Fear, Hate And Hurting
Bailey stumbled through the Oddworld jungle, neither seeing nor caring where she was headed. She just had to get away from Stranger. She didn’t know why and she didn’t have the emotional energy to work it out.
She just needed space, she told herself. Yeah, that was it, space. Even as she tried to convince herself that was all she wanted she knew she was a liar.
But she wouldn’t turn back, she was too stubborn, had too much pride in her to turn back.
There was no turning back. She had made her decision and she was going to stick to it…
¤§¤
Stranger sat on the barstool, depressed. He should have gone after her. But he had been too stubborn, too aware of his pride. And now it was too late. Bailey was long gone.
“What canna get’cha?” asked the Clakker barkeeper.
“Anything.” Muttered Stranger, “Just as long as it knocks ma flat…” the Clakker raised an eyebrow but shrugged and did as he was told, if someone wanted to drink themselves into oblivion who was he to complain? It was all good business.
Stranger wasn’t normally a heavy drinker, so it was only a few drinks later that he was singing a drunken beer-song and giggling stupidly with the other patrons and making a pointless, disjointed rant while the others at the bar all nodded sagely and tried to look as if they were actually understood what he was talking about…
“So I told ‘er,” continued Stranger, swaying slightly, neon green eyes unfocused, hat askew, “I told ‘er, ‘Fine, go then, what makes yer fink I needed yer!” he swayed more violently and sobered marginally, his voice lowering, “So she went, she went an’ I neva said I woz sorry…I didn’t mean it, I woz jus’ angy,” he frowned drunkenly, “No, tha’s not it, I was arguy? Nah, I was ang, aggy, I woz real mad…but I need ‘er really, she’s all I got, the only friend I has…”
“Bah! Women,” spat one of the other Clakkerz, who was also, completely sozzled, “Oo needs ‘em?”
“I do…” muttered Stranger and took another swig of his drink. And fell ungracefully over the stool. Unconscious.
Some of the other patrons tutted and shook their heads,
“Can’t hold his liquor that wun.” They agreed before drinking themselves into similar stupors…
¤§¤
Stranger groaned. His head felt like it was going to explode and that sunshine wasn’t helping either. Nor was the sensation he’d just swallowed a mouthful of sand, which may have been accurate as he was sprawled out on the floor outside the bar (‘The Drunken Chicken’) with his face pressed into the dirt…
Finally Stranger decided it was time to get up and slowly, painfully inched his way to the wall of the tavern so he lever himself to his feet. He managed it eventually but swayed unsteadily as the world spun crazily.
He wondered why he had drunk so much the night before…and then he remembered.
Bailey.
She was gone.
Delayed misery made Stranger slide back down to the floor, back against the wall. He was such an
idiot! He’d just let her go when she’d needed him most, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it.
“I should ‘ave gone after ‘er…I should-” he put his head in hands. What if she got hurt? What if she died? She was only a kid. He cursed to himself, he shouldn’t have blown up at her like that. He should have said that he didn’t want her to leave him, said he liked her company, said he needed that loudmouth, cocky kid…said he needed her.
Stranger let out a sigh and forced himself to his feet.
There was no point in this. What was done, was done, there was no changing it. He’d just go on to Birdington like he’d planned. He’d been alone for a long time before now, he could do it again.
But he had the feeling it was going to be a lot harder going back…
¤§¤
Bailey hadn’t slept but had walked through the night. It had been the worst night of her life. Unknown noises shrieked in the darkness and voices screamed in triumph of a successful hunt – or fear of a successful hunt.
Bailey shivered.
Even now in daylight she could still hear the echoes of those screeches in her mind, magnified hideously until they blocked out everything else.
She ached inside and out, she missed Stranger and felt stabs of misery as she remembered Abe and Slick, Scrab and Paramite, and all the others she’d left behind.
Finally Bailey couldn’t take it anymore, she sank to the floor and curled into a ball as she gave a scream of her own that silenced all the creatures near by as she let out all of her tears.
She was alone.
¤§¤
Stranger walked. Mechanically setting one foot in front of the other, but his mind wandered, mostly just thinking miserably of Bailey.
He therefore didn’t notice the shadow matching his pace, hidden in the tree-line. A shadow armed with a gun… A shadow that watched him constantly and melted into the darkness of the trees at every opportunity that Stranger could have seen it…
Stranger walked all day non-stop along the dusty trail between Buzzarton and Birdington. And finally, as the sun was setting he topped a rise that ended in a sheer drop and saw it before him, like a long dead animal skeleton picked clean and half-buried in sand, nestling between the two clawed ends of the crescent shaped cliff.
This was it. This was where he was going to find that big payoff. The bounty that would sort his problem once and for all.
And Bailey wasn’t here with him.
