Chapter 85: Back on the Trail

Gene and Selene left the Peep farm shortly after sunrise.

The sky above the ruined Dreamseer world remained the same dull gray it had been since they first arrived.

 No birds sang. 

No insects chirped. 

Even the wind felt strangely muted, as if the world itself was afraid to make too much noise.

The road stretched ahead like a faded ribbon of mustard-colored stone.

For a while neither of them spoke.

Gene carried the broken mirror while Selene occasionally glanced at the bracelet containing her grandmother’s yellow gem.

Every now and then the gem pulsed softly.

Almost as if it approved of the direction they were heading.

“I still can’t believe Mother Sarah can rip a hole through reality,” Selene finally said.

Gene laughed.

“Honestly? That’s not even in the top ten weirdest things she’s done.”

Selene smiled.

“That’s concerning.”

“Yes but it’s a good time wasting conversation.”

The pair continued down the road.

As the hours passed they began noticing signs that people had once lived nearby.

Broken fences.

Old carts.

Fields that had once been farmed.

Mossy signposts.

Someone had clearly maintained the area not long ago.

Then they saw the town.

Or what remained of it.

Gene stopped walking.

“Oh.”

Selene fell silent.

The town was dead.

Burned.

Destroyed.

Blackened skeletons of buildings stood like broken teeth against the gray sky.

Entire streets had been reduced to ash.

Collapsed homes littered the area.

A church sat near the center of town.

Half its roof had fallen inward.

A water tower leaned dangerously to one side.

Everything smelled faintly of smoke.

Not the smell fresh smoke.

Old smoke.

The kind that lingered long after tragedy.

Selene frowned.

“This wasn’t centuries ago.”

“No.”

Gene nodded.

“This happened recently.”

The two cautiously entered the ruined settlement.

Their footsteps echoed through empty streets.

Or at least they appeared empty.

Selene paused.

“You feel that?”

Gene immediately looked around.

“What?”

“We’re being watched.”

She pointed toward an alley.

A tiny shape vanished.

Then another.

Gene frowned.

A window curtain moved.

A rooftop shadow shifted.

Something was definitely here.

Small things.

People perhaps.

Creatures.

Survivors.

Whatever they were, they wanted nothing to do with strangers.

“They’re good at hiding.”

Selene nodded.

“They look scared.”

“Can you tell what they are?”

She shook her head.

“They are moving way too fast.”

Gene decided not to pursue them.

If they were survivors, frightening them wouldn’t help.

Instead they continued deeper into town.

The further they went, the worse the damage became.

Some buildings looked clawed apart.

Others appeared smashed by incredible force.

One house had been split directly down the middle.

A massive gouge ran through the center of the street.

Something huge had fought here.

Something terrifying.

Eventually they reached what appeared to have once been the mayor’s residence.

The structure remained standing despite receiving heavy damage.

Gene pushed open the front door.

The hinges groaned as the half melted door swung open.

Dust drifted throughout the air.

Inside they found overturned furniture.

Broken picture frames.

Scattered books.

Signs of a hurried evacuation.

People hadn’t just abandoned this place.

They had fled.

And Fast.

Gene wandered through the remains of the waiting area while Selene headed to search the upper floor.

A few minutes later he discovered something interesting.

A journal.

The leather cover had been severely damaged by heat.

Fortunately most of the pages remained intact.

Written across the front were the words:

CRIMSON HOOD

Gene blinked.

“That can’t be a coincidence.”

He sat down and opened the journal.

The first pages described life in the town.

Simple things.

Harvests.

Festivals.

Trade routes.

Families.

Nothing unusual.

But as Gene continued reading, the tone changed.

⸻

Entry 34

The nightmares have appeared again.

Three homes were destroyed this week.

Luckily nobody died this time.

The Rabbit promised that he would handle it.

I think he might be taking on more than he should.

If he needs help he would ask us, right.

⸻

Entry 52

More monsters have appeared.

The Rabbit hasn’t slept in days.

People are beginning to panic.

I don’t blame them.

⸻

Entry 79

The sky won’t change.

The children here don’t seem to remember what true sunlight looks like.

That actually frightens me more than the monsters.

⸻

Entry 103

The northern villages are now gone.

No survivors…

⸻

Gene turned another page.

The handwriting became increasingly frantic.

⸻

Entry 141

We lost another town.

The Rabbit keeps fighting.

Every time he returns he seems less like himself.

I don’t know how much longer he can hold on.

He seems to calm down after drinking from his tea pot.

I wonder what is inside of it.

⸻

Entry 162

Something is coming from the mountain.

The nightmares are gathering.

⸻

Gene felt uneasy.

The next pages contained sketches.

Monsters.

Corrupted creatures.

Things with too many mouths.

Things with no eyes.

Things that looked like twisted versions of fairy tale characters.

He turned to the final entry.

⸻

Final Entry

If anyone finds this.

This town is finished.

The Rabbit bought us time.

We are heading north.

The B.B. Squad has agreed to take survivors.

If we can reach them maybe some of us will live.

May whatever gods still listen protect us.

— Crimson Hood

⸻

Gene slowly closed the book.

“B.B. Squad.?”

Selene had returned from upstairs.

“What did you find?”

Gene handed her the journal.

She skimmed the last page.

“B.B. Squad?”

“No idea.”

The two exchanged looks.

Another mystery.

Just what they needed.

Gene slipped the journal into his inventory.

