The Sun Never Sets | Chapter 5 - Dark Dreams and Chance Encounters

Chapter 5 - Dark Dreams and Chance Encounters

As Alice stared down the long stretch of ruined corridor, she could feel the nerves as they bubbled away in the pit of her stomach. She did not feel like she was entirely herself as she began to move, and it was almost as though her body was acting of its own accord. She felt somewhat surreal and weightless, like she was moving through a dream.

The rough fibres of the well-worn carpet rubbed against the soles of her feet as she walked, and she could feel the hard wooden floor beneath it. The boards creaked under her weight as she carefully picked her way around the scattered glass and detritus, and it sounded so very loud in the otherwise silent night air. The curtains billowed in the wind that drifted in through the broken windows, and she shivered as the cold brushed against her skin. As her eyes carefully combed the ground she spotted a piece of porcelain, and nearby was a broken vase, with a single wilted rose lying amongst the fragments.

Where was she? How had she come to be here? Why did it all feel so familiar?

The corridor turned sharply to the right at the end, and a mirror hung on the wall opposite her. The glass was cracked, and the face of her reflection was twisted and distorted as it stared back at her. She quickly averted her gaze, because there was something about her own broken reflection that she found incredibly disquieting.

Maybe she should turn around, go back to bed and leave this corridor to its own devices; because she felt that if she were to go much further then she would be walking right into the jaws of the beast...

Beast? What beast?

She did not get much time to contemplate that question, as she heard a dull noise emanate from the other end of the hallway. It took a few seconds to realise that it was the sound of a voice, and whilst it was muffled and indistinct, it still sounded so very familiar. Somehow the sound of it lifted her heart, at the same time that it caused her stomach to begin twisting itself into knots.

She wanted to turn back, she did, but once again her body seemed to move of its own accord. It crept across the threadbare carpet and shattered glass, moving slowly as it rebelled against her instructions.

Alice kept her eyes focused on the ground as she walked, and she told herself that it was to help avoid all of the sharp debris. However she was all to conscious of the broken mirror hanging on the wall, almost like it was a sleeping tiger, and one wrong move would wake it from its slumber and present its latest meal.

Around the corner was a solid oak door, with a heavy brass handle set into it, and it was as intimidating as a door could be. She could see the flickering of candlelight coming through the slight gap at the bottom, and she could tell the voices were coming from the other side. They were a little clearer and more distinct now, but she still could not properly hear what was being said.

Alice struggled against herself to no avail as her body crossed the short distance, and raised her arm to knock against the door. Her knuckled rapped against the solid wood three times, and the sound echoed in the empty corridor ominously.

The voices on the other side ceased immediately, and for a time there was no answers. For a moment Alice allowed herself to believe the owners of those voices had simply left, fled now that there was someone else here. Then here arm was raised to pound against the wood again, and the door was suddenly flung wide open.

What lay on the other side was pure darkness and terror, and her scream caught in her throat.

- - -

Alice woke with a start, jolting upright with the ghost of a scream still caught in her throat.

Her eyes darted this way and that, as she desperately searched for the terror that had been waiting for her behind the door. The flickering light danced against the walls, and it made every shadow look like it was alive. She could hear the sound of breathing coming from nearby, and panicked clawed at her insides as she desperately searched for the source, and her eyes soon fell on a bundle of blankets that lay nearby.

Then the moment was over, her panic receded, and she was able to remember where she was.

They were still in that little cabin by the river where they had taken shelter after escaping the caves, and the monster that dwelt within. The flickering light was coming from their still-lit lantern, which sat on the ground in the centre of the room. She did not know why Chiyo had elected to remain here after their meagre meal, but she was grateful all the same, because she did not think she would have been up for more travelling after that little episode.

Slowly Alice pushed off her own blanket, and rose to her feet. She shiver as the cold, night air brushed against her froze the sweat on the back of her neck, it felt just a little too much like the freezing wind from her dream.

Trying not to quake in fear at the weather, she crept over to the window, which was little more than a small hole in the wall covered by some wooden bars, and peered outside.

Unfortunately it was too dark for her to see anything, but there was something out there, she was sure of it. However, it had not attacked them yet. Was it because it did not know where they were? Or did it have something to do with the little strips of paper Chiyo had attached to the door?

She shivered again as her treacherous mind whispered that it was surely the beast that had lurked behind the door in her nightmare, sprung from her imagination to terrorise her in the waking world. She tried to tell herself that she was being silly, that it had been just a dream, but it sent a chill right through her all the same.

