Acheronian [WIP]
But of course a deer is reluctant to act.
The idle chirring of unseen insects, likely seasonal cicadas of some variant,
hummed droningly against a seemingly innocuous monotonously yellow and green
backdrop. Unshaken, or more appropriately, wholly unaware, of the bleak
circumstances the world around them finds themselves in, spared the desperation
of a ruined existence.
A stretch of tall grass near the road wavered slightly, catching a mild
updraught of the stale breeze. They wobbled lazily, almost responding in turn to
the heat beating down from the unrelenting sun above.
Again, movement in the grass, but this time the wind was still. The motion was
subtle; careful, even. The faint, obscured outline weaved through the reedy
veil, taking slow and calculated steps forward. Mindful, though, to not
trespass too closely near the edge, where the concealment would give way.
A small sound abruptly ensued; a short and discreet waft from the hidden figure:
a sneeze of all things sounded out of the otherwise unassuming environs.
"Fucking dammit," an irritated voice sounded out. The volume was mellow, spoken
under his own voice, but possibly audible to anyone nearby.
But there was no one.
The deer shook his head, annoyed at the failings of his own body. Allergic to
grass? A pettier thing couldn't be imagined. He shook his head, bringing with
it the grace in shame of the unseemly large antlers he bore upon his visage
along with it. Those things were quite a sight, in different circumstances, but
encumbering in a situation like this.
There were no threats; the ever so cautious creature was safe, for now. What
an untimely gratification, thinking that the next few precious moments could be
savoured as the opposite of a guaranteed threat.
He grunted self-consciously to himself, the burden of both being present in this
harrowing scenario along with the obnoxious chafe of the the unwieldy rucksack
upon his back doubling up on him. The deer had never been one of great physical
endurance, much to his dismay.
Not to let the small trifles of life bog him down, he shook his head derisively,
bringing forth the sway of his elegant, yet sombre outline. "Focus," he thought
to himself, making an attempt to fulfil some sense of determination. This was
despite the fact there was an open wound upon the bridge of his snout, provoking
a mild soreness throughout his being.
"The flesh is weak," the deer resounded. "The flesh is weak." Numerous pangs
of agony burned his core, whether the source physical or mental. These setbacks
were a contrivance, objects of contempt. It was clear he was angrier than hell
at his excuse for a physique, a rage that was converted into resolve through
sheer disbelief at this point.
Despite the introspection, the setting remained intact. The intent was
similarly clear: open the boot of the car, check for resources. How could
anything be simpler?
A bead of sweat ran down the deer's forehead, hanging for a brief moment along
the edge of his chin.
"Why am I afraid?"
The gnawing sense of disgust flowed shortly through his aching frame. "But of
course a deer is reluctant to act," his thoughts coursed aggressively.
"Fucking rubbish."
He moved almost in sync with an internal pulse, ignoring the impulses from his
unfettered, yet dense feral mind. It was an object of perpetual torture,
constantly fighting off the impetuous narrative the darkest reaches of his
brain would populate without permission.
Checking left, right, and left again, the deer swiftly positioned himself behind
a nearby vehicle. Long legs gave way to long, quiet strides--one after another
until their destination had been reached. It was an older machine that had
obviously seen better days (the vehicle, that is), one that happened to have a
bumper sticker reading "Carbon Tax Me," a statement meant for a distant era.
The car itself hadn't aged well, but had somehow avoided being vandalised as of
yet.
He sighed deeply, his thin chest rising and falling in a despondent, erratic
rhythm. What had the world been so pointlessly occupied with to generate such a
stupid remark? The deer would never fully know, honestly, and the less time he
spent worrying about it, the better.
A quick flick of the wrist produced a rugged knife from his hip, deliberately
poised to be dispensed at a moment's notice. Another jerk of the neck side to
side, just in case, before he began his entry into the car's trunk. As he
nimbly fumbled with wedging the blade between the metallic seam, his thoughts
began wandering again.
An indiscriminately random thought crossed his mind, stroking his already
persistent anxiety. "The fuck?" The deer was possibly getting more exhausted
than he was allowing himself to admit. "Focus."
Blurring began to fill his peripheral vision, accompanied by a swelling ringing
that began washing into his usually acute hearing. His mismatched eyes slightly
defocused, an opaque glaze invading the scene in front of him.
"Shit. Shit, shit shit." Whatever this was had been happening recently, often at
the worst possible time.
As fast at it had begun, the episodic symptoms ceased.