The Escapist (11 page)

“You seem familiar little one.  What's your name?” The cat looked up briefly at Oscar before returning to her grooming.

“I don’t think she is going to answer you Oscar” Vergil remarked. “Besides, now you feel somewhat acquainted with my world we really should be getting on with the task in hand.”

“Wait a…” Oscar objected, but Vergil’s tone became serious again and he continued.

“We must go in search of that black dog!  It is vital to many that we rid this world of him.  But first we must leave these grounds.”

***

The boy, the rodent and the cat stood looking across at the ornate gates which towered over the entrance to the sister world Institute.  A cool breeze stirred the leaves of the trees around them and the sun beat down heavily from the sky.  Looking toward the gates Oscar spoke first.

“Well, what are we waiting for?”

“Be patient Oscar.  Don’t be so keen to rush through a world you are not yet accustomed to.  I have a bad feeling.  In fact I am surprised this place has been so welcomingly empty.  Surely you do not assume I was taking a leisurely break when I left you earlier?  No, there are things in this world you must be wary of – and I’m not just talking about that black dog.” 

Oscar remained silent.  Vergil seemed very serious, though it was hard tell as the rat seemed to change moods at the flick of a whisker.  He watched as Vergil eyed the gate again warily, though it stood over fifty yards away.  Rising up on his hind legs the rat sniffed the air, before vanishing suddenly in a cloud of mist.  A few seconds later he reappeared in the same spot.

“Ok, let’s go, but be quick and quiet.”

The rat set off towards the gate, followed closely by the boy.  Oscar was surprised to see the cat following them, flying carelessly at his shoulder.  Yet they had barely moved twenty yards from their goal when a lound 'Cawww' rang out across the grounds.  Oscar stopped in his tracks and turned looking for the source of the noise.   It sounded as though it might have come from high atop the building's tallest tower, though Oscar could see nothing there.   It was as if an alarm had been triggered, as the caws continued to ring out over and over, a screeching, throaty sound that was being taken up all around the buidling.  It was frighteningly clear that there were more inhabitants of the sister Institute than he had first thought.  Evidently whatever was responsible for the noise must be the reason why Vergil had been so cautious in their escape. 

High up on the tower black forms suddenly peeled from the shadows and flew towards the potential fugitives.  The sunlight behind them blinded Oscar to their approach and although they remained at the furthest edge of his vision, he could just about perceive a flock of giant birds flapping heavily towards him.  It was not long before he could see their bald heads and sharp beaks stretched wide in anger: the rhythmic beating and cawing making for an terrifying attack.

“Oscar come on!” Vergil cried urgently snapping Oscar out of his mesmerized state.  He turned and looked towards the gate but realised with horror he still had a long way to go and the monstrous birds were closing in rapidly.  Finally jerking back into action Oscar broke into to a sprint to reach the gate, but the remaining distance warped before his eyes.  The louder the birds screeched the further from him the gate seemed to withdraw.  His actions felt slow and sluggish, as though trying to escape through syrup.  It was as if the local space-time surrounding him was grinding to a halt.

The barrage of shrieks and caws stopped abruptly as the birds dipped their wings to attack, diving in an arrowhead formation.  Impending doom rushed towards the boy as he frantically made for the gate.  With talons outstretched, the birds swooped lower as they prepared to impact with their target.  Oscar saw their shadows fall over him as they neared and he ducked instinctively.  Though the first bird swooped harmlessly past him, the flock was too many in number; his evasive actions could not hold off an assault for long.  Though he dodged two more attacks, a single talon eventually clawed at his back and Oscar felt it slice straight through him.  Searing pain crippled his body and he dropped to the ground clutching at the wounded area.  Resting on his knees with one hand clasping his side, he flailed the other around in a weak form of defence but it was not enough.

Repeatedly the birds dived in for attack before regrouping overhead.  They circled menacingly, waiting eagerly for their prey to fall.   Saturated by the oppression Oscar struggled to remain stable.  The numerous attacks had left him feeling disorientated and faint.  He could hear Vergil shouting in the background but it was barely audible over the noise of the commotion and the sound of his own hard breathing.

The cat, which up until now had remained protected from the conflict had begun to mew in protest.  Indeed, Oscar had not even realised she was still with him.  Huddled close to Oscar she had been spared the worst of the brutal attack.  Nonetheless her mewing grew steadily in volume, strengthening gradually until Oscar had to release his side and throw his hands over his ears, shocked at the roaring that was emanating from the little creature.