With all of her attention focused out there, she almost jumped out of her skin when someone spoke from behind her.

She whirled around, and found that Chiyo was now sitting up in her little nest of blankets, and staring right at her.

“I am fine,” Alice said, in answer her unasked question. “I just had a bad dream.”

The other woman continued to stare at her for a moment longer, before rising to her feet and walking over to her. She brought a couple of her blankets with her, and flung them over Alice's shoulders in such away that they both ended up wrapped in them. Then she took hold of her hand beneath the covers, and gently urged her to the ground. In the end, they ended up sitting down, with the backs propped against the wooden wall of the shack.

Alice found some comfort in her nearness and warmth, and she was incredibly embarrassed by it, she felt like a child that had just crawled into someone's bed after having a nightmare. Yet, at the same time, she could bring herself to be terribly concerned about her dignity at the moment. So she leaned in to Chiyo's side as she tried to calm herself down, and hoped that her sleep would be a lot less troubled this time.

“Thank you,” she muttered.

- - -

If anything the next day was cloudier and more grey than the day before, and it gave Alice the sinking feeling that it was going to rain. Although, it was just so close and humid that rain might have actually been a relief.

Neither of the two women spoke as the packed away what little they had used the previous evening, not that Alice felt much like giving voice to the thoughts that were in her head. She could still remember most her nightmare from the previous evening with crystal clarity, and she could still be the echo of the raw fear that had seized her. Yet despite how well she could recall the rest of it, her mind still refused to give her the most important part. Just what had laid behind that door?

She shook her head. It did not matter, it had been nothing but a dream, more than likely something her mind had cooked up as it attempted to deal with the horror that surrounded her when she was awake.

The thought sounded hollow even in her own head, like she was trying to convince herself more than anything else.

There was a light, warm pressure on her shoulder, and she turns her head to find Chiyo staring at her kindly. The concern in her eyes almost made Alice wince, as she thought about how pathetically she had acted last night. Still, she placed her hand atop Chiyo's, and nodded her head as firmly as she could manage.

Chiyo nodded in return, and moved to open the door.

They were both brought up short, as they saw what waited for them outside. There was a trench carved deep into the earth by the shack, and that had most definitely not been there the previous evening.

The two of them knelt down beside the trench in order to get a closer look, but there was nothing to really see, except for the piles of discarded dirt and stone. It was like some terrible force had carved through the ground right outside their door, or like some great worm had passed them by as it burrowed through the earth.

What could have done this, and how could they have not noticed?

The implications were troubling, but when no answers presented themselves, they were forced to simply move on. That said however, Alice had not exactly been enamoured with the idea of meeting whatever had done this anyway.

They followed the trench as they went, which eventually leads them to a road. The pair of them walked in silence, and Alice was not sure how long they travelled for, but she does not think it could have been long before they reached the crossroad; and there another unusual sight lies in wait for them.

There was a large hole in the middle of the road, and dirt is scattered every, as though something exploded out from beneath the ground.

Next to the whole is another body, dressed in armour similar to the one they had seen in the tunnels, and she could see that this one was painted a vivid red. It lay there with its arms and limbs spread wide, and stared up at the sky. Protruding from the ground next to the figure, point down, is a sword rather similar to the one she currently wears at her waist.

Alice swallowed thickly, as she stared at what she took to be another corpse.

Then the corpse begins to move.

Suddenly Chiyo is there, placing herself between Alice and this new threat.

The figure dragged itself back to its feet, and threw its arms out wide as though stretching, before it quickly snatched up the sword and slotted it into its sheath in one swift movement. However the figure then froze, as though it had suddenly become aware that someone else was present, and it slowly turned to stare at them.

Alice's breath caught in her throat at the sight.

Its face was covered by as mask, a masked which is carved into an intimidating, grotesque visage, like the face of a smiling demon.

Belatedly Alice remembered the sword hanging at her side, and her hand hovered over it, even as she prayed that she would not need to use it.

Then the figure threw back its head, and laughed.

The armour added extra girth to the person's frame, and Alice initially took them to be a man, but when they spoke their voice was distinctly feminine, despite being muffled by their mask.

Of course, as had been the case with every other person she had met, Alice could not understand a word that was being spoken.

