Tuesday 19 July 2011

Desolate Plains - Original Writing (excerpt)

2011 - draft (the pronouns in this are out of control, placeholder names are important)

The desolate plains spread for miles around him. Off in the far distance he could see the outlines of ravaged cities and ruined keeps, but it seemed that tonight’s vision would not be taking him to those haunting environs. That provided him with precious little comfort however, as did the knowledge that what he was experiencing wasn’t, strictly speaking, real. Though there was no sun visible in the dark grey sky overhead, the heat was oppressive; he tugged at his collar before striking out in a direction at random. If experienced served, the creature that had summoned him here would make itself known soon enough.


He didn’t have long to wait. After a short while, the air started gradually filling with a faint buzzing sound, like a swarm of insects. It rapidly quickened into a steady hum, then a frantic beating. He stopped and turned to look over his shoulder; behind him, the sky had darkened further still, the light blotted out by myriad different shapes. He braced himself as they bore down on him at an alarming pace – in no time at all he was in the centre of the maelstrom. The flapping wings surrounded him, and startling visages flashed by his face – horns, fangs, hideously contorted expressions – but he stood unharmed amidst it all. He suppressed a shudder as a particularly large sprite passed through him; he’d long since learned that it wouldn’t do to show any weakness that they could exploit.


The frenzy of movement gradually slowed, but if anything the noise level rose; as always, next came the voices. They cajoled, pleaded, threatened, promised him everything under the sun in exchange for his service. There was no blocking them out – just as they didn’t seem to occupy the same physical space as him, nor did their voices travel through the air. They instead appeared to resonate directly in his head, creating an unbearable cacophony that drowned out his own thoughts and made him feel as though his head was about to split open. He grit his teeth and clenched his fists, enduring it for as long as he could before it became overwhelming –


Enough.


All at once, the voices fell silent. Some of the creatures even stopped moving their wings, remaining motionless while hanging impossibly in the air. Then, gradually, the throng parted, and a figure strode forward to face him. Unlike the others he appeared to be human; a tall, distinguished looking gentleman clad in exquisitely cut – though notably old-fashioned – tailoring, with very fine detailing. The man smiled broadly, showing a great many of his perfect teeth.


‘A pleasure as always,’ he greeted him, with a slight incline of his head. He towered over him by a good half a foot. He nodded back. ‘As usual, I deeply apologise from dragging you from your restful state. I understand that the summons is seldom pleasant.’


He shrugged, affecting an air of nonchalance despite the overwhelming pressure that threatened to split his head apart. ‘Truth be told, it’s not all that restful at the moment. Too much interference from your domain, as it draws closer to census time.


The smile grew more predatory. ‘Quite so, quite so, though you do somewhat over-estimate my influence in this land. Which brings us neatly to the order of business; I fear that you do not seem to be making much progress on that front. It would be a terrible shame were you to… disappoint me.’


The younger man blinked away a bead of sweat that had trickled down to sting his left eye. ‘You’ve got nothing to worry about,’ he lied. ‘Everything’s more or less in place, it’s just a matter of executing it when the moment’s right.’


‘Excellent, excellent. It would be a most terrible shame if I were forced to make an example of you. You wouldn’t be the first to fail me, though I hope most sincerely that your predecessor will be the last. Remember that everything you have, you built with my aid. I do not need to be made manifest in your realm for you to feel the impact of my displeasure.’ He made a gesture, and the swarm surged towards him.


*

He awoke with a start. Returning to the real world was always more disorienting than arriving on that strange shadow plane, as if his body and all its senses had begun to distrust every response they received. He thrashed about beneath the blankets covering him for a spell, until he felt a familiar and comforting presence at his side. He regained his composure and looked down; a large dog with a sandy brown coat licked at the exposed fingers of his right hand then looked up at him with dark, soulful eyes.


He smiled weakly, despite himself. “Hey boy, thanks.” He swung his feet out of the bed, ruffled the dog’s fur with one hand and ran the other through his own hair. The twin sensations were comforting, and restored a semblance of normalcy to his world. Even still, things weren’t fully as they should be – the echoes of the demons were still clearly audible inside his head. They had been growing in strength as it drew towards the fateful date, with only the light of day offering any respite.

He wrapped himself in a blanket and walked out on to his balcony, his dog companion at his side. He slumped down against the wall, gazed towards the east, and waited for the sun to rise.