck do I care…?” I muttered and turned to leave.
It was time to finish this climb.
15
The mountain was beating me. Snow swirled and blew across my blue lips as I tried to stop the constant chatter of my teeth. I had lost feeling in my fingers hours ago and the nasty color they were turning worried me. I couldn’t even remember what warmth felt like.
I forced myself to take another step up the mountain, the rocky terrain buried beneath a foot of snow. Each step was a risk and a prayer as I begged my boot to find solid ground beneath the layer of white. I reached above me and gripped the next ledge. Arms quivering, I hoisted myself up. The shotgun stuffed down the back of my shirt felt like a long cold tongue against my skin. Breath billowing from frozen lips as I pulled myself the rest of the way up and knelt for a moment. I dared myself to look up and saw the peak of the mountain before me. It was impossible to tell how much more I had to go, the sheet of snow distorting my sense of distance.
But I was getting closer.
You’re going to freeze to death first, my mind whispered, a cold voice in the back of my head. You need to get out of the storm.
I trudged forward wearily as snowflakes struck my face like shards of glass. The wind roared and threatened to knock me over as I plowed through snow which was now up to my knees. My f
eet were like chunks of ice, my boots anchors dragging me to the earth.
“Do…not…stop…” I growled, exhaustion clinging to every muscle in my body like a parasite.
The summit had been silent as it loomed closer. I begged for some sign that my trek would not be in vain—a spark of light, a glimmer of color—if only to affirm my conviction. Where the hell were the Eyes? What had Pudge seen down there? They had to know I was coming.
I tripped suddenly, collapsing into the snow. A new layer of cold swallowed my body as I sank into it, struggling to find a handhold. My fingers met freezing rock and I tried to push myself up. A cramp exploded up my calf and I cried out, rolling onto my back, clutching the contracting muscle. Gritting my teeth, I desperately rubbed my leg, begging the pain to leave.
My breath blew thick clouds as I gasped, the agonizing sensation slowly leaving. I gently lowered my leg, afraid it’d suddenly seize again. The pain remained a phantom in my calf as I stretched it. I plopped my head back to stare up at the gray skies. I scooped up a handful of snow and shoveled it into my mouth. I sucked it and drank the cold water gratefully, the shotgun digging into my back. I needed to get up.
Just give yourself a second…
No! No, I needed to move. I was going to die if didn’t get up.
The thought of getting up almost made me weep. Now that I was on my back, I found my eyes begging to close. I wrapped my arms around myself, shivering violently, and slowly counted to ten. When I reached ten, I almost laughed. Was I supposed to get up now?
Darkness danced across the sky and I blinked lazily, fatigue seeping deep into my bones. The darkness took shape and I began to see it twist in on itself like whirlpools. The circular black grew eyes and they stared down at my freezing body. They slowly flew closer and closer, their large eyes never blinking.
You’re hallucinating…
“I’m not ready yet,” I whispered. “I’m not done…”
The dark forms pressed in overhead and slowly filled my vision, pressing deep into the corners of my eyes.
“Please,” I croaked, my consciousness leaving.
As the black swarmed tighter, I fought to open my eyes one last time.
And I saw I wasn’t alone anymore. Standing over me were two tall, obscured figures.
One of them glowed blue, the other red.
I struggled to focus on their faces but was rushed by inky black and felt myself fall down a deep well of darkness, my body and mind giving in to exhaustion.
Warmth. That was the first thing I noticed. I tried to open my eyes but found I wasn’t quite ready for that. I let the world slowly seep back, one sensation at a time. Sound bled through the stillness and I heard voices. They were conversing. I tried to latch onto the words, but the sounds tumbled into one another. I smelled wood burning and my nose tingled pleasantly.
I tested my limbs and found them stubbornly unable to move. Something was digging into my wrists and I realized I was sitting upright, my hands tied behind my back.
The voices grew louder and I tried again to open my eyes.
Before the color could take form, something slammed into my face, hard. I rocked backward, consciousness jolting me into forced alertness. Warmth trickled from my lips and I gasped, mouth burning from the blow.
“Wake the fuck up.”
I raised my head, panting, and everything shifted and then aligned. A man in his forties stood before me, hands clenched at his sides. He was wearing a black suit that matched the color of his eyes. Blond hair spilled across his shoulders like golden corn silk.
I licked blood from my lips and realized I was in the middle of a cabin. A pile of logs burned brightly in a fireplace to my right, the light dancing across the polished wooden walls. A table sat behind the man who had struck me, and I spotted another person comfortably reclined with his feet propped up on the tabletop.
The second man wore a gray suit and his age matched the first man. His slicked back hair was blond as well, but he had it tied neatly in a ponytail. His blue eyes sparkled as they met mine, a smile revealing perfect teeth.
“Hello there,” he greeted, his smile frozen in place. “Now that you’re awake, there’s no need for any more violence.”
