Auden moved swiftly across the cracked plains, keeping low, his pole and sack clutched to his chest. The Herd had passed, but its shadow lingered. The wind carried the faint metallic tang of their presence, and the ground seemed to remember the passage of countless claws and hooves. Ahead, the village lay pale against the horizon.
A slight movement on a ridge to his left froze him in place. Auden's head swivelled. A figure stood there - an old man, cloaked and leaning on a crooked staff. Someone from the village? No… the population was scarce and there was nobody living there that Auden wouldn't have recognised immediately.
The old man's robes were dust-streaked and worn. It was right to be suspicious of strangers in these times, but there was nothing immediately menacing about the man, who regarded Auden with a calm, steady gaze.
Auden tightened the grip on his belongings.
"You've survived," the stranger said.
Auden narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
"They almost got me too…"
The old man let out a harsh cackle that turned quickly into a harsher cough. He struggled to steady himself.
Auden watched, hesitated for a moment, then trudged over to the old man and helped him to right himself again.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, yes. Thank you, don't worry about me. I'm just quite old…"
"What's your name?"
"I'm Cain. You are?"
"Auden. You don't often meet new people these days. You're not from nearby?"
"Oh no, I am - I live down this way."
Cain gestured in the direction of a narrow path winding between some large stones, and started walking that same way.
"I can make it. Maybe I'll see you again."
There was something strange about this situation. Auden had scoured these parts high and low, and he'd never seen any signs of anybody living outside the relative safety of the village. Of course, it was possible - but what were the chances really? He was out scavenging most mornings, and his searches took him further and further from the village every day. He would have bumped into this man by now, he was sure of it…
He saw Cain stumble. The old man struggled to catch his breath, hacking up another painful cough. Auden hesitated. Trust was a risk, but it was also valuable - compassion was scarce in these dark days, and his humanity had not left him yet, as it had others.
"How far do you have to go?"
"It's not too far…"
Auden heard the exhaustion in Cain's voice. He sighed.
"Let me help you."
Cain nodded, leaning on his staff as they began moving together down the shallow gully. Auden led the way carefully, senses alert. He looked back over his shoulder at the village on the horizon. The Herd was not immediately headed there as he had thought. He could afford the detour, as long as it really wasn't too far.
They moved in silence for a time, the only sounds the scrape of boots on stone and the distant sigh of wind through cracked clay.
Eventually, Cain paused beside a fissure, partially hidden by roots and shadow. Auden was shocked to see light spilling upward from within.
"Down there?" Auden asked. Over the years, he had heard rumours of people living underground; but he had never seen any evidence to support them. How could he possibly have missed this before?
Cain rested a hand lightly on the stone. "You need not enter if you are unwilling."
Auden studied the staircase carved into the stone, the golden light glowing from below. Helping the old man had seemed simple enough, but now it was clear that Cain's "home" was not what he'd expected.
He scoffed at the thought - what the hell had he really expected? A nice little cabin out here in the wilderness?
In a strange way, this little old man's subterranean home made far more sense.
"No, it's all right," said Auden.
Cain's lips twitched in what might have been a smile. "Come then."
Step by careful step, Auden guided Cain down the staircase. The light spilled upward, painting long shadows along the walls. Dust drifted lazily in the warm glow, and the air smelled faintly damp. It was almost inviting, yet every instinct in Auden's body hummed with caution. The warmth from below pressed gently against his skin, comforting in contrast to the bitter wind above.
At the bottom, the staircase opened into a low tunnel. Stone walls curved overhead, carved with faint, shallow markings that glimmered in the light. The passage sloped gently downward, twisting and branching. Auden could not tell how far they went.
"I can take it from here," Cain said quietly, resting a hand on the wall. He moved forward, tapping his staff against the stone floor. "Thank you, I appreciate the help."
At first, Auden simply watched Cain go. The old man's movements were slow but deliberate. Each tap of Cain's staff against the stone echoed faintly, a rhythm that seemed to pulse in Auden's chest.
Auden never made the conscious decision to follow - he simply stepped forward, feet moving before his mind could catch up.
In the years to come, he would replay this moment in his mind thousands of times over. He would dream of it, and he would ask why?
The tunnel curved downward. Auden felt a strange pull, as if the stone itself were drawing him forward. There were brief moments when he wanted to stop and question what he was doing - but every instinct told him that to pause would be wrong. The further he went, these thoughts interrupted less and less. His breath slowed. The world above, the plains, the village, even the memory of the Herd - it all began to recede from his mind. There was only this path, only Cain moving steadily ahead, and his own feet following.
And then there was a door.
An inviting light shone through the cracks. Auden could hear the crackling of a fire. He even thought he heard faint music. Cain paused at the door, and he turned to face Auden. "It's safe," said the old man. "But don't linger. Watch, and follow when I say." His voice was completely different now. It was deeper, more confident.
Auden vaguely took notice of the fact that Cain no longer had his staff.
Did he seem taller?
Cain opened the door. The light spilled into the tunnel. After a moment, he stepped forward, motioning for Auden to follow. But it was as if there was no need; Auden was drawn forwards anyway. He almost floated into the room.
The warmth wrapped around him, gentle against his skin, lulling him into a quiet focus. Every instinct that had hitherto kept him alive faded under the pull of that golden light, replaced by pure compulsion.
It was another moment that would replay in his mind forever.
Auden would live a long, long time, and he would regret a great many things. But nothing as much as this.