Chapter 15 Spring Cleaning

This is one of those times where I feel my blood pumping.  I feel the danger.  I feel more alive than ever.  At any moment everything could end in a bloody mess.  My entire body is tingling with anticipation as the world rises to meet me.  Will I live?  Will I die?  Uncertainty.  I feel uncertain.  But I know that I can't fight gravity.  I can only go forward.

Or in this case.  Fall forward.

Even though we're plummeting through this crazy situation.  Even though everything around us looks like chaos.  I feel secure when I'm with these two.  This platform is falling at an alarming rate.  In a few seconds we'll be near the worm that spat this platform into the sky. 

Here it comes.

Reader increased grip as the three looked at the sandworm's giant maw. 

Oh no, look at that thing's mouth!  So big.  It looks like a cave-no like the earth itself is opening up to swallow us whole.  A cave with teeth.  Are we going to get swallowed again!? 

!!!

It jerked its head-*crack* *crunch*

What happened? I blinked and... Let me turn around - did we skip off of it?  Wait then where are we going?  Is that the canyon..? No that's the back-

*crack!*

-of the-

*crunch crackle crack*

-sandworm! The platform is tearing itself apart!  Ah-!

Ernest braced himself and shouted, "Hang on Reader!"

Ernest and Ioan jumped off the crumbling platform in unison. The last bits of their platform shattered on impact sending chunks of stone everywhere.  They landed on the worm and immediately started running down its back.

That was a close one.

The surface of this thing is covered in huge stones... I spotted some deep looking crevices and are those splattered grubs?  Looks like plenty of spots to lose your footing.  Glad I'm not the one running on it.

What's with that growing shadow?

*Crash*

That rock was taller than all three of us combined.  That means that the platforms and stuff from earlier are falling all around us!  Yep there's a grub there.  And another splatting there.  Wait.  They're falling too fast, there's too many, I can't even call out warnings in time! 

?  The ground is rising?  No the worm is moving, and its back is becoming like a downhill ramp.

 Ernest and Ioan dodged one boulder after another while trying to stay upright. 

Who is doing that heavy breathing?

"Ernest! Is that you breathing so heavily?"

"What?"

"You're telling me that after all this time you are  just now breathing heavily!?" 

What is this guy made of?

"I'm... *huff* kind of carrying you, Reader.  Just getting my second wind."

Ah.  Wait.  Is he saying I'm heavy? ... Well he has been carrying me for some time now.  I'm not that heavy right?

Ernest and Ioan skillfully navigated the increasing incline.  Their pace increased faster and faster as more hazards fell from the sky.  Things were looking good -

This is actually kind of cool.  Wish I had some way to record this right now. 

- until Ioan was unfortunate enough to trip. 

That tumble looks pretty bad.  Oh no, not you too Ernest! Come on stay up right!

Reader shifted weight and position in a desperate attempt to keep Ernest from tilting over. 

"Reader kgeph mour haund oumtph mah maouth! Gawh!"

To no avail.

OwOwOwOwOw it's like rolling on cement!  Ow Ow -

Black Out.

 - Ow-oh..

unggnn..

did we stop?

My head hurts...

I think I'm ...

"Reader you alright?  Reader?  That's not good."

Ernest looked at Reader's injury with a frown.  With a grunt he slung Reader over his shoulder and took stock of his surroundings.  He heard his name being shouted in the distance.

"Ernest!?"
"Over here Ioan!"

The vampire saw the waving silhouette and ran over to Ernest.  Both of them were covered in new bruises.  They didn't stay idle long; the pair moved out of the way of the giant worm's massive body.  Seeking shelter, they climbed a part of the canyon wall where a small outcropping provided them with some sky cover. 

"What's wrong with Reader?"
"Must have blacked out.  Head injury.  Possible concussion."

The vampire made a grim face as he tried to make sense of the injury. 

"Ioan.  Look at that."

They watched the worm make its way out into the desert.  Its body reshaped the deserts dunes before shrouding them in sandstorms. There was no mistaking the massive shadow swaying between sheets of sand; back and forth.  Now and then the beast would stop to spew stomach contents on the ground or into the sky.  Electric sparks crackled in the growing storm filling the air.  From within the veil came a mournful sound that reached for the heavens.  The whole of the desert shook with anticipation.  

They watched it die.

Its great body convulsed violently, spraying the desert at random from its many ports.  Ernest and Ioan just barely dodged one such spray, which took out a chunk of their canyon shelter.  Ioan's face and half his body was shredded by the shrapnel.  His body stitched itself back together while he spat out chunks of stone.  They continued to watch in silence as the behemoth's body continued thrashing, shaking the ground for miles.  They shielded their faces and Reader's body as best they could from the gusts of razor sharp wind filled with stone and sand.  Thunder accompanied its weakening cries.  Finally the sandworm's crazed dance came to an end.  With one final groan its head slammed into the desert, its great bulk unleashing a wall of sand reaching out in all directions.  Light is drowned out completely as the darkened clouds fill the sky, the sandstorms choke at its rays, and the wall of sand blots out the feeble remains.  All that could be heard was the wind, and the growing sound of grinding sand; like that of a massive snake approaching to strike.

They waited in the darkness to ride out the impossible. 

Then the rain came.  Real.  Water.   Rain. 

