and minarets. It was hard to tell at this distance whether the island was the deliberate architecture of some twisted medieval mind, or the natural spikes, arches and other suggestive and accidental formations caused by the erosion of wind and rain.
Ellie checked herself with a thought.
Nothing in here is accidental. It's all by design
.
'OhMyGod!' Jez shrieked above the moaning wind and the deep booming thunder from above. 'This is soooo fregging drool!!!' She stepped forward onto the raised iron walkway, beckoning at Ellie to follow her. 'Come on!'
Their boots clanked noisily as they made their way along the iron walkway. Ellie grasped the handrails on either side of her as it seemed to rock and sway slightly under their weight. She looked down at the mottled pinkish grey lake of churning slurry below them, hoping that this less than stable bridge was designed to take the weight of more than one person at a time and wasn't about to give way and dump them into that slurry below.
Gray actually made this world? This is what he chooses to live in?
'This is like some sort of psycho's theme park!' Jez shouted excitedly over her shoulder.
Ellie nodded. That was
exactly
what it looked like. The lake bubbled and fidgeted beneath them and she looked down through the gaps between the ironslats at the churning grey sea below. She narrowed her eyes and looked more closely. It wasn't porridge, or slurry. It was…
'Jez!'
She turned round. 'What?'
'Look!' Ellie leaned carefully to one side, down over the railing at the lake. 'Look…it's full of worms…or maggots or something!'
Jez followed her gaze and curled her lips in response. 'That's pretty grossio!'
Ellie watched the churning movement more closely and realised it was more disturbing than that; not worms, but a melting pot of human body parts. Torsos, pelvises, arms and legs, faces and whole heads joined together in a pallid soup of welded together flesh, gristle and bone. The movement wasn't a liquid bubbling away, but an incessant writhing. Moreover, the moaning wasn't the sound of wind racing through cracks, rock spires and caverns, producing some unintended haunting noise; it wasn't even some spooky environmental ambient soundtrack being played through hidden speakers somewhere, it was coming from below, from the lake, from thousands of malformed and twisted mouths; wide toothless, gummy orifices crying together in an endless pitiful chorus of torment.
'Okay,' Jez nodded slowly. 'I guess that
is
pretty creepy.'
Ellie looked at her. 'You really want to go and see more of this?'
For a moment Jez didn't look entirely certain that she did. But then she, shrugged her second thoughts away. 'C'mon, it's no worse than a scary holo flicker. I mean…it's all fake stuff.' She grabbed her hand. 'I guess it's probably just a guy thing. Guys like gross stuff. Right?'
A guy thing?
Ellie looked down at the seething mass of tortured faces. Dark sockets where eyes should be, mouths opening and snapping shut; here and there arms and hands stretched upwards, seemingly imploring her to come down and rescue them. Or perhaps join them.
Seriously. A guy thing?
Jez laughed nervously. 'C'mon its no worse than some of them shooty-killy hologames the boys play in the arcades. It's all just
special effex
, Ellie. Just like back in Dantes.'
'It's a nightmare.'
Jez laughed again. 'Don't be such a wussy-pussy.'
'No.' Ellie shook her head. 'He's not right in the head. Not if….if he's coming up with this kind of-'
'You really have no idea about men, do you? Jez turned to her. 'Look, if they're not figuring out how to get inside your spandux smallies, or how to over-clock some tech toy, they're dreaming up gross crud like this.'
Ellie saw movement down at the far end of the walk way. It was Gray. He had emerged from the darkness of the forbidding archway leading up into his gothiccastle. He stood at the far end wearing shorts and a bright flowery shirt looking like some tourist on
Ellie checked herself with a thought.
Nothing in here is accidental. It's all by design
.
'OhMyGod!' Jez shrieked above the moaning wind and the deep booming thunder from above. 'This is soooo fregging drool!!!' She stepped forward onto the raised iron walkway, beckoning at Ellie to follow her. 'Come on!'
Their boots clanked noisily as they made their way along the iron walkway. Ellie grasped the handrails on either side of her as it seemed to rock and sway slightly under their weight. She looked down at the mottled pinkish grey lake of churning slurry below them, hoping that this less than stable bridge was designed to take the weight of more than one person at a time and wasn't about to give way and dump them into that slurry below.
Gray actually made this world? This is what he chooses to live in?
'This is like some sort of psycho's theme park!' Jez shouted excitedly over her shoulder.
Ellie nodded. That was
exactly
what it looked like. The lake bubbled and fidgeted beneath them and she looked down through the gaps between the ironslats at the churning grey sea below. She narrowed her eyes and looked more closely. It wasn't porridge, or slurry. It was…
'Jez!'
She turned round. 'What?'
'Look!' Ellie leaned carefully to one side, down over the railing at the lake. 'Look…it's full of worms…or maggots or something!'
Jez followed her gaze and curled her lips in response. 'That's pretty grossio!'
Ellie watched the churning movement more closely and realised it was more disturbing than that; not worms, but a melting pot of human body parts. Torsos, pelvises, arms and legs, faces and whole heads joined together in a pallid soup of welded together flesh, gristle and bone. The movement wasn't a liquid bubbling away, but an incessant writhing. Moreover, the moaning wasn't the sound of wind racing through cracks, rock spires and caverns, producing some unintended haunting noise; it wasn't even some spooky environmental ambient soundtrack being played through hidden speakers somewhere, it was coming from below, from the lake, from thousands of malformed and twisted mouths; wide toothless, gummy orifices crying together in an endless pitiful chorus of torment.
'Okay,' Jez nodded slowly. 'I guess that
is
pretty creepy.'
Ellie looked at her. 'You really want to go and see more of this?'
For a moment Jez didn't look entirely certain that she did. But then she, shrugged her second thoughts away. 'C'mon, it's no worse than a scary holo flicker. I mean…it's all fake stuff.' She grabbed her hand. 'I guess it's probably just a guy thing. Guys like gross stuff. Right?'
A guy thing?
Ellie looked down at the seething mass of tortured faces. Dark sockets where eyes should be, mouths opening and snapping shut; here and there arms and hands stretched upwards, seemingly imploring her to come down and rescue them. Or perhaps join them.
Seriously. A guy thing?
Jez laughed nervously. 'C'mon its no worse than some of them shooty-killy hologames the boys play in the arcades. It's all just
special effex
, Ellie. Just like back in Dantes.'
'It's a nightmare.'
Jez laughed again. 'Don't be such a wussy-pussy.'
'No.' Ellie shook her head. 'He's not right in the head. Not if….if he's coming up with this kind of-'
'You really have no idea about men, do you? Jez turned to her. 'Look, if they're not figuring out how to get inside your spandux smallies, or how to over-clock some tech toy, they're dreaming up gross crud like this.'
Ellie saw movement down at the far end of the walk way. It was Gray. He had emerged from the darkness of the forbidding archway leading up into his gothiccastle. He stood at the far end wearing shorts and a bright flowery shirt looking like some tourist on
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