Of Another Dimension (4 page)
Weird....
Bad move on my part!
So weird.
Yeah
, Lil, and everything else going on lately has been just plain ol’ frickin' normal!
Just peachy!
I'm in a crazy place crawling with demons!
And I just had to piss off a horny one!
Thanks a heap, Mr. Clem!
I pulled my leg forward and swung it back as hard as I could, aiming for his tender bits.
Bull’s eye!
A direct hit!
Demon guy dropped me immediately and choked something out as he gripped his crotch.
I could hear 'demon two's booming laughter off to the side of us.
I swear it was a mocking kind of laughter.
Assholes!
Laughing… horny… stupid… assholes!!!
The second that 'demon one' dropped me, I ran, unable to stifle the sense of satisfaction that momentarily swamped me at the idea of besting him.
Ha ha! Take that
, scary demon guy!
I ran full speed ahead into the woods
, not stopping or looking back.
This is life or death, me or him, eat or be eaten, no way am I fucking stopping
!!!
****
After who knows how long, I finally had to stop for a minute, unable to move another inch, my breath hitching as I heaved for air.
Breathe. Air. Need. Air.
I thought desperately, between gasps.
Leaning against a tree, I took a tiny break to catch my breath, but that was all I allowed myself and after a moment, I kept going.
Once I'd made it some distance into the dense and slightly creepy, safety of the woods, I looked around for a good place to hide and make an impromptu camp.
It's either
this
or the demon people, I thought tiredly.
I didn't even need to think about it.
The woods it is!
****
After a few hours, wandering deeper into the woods, I found a tree with a hollowed out section, big enough for me to fit in and decided that would have to do for now.
"C
an't really be picky right now, can I?" I groaned tiredly and climbed in.
My stomach protested, growling loudly, letting me know just how hungry I've become.
I dug through my still dampened and now completely filthy coat pockets and gave myself a mental pat on the back when I found a small package of crackers and some stale, age unknown, licorice.
The licorice was tough as leather from sitting in the plastic bag inside my coat pocket for so long, but nothing had ever tasted better.
T
he smell of food eventually caught my attention, tickling and teasing my nose.
Soooo hungry…
Cautiously, I carefully followed it to a tiny, less densely packed area.
There was a small spit with a little animal roasting on it.
My mouth watered and my stomach growled loudly.
Food!
I'm so hungry
, I thought as I cautiously approached the tiny camp.
There was a rustling in the bushes and
I froze, ducking down as a demon came out of the woods from the opposite direction as me.
He was carrying kindling in his arms and I watched quietly as he tended his fire and checked on his dinner.
I studied my new quarry, noting every little thing he did, watching him avidly.
I wonder if he eats people…
I contemplated this as I weighed my options here.
Kind of sill
y to assume he eats people, Lil.
…S
o far, I’m the only ‘people’ around here.
Maybe he just eats other demons… or other creatures,
I corrected.
It's been three days since I'd escaped demons
tweedle dee
and
tweedle dumb
and two days since I'd last eaten.
My stomach feels
like it’s ready to eat its self!
I’d settle for tr
ee bark right now if I thought it wouldn’t possibly poison me, I’m so hungry.
I don't know anything about the plants and berries out here and you can fo
rget me catching my own dinner.
I lack the general knowledge and skills
to pull off such a feat.
Then there's the fact that silly little me is extremely squeamish about things like that.
I don't think I could kill a little innocent creature and eat it.
Kill it,
shudder
, skin it,
gag
, then cook it…
If it
’s already dead? Sure, why not, that's a totally different story.
...but having to actually kill it...
No.
I shuddered
again at the thought.
Look on the bright side, Lil.
Where’s the lining in your rainbow?
Rainbow
…? Lining?
What rainbow?
I mocked myself.
I don’t see a god damned rainbow.
I sighed silently, scrubbing at my face.
Well, at least I haven't been thirsty.
I don't know if I'm going to regret it or not, but I've had plenty of water to drink.
I'd found a stream my first morning, in what I am affectionately calling 'Hell'.
Oh, there’s no place like Hell! T
here’s no place like hell.
Pfft!
There was a crackling noise as the demon in front of me put more kindling on, the flames dancing and flickering as it took and crackled.
I glanced at my unaware companion, giving him a good once over.
The demon tending his fire was much smaller in stature, closer to a human sized six foot, and more youthful looking in the face than his counterparts from the other day.
His horns were smaller on his head too, I noticed.
I wonder if that signifies anything… Like maybe he’s more of a vegetarian or something?
Now w
ouldn’t that be nice?
