i will face god and walk backward into hell; round II

[Wayra]

Wayra tumbled, clumsily, dumbly, like a sack of potatoes into his lair, and crooned pitifully when she hit the ground with a bone jarring thump. She felt cold, wet stone beneath her cheek, and for a moment she was too dazed to try to stand. There were sharp pains scattered in between the dull aches of her body, but it was more fear, rather than pain, that left her paralyzed. She was dirty, scratched, and missing hair from where the forest’s branches had grabbed at her.

Wayra didn’t know how this happened, she had no idea how far she had run from the wolves, or what possessed her to run this way at all. Why hadn’t she gone home? Why hadn’t she screamed for any of the Chamber’s fierce warriors? Is it possible she is still close to her home? Is it possible someone would come looking for her?

Deep in her belly Wayra knew that they wouldn’t. Oh, there are those that would want to, her father, in particular. But somehow, like a bird always knew North, she knew that any who searched for her would not succeed.

She was tempted to stay on the ground, like a sad, discarded doll. She did for a while, and it wasn’t until she heard his purring voice that she finally found her feet. She scrambled to get up, jerky and awkward on sore muscles. Until just now, she had thought she was alone. But no, he was with her. A gray, otherwise unremarkable stallion. Except, oh, those eyes! And oh, that voice! There was deep cruelty in both, and somehow his purring was more terrifying than shouting could ever be. Wayra couldn’t help it, she trembled, like a leaf on a tree that is battered by wind.

Yet, there was something even more terrifying, even more than the purring, hateful, silk of his voice. It was the delight in his eyes, the unholy, hedonistic delight that shown like halloween lanterns from his eyes. Wayra didn’t know if it was real. Maybe she was the silly girl she always thought she might be. But, regardless, she heard the soft sobs that began to bubble from her throat and knew then, that she was a coward.

She had only a moment to cast her eyes around, and desperately, she realized there were other horses. Wayra cried out to them, she didn’t care who they were, all she cared was that they were flesh and bone, and felt something other than hateful delight. Yet, it was too late, and it was because she spent those precious moments sobbing on the floor. The cell rose around her, and again she screamed, but this time in frustration, in contempt for the stupid, lazy girl that cried on the ground instead of scrambling towards life.

She didn’t even have time to feel sorry for herself. Already the cave, and the cells were fading. Something new, something all together more horrible, rose before her. Just like before, when Wayra open her eyes, there were tears in them. But this time, she didn’t know why.

When her tears fell in heavy plops to the ground, they landed on another hard floor, but this one wasn’t dull stone. It was still gray, but polished to a high shine. The bars of her cell had become solid, high walls the same material of the floor. Wayra looked left and saw a dead end, she looked right and saw an opening! Not the mouth of a cave, but a simple, cut in wall, wide enough for her to pass comfortably through. Wayra had learned her lesson, she wasn’t going to waste time crying. Like a little bird shot from a large cannon, she leapt towards the space.

“STOP.” A loud voice boomed from somewhere above her. Wayra, despite her better instincts, stopped dead in her tracks. Slowly, as if she knew what she would see, she raised her eyes.

There he was, the gray stallion. Wayra’s heart fluttered in her breast, then stilled, as if it would not start up again. But it did, a few seconds later, and she had to gasp. The gray stallion smiled his cruel smile. He was standing up on a stage, far at the other end of the room. Wayra saw now that there were walls all around her. They were high enough that she couldn’t jump them, or see much of their layout, but low enough that she could see the stage, and see that she was in a maze The stallion chuckled, almost pleasantly.

“Good, now that I have your attention —“ He beckoned with his head to someone, or something, behind him. That’s when the snarling started, and Wayra’s stomach dropped. The hellhounds, a whole pack of them, ushered three shaking figures towards with front of the stage.

“No —” Wayra whispered.
“Not them, please —” The stallion cackled happily.

“Yes! Dear sweet dad, mommy, and of course your beloved Nebibi. Aren’t you happy to see them?” The stallion looked behind him. Wayra’s family was hardly in better shape than Wayra herself. She heard Nebibi sob, Nebibi had always been the brave one, the stronger sister. Wayra felt her own tears flow faster. The gray stallion tutted disapprovingly.

"Well, they don’t seem very happy to see you.” He shrugged, as if it didn’t matter very much.

“Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to be my rat, and run through my maze to join us. Every time you hit a dead end my dogs are going to take a bite out of your family. Whenever I think you’re wasting time, my dogs are going to take a bite our of your family. And…just to motivate you, we’ll start now.”  As the stallion spoke “now” one of the hellhounds leapt at Michaelis, and tore deep into his flesh. Her father screamed, and Wayra did as well.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was scrambling to the door and running through it, bolting down the corridor before her. From high up above the stallion chanted, sing song and happy.

“What are you going to do now, Wayra?” She turned right, hit a dead end, and heard Ginia scream.

“Mom." Wayra whimpered, but she dared not stop. She changed courses are ran down the second hallway. From high up above the stallion sang at her.

“What are you doing with your life, Wayra?” Wayra’s vision had become blurry, the tears were filling her eyes, she couldn’t see which way to turn. She stopped, blinking away tears. She heard a snarl, and Ginia screamed again. Up above, the stallion tut tutted.

"Foolish! Standing around while your family is counting on you. You’re wasting time, you’re not accomplishing anything.” Wayra cried out wordlessly, and started to run again. She knew she should focus on the maze, focus of plotting her way through it, but she couldn’t focus, this couldn’t think. If she stopped the dogs would bite, and she couldn’t think through her family’s cries and her own frantic mind. Dumb luck caused her to turn to make a few correct turns, but soon her luck ran out. The dogs ripped into Nebibi.

“Wayra!” The stallion cried from up above, his voice thick with shock that could not be real.

“Now you’re dragging poor Nebibi down. She’s always been better than you, smarter than you, braver than you. If she was running my maze none of this would happen. She wouldn’t let your family suffer.”

Wayra knew it was true. She knew that this never could have happened to Nebibi. Her sister would never have been this silly. She wouldn’t have gotten lost in the woods, she wouldn’t have fallen into the cave, she wouldn’t have laid on the floor crying when she should have stood up and fought.

The maze was too much for Wayra. No matter which way she turned it seemed to be a dead end. Left, right, back, it all ended with a solid steel wall and scream. Each time she saw a wall loom up before her, the dogs ripped into her family. But, worse even than the scrams, were that they grew fainter and fainter each time. Very soon, they were just moans, and finally nothing at all. She heard the dogs snarling and slurping, feasting on the remains of her family.

Wayra collapsed on the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. From high above her, the stallion chuckled.

“Silly girl. They would have lived if only you knew what you were doing. If you were smarter, faster, braver, you could have saved them. But no, they’re dead, and you stood around and let it happen.” From her spot on the floor, Wayra nodded her head, eager for the blame. He was right, it was her fault, she had done nothing, she had let them die. Around her, the vision dissolved, and again, Wayra was sobbing on the floor of her cell. But, she hardly realized it, all she could see were the dogs, and all she heard were the sounds of their slurping.