right arm,” Vera countered.
“Take the kid and run for it.”
“Where?”
Crey somehow weathered the silence that came next. Their surroundings were already full of arrows. “How about we surrender?”
Dust shook his head at Crey’s proposal. “You fancy being eaten?”
“What?”
“What do you think the mountain folk eat up on a snow-covered peak like this? The flesh of climbers and fugitives. I’ve heard when they don’t have either of those, they draw lots to see who gets eaten.”
“If they’re as hungry as all that, why the hell don’t they just move somewhere else, then?”
“I don’t know much about their circumstances. But they say they were connected to the Nobles who used to live on this mountain.”
“Hmm. Ever catch any of ’em down by the foot of the mountain?”
“Nope. We have found remains, though. The toothed-up bones of five or six of them.”
“That’s sick!”
Just then, the world darkened. As flecks of white blew around them, Crey groaned.
“Just perfect! A snowstorm!”
“Relax. At least we don’t have to worry about the cold anymore.”
Sensing something in Dust’s tone, Crey glared at him. But he understood what the man was saying. Now that Lilia had run off and Dust was wounded, they wouldn’t be able to hold off their attackers the next time there was an assault. No matter how good Crey was with his Deadman’s Blade, an attack by invisible cannibals would spell certain death. A tinge of despair colored the outlaw’s still-intrepid face.
“Tell me something, Doctor: does it hurt when you die?” Lourié asked in a trembling voice as Vera lay over him like a shield.
“It’s all right,” she said to him kindly. “It’ll all be over soon.”
Silence enveloped the white world. The next time the killing lust coalesced, death would be unleashed, falling down upon them.
“Damn it all!” Crey groaned. Did he still vainly cling to an urge to fight?
The darkness increased in depth.
A scream rang out. At the same time, the reports of rifles echoed in the air.
“What’s that?” Crey twisted around with the agility of a beast.
Something had appeared on the snowfield ahead of them—where the mountain folk lurked. Crey could see one spot where the darkness was unnaturally heavy. Another scream resounded, so mindless it changed the looks on both Dust’s and Vera’s faces.
“Please, help me!” someone cried in a human tongue. “Don’t come any closer—stay back—nooooooo!”
The cry was cut short, and a single gunshot echoed across the snowfield. And then—stillness.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Crey inquired in a low tone. He didn’t know how, but the mountain folk had been wiped out in the blink of an eye—that much was certain. But rather than rejoicing, this was cause for whispering. How he knew that, he wasn’t sure.
“It’s coming!” Dust said.
“What is?” asked Vera. Beside her, Lourié too had his eyes peeled.
“The darkness. Look.” Crey seemed to understand.
A faint darkness enveloped the group’s surroundings. A still-denser darkness was slowly closing on where the mountain folk had been. Whatever lay within it had wiped out the mountain folk. It had dealt with cannibals of unparalleled wickedness in mere seconds. At the very least, it seemed unlikely to pay them a friendly call.
“Doc,” Dust called to the woman, keeping his voice low. “Take care of that kid.”
Perhaps realizing that the man wasn’t talking about defending him, the boy’s face went as white as a sheet.
II
“Do you know what it is?” Crey asked, sounding tense for the first time.
“I don’t wanna think about it—”
Dust’s reply wasn’t really an answer at all, but it pointed Vera’s mind at the impossible. It can’t be. It just can’t. But it was something that could throw a shadow across the sun, and use the darkness while slaughtering humans. It can’t be.
“Jump for it, Doc!” Crey shouted.
“Huh?”
“If that’s
“Take the kid and run for it.”
“Where?”
Crey somehow weathered the silence that came next. Their surroundings were already full of arrows. “How about we surrender?”
Dust shook his head at Crey’s proposal. “You fancy being eaten?”
“What?”
“What do you think the mountain folk eat up on a snow-covered peak like this? The flesh of climbers and fugitives. I’ve heard when they don’t have either of those, they draw lots to see who gets eaten.”
“If they’re as hungry as all that, why the hell don’t they just move somewhere else, then?”
“I don’t know much about their circumstances. But they say they were connected to the Nobles who used to live on this mountain.”
“Hmm. Ever catch any of ’em down by the foot of the mountain?”
“Nope. We have found remains, though. The toothed-up bones of five or six of them.”
“That’s sick!”
Just then, the world darkened. As flecks of white blew around them, Crey groaned.
“Just perfect! A snowstorm!”
“Relax. At least we don’t have to worry about the cold anymore.”
Sensing something in Dust’s tone, Crey glared at him. But he understood what the man was saying. Now that Lilia had run off and Dust was wounded, they wouldn’t be able to hold off their attackers the next time there was an assault. No matter how good Crey was with his Deadman’s Blade, an attack by invisible cannibals would spell certain death. A tinge of despair colored the outlaw’s still-intrepid face.
“Tell me something, Doctor: does it hurt when you die?” Lourié asked in a trembling voice as Vera lay over him like a shield.
“It’s all right,” she said to him kindly. “It’ll all be over soon.”
Silence enveloped the white world. The next time the killing lust coalesced, death would be unleashed, falling down upon them.
“Damn it all!” Crey groaned. Did he still vainly cling to an urge to fight?
The darkness increased in depth.
A scream rang out. At the same time, the reports of rifles echoed in the air.
“What’s that?” Crey twisted around with the agility of a beast.
Something had appeared on the snowfield ahead of them—where the mountain folk lurked. Crey could see one spot where the darkness was unnaturally heavy. Another scream resounded, so mindless it changed the looks on both Dust’s and Vera’s faces.
“Please, help me!” someone cried in a human tongue. “Don’t come any closer—stay back—nooooooo!”
The cry was cut short, and a single gunshot echoed across the snowfield. And then—stillness.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Crey inquired in a low tone. He didn’t know how, but the mountain folk had been wiped out in the blink of an eye—that much was certain. But rather than rejoicing, this was cause for whispering. How he knew that, he wasn’t sure.
“It’s coming!” Dust said.
“What is?” asked Vera. Beside her, Lourié too had his eyes peeled.
“The darkness. Look.” Crey seemed to understand.
A faint darkness enveloped the group’s surroundings. A still-denser darkness was slowly closing on where the mountain folk had been. Whatever lay within it had wiped out the mountain folk. It had dealt with cannibals of unparalleled wickedness in mere seconds. At the very least, it seemed unlikely to pay them a friendly call.
“Doc,” Dust called to the woman, keeping his voice low. “Take care of that kid.”
Perhaps realizing that the man wasn’t talking about defending him, the boy’s face went as white as a sheet.
II
“Do you know what it is?” Crey asked, sounding tense for the first time.
“I don’t wanna think about it—”
Dust’s reply wasn’t really an answer at all, but it pointed Vera’s mind at the impossible. It can’t be. It just can’t. But it was something that could throw a shadow across the sun, and use the darkness while slaughtering humans. It can’t be.
“Jump for it, Doc!” Crey shouted.
“Huh?”
“If that’s
Similar Books
