Chapter Ten
“Ahem,” said a curious and raspy voice. “Could you reach in there and hand me one of those tasty morsels.”
Ben turned and looked up. Standing there, balancing on a fake leg made from bone, was a repulsive and hairless individual with light greenish-blue flesh and patches of flaking scaled skin. All over its body were scars that still had leather stitching embedded deep inside the healed wounds. A dirty skull mask that resembled a goat or some other horned creature covered its face, and an oversized hide loincloth covered in long matted hair hid its pudgy belly.
“What?” Ben asked, shocked by its sudden appearance.
“You aren't dense, are you? Hand me one of those body parts so I don’t have to crawl down there myself,” it said as it pointed into the pit from where Ben had just escaped. Ben turned and looked into the mass grave again. The scene was a macabre and disgusting exhibit as the corpses stared up at him with empty eye sockets. Like tar, the mire bubbled as air and gases escaped from beneath.
“Ah, beautiful Adam and Eve. It’s a shame that whoever created them just threw them out like this. I’ve tasted my share, you know, but these two are absolutely the best. I make a special pilgrimage to this place each year to partake in their flesh. Which as you can tell, is a notable feat,” he said as he knocked on the prosthetic leg with his bare knuckles.
“Adam and Eve… Oh no, where is the guy that was with me?” Ben asked, looking around. A crushing guilt hit him all at once and he knew that Adam was his responsibility.
The ghoul pointed at a set of footprints that disappeared from sight into the desert. "I passed him on the way here. Peculiar fellow; didn't know his own name. Speaking of names, I'm Daniel. People say Daniel is a weird name for a ghoul, but I like it."
Ben flashed him a blank stare, still focused on his missing companion. As he tried to stand up, he could feel the crusty black muck flaking off his skin. From the top of his head to the bottom of his feet, Ben was covered in a hardened layer of decay.
“I’m the first ghoul from the Lilitu lineage of the rock tribe, three clans removed from the dung eaters. We live in a place hundreds of miles from here to the west; known as the birthplace of evil. There’s nothing there, so I wouldn’t go if I was you, but I find it to be a nice place to live,” Daniel said as he dug around in his satchel. He procured a dull rusty dagger and then looked at Ben with a nasty salivating grin on his face.
“I take it you aren’t going to grab my dinner for me,” the ghoul said as it started down the sandy slope into the muck. “It won’t be the first time I’ve done this for myself.” Suddenly, his fake leg got hung on something, and the small ghoul fell face first into the disgusting broth of rot with a loud splat. Ben just watched as Daniel surfaced on his back with a wide smile on his face.
“Ah, heaven,” the ghoul said, covered in the sticky filth Ben had fought so hard to escape.
“Disgusting,” Ben said as he turned and walked off in the direction of the footprints. The black sand was hard and coarse as the wind whipped it up against his skin. He wished he still had the shawl to protect his face as he pressed forward, following the trail left by the aimless and confused Adam. In his hand, the fruit seemed to pulsate like a thriving organ, red and oozing a thick fluid that reminded him of blood. He felt awkward holding it, but he knew that he couldn’t let the treasure slip from his grasp.
The journey had been too long and arduous for him to give up, but the sudden change in terrain was unforgiving. The promise he had made stuck in his thoughts as the sun’s unrelenting heat bore down on him, and the sand became harder and harder to walk in. Each footstep sunk more as he pushed forward until he was almost knee deep, wading through it like one would water. He began to worry that sinking was inevitable when he saw something in the distance. It was a figure, slouched down on both knees. Ben did everything he could to fight against the shifting ground beneath his feet. As he got closer, he found a foothold and pulled himself up and out.
There, on the ground, with his face buried in his hands, was Adam. His cheeks were covered in tears as he tried to catch a breath between blubbering sobs. Ben approached him and saw that he was positioned in front of a silver sword embedded, blade down, into the ground. He was positioned there like one ready to worship or pray in front of an idyllic effigy.
“The angel, he just gave up his post. He was unsuccessful in his duty and so, instead of facing his failure, he just left. Set down his sword and left,” Adam said through the tears. “He told me that everything was going to be okay. I remembered everything for a second, and then he kissed me on the forehead. Now it’s all gone. Who was I before?”
Ben placed his hand upon the man’s shoulder, ready to comfort him, when someone spoke.
“He’s been that way for quite awhile. I was passing by when I found him, sitting here in front of this sword.” Too exhausted for fear, Ben turned and saw a man standing there with his body and face shrouded by a robe. Looking into the man’s face was like peering into the darkness of a cave. It left only the wild musings of an overactive imagination and a hint of fear to fill in the blanks.