They came out of his forehead, but didn't curl back towards his head as much as the horns of the other two demons that I'd encountered had.
I also observed, as I watched him, that his horns didn't curl back around to point at you at the ends like the other two's had.
They just jutted towards the back of his head and ended in two sharp, straight tips.
The demon started singing quietly as he worked and I listened to the cadence of his voice as he sang some haunting melody in a soothing tenor.
Pretty
, I thought distractedly, taken in by the song.
There was a loud noise, like the mewling of animals and he jumped up suddenly and hurried towards the racket.
Yes!
I crouched, ready to spring.
This is my chance!
One last quick glance around confirmed he’d left the premises and I made
my move, hesitation a distant memory as I eyed my prize.
I ran out from my hiding spot and snatched the animal off the spit, trying to grasp the least hot parts of the stick as I ran like a bat out of hell and hurried towards my hollowed log.
Victory!
Ohhh! Ah! Hot!
Hot food! Hot food!
But still….
Victory!
I grinned the whole way.
****
Stomach full, I let out a happy sigh
, almost tempted to lick my dirty fingers, but not quite that desperate yet.
"Sorry
, mister demon man," I whispered quietly as I pulled my dirty coat tighter around me, "but it was either you or me."
Hey, he can go get another one. I can’t.
I don’t think it’ll be too bad for him anyways. He seemed… capable, right at home even.
He’ll be fine.
I grimaced, cringing at myself inwardly.
Just listen to me
, I thought, irritated with myself, my current situation,
everything.
How th
e hell has my life gotten so...
I can't even think of a word for it!
Bad... horrible... desperate?!
Ridiculous... c
razy! Unheard of!
I swear, if I ever get back home
, I'm going to wring Mr. Clem's scrawny, old, scientific neck and then I'm going to fire up his doo hickies and send his ass over here!
I tried to wipe the tears that had begun to leak from my eyes, but couldn't find something to wipe them off on.
But I won’t get back home, will I?
A
nd I know it.
This…
is my life now
.
L
iving in the woods in an unknown place… stealing for food…
I cleared my throat, trying to reign myself in, not give in to such thoughts, looking for a welcomed distraction.
One glance down at myself sufficed as far as distractions go, my current state enough to distract anyone.
I brushed the dirt off my coat as best as I could.
I should probably find a different stream and clean myself off...
but I'm terrified of being caught, so I haven't ventured too far from my tree.
I really need to
, though
, I thought as I gave myself a little cursory sniff.
Whoa!
I jerked and slammed my coat shut, my nose wrinkling in disgust.
Yuck!
Tomorrow
, I told myself.
Definitely tomorrow
.
****
The sun rose high in the sky and I woke up as the rays hit my eyes.
I stretched and yawned, relishing the cracking and popping as my bones settled.
I did exactly as I'd planned last night and was lucky enough to find a small pool of water, not too far from my tree.
My clothes are so filthy
, I thought distractedly as I walked to the water's edge.
I nudged it with my foot and was delighted to find it wasn't ice cold.
Grinning from ear to ear, I tossed my hat off, sending it flying towards where I’d set my boots, glancing around repeatedly.
Looks like it’s just me and the scenery
.
With one last long look,
I jumped in, trench coat and all and swam around under the water for as long as my lungs would allow.
My head popped up and
I gasped for breath, feeling refreshed from the cool water.
Reaching back, I pulled my hair band off and unbraided my hair.
It felt good to let it free.
I dunked under the water and came back up, delighted at a bath after so long. Even if I don't have any soap to wash up with.
"Well, Lil, looks like you're gonna have to swim around until you're clothes are dry."
I pulled my clothes off and washed them the best I could
, scrubbing like a woman on a mission.
Hands sore from my efforts, s
atisfied that my clothes were as clean as they were ever going to get, I wrung them out and hung them over a purplish tree branch to dry.
Then
I spent the better part of an hour swimming around.
I was still cautious, trying to make as little noise as possible, just in case
some thing or someone might hear me.
Just because I haven't seen any humans yet doesn't mean there aren't any around here somewhere and that's the only intrusion I felt eager to welcome.
A strange sound caught my attention and I waited as I heard it making its way towards me, eyes wide, face suddenly ashen.
Oh, no!
I swam as quietly as I could towards the edge of the water by my clothes, but a strange looking animal came lumbering out, snuffling away and I relaxed.
It walked right up to the water and stuck its trunk
in, then began to slurp it up eagerly.
Huh
.
T
he thing looked like a wooly elephant, a cow and an aardvark had been spliced together, making one funky assed creature.
It was
uuuglllyyy
, but what can I say, maybe the thing thought I was just as ugly too.