In a flash of light the cat ignited in a cool orange flame, which Oscar jumped away from for fear of being burnt.  With a roar of challenge she unveiled her wings and leapt into the air, a feline fireball shooting straight towards the epicentre of the still circling birds.  Blinded by the incandescent glare with which the cat burned, the circle wavered as the birds began to flee.  As if making a final warning the cat flew at a few of the birds, forcing the group to dissipate in retreat toward the tower.

“Now Oscar, come on, quickly”.  Oscar was once again aware of Vergil’s urgent calls, coming from high up on the gate railing.  He stumbled the final distance towards the gate, relieved that he was no longer experiencing the warping of his depth perception that the vultures had somehow inspired.  Resting one hand on the gate he panted for breath as he tried to assess the pain which had assailed him so.  The weakness in his limbs and clouding of his mind made him fear the worst – he must have lost a lot of blood.  And yet, as he turned gingerly to try and inspect the wound he could see no stains.  The pain remained sharp as ever but the wound seemed not to be bleeding.  Baffled Oscar turned to Vergil but was cut off before he could even form a word.

“No time for questions, no time for rest”.  Vergil was unrelenting. “We must leave before they regroup. They may still follow, but they won’t be as powerful as they are here.”Vergil looked towards the cat that now was walking toward them.  She had extinguished her flames and the burning tortoiseshell fur had dimmed to only a smouldering glow.  She was visibly drooping with fatigue.

“I don’t know if she will be able to do that again soon either.”  Vergil mused.

With relief Oscar saw that the gate looming high over the three of them was already open: the massive metal barriers left a gap just wide enough for them to pass.  Solemnly they exited the Institute grounds.  After everything that had happened so far, Oscar hadn’t the slightest idea what to expect on the other side.

Chapter 10

Sitting in a grey field underneath a rather strange tree, Oscar huddled in the shade to avoid any eyes in the sky.  The tree itself was something of an oddity, for it stretched further horizontally than it did vertically. Shaped somewhat like a mushroom, its branches were latticed with red, violet and orange leaves, providing a welcome canopy that extended far over the ground.  It was quite a contrast to the light yellow fields that spread into the distance: but for the occasional rocky patch, they were a uniform hue.

Oscar was making good use of his respite to inspect his wounds.  He could only marvel at the fact that the cut had not ripped through his flesh and he repeatedly slipped his hand under his t-shirt to reassure himself that he was not bleeding.  The cat was so exhausted by her outburst that she had fallen into a deep slumber since they had stopped.  Vergil casually strolled along the vastly extended branches overhead. 

“My flesh, it’s fine!” Oscar shouted out to him in amazement.  “The places where they clawed me are not bleeding or even grazed.”  Yet strangely this happy discovery did not alleviate the throbbing at multiple points along his frame and as he contorted to and fro to inspect the aches he found himself dizzy from the pain.

“How fortunate for you.” Vergil said. “Though perhaps you should not be so quick to dismiss them.  Just because they do not scar, it does not mean they will not damage.  This world is quite different to the one we have come from.  Foes are foes and can harm you just the same.”

“But why isn’t my body damaged?  After all, it felt as though they had literally torn right through me.” Oscar asked.

“Oh… alright.” Vergil sighed dramatically, as though he had only half been paying attention. “It’s because your body is not actually here.  Instead they claw at something more fundamental.”

“But…what!?!”  The boy did a double take but before he could continue the rat had again interrupted.

“Surely you do not expect yet more answers?  You have more questions than I thought possible!” Vergil disappeared is a cloud of mist, reappearing on a branch further away.  “Besides, we must continue.  If I knew we were to be lazing all afternoon I would have brought some wine.”

Vergil pointed out the next stage of the journey, though Oscar was disappointed to note that it looked almost more daunting than where he had come from.  North of the Institute and across the surrounding pale fields sat a thick, dark green line that marked the horizon.  It was a forest which Vergil suggested would eventually lead out to a main town, where hopefully they could catch up with the black dog.

Softly rousing the cat from her deep slumber, the three were soon ready to set off. Oscar looked back at the Institute wondering whether he would again see this twisted form or even the original in the near future.  The building just sat there; a dominant monolith upon a bleak landscape.  Its whole being was an affront to its surroundings, the pale yellow fields sitting timidly in the background.   But worst of all, Oscar could just make out the silhouettes of two great birds, circling the watch tower that loomed over the Institute.   Automatically clutching at his absent wounds, Oscar suppressed a shudder.  After a final cursory glance to the grand building, they all set off.

