Jacob wandered at the base of the great decrepit ash tree. He weaved around boulders and clambered up roots as tall as buildings. Chunks of wood came away and powdered in his hands when he tried to find purchase. One of the roots was hollow inside. It was too dark to see anything, but he could just barely make out sounds from in there over the roaring wind and shouting of thunder. Sounds like… soft scratching.

He was careful not to slip and fall when he leapt to the other side of the gap. His footing groaned under him when he landed, but held.

So the way I die influences where I end up, Jacob mused while he traversed the difficult terrain. It’s absolutely no coincidence that I died by hanging and ended up… He glanced up at the countless corpses dangling from their ropes like the Christmas ornaments of a particularly gruesome deity. Ended up in Heaven for autoerotic asphyxiation. I wonder how many of these death realms are out there.

His plan was to make a full loop around the tree in the hopes of finding anything of interest. There had to be a reason for this place to be here. It couldn’t just be… nothing. He’d investigate the scratching inside that root if he had to, but he’d rather find any other breadcrumb trail to follow, if possible.

Jacob squeezed through a pile of boulders and came upon a long depression in the earth—like the furrow of a river—running away from the tree.

In his head, he felt an imaginary monkey’s paw curl.

There, in the furrow, a giant serpent wriggled, scaleless and pale and soft-bellied like a hideously overgrown worm. Black pus oozed from festering wounds along its body. Jacob could only tell it was a snake by its head, its long fangs sunk into a tree root. And even though the head was ostensibly serpentine, there was something wrong with that, too. Strangely flat and snub-nosed, with the eyes and lips of a man. The serpent suckled golden sap, the only spot of color Jacob had seen in this place, with greedy sucking sounds. Its eyes were shut tight in ecstasy, excess sap dribbling down its face and collecting in a small pool on the ground.

Okay. I’m guessing not friendly.

Jacob made to back away someplace out of sight and reassess his options, but the serpent threw one great eye open and swung it towards him. Its slitted pupil pulsed gold.

The serpent dislodged itself from the tree with a shower of rotted wood and coiled about itself, throwing boulders aside like pebbles. Its head rose high in the air, fixed on Jacob, and crept towards him with the deliberate slowness of a predator about to strike.

It took everything Jacob had in him not to turn and run. He was fairly certain that nothing bad could happen to him in the realms of death, that he would lose no memories by dying there.

There was nothing to lose, but that didn’t mean there was nothing to fear.

And he was feeling mighty fearful.

But he stood firm, let the serpent’s countenance come to eye-level. Its head was bigger than a horse, those startling gold eyes like dinner plates. It could easily swallow Jacob whole without needing to worry about choking.

The serpent inched closer, a sickly sweet stench of rot wafting off it. It moved so close they almost touched. A black tongue flitted out, quested across Jacob’s face, and left a trail of mucus between them when it retracted again. The Death Glare didn’t work on it, but then Jacob had found it didn’t work on anything in the realms of death.

The human features clashed with the animal ones most disturbingly. Jacob could not help but feel that this being was a thing that should not have been born, a malformed cosmic mistake.

“Hello,” Jacob said. “Are you planning to eat me?”

“Is the human tasty?” the serpent replied in a whispery thin voice, barely audible despite its size. “Is it fresh?”

He kept his voice steady. “I’m afraid not. I’d be a bit tough on the digestion, I think.”

The head moved from side to side, taking him in from different angles. Unblinking. Its bulk produced a hiss of flesh against rock as it settled in curves and ringlets over the uneven ground. Something about it reminded Jacob of a boy lying down on his belly to inspect an interesting bug he had found.

“Why is it here?” the serpent asked.

“Just, uh… looking around? But I can see that I’m disturbing your meal, so I’ll just—”

“What is it looking for?”

“I don’t know yet. I have the power to walk between life and death. I was hoping I would find something here to help me on the other side.”

“Does it seek a tree?”

Jacob glanced up at the ash tree, its enormity making even the serpent look small. “I don’t know. What does it do?”

“What does a tree do when it dies?”

“Nothing. It rots, I guess. Like that one.” He nodded in the tree’s direction.

