Walking on the Other Side
He didn't remember how he got here, he didn't remember where he was going. He didn't even remember who he was.
He threw his sunglasses to the ground. It was too dark here to see anything with them on, and from the looks of things, it wasn't going to get much brighter. Even after discarding them, it was hard to make out anything useful. Fog and shadows obscured nearly everything, and something about the world he was looking at just didn't seem natural. Some faint instinct twigged inside of him, telling him not to let his guard down, even for a moment.
He didn't remember much, but he was certain that dropping his guard was what landed him here in the first place.
A shadowy figure rose from the smoke, every feature conceal by darkness, it was tall, thin, almost skeletal in its appearance. The figure loomed over him, before its lips peeled back to a set of too white teeth. The wanderer took a step back, his hand reaching for something that wasn't there
"You look lost little man, maybe I can lend you some assistance." The shadow spoke, slinking closer to the wanderer.
"I can manage." the wanderer replied.
"Lot of people say that, and it rarely proves true. This isn't your grandma's bingo hall, and there are plenty of malevolent things lurking in the shadows. Unless you know how to deal with them, you won't last long."
"And what about you?"
The grin grew, "I'm dangerous too, but it's been a long time since someone interesting showed up, and I'm willing to put my nature aside for a bit. Got to find someway to amuse yourself, am I right?"
The wanderer grimaced, and held his tongue. The silence stretched on for minutes, until the shadow leaned in close.
"What's your name son?"
"Even if I remembered, I wouldn't tell you."
"You know a bit about how things work. That's a point in your favor. I knew you'd make things a bit more interesting, now how about you come with me? Let me introduce you to some folks who might help you out, if you can catch their interest like you did mine. Might not be the safest way to find your way, but that don't matter none, cause its the only way to do it."
"You really think I'll strike a deal with you?"
"Don't seem to be an abundance of options around. If you've got another offer, I'd suggest you take it. Otherwise..." the figure trailed off, hand held out. Somewhere in the distance, something let out a bone shaking shriek.
He was right. There really wasn't any other option. Something deep inside him said that this was beyond his ability to handle.
"Alright then, show me." the wanderer said as he grasped the immaterial hand. A chill ran up his arm,
Its grin grew wider as his shadowy arm wrapped around the wanderer, leading him deeper into the strange realm.
"Glad to see you seeing sense, now come this way, and I'll introduce you to my friends here on the other side."
He didn't remember how he got here, he didn't remember where he was going. He didn't even remember who he was.
He threw his sunglasses to the ground. It was too dark here to see anything with them on, and from the looks of things, it wasn't going to get much brighter. Even after discarding them, it was hard to make out anything useful. Fog and shadows obscured nearly everything, and something about the world he was looking at just didn't seem natural. Some faint instinct twigged inside of him, telling him not to let his guard down, even for a moment.
He didn't remember much, but he was certain that dropping his guard was what landed him here in the first place.
A shadowy figure rose from the smoke, every feature conceal by darkness, it was tall, thin, almost skeletal in its appearance. The figure loomed over him, before its lips peeled back to a set of too white teeth. The wanderer took a step back, his hand reaching for something that wasn't there
"You look lost little man, maybe I can lend you some assistance." The shadow spoke, slinking closer to the wanderer.
"I can manage." the wanderer replied.
"Lot of people say that, and it rarely proves true. This isn't your grandma's bingo hall, and there are plenty of malevolent things lurking in the shadows. Unless you know how to deal with them, you won't last long."
"And what about you?"
The grin grew, "I'm dangerous too, but it's been a long time since someone interesting showed up, and I'm willing to put my nature aside for a bit. Got to find someway to amuse yourself, am I right?"
The wanderer grimaced, and held his tongue. The silence stretched on for minutes, until the shadow leaned in close.
"What's your name son?"
"Even if I remembered, I wouldn't tell you."
"You know a bit about how things work. That's a point in your favor. I knew you'd make things a bit more interesting, now how about you come with me? Let me introduce you to some folks who might help you out, if you can catch their interest like you did mine. Might not be the safest way to find your way, but that don't matter none, cause its the only way to do it."
"You really think I'll strike a deal with you?"
"Don't seem to be an abundance of options around. If you've got another offer, I'd suggest you take it. Otherwise..." the figure trailed off, hand held out. Somewhere in the distance, something let out a bone shaking shriek.
He was right. There really wasn't any other option. Something deep inside him said that this was beyond his ability to handle.
"Alright then, show me." the wanderer said as he grasped the immaterial hand. A chill ran up his arm,
Its grin grew wider as his shadowy arm wrapped around the wanderer, leading him deeper into the strange realm.
"Glad to see you seeing sense, now come this way, and I'll introduce you to my friends here on the other side."
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