"Vergil, if I can’t be physically damaged because my body isn’t here, then where is it?"  The trio had been walking for hours across the tired landscape.  Surprisingly, Oscar had found this more enjoyable than he first thought it might be.  It afforded him the time to harass Vergil with the full list of questions he had been waiting to ask, whilst Vergil tried his best to theatrically deflect them.  Despite the rat’s slippery avoidance tactics, Oscar thought he was rather beginning to like him.

"Well that one I can tell you - though so help me, if you continue I might send you back."  Vergil said jokingly.  "Your body is back in the storage room of the Institute.  In your world of course.  Though I’m sure you could have guessed that, couldn’t you?"

"But…then what is this?" Oscar said poking at himself, or rather, at his torso.

"Hah." Vergil chuckled "Which answer would you like?  I could tell you my favourite - at the moment it's a pain in my ear!  Okay, okay.
” he amended, seeing Oscar scowl.  “Alright.  It's your mind's interpretation of you."

"My mind's interpretation.” Oscar repeated, his brow furrowed in thought “So this is transient?  You mean, I could just change it!"  Vergil looked at the boy thoughtfully, a slight twinkle in his eye suggesting that Oscar might just be on to something.

"Yes it is certainly possible, but you’d be surprised how long it can take to truly change who we are and what we think.  The mind can be a stubborn thing."

They continued on in silence as Oscar reflected this point.  He was desperate to see his own reflection and what he fully perceived of himself.  For the first time his attention was drawn to his clothes – a scruffy pair of plimsolls, some old army surplus trousers and a washed out grey t-shirt.  No surprise there then, as he wore this pretty much every day.  Other than this shabby attire he had no other indication to his appearance, though from what he could see of his arms and legs everything was exactly as usual.  Determined to test Vergil’s theory, Oscar focused on trying to change something.  Staring intently at his thumb Oscar willed it to turn blue.  Surely with a bit of effort that couldn’t be so difficult?  Yet half an hour later he had to admit there was no discernible difference.  Well, perhaps a slight tinge to the nail but he couldn’t be sure he wasn’t just imagining it.  Or rather - that he was imagining it - he corrected himself.  Shaking his head in confusion he turned back to the trail.

The trek was long and arduous, and Oscar wondered whether the thick green line on the horizon was drawing any closer at all.  But after a while he began to notice that the somewhat barren field held more than first believed.  As his attention wandered to the cat he noticed that every now and then as she flew gracefully through the air, she would paw at something.  With further observation he came to realise that suspended just around knee height were small orbs of faded light.  These varied in size from as large as a hand span to as small as a grape and they bobbed gently in the breeze.

Initially he thought the orbs to be nothing more than a bizarre feature of his environment, like some kind of obscure dandelion seed.  Yet under further inspection he was surprised to find they displayed a form of life. Every now and again the orbs would encounter each other, and in doing so a small reaction would occur.  Sometimes one would almost dance around the other or they would move in unison; on one occasion he actually thought he saw a larger orb entirely engulf another. 

The floating spheres had diverted his attention to such an extent that he had barely noticed the sun begin to set.  As darkness fell, Oscar was treated to the most spectacular scene across the field.  The orbs seemed to become more clearly defined and in the fading light they illuminated the vast fields on which they bobbed.  Like many suspended candles, the orbs provided a gentle sea of light that washed over the previously dreary landscape, giving it a new lease of life.

Oscar gently tried to cup an orb in his hand but failed - it simply floated up and out of his reach.  Trying several times to hold the luminous phenomenon, he became frustrated and eventually attempted to forcibly pin the orb in his grasp.

"Careful now, Oscar." Vergil commented. "Don't go upsetting the locals." To Oscar’s amazement he looked up to see that the surrounding orbs had bunched together, encircling him.  Though they did not act, it was clear that these little beings were distressed by his actions and sought to protect their own.

“Sorry." Oscar nervously said, releasing the small orb he had successfully caught. "No offense intended".  The little ball of light zoomed over to the gathered group and was soon lost in the crowd.  The threat now removed, the orbs dispersed again on the breeze.

"That was a creature of some sort, I felt its life in my hands" Oscar said to nobody in particular.  Vergil did not respond in any case, simply leading them further along a path that only he seemed to know.

