He Was Almost Absorbed By The System - Part Two

Chapter One Hundred And Seventy - What Lurks In Dark Alleys

Aidan's first thought was to spend the money on meat; a scrag of mutton, half a pound of sausages and some pickled herrings. The butcher complained about changing the coin into smaller coins, so Aidan asked for a pound of dried bacon. With this hefty sum of purchased meat, the butcher was satisfied, but it left Aidan less money to buy the boots he needed. Still, he managed to buy a reasonable pair as well as one second hand set of simple clothes; ones without frills and ribbons and a second hand woollen coat that took a hefty sum of coin. After placing aside one weeks rent, he was left with just enough money to buy vegetables, cheese, eggs and mushrooms.

Much of the meat would not last long, but Aidan's scrawny form needed an injection of protein, so he would not regret the purchase. He also knew his Landlady was due and would appreciate the cooked sausages as much as his tastebuds did. With a sigh and a rounded stomach, indicating that he may have consumed too much that evening, he decided to walk a distance to ease his gut. He lifted the lid of the simmering mutton stew to add a little seasoning, replaced it then wrapped himself in his new coat. The thick material brought him instant warmth.

The leathers of the new boots were hard and he suspected he would have blisters by the end of this walk, but at least his socks would remain dry, so he put up with the discomfort. The cobbled streets were becoming quiet, though he could hear some merriment from the pub just down the street. He had applied for work there, but they had thrown him out due to his reputation as a drunk and a whore. Hence why he polished the boots and shoes of wealthy men in the inner city now for pennies. With a sigh, he muttered to himself that it could not be helped.

A scuffling sound drew him from his musings and he glanced down a nearby alley, but backed away to avoid drawing attention to himself. Muggers and streetwalkers were constant occupants of alleyways, best to leave them to their own devices. There was a grunt and a growl and a wooden cane flew out from the shadowed space, rolling along the cobbles as it fell, close to Aidan's feet. There were splashes of red upon its copper handle. Aidan gulped and stepped another pace away.

A sudden silence swept over the area, before a low growl filled the air, but the sound did not seem canine in origin. A sweeping noise followed a thud and then again as it something was being dragged with each heavy step. Aidan knew he should run, but for some reason also felt as if he could not, as if he needed to see whatever would come from that alleyway. Shock descended as his eyes fell upon a humanoid creature emerging from the shadows. It's skin was grey and eyes seemed yellow in the weak flickering light of the street lamps. Flaps of flesh hung loose below its eye sockets, so the black hollows could be seen around the round orbs. Skin upon the rest of its jaw was patchy, revealing black gums and yellow teeth. Fresh blood dripped from the exposed incisors and down its wrinkled neck. Its clothing was of fine materials, but torn and dirty, stained in all sorts of strange colours.

It slowly approached Aidan, one leg dragging alone the cobblestones, giving the youth time to snap out of his frozen stance and grab the cane. It was not much of a weapon, but with his martial arts and sword skills, as rusty as they were, hopefully they would be enough. He kept at a distance from the creature, it was not agile with its unusable leg, but it was persistent. The length of the cane allowed him small leeway as he swiftly moved behind it and swiped at weak points in its lower back, its knees and neck, but the creature did not seem to feel any pain from these jabs. Indeed as Aidan managed to force it to lose its balance, it twisted its wrist until its hand was unnaturally bent, but it simply stumbled to its feet and continued its steady pace in order to reach him.

Aidan felt at a loss. Best that he ran, perhaps and save his life? Surely it could not keep up with him due to its disability. However the decision was taken away from him as shuffling once more occurred within the alleyway and a second monster revealed itself. This one appeared much more human that the first, a man, its clothes were tailored, though stained with copious amounts of red blood around the neck and its skin was ashen, but not grey. However, as with the first, it's eyes were yellow and its nails were tipped black and it ambled much more quickly towards Aidan intent on getting to him. It opened its mouth in anticipation to reveal black gums and tongue and growled as the first had done. It stretched forward its arms, revealing that it wore a white leather bracer decorated with black dials.