They could investigate later.

For now they needed to continue toward Hearts Crossing.

As Gene stepped outside—

WHACK.

Something slammed into the wall beside his head.

A wooden staff.

Gene immediately ducked.

Instinct took over.

A gray blur exploded from nearby rubble.

Fast.

Very fast.

The figure moved like a dog.

Gene activated his armor.

Black slime raced across his body.

The gray figure lunged.

Gene blocked.

The impact shattered a nearby fence.

The stranger immediately spun and attacked again.

Gene barely kept up.

Whoever this was moved absurdly fast.

The attacker struck three times.

Four.

Five.

Each hit carried surprising strength.

Gene finally managed to grab the weapon.

The stranger released it immediately and switched to claws.

Gene’s eyes widened.

Actual claws.

Sharp.

Metallic.

The gray figure slashed toward his throat.

Gene countered.

The two crashed through a burned market stall.

Wood exploded everywhere.

Finally Gene managed to throw the attacker backward.

The stranger landed perfectly.

Balanced.

Ready.

The figure wore a gray hood.

Gray cloak.

Gray gloves.

Gray boots.

Even their hair appeared gray.

Only their bright red eyes stood out.

Gene prepared himself.

The stranger prepared himself.

Then Selene shouted.

“WAIT!”

Both fighters froze.

Selene stood nearby holding a weathered sheet of paper.

She looked from Gene to the stranger.

Then back again.

Her eyes widened.

“Your name isn’t Ridding by any chance?”

The stranger blinked.

The aggressive posture he stood in wavered ever so slightly. 

“…Maybe.”

Gene frowned.

Selene continued.

“Red Ridding?”

The stranger stared.

Then slowly lowered his hands.

“Who told you that?”

Selene held up the paper.

“I found this.”

The stranger walked closer.

Carefully.

Suspiciously.

Gene remained ready just in case.

After examining the paper the stranger sighed.

“Wonderful.”

“You know him?” Gene asked.

The stranger nodded.

“My name is Red Ridding.”

He pointed at himself.

“Though most people just call me Wolf.”

Gene blinked.

Then blinked again.

Then looked at Selene.

Then back at Wolf.

“…Of course they do.”

Wolf frowned.

“What?”

Gene rubbed his face.

“This world keeps turning fairy tales into people.”

Wolf looked confused.

Selene smiled.

“Who are you supposed to be this time?”

Gene sighed.

“Little Red Riding Hood.”

Wolf’s eyes widened.

“Wait.”

He pointed accusingly.

“How do you know my childhood nickname?”

Gene immediately pointed back.

“Don’t you know it is rude to point at people!”

Both stared.

Neither answered.

Selene buried her face in her hands.

“Please stop.”

The two immediately stopped.

Wolf looked embarrassed.

Gene looked embarrassed.

For different reasons.

Eventually Wolf cleared his throat.

“The Rabbit sent me here to help with a few loose ends.”

That got their attention.

“The Rabbit?” Selene asked.

Wolf nodded.

“He said two travelers would be coming.”

Gene exchanged a glance with Selene.

The Rabbit really had been helping them.

In his own insane way.

Wolf reached into a pouch.

Then handed Gene a folded note.

The handwriting looked familiar.

Wild.

Messy.

Completely unhinged.

Definitely the Rabbit.

Gene opened it.

⸻

HELLO GENE.

HOPEFULLY YOU STILL HAVE BOTH OF YOUR EYES.

THAT WOULD BE QUITE EXCELLENT.

THE LAST GUY LOST ONE.

VERY MESSY.

THIS WOLF PERSON IS MOSTLY TRUSTWORTHY.

ONLY BITES PEOPLE SOMETIMES.

PROBABLY.

HE KNOWS THE ROAD TO HEARTS CROSSING.

DO NOT LET HIM DRINK THE TEA.

I REPEAT.

DO NOT LET HIM DRINK THE TEA.

ALSO IF YOU FIND MY OTHER HAT PLEASE RETURN IT.

— THE RABBIT

⸻

Gene folded the note.

“What happened to his hat?”

Wolf immediately shrugged out an answer.

“No idea, the rabbit is a bit nutty.”

The speed of the response made Gene suspicious.

Very suspicious.

Selene was suspicious too.

Neither commented.

Wolf pointed north.

“You heading to Hearts Crossing?”

“Yes.”

Wolf nodded.

“Then you’ll need me.”

Gene frowned.

“Why?”

The man’s expression darkened.

“The road ahead is worse.”

“How much worse?”

Wolf stared toward the distant horizon.

“Nobody who traveled it alone survived.”

Silence settled over the ruined town.

Even the hidden creatures watching from afar seemed to stop moving.

Gene slowly looked north.

Somewhere beyond the horizon waited Hearts Crossing.

The next step of the Dreamseer Trial.

The place everyone kept pointing them toward.

And apparently somewhere between here and there lay something dangerous enough that even the Rabbit had sent help.

Gene smiled slightly.

“Well.”

Selene smiled too.

“We’ve survived everything else.”

Wolf stared at them.

Then laughed.

For the first time.

A genuine laugh.

“Good.”

He pulled his hood tighter.

“Because you’re going to need that confidence.”

The wind howled through the ruined streets.

Far to the north.

Beyond the hills.

Beyond the broken towns.

Something enormous let out a distant roar.

The three travelers looked towards the sound one more time.

Then began walking.

Toward Hearts Crossing.