Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 89023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89023 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 445(@200wpm)___ 356(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
“But… us? You were talking about humans. We’re not human, so we’re not a part of that ‘us.’”
“No. We’re not.”
“Then what does it matter?”
“It matters. Trust me, it does. Now.” He lifts his body up a little so he can reach into his pocket, and then he pulls out a vial, holding it up so that a stray beam of morning sunlight can illuminate the contents within. “This is why I’m here. It’s for Syrsee. I made it special just for her. And by that, Ryet, I mean… just for you. You understand that, right?”
I don’t say anything at first. Just let these words of his roll around in my head so I can filter out the nonsense poetry from the actual facts. Just for me. He wants me to know he loves me. And all of this comes from that.
Any logical person would see the deception here. I mean, just look at what he’s done to me. Look at what he’s done to Syrsee. It’s… gross. And wrong in every way possible. No amount of love can change that.
But in his mind, this all makes sense.
“Do you want me to feed that to her?” I ask.
“No. You drink it, then feed her. That’s the best way because your body will metabolize it better and she will have fewer reactions.”
“What will it do?”
Paul smiles. “Save her, of course. It’s going to save her and—” And then he stutters or… hesitates. Like he almost said too much. And I know—I know—this is the important part. That I should make him say it. That I should refuse to drink whatever’s in that vial until he does. That I should seek the truth.
But I’m tired and even though the thing that loves me most in this world is a mere ten feet away and he’s offering me his version of salvation, I feel forsaken.
So I see the logic in the poetry. It makes all kinds of sense because it’s a way to pretty up the evil.
Paul stands up, walks over to me, and offers me the vial.
I take it and then he turns away, heading towards the door. “Hey, wait,” I say. “Where are you going?”
He doesn’t turn and look at me, just throws a side-eye over his shoulder. “I’ve got things to do, Ryet. We’re on schedule now so don’t procrastinate with that blood. Drink it, feed her, and then we’ll talk.”
He walks out.
13 - Syrsee
He wins
I am on a long, great sheet of ice and the wind is blowing so hard, tiny pinpricks of snow hit my face like pebbles, stinging it and making me cower.
There is a tribe of people in front of me, all formed up in a circle. They are wearing furs, and have dark hair, and they look ancient. They are all holding torches, looking down into a black hole in the ice.
Then, without any preliminaries, the monster emerges from the water screaming like something from Hell.
In the dreamwalk Lucia took me on, this was some kind of octopus horse thing. But in this one, it’s a snake. A giant viper with its mouth open and fangs dripping with poison.
“It doesn’t matter what shape it takes.”
I turn and find Lucia standing next to me. “What?”
Lucia shrugs. She’s not really here. She’s dead, I know this, but even if I didn’t know this, I would understand that she is not here because she’s… transparent. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a snake or an aquis equī, Syrsee. It’s all the same thing. Look. Look closely.”
I turn back to the snake and watch as the little girl all dressed up in fur approaches and starts to mount its head. But as I stare at it, it changes. Turns to black sand, and then, once the girl is sitting on top of it, it… crumbles.
That’s the best word I have for what I’m seeing. It turns to black sand and falls apart, taking the girl with it. She simply disappears, like she was never here.
There is a great roar from the people dressed in fur as they lift their torches up into the air. Then they are dancing, and lighting fires, and there is cooking going on. Tents are pitched, right there on the ice. Right in front of the black hole.
They begin fishing, and I watch as the low-hanging sun goes down below the horizon, and the moon chases it, and that whole day-and-night dance happens in time-lapse. The ice shifts, melts, and freezes again as this small camp inches its way back to land. Then cabins appear where there were tents. Hordes of people live here now. The buildings get bigger. They are made of ice and summer never comes. These people make massive boats and bring in great nets full of fish and seals.
And then this little village is a city.