Something was happening to him. Violet had offered Vaughn a new bandana and he took it gratefully. But when she turned away he found his fingers were numb and clumsy. He struggled to tie the cloth around his face. The more his hands shook the more he tried to force them to still and the worse the shaking became. Finally he got the bandana in place and he leaned to pick up his lantern. His grasping fingers made little sense of it, he couldn't pick it up, and with that he felt the first spike of true fear.
No, not fear. Something worse.
"Father," he said just as Zedarius spoke, forgetting that right now Malcolm was the Warden. Vaughn jumped like a frightened cat when the other knight suddenly went to a knee. Violet had said something about maggots, there were maggots in the body, and for a brief moment of unholy terror Vaughn thought, no, he was certain Zedarius had been infected by the worms.
Chills raced over his flesh and he began to sweat cold like he had a fever.
Vakhanor suggested that a few men stay behind and Vaughn turned back towards the hole. Already he was eager to get the hell out of here, a stark contrast since he had been the first through to the other side. But then the worms' screaming hit them again and he recoiled. "No!" Bad enough before, now the sound of it was worse, how could it be worse, maddening even. His hands went up to his ears trying to block it out. Vaughn backed up towards Malcolm but his feet were as clumsy as his hands. They hit something, maybe a rock, maybe his father's boots, and Vaughn slipped and went down.
Straight into the lap of the corpse.
Dead eyes over him, the stench of the man's insides, worms, worms, Seven they were touching him, and Vaughn shrieked and thrashed away from the body, bucking and kicking and fighting. Getting to his feet and throwing himself around the cavern trying to get them off, off! People reached out for him. Their reaching hands sent him floundering away with inexplicable fear. They were trying to grab him.
"Don't touch me!" Soon as he had his feet under him he turned and bolted, away from the cave-in and the people gathered there, the reaching hands, away from the worms in the body. As he ran he shucked his jacket, trying to be free of the crawling, and began to tug at his shirt but his hands were so clumsy they were useless and it was so dark he couldn't see.
He, he couldn't see.
Despite the terror of darkness he ran on. Resisting the urge to rip the bandana Violet had given him from his face. If possible the stench of human innards was getting stronger and he put an arm up to cover his mouth and nose over the bandana, once more gagging against the urge to vomit.
In the dark he came to a dead end, and panicked. Feeling trapped he doubled back, realizing as he did that there was an outcropping to the tunnel side. It wasn't until he clattered up and over another pile of fallen rocks, perhaps the result of a different collapse, that he saw faint light.
There was the glow of something, of worms collected into a mass in the middle of the room. There he could make out a still, dark pool.
There must have been thousands of worms in the water.
Deadly silent like something from a nightmare Vaughn crept forward towards the pool. Drawn towards it to see as one is drawn to check if there are monsters in the closet or under the bed. Again he tripped and fell, feet slipping out from under him, then again, before he realized the floor was even more slick in this chamber, and scattered with unseen parts. Bodies.
This newest horror was confirmed when he crawled forward and his hands met a still, warm form. Vaughn skittered away on hands and knees, only to come across another one nearby. Bodies littered the floor around the pool, some fallen half into the water, and he was too frightened to check if they were living or dead. Too late he saw this last one he'd touched was full to bursting with worms. As he disturbed them the creatures began again to scream and scream, wailing so loud it rattled the sense from his head, and Vaughn backed away only to find he didn't know where the exit was anymore. It was lost in the dark.
A mind poisoned by fear told him there was no escape, and he held as still as he could then, not knowing what to do, deafened and almost intoxicated by the worms' shrieking.
No, not fear. Something worse.
"Father," he said just as Zedarius spoke, forgetting that right now Malcolm was the Warden. Vaughn jumped like a frightened cat when the other knight suddenly went to a knee. Violet had said something about maggots, there were maggots in the body, and for a brief moment of unholy terror Vaughn thought, no, he was certain Zedarius had been infected by the worms.
Chills raced over his flesh and he began to sweat cold like he had a fever.
Vakhanor suggested that a few men stay behind and Vaughn turned back towards the hole. Already he was eager to get the hell out of here, a stark contrast since he had been the first through to the other side. But then the worms' screaming hit them again and he recoiled. "No!" Bad enough before, now the sound of it was worse, how could it be worse, maddening even. His hands went up to his ears trying to block it out. Vaughn backed up towards Malcolm but his feet were as clumsy as his hands. They hit something, maybe a rock, maybe his father's boots, and Vaughn slipped and went down.
Straight into the lap of the corpse.
Dead eyes over him, the stench of the man's insides, worms, worms, Seven they were touching him, and Vaughn shrieked and thrashed away from the body, bucking and kicking and fighting. Getting to his feet and throwing himself around the cavern trying to get them off, off! People reached out for him. Their reaching hands sent him floundering away with inexplicable fear. They were trying to grab him.
"Don't touch me!" Soon as he had his feet under him he turned and bolted, away from the cave-in and the people gathered there, the reaching hands, away from the worms in the body. As he ran he shucked his jacket, trying to be free of the crawling, and began to tug at his shirt but his hands were so clumsy they were useless and it was so dark he couldn't see.
He, he couldn't see.
Despite the terror of darkness he ran on. Resisting the urge to rip the bandana Violet had given him from his face. If possible the stench of human innards was getting stronger and he put an arm up to cover his mouth and nose over the bandana, once more gagging against the urge to vomit.
In the dark he came to a dead end, and panicked. Feeling trapped he doubled back, realizing as he did that there was an outcropping to the tunnel side. It wasn't until he clattered up and over another pile of fallen rocks, perhaps the result of a different collapse, that he saw faint light.
There was the glow of something, of worms collected into a mass in the middle of the room. There he could make out a still, dark pool.
There must have been thousands of worms in the water.
Deadly silent like something from a nightmare Vaughn crept forward towards the pool. Drawn towards it to see as one is drawn to check if there are monsters in the closet or under the bed. Again he tripped and fell, feet slipping out from under him, then again, before he realized the floor was even more slick in this chamber, and scattered with unseen parts. Bodies.
This newest horror was confirmed when he crawled forward and his hands met a still, warm form. Vaughn skittered away on hands and knees, only to come across another one nearby. Bodies littered the floor around the pool, some fallen half into the water, and he was too frightened to check if they were living or dead. Too late he saw this last one he'd touched was full to bursting with worms. As he disturbed them the creatures began again to scream and scream, wailing so loud it rattled the sense from his head, and Vaughn backed away only to find he didn't know where the exit was anymore. It was lost in the dark.
A mind poisoned by fear told him there was no escape, and he held as still as he could then, not knowing what to do, deafened and almost intoxicated by the worms' shrieking.