Chiyo however, obviously did. There was a quick exchange of words which she simply could not follow, and which left her head spinning. Then the newcomer suddenly burst into laughter again, before she reached up to pull of her helmet, along with her hideous mask. The face behind it was far more delicate-looking than Alice had expected, even if it was shining with sweat, she imagined it must get warm inside that thing.

The woman looked friendly enough as she stepped towards them, but Chiyo seemed decidedly less so. Her eyes were narrowed, and she frowned heavily; however she made no move to intercept the other woman, so Alice assumed that there was no immediate threat.

There was another quick exchange of words and the new woman shrugged, although it looked more like a showing of indifference, rather than lacking an answer to a question.

Then she heard Chiyo mention both of their names.

The woman responded with a bow, and a whole string of words. Alice presumed this was meant to be an introduction of some kind, but if so, she could not for the life of her pick out which one was meant to be her name. So she turned to Chiyo, and tried to make sure that her question was evident in her expression.

If anything Chiyo's frown seemed to deepen, and she was slow to respond.

“Tomoe,” she said, eventually.

As before, Alice repeated the name to herself a couple of times, as she tried to wrap her tongue around it. The woman in question made what sounded like an approving noise, before giving her a smile and a nod. Alice sighed in relief, thankful that she had not offended anyone; and that this woman had a pleasant demeanour about her.

The three of them just stood there somewhat awkwardly for a couple of seconds, before Tomoe began to cross the rest of the distance towards them.

- - -

Chiyo tried her best to hide her suspicion as the new woman drew closer to them, although she was sure that she did a poor job of it. The way this woman carried herself was most off-putting, she appeared brash, almost cocky, and with little in the way of manners. This is not the way the miko would have expected a noblewoman to act.

For there was little doubt in her mind that Tomoe was of noble birth, because despite her discourteous demeanour, there was still something elegant about the way she spoke.

Which is why she had found it strange that she had introduced herself with her given name.

Perhaps her thoughts were a little too uncharitable, but she could not help being cautious after everything that had happened.

“If you don't mind my asking, Tomoe-san,” she began. “What are you doing out here?”

Tomoe simply smirked, and what an irritating expression it was.

“How rude, to ask such a personal question when we have only just met,” she replied, her voice teasing.

Chiyo's expression effectively communicated how utterly unimpressed she was.

“If you must know,” she continued. “I am searching for someone.”

“Who?” Chiyo asked.

“My husband.”

Chiyo felt her eyebrows move towards her hairline almost of their own volition. Such a woman was married?!

“I see...” she replied. “I'm sorry, but we haven't seen anyone else during our journey.”

Not strictly true, but if her husband was one of the men who had attacked them, or the corpse they had found in the tunnels, there was no need for her to know that. At least, not right now. Chiyo had long ago how dangerous the truth can be, and how one it is spoken it can not be taken back, not matter how much you wished it could. Careless words could cause irreparable damage.

Tomoe merely shrugged.

“I would have expected as much,” she said. “There are few on the roads these days, other than the monsters. I heard there was a village nearby, and so was thinking of checking there.”

Chiyo sighed.

“I would advise against it,” she replied. “We came from that village, it's dead.”

For the first time the smile slipped from Tomoe's face, and although it only lasted for a second, Chiyo was sure she saw her frown.

“By “we” you mean you and your companion?” Tomoe asked.

Chiyo spared a glance over her shoulder, and found Alice still standing there, watching the two of them carefully.

“I would be most interested in hearing how you came to be travelling with a foreigner who does not even speak our language,” Tomoe continued. “It must be a most fascinating story, would you not regal me with it?”

Chiyo tried not to glare, as she turned back towards the armoured woman.

“Perhaps some other time,” she answered. “When we are somewhere less exposed.”

“Excellent!” Tomoe declared. “Then let us make a start on that! Since the village is a dead end I find myself with no destination in mind, would you allow me to travel with you for a while?”

Chiyo's first instinct was to refuse, and that she had even thought it shamed her. Her own personal distaste was no reason to condemn this woman to wander a land full of monsters by herself, especially when she had yet to do anything to prove herself untrustworthy. To do so would be to bring disgrace her name as a miko.

The more logical part of her also argued that with the land being son dangerous, having an extra sword along would be useful. Someone so heavily armed and armoured should prove an effective deterrent to anyone still capable of rational thought, at the very least.

So she swallows her distaste as she replies:

“Very well. Welcome aboard.”

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