Nameless Ones (8)

Disaster always arrives with a herald to announce its presence. It's like the way a story subtly foreshadows major events through scattered signs.

The ground rumbled, and water surged from crevices between rocks and slopes. The river, tainted with rich red soil from the mountain, turned murky, as though the mountain itself was bleeding.

Trees swayed precariously on the trembling earth, even without a hint of wind. The cries of birds that had lost their nests pierced the air, and wild animals darted down the slopes, scattering tiny droplets of muddy water. Every element played its part as a harbinger of disaster.

I, too, became a herald, warning Leonardo and Vittorio.

"Watch out above you!"

Boulders dislodged from the mountainside soared skyward like the birds that had already fled, then came crashing down like hail onto the canvas barely covering the wagon. Some rocks were blocked by the tarp, while others broke through the torn gaps, only to be deflected by Leonardo.

Each time a shadow of a rock rushed past overhead, a chill ran down my spine—a sensation born from the vulnerability of knowing my most fragile parts were exposed. It felt like someone was poised just behind me, ready to strike my head with a club at any moment. And isn't fear so easily contagious?

Brrrr!

The extremely agitated donkey kicked off the ground, its body suddenly lurching forward.

We happened to be transitioning from a slope onto a steeper incline, and the speed increased. It wasn't the donkey leading the wagon anymore but rather the wagon sliding down on its own. The wheels skidded over the ruts filled with rainwater, and my vision blurred with the jostling.

'Dizzy.'

It felt like my brain was bouncing wildly within my skull, unable to stay fixed. I was thrown against the wall of the wagon, then collapsed to the floor, my body slamming haphazardly against every surface, until Leonardo pulled me close against his body. I wanted to thank him, but I was afraid I'd bite my tongue if I tried to speak.

Behind the wagon, a wave of earth surged, carrying massive boulders and uprooted trees with it. If we got caught in that, we'd be crushed like prey between the molars of a colossal beast. Still, at this speed, it felt like we might just barely escape…

I tried to calm my rattled brain, desperately searching for a glimmer of hope.

Thunk! 

The wagon tilted sharply to one side, suddenly losing balance. In the darkness, I saw a wheel lift into the air and disappear into the wave of mud and earth.

"The wheel…!"

With one wheel missing, the wagon's corner dragged against the ground, kicking up a flurry of dirt and small stones. I shielded my face from the stinging specks, and as I did, I felt the wagon's speed noticeably slow down due to the friction. Now, the wagon barely crawled forward, relying on the strained efforts of the two donkeys. Then, a tearing sound—a noise of something at its breaking point pierced my ears. Vittorio shouted anxiously from the driver's seat.

"The harness is about to snap!"

The harness connecting the donkeys to the wagon was stretched taut, trembling as if it could break at any moment. Leonardo gritted his teeth, gripping one of the straps tightly. His forearm muscles strained, veins bulging as he fought to hold the line. We'd already lost a wheel. If we lost the power of the donkeys, being swallowed by the mudslide would be inevitable. I threw myself to the opposite side, bracing against it.

'If I mess this up and get seriously hurt or even die… would I be able to reset?'

And besides, this is the intermission. I'd never seen any message from the writers during this time. A fresh wave of anxiety surged through me. Bending over to brace the harness left my chest compressed, making it hard to breathe. My vision spun, dizzy with strain.

Crash!

A tree branch, swept along by the mud, pierced through the wagon wall, thrusting into the interior. The branch's pointed end, sharp as a steel spear, tilted dangerously close to Leonardo's side. In that split second, memories from the underground labyrinth flooded me.

The wounds that split open, the metallic smell of blood, the slick and slippery textures, the broken breathing of someone close to death, the convulsions… and finally, the quiet as they closed their eyes.

'Not again. I won't watch that happen again.'

My body moved on reflex, pulling Leonardo close and shielding him. A sharp snapping sound split through the night air, like a gunshot. The harness, strained to its limit, snapped with a final, deafening noise. The wagon dropped even closer to the ground. One of the harness straps connecting the donkeys to the wagon had just given out completely.

'Damn it!'

As the connection loosened, a large gap opened between the wagon and the donkeys. I heard that ominous, creaking sound again, like something moments from snapping. The remaining strap barely held, strained to its limit, groaning under the heavy load. Vittorio, clutching the reins tightly, perched precariously at the edge of the driver's seat, turning to look back at us.

"Vittorio!"

The boy had wound the reins several times around his hands to keep his grip on the slick path, and as the distance between the wagon and the donkeys grew, his small frame was lifted off the seat, dangling in the air, pulled by the reins. For a moment, I couldn't breathe, as if something had lodged inside, trapping the air in my lungs.

"Step into the stirrup! Hook one leg over the saddle and climb up in one go!"