It came so hard that the all encompassing dust from the sandstorm was knocked into the growing mud below.  The wall of sand never came, its great bulk slammed aside by the oncoming water.  There was no light to see one's hands.  Even the grub blood glow on their clothing faded to nothing.  The rain became a constant drone that made it difficult to think.  Sudden flashes of lightning struck at the sea, giving the pair short glimpses of the storm's fury.  A glimpse into a world being changed by flood waters.  Thunder shook their chests in an endless barrage. A drum beat met with the sound of sloshing waters all around.

With their canyon shelter damaged, the pair tried to stay as dry as possible, shielding Reader's unconscious body with their own.  Even so they became drenched.  The rain noticeably ate away at the stone, and where it struck flesh it left a bruise.  To pass the time, Ioan scrubbed himself down despite the pain.  Ernest had laid Reader down so that he could wash and bandage the wounds.  He then collected as much water as he could drink, from a growing pool that gathered beneath the hole of their shelter.  Each sip of cold water felt like streams breaking up dried earth.  It tasted so sweet.  And just a little salty.  With time the storm's fury cooled enough and their ears had adjusted so that they could have a conversation.

"Do you think Reader is going to be alright Ernest?"

He didn't respond to Ioan's question.  Instead he looked at the horizon.  Ioan tore his eyes away from the pair and looked out into the darkness. 

"? Did I just see..?  Between the flashes of light."

"I'm not sure Ioan.  But something is flying out there."

"Mmnngh.."

Ernest's grim features softened at the sound. 

"Reader? Are you awake?" he asked.  Reader's eyes flickered open.  Ernest and Ioan looked on with concern.

"Reader have some water, here.  Drink."

Water.  Why am I uneasy about this water?

After a few sips Reader went unconscious again.  The mood darkened.

"Ioan, we need to get Reader out of here.  Something isn't right."

"Well you did say that Reader might've got hit in the head."

"No I mean something is wrong with this injury.  You see it too - right?"

Ioan looked at Reader again and nodded. 

"This has been a rather long adventure Ernest.  But I don't see the exit.  Do you have any ideas?"

He shook his head after putting Reader on his back.  This time when they looked out onto the horizon, the rain was fading.  Harsh sunlight broke through the clouds.  Wherever the shafts of light struck the desert, steam billowed from the hardening mud, and from that mud came a loud cracking noise.  It started with a sprout.  So small and insignificant that it was lost amongst all the steam and mud.  Then another.  And another.  Small and large the sprouts burst out of the mud and sand like little gems.  They burst into trees and plants.  The old pine trees became laden with pine cones and gave off clouds of pollen.  Soon the hills were covered in flowers.  The pockets of growth overcame the zones full of light, spreading throughout the entire desert. 

"A desert erupting?"

"I believe it's called blooming, Ioan."

"Any idea of what we're supposed to do next?"

They continued to watch as the plant growth started to reach, then fill the canyon.  All around was green, reds, and...

"Wait.  What is that smell?"

"Do you mean the pollen Ernest?  To be honest its making my nose itch."

"No that burn smell."

"Ah..  Where is that coming from?"

"There."

Ernest pointed down below.  They could see a Warwick survivor embracing a plant and shouting in joy.  Blue flames from its body enveloped the plant like an oily fire.  It wasn't long before the plant turned black as the Warwick writhed in ecstasy.  The blackened plant broke off from its green neighbors, sprouting charcoal colored limbs with a boney shape.  When the Warwick came out of its high it mourned the loss of the plant even as it, and the newly born Warwick, reached out to other plants. 

Ioan looked on in disgust.

He muttered that, "They look like addicts."

Ernest watched as the small number of flames quickly grew.

"Well at least we now know how they replenish their ranks.  If Warwicks survived then it is possible that the grubs have as well."

Just as Ernest pointed out this observation, a grub did appear.  It was happily munching away at a leaf.  An enraged Warwick rushed the grub resulting in a nasty struggle.  The conflict drew more Warwicks which crowded in the gulley, creating more of their kind as they advanced.  The solitary grub was soon crushed and the Warwicks rejoiced by burning everything around them.  A section of the canyon wall crumbled as plant roots tore themselves apart with Warwick births.  Beyond that wall was a horde of gorging grubs.  The two sides looked at each other briefly before rushing into each other like a living torrent. 

"That can't be good."

Ernest had nothing to add to Ioan's statement. 

They searched around for a path out of there.  All around, conflicts like the one they witnessed were filling the air with the screams of their struggles.  Despite their efforts, no single path really looked any better than the others.  There was just too much debris and too many conflicts.

Ioan tapped Ernest's arm and pointed at a collapsed wall.  Inside was a cave like structure and within were plenty of Warwicks at odds with grubs.  But in the back were some odd looking grubs spinning webs.  A shift in the clouds revealed a network of cocoons.  When light hit one it started to shake.  A long scythe like appendage slashed out.  A horrible screech of the creature's birth cry assailed their ears. 

"That.  Is really like, not good."

Oh Ioan, your description of the situation is impeccable. 

Something large came from the sky and nearly bowled them over.  At first glance it looked like a shiny black rock, but it had sharp pointy limbs and gossamer wings. 

They jumped away from its scuttling form as the creature looked under itself in disappointment. 

"That must be what comes out of the cocoons.  This is not-"

"Yes Ioan.  Let's go."

Carrying Reader on his back and yanking Ioan on the arm, they rushed down into the canyon just as the flying black thing noticed its targets were still moving. 

"Is it a beetle?  I don't know if I'll be able to punch through its armor.  Looks strong."

"Ioan stop trying to identify it and just concentrate on running!"

A throat retching noise caused them to duck.  A glob of glowing green acid sizzled ahead of them.

"It spits acid!?"

"Run faster Ioan!"