Dark Tidings

Chapter 26 - The Ritz Cracker

A rough track led them out of the small forest and onto a larger road. Tung hummed a happy tune, it was good to be travelling again.

"I wish we knew where we were going," said Madrick.

"Come on, look on the bright side. If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there."

"I think you'll find that that's a bad thing, my friend. We need to get ourselves a purpose; a direction."

"Head north, you said. We'll end up in Thamesius, you said. We'll get lost among the throngs in the big city."

"Well yes, that's if Thamesius is still there. Remember, it's been a thousand years since we left it."

VROOOOOOOM.

"Bloody hell," screamed Madrick as both men dived to the side of the road.

"What sort of monstrous beast from hell was that?" shouted Tung as he rolled onto his stomach and watched the 'thing' disappear into the distance.

"I don't know but it scared the bejabers out of me." He held up his hand to indicate that there was to be no more talk until his breathing and heartrate got back to near normal.

"Is it more of Mifal's magic?" said Tung. "I thought we'd left him far behind us." Tears of fear formed in his eyes.

VROOOOOOOM. VROOOOOOOM.

Two more cars raced past. Madrick clamped his hands hard over his ears and squeezed his eyes tight shut. Heavy breathing and pig-like grunts filled the next few moments as he tried to understand the procession of monsters which roared past. Then the eureka moment hit him.

"Hold on a minute, this isn't magic, these beasts are m-o-t-o-r c-a-r-s. We saw them through the magic window."

He'd seen the machines on the television but nothing could have prepared him for the overwhelming speed, the acrid smell and the deafening noise.

"My wildest nightmare couldn't dream up anything as hellish. Nothing could be more frightening," said Tung just before a massive articulated lorry whizzed past to prove him wrong. The violent windstorm which followed it nearly sucked him onto the road. "WHOA! Please God, take me back to Mifal's dungeon, I'll be his torturers' plaything rather than face these monsters."

"Come on, lad, be strong. If we don't get in their way, I don't think these things will hurt us."

"Yeah right, well you go and fight one, I'm staying right here. In fact, I'm going back to the little house, we were safe there."

"No, we weren't safe there, Barry-man proved that. We need to keep moving."

"But if one of those things hits us we'll be squished and splattered all over the ground."

"I told you, all we need to do is stay out of their way. I've been watching their behaviour and I think they go on the black bit of the track so if we stay at the edge of this dark torrent of roaring madness, we'll be safe."

After a bit more reassurance and persuasion, Madrick got Tung to move. They were on the road again or to be more precise, off the road, because they made sure they didn't stray onto the smooth black surface. Tung tucked himself in behind Madrick.

"What are you doing behind me?"

"If the monsters want to take one of us, they can take you, old man."

There were a few more close encounters of the very near kind but Madrick's strategy was working until one of the beasts drew up alongside them and a human head appeared at an opening in the side.