-=+Fiction2+=-
"When I woke up there was warm July rain pooling up against my face. I was on the ground, and the smell of garbage was too damn close. I blearily opened one gummy eye and saw a huge hairy face right in front of it. I shot to my feet and drew my gun- ... well, I jerked back a bit and then pain hit me like a hug from a chain-link fence. But it was enough to see that the rat was only a little bigger than a baseball as it scurried away.
On the other hand, I was glad I had woken up when I did.
"The smell of trash was everywhere. In fact, trash was everywhere. I realized after I managed to unstick my other eye that I was in a dump. And not the kind that your ex-wife turned your house into after the divorce, I mean the real thing. It smelled less than I thought, but almost more than I could stand.
"It wasn't until I wrestled myself into a sitting position that I saw the guy from before I passed out. He was sitting quietly under a raggedy piece of tarp, and there was a small pot bubbling in front of him with a light blue glow beneath it. It smelled like Sterno and heaven.
"He offered me some without speaking, and I nodded acceptance. If he wanted me dead he would have just strangled me when I was unconscious, no need for poison. Of course, after tasting it, I had to wonder. I suspected that rat was a major ingredient. It certainly smelled better than it tasted, but it was warm, and I needed to eat if I wanted to recover.
"The guy stayed quiet the whole time I was eating, just looking at me, no real expression on his face. It was a little wierd, to be honest. But I ate my way through the stew, and when he quietly offered me another bowl I took it and made it about halfway through.
And then, without a word, he handed me my gun and then walked away ... "
Lucael
On the other hand, I was glad I had woken up when I did.
"The smell of trash was everywhere. In fact, trash was everywhere. I realized after I managed to unstick my other eye that I was in a dump. And not the kind that your ex-wife turned your house into after the divorce, I mean the real thing. It smelled less than I thought, but almost more than I could stand.
"It wasn't until I wrestled myself into a sitting position that I saw the guy from before I passed out. He was sitting quietly under a raggedy piece of tarp, and there was a small pot bubbling in front of him with a light blue glow beneath it. It smelled like Sterno and heaven.
"He offered me some without speaking, and I nodded acceptance. If he wanted me dead he would have just strangled me when I was unconscious, no need for poison. Of course, after tasting it, I had to wonder. I suspected that rat was a major ingredient. It certainly smelled better than it tasted, but it was warm, and I needed to eat if I wanted to recover.
"The guy stayed quiet the whole time I was eating, just looking at me, no real expression on his face. It was a little wierd, to be honest. But I ate my way through the stew, and when he quietly offered me another bowl I took it and made it about halfway through.
And then, without a word, he handed me my gun and then walked away ... "
Lucael