Chapter Four

Chapter Four

            She constricted in pain as soon as she opened her eyes, but--there was no reason to. No pain, no internal organs juiced over the stone floor, no glowworms overhead and no flying demon with them.
            She sat up with a scream of--what? Fear, pain, anger, sadness. How could people hate so much?
            Intense sobs wracked her body, but she had to stop when her face fell into her hands and felt very…different. With apprehensive misery she crept towards the mirror on the wall and what she saw made her jump.
            A golden rose encapsulated her eye, ringing the socket and cheekbone and leaving that side completely blinded. She couldn’t blink on that side, but didn’t feel the need to either. Did she even have them anymore?
            Moments passed in silence before she gave an ironic smirk. At least it won’t have any trouble staying watered, she thought to herself, taking a moment to feel the hot tears roll down her cheeks.
            The brief moment between a sudden knock at the door and the jiggling door handle wasn’t enough time for her to wipe the tears away.
            “Hey Newbie, I--” Stally’s notable voice cut off when she saw Terra.
            “Your face…? You’re crying!”
            Stally quickly rushed inside and shut the door, clinging uncomfortably to the frame.
            “And you’re growing flowers? You’re killing me, Newbie. You can’t let people see you like this--most aren’t as forgiving as the guys who mugged you on the street,” she said, trying to be helpful. Taking the well-seasoned veteran’s advice, Terra sniffed away the tears and wiped her face in disdain.
            “Sorry. I didn’t mean too,” was all she could say, stepping back to sit on the creaky bed.
            “…well, what’s wrong with you?” The question came out harshly, but judging by the stone girl’s bewildered face she was genuinely trying to understand. The fact that there was even a chance of having another person care about a newbie such as herself filled her with a newfound gratitude and trust for Stally.
            “Are you…alright?” The stone girl put aside her concern for seeming tough long enough to sit on the bed next to the crying flowerchild.
            “…I don’t think so…” was all Terra could manage. “My rat is gone, some guy just dropped me from the ceiling, and I can’t see out of my eye anymore. I don’t know what to do…”
            Suddenly she was crying again, but this time instead of offering tough chastisement Stally slowly reached out a hand.
            “My mom used to do this to me when I was little and felt like you do,” she explained, then pulled Terra into a light embrace. That small act of affection was enough to soothe one’s soul, and Terra let all of her worries melt away with the rest of her tears.

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            Stally didn’t immediately shove the girl aside when they were awoken by a scrabbling outside the window. Instead, she gently shook the newbie awake, but not before pausing to wipe the unbeknownst smile off her face as she stared at the soft, tender face resting against her lap.
            “I think you have a visitor,” Stally announced, secretly pleased to be able to pass on this stressful guest’s problems.
            “Hey!” Carrie’s voice made Terra sit up immediately, eyes alight. She fumbled to catch the rodent as it dropped from the sill into her cupped hands and cradled her tightly.
            “You’re okay,” Terra almost sobbed from the overwhelming emotions endured today, but swallowed back the tears. Carrie was back and everything felt so much better.
            “You’re okay!” Carrie crowed back, then noticing the newest fauna addition added, “Well, mostly.” Her small sides heaved as she gave a short rendition of her flight from the kitten crusaders. It had been much running, scaling of walls and wiggling into cracks until it came down to facing the predators head on in what would have most certainly been a failure, when a scream ripped through the air. The chase had jumped backwards a few minutes, repeating itself in what could have only meant…
            Terra could only nod in silence to confirm the rat’s speculations. There had been another death.
            “Do you want to…talk about it?” Carrie offered, giving a keen eye to the strange girl made of stone who had been silently occupying the room.
            “Right, I’ve wasted enough time here. Should probably go help my mom before she starts yelling,” Stally said with an eye roll and scowl, but when Terra moved after her she let her harsh features slacken. “Hey, don’t worry Newbie. I’ll still be here if you…ya know. I’ll be here.”
            And then she disappeared as usual, trying to hide her caring side under a mask of rebellion and edge. While stomping loudly down the stairs Stally had to ponder--Mom had told her to stay away from people that brought out the worst in you; made you feel an obligation to protect them and their helplessness; and yet, here she was. She felt…a bond, or at least a duty to keep that girl from ending up buried in a trash heap somewhere.
            “Gee, thanks a lot, Newbie.”