Leonardo's shout sliced through the chaos. Vittorio, barely clinging to the end of the reins, scrambled and slipped but finally managed to climb onto the donkey's back. The moment he was safely atop the donkey—

Bang!

Another gunshot-like crack echoed as all the harnesses broke, and the wagon was entirely separated. Vittorio looked back, yanking at the reins, but the donkeys, driven by sheer survival instinct, ignored his commands. His cheeks glistened with a mix of rain and tears. I shouted that we'd be okay, to keep going to the city and not worry about us. But I wasn't sure if he could hear. Everything happened so fast.

With the wagon having lost both its wheels and the donkeys, it slowed dramatically, as if sinking into a mire. Then came the landslide. The wave of earth, like the tongue of a monstrous creature, crawled forward to engulf us. This time, it was Leonardo who shielded me, and the next moment, my vision was swallowed in darkness.

***

The faint sound of rain brought me back to consciousness. My head throbbed, and my whole body ached as if I'd been thoroughly beaten.

"Ugh… Cough!"

My throat stung, and I let out a small cough. Someone reached over and patted my back. It was dark, but I didn't need light to guess who it was. Leonardo's hand, calloused and thick from wielding a sword, had barely any soft spots.

"Leo."

My voice was hoarse, cracking as it echoed in my ears.

"You okay?"

"Yes."

I managed to squeeze out a sound from my strained vocal cords, and he responded to my call.

"And you…?"

As my eyes gradually adjusted to the darkness, I could make out the outline of his face. Leonardo was leaning in, his forehead pressed against mine.

"You've got a fever."

His hand wasn't the best for measuring it, though; with his callouses, he could handle even hot cheese without flinching. Maybe he couldn't quite gauge human warmth.

"Where… are we?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but we're still in the mountains. When the ground shifted, the wagon got wedged between a tree and some rocks, saving us from being buried. We were lucky."

"What about the landslide?"

"It's quiet now."

"The kid… Vittorio? How long have I been out? And Leovald's coffin—"

"Calm down. One thing at a time."

Leonardo made a soft shushing sound to soothe me.

"The coffin's safe. We'd tied it tightly to the wagon, remember? You passed out from the shock. The last I saw, the kid was safely outside the landslide's reach, riding on the donkey."

"What if Vittorio got attacked or slipped on the rain-slicked path?"

"The last I saw, he was out of the landslide's range, so he should be safe. I know it's hard not to worry, but remember, that kid was the leader of a gang of street kids. He's resourceful and quick on his feet. He's got a knack for survival."

Leonardo continued to pat my back rhythmically. I tried to breathe slowly in time with his steady rhythm.

"And you? Are you really okay?"

"I'm fine."

I should have been able to take him at his word. My gaze drifted involuntarily toward his side. There were no visible wounds, no signs of being pierced by branches or torn flesh that would suggest internal injuries.

"Haa…"

As I let out a deep sigh, I felt Leonardo's gaze linger on my face in silence. Does he think I'm overly fixated on his side, overreacting? It must seem strange, right? Of course it does. What happened underground feels like a distant memory now.

'What's the point of dwelling on the past?'

Yet, the experience of seeing someone die so closely, those memories refused to fade from my mind. He had taken his last breath beside me. The reason I was acting like this was clear enough if you just considered the timeline.

Has it been about a week since then? It was only when Leonardo counted his fingers that I noticed his hand was trembling slightly. He seemed at a loss, but the warmth of the living radiating from his intertwined fingers was somewhat reassuring.

"What about the monster pack?" 

"They're searching for us, coming down from the peak. The landslide has masked our scent and tracks, so they're a bit lost."

My rain-soaked body shivered uncontrollably. Without a word, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, allowing me to lean against him. A part of our earlier conversation nagged at me.

"You know… they're looking for me, not us."

He had seen the nameless creature drooling at the sight of me in the cave of the mountain village, irrationally lunging forward. Even though it made sense to question it, he had remained silent throughout. I was the root cause of all this—the relentless pursuit and the torturous nights without sleep.

"Why aren't you asking me this time? You had so many questions before."

"Today seems to be a day when you have more questions than I do."

He answered willingly, as if pleased to be in a position to provide answers. Ah, so this is how he's turning the tables on me.

"Since days like this are rare, you should savour it."

"I'm enjoying it enough."

A laugh escaped me, and Leonardo managed a faint smile in return. It was neither a fitting situation nor an appropriate mood for laughter, and perhaps that was why we smiled. Gradually, my smile faded.

"…Alright. What's the escape plan?"

"There's something nearby. So…"

[There's still something nearby. When I give the signal, you should run.]

Once again, memories of the underground labyrinth flashed in my mind. But it was only a fleeting thought, and I believed I had hidden my expression well. Yet Leonardo stopped speaking abruptly.

"Also…"

He whispered slowly, "Am I missing something?"