[Venks]

Author's note: Sorry for the long wait. School, work, drama, and girlfriend. Need I say more?

Chapter 3

Bright. Pretty. I reached for the greenish-yellow glowing bugs, but they were too far up. I wished that I had wings, then I could fly and play with the shiny bugs. Everything Froze...
The sun rose and fell countless times, I was taller now. Metal pants suspended me into the air, maybe I could reach the fire bugs now.
Sligs. Lost of Sligs. They carried cylindrical cans and from the cans death spewed out. Death devoured all the bugs, extinguishing my only light.
Darkness everywhere, I couldn't see.
Then a beautiful blue light sprang from a single being, a Mudokon...my friend. Something went wrong, the light full of life and love turned red speaking only death and power.
My friend cackled maniacally, he was suddenly wearing a business suit and smoking a giant cigar. I thought he was my friend, but all I saw there was a Glukkon.

The Red light shunned me and I fell into darkness. I kept falling until I landed on a stump that was once a magnificent tree. A giant wrinkled Mudokon head formed above me. The gargantuan orb opened its maw and roared:

Time changes all we hold dear
with understanding you need not fear
Now seek me out and release your dread
or all you love will turn to red

Several images began flying by: A forest full of promise and life, a empty village crying over times past, a menacing fortress emanating death, and a vast desert that revealed everything and nothing.

As the last image faded into darkness I unzipped my sleeping bag and fell down onto the hard, cold wooden floor. I was breathing heavily and dripping in sweat. My co-worker Joe woke up from the sound of me falling and tip toed over to me, hoping to avoid stepping on anything sharp in this messy little shack. Joe knelt down and asked with shock in his voice, "Ugai are you ok?"
The room was silent save for the wind shaking the feeble house and my heavy breathing. Slowly I responded, "Yes Joe, I'm fine." The Mudokon gave me a questioning look then slowly crept back to his make-shift bed which was mostly tattered rags and itchy Meep wool. I climbed into my pants and went outside closing the door silently behind me.
Fresh air flowed into my lungs as I looked into the night sky, it was still late and I could see the moon clearly, not a single cloud challenged its power. As I looked at the Mudokon hand-print in the moon memories of that Mudokon came back to mind. I risked my life to save that Mudokon, who in turn sacrificed himself to save me... why did he have to do that. I'm not special in any way I'm just a single Slig, I get no more use out of this life then him.
Slowly I went back to bed, water flowing down my cheeks in remembrance of the Mudokon I never knew.

For weeks the same dream with the Mudokon head haunted me, as well as the picture in my mind of a lifeless Mudokon. I never really went back to normal, I guess some things just shake the very core of anyone even a Slig. Joe and I were feigning work today, the stupid brown skin-tanned Gluckon watched us as he rocked back and forth in his squeaking wooden chair. Normally Jonuk stayed inside his house, the only one with air conditioning, while we worked. Unfortunately a Mudokon working crew from Rupture Farms was here today repairing and sprucing up the ranch. Joe was convinced that if we looked idle Jonuk would order us to do real work like assist them in fixing the roof. We faked work for hours until the Pud fell asleep in his chair, then we both headed over to the fence and sat down in what shade it offered.

"Man look at those RF guys work," Joe blurted. After a moment he added, "What pushes them to work so hard?"
I pondered over what my Mudokon buddy had just said, then an image appeared in my head of Sligs brutally beating Mudokons with their rifles in a small dark room. Blood was all over the floor, one of the blood covered Mudokons begged for mercy and was answered by a spray of bullets into his head. I snapped out of the vision breathing hard and looked over at my pal, I was shocked to see him covered in bright red fire as he laughed insanely. I shook my head in disbelief and looked at my friend again to see him back to normal but with concern in his eyes. I also noticed it was suddenly night when moments ago it was so early in the morning. Joe asked me, "You've been out for hours man, I tried to wake you up but you just kept screaming 'Don't kill me, please don't kill me!' Ugai.. are you ok?"
I let what my green-skinned friend said sink in then replied without really thinking, "Its those dreams... they're haunting me when I'm awake now."

"You've just seen to much dude, you need to take a vacation or something." When Joe said vacation a forest appeared in my mind beckoning me to come. I realized then what I had to do.
"Call me crazy Joe, but I'm leaving." I said getting off the ground and slowly making my way to my shack.
Joe pushed himself up and followed me with shock on his face. "Leaving?" Joe asked while following me, "Leaving leaving?"
"Yes I'm leaving leaving." I said while entering my pad and filling a bag with various supplies.
"Why?"
"Isn't it apparent? I'm going insane and I can't take this stuff anymore."
Joe's frown deepened and he tried to think of something to say in order to make me stay, but instead my best friend said: "Goodbye Ugai."
"Goodbye Joe."

I didn't really know where I was going, but something told me I was going the right way. I had followed the dirt path that leads from Jonuk's Meep Ranch to civilization, however when the wind kicked up it blew up a lot of sand and next thing I knew I was in the middle of a desert.
The merciless sun beat down on me making my pants excruciatingly hot, sand continued to find its way into my goggles irritating my eyes, and as if my mind wasn't troubled enough I kept seeing beautiful water parks that turned out to be nothing but cacti that hurt when you walked into them.
I lost count of how many hills of sand I had walked over before I gave up on life, it seemed to me the desert went on forever. I fell down crashing into the hot yellow sand and just waited for Oddworld to claim me for its own. Just then I heard a sound of something moving just behind me, my adrenaline started pumping and the fear of death put me back on my feet. Someone was standing right behind me, but I couldn't quite make him or her out with all the sand blowing around.

