[rework] Minglings - chapter 4: Broken pipes

The dark, unlit, and almost destroyed city seemed tranquil in the middle of the night. No wind passed between the tall buildings, and the lack of rain had caused dust from the collapsing buildings to cling to everything. Inside the entrance of a dead-end alley bordering a partially collapsed building, the occasional moonlight made something glisten. A shadow, previously invisible between the others, abruptly stepped back, disappearing entirely.

"I don't see it anymore. I think we lost it," Jake hissed, keeping his eyes focused on the street.

He put his hand on the metal rod he had wedged between his belt and leg. The back still had some concrete from where he had ripped it from the side of a building. It was arm-length and heavy, and he hoped it might help if push came to shove.

Behind him, Mason was hiding behind a crumbled wall section.

"That's good because Emma's not doing too well. We need to get to the hospital fast, or she won't make it," Mason whispered back.

He looked at the girl in his arms before getting up and making his way to the entrance. Soot and mud clung to every part of his usually glistening scales.

"From what I can see, the old bicycle tunnel is still intact. We will be at the hospital within minutes if we move through it," Jake replied.

He turned and waved towards the barely visible tunnel amidst the destruction caused by a derailed tram. The tram and its wagons had destroyed a small shack standing on a road corner. The broken parts were littered across the road, blocking parts of the tunnel. Normally it would have been the normal route to take. But now, to get there, they would need to cross almost a hundred yards of debris and destruction with who knew what lurking about.

"We don't have a choice, but I worry what we might find inside that tunnel..." Mason replied, looking at the darkness that even his enhanced eyes couldn't penetrate.

"If it is one of those feline things, we can scare it away again. The previous one ran as soon as we shouted," Jake replied, then he frowned.

"Let's hope there aren't any bridge trolls," he whispered, swallowing as he recalled what he knew about those. "Bad joke... bad joke," he muttered, knocking his fist against the side of a beam sticking out of the rubble.

The loud thud startled him, and belatedly he remembered he was a lot stronger now. Afraid that he might have alerted something, he scanned the buildings left and right. Nothing moved, and he breathed a sigh of relief before looking at his fist. Squeezing it, he was surprised that he didn't feel any pain. He knew he would have bruised his hand had he hit something that hard before.

"Stop making such a racket. And put some more mud on your arms. I can see your scales shine again," Mason hissed at him.

Jake glanced at his arms and saw that Mason was right. Some of his scales had lost their coating and were dimly reflecting the light from both moons. He grabbed a handful of mud and clay, rubbing it over the bare sections of his arms and legs. When he couldn't see any shiny scales anymore, he looked at Mason and got an approving nod.

"Ready?" Mason asked, sounding slightly impatient.

"Yeah. Let's go before that cat finds us again."

Jake lowered himself before he sprinted into the street. He was moving towards a piece of road that had split apart, pushing the remains of two cars away. He'd seen similar things on images from when an earthquake happened. The left side had been pushed into the ground, and the other section slid across it, creating a small overhang. It was roughly halfway to the tunnel, and he planned to wait there for Mason before continuing.

He noticed that his movement was a lot smoother than only a few hours earlier, and he crossed the distance without falling or tripping once. Instead, he easily jumped across and navigated through the rubble. When he reached the overhanging road, he felt elated as he turned around and motioned for Mason to come over.

Mason took a look at Emma before carefully running his way, and Jake's elation quickly disappeared.

It took Mason a lot longer, and sometimes he had to stop and climb across things that Jake had just easily jumped across. Jake knew Mason should be able to, but he was obviously being careful not to bring more harm to Emma.

As the seconds passed by, he became worried and jumpy. He scanned the surrounding buildings for anything that might suddenly attack them, almost expecting a dozen lurking cat monsters to jump forward. Luckily nothing happened, and Mason made it across, finally crouching beside Jake.

As excited as he was, Jake wasn't even interested in remarking on Mason's slow crossing. Instead, they silently stared at the final stretch separating them from the tunnel. It was a wide and open area, with only some debris across the road and bicycle paths. Most were pieces of a massive traffic light that had crumbled. They would need to cross without any cover to hide behind.

"I am going over to check the tunnel. Don't come over until I indicate it's safe. I'll run away and find you later if anything is in there," Jake said.

He looked at the tunnel as he talked, trying to sound cool and calm but feeling neither.

Mason stood behind him, partially hidden in the shadows, and staring at him bemused. Then he shook his head. "In your bloody dreams. I am heading over as soon as you get to the other side. You don't get to be a hero without me being around to keep you alive, got it?"

Jake sighed and eyed his friend as he wondered if he could persuade him. But, seeing the determined look on Mason's face, he knew there would be no way.

