welsh
Junkmaster
Mike had begun to descend when Khaliq put his hand on Mike's shoulder and said "Wait. Let's hold on for a second."
Both Andy and Mike looked at Khaliq. "Just wait."
Sarah was leaning over the rooftop and looking at the dogs. "Lots of dogs? You want me to shoot 'em." She withdrew a large revolver. "But I don't think I got enough bullets."
Indeed there were lots of dogs, hundreds of dogs, perhaps thousands. Like all the dogs that hungered over all the bodies that lie unburied in the fields of Iraq. And still they looked famished.
Sobia was still limping from her leg injurt, went to the side. She shook her head. "There are too many. They will get me for sure. I think I should stay here, and if you can come back for me... well if you cannot, do not worry. I am getting old anyway and I should have died years ago."
"Nonsense, you'll still good." Said Sarah. But there was reason to doubt it. THe tentacle that had wrapped itself around her leg had left a nasty red sore that didn't seem as if it wished to go away.
"There is no way out of here unless we go through those dogs." Said Mike.
Khaliq shook his head. "Wait a few minutes. Let the dawn end. What do you have to lose?"
Indeed there was little rush.
They looked to the East. The sun was slowly rising, it's beams cutting through the clouds, chasing away the dusk with new transparency. Providing illumination.
"Look at this." Khaliq
It was Tim's partial drawing. THe mosque in the midst of a huge forest.
And as the sun rose the dogs began to howl, began to shake. And then then they began to leave, at first slowly, then quicker until they were running, fleeing from the mosque. The tentacle had not been seen since last night, nor was there any thumping.
The pavement began to crack, splintering and opening to the ground below. Buildings seemed to rescind or even seem to remove themselves, retreating back and away from the mosque. Other buildings seem to crumble and collapse into cloud of dust. Through these clouds spirals of brown rose from the ground and climbed into the air, where they suddenly began to spring green bloosoms and then leaves. The earth trembled below them, but those in the earthquake felt no earthquake.
In the east the sun continued to rise.
And in moments it was over.
Around them was a forest of tall trees that might have been centuries old, that towered above them. Grass, green and soft, had replaced the urban landscape of the night before.
"Well that was pretty fucked up." Murmured Mike.
The others nodded.
"At least the dogs are gone." Said Sarah.
"Can you explain what happened?" Asked Mike. "Is this all because of him?" Meaning Tim.
"I don't think so. I have seen buildings that don't belong in any one city, from places that I doubt Tim had ever heard of. And the city, it changes. Why? Perhaps because Tim dreamed it. Are you afraid of dogs Tim? Or have nightmares of dogs?"
Tim shook his head.
"But sometimes I have nightmares of dogs feeding on corpses." Whispered Andy.
"And the thing with the tentacle?" Asked Khaliq.
No one said anything but finally Nasi raised her hand. " I saw this film Galaxy of Terror and there was this tentacle rape that freaked me and sometimes, yeah. ANd then there was this film Evil Dead.."
"Where the girl gets raped by a tree?" Asked Mike.
"Yeah."
"Great fuckin film." Said Mike.
"Not to mention Lovecraft.... So yeah, I have nightmares." Said Nasi. Some of the others had read Lovecraft and nodded.
"And Tim drew a picture of a dragon." Said Khaliq.
"Maybe we shouldn't let the kid draw then?" Asked Make.
Some of the others laughed. But that laughter died quickly as each looked at the forest that seemed to have surrounded them. But the city hadn't gone. From the roof of the mosque they could see the outlines of the city buildings stretched around them, encircling the forest.
"So why do they come out at night, or hide out in the dark." Asked Sobia.
"Because people are afraid of the dark places." Said Sarah.
"ANd because man's first emotion, his primal emotion, is fear." Said Andy, who had also read his Lovecraft.
"But then why are we still here and everyone else isn't?" Asked Khaliq.
"Or why is this happening to us?" Asked Sarah.
Both Andy and Mike looked at Khaliq. "Just wait."
Sarah was leaning over the rooftop and looking at the dogs. "Lots of dogs? You want me to shoot 'em." She withdrew a large revolver. "But I don't think I got enough bullets."
Indeed there were lots of dogs, hundreds of dogs, perhaps thousands. Like all the dogs that hungered over all the bodies that lie unburied in the fields of Iraq. And still they looked famished.
Sobia was still limping from her leg injurt, went to the side. She shook her head. "There are too many. They will get me for sure. I think I should stay here, and if you can come back for me... well if you cannot, do not worry. I am getting old anyway and I should have died years ago."
"Nonsense, you'll still good." Said Sarah. But there was reason to doubt it. THe tentacle that had wrapped itself around her leg had left a nasty red sore that didn't seem as if it wished to go away.
"There is no way out of here unless we go through those dogs." Said Mike.
Khaliq shook his head. "Wait a few minutes. Let the dawn end. What do you have to lose?"
Indeed there was little rush.
They looked to the East. The sun was slowly rising, it's beams cutting through the clouds, chasing away the dusk with new transparency. Providing illumination.
"Look at this." Khaliq
It was Tim's partial drawing. THe mosque in the midst of a huge forest.
And as the sun rose the dogs began to howl, began to shake. And then then they began to leave, at first slowly, then quicker until they were running, fleeing from the mosque. The tentacle had not been seen since last night, nor was there any thumping.
The pavement began to crack, splintering and opening to the ground below. Buildings seemed to rescind or even seem to remove themselves, retreating back and away from the mosque. Other buildings seem to crumble and collapse into cloud of dust. Through these clouds spirals of brown rose from the ground and climbed into the air, where they suddenly began to spring green bloosoms and then leaves. The earth trembled below them, but those in the earthquake felt no earthquake.
In the east the sun continued to rise.
And in moments it was over.
Around them was a forest of tall trees that might have been centuries old, that towered above them. Grass, green and soft, had replaced the urban landscape of the night before.
"Well that was pretty fucked up." Murmured Mike.
The others nodded.
"At least the dogs are gone." Said Sarah.
"Can you explain what happened?" Asked Mike. "Is this all because of him?" Meaning Tim.
"I don't think so. I have seen buildings that don't belong in any one city, from places that I doubt Tim had ever heard of. And the city, it changes. Why? Perhaps because Tim dreamed it. Are you afraid of dogs Tim? Or have nightmares of dogs?"
Tim shook his head.
"But sometimes I have nightmares of dogs feeding on corpses." Whispered Andy.
"And the thing with the tentacle?" Asked Khaliq.
No one said anything but finally Nasi raised her hand. " I saw this film Galaxy of Terror and there was this tentacle rape that freaked me and sometimes, yeah. ANd then there was this film Evil Dead.."
"Where the girl gets raped by a tree?" Asked Mike.
"Yeah."
"Great fuckin film." Said Mike.
"Not to mention Lovecraft.... So yeah, I have nightmares." Said Nasi. Some of the others had read Lovecraft and nodded.
"And Tim drew a picture of a dragon." Said Khaliq.
"Maybe we shouldn't let the kid draw then?" Asked Make.
Some of the others laughed. But that laughter died quickly as each looked at the forest that seemed to have surrounded them. But the city hadn't gone. From the roof of the mosque they could see the outlines of the city buildings stretched around them, encircling the forest.
"So why do they come out at night, or hide out in the dark." Asked Sobia.
"Because people are afraid of the dark places." Said Sarah.
"ANd because man's first emotion, his primal emotion, is fear." Said Andy, who had also read his Lovecraft.
"But then why are we still here and everyone else isn't?" Asked Khaliq.
"Or why is this happening to us?" Asked Sarah.