Page 14 of In Darkness and Dank

When Kittisak awoke next, the pain was still there and making every breath catch when his chest moved the slightest bit. It was hard for him to tell if there had been any improvement other than the obvious fact that he hadn’t died yet. As his eyes flicked open, he could see now he was in a large cave.

It was cool and dry, illuminated by an unknown light source that cast a purplish-blue glow over everything. It wasn’t so bright that it hurt Kittisak’s eyes, though he did need a moment to adjust so he could see.

Well, it was a cave.

The walls were smooth, the floor was hard, and there were looming forests of stalactites hanging perilously over his head. He tried not to get too paranoid about any of them falling down on him, and he quickly scanned the cave for a way out.

He couldn’t see any tunnels or openings, but there was water. A clear pool shimmered a few yards away from where he was lying, and he wished he was strong enough to roll over into it. He felt disgusting.

Kittisak’s entire torso was caked with thick black mud, and the smell was reminiscent of roadkill and rotten eggs. He had no idea why the monster had done this to him, and he fought to sit up. He fell right back down, finding that he was laying in a nest of some kind.

It was weirdly soft and crunched when he moved, but he didn’t have long to think about what it was made of before he passed out again. He dreamed of strong currents, waves of dirty water pulling him down into darkness, and strong arms lifting him back up to the light.

He fluttered in and out of consciousness, stirring only briefly when he felt clawed hands checking the mud and webbed fingers petting his hair. At some point, a warm body snuggled next to him, probably the monster, holding him close and purring in his ear to soothe him as he shivered and sweated. Kittisak wasn’t sure if this was heaven or hell or some bizarre state in between.

It was impossible to tell time, and Kittisak didn’t know if he’d been out for hours or days.

When his eyes opened next, he was hungry.

Starving, really.

Kittisak grunted, able to pull himself up into a sitting position. Other than a faint ache in his chest, he was startled to find that the pain had departed. There was still a lingering ache beneath his collarbone, and it was mildly annoying if he breathed too deeply.

The cave was as he remembered it, smooth and clean, and lit with a soft purple and blue glow. He could see now that the light was coming from thick clusters of mushrooms that were growing along the edge of the pool.

He’d seen green pepe, Mycena chlorophos, a local species of mushroom known for its fleeting glow, but not even Panellus stipticus, a species revered for its intense bioluminescence in North America, glowed this brightly or with such rich colors.

The water of the pool was crystal clear, and he could see straight down to the rocky bottom even from way over here. He longed to plunge in and drink up every last drop. He was so thirsty, and his lips were dry and cracked. He shifted forward, and his bed crunched.

No, wait, it popped.

Kittisak looked down to see the nest he’d been sleeping in was a bunch of dried leaves and huge sheets of Bubble Wrap. His pillow looked like it had come from the seat of a car or a bus. He hadn’t been able to look behind him before now, and when he turned his head he found a bunch of crooked shelves, a desk, and other bits of broken furniture.

The shelves were packed with a random assortment of things—big pots, tattered sleeping bags, a parka, a creepy doll, an old stereo, cassette tapes, and more. There were also plastic tubs crammed around the furniture that were also overflowing with more junk. It reminded him of that one scene in The Little Mermaid, and he found it instantly charming.

The nest he’d been sleeping in sat in the middle of the cave, and he was impressed with the size of the open space. It was at least twice the size of his dorm room back at college and definitely much cleaner.

He saw no sign of the monster or anyone else, and he didn’t see any places to hide. He also didn’t see any exits, which made him question where the monster could be.

Thirst was Kittisak’s immediate concern, and he tried to wiggle toward the pool. He had no idea if the water was safe, but he didn’t see anything else around here to drink and he was desperate to clean himself up.

The mud on his chest and stomach was dried out now, and chunks of it flaked off every time he moved. The smell was still awful, and his boxers were absolutely ruined. He hoped he could get into the water to wash up and maybe drink a little, taking his time as he scooched along the cave floor toward it.

His feet went in first, and he moaned happily. The water was perfectly warm, and it felt amazing. He dipped in farther, up to his knees now. There was a small ledge a few feet down that if he could stand on it, he’d be in the water probably about to his mid-chest. He hissed as he shifted his weight, trying to slide as gracefully as possible.

He skinned his elbow on the way down, but his feet successfully found the ledge. The water was amazing as it enveloped his sore body, and he didn’t move right away to clean himself up. He just wanted to soak, groaning again as he bent his knees so the water came up to his neck now.

Kittisak closed his eyes, and he tried to take stock of everything that had happened in his foggy mind.

The monster had come to visit him, there was rubbing and a massage, and then Hutte had come busting in with a gun.

No, that wasn’t right.

No, it was those assholes, Denninger and the rest. They were the ones who had the guns.

Kittisak remembered the monster clawing him, but he was pretty sure that had been an accident. The monster had been pulling him back, trying to get him out of the way, but then everything had gone to complete shit.

Denninger had shot him, that fucking prick.

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