"Fine. But if anything happens, make sure to put Emma somewhere safe before you come barging to my rescue," he said, taking a quick look at Emma. Her face was pale, her breath shallow, and a bubble of blood rose gently between her lips.

"Obviously. Who do you take me for, Alfred?" Mason said.

Jake grinned at the reference to their old school bully, then bent over as he got ready to haul ass. "No, I think you're a dumbass," he whispered before sprinting off.

Behind him, he heard Mason's laugh, quickly stifled.

Jake scampered across the road, put his foot on a rock, and tripped. He flailed and slammed into some rubble, causing a loud crack from below. He froze, fearing he'd broken his ribs. Then he realized there was no pain.

"Fucking idiot," he cursed himself as he got back up and started running again, slower this time.

His heart was pounding as he jumped across the crossbar of the traffic light, hoping that nothing had heard the noise.

Fifteen of the longest seconds of his life later, he arrived at the entrance and immediately took a quick look inside. There was a thin layer of liquid covering the bottom slope of the tunnel but no cats, no goblins, and no danger. He stepped inside, took a shuddering breath, and leaned against the wall for a second.

No, there's no time to be a wussy, he thought as he shook himself back into motion.

He gazed through the tunnel for as far as he could see. Although it was dark, he could still distinguish some familiar colors and objects and was immensely grateful for his night vision. Without it, things would have been a lot harder.

He'd passed by here many times to visit Mason when the fool had broken his arm a couple of years back. From what he could see, besides the few cracks and the water, not much had changed. Somehow, he found the thought strangely reassuring. Pink paint and graffiti still covered the walls, and one of the glass covers on the lights had still not been fixed. Deeper inside, towards the bottom, it was so dark he could only make out the glistening water and a trash can, not even his night vision enough.

Should be fine, he thought.

He turned to wave Mason over when he saw his friend's bulky shape running towards the tunnel, already halfway there.

"Impatient..." Jake hissed with a grunt.

With increasing worry, he scanned the area around them. The streets were empty, and he was about to relax when he saw something move on a nearby roof. He held his breath as he tried to make out what it was.

A shadow moved along the drainage pipe of one of the old brick buildings, pausing every few steps. Jake heard a soft shuffle and a grunt, and he risked a quick look. Mason was almost at the tunnel. He looked at the shadowy thing again, but it didn't show any indication that it had seen Mason. His vision blurred slightly, and he suddenly realized he was becoming light-headed from holding his breath. He breathed raggedly; his hands clenched around the concrete corner.

As Mason arrived at the tunnel entrance, Jake dragged him inside, covering his friend's mouth with a hand. Mason froze, then struggled for a moment before he let Jake pull him inside. Jake looked back outside and hissed when he saw that the shadow on the rooftop was gone.

"Shit, where did it go..." he whispered, feeling his hair rise.

Behind him, Mason put his back against the wall, anxiously switching his gaze from the entrance to the dark depths of the tunnel.

Jake kept searching for any trace of movement, but the shadow was gone. Finally, after what seemed like an hour but was just a few minutes, he stepped back inside, feeling only partially relieved.

"Looks like it didn't see you," he whispered, looking at Mason. "Let's get out of here as fast as we can. Some shadowy thing was on the roofs behind you just now."

Mason nodded, looking anxious as he cradled Emma.

"Was it another cat?" he whispered.

"I don't know. I saw a shadow move on the roof of the old grocers building," Jake said as he made a nondescript gesture.

Mason clenched his teeth, the razor-sharp teeth grinding against each other. "Let's get going. I'm done with dark and apparently abandoned cities. Where the hell are all the other people? Are they all hiding inside?"

Jake was about to say that it was night when he stopped. That only made sense if nobody could see, but plenty of people should have night vision. They hadn't even heard anything that signaled other people.

He frowned, about to reply, when he heard a muted thud coming from between the buildings across the street. His gaze snapped around, scanning the looming buildings as he tried to find what had made the sound. It was dark and still, and nothing moved.

"Okay, let's get out of here," he whispered.

His heart pounded as he turned towards the deeper part of the tunnel. Mason followed him down the slope, but when they got to the edge of the pool of liquid, he heard his friend stop.

"It's water… I can smell it," Mason whispered.

Jake sniffed and realized his friend was right. A scent vaguely reminiscent of rain came from the liquid in front of him. He did smell dirt and something acrid mixed in, but it was only faint.

"We're like bloodhounds now," Jake whispered as he knelt and put his finger in the water. Just when he was about to taste it, Mason kicked his hand away from his mouth.

"Don't do that, you idiot! Look from where the water is coming. I think that's a sewer pipe."

Jake rubbed his arm and scowled. "There aren't any sewers here, you dimwit. That's a water pipe leading to the buildings, supplying them with fresh water! Besides, don't you smell it? It's just a bit muddy."

