Servio | Time Doesn't Make the Past Less Filthy
"Alright." Servio dismounted from his horse. "Better say goodbye to these guys, cause we won't be seeing them anymore."
"What?" Kiara said.
"Don't you what me like that," Servio replied, steel in his voice. "We're heading into the Outskirts. If we bring the horses, we'll be a prime target. A bit of walking won't ruin your boots."
"Oh."
Elise jostled him. "C'mon, give the girl a break," she said, trying to sound cheerful. She turned to Kiara. "You'll, uh, get used to him."
"A break? What ya going to do with them anyway, eat 'em?" Servio toyed with his necklaces. "Besides, the factory's not far." He pointed.
Rising above the rickety houses, bursting through the noxious smoke too heavy to be called air like an ulcer, a building loomed over the landscape. It twisted into the air, greedy. Its shadow was lost in the ground.
"That's... large."
Servio nodded. "We'd best get a move on. It's farther than it looks."
They tied the horses to a post by a sad little field. Elise produced an apple from somewhere and fed it to hers. It whinnied, but otherwise seemed unperturbed. Then, the group turned and began to walk.
The mist here existed regardless of time of day, constant. Servio thought it reflected the misery of this place pretty well. Never thought he'd be coming back to it, though. Still, money was money, right?
In the mist he could see dark figures moving, pushing past each other and vanishing, like a hellish carnival. They came at him, far too close, until he could see eyeballs glinting and crooked teeth. When he swatted them away, they retreated with laughter.
Maybe it wasn't worth it this time.
The other two clustered around him. He stared at Kiara, amused, and she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not jittery."
"Boo."
She jumped, he laughed. "Don't worry," Servio said. "The denizens here are just a bit lively. Try not to look rich, though. Unless you're a cat. Even then, I've seen some cats go down real fast in the river."
The colossus that was the factory drew nearer. Funny, he thought. It had been around since he was a kid, that much he remembered. His Dad had worked there. Everyone knew nothing legal went on there, but this was the first time, in his knowledge, something was doing about it. They must have screwed up real good with the Council.
The ground was cracked and smoking here. The air smelled of sulfur, but had darker, more ominous undertones. It stuck to his throat, as if condensing into glass. There were fewer houses here, and fewer people.
"The factory has been falling into disrepair recently," Servio said, "The government's been caring less, so no funds. That means it's probably going to be more dangerous... but I like that. We're going to have to take a look around first. This place is big, but pretty deserted. I bet we could sneak in easy, or something. I'm not the planner here, right?"
Servio and Elise looked at Kiara.
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