Chapter Eighteen

His mind was a bubbling cauldron of confusing sensations and visions. He felt his stomach lurch at the foulness of corruption and evil lurking in the boiling detritus, clouding his reasoning and focus even to the point where he began to question his ability to discern what was real or delusional.

The taste of blood filled his mouth. Hot, slick arterial blood coated his throat as he gorged at the carcass before him. He joyfully lapped at the crimson flood, tearing at limbs and gobbets of flesh, relishing not only the taste but the vanquishing of yet another life.

A human life.

This realization further confused him but provided nothing more than a faint twinge of remorse lasting only until another sensation distracted him from his grisly feast. It was a tail--he had a tail! It snaked around into view, the tail he realized that not only provided balance and agility but was a lethal weapon with its bony spikes and ridges. He couldn't recall when he had grown a tail but its presence seemed as natural as breathing.

He studied his victim and decided he had eaten his fill yet wanted no other to share his meat. He was greedy that way. Lifting his newly found tail, he let blast a stream of musk to coat the area and his kill. The aroma pleased him and he knew others wishing to feed would fear to approach and avoid the entire area. He breathed deeply, filling his lungs and reveling in the scent before exhaling in a piercing shriek that provided even additional warning to potential interlopers.

It was the shriek that startled him.

In a panic he groped about in the darkness, reaching behind and becoming dismayed because his tail had vanished along with the taste of blood and the vision of human remains.

Wyatt. My name is Wyatt.

He thought about that fact for a moment and realized it was important to remind himself.

"Wyatt?" A voice filtered through the dark, a voice that bore a degree of familiarity. "Are you awake?"

"Yes." It was all he could muster.

"You scared me. I was all alone."

It was Bryant. The voice belonged to Bryant.

There was silence as Wyatt pondered his situation. The reality of his earlier sensations troubled him and left him weak and confused. He felt Bryant stirring beside him and wondered for a moment, Could he outrun me if I attacked? I'm so hungry...

Stop it! I am Wyatt, not some spawn of hell. He forced those thoughts away, far, far away.

"Thank you," he said in a quiet voice. It was better than his previous line of thought. "Thank you for saving me."

Many minutes passed without a response. Then he heard a sniffle. "I want my Pa."

Wyatt could say nothing to that. He could add no words of comfort, for comfort was a thing alien to him. "Why is it so quiet?" He asked, not knowing whether he had said it aloud.

"It fed awhile ago, I could hear it. Maybe it's resting."

The vision of the human carcass burst into his consciousness, so real Wyatt felt he could reach out and touch it. He licked his lips.

"Yes. It has killed and gorged itself. It will rest."

Wyatt leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes. It did no good to leave them open, he could see nothing in any case.

"How do you know it will rest?" The question surprised Wyatt and he found it strange Bryant did not know what he knew.

"I'm not sure," answered Wyatt. He could expound no further and they sat in silence with darkness binding them together in fear.

Faint noises stirred from the room above, evidence something was moving. Bryant had not seemed to notice and Wyatt allowed him to remain that way. He knew it was not the prey. He knew it as sure as he knew he was a Speck.

"Why do you not seem bothered I am a Speck?" The question slipped from his mouth before he could stop it.

He could feel Bryant shrug. "I don't know. Probably 'cause it don't bother Pa."

It was a good answer but it pried open that old wound, the wound inflicted years ago when he had realized he had no father. No mother. He was a Speck.

The noises increased but Bryant gave no indication he had heard.

"What about your mother, what does she think?" He thought it was better to keep talking than to think about the beast and whatever it was doing.

"Oh, she don't care." Wyatt could tell the youngster sat upright to continue. "She had to stay behind at Blanchard Springs and didn't go with the caravan. She's gonna have a new baby and didn't feel so good. Of course, that means a boring name, for sure."

That statement puzzled Wyatt. "What? Why would that mean a boring name? I don't understand."

"Seriously?" Bryant seemed to have forgotten all about the zelinx. "Don't you know anything?"

It was Wyatt's turn to shrug.

"Babies born at Blanchard Springs--that's home for our clan--get boring names 'cause all the towns close by are used so often, I guess." Bryant paused. "The best names come when the caravan is on the move."

"That doesn't make any sense at all."

"Course it does! When a baby is born his Pa finds the nearest town and that becomes the baby's name."

"So... Bryant? You're named after a town somewhere?"

"Yeah. Bryant-a little town along the road to the crystal mine."

