Shudouren
Posted on September 15th, 2008 by T'Kirr

“Shudouren”
T’Kirr

Jel stepped carefully over a rusted pipeline. At least this one wasn’t busted and spraying him with foul-smelling water like the one he’d passed five minutes ago. He’d have to come back to fix that one later. This deep in the complex, no one cared about repair work–until now, apparently, when it started affecting the systems above. It was dank, and the air tasted like it hadn’t circulated for centuries.

If his lead hadn’t insisted he relieve Hruznei down at the end of the corridor, Jel would’ve never come down this far in the first place. Why the more experienced plumber couldn’t just get back to it after Hruznei had his break was beyond him. The company–what was its name again? Something in manufacturing, he couldn’t remember–had wanted it fixed as soon as Ren-ly possible, and there was no time to take half an hour break? Jel had suggested they just put more than one person on it, but Hruznei, the all-knowing plumber of more years than Jel had probably been alive, insisted it was a one-man job and assured the boss he’d just be wasting labor.

In Jel’s opinion, he was wasting labor now.

There was a sudden echoing shout, and the sound of metal hitting metal. It had to be Hruznei, and it had sounded like he’d just dropped his tools. Jel couldn’t help the grin that spread over his face. It seems the master made mistakes, too, and wasn’t afraid to express them when he thought he was alone in the depths of a giant utility building. The following hurried shuffling was curious, but what made Jel stop in his tracks was the continued shouts, frantic and desperate. Sprinting footfalls echoed off the unforgiving walls, and Jel stood watching, confused as hell.

Jel looked on as the running became loud and very near, and he nearly jumped as Hruznei, wild-eyed and panting, launched his considerable weight around the corner. He almost hit the wall as he came around, but pushed himself off with a hand, his stride hardly breaking as he barreled down towards Jel.

“Shudouren!” Hruznei bellowed, his crazed eyes fixing on Jel. He didn’t slow, and Jel had to throw himself to the side, his back colliding with the wall, to avoid being tackled. Hruznei flew by at full speed and continued on down the way Jel had come, yelling, “Run! Shudouren!”

The man disappeared at the other end, his heavy running and manic shouting echoing back and finally dissipating.

So, Hruznei had finally gone mad.

Shudouren were a myth. Children across Milyax quivered in their beds as their parents told them scary stories of rock monsters crushing miners and great tree roots coming alive and attacking excavators. They had no tangible form of their own, but always manifested in the darkest of crevices, shying away from the daylight. Legend had it they came from much deeper than they were found, choosing to hug the molten core of the planet. In the stories, they only came into contact with Ren when the foolish people ventured very, very deep into the ground.

The Species of Night. Jel snorted and sagged against the wall as the rediculous childhood nightmare flooded him with relief. Hruznei had always been very superstitious. It was one thing Jel and his mates had been able to make fun of about him that didn’t piss him off enough to earn painful retaliation. Hruznei had probably been jeered his whole life and had come to accept that people were going to tease him forever.

Jel faced the way Hruznei had come and listened. He heard nothing.

What could have spooked Hruznei so badly? As a plumber, it’s kind of impossible to have any sort of claustrophobia, so the tunnels couldn’t have been getting to him. Although, Jel had to admit, the place made even him uncomfortable.

Deciding there was nothing else for it but to check it out and see what the fuss was about, Jel started off towards the corner Hruznei had come from, trying not to dwell on Hruznei’s crazed eyes and pitched shouts.

Rounding the corner, Jel saw that the corridor far ahead of him was unfinished. He walked quickly to where the walls and flooring literally just ended, and ahead was just dirt and rock, like they’d tunneled it out and decided they’d gone far enough and didn’t need to bother anymore. He wondered if the company desperate for repairs was the original owner of the building, and if it had gotten a good deal on the place.

Then, an even stranger thought occurred to Jel. Where was the pipe socket Hruznei was fixing? There were no pipes ahead of him, just an unfinished tunnel. Jel knew he hadn’t passed it yet. His lead had told him to just keep walking until he found Hruznei, but Jel knew it was a lever socket, and he hadn’t seen one on his way down. No, he had to have passed it–there was no other explanation; but what was Hruznei doing over here? And hadn’t Hruznei dropped his tools? Certainly he wouldn’t have picked them up in his haste, but Jel didn’t see them on the floor. He moved forward, searching the darkened dead end in the offlight from the last beacon around the corner and down the hall.

Bits of rock crunched under his feet as he searched the bare ground. No tools. Jel looked up at the rock face, wondering what Hruznei had seen. Something that wasn’t there, obviously. Maybe Hruznei was dehydrated and sleep-deprived and had seen the rock warping out of the corner of his eye, or–

The sound of tiny gravel shifting made Jel turn and look up at the ceiling. He’d heard it, for sure, but couldn’t see any loose rock. Maybe that’s what had scared Hruznei. He’d been pondering shadow people, and the slightest noise set him off. That had to be it. Where was the crack?

Jel jumped when the deafening crunch of breaking rock roared behind him. He whirled about just in time to see the whole of the rock face tipping down towards him. Jel jerked back, but not before a piece of rock fell from the ceiling and cracked against his skull. He cried out and fell to the ground, a crushing mass of rock following and pinning him helpless.

Pain coursed through him and he yelled in agony. All went still and quiet but for his pleading cries, the rocks above him refusing to move. He could see light coming from over the pile of rubble where it reflected off the corridor ceiling just beyond. It had been a thin wall of rock, and the finished hallway continued on as if the rock had never been there at all. Jel’s pain was suddenly forgotten as the rock at the top began to bend and move. With wide eyes, he stared as the bending rock became ropelike and stretched, casting out and gripping the wall. More tendrils, climbing the wall and snatching at the ceiling formed a web of gooey rock. The network of cords suddenly straightened, as if drawing tight, and pain returned to Jel’s body. The weight on him was lifting.

The pressure stopped just short of freeing him. Jel panted in pain and fear. Suddenly, the powdered rock at his head began melting together, and he yelled in horror as it became gooey like the web above. It formed a sloppy cord and sprang over him, coming down over his neck.

Jel screamed.

The light from the beacon down the hall grew darker. Just before the world went completely black, there was a voice in his head.

We are the Shudouren. You will pay for poisoning us.