The Price(rough draft)
The old Chevy coughed and sputtered at it continued to race down the gravel
road. It’s headlights just barely showing what was in front of it before passing them. the
driver cared very little however. if he died in this godforsaken part of the country, it
would most of his problems. If he was late for his appointment however..
he pressed harder on the gas petal and paid little notice how fast the speed
meter was rising past 50 and in few seconds, 70. He nervously watched the sky. The
watch on his wrist continued to tick a series of glowing green numbers but he gave little
notice. The creature that he was going to deal did not follow the human concept of time
but instead followed it’s own.
There was a brief cry that started him as he sharply turned the car at a corner.
Crap I woke the kid he thought for a second before it stopped. For a single crystallized
second in time, he was aware of everything that was around him. He was aware of the
aware of the trees that seem to form a thick wall around him, urging him on. He was a
aware of the poor state of his vehicle. The rust sending up tendrils up upon the red paint
the car making it look like an animal suffering from a skin disease. he was aware of the
the leather padding inside the car. How it was crumpled and disfigured with age. But
most impotently, he was aware of what was in the seat right next to him.
In the seat right next to him was a basket. it was not the modern factory made
ones that one would expect to see in such modern times (which are crass and lack in
originality) but instead had a intricate design. Two swans with their wings out stretched
to meet each other formed the basket, their heads nuzzling each other forming the
handle. Inside the basket was a child. The child tossed and turned but soundly went
back to sleep. the driver sighed, smile a bit when seeing the sleeping child and
continued down the road.
the half moon was in it’s zenith when the chevy slinked into the crossroads like a
cowering animal who is trying to hide from his master’s wrath. The driver slowly pulled
up at the center of the crossroads and looked worriedly at left then right side of the
country crossroads. seeing as it was clear, he pulled the handle on the door, got out,
and shut the door behind him with an auditable slam. He then proceed to go to the other
side of the car, open the door, and pulled out the basket containing the sleeping child
the child merely mewed like a sleeping kitten as the driver put the back on top of the
car. The driver himself took 5 steps in front of the car and fumbled for his lighter while
he waited.
An icy hand grabbed at the back of the neck. “Took you long enough” said a
voice as cold and bleak as the night it’s self. The hand release him and the man whip
around and fell to his knees. He looked up and dropped his lighter. A figure only loosely
described as “humanoid” stood before him, while the two headlights from the car made
the sight all the more horrifying. the figure appeared to be an effigy of a mass of bones,
twine, sticks, leaves, and various other woodland objects. it’s limbs seemed to be
composted of wood where vines crept like blood veins along it’s shape. It’s head, a bird
skull of unknown origin with a whirling amount of flies filling it’s sockets. it was clothed in
a moss like cape that was enclosed like a stage magician about to perform his
masterpiece. Along the arms, there were hanging little objects. some objects that
reminded the driver of the fertility idols old civilizations have used, while others were
little doll heads. The driver winced when he saw the body of a dog hanging by the neck
suspended between a yellowed baseball card and an idol of dragon climbing a tower.
The creature’s arms where outstretched, and wicked curved knives in each hand.
“we have a pledge, you and I” it said bluntly. “ we have a deal to be done, lives to be
brokered”. The driver got up and hope to God that he wouldn’t stutter. “I have the
payment” he said, trying to avoid the glare of the creature.
“yes, yes. I see it.” The creature said has it ran it’s wooden hand across the
surface of the cab of the car and stopped at the basket it. The baby inside the basket
awoke with a start and began to scream. The driver turned his head away from the
scene. He knew what was going to happen next. The creature picked up the screaming
child as miner would pick up a speck of dirt to examine it or a scientist would pick up a
live frog before dissecting it, “eyes blue, legs short, this will do for now” it said.
With one quick motion, it open it’s mossy cape with it’s other hand to reveal other
baby faces screeching in silent terror as they pushed out from the outline of the cape
desperate to get free The child tried to fight and kicked the basket off the cap of the car
but the creature’s grasp was like a dead man’s grip. The creature brought the baby into
his cape and closed it again and the baby scream vanished from the night.
The driver turned back towards the creature, his eyes red and puffy. “you have
served me well” it said. “much better than the others”. The driver lastly worked up the
courage to ask “s-s-so..can I have one more year?” he felt the creature’s glare upon
once again and then passed. “until I change my mind, dear boy, until I changed my
mind”
the driver blinked and then the creature was gone. The driver waited for a while and
then got into the car and drove off back toward the city. He had one more year of
freedom and he didn’t plan on wasting a second of it
