Rust

Chapter 7

     "Come quick," the man said pulling Rubigo to his feet. He yanked the boy forwards and ran toward the woods. 

      Rubigo followed, though still very cold and wet. The forest was again dotted with rusted steel of various shapes and sizes. Bits of barbed wire wrapped around trees and bristles. The pair entered under the trees canopy and carefully dodged and evaded through the terrain. It was immediately clear that the man was very familiar with the area and Rubigo was nearly full sprinting just to keep up.

     He had so many questions to ask the man, but the sense of urgency warded him against asking. He pondered over the different people he had met so far. The girl seemed to have good intentions. 

     The man suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned and looked at the boy and his blue eyes pierced through the wide white ovals of his long mask. "I need you to stop thinking," he said in a serious tone.

     "Stop...what?" Rubigo said.

     "You need to clear your mind. Whatever you've seen out there; Whatever you are thinking about; I need you to stop." The man looked around in a mild panic. "Look kid, I promise I'll explain later. Just promise me that you'll keep your mind as blank as possible. Ok?"

     Rubigo nodded and the man turned and started running again. As the boy followed, he tried very hard not to think. He didn't quite know how to do that. He resisted the urge to think about how bizarre the request was and tried to focus on the darkness. His mind kept slipping back to the dark mansion and the dark river cave. It was no good. He instead focused on the sound of his feet on the forest floor and shadows dancing across the ground.

     After a few more minutes of walking, the two came upon the man's shelter. Rubigo thought it was a very large bush at first. It looked like an igloo made of sticks and covered in dried brush. It was surrounded and wedged between three trees. Outside of its entrance was a still smoldering fire pit.

     "Sit," said the man, motioning Rubigo toward a stump that was in front of the fire. He sat down and the man went over to a pile near the hut and began throwing logs from it into the pit. The man then knelt down on the opposite side of the fire and carefully blew into it. After a minute of careful poking and prodding, a flame erupted. 

     The fire quickly warmed Rubigo. He took off his wet jacket and laid it out near the fire. The man scavenged around his pile of logs and found one suitable to sit on. He placed it on the ground near the boy and unhooked his mask. Under it was a man with long, unkempt, dirty-blonde hair and a matching scraggly beard. The blue eyes were a stark contrast from the thick layer of dirt that covered his pale face.

     He looked at Rubigo for a bit and looked like he was fumbling around for the right words. Rubigo just stayed huddled near the fire and enjoyed its radiating warmth. 

      "I bet you've had quite the journey," The man said. "I can't imagine what you might have gone through."

      Rubigo looked up from the fire. "You told me not to think about it? Why." The boy was searching the man's face as he thought deeply. 

     "I'm sure you've noticed by now that this place changes." The man got up as if he was impatient and began to pace around the fire. He stopped and walked up to the boy. He got uncomfortably close and looked deep into his eyes. After a bit, the man pulled back and shook his head. 

     "I...uh, um, where was I?" The man asked. 

     "You said that this place changes," Rubigo said. 

     "Mmm, yes. Yes. It does. It changes based on what your thinking. If you let your mind scatter about with no control." He paused and turned toward the boy. "You aren't doing it again, are you?"