What it Hides

Black smoke poured into the sky, filling it with the inky blackness. The sun had long since gone down, but even if it hadn’t, not a single ray would have shone through. Fire danced among the ruins of the buildings, flicking in and out between the exposed brick and charred planks. Like phantoms that wanted to be seen, but too shy to expose themselves. Even at such a great distance, the smell was strong. It had a biting tinge, and left a bad taste in one’s mouth. But all the signs pointed here, to the end of little Roza’s journey. This was the place where the scroll was to be delivered, and where payment was to be expected.

To her family the delivery of this scroll meant life or death, as the payment from this job would keep them alive through the harsh winter that was fast approaching. Even now, it’s fingers crept out and touched them, chilling them to the bone. Last winter, two of her brothers had died. Both were strong and healthy at the time of the first snow, but sickness and disease ravaged them. Near the end, her older brother Nickolaus couldn’t even control his own bowels and needed to be cleaned regularly. Now her father was sick, and if he couldn’t get medicine he needed the entire family would be ruined.

So, little Roza set out, pulling her ragged cloak about her and trudging through the thin layer of snow that had already gripped the land. It was only a mile or so away now, but she was starting to shiver. Her breath came in billowing clouds of steam that clouded her vision for moments at a time. Her teeth chattered incessantly. But it was right here, so close. The man she was to be on the lookout for was a large man, with a thick, black beard and pale white skin. That was what her father had told her, before sending her on this perilous journey.

The very ground in the town was wrong. It was black and strewn with ash, as if the fire had burned the very soil beneath her feet. Some houses were burnt down to their foundations, while other were nearly torn apart. Upon closer inspection of one of the more intact buildings, Roza found the door to be smashed in, pieces laying as far away as the back of the house. It sent a shiver down her spine, and she hurried along. In the center of town was a rather large building, still mostly standing. It must have been the tavern. Maybe he’d be there, if he survived.

Not a single sign of life was found in the tavern. Warmth, however, was plentiful. Taking a moment to try and fend off the cold, Roza warmed herself by a fire. A voice called out in agony, causing her to freeze. It sounded like it wasn’t to far away. The suddenness of it paralyzed her, as if she was stuck to that spot. Straining to try and hear more, she dared not even breath, lest she miss it. When finally it sounded again, Roza set out to try and find it’s source.

In an alley way across the road from the tavern, there lay a large figure, hunched in the dark. It wailed softly, crying out it’s own tortures. But not the same as before. Roza tread lightly as she passed it. Human sounding in it’s tone, something was off about this heap of shadows. It just seemed wrong. She pressed on in search of the earlier voice.

Revealing itself in the form of another, softer cry, she located the man she was sent in search of. He was sitting in a corner formed by two buildings, clutching an oozing wound on his neck. The blood was deep red, and thick as if it were a paste applied to him. His face was pale, the blood rushed out of it. His beard was sprinkled with still more blood, his own she assumed. Dark eyes looked up at her, and froze Roza dead in her tracks. Trying to speak, he motioned her closer. The stench of death was strong, and she was sure he wasn’t far away now.

“Run, girl, get out of here.” His words still held a note of authority, even in his broken and beaten state. She almost listened to him, when she remembered the scroll. Fishing it out of a pocket sewed into her cloak, she knelt and showed it to him.

“Here, this is yours.” She shoved it in his face, wanting to be rid of it. Ever since she had entered this town, it started to make her uncomfortable. He looked it over, but made no attempt to grab it, instead looking to examine her next.

“I was expecting a man, not a girl. Where did you get this?” A look of confusion flashed across his face. She wanted to recount to him the story of a wild-eyed man forcing her father to take it. He had seemed well-off-- why force this burden upon a poor working man? He rambled on about evil and ill tidings, but then mentioned a reward for it’s safe relay. But, his time was short, so she didn’t. Instead, she again tried to get him to take it.

“Well, I delivered it. Where’s my payment?” She said. Making demands of a dying man almost made her sick, but she needed that money desperately.

“How do I know you didn’t steal it?” he sneered at her, sitting up now. This outburst caught Roza off guard, making her take a step back. If he didn’t pay her, she came all this way for nothing. Her father would succumb to his sickness, and the family would all starve to death. Tears came to her eyes.

“Please, Mister, I made the delivery. I need that money!” She was about to throw it at him. But then the contours of his face softened, and he let out a sigh.

“When faced with mortality, a man sometimes forgets himself.” he motioned towards a bag sitting nearby. “Bring that to me.”

The heavy leather satchel wasn’t but ten feet away, but still she had to push and drag it over to him, starting to sweat with the exertion. A deep chuckle erupted from his throat upon seeing her struggle, but it soon turned into a coughing fit, and he lay silent. Another moment was spent gathering his strength before he started searching it’s contents.

“You’re a bit young to be traveling by yourself, arent’cha?” he glanced up at Roza as she waited patiently. His words were soft, though the bite of death was never far.

“This is my thirteenth year.” She responded, watching him go through the bag. This made him stop, and turn his full attention to her for the moment.

