Volume One: The Road Out
Chapter Three
Verse Five: Exit, Pursued by Hound
"Sorry, I know I've heard that term before, but what was the Witch Road?" Harley asked, listening to Fitzroy. The goblin rattled along old pasture trails that had more in common with well worn ruts in the grass than they did with actual roads.
"The Witchdoctor said it was like a secret path that wizards and witches used to find the story and be where they needed to be and stuff like that." Maia answered.
"He said it wasn't a physical road, because it didn't exist in this world. It existed in all worlds, because it spread out like spider webs from the Shadow lands." Fitzroy added.
"And what are the Shadow Lands? Have I heard that before? Or is that new mythology, I have to add to the growing list of things I need to know and fear?"
"I don't know. The Witch Doctor said that the Shadow lands were where all gods and demons and magic lived, where it all came from, because he said that the Shadow Lands and the story were the same thing. I didn't understand everything he said though."
"I hear you. I don't understand most of this." Harley agreed, "But whatever it is, you can see it. Right? So I'm listening to you. Where do I go?"
"Follow this trail for a while. I think we're safe right now. The Witchdoctor said that the men of black and white couldn't see the witch road. Maybe they can't see us when we're on it."
"Did you see that Fitz?" Maia asked.
"See what? I was talking to Harley?" Fitzroy answered.
"I thought I saw that shadow dog thing again." Maia answered.
"Do you see him now?" Harley asked.
"No." Maia said.
"Then let's hope it was just a mirage. It almost certainly wasn't, but let's hope a little longer until the next crisis hits."
"Don't fear the black," Marion whispered from the passenger seat, "Even the blackest heart is made of black earth, made from the mother. Fear is the test, don't go grey in the face of black."
"Marion, can you hear me?" Harley said as soon as there was a pause in Marion's ramblings.
"Don't be taken hostage by fear, don't be used by fear. Fear cannot win. No good comes from submitting to fear. When the black heart is tempted by fear, when the blackness comes for you, stand strong and act without fear."
"I don't think he can here any of the stuff happening to us, Mr. Walker." Maia said.
"Even the Lion can be corrupted if it falls victim to fear. Fear springs from separation. Trust the tribe, trust your allies. We do not fight alone."
"Is he talking to us do you think?" Fitzroy asked.
"I can't tell just from hearing what he's saying. It's classic prophecy, vague and full of portent. He could just be having another of the alternate world visions, and maybe this is what he does in magic land. I haven't seen him have a proper vision before. He could be trying to warn us, but with prophecy, you almost always recognize what it's talking about too late."
Fitz grabbed his had and groaned in pain, closing his eyes.
"Fitz, are you okay?" Maia asked.
"The Witch Road is shifting. Let me focus, because this isn't easy. I think I could fall out of this world like Marion if I don't focus."
"Quiet then Maia, give him silence so he can focus." Harley said.
"To the right, towards that stand of trees, the dead ones, There is a dry river bed that locals use as an off road trail. Can the Goblin handle a river bed?"
"Cricket built tough vehicles, that's why they went out of business, a cricket van will never stop working if you have even the slightest bit of automotive know how. They don't know how to die."
Harley slowed the goblin and the vehicle descended into the dry river bed. River rocks grinding loudly together echoes like gnashing teeth through the goblin's steel frame body. Harley found his best position and began to slowly guide the goblin along the river bed, and found himself noting that the sparse trees provided pretty good cover for them as they made their way down Fitzroy's invisible witch road.
They drove all day without incident, travelling along a series of winding back roads without apparent rhyme or reason. They saw no more white vans and no men in suits and sunglasses. Eventually Fitzroy led them back onto paved roads, but these were still badly maintained rural roads and not the highway. When evening arrived, they set up camp at a nearly empty public camp ground. Harley was bent over the fire pit. he had just succeeded in lighting a fire when they heard the howl, long and echoing as though funnelled through a pipe organ.
"I heard the." Harley said, looking up. "That can't be good."
Harley scanned around. Marion was sitting where they had left him, slumped on the picnic table. They had at least been able to lead him around, and hadn't needed to carry him. Maia and Fitzroy were crouched behind Harley, watching him expectantly.
"We need to get Marion to the Goblin and go." Harley said. The children nodded and Harley was just starting to stand, when the fire suddenly sputtered and then died.
It emerged from the shadows, like a dog, but not, dark or black or worse. Harley kept the children behind him as the thing approached.
"Well, I guess this is the hound." He whispered.
The Hound circled them, orbiting like a predatory black hole. The Hound was darkness but not dark. Beyond blackness, the Hound was the absence of light, hard to look at and hard to see. The Hound was void, shaped vaguely like a wolf or a dog. The air around the hound grew cold. Noise silenced around the hound. All motion or sound disappeared in proximity to the hound. Frost formed on vegetation as it passed, not walking precisely, occupying the void that it had created ahead of itself by silencing all motion. A singularity of nothing. A point of void moving across the page like a hungry rip tearing open reality. It was clear that the hound did not devour prey. The hound deleted prey.
