Gods Cry; Mortals Die

Chapter 2: Faithless Swamp

A/N: ^Above is the building I had in mind when describing the mill (building in pic was actually a hydraulics lab but shhh nobody knows). Picture isn't mine; don't go crediting innocent people.

On a still, summer afternoon across the swamps, the lazy buzz of insects and muttering waterfowl was interrupted by a low hum. The drone soon increased to a roar as a hovercraft flew into view, blasting the reeds around it and kicking up a mist of algae-green water. The craft was following the edge of the swamp, pulling in and out of several larger inlets. Ruins of piers and docks were seen stretching into the marshy ground, but aside from a few flocks of migratory birds, nobody was around complain about the racket. The closest human habitation had been left miles behind.

It is fortunate, then, that Katya and Ian weren't looking for human habitation at all. They had spent the morning heading North of the city, following rumors their informants had collected about the mysterious girl they encountered last night.

"There's a likely spot at the next bay," Ian spoke loudly into his headset, which was attached to a pair of goggles--a necessity for any high-speed swamp activity. They additionally displayed the coordinates of several areas to check out, although each ruin they had so far explored had disappointed them. "According to the old map of the area, it's an abandoned mill where a large creek fed into the old river." Ian turned, back to the wind, to see if Katya heard him. She was standing at the aft, hand on the navigation device, nodding.

Satisfied, Ian turned to face the wind again, keeping his eyes peeled for signs of the forest opening up into more marshland. "These places really have declined in the past 50 years, haven't they? Most of the decay seems excessive given the time span. It's probably more divine meddling." Ian speculated. "As if they haven't done enough." Katya continued nodding. Ian glanced down and saw her foot tapping at the same time. Her fingers zigzagged a little on the compass in a syncopated beat.

"Katya, you're not listening to music, are you?"

More nods, followed by a fumbling of the headset and a shake of her head. "Wh—uh, nope, I'm listening!"

"Did you hear what I just said?"

"Um, we're near?" Katya's inflection made it sound like more of a guess.

Ian managed to stop himself from face palming before he hit his goggles. He turned his frown toward the passing shoreline.

"Aw c'mon Ian, don't pout, I'll share," She started beatboxing and humming into the headset instead.

Ian's growing annoyance was abruptly discarded as the swamp seemed to grow larger and the marsh opened up to the West into an expanse dotted with deeper ponds and dead trees. He gestured to Katya to slow down a bit and approach the pools. Soon the rotting trees gave way to some collapsing wooden buildings, balanced precariously in the midst of a small lake. What must have once been a quaint village now looked eerily warped and elongated, mirrored as it was in the still water. The air pressure of their passing shattered the stillness and sent a series of waves rippling across the surface and lapping at rotten wood. Drifting closer to some of the shells of buildings, one could hear unpleasant sloshes and hollow thumps as the disturbance bounced around the empty shells.

The somber mood had even Katya fall silent. She had lowered the engine power to a minimum to stay airborne as she floated the craft gently across the lake. Ian just looked around gloomily. A beaver damn barricaded the windows of one building. Here and there, rusted road signs poked out. A collapsing corner store held up what was left of its painted sign, which now had a gaping hole in the middle.