Mason frowned at him and shook his head. "I don't smell that... but not everything that is dangerous can be smelled! Don't just drink that."

Jake sighed. Mason was right. Who knew what was inside the water.

He put his foot in the water and walked forward, down the slope, until the water got to his knees. Mason followed him, sloshing forward.

When they reached the lowest part of the tunnel, the other entrance became visible, the star-filled sky beyond. A loud splash came from behind, and Jake whirled around, feeling his hackles rise.

A six-legged cat rushed through the water towards them. Its red eyes were glowing in the dark, highlighting the dark hairy snout and razor-sharp white teeth. It was making a beeline for Mason, who was the closest. Mason turned and ran towards the other entrance.

In a flash, Jake gauged the distance between the cat and his friend and knew the other wouldn't even make it out of the water.

With a rush of adrenaline wiping away any fear, Jake ran forward on an intercept course with the cat.

"Don't do it! Keep going. We can make it," Mason yelled, seeing his friend run past him. Fear was squeezing his throat, his voice a high-pitched squeal.

Jake ignored him and fumbled at his waist for the metal pipe. The cat had turned its charge, now coming towards him. The long barred teeth and glowing eyes scared the shit out of him. He barely untangled the makeshift weapon when the cat leaped forward. From this close, Jake could see how big the thing was. Easily as long as he was tall, it was slender and thin, its bones visible under the shiny black fur. It moved almost too fast, shimmering as it propelled towards him.

Jake swung the pipe in reflex as he dodged to the side while averting his head. He felt an impact and a whining sound immediately after.

He turned around as fast as possible, somehow instinctively using his tail to keep his balance. Ahead, the cat rolled back to its feet, water splashing everywhere. Jake raised his pipe and maneuvered around the cat to keep it from going after Mason. Why he was worried about that right now was beyond him, but it seemed super important. He heard Mason say something from behind, but he didn't dare look.

The monstrous feline eyed him warily and followed all of his movements. It kept the distance between them the same, closing in when Jake inched back. Jake suddenly realized that the cat's tail had started swinging back and forth, and he felt his muscles tighten. Didn't that mean-

The cat's six limbs bulged as it leaped forward in a dash, startling Jake even though he had expected an attack. Like the first time, the cat's form blurred forward, and Jake had barely any time to react. With a startled yelp, he dodged to the side and used the pipe, trying to knock the cat off balance.

He got out of the direct path, but there was no sense of impact from his pipe this time when the cat flew past. Instead, a burning pain flared from his back. The feeling of hot liquid running down his back made his scaled skin crawl, and he knew the cat had not missed. Struggling to stay upright as the pain intensified, he saw the cat pounce, knowing there was no time to dodge. He closed his eyes and raised his arms in a final defense, thinking his time had come.

A loud crash came from close to his face, followed by a high-pitched shriek. His eyes snapped open, and he saw Mason holding the cat in a stranglehold. The cat struggled desperately to break free, leaving thin but deep claw marks on Mason's arm. Cords of muscle bulged up on Mason's arms, clearly visible now under his golden scales, as he struggled to keep the cat at bay.

"Hit him, hit him, hit him!" Mason screamed, and Jake saw the utter panic on his friend's face.

He scrambled forward, brandishing the pipe as he rushed at the cat. The metal pipe whistled through the air before it cracked against the side of the cat's head. The massive feline hissed, trying to free itself with more fervor.

Jake saw one of the paws slash at Mason's head, and in a blind panic, he struck again and again. Blood, bright red shot everywhere, and as it did, he suddenly felt his mind grow numb. The sound came from a great distance, and it felt like his body was weightless. As if from a great distance, he heard the cat howl and scream.

"Jake, stop! Stop! It's dead! Stop dammit!"

Jake froze, the bloodied pipe in his raised hand as he looked at Mason, trying to crawl out from under the cat. Blood and mucus were dripping onto his face, chest, and arms.

The cat's head had turned into a mess of tangled flesh and fur, one eye dangling out of its socket.

Jake drew in large gulps of air, his arms shaking. He looked at the cat then at the pipe, seeing the blood and bits of flesh stuck on it. As a bit of torn, furred skin and pieces of fat dripped down, his stomach churned. He dropped the pipe, turned his head, and puked into the water with loud clattering sounds.

"Ahh, no, stop it. I am still here. Get me up first, you disgusting bastard! Wait... What the fuck is that? Jake? What is that?!"

Mason's panicked screams and a bright light that flashed across the water snapped Jake out of it, and he looked up.

A cloud of thousands of small floating balls floated out of the cat, illuminating the previously dark tunnel. They looked like street lights or lanterns in the deep of night, surrounded by a soft halo. Most had a gray or black center, but a quarter of them were different, their colors varying from shades of blue and red to a very dark yellow. But no matter the color, they were all glowing as bright as light bulbs.