“Don’t you have any older brothers that could have made the trip?” Alarm had taken hold of his features. The large cloak hid how small she actually was, so this came as a shock. All she did was lower her head, and he understood, returning to his search. “What about your Da?”

“He’s sick.” Her voice came as a hushed whisper, as if speaking of it out loud would make it more real. Finally, the man produced a small cloth, and pressed it into her hands.

“Come a little closer.” As she did this, he draped something about her neck. It was a small medallion, hung on a leather thong. As she stood examining it, he put his hand on her shoulder to get her attention. “You must take the scroll to a friend of mine. He’s waiting on the road to Baulder. Just show him this necklace, and he will know what to do.” Roza was about to protest, but he continued. “He’ll take you back to your family.”

A loud hiss cut through the air, cutting short anything protests she could possibly muster. A dark shade was crawling across the wall, approaching them at a frightening speed. All the while, it screeched and hissed. A frightening sound that hurt her ears. Absently, she noticed the man was yelling, but what he was saying didn’t make any sense. The creature was mesmerizing her. She could feel the heat coming off of it even from here. The pump of it’s heart, the relaxing and contractions of it’s muscles. A dark mist settled over it’s frame, obscuring any details, but it’s shape was that of a large lizard. A tail flicked back and forth behind it.

A hard shove sent her sprawling to the ground, breaking it’s hold on her. Now the man’s words were arranging themselves correctly in her head, and he was screaming a warning at her.

“Don’t look at it Girl! It’s pure evil!” he had heaved himself to his feet, and now stood between them. It hissed louder than ever, and lunged. She didn’t stay to watch, quickly scrambling to her feet and taking off at a dead sprint. The last intelligible word she heard from that direction was “Run!” before the man fell into a fit of coughs and gurgles. Eventually falling silent. Still she ran, certain that it was still following her.

She began seeing more of them, those creatures. They lay in the alley ways between the ruins of houses. Sometimes solitary, but sometimes in groups of two or three. They watched her, each one making that terrible hissing sound. It was all around her, starting to sound like it was coming from inside of her head as well. There was a doorway of a house ahead, and as she contemplated ducking into it a woman appeared. Her face was white as the cloth tied on her head. Her mouth was formed into a large O, as her hands felt the enormous gash cut across her abdomen. She mouthed the word ‘Why’ as she watched Roza run past. In that instant, she was gone, pulled back into the darkness of the house.

A deep burn started to set into her legs, and made her realize she didn’t know how long she had been running. Her breath was starting to come in a pant now, as her lungs tried to keep up with the rest of her body. Despite the freezing chill she was sweating, a thin sheer of it coating her body and making her clothes stick to her. The rows of houses had long since gone, replaced by towering trees. The spaces between them were dark, but certainly not empty. The creatures had followed her, still watching her from the shadows. Now and again she’d think she saw one dart across her path, but it was all too dark and the movement to fast for her to be sure. One thing she as sure of, however, was that the hissing was still present. The awful noise hadn’t ceased since she left the town, which had to be some hours ago.

Her wind was leaving her, and fatigue came upon her like a dead weight. She had to slow down, more and more as time went on. No longer did the creatures stay well beyond the trees. They crept closer and closer, now at the edges of the road way. Roza tried to keep going, to speed back up, but no matter how hard she tried she found herself slowing down. Until she could no longer even stand, and just collapsed into the snow, panting. They were circling around her, the snow hissing and melting away from their footsteps. She lay helpless, certain that the best thing she could hope for now was a quick and painless death. The stench of death wafted over her, creeping just ahead of the creatures. All she could think of was how she had disappointed her father.

“You go straight there and straight back. Don’t talk to any strangers, unless it’s to ask for directions.” He had said, stopping as the cough was set upon him. She forced a smile, saying it wouldn’t take long, and he’d be feeling strong and healthy again soon. Her mother gave her the last of their money, and wrapped her in the best cloak the family owned. After saying goodbye to her two younger sisters, she set out, with hopes of saving her family from their poverty.

Just then a bright light found it’s way into her eyes, forcing her to close them. The creatures hissed and buzzed, retreating from the figure holding the light. They clearly didn’t want to give up their prey, and formed a tight semi-circle at the very fringes of the light. The man approached quickly, kneeling next to Roza and speaking in a harsh whisper. Her head was swimming, and nothing he said made sense. Finally, she motioned to her neck, then grabbed the medallion in her hand. He gently peeled her fingers away, and upon seeing the insignia carved into it, he scooped her up in one arm.

The creatures followed the retreating light, but none dared to step into it. Heaving her onto the saddle of his horse, he climbed on behind her. The lantern was affixed to an iron bar that jutted out in front of him, so as the mount and all around it was illuminated. Grabbing the reins with one hand, and putting the other around her to keep her steady, they took off at a full gallop. The steady rhythm of the horses hooves beating the path and the warmth of the man quickly lulled Roza to sleep. She didn’t notice that he was heading north, instead of back south towards her family. Or the fact that he hadn’t asked her about them. It seems he, and the scroll, had a different destiny laid out before her.