Stranger shook his head. He had to forget her, forget the little human that had made him laugh and argued with him when no-one else would. The only person that was not afraid of him. He’d only gotten used to the idea of having a companion and started to enjoy Bailey’s company and now she had gone.
Stranger pushed those thoughts from his mind. He had no time for them.
He looked around for a trail that led to the bottom of the basin and soon found it. An old track used by the Clakker hikers that lead around the wall of the basin, past a ranger outpost and down to the town itself.
Stranger remained where he was for a moment, savouring the sensation that would finally be able to fund the operation procedure and put his past behind him. And then he began to follow the path downward, the shadow darting from outcrops of rock behind him…
When he reached the ranger station (which he found deserted), it was already dark and Stranger, knowing the town gates would not be opened until daybreak, prepared to spend the night in the abandoned outpost.
Above him, on one of the shed rooves the shadow bunkered down as well, tomorrow, there would a confrontation…
¤§¤
Stranger was woken up by the prod of a gun barrel.
“Gittup. And put yer ‘ands where I can see ‘em.” Said a harsh voice, the voice of an Outlaw. Stranger cursed silently, why hadn’t he seen this coming!? He was getting slack, Bailey’s departure had evidently affected him more then he’d taken credit for. He obeyed the voice and rose, putting his hands in the air and reaching surreptitiously for his crossbow.
Only to find he didn’t have it.
Stranger cursed out loud this time, the Outlaw snickered.
“Yer sleep deep Stranger, it’s not ‘ealthy.” The Outlaw chuckled again. “I’m sure I’ll git a nice price for that purdy head of yours.”
“Yer ain’t takin’ ma in alive then?” Stranger asked innocently, “Yer get a bigger payoff I’ll warrant.”
“What? And give yer time ta escape? D’you think I’m completely stupid Stranger.”
“Well…”Stranger shrugged and made an indecisive sound.
“Nah, I’ll takes ya in dead, easier fer the both of us.” Stranger heard the click of the Outlaw’s gun being cocked, “WHAT THE-!” and another voice laughing;
“A-LOHA!” A shot fired, Stranger flinched but the bullet whizzed past him, missing him by several feet. There was a yell that at first confused Stranger until he realised that it wasn’t one voice but
two, one was raised in fury and the other in shock and terror and then there was a wet thud…
Stranger turned and looked over the each of the platform he and the Outlaw had been on.
The Outlaw’s body lay in several pieces on a narrow shelf in the rocks below. Someone came up beside him and looked over as well. They didn’t say anything, but just looked.
Stranger turned and faced none other then Bailey, still brandishing her spear in one hand and holding his crossbow in the other.
“I believe this is yours.” She said and offered it to him. Stranger took it.
“Thankee kindly.” An uncomfortable, self-conscious silence hung between them, Bailey looked at the floor and shuffled her feet. “Well? Yer…comin’ wiv me or what?” Stranger asked slightly hoarse. Bailey nodded.
“Yeah,” she glanced at him, those bright green eyes were glowing, “Yeah I’m comin’.”
¤§¤
The awkward silence had yet to abate and lift. Every time either one of them had tried to start a conversation they had petered out and the silence had fallen again. Obviously they were still hurting from their earlier argument, and their friendship had been shaky as it was.
It was mid morning when the pair reached the main gates of Birdington. But no-one seemed to be up yet…
“Odd-damn lazy…” Stranger’s mutterings were too low for Bailey to hear but she had the shrewd suspicion that they weren’t flattering. “OI! Birdbrains! GET UP!” he yelled towards one of the guard towers at the side of the gates. There was a far-away squawk and thud as if someone had just fallen out of bed. And then an irate voice that forcefully reminded Bailey of some kind of kid’s cartoon animated chicken at home.
“Whadda ya want!?” squawked the voice and a head that completely matched the voice poked out of the tower’s window. Bailey blinked.
“Well damn, it’s a giant chicken!” she muttered. Stranger threw her an amused glance and then yelled to the ‘chicken’,
“Open tha gate yer lazy Clakker!”
“Well I neva!” squawked the ‘Clakker’ clearly offended, “Folks have no manners these days!” Bailey expected Stranger to yell some kind of threat but instead Stranger deflated;
“Yer’d better open that gate!...Please…” Bailey was so surprise by Stranger’s reaction that she said the first thing that came to mind, and for a second the uneasiness lifted as she commented;
“Oh yeh,
that’s real scary Stranger…” She grinned broadly and Stranger grinned at her in return but then the awkwardness fell again and they both broke the glance.
“Tha’s betta! Just a moment please.” The Clakker disappeared and a few minutes later the great town gates creaked and opened.
“C’mon kid.” Stranger nodded his head toward the gate and led the way into Birdington.