“When a tree dies, how should one plant the new seed?”

Jacob sucked on his teeth. “Could you, uh, say something that’s not a question? I feel like I fell into a fable, and not a good one.”

“How should one best answer an unreasonable request?”

I see. It’s going to be one of those conversations.

At least it hasn’t eaten me yet.

“Right, well.” Jacob cleared his throat. “You seem friendly enough, so what do you think? Can you help me?”

“Does it seek gods’ brew?”

“The gold stuff?”

The serpent dragged its head around towards the leaky root, then back to him. “Does it survive the drinking?”

Jacob couldn’t quite tell if that was a threat or an expression of concern. He decided to believe the latter. “I don’t reckon it matters. My soul is safe either way.”

Looks like powerful stuff. Might as well try it.

“Does it want a taste of One-Eye’s wisdom? Does it?”

“Sure. That sounds great, actually. Shall we…?” He nodded at the golden pool beneath the tree and began moving down the slope.

The serpent weaved in front of him to block his path. It coiled up with a crashing of boulders and bared fangs like sabers, eyes gone wide and pupils knife-sharp. “Is it a thief? Is it? Is it?”

Jacob took a few careful steps back and raised his hands in a warding gesture. “Woah, I’m no thief. I thought you were offering, so…”

“Can a bargain be struck without terms?” the serpent hissed.

“You want to make a deal? All right, tell me what you want.”

The serpent relaxed and allowed its body to spread out again, its flesh slumping like too-loose dough. “When a tree dies, how does one plant the new seed?”

“You want another tree?”

“How?”

Jacob gave a vague gesture with his hands. “I dunno, just pick a spot and plant it.”

“If there is no soil?”

Why does this feel like a game of riddles? Is the snake enjoying this? Doesn’t really look like it.

Maybe it can’t talk. Maybe it’s cursed and ugly. Sealed lips, can’t speak plainly, that kind of thing.

Guess I wasn’t far off with fables.

“I-I don’t know,” Jacob said, exasperated. “Give me another hint.”

The serpent wriggled impatiently. “Who is the father of ashes?”

“Uh, fire maybe?”

Its eyes widened. “Is it correct? Is it?”

“You want… fire.” Jacob glanced up. “Fire for the tree! You want to burn it and plant the new tree in the ashes. That’s it, right? Please tell me that’s it, I don’t want to guess anymore.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

The serpent’s rubbery face stretched in a demented rictus grin. “Is it clever? Is it useful? Is it a snake-friend?”

“Thank you, thank you. Too kind. To be clear, I light the tree on fire and you give me some of the gold stuff?”

“Does it accept the bargain?”

Is this a bad idea? I’m being propositioned by a snake to burn down a giant tree. Sounds like the setup for something sinister.

Do I care, though?

Jacob smiled. “Sure. Let’s do it.”

He set to work immediately. Making fire in a place like this would not be easy, but at least the tree was dry—it would light up quick. At first he tested banging rocks against each other to make a spark, but they just chipped and crumbled. Next he tore a chunk of wood out of the tree and split it vertically into a thin-ish wand. He then got a hunk of bark and spun the end of the stick rapidly against the bark to make heat, like how they did it in survival movies.

It didn’t work. The stick fell into powder almost instantly. He tried several more implements, each with the same result.

The serpent watched with great interest while he worked. It slithered across the landscape to find different spots to settle and view him from, draped all limp like someone’s lost sock. Jacob estimated it to be at least one hundred meters long.

He did not make any progress, and after running out of ideas he was forced to throw his hands up. He was starting to feel tired, anyway. Not much time left. He explained as much to the serpent.

“I’ll be back at some point,” Jacob said, trying to sound reassuring. “I’ll keep trying then. We’ll figure something out.”

He slipped on the loose stones and fell to one knee, strength failing.

“Should the snake-friend be kept safe?” the serpent asked gravely. Before Jacob could answer, it began to coil around him, circle upon circle. He was in the eye of a fleshy hurricane. The serpent quickly formed a high wall around him that kept out the wind and gave him a pocket of relative quiet that felt odd after he’d gotten used to the noise. The serpent peeked in over its own piled-up heft and gave a slow blink with four sets of semi-translucent eyelids.

