Chapter 10: Quoth

Chapter 10
Quoth

It was a midnight dreary. I was already weak and weary. But I found her.

She was not far from me, but I was not the only one searching for her. Something dived at her through the rain. It was only a blur in my noise.

My eyes were closed, but I ran toward her. I couldn’t stop. To stop was to lose, and I hated losing as much as I hated waiting.

I could see her holding an umbrella in the rain. She was under a streetlamp, oblivious to the danger. She only turned toward me. And in that sound, I could see her smile.

A terrible cry.

I opened my eyes and saw it, large and furious.

I leapt at her.

The Affect sliced through the rain.

Her umbrella soared down the street.

The streetlamp toppled.

I held her close.

Glass shattered.

A great gust upon us.

Nothing more.

I looked up. An empty street.

“Hank?”

“Shh.”

I closed my eyes and held onto my cell-phone. The city under falling rain – rooftops and empty streets. Nothing. Only the two of us lying in the street. I opened my eyes and helped her up.

“Hank. What’s going on?”

“There’s an Affect after you.”

“After me?”

I nodded.

“What is it?”

“A raven.”

“Oh. They’re known as Rocs.”

“That’s comforting.”

“But I’ve never seen one able to do that.”

The streetlamp was severed in half – a clean cut. Electricity cackled from the truncated post.

“Let’s not wait around.”

I grabbed her hand and pulled toward an alleyway. She refused to move.

“Where are you going?”

“We’re getting out of here.”

“No.”

I turned toward her.

“We face it.”

I bit my lip.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

She led me into the street to grab her umbrella. We then ran under the light of a streetlamp, and she held the umbrella above us.

The Roc cried once more with glottal pitch. I closed my eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“Finding it.”

The rain was cut from behind us.

“Behind us!”

She turned around.

“OH! Duck!”

I fell to the floor with her. Another great gust of wind. She grabbed my hand and pulled. We ran, and I heard the streetlamp fall to the floor. The glass shattered and spilled into the street.

“What happened?” my voice resounded all around us – a kaleidoscope of sound.

“That’s no ordinary Roc.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s really big.”

“That’s why I wanted to run.”

“You didn’t say how big it was.”

It was true. I didn’t.

“Well, what now?”

“We face it.”

“You need to broaden your horizons.”

“Like you?” she smiled.

“Like me.” I nodded.

“Maybe later.”

Hypocrite.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me to another streetlamp.

“Let go of my hand and lie down with your foot in the umbrella’s shadow.”

“What?”

“Do it!”

I did it, but I shook my head the entire time.

“Where is it?”

I was already searching for it, but this Roc flew above the cloud stratus. It negated all visibility, even mine. It was smart, and it was fast.

Sound is faster.

I already knew where it was as soon as it entered the clouds.

“It’ll be coming from the North!”

“Which way is North?”

I pointed toward the direction.

“I see it.”

I opened my eyes and turned to see the Roc in its full size. Its black wings spanned the entire street, darker than night. Grace clutched her lipstick.

“Closer.” I could hear her whisper.

Time stops when waiting – even if it’s less than a second. We had better win.

She swung. It was only the lipstick in her hand when she began her swing. It was a long thin blade when she had finished. The Roc’s left wing was severed from its body, and it crashed into the street, sliding and tumbling toward us – toward me. I lay on the floor, unable to evade it. I felt something pull at my feet, and I was dragged barely out of the Roc’s path. It tumbled past me and blew off my toque.

I looked up and saw Grace let go of my feet. She sat down and sighed.

“That was close.”

We both sat there wheezing. I closed my eyes.

“Grace.”

I heard where the voice came from, but I couldn’t believe it. I knew birds could imitate human speech, but this wasn’t imitation. This wasn’t even a bird.

I opened my eyes and saw Grace standing above the Roc. They were under another streetlamp. They stared at each other, and it seemed as if there was lament in the Roc’s eye. She angled her lipstick at the Affect’s head. It all happened so quickly, but the Affect soon bubbled and disintegrated into the street.

The rain flowed down Grace’s face. I picked up my toque and walked over to her.

“What was that?”

She shook her head.

“Okay.”

I walked her to her apartment.

“Good night, Grace.”

“Call me?”

“Not tomorrow, but soon.”

She nodded. “Do you need an umbrella?”

“No, I like the rain.”

“Take care. Good night.”

I nodded.

She closed the door. I walked back into the rain. I listened to the city through the rain and I heard two voices.

A woman’s whisper: “We’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

And

Terrible laughter.

But that was only for a moment, and then it was quiet. Only the rain and my footsteps. I walked toward my apartment with my toque in my hand. I would be sure to wash it tonight to use it for tomorrow.

Text and Images © Jonathan Lee