The first man didn’t move, his eyes boring down into my own. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
Gray Suit rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, he’s tied to a chair. We took his gun. Can you just relax so we can hear his story?”
Black Suit looked at me for another second and then went and stood next to the fireplace, crossing his arms. Gray Suit nodded approvingly.
It was then that I noticed something about both of them. The man in the gray suit had tendrils of red wafting from his shoulders like gentle smoke. I turned to Black Suit and saw blue emanating from him in the same manner.
“W-who are you?” I asked, finding my voice.
“You know who we are,” Black Suit growled.
Gray Suit raised his hands. “Just let the man clear his head, will you?”
I paused and collected myself, eyes roaming about the spacious cabin. The windows revealed a snow torn sky and I started putting pieces together.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, “you two…are the Eyes of the World.”
Gray Suit chuckled. “In the flesh.”
“Don’t know why that’s so surprising,” Black Suit snarled. “Seems like you were looking for us along with that fat redneck. Whatever happened to him by the way?”
I cleared my throat, testing my bindings. “I shot him.”
“How come?” Gray Suit asked.
“Wanted his gun.”
Black Suit shifted by the fireplace. “And what were you planning on doing with it?”
I tested my split lip with my tongue before answering, the fog of my fatigue slowly fading. “I was planning on killing anything that got in my way.” I looked at Black Suit. “Or fucking punched me in the face.”
Gray Suit laughed, leaning back in his chair. “Seems like this one has some grit, Ansom.”
I twisted my tied wrists. “Is that your name? Ansom?”
Black Suit just stared at me, blue ribbons streaming from his body.
Gray Suit nodded, “Yup, that’s Ansom. My name is Tolin.” He suddenly leaned forward, “But who on God’s green earth are you?”
Black Suit, Ansom, uncrossed his arms, annoyed. “Why are we wasting our time? We know who he is. Why don’t we just—”
“Because I want to hear it from him,” Tolin spat, suddenly hostile. Red flared around him and I felt something pulse through the air like electricity.
Ansom sighed and took a seat at the table. “Have it your way.”
Tolin smiled, his composure returning. “Thank you. Now…back to the question. Your name?”
My boots scraped against the chair. “Nick. Where’s my gun?”
Wordlessly, Ansom pointed to the fireplace. I turned and spotted the sawed-off sitting on the mantle.
“Why am I here?” I asked.
Tolin shrugged casually. “We found you in the snow, decided to bring you back with us. We don’t get a lot of visitors, as you can imagine. Call it curiosity. Be honest: what did you expect to find up here?”
“I want some answers,” I stated, the fire popping beside me, “and I wanted to see what kind of beings were up here, watching the hell we Suicidals were going through. I have to say, I was expecting something else.”
As Ansom continued to glare at me, Tolin nodded sadly. “Ah yes, sorry to disappoint you. I’m afraid we’ve been cursed with the same biology as you humans. We were told it would ‘keep us humble’ in our new positions of power.”
“Keep us humble,” Ansom said, his mouth turned down at the corners. “There’s no glory in what we do. We sit up here observing you pathetic creatures and try to keep warm. There’s no honor or status in that. The more I watch you Suicidals the more I grow to hate you. You have no idea the gift you were given at birth. A lifetime of free will and choice…and what do you
do with it? You throw it away because things get a little blue.” He spat on the floor. “Disgusting.”
Tolin waved a hand at Ansom, “Yes, yes, it’s a little irritating, but someone has to do it. Speaking of which, shouldn’t you go report our guest to your master? I’m sure he’ll be interested.”
I was growing increasingly uncomfortable, the weight of my situation numbing the flare of confusion and anger I had first felt.
“Who are your masters?” I asked cautiously, “What are you two exactly?”
Ansom stood up, pushing his chair back. “We’re descendants of the afterlife. We were chosen by our Lords to keep an eye on The Pig and ensure it doesn’t get too power-hungry.”
“To put it simply,” Tolin added, “I’m from Hell. And dear sweet Ansom here is from Heaven, if you can believe that. Two opposites forced to live together in this wonderful shack and watch the meddling of a being far inferior to our masters.”
“The Pig is like a child in a sandbox,” Ansom said, disgusted, “forming and shaping its world however it wants. We just make sure none of that sand spills out beyond the walls of its reality.”
I leaned forward as much as I could. “How can your masters be content to cast us aside like this? We’re all but forgotten here, damned to suffer for eternity because of one mistake.”
Tolin laughed, red flaring around his shoulders. “Trust me, Hell would love to have you. But my master abides by the rules agreed upon eons ago. Who am I to say otherwise?” He stared directly at me then. “And why should I give a shit about you people?”
I tore my eyes away from him and looked at Ansom who was walking to the door. “And what about you, huh? If you’re from Heaven, doesn’t that make you some kind of angel? How can you or your all-loving God stand to watch us suffer like this?”
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