“Uh, thanks.” Jacob would have been more concerned if he wasn’t so sleepy. “Kept safe from what, though?”

“Does the snake-friend like spiders? Do they smell his weakness?”

Spiders. Lovely.

As Jacob collapsed onto his side, he could vaguely hear a whole lot of scratching and scraping and chittering from outside. Insistent. Frenzied. His eyes began to fall shut just as he saw hairy black legs the size of a man’s arm begin to dig out layers of loose stones from beneath the snake in several places.

Get me the fuck out of here.

*****

Jacob paced. Waiting.

He was going to make an escape attempt the first chance he got once he convinced Moraine to let him out of the cell. Even if there was almost no chance of it working, he had to do something. If the world really was ending, Becca needed him. He had to get her safe.

But Moraine was taking her sweet time, and Jacob was rapidly losing patience. He was fairly certain that her conception of time was as poor as his.

Come on. Where the fuck are you?

Jacob froze mid-step when he suddenly heard muffled alarms through the door. He pressed his ear against it and could make out a crackly PA voice warning of an enemy attack and informing personnel to evacuate immediately.

Holy shit, this is it.

That has to be the Guild. I’m getting out.

Jacob flew away from the door and was pinned against the opposite wall, cuffs biting into him. The door came open and Moraine stormed in, clearly flustered. The door shut behind her and the lock buzzed.

“There’s a problem,” she said. “We’ve got to get out of here now. You’ll come with me, won’t you? I can’t afford to lose such a valuable test subject.”

“I’ll come with you,” Jacob lied.

She peered up at him, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “I need to know I can trust you, Jacob. This is important.”

“You can trust me,” he lied.

She breathed out and brushed a wayward strand of brittle hair from her face. “Of course. Of course, Jacob. I trust you. Let me get you down from there.”

You dumb bitch. Why would you ever trust me?

You are fucking delusional.

Jacob’s hands clenched in anticipation. This was it. The moment they left the cell, he’d rip out her throat before she could bring those arms to bear. The uniforms would be busy dealing with whoever was attacking, maybe giving him a window to escape if he was lucky.

“Remember, Jacob, we need to—”

Moraine was cut off when the door flew into the room, torn clean off its fastenings. It struck her flat on and knocked her to the floor, the heavy metal slab pressing down on top of her.

The door had a dented boot impression in its center.

A man in silver armor ducked into the room. “Ah, Jacob! Just the guy I was hoping to see. Miss me?”

“What is this?” Jacob asked.

Little arms began to wriggle around the edges of the door, blindly reaching out.

Starman sighed, sauntered over, and gave the door a few hard stomps. The arms fell limp, and the growing puddle of blood and gore flowing out from underneath the door left little doubt about the state of Moraine’s bodily integrity. Crushed to paste.

“So, tell me—did you and Dr. Moraine get along? I bet you did. Shame she’s dead now, she was quite all right by RRH standards.”

“Why are you here?” Jacob asked, more insistently this time. “What are you doing?”

“You know what’s better than getting paid twice, kid? Getting paid three times. That’s right, this guy did a triple-cross.”

“You’re doing this… for the Guild?”

Starman hit him with double finger guns. “Ding ding ding! Things were getting a little hot for me with the Guild, so I cut them a deal. You see, I kept that data your lady friend gathered at Green Meadows as insurance. They got the locations of several major RRH facilities from that, so they’re striking at them all at once.”

“They sent you out even though they know you’re a traitor?”

Starman shrugged—a gesture that looked comical in his oversized armor. “Would you believe it, they’re short-staffed! I’m sure they’re planning on court-martialing me after this or some bla bla bla, but I’ve got backup plans for that. You know, I requested this facility specifically.”

“Why?”

“‘Cause I knew you were here.”

“Okay…?”

“It occurred to me that we have unfinished business.”

Jacob clenched and unclenched his fists, keenly aware that he was at Starman’s mercy. “I thought you said you like me.”