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            This time, Terra turned to face the demon before he had the chance to speak.
            “Well what do we have here? A walking garden,” he said laughingly in his easy, trusting voice that made her stomach clench. It felt strange having him commenting on the mark of death dealt by him, without the realization or same hatred as before.
            “Watch’ya got there, Sweetheart?” He leaned on his stand to look down at where Carrie was watching from her pocket, scrutinizing the monster with distaste. Their first interaction had been relayed to Carrie and it had not pleased the rat. She told her how she’d trusted him and he’d killed her. Neither of them were eager to come back, but alas that stone pass seemed to be the only way out of Slag Town. They figured whoever they were supposed to meet in this town could come to them in the meantime. Only the blue-skinned demon stood in their way.
            He shrugged when they both didn’t answer and continued on.
            “Well anyways--what do you think about the glowworms?”
            Terra could barely stop her eyes--or, eye--from narrowing in anger, but continued watching him warily.
            “I can get you closer, you know,” he offered in that same sly tone, almost challenging. She shook her head with a seething heart and legs tense to run. He responded with a click of his tongue and a smile.
            “Alright. So then, where do you come from?” His hands slid into his pockets, letting the thumbs hang leisurely. She hated the relaxed posture that she knew hid murderous intent.
            “You must come from here, but I’ve never seen you before--and I know everyone.”
            No response came fast enough, be he seemed content to move on and air his thoughts.
            “Of course, you couldn’t have come from the wreckage. I hear there’s a monster there who kills anyone that enters.” The demon smiled at the thought, hoping for fear. All she did was focus on keeping recognition off her face.
            “And you wouldn’t have survive Earth’s Bane, not in those clothes…” he trailed on, finally getting a reaction.
            “Earth!” she burst suddenly, “So-so, we are on Earth?”
            The reaction brought out a satisfied smile from the demon.
            “Why so shaken, girly? It’s just a name,” he said easily.
            “But, you must know about Earth, and where it is--where we are?”
             He stared at her for a long time and didn’t say anything.
            “Yeah, it’s…everywhere. On the ground. It’s dirt,” he said with a squint. She realized her mistake and fell silent with a downcast look.
            “’Kay, well, whatever place you come from that doesn’t have any dirt, you’re stuck here now,” he promised, but would not relent. Leaning forward, he repeated “So, Sweetheart, where did you come from?”
            She frowned for a second and thought, before pointing up and saying “Outside, I think.”
            This was the closest thing she could get to the truth, her only recollection being the dream of her falling. That and the stony surrounding caused the notion of an underground terrain theory.
            “Outside?” He echoed, “Outside where?”
            Now that she had him stumped, it felt good. She didn’t want to answer, nor admit the fact that she couldn’t answer.
            “Outside here,” she repeated. Terra was beginning to catch on, people got a little jealous and nosy when they found out she was an outsider.
            “Funny,” he said with a harsh laugh, reacting differently this time. “No, you’re not.” He went on, “You see, I’m the eyes of these parts. Nothing comes or goes without me stopping it.”
            With that he leaned back proudly to stare at the glowworms, his own little death trap, then added “the barrier helps, too,” before closing his eyes.
            “But, I suppose if you’re smart enough to have made it this far, I can’t stop you,” he finished.
            There was a long stretch of not speaking for a very long time before she realized he was taking a nap. Awkwardly, she turned away and moved quietly towards the craggy mountain pass. If he wasn’t going to stop her and her rat companion, then they had no reason to stay.
            “Good luck though, Sweetheart,” he said without opening his eyes, “My brother isn’t a fan of trespassers.”

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            “I don’t understand. Who were we supposed to meet?” Carrie huffed, squeezing halfway out of the pocket. “You got mugged, met a ruffian bartender, and a serial killer. None of them feel quite…right.”
            At this point, Terra didn’t care if they met the right person or not, because they were getting out of there. A brave face and vendetta for freedom became her reply.
            “Carrie, do you even know where we are?” she questioned suddenly, this time not bothering to mention Earth or anything human related. Surprisingly, the rat perked up.
            “Yes, actually! It came to me while you were talking to that monster. This place--it definitely isn’t Earth. I don’t know where that is, but you’re not under it or above it--this is a different realm entirely.”
            “But how is that possible…” Terra said quietly, looking to her pocket guide.
            “It has something to with…the Mother Tree? She placed you here for some reason,” Carrie tried to wrack her brain but clearly that was the only moment of clairvoyance she could get.
            “The Mother Tree…” Terra held the image of the massive tree in her mind. First it had beaten her with its branches in a terrifying fall, then it have given her new life, only to be abandoned once more.
            “Some mother…” she hissed under her breath. “But what is this place called? This realm.”
            The name was on the tip of the rat’s tongue.
            “Tara-torys? Teras-tories? Terris-tory?”
            “The Territories.”
            Terra shook so violently at the sudden voice that Carrie almost spilled onto the ground. Her hovering hand kept the pocket protected while facing a new confrontation. A hostile stood before them--at least, an assumed hostile. This one didn’t try to feign likability and trustworthiness like the before, everything about him was aggressive; dark, overly-dramatic armor sharp features accented in silver. He was tall with grey skin so dark it was almost black, and hair consumed by darkness. The same leathery wings sprouted from his back, and Terra recognized those yellow eyes immediately. This must be the brother. They smiled with the same cruelty.
            This was the last person they would see before leaving Slag Town, and she could only hope that he wasn’t the one they were supposed to meet.
            If the un-scalable walls didn’t encage them enough, the backdrop they’d walked upon was a solid wall of swirling blackness, slicing their progress through the pass.
            “There is no way out. We’re never getting out of here,” Carrie whimpered a little too loudly. The strange man’s pointed ears twitched and his face contorted into amusement.
            “So that’s why that useless sack hasn’t lifted the barrier today.” His voice was more mature and angry than his brother’s.
            “Too lethargic to stop you himself, no doubt, or did he just leave you as a treat for me? How nice.” The demon sniggered and held up his arm with palm outstretched. A bright orange ball of heat winked into existence, primed to fire. It was pointed at her.
“That a*s better not make me walk back once I kill you,” he sighed distractedly.
            Realizing how quickly this situation had turned, Terra’s breath hitched and she screamed.
            “Wait, no--!”
            But the heat screamed louder than she could.