Chapter Four, Part One

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 The darkness of the underground sanctuary was absolute; the silence only disturbed by the tossing and turning of Alice in her bed. Robert lay motionless, save for the slow rise and fall of his chest, and a nose hair blowing in his exhalation. The dimmed lamps burned out hours ago and the stifling heat of the confined space slowly became a relaxing coolness.

Grhey remained sitting in his corner, the blanket over his knees with his arms on top. He lifted his head from its resting position on his arms and looked around the darkness. It was impossible to tell what the time was and how long he had slept. As he contemplated trying to find his way out of the underground room, one of the lamps flickered on and silhouetted Alice. She then walked to the other lamp and lit it to reveal Robert sitting up in his bed. Alice turned to see Grhey's eyes on her as she walked back to her bed and sat on the edge.

The silence stood as absolute as the darkness had been moments earlier. Then Grhey's stomach rumbled and whined and cursed. A moment later, Alice was digging through a drawer which stood by her bed and withdrew a can, a can opener, and a plastic bowl. She opened the can and poured the contents into the plastic bowl before reaching over the end of her bed and handing Grhey the bowl. Grhey looked down to see a bowl of baked beans. He dug through his backpack and pulled out his plastic spoon. He wiped it on his dirty jacket then dug into his baked beans.

“What's around this area?” asked Grhey in between mouthfuls.

“There is a city to the west, and beyond the city is one of the Fissures.” Alice ran her hand through her hair, combing out the knots with her fingers.

“That's why They were in these woods,” said Grhey, this time with his mouth full. “Usually They stay along the roads and around cities.”

“Why do you say “They” and “Them”?” asked Alice, turning to face Grhey.

“What else would I call Them? What do you call Them?”

“They are Demons.” Alice had a matter-of-fact tone that said she could not and would not be convinced otherwise.

Grhey snorted with laughter and beans flew from his mouth. He started to choke and cough while he fumbled for his canteen. Once he had it in his hands, he upended it and cleared his throat with a gulp. Once he had caught his breath, he shoveled another spoonful of beans into his mouth before continuing the conversaton.

“Demons? You can't be serious. They aren't Demons.”

“Then what are they?” Alice asked. “How else do you explain what happened? How else do you explain where they came from?”

“I don't know what they are, that's why I call them “Them”, isn't it?” he replied as he finished swallowing his mouthful.

Grhey looked up from his food and saw Robert glaring at him from the other side of the room. Grhey just looked back as Robert's eyes cut further down and his eyebrows furrowed deeper. Grhey just stared back. Then Robert averted his eyes, and busied himself with cleaning his nails with an unnecessary amount of concentration.

“Which city is it that is to the west?” Grhey asked Alice, taking his eyes from Robert's side of the room.

“It isn't very important what it used to be called is it?” she asked in return.

“It is important.”

“Well I don't remember, I hope it wasn't too important.”

Grhey shoveled the last of the beans into his mouth before licking the spoon clean and replacing it back into his backpack. Then he took each of his fingers in turn and cracked them with a pop.

“Can you lead me to the city? My compass is broken.” Grhey stood and was brushing dirt from his pants and jacket.

“Did you not hear what I just said? There is a Fissure just beyond the city. The city could be loaded with Demons.”

Grhey exhaled with exaggerated exasperation.

“Between here and the city there is a river,” this time Robert finally spoke. “I'll show you to the river, but I won't go further.” Grhey nodded to the man who had just moments ago been glaring at him. “But I want the shotgun back.”

The glares returned between Grhy and Robert for minutes that seemed to stretch on forever. Finally, Grhey grabbed the shotgun which had stayed near his backpack, removed his shell and placed it in his pocket, then walked across the room to hand the shotgun over.

“With the shell,” said Robert, not getting up from his bed.

“The shell is mine.”

“Not if you want me to take you to the river.”

Grhey stood in the middle of the underground room and turned on his heels to face Alice.  

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⏰ Last updated: Oct 21, 2011 ⏰

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