"Show yourself!" A craggy voice ordered. Not wanting to fight I slowly started walking towards the thing. "I said show yourself!" the voice continued, I know your there!" I walked right in front of the guy and I could finally make him out, he was a Slig with white skin, pants rustier then rust itself, and a black visor.
For what ever reason this guy couldn't see me, maybe his visor was out-dated so I said calmly, "Uh I'm right in front of you."
The Slig raised his rifle pointing it at my head with such speed it looked as if the gun spawned from his hands rather then the belt on his pants. "Playing with me are you?" He shouted in my face, "Well I don't like games, I'll show you to sneak up on me."
Not knowing what to do I replied, "Um... I didn't sneak up on you. I walked slowly right up to you.
"You did?" He asked and it appeared he believed me, "Sorry kid my senses ain't what they used to be." The albino Slig lowered his weapon and just started walking away.
"Wait a second who are you?" I asked.
The white Slig stopped moving and turned to face me, "Well I'm Number thirty-two thou..." Suddenly thinking better of it he pointed his gun at my head again and shouted: "Your a agent for Skillya arn't you? Your here to kill me arn't you? Your going to call me a mutant arn't you? Your just another mindless robot arn't you?"

The Slig continued to rant insanely then he fell down and broke into tears, this was the first Slig other then myself I had ever seen cry. I asked him the first thing that came to mind, "Why would I want to kill you?"

The albino Slig stopped sobbing and said, "My skin is white, my eyes don't work. I'm a useless mutant why wouldn't you kill me?"

Hoping to pacify the partially insane Slig I replied, "I'm not a merciless beast without a heart, thats why."

Something changed inside the albino Slig and he simply stated, "The names Flour, I've been hiding in this desert for months. If you need anything I'll be happy to help."

Not quite understanding the blind Slig's change of heart I introduced my self and my plight, "My Vykker code is CD-427, my assigned number is fifty-five thousand four-hundred twenty-eight. I go by Ugai, call me crazy but I dreamed that I had to get through this desert and into some death fortress."
If the Slig thought I was crazy he didn't show it, "Nothings wrong with followin your dreams Ugai, the nearest death fortress from here would have to be Dahmer's barracks."
"Dahmer?"
"Hes some insane Vykker that is trying to create cheaper and deadlier soldiers, from the looks of it he wants to replace us Sligs. The guy says were not meant to kill." The albino Slig shrugged then said, "If you want I can take you to the outskirts of his fortress, but after that I'm gone."
I nodded, "Thank you Flour."
"No problem."

I followed the blind Slig, sand blowing in my face, when I began wondering just how desperate I must be. Spontaneously Flour stopped moving and asked, "You hear that?"
I listened quietly for a second but all I heard was the rustling of wind and sand, "I don't hear anyth..." Before I finished my sentence I heard what sounded like a vehicle speeding strait towards us. I looked behind me to see the red truck moving faster then light about to hit me, Flour tackled me down barely getting us out of the way of being hit. The truck stopped and three odd creatures hopped out.
"Wolvarks..." Flour mumbled as if the word was the foulest thing on Oddworld. We got back up and watched as the Wolvarks carring hand guns joked stupidly to one another as they moved towards us.

"Well what do we have here Billy?" A Wolvark with a dirty wife-beater asked another.
The other Wolvark, who happened to be the smallest, replied, "Why dese are 'dem eastern city-folk guys dat think dey is good as us. Ain't that right little Bobby?"
Little Bobby, the tallest of the three Wolvarks, answered, "Yup. And do you know what we do with eastern losers?"
It seemed Little Bobby was going to say more when Billy interrupted, "Oh I know, we shoot 'em dead!"
Little Bobby turned to face Billy and shouted, "I was bout to say dat! Why yous gotta go and talk when I be trying to talk to the city-folk? You best to stop me Billy-bob or I'mma gonna kill Billy."
The previous unnamed Wolvark Billy-bob with the wife beater started shouting, "Naw you know what Ma' said, you know Billy is special and don't forget he didn't eva get ova Uncle-daddy leaving."
I just then noticed that the small Wolvark Billy's eyes seemed to be looking in opposite directions of each other... I don't think their supposed to be like that.

The three Wolvarks started shouting at each other until the albino blind Slig shouted, "You red-necks best to stop annoying me right now or I'll kill you all."

"Now I'm not da bestest at math but I knows when wes got more guns then yous guys." The tall and fat Wolvark little Bobby replied.

The stupid thing had a point we were out gunned, but also as is stupidly pointed out we were smarter.
"Didn't your mom tell you guys not to shoot anyone with glasses?" I asked.

"Nuh-uh we can shoot who eva we want," Billy-bob said.

"No I clearly remember her saying your not allowed to shoot anyone with glasses," I replied.

"Oh, yeah." The stupid oaf said. Then the three of them climbed back into their truck and drove off.
Flour looked over at me and said, "You know I'm pretty sure we could of killed them easily."
"Yeah I know, but theirs enough violence in this world don't ya think," I asked. The blind Slig nodded and we continued to tread towards Dahmer's barracks where ever it may be.