The three exchanged expressions of worry while I gazed into the blackened abyss ahead.
I couldn't see a damn thing, so I closed my eyes to heighten my other senses.
To my annoyance, the stench grew more pungent because of my efforts, but I also managed to glean something.
It was faint, but I could discern a very light-footed patter against a floor, slick with fluid. I homed in on the sound and realized the footsteps couldn't possibly belong to a full-sized person or even a child. They were too quiet and too brief to be human.
"Hey, "Nakamura whispered, "we should use that." He pointed to the lone torch mounted next to me and signaled a throwing motion.
I smirked and nodded in agreement. "I guess you can have some good ideas sometimes, huh."
I reached for the torch and freed it from the rusted steel mount, though it took some fidgeting. Then, after directing the rest to stand back, I hurled the solitary light into darkness.
It took a few moments longer than I'd expected for the torch to land since the room floor hadn't been immediately below us; rather, it was a couple meters down. When it landed, two truths were revealed to us: the source of the stench and the origin of the howls.
Seeing what lay under and around the torchlight, I was reminded of Nakamura's words. There was no way to describe the sight except pure "decomposition."
Within the small space of light, there were at least a dozen mutilated corpses. Some were all bone, some still had tiny bits of flesh, and others remained as fleshy masses, though they were missing various extremities.
In shock, Agawa said, "a-are...where are we? What the he-" But she'd interrupted herself in a gagging fit.
pαпdα-ňᴏνê|·сóМ I managed to hold in my bile, but I couldn't say the same for Agawa and Kamida. They silenced their voices as best they could. But, despite their efforts, the halls still echoed with the sounds of violent retching.
Nakamura was the only one who'd been totally unfazed by the situation.
He gazed at the mountain of bodies and maintained a forlorn expression. "I expected as much. You can't get a stench that pungent without at least this much."
What came next was more jarring than the unburied gravesite. Even to the point of startling Agawa and Kamida from their vomiting session.
Instantly, numerous small shadows leaped from the darkness, attacking the light of the torch.
They gnawed, gnashed, and clawed it apart, leaving only a renewed blackness. The only thing we'd hear for the next few minutes were the sounds of growling, snarling, and more howling.
"Were t-those…dogs?" Agawa shivered.
"It doesn't matter what they are." I grinned. "If they want to play 'dominance,' I'll ragdoll them across the room until they're ready to play fetch instead." Projecting arrogance was the only way I knew to cope with what I'd been feeling inside. Between the smell and those bodies...I hate to say I felt the onset of terror underneath my skin.
But I was a good actor, or Kamida was a considerate conman when he played along. "Your fearlessness is quite the inspiration, Mr. Takagi." He managed a raspy chuckle.
Nakamura handed me the torch he'd been carrying, gestured at me, and prompted me to take the lead.
I waved it around in front of us to reveal a thin stone bridge. I couldn't quite see how far it went, but it was our only option. From what I could tell, those things were stuck below, and we were above, so long as we didn't fall…we'd be fine.
We began walking across when I noticed that our second torchbearer, Kamida, was falling behind.
"Don't tell me you're scared, Con-mida?" I quietly taunted.
"Uh…perhaps we should take our chances and backtrack?" He was quaking in fear.
"Hurry up," I ordered. "The faster we leave, the sooner I forget about this disgusting smell."
He sighed and grumbled something to himself in frustration.
It was a pleasing sight to me. The overbearing and cordially forceful Kamida was shaking in his pants like a scared child. I would have laughed if I weren't focused on crossing the bridge myself.
Though I was acting nonchalant about our situation, I'll admit I was happy the smell was all we'd been subjected to. Despite the moment of seeing those bodies being a fleeting one, that sight would stick with me for the rest of my life.
Sadly, my facade of strength faltered at the thought of those corpses when I clutched my free hand to my mouth. After I'd rubbed my hand over my mouth, I tasted something stale and metallic.
It was then that I remembered the still-not-completely dried blood that coated my hand. In my moment of weakness, I did exactly what I didn't want to do and smeared my victim's blood on my face. I had to ignore my discomfort for now, though.
After managing to reach the other side, I turned back to see that Agawa had completed her trek as well. Now we were only waiting on Kamida and Nakamura.
That's when I heard a distinct "crack" reverberate throughout the room.
In the next second, Nakamura became shorter and shorter as he began plummeting into the abyss below, following the shard of rock that had fractured off.
He returned my look with one devoid of expression. Even his body had gone completely still and reactionless. He must've been too shocked to know what face he should've shown.
"Watch out!" Agawa yelled and reached out with an arm, but Kamida had been the first to take real action.
After diving forward and throwing his torch to the bridge, Kamida clawed at Nakamura's arm to hold him. "I've got you, sir!" He shouted in desperation.
Nakamura, noticing his situation, frantically shook himself while trying to seize the bridge above. In no time at all, he was swinging like a pendulum in Kamida's grasp.
Though Kamida tried to remain calm, I could see panic bubbling up to the surface. "Sir, "he urged, "I would implore you to stop before we both die."
Nakamura did stop; however, it wasn't before Kamida's lost his grip on the bridge.
With all my strength, I rushed forward and pulled them back from the brink. "You goddamn idiots!" I screamed while gritting my teeth.
Once I'd taken all of Nakamura's weight, it gave Kamida a chance to re-steady himself. When he fully recovered, Kamida regained his grip on the bridge to steady himself and helped me hoist Nakamura up from the depths of certain death.
We both grunted loudly as we dragged him upwards, all while he was begging to be saved like a terrified child.
Oddly, as we were pulling Nakamura, he suddenly became heavier. It was as if someone had attached lead weights to him. Only these weights were thrashing about and alive.
I peered over the bridge to see the shadows reappear below, ravenously jumping and snapping at Nakamura's leg for a bite.
One of them had succeeded.
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