Chapter 33
A Worm, A Warrior, and A Ghost
"What the actual fuck is that?"
Mabel swayed dramatically, extending to her full length. "Excuse me? That? I am not a… that, thank you very much. I am a fully sentient being of considerable sophistication and—"
I raised my hands slowly, palms out. "Guys, it's okay. She's with me."
"WITH you? It's coming OUT of your neck, Fish."
"Yes, and you're being terribly rude about it, after I've spent days guiding this walking disaster through the wilderness, saving his life multiple times, I might add—"
"Mabel," I cut in. "That isn't helping."
Zo looked between me and the worm, her expression a mix of disgust and fascination. "Mabel? You named the parasite?"
"I named MYSELF, thank you."
"She's part of my Origin, she's been with me since my trial. She's not controlling me or anything. She's just... loud."
"LOUD?" Mabel's front segments flattened in outrage. "WELL I NEVER!"
Zo didn't lower her axe. "I knew your origin had to do with worms, but I had no idea they could talk."
"Just the one, thankfully," I said.
"I am UNIQUE," Mabel corrected. "The others are just drones. Mindless little worker worms. I, however, am clearly the evolutionary pinnacle of—"
"Mabel," I said firmly. "Let me handle this."
She huffed but retracted slightly, coiling closer to my neck in what I recognized as her sulking position.
"My Origin is called Vermis Incarnate, the worms... they're part of me now. Most of them just do what I tell them. But Mabel, she's different. She's got her own consciousness."
"And impeccable style," Mabel muttered against my collar.
Sadie's eyes narrowed. "And what does she eat?"
"The same things I do," I said carefully. "She's part of me. If I feed, she feeds."
"And what exactly do you feed on, Fish?" Zo asked, her voice suddenly very quiet.
I met her eyes. "Whatever I have to."
"I'll tell you everything," I promised. "But first... can we maybe lower the weapons? It's been a really long few days."
◆◆◆
I told them everything that had happened since we were separated. And how I found their tracks, realizing the initials carved in the trees would most likely lead me to them.
Zo nodded. "That was Sadie's idea."
By the time I finished, the Mist Singers' wailing had faded to a distant chorus, the worst of the Long Dark passing as we talked.
"Your turn," I said finally. "What happened to you two after the tear?"
Zo and Sadie exchanged a look. Then Zo took the lead, as she always did.
"We got lucky," she said simply. "We landed together."
"By pure chance," Zo said, poking the embers with a stick.
"The first day was… confusing. We didn't know where we were."
"We started walking," Sadie added. "Thought we'd find people, or at least shelter."
"We found neither," Zo said grimly. "And then night came."
Her voice grew heavy as she described their first Long Dark. The terror of the Mist Singers' wailing. They had no shelter, no way to defend themselves.
"We were going to die... but someone found us."
"Someone?"
Zo nodded. "A figure in the mist. Just a shadow, really. We couldn't see its face. It led us to a rocky shelter… a lot like this one actually and showed us how to block the entrance."
"What do you mean showed you how?"
"It just... moved the rocks. It gestured for us to help, so we piled stones across the entrance, blocking out the mist."
"When morning came, it was gone, like a ghost."
My blood ran cold. I remembered the eyes watching me through the mist last night.
"I think I saw it too… last night, in the cave where I slept. Someone was watching me through the mist."
"Did it approach you?" Sadie asked sharply.
I shook my head. "It just watched me. Then it disappeared."
"It's never tried to talk to us… It just helped us."
"And you have no idea what it is?"
"None," Zo admitted.
She continued their story. They'd spent days learning the land, finding shelter before each Long Dark descended. They discovered the Greywood and made camp, hoping to spot any sign of the others.
"The fire you saw two nights ago," Zo said. "That was us. A signal, in case anyone was looking."
"Well, it worked!"
Zo smiled. "Yeah. It did."
Sadie leaned forward. "You mentioned the initials. Z.S. We carved them everywhere we went… in case anyone else ended up here."
"We didn't know if anyone else survived. You, Rafe, Sophie... we had no way to know."
"Rafe and Sophie, have you seen any sign of them?"
Zo's expression darkened. "No, but that doesn't mean they're not out there."
Zo looked at me, then at Mabel, who was wrapped around my shoulders.
"You sure that thing isn't going to cause problems?"
"I am RIGHT HERE," Mabel huffed. "And I have a name, thank you very much."
Zo snorted. "Your worm's got attitude, Fish."
"You have NO idea," I muttered.
Sadie was watching Mabel out of the corner of her eye. "Can it—she—fight?"
"Can I FIGHT?" Mabel's segments rippled with indignation.
"She helps," I cut in. "...though I have never actually tested her in battle."
"And she's really part of you?" Zo asked. "Not some... I don't know, parasite that's taken over?"
"I'm as much a parasite as your delightful personality is," Mabel snipped. "We're completely integrated. A partnership of equals, although I contribute significantly more to the intellectual side of—"
"Yes, she's part of me."
"This is going to be interesting," Sadie said.
Another night survived. Another day to face whatever this world threw at us.
But this time, I wasn't facing it alone.
I had found my friends. And together, we would find the others…
Rafe and Sophie were out there somewhere.
I had to believe that, and Horn's Rest was the first step toward finding them.
"We should get some rest," Zo said, settling back onto her bedroll.
I nodded, suddenly aware of the exhaustion weighing me down.
"I'll take the first watch," Sadie offered, moving toward the cave entrance.
"No need, Mabel doesn't sleep. She can wake us if anything approaches."
"That's me," Mabel preened. "Endlessly useful. A paragon of vigilance. A sentinel of—"
"Mabel," I groaned.
"Fine, fine," she huffed. "Rest your fragile human bodies. I'll guard your slumber with unwavering attention."