ELDRITCH NIGHT (Rough Draft)

Chapter Eight: New Growth

It didn't take me long to find that the area we were in was completely unrecognizable. Buildings that should have been new looked like they had aged decades, and overgrowth buried entire neighborhoods. Even the landscape had shifted.

The previously flat landscape common to my home state was filled with hills and valleys. Trees too large for the develop area now dominated the landscape along with bushes filled with unfamiliar blue-green berries. Thick green vines wrapped around the trees and structures. I had even seen one five story building that looked like it had been crushed inward by the force of the vines and other vegetation that had overtaken its rubble.

Birds, too large and with exotic brightly colored plumage, filled the air. Squirrels, which should have been everywhere, were scarce and could only occasionally be seen fleeing larger predators. Things moving too fast to be clearly observed, but clearly dangerous.

It was a new world. Still, I recognized some of the landmarks. Earlier we had passed an old strip mall with a Sub Shop and an ice cream parlor I had taken a few dates to. The buildings were open to the elements; earth and plant life had grown up around the them, nearly consuming the structures. Roofs had caved in and wood had begun to rot giving the air a musty smell.

This was still Charleston, just changed. My home was gone, and it was likely it would never be the same. Another thing to mourn.

It was just one more reason I couldn't trust Sebbit. I didn't believe he had lied to me, not intentionally. We simply had different perspectives. To him this was acceptable. An unavoidable loss, one that perhaps could have been much worse.

To me it was the literal end of the world, the loss of everything I had ever known.

The remnants of that world, decayed as they where, soothed me in a strange way. The world was gone, it couldn't be saved, but parts remained. Any part of that world was something that I could cling to. There was still hope that I could still save a small piece of it.

The scout slowly led us westward. Her approach was just as careful as it had been in the cave. She would frequently stop, motioning me down with a single hand held out at chest height. At first, I was not sure why we were stopping, as it seemed to have no pattern. Despite this, her intense pace ensured we made good time.

After travelling for nearly an hour I guessed that she was searching for hiding spots. Places where enemies could lie in wait for an ambush.

I began to try to look for the same, try to guess what would cause my guide to call a halt. We had passed many places that I believed good spots, empty gas stations, particularly dense clusters of trees, or rock formations big enough to hide behind. Scout passed them all by without a second look.

Either she didn't identify these spots as dangers, or she was somehow able to rule them out so quickly we didn't need to slow down. In fact, she seemed most nervous when entering open spaces.

Our longest pause by far was upon entering an open field of blue grass. The meadow was long and narrow, with a thick growth of trees on once side and the collapsed ruin of an overpass on the other. Red and yellow flowers dotted the ground atop small hills. A sweet honey-like smell was carried on a gentle, cooling breeze permeating the air.

The scout grabbed me by the shoulder and pushed me down while signaling for me to be quiet by putting her entire hand over my mouth. I gasped, but she only held tighter. After making eye contact with me for a moment the blue scaled scout seemed satisfied I wouldn't freak out, and let me go.

She pulled her rifle from the holster on her back with a practiced grace. The maneuver probably would have been impossible with human arms, the long slender arms of the female Kree'mark were an obvious advantage.