It was not until the sun was on the very brink of disappearing from the horizon that the three finally reached the forest.  Oscar stood at the boundary, staring into the thick woodland that spread before him.  The forest contained a collection of trees that he did not recognise; they all seemed too surreal, as if painted onto the landscape.  Blotches of colour covered the trunks in shaded patches, and the branches stretched and contorted in every way imaginable. 

Vergil turned to Oscar.

“Through here, it should direct us to the main town”.  Oscar strode hurriedly after him as the rat darted forward into the woodland. 

The sun had set fully, extinguishing the light but the forest seemed to react to the night and all around them the plantation pulsed with energy.  High in the canopy overhead, small lights like those seen on the fields began to glow, and on the forest floor and along the trees small exotic fungi emitted fluorescent blues and purples.  The whole sight filled Oscar with a sense of magic as everywhere he looked was hauntingly beautiful.  The forest was teeming with life and even the trees seemed to weave and dance in the night air.  So much of the forest screamed to be touched or examined, and everywhere his hand wandered Oscar felt the warmth of life.  Sometimes it felt as if the trees were whispering to him, though their voices fell just out of earshot.

They continued on their path venturing further into the heart of the forest, all three taking in the scenery as they strode, each happy to be silent.  Oscar observed how the more gentle they became in their manner, the more the forest opened out to them as though they were placating the mood of their environment with a lullaby to sooth the woodland spirits.  Roots would creep out of their way to forming pathways and branches would sway open with the breeze.  Oscar watched how the cat weaved and danced with the floating orbs.  Entwining with each other they seemed as though they might be conversing in a discrete language.

“Vergil, why is everything alive? You saw my world; I know the plants and trees are living things but they hardly move at all.  Here it’s different – they are properly alive”. 

“But they are Oscar, you just cannot see it.  You acknowledge they are living things but you miss the essence of it completely.  Everything has a core, a spirit if you will.  Unfortunately on your side sometimes it’s easily missed.  Especially, when you are too lazy to look.”  Turning to Vergil, Oscar shot him an inquisitive look, inviting him to explain further but Vergil merely scuttled past him into one of the wooded alleys.  Venturing further in through the forest, Oscar felt as though the trees were actively huddling together.  So much so that it became more and more tiresome to trek through the natural paths that were forged.  Branches and roots had begun to mesh together to block off avenues with sizeable obstacles.  It almost felt as if they were being guided through the wooded maze, for there was no choice of direction.  They were forced to go along the path of least resistance, that which the trees presented to them.  The sky and stars above were no longer visible and the canopy of lights overhead was their only guide.

Stepping over a fallen branch riddled with exotic fungi Oscar turned to Vergil who stood further ahead alongside the cat, who had been half prancing, half gliding her way through the forest.

“Vergil, are you sure this is the safest route?”

“Not really” Vergil mused.  “But it is the only one which has presented itself to us, so just stay close by.”  Though not entirely reassured by this answer, Oscar fell into line.

Stepping through a patch of fungi, Oscar watched with interest as some of the mushrooms sprayed his ankles with small clouds of spores.  Though the act was seemingly natural and innocuous enough, to him it seemed aggressive and he did not feel entirely safe.  What with this and the enclosing trees, he felt as though the forest was showing a reaction to his foreign presence.  It had lost its initial hospitality and what had at first been a comfortable jaunt had now become a hardened slog, as the forest encroached ever more into their space the further that they pressed on.  The only reassurance to Oscar was that the lights in the canopy above remained constant, stemming the darkness from flooding in.

As they rounded a further corner of the path, the trio were presented with a dead end.  A twisted wall of branches blocked their every turn but back.  Vergil, who in no way seemed concerned, sat on a rather large toadstool scratching at his furry chin.

“Well?” Oscar queried expectantly, but the moment had extended for several minutes and Vergil did not respond.  Instead he continued to sit, focusing on the wall.  After much consideration he jumped up with a sparking realisation and scrambled into the rustling web of branches between the colourful leaves.

“Ah yes.” he finally answered.  “I knew it was here.  Of course if you were smaller this would not be a problem.”

Oscar turned his attention to the living wall.  Here the branches intertwined so thickly that no gap was visible.  The twigs and wines had woven together as they grew, never to be prised apart.  Looking harder, Oscar strained to see what in the uniform mass of organic material had finally caught Vergil’s attention.  He could just about make out a portion of tree trunk, knarled and knobbled almost beyond recognition.  And there, sitting below a knot, he saw an opening.  It was circular at the top with a square shaped indentation at the bottom.  Almost like…