The City of the Dead

No! How could he have thoughts like that? Fred tried to pull himself out of his thoughts and concentrate on the world around him, making sure not to look at Diana. He found that his eyes kept wandering towards the iron tower. It seemed pitiless and cruel. There was something written on its side, but Fred couldn't even read his own language, let alone whatever barbarian tongue this was written in. "Exotica, what does that say?" said Fred. It was an effort for him to speak. He didn't know why she was the first one he thought of asking. Maybe it was her eyes. He had always been struck by her eyes. He had been attracted to her, too, but there had been something more spiritual about it. And there was something about her which unnerved, even almost terrified, him too. It had to be the eyes. She had eyes like a witch. Could she be trusted? No, don't think about that, it's too dangerous...

"Don't... know," said Exotica. She seemed as if she was struggling against a great weight. "There's something... in our minds. Trying to attack us with false hope and despair and rage and lust. Preying on us..." She moaned and fell silent.

"It's nothing!" said Diana vehemently. Fred looked away from her in horror. "It's just the trauma we're suffering. There's no damn inscription on that damn tower. What's wrong with you idiots?"

"Hell yes there is!" shouted Sara. "I can see it! It says... I can't make it out. But it's there. I think I even recognize a few words"

"No one asked you, you little..."

"Quiet!" screamed Fred at the top of his lungs.

"Who do you think you are to order me around!" screamed Diana, just as loudly. "Why won't you look at me, damn it? Look at me you stupid bastard!" Fred once again pictured his hands around her neck. He would not look at her. Then Diana grabbed him roughly and tried to force him to turn around. "Look at me!" she screamed.

Fred felt both his lust and his rage increase. He whirled around and punched Diana, slamming her to the ground. "I'll do a lot more to you than just look at you, you whore!" he screamed. Imelda and Sophia drew back, horrified. Sara tensed as if she was about to spring, like a beast of prey...

"No," said Exotica calmly. Her voice was strained but confident. Everyone instinctively turned to listen to her. "No. This is just what it wants. Stop. We can't go to the city. We can't..." Then her eyes once again turned silver. She screamed at the top of her lungs and instantly fainted.

Fred shook his head. "She's right," he mumbled. "What I was about to do... it was wrong. We have to turn back."

"Well, where the hell else do we go?" said Diana. "This is bullshit. We're going on."

"There's magic working here. Evil magic. You saw her eyes!"

"Superstitious nonsense fit only for an Allarian! And she doesn't have the Sight! Only Aqualarians truly have the Sight!"

"Who said anything about the Sight?" said Fred. "Look at me! Look at yourself! You see what's happening! We have to go back!"

"Fred's right!" said Sara. "We're on another world for Orlok's sake! Is that superstition?"

"She said we're on another world," said Diana. "None of us were ourselves last night. What if she muddled our minds and kept us from seeing what the constellations were really like? And even if we are on another world, how do we know she's not the one who sent us there? Or even the one who killed Astra? In fact I don't see why I shouldn't just kill her right now!"

"No!" said Fred. "We need to stop, think about all this..."

"We can't think without food, real civilized food, and rest and a nice bath," said Sophia. It was around noon by now and all of their stomachs were growling insistently. "I say we go to the city. We don't know whether Exotica really understood whatever it was she saw. Whereas we do know that wandering around in the wilderness is driving us crazy."

"I think she's right," said Sara. "I have a bad feeling about that city, but I don't see how we can be less safe here than we are out here. There are all kinds of dangers in this forest, and we seem to be a danger to ourselves too."

"Imelda?" said Diana. "What do you think?" Imelda just nodded, staring down at the ground. "So we're agreed then. Good. Let's head on." Fred didn't want to go to the city at all. But the women seemed determined to go and he didn't want to abandon them. Sara and Sophia took up the body of Exotica and carried it gently as Fred and Diana took the lead.

They arrived at the city at a much shorter time than they expected. From the length of their shadows it seemed to be about three in the afternoon. The closer they grew to the city the quicker they seemed to move. They felt a restless, burning anxiety which spurned them on.

The gate of the city was taken up by two doors tall and imposing, made of bronze. There was nothing decorating them. They lay slightly ajar. "By the sixth teat of Berlin, I don't like this at all," said Fred. "Where are the guards? And what's that horrible stench?"

"Well, don't all cities stink?" said Sara. "It's impossible to clean up all the horse shit. And the guards... I don't know. Maybe it's magic? Let's try to go inside and find out."

Fred and Diana managed to shove open the doors with considerable effort. The city lay open to them. And what they saw inside stopped them in their tracks.

The city was crowded with brick buildings. Its streets were arranged in an orderly grid pattern and were crowded with people. Every single one of them was dead. Many of them were missing limbs and heads. Some of them were still locked in mortal struggle. Dried blood was spattered everywhere.

Sara was the first to speak. "I think Exotica was right. Let's get the hell out of here."

But Fred couldn't move. He was transfixed by the horrible carnage in front of him, by the stench that assaulting his nostrils, and by the looming tower. "I think..." said Fred, struggling against the weight of sheer horror. "By Crom, I can read that inscription. It says, 'Slay...'" He couldn't bear to finish.

"Slay your enemies and all you desire is yours," said Diana.

"Doesn't look like any of these people got what they desired," said Sara.

1. Then Imelda picks up a knife and attacks Fred.
2. It turns out that not everyone in this city is dead.
3. The corpses that cover the streets rise up and seek to devour the living...

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