Chiron Academy

Strange Tales Issue #28: Through the Portal Pt. 2

Gary watched quietly for a moment as the behemoth creature passed silently above him, growing farther and farther out of sight. Then he continued in the direction he'd been headed in before, slowly picking through the rough and rocky terrain around him. No direction seemed any better than any other; the vast wilderness around him seemed to promise nothing but more of the same dry rocks.

He topped the crest of a ridge and carried on over its lip, barreling over the edge, sliding a little from some loose gravel. The ever present wind was a bit weaker here, still noticeable, but it didn't cut through him as it had above. The little valley between the rocky dunes was wide, pockmarked with large boulders, the same color as the rest of the rock, a dull light brown. 

He picked his way through the large boulders. He imagined it like walking through a forest of stone, with the old rock covering the landscape instead of trees. Strange stalagmite-like growths here and there took the place of undergrowth. He'd never really been to a forest, just seen them in tv and movies, but he imagined it was something like this. Wondering through the old bodies of silent titans, wondering what they had seen in their many years. What stories would these stones share if they could?

He was just pulling himself through a gap between two of the hulking boulders when he heard a piercing hiss from behind him. He spun around, arms still holding onto the rock for balance. He just caught sight of what looked like a moving mound of gravel. Only it couldn't have been a simple pile, because he could just make out the glint of slime beneath the layer of dust and pebbles. Before he could get a good look at it, it slithered out of sight.

He exhaled slowly, his body immobile. He was too terrified to move, in case whatever that thing was coming back.

He waited for a moment, listening for any telltale sounds of the creature, but he heard nothing. Slowly, agonizingly, he stepped forward as quietly as he could, slowly bringing it down onto the loose stones beneath him. The gravel made a weak crackling noise as he put his weight onto it. Hopefully, it was quiet enough that that thing wouldn't-

Another hiss erupted out from some distance behind him. Then one split the air to his left. Shrieking hisses erupted all around him, filling the valley with cries. Their combined voices were almost a cruel parody of a chorus. Gary's heart started pounding out of his chest. He could feel the sweat beginning to gather on his palms and forehead.

Whatever that thing was, he realized, there were more of them.

He ducked himself low, closer to the ground. He couldn't see anything from the little alcove he found himself in, but he didn't want to take any chances of being seen by ... whatever those things were. Which was assuming of course that they could see. The big bacteria thing he'd seen earlier didn't have any eyes. Maybe everything here was like that.

He pressed his eyes to a small crack between two great mounds of rock, eager to catch a glimpse of the things moving around him.

Gary pulled back in horror as he spotted a tall, languorous stalk emerging from the unholy form of the creature. Perched on top was a single gargantuan eyeball, it's lidless gaze peering over the little valley. Red veins pockmarked the globe's bronze surface and in the center sat three large pupils. And they had been staring right back at him.

If they all had eyes like that, how long would he be safe? He could still hear their spine-chilling calls rip through the air around him. 

He peeked again through the little gap in the wall of his hideaway, masking his fear as best he could. He needed to know- he had to know what he was dealing with.

The beast was in plain view from Gary's hiding place. Taking the time to take in the full sight, he could easily make out the totally its greasy form. It almost appeared a large pile of thick sickly yellow sludge, but the outside was covered in small bits of rock and gravel. The bulbous eyeball waved lazily around, though it's gaze now rested squarely on a boulder in front of it. It opened its mouth, its body hinging in what looked like an almost human jaw. It clasped its maw around the dark brown boulder, and in a shuddering moment, shattered the segment from the rest of the rock. Fragments of the boulder flew in every direction, hitting the ground in a spray.