"When I say, run for the goblin. I'll get Marion. Fitzroy, you take the front seat, we'll stuff Marion in the back."
"I'm afraid." Maia said.
"It's okay to be afraid, just make sure you aren't frozen by it. Go!"
Harley bolted towards Marion and grabbed his friend by both wrists. Wrestling the semi-cooperative Marion from the picnic table was difficult, but Harley noted that the children were running to the goblin and the Hound seemed indecisive as to whom to chase. Harley wrestled Marion to a standing position and then dragged him towards the car as the Hound slowly turned towards the two of them. Harley yanked open the back of the van and pushed Marion bodily into the rear of the vehicle. Slamming the door shut Harley glanced back and saw the hound silently trotting towards them. Harley scrambled around to the driver's side and heaved the door open before climbing into the driver's seat.
"Seat belts This is going to be unpleasant." Harley said as he turned the key in the ignition and the goblin gasped to life. Harley watched the hound slowly approach, the thing was barely moving at an amble now. Harley shifted the goblin into gear and began to press the gas pedal. The goblin started to move forward and harley began to maneuver the van out of the parking space.
The Hound reached the goblin and a web of frost spread out across the body work of the old van. The goblin's engine sputtered and then went abruptly silent and Harley found the van without power, slowly coasting to a stop.
"That doesn't sound good." Harley Muttered to himself.
He turned the ignition again, no sound emerged. The engine did not even try to turn over. The goblin was silent. Harley heard Maia gasp and turned to look back. The frost had penetrated the body and was spreading across the interior of the vehicle as well. Harley looked out the window to see the hound sitting on its haunches, waiting. The thing even seemed to yawn, perhaps in boredom and gave Harley a brief, faceless glance through the side view mirror.
"That thing is playing with us." Harley said, "Fitzroy, which way to the witch road? i think we may have to run."
Fitzroy didn't answer and Harley looked back at the children through the rear view mirror. Fitzroy was curled into a fetal position on the seat, his seatbelt not in place.
"Fitzroy, can you hear me? Are you still with us?" Harley asked as Maia cradled her brother and looked up helplessly at Harley.
Fitz held his head with both hands and shook, "I can't see a way past it. it's too powerful It can just swallow the whole witch road! It hurts. Make it stop! It's so cold!"
The frost reached the front window and began its spiderweb climb across the wind shield. Harley shook his head and then unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Mr. Walker, what are you doing?" Maia asked.
"Something stupid. Something Marion would do." Harley said as he climbed out of the vehicle. He closed the driver side door and stepped forward. As he passed the back window he looked in at Marion, "If you can hear me Marion, I need you help. We need a miracle, and I don't know how to call up the axes of yours, so I'm probably going to die. I don't want to die, and I could really use your help."
Marion shuddered in the back. He was covered in frost from head to sneakers, and Harley couldn't tell if his friend were reacting to him or the frost. Harley faced the hound, who stood and began to circle Harley. Frost formed as circle around him as the hound walked and the frost began creeping inward towards Harley as he stood at the centre of the circle.
"You're big scary ghost dog, I get it. But so what. I don't care that you're scary."
The hound stopped and cocked its head. Then it tilted it's head back and howled it's pip organ howl. The frost reach Harley's shoes.
"Stop trying to scare me and just try to kill me. Because apparently, I'm part of the story. I don't know how to do any of the story things that Marion can do. So I'm just going to hope that you bleed. Faint hope, I know. But I don't see any options."
"We do not fight alone!" Harley turned in shock to see Marion roll from the back of the goblin. he landed in a heap in the packed earth of the camp ground, spraying frost everywhere. "Trust your allies! Call for aid! I call for aid!"
The air whirled between the hound and Marion. Harley watched as a translucent red cat appeared on the road, back arched teeth barred for combat.
"Mercer?" Harley said in astonishment.
The ghostly form of Mercer faced the hound and began to grow quickly reaching the size of a cougar. The Hound's posture changed, and it actually seemed interested. Marion was still yelling about how they had allies. Harley noticed, then, that the frost had melted, from his feet, from Marion and from the goblin.
"Marion if you can hear me, get in the van!" Harley bolted for the driver's seat, "Maia, get Marion in the back!"
Harley hauled himself into the driver's seat. behind them Mercer launched himself at the Hound with a hiss and shriek. Harley didn't look back.
"Is Marion in?"
"Yes sir!"
Harley turned the ignition and the goblin returned to life. Harley hit the gas pedal and the goblin peeled out of the camp ground.
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