“I do! You’ve got spunk and all that. But here’s the thing. You don’t strike me as the live and let live type, and I have this rule. The rule is, I don’t have any enemies. Because when I get one, I kill ‘em. Saves so much trouble, you have no idea.

“But you can’t die. That doesn’t mean much to me right now, you being small fry and all. But you’ll scrape together enough power eventually—through dumb luck if nothing else—to make me sweat. And I don’t like the idea of having to look over my shoulder all the time.

“If the Guild picks you up, there’s a chance you’ll get on the Arcadia exodus craft. Which I don’t like for the aforementioned reason. Don’t shit where you sleep, right? But if I get to you first, then…” He spread out his hands.

“You’re going to leave me here,” Jacob said in a dull voice.

“Correct again, friend!”

“An apocalypse won’t hold me back long.”

“Oh, I know that. But it’ll buy me enough time to take a nice long vacation and figure out a more permanent solution for you.”

“You don’t want to do this. I mean it. Because if I stay stuck in here, I’ll lose everything. And if that happens, I will devote every second of my life to hunting you down.”

“That sounds like a challenge, kid.” Jacob could almost hear the grin behind Starman’s helmet. “When you come after me, better bring your A-game. ‘Cause I’ll be prepared.”

“If you let me out now, I’ll forget about everything. Live and let live. I don’t give a fuck about you if I can keep what I care about.”

He actually meant it.

“Hmm. Sorry, don’t believe you. Anyway, I’ve got a lot of people to kill, you know how it is.” He turned and headed for the broken doorway. “Seeya later, kiddo! Bring me an end-of-the-world souvenir, yeah?”

“Get back here!” Jacob wrestled ineffectually against his bonds. He Dashed against them, managing to rattle himself sick and not much else. “Don’t you fucking walk away from me!”

Starman stepped into the corridor, turned to give a little wave with one index finger, then strode off. His echoing footsteps faded away until they were drowned out by blaring alarms.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

FUCK!

*****

The facility soon went quiet. He called out, but no one answered.

Jacob waited there on that wall for a long time. He couldn’t even measure it in eat-sleep cycles anymore. He starved and he thirsted. He soiled himself. Once delirium properly set in, he convinced himself it was a crucifixion. There were heavenly horns trumpeting in the halls. His body wasn’t trapped anymore—he was floating.

The power failed at some point, and emergency backup power came on. Apparently, ‘emergency backup included the cuffs’. That was really funny to him. He could only stop laughing once he started coughing blood.

Becca will be all right, he told himself. She’ll be all right. He thought if he told himself that enough times, he would believe it.

An age passed. A lifetime passed. Somehow—probably because of Cheat the Hangman slowing his metabolism—his body refused to completely give out. Sometimes he found that funny, too. Sometimes it made him scream and weep.

Then the ground shook. An inhuman roar rattled his bones, more a feeling than an actual sound. The ground kept shaking and it wouldn’t stop. It got worse and worse. The dim emergency lighting flickered.

It’s happening, he thought. It’s finally happening.

The only emotion he could muster up was relief.

I’m ready for number seven.

Take me away.

The facility shook itself apart around him. The power got cut completely, and everything went black. He fell down off the wall, landed face-first. Probably broke his nose.

The ceiling crashed down on Jacob’s head with all the weight of the earth.

*****

Death brought no light. He was suspended in the dark, a hot black blanket that clung to his skin and made it feel like he was breathing through wet cloth.

Something saw him there. Invisible eyes set their attention on him, two cold spears that ran him through. They belonged to something so vast that he could not begin to comprehend its true scope, just as a skin mite would not be able to grasp the size of a human.

The presence reached out and touched him, right over his heart. It burned. He smelled his own sizzling flesh.

It spoke to him. It was no language he knew, and yet he understood it perfectly. Just three words.

“I am watching.”

*****

Jacob could only tell that he was alive when he became aware of the rubble pressing down on him.

He was in pain, but he had gotten used to that. He was parched and starving, but he had gotten used to that. He could hardly breathe the stale air, but he had gotten used to suffocating, too.

He started digging.