Mason was still struggling below the body, and Jake quickly moved forward and helped pull him free. As he did so, the small lights moved. The gray and black ones began dispersing into the water and towards cemented walls while the yellow ones hovered in midair for a moment. It almost seemed like they were hesitating, then they too drifted away, vanishing through the walls. Finally, only a fraction of the orbs remained. All red and blue, they slowly floated towards them.

"Shit, shit... What is that?" Jake whispered, backing up and pulling Mason away.

His friend, however, ripped his arm free and stepped forward.

"Doesn't this seem somewhat familiar?" he muttered as a smile crept up his face.

Before Jake could stop him, Mason put his hand out and let one of the small red dots touch his hand. It disappeared without a trace leaving a small glowing scale behind, which dimmed rapidly.

"Pretty..." Mason whispered before letting out a very unmanly giggle.

He stepped forward and lifted his arms. The red lights, perhaps sensing something, rushed towards him. Although only a tiny portion of the orbs remained, there were still a few hundred of them, and soon Mason appeared to be softly glowing.

Seeing his friend absorb the red lights, Jake noticed that the blue ones were heading toward him. He gradually raised his hand, still feeling some trepidation. The blue orb shuddered, then sank into his palm.

Jake felt a cold sensation from the spot as if he had caught a drop of icy water. A sort of primal sense rose from deep inside, telling him it was safe, that this was as it was supposed to be. Abruptly he stepped forward, letting the blue light fall all onto him. He noticed that many of the lights congregated on his back, and the burning feeling he had been suppressing started to fade.

"The pain is fading," Jake uttered in awe.

Mason looked up and fell silent as he stared in wonder as the two deep gashes in Jake's back closed. Within moments all that was left were healthy, gleaming scales.

"They healed you..." he whispered. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he shouted, "these things heal!"

Mason rushed forward to the side of the water, where Emma lay on her back. He knelt down and raised his arms. Large amounts of the red lights were concentrated around the wounds the cat had inflicted, and the scales and flesh were knitting back to getter like magic. Mason put his arms next to Emma, almost waving them above her.

"Heal her, you stupid light bulbs!" Mason whispered in agitation.

"Red came to you, blue to me. Her scales are blue like mine," Jake said as he moved to Mason. The small spheres started lagging right away, almost as if they couldn't keep up.

"Hurry, come here," Jake whispered.

Mason picked up Emma and moved towards him and in between the blue lights surrounding Jake. At first, nothing seemed to happen as the blue dots kept staying and merging with Jake.

"Why isn't this-" Mason growled.

Then one of the blue spheres floated towards Emma. As soon as it touched her, a chain reaction seemed to happen. The blue lights froze as if by some signal, then rushed away from Jake and congregated in the middle of Emma's chest.

"There aren't many left..." Mason muttered.

Jake didn't reply, staring grimly at the rapidly shrinking amount of blue lights. He hoped that there were enough of them left.

As most of the glowing orbs began dissipating, the tunnel turned dark again.

"There should be enough to help," Jake said, his words coming out with more certainty than he felt. "What are they anyway?"

He followed the path of the last of the blue orbs as they dropped on Emma. Total darkness enveloped them as soon as the last of the orbs disappeared.

Blinded, Jake felt a sudden primal fear of the dark surge up, and he began blinking rapidly. After a few moments, his night vision recovered enough for him to see Mason standing in front of him.

"It's something like mana or life-energy. Maybe even experience? I feel as if I have just had a good night's sleep," Mason whispered. "Whatever they are, we need to figure out if they always come when we... kill things."

Jake took a deep, shuddering breath as he thought about the battle of moments before. He inhaled deeply through his nose and immediately wished he hadn't done so. A rotten stench was hanging inside the tunnel coming from the dead cat.

"Let's not do it in an enclosed space next time," he hissed. "Let's go. We need to leave before something smells this and comes to take a look. Besides, we are almost at the hospital."

Jake began breathing through his mouth, which was only marginally better, and trudged through the water, heading towards the higher ground. Right before he was about to step out of the water, he put his foot down on something soft and squishy that flattened under his foot. Startled, he jumped out of the water, feeling his foot slide across the hard concrete as the stuff smeared out, and a strong odor filled the air suppressing even the dead cat smell.

"Ahhhh, gross. That smells like shit," he groaned as he scraped his foot across the floor, trying to get the stuff off.

Mason walked past him, laughing nastily. "That's because it is. Shit, that is. I told you that it was a sewer pipe! Serves you right for not believing me."

Mason laughed softly as he made his way up the tunnel, followed by a cursing Jake.