Page 125 of Mud

“Really, I would just like to—” I tried to keep my voice down, my heartbeat steady. I tried, but the elf kept interrupting me, and I was starting to feel that red hot anger again, just like in the Redfire challenge.

“Did you hear that there was a Mud amongst the players? How curious, don’t you think? How very curious.”

Her voice trailed off and I could have sworn that she saw right through me. I could have sworn that she knew.

“No, I didn’t hear,” I whispered anyway.

“Too bad, right?” she said after a loaded moment. “Why do you think they took your animals away, though? You had such a beautiful vulcera with you…”

My heart fell all the way to my heels.

Who in the hell is this woman?!

“I thought you said you didn’t know where I was coming from.” She’djust asked meabout it, but she knew that I’d had a vulcera?

“Busted!” And she laughed again, but this laughter was different. The sound of it was off.Wrong.“I’m only joking, child. I was by the door when you lot arrived, so I saw you.”

She lied. It was a lie, and I could smell it all over her.

“You know what, never mind,” I said, stepping away from the counter. “I’ll be on my way.”

“No, wait!” She genuinely looked shocked to see me moving for the door and raised both hands toward me fast. “Hold on a minute. I was only joking. Give an old woman a chance, will you?”

I didn’t want to. Iris, I wanted to be out of this place that kept getting creepier by the second. The music, the red eyes of the skull, the fucking dead birds over my head…

“I need food and I need a bathroom,” I said anyway because chances were everyone else in Night City was going to be the same, if not worse. They weren’t put here tohelpus—on the contrary.

“I’m afraid I can’t offer you either, but you are in my debt, so?—”

“I’mnotin your debt,” I reminded her.

“This says that you are.” She showed me the empty container that had been full of crackers, now in my twisting stomach.

“Youpaidmewith those—for two laughs. Remember?” I said—her own words, not mine.

Erfes flinched. “Smart one, eh,” she said, throwing the empty container at the wall behind her. “Fine, fine, fine. I got no food to give ya.”

Damn it.

I turned for the door again.

“Wait, wait!” She ran all the way around the snake skeleton and toward me again. “I can’t give you those things, but I know an Inn that doesn’t let anyone in.” She stopped in front of me, looking up at me with wide eyes, nothonest,but not as evil as they’d seemed earlier, either.

“And?” What the hell did I want with an inn that didn’t let anyone in?

“And the owner is a friend of mine. I could send word and I could give you coins to pay with.” The way that smile was slowly stretching her lips… “But I will need your knives and your guns.Allof them.”

“No.” It was out of the question. I would rather starve.

So, I turned for the door the third time, and this time she let me get all the way to it.

I was terrified that she wouldn’t stop me, and even more so when she did with: “How do you think you’re going to survive out there without food? Nobody gives anything to anyone here. I am willing to be kind to you because you made me laugh. Nobody else will let you in—this is Night City.”

My stomach rolled and twisted and turned. I stopped by the threshold, looked at the elves playing chess right outside, not in the least interested in even looking up at me as they moved the strange-looking pieces over the white and black squares.

Outside, the night was just as dark as before, no moon in sight. Elves and orcs, and other players, too, coming from between those buildings still, because the game kept going. The game didn’t stop.

“Out of all challenges, the one in Night City always lasts the longest.”

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