As Mars and RK entered through the front door of the house, they found themselves in a living room type area. It was dark and silent. The small shuffling and rattling noises Deygo was making seemed a harsh intrusion in this oppressive room.
“I know that sound,” RK said, a slight quiver in her voice. “That’s the same sound as when I kicked that skeleton. Deygo! Are there bodies in here??” RK demanded.
Deygo grunted noncommittally as he continued to search the decaying clothes of the skeleton in the chair.
“Dude!” Mars berated RK. “What the heck is wrong with you? At least wait until we have some light before you go freakin’ out about ghosts and skeletons and things!” She smacked RK upside the head to emphasize her point.
“Ow! Hey! That was uncalled for!”
“Yet, somehow, very satisfying,” Mars said with an evil grin.
“Jerk,” RK retorted while rubbing her head.
“Aha!” Deygo exclaimed as he turned triumphantly around, holding a small, black case between his fingers. “Found it! Now we can have some light. And yes, I agree with your friend, RK. There will be plenty of time to talk of the Fallen and the Night Creatures once we have a fire. If we were to speak of them now, while it’s dark, we would only be giving power to any terror they might possess.”
“Wait… Why am I her friend?” Mars protested.
RK rolled her eyes at Mars, then said, “I think, more importantly, the question should be why are we going to be discussing strange and spooky things in the middle of the night in a room with dead people at all?”
Mars nodded her head and gestured toward RK. “She does have a point, y’know.” Both women were standing with their arms crossed, looking expectantly at Deygo for an answer.
Deygo paused, studying the two for a moment, then with a slightly defeated sigh continued what he had been doing. Removing a match from the box he had pilfered from the dead, he struck it and tossed it onto a small pile of wood chips that were in a homemade fire pit in the center of the room. A tiny flame arose from the tinder and Deygo nursed it to larger life as he spoke. “Because,” he said, “there is much you need to know before I leave you tonight. It is for this reason that these unpleasant things must be discussed.”
“YOU’RE WHAT??” the two women exclaimed in unison.
“You’re leaving us?” Mars started in on Deygo.
“You can’t! That would be just cruel!” RK continued.
“You expect us to be okay without you and your bubble-tastic ways to keep RK in check?”
“Are you absolutely insane?? Hey… wait… Mars, you just…”
Mars cut her off before RK had a chance to process things further. “You gotta be kidding! Leaving us all on our own after bringing us unwillingly here into the DEATH Land!”
“If I had a good stick, I’d beat you both bloody right now!” RK rejoined, deciding to include Mars in her threat for the previous insult.
“Wait, wait, wait!” Deygo said, holding up his hands to try to quiet Mars and RK down. “Let me explain, at least! I will return for you as soon as I collect what I’ve come here for. It would be far less safe for you to come with me than it is for you to stay here.”
“Stay here with a bunch of dead people, you mean?” RK muttered under her breath.
“They are not ‘dead people,’ as you so call them. They are ‘the Fallen.’ They are those who perished because of the effects of Libitina. Besides, these are my kin. Even if they were alive they would welcome you into their home.” Deygo’s eyes teared slightly as he said this, but he quickly wiped them away.
At this last comment both women snapped their heads up from sulkily watching the fire to stare open-eyed at Deygo.
“Th… They’re your family?” RK asked incredulously.
“Ok, now that’s weird,” Mars followed up.
“Why aren’t they buried?” questioned RK.
“The Fallen are not buried,” Deygo explained. “The flesh of their bodies contains high levels of Libitina, which, if buried, would leach into the water and surrounding soil. To try to preserve the integrity of what little we had left of Etuua, any Fallen that were and are found are brought into the houses, or put up into the trees, or other such locations where the spread of the chemical can be minimized. After your encounter with the Fallen on the path, even then I raised him into the branches of a nearby tree.”
“So you were what was following us!” Mars pointed an accusing finger at Deygo. “That’s why we felt someone watching.”
“I cannot deny it, but as I have said, you two are very different from anyone I have met in years. You are very similar to the people who lived here before Origin, though some of your habits and speech patterns are quite outlandish.”
“Why are you helping us, then?” RK asked.
“That is a good question that deserves an answer. Unfortunately, it is not an answer I can give you at this time, the reasons being still too close to my heart to speak of. J’ee ai’meh su’rah’loo.1”
RK raised an eyebrow at Deygo, knowing he was hiding something, but decided to let it pass. She turned to Mars, who took the hint that it was her turn to ask a question.
“Ooookkkaaaayyy then. If you’re going to be mean, and are going to leave us, what else should we know before you do?”
“Ah, I’m glad you asked. I shall list the things you need to do, then have you repeat them back to me. Number one: Keep the fire going at all times. Number two: Do not leave the house. Number three: Do not insult the Fallen…”
“… Number four: Do not speak of the Evil Creatures or the Ghosts. And Number five: Do not talk to anyone unless it’s you,” Mars and RK finished repeating.
“Good. Now understand that it is vitally important to your safety that you follow every one of these rules.”
The two women nodded reluctantly.
“Excellent. Now, here are some blankets and pillows,” Deygo said, while getting up and retrieving the items from a nearby closet. “Get some sleep. You’ll most likely need it later.”
Mars and RK sighed while laying out their beds. Mars said as she laid down on her blankets, “You’re going to leave while we sleep, aren’t you?” It was more of a statement than a question.
RK raised up on one elbow to look pitifully at Deygo. “Please, stay at least until it’s light out?” she asked, though she already knew what his answer would be.
Deygo sighed. “I can promise nothing, but I will stay as long as I can if it is any comfort to you. Now sleep.”
The two women unwillingly closed their eyes, but despite their misgivings, soon fell into a restless sleep.
1 "I am sorry."
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