“I stayed to watch over him. I was worried something might happen. As you can see, I gave him a few clothes to put on. You may want to get him a salve or balm for his skin. It’s been burned from the sun,” the man continued.
“Thank you, I don’t know what else to say. I’ve only known him for a short time, and yet, I feel responsible for him. When I realized he was gone, I came as fast as I could,” Ben said, looking down.
“You don’t have to thank me,” the man said. “He…he reminded me of my father. Helping was the least I could do after I let my own family down.”
“What’s your name?” Ben asked. As the question left his mouth, he could see the man’s shoulders slump down in shame.
“I don’t have one any longer. I am exiled and have lost any connection to the life I had before,” he said in a deep, gruff voice that seemed to have a nuance of echo to it. His stature was tall and broad, but no matter how Ben tried, he couldn't manage a glimpse at the man’s face.
“Why don’t you travel with us?” Ben asked, looking up at the man with his arm around the crying Adam.
“I cannot,” the nameless man replied.
“Don’t you get it?” Adam broke in, looking up at Ben. “He left you his sword.”
“Can you at least tell us where to go?” Ben asked, half ignoring Adam’s words.
“If you keep heading east, you will reach a place called Nod. It’s a sleepy little town of wanderers and nomads. If you go this way, you will reach the sea. You can follow the sun’s descent into the sand by keeping it on your left side at all times,” the man said as he pointed his finger south. “What he said about the sword, it’s true. It was left here for you, so I suggest you take it. You never know when you might need something with a sharp edge.”
Ben could almost hear the smile on his lips as the man turned to walk away. Passing by the still sobbing Adam, he placed his hand on the man’s forehead with an endearing caress and then leaned down to whisper something in his ear. Adam turned and looked up at him and in that moment, Ben could see a flash of the man’s face. A white mark in the shape of a handprint was stained across his features, as though it had been painted there.
“Do you know me?” Adam asked, confused and scared. The man never replied, but instead walked off toward the town of Nod, leaving them both there watching as he left. Adam tried to reach out for him with sad desperation, but found his range wanting. Ben held there for a moment, watching him depart until finally belting out a thank you across the dunes. The man raised his hand in simple acknowledgment without turning.
“Take only a sip,” Ben said, after handing Adam the water skin. After they drank, Ben
got a closer look at Adam for the first time since finding him. His skin was black and crusty from the sludge they had fallen into. In places, the crust had flaked off, leaving dark red burn marks on his skin. This made Ben realize that his own skin was still covered as well, giving him an instant feeling of disgust. He started rubbing his flesh trying to get rid of the filth, but it wouldn’t come off. His emotions became frantic as he spit onto his arm and rubbed it until it hurt. He screamed again, frustrated, causing Adam to look up at him with a twinge of fear in his eyes. All Ben could feel was pain and revulsion, two emotions that made him helpless and weak. It was then that the sword came into his view and he knew that the weapon was in fact left for him. It was here so that Ben could learn to use it and never feel helpless again. He grabbed it by its hilt and it slid from the ground without effort. Adam looked up at him as he stood there holding it in his hand.
With the same frustration that drove him to take the blade, Ben told the sobbing man to stand up. It was time for them to go, and he wasn’t going to be held back by anything. The two of them marched off into the desert as the sun went down to their left. Adam followed behind, unsure in his footing as he tried to keep up. Ben, with all the self-righteous indignation he could summon, pushed on through hurting legs and the powerful heat toward a goal he wasn’t sure was there.
The two of them walked under a milky flood of stars cascading across the night’s sky. The light from a million sparkling jewels seemed to brighten up the black sand which flickered as it basked in their distant glow. They had been walking for hours with no sign of their destination and Ben was growing confident that they had lost the trail when the sun went down.
After walking for so long, Ben was dragging the sword behind him instead of carrying it. Its weight was pulling him down and draining his strength despite how light the weapon actually was. His mouth felt parched and his skin itched where the black substance still covered him. The smell relented some as the goo began to harden and flake off. Adam seemed only to mumble to himself as they trudged on, trying to get away from this harsh wasteland. They stopped only to drink from the water skin and then continued on.
Ben’s spirits lifted as a cool breeze washed over his face and the scent of salt water hit his nose. Something in the distance caught his eye and he raced toward it with the little strength he had left. It was the tunnel that had brought him here. The lump in his throat disappeared and his morale lifted as the ocean came into view once more. Now at a full run, Ben felt a terrible stitch stab into his side. Ignoring the pain, he sped up, leaving Adam behind. With the tunnel just before them, Ben descended the steps into the dark with no effort. A smile crept across his face as the edges of his eyesight went dim, and then everything went dark.