It seemed strange but Boss had always said the Rama got their brains baked to a crisp for living out in the Wastelands too long.

"So your brother and your Pa? Them too?"

"Yep. Cabot and Bono."

"And Caddo?"

Bryant gave a little snort. "Of course! Caddo's some little town in Texas. Everybody knows that."

Wyatt absorbed this new information but it led to another question, one Boss had always refused to answer. "Why do people north of the bridge want crystals so bad? Every time I asked, the stick would get busy and Boss just said I should shut my Speck mouth."

"You mean Outlanders? Why do Outlanders want crystals, right?"

"Sure," answered Wyatt, not knowing if he were considered to be an Outlander or not.

Bryant continued. "Caddo always said them Outlanders crush up the crystals into a powder then mix it into water and drink it down. I think he's making that up 'cause who in their right mind would want to drink a ground up rock? He said they think it's a medicine or something."

Medicine? That really is crazy.

There was movement upstairs again, this time like something being dragged across the floor. Wyatt cringed, thinking of the zelinx pulling the body closer to feed again.

"Did you hear that?" Bryant scooted closer to Wyatt. "I wish Pa was here right now."

The dragging sound was louder, there could be no mistake. Could the human still be alive? It was impossible! I ate too much... I mean, the zelinx ate too much for him to survive. Then a sound of beating wings. Somehow, Wyatt knew--he could sense it--the beast was not taking flight. It merely stretched its wings and was thinking of more meat.

Unable to control himself, Wyatt's mouth began to water. Stop it! I am Wyatt. My name is Wyatt.

Bryant scrambled to his feet. "Wyatt, did you hear that? Did you? It sounded like Pa."

Wyatt shoved the morbid thoughts from his mind and listened. "No. I don't hear a thing. I'm sorry."

"I know what I heard. It was Pa. He's out there." Bryant shuffled over to the stairs, Wyatt could hear him groping about..

"Don't go up there Bryant! It's still there."

Wyatt heard him on the stairs and knew the youngster was ignoring his warning. Wyatt got to his feet, thinking he could grab Bryant and stop him from leaving the shelter of the cellar.

Then, a voice. It was barely more than a whisper, but it was still a voice. "Bryant? Where are you?"

Bryant stumbled up the stairs, ignoring Wyatt who had little choice but to follow.

Moonlight streamed in through the gaping hole in the front of the building, providing just enough light to see a body on the floor. It was entangled in the very cables that had infuriated the zelinx earlier.

"Pa!" Bryant rushed forward and hugged his father.

"Careful." Bono grunted in pain and Wyatt thought he looked pale even in the faint light. "My leg's broke. Help me get free of these wires."
Wyatt scanned the room, peering into the darkness. "Where is it? I know it's here somewhere."

"Later, Wyatt!" Bono scolded. "Help Bryant get me free."

The beast lurked somewhere nearby. Wyatt knew it. He could sense it. Its scent lingered in the air, tainting everything in the building. He worked with Bryant to untangle Bono but every shadow seemed to harbor movement and danger. Sweat rolled into his eyes but it was sweat not caused by the heat.

It was fear.

Something was happening to him, something he did not understand and it scared him.

They freed Bono then Wyatt hoisted him under his arms, pulling him through the alcove and down the steps to the cellar. Each jostle and bump produced a groan of agony but Wyatt didn't hesitate, he knew the beast was stirring.

They were only three steps down the stairs when they heard a low rumble, a sound unlike any they had yet heard. The creature emerged from the shadows, clutching an unidentifiable limb of its victim. Wyatt realized it cared little they had managed to pull Bono to safety. It had fed and knew they weren't going anywhere.

The zelinx stalked through the rubble to the exterior of the building where it stood, stretching to its full height. It unfurled its wings and Wyatt stared in horror at his first unobstructed view of the creature. Moonlight gleamed off its leathery hide as it turned its head and Wyatt felt a menacing gaze boring through him. Those eyes! Those horrible yellow eyes.

It broke contact and raised its head to the sky to loosen a deafening shriek that ripped through the night air. The creature turned to seek out Wyatt once again.

As terror crept over him, sucking the life from his bones and leaving him feeble and helpless, he knew. Somehow, he knew exactly what the creature had done, and it terrified him.

Because the beast had called and another was coming.

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Hmmm, I can hear you wondering. What exactly is Wyatt? If he gets too hungry will he attack Bryant?

Wyatt gave me the answers but asked that I keep them a secret unless you vote. I hope you do, because I have a tough time keeping secrets!