Chapter 21: One head, two...

Pale face and eyes gleaming in the fog. They look at their prey.

A chiver runs through him.

Slowly Dust step back.

One of them look his way.

The savages speak between each other but do not leave.

Dust take another step back wiping at the same time his face drenched by the rain.

Damn.

A pale hand hold his shoulder.

The boy turn his head.

Then he sighs.

Suspicious.

This man really want him to die of fright.

- It won't be long before they try to go up again.

The boy nod.

The warm hand despite the weather doesn't leave his shoulder.

The feeling of someone touching him is quite uncomfortable but he doesn't avoid it.

-Let's take our clothes.

Another nod.

The two come back in the cabin,  dressing themselves quickly.

The clothes are still wet and stick to their chest like a second skin.

Worried Dust wipes his drenched face with one hand.

Droplets of water fall on the floor with his move and he looks at it lost in thought.

The situation is so fucked up.

What are they going to do next?

Going down? It' s like jumping in the open mouth of an alligator and hoping that the beast won't shut his jaws.

Then staying up? They will have the advantage of the height…

But no matter what they are cornered.

Where is my stick? 

Glancing around he remember letting go of the piece of wood when climbing the ladder.

So he only has his dagger and… Little blue stones in his pockets…

Not even food.

No matter how he think about it he doesn't know how he can get out of here alive.

Maybe with a bit of luck and in the chaos he can flee in the wood if the others in the other cabins decide to fight their way out.

His eyes drift from the droplets of water on the black wood to the blue eyes of Suspicious.

The man doesn't look at him. He twist his top to eject as much water as possible.

Bluish veins spams on his forearms like flash of thunder under his effort.

His eyebrows are furrowed in a displaesed expression while his full lips take the shape of a strange smile.

One side rised while the other side of his mouth is down. Dust isn't quite sure what  this expression mean but the man  seems more at ease than him.

The boy figures that he can ask to collect more ideas on what to do next.

He opens his mouth shifting his line of sight elsewhere than Suspicious's face.

- What do we do next?

The red-haired man doesn't answer immediately. He shakes his head like a dog  to spill water everywhere. One drop hit the skin of Dust just under his eye.

In the same breath he wear his crumpled top take hold of his lamp and start to rummage  in the dispersed affairs left in the cabin.

-It depend on what the others below do.

Somehow this answer displease Dust enough for him to let dissatisfaction slip in his voice.

- So we wait for them to kill us before thinking about it?

Suspicious suddenly turn cold in answer. It's as sudden as a bolt coming from a clear blue sky. But he keep looking around, searching for something.

-We? You do what you want.

The red-man voice is calm but contain a clear warning.

Seeming to bear a simple message" We aren't close so why will i bear your moodiness?"

His blue eyes doesn't turn his way. And for a second Dust think it's a pity because with the rising irritation he feel like holding his gaze for once.

Having no other reaction the boy keep calm.

He sweep with a circular glance the room taking another breath of dust particles.

You can smell the humidity and the cool slide in his lungs like liquid.

Goosebumps all over his arms and back are like a promise to be ill in a few hours.

The shorter one of the two decide to let it go . Suspicious doesn't care or want to give him a clear answer so let it be. Anyway the other doesn't have to pacify his anxiety and frustration.

-At least tell me what you are looking for.

I can help.

Suspicious crouched down to pull from the pile of abandoned things a cover of fur.

His tone isn't warmer but he doesn't reject.

-I am searching for anything that will be useful.

Under his hand he spread the cover and place some kind of clay bowl on it and a pile of rags.

Dust look at his actions and understand that when the man say anything useful he really mean anything.

Even a fractured bowl he will not let go of.

At least doing something will ease his mind.Turning his back to the other man the boy join in the search of " useful" things.

He manages to dig another cover and two bowls of a mug size.But that's all.

And soon enough not even rags can be found.Suspicious make a makeshift bag with the cover, tying a knock with the four corners.

Dust watch him and just put his meager finds in his leather bag.

To tell the true it feel more like tidying the place and throwing the trash than anything else.

Then the red-haired man said" Let's observe the situation" while he was tying another knot to his wrist with the remaining lenght of straps of the cover.

They go out again.

At first glance below it's easy to notice the somber form of the savages.

Except they seem to be missing members

Counting them only five are standing still.

But they were at least a dozen before.

Where are the others?

One of them watch their cabin. Blue eyes open wide who can't hide the craziness inside.

Meeting his sight Dust shudder.

And the barbarian with only a clothes to hide his crotch smile all teeths out. Well the teeths that he still had.

He rise his axe like a salutation.

Silence is thick the black birds on the branches watch.

His skin seems to have been preserved from whatever illness run in this land. His behavior appears nearly friendly in complete contradiction with all the chaos and violence of the previous attack.

Even after seeing them the strangers doesn't move just stay put.

Only one of them has bent his back. His movement is rhythmic. His shoulder blade going back and forth. It's impossible to see more as his forearms and his actions are covered by the fog.

The boy mumbles.

-What is he doing?

Suspicious doesn't have to answer because the savage stand up with an happy scream.

He raises his hand who hold by the scalp an head.

Laughter come and goes between the strangers keeping watch.

Dust takes a step back.

The head belong to the one who previously fell.

The clear cut given by Pony turning into a dark bloody line on his forehead.