Abby's Warning

It took quite a while for the two men to recover from their speechlessness and paralysis. They kept exchanging furtive, questioning glances while packing up, and communicated through silent, suggested words and gestures. “Is it her?” – a shrug. “Creepy!” – a nod. Until Abby’s loud voice interrupted, in a tone that was almost coaxing, almost predatory: “I see you. I hear you. You don’t need to be afraid of me. I’m not your enemy, I’m Abby! Your… friend.”
  That outburst sent a shiver of disgust down Ebram’s spine, and he couldn’t suppress a shudder. Bernard gently placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a light squeeze to show he wasn’t alone. Abby had always had a sharp tongue, but when she saw the scene, she giggled: “Ah, little Abby’s being excluded. Little Abby’s no longer part of the club. But I found the entrance to the city! These are just the suburbs. I can show you. It’s beautiful, really!” With a few steps, she pushed between the two, squeezing into the narrow gap like a large dog, and looked at both men as if she wanted to be stroked or petted.
  Ebram looked down at the young woman, who smiled up at him radiantly and without blinking. Bernard, meanwhile, actually reached out and stroked her head. “Wo…nderful, Abby. That’s great!” he said, looking at Ebram. “Right?” Ebram watched Abby, who now briefly closed her eyes and looked very content. But as soon as Bernard stopped petting her, her eyes snapped open again. Bernard nudged Ebram with his elbow, and Ebram cleared his throat. “Uh… yes. Really well done, Abby!” He patted her hesitantly. Again, her eyes closed in satisfaction. Ebram mouthed the word “Eyes,” and Bernard nodded—he’d noticed it too.
They realized that Abby would close her eyes in pleasure every time she was gently patted or stroked on the head. They didn’t even need to say anything kind or encouraging—the touch alone was enough. After a little more than ten minutes, they had packed everything and were ready to move on. Abby seemed excited and circled the men several times while they checked each other’s backpacks and scanned the surroundings.
  “Are you two finally done? I want to go. There are no enemies nearby—I took care of them last night. You’d normally be dead by now.” She nodded slowly, with a knowing look. Bernard stroked her cheek and smiled. “Thank you for protecting us.” To Ebram, the woman’s behavior was borderline disturbing. He half expected her to drop to all fours, stick out her tongue, or start purring. When Bernard thanked her, he stared at his lover in disbelief. Bernard gave him a resigned look and turned back to Abby.
  “Alright, Abby, show us the way. How far is it?” “Since you’re so slow: two days. And you need to be more careful. You leave tracks. I can smell you from miles away. At the next body of water, you’ll need to wash and rub yourselves with dirt.” Without another word, Abby set off. Her pace was surprisingly fast.
Ebram and Bernard jogged after her. Panting, the doctor asked, “How can you treat her like a dog? She’s a human!” “At the moment, she’s not human. She’s something else. You need to learn to break out of your narrow definitions—then things get easier,” the big man replied effortlessly. “And what body of water? We haven’t come across a single one! Could be a trap,” Ebram continued, gasping. “Save your breath for running, Ebram. I believe her. And I believe she means us no harm. If she did, she would’ve acted on it long ago.” The doctor snorted and remained silent for the next hour, grimly focused.   The three companions made good progress. Abby led them back onto the tracks, and since she apparently knew where they needed to go and there was no more trial-and-error at the junctions, they managed to cover four stations by midday. It was the station that marked the first major junction. Ebram, who no longer struggled as much with the constant running as he had four days ago but was still the weakest, asked for a break. Abby wrinkled her nose, then simply dropped to the ground. She lay on her stomach, legs bent, head resting on her hands. She smiled at Ebram. “You’ve gotten stronger.” The doctor nodded with a crooked smile. “Uh, yeah. I guess it was inevitable.”   Bernard rummaged through the supplies and began preparing a small meal. Abby crept closer to Ebram, who had to fight the urge to move away from her. She didn’t care that she was getting her clothes dirty. She now smelled strongly of urine and sweat, and Ebram wondered why she of all people had accused him of being detectable from miles away. Her scent was far more pungent. Abby was now very close to him and pursed her lips. “You’re the female, aren’t you? Are you pregnant yet?” Ebram recoiled and scrambled backward. “Whaaat?”   Bernard dropped the apple he was slicing in shock and looked over at them. “Ebram, what’s going on? Abby, leave him alone.” Abby had crawled after Ebram, giggling, and seemed highly amused by his reaction. The doctor had his back against a pillar of the station and felt truly cornered. Neither could look away from the other—he out of fear and disgust, she out of curiosity and twisted humor. Bernard suddenly appeared and patted Abby on the head. “Come on, Abby, leave Ebram alone. You know he’s a bit jumpy.” Closing her eyes with pleasure, the young woman nodded and murmured, “Alright!” She awkwardly crawled back to the camp a few steps away, while Bernard crouched down in front of Ebram.   “Ebram, Ebram! Look at me!” Ebram’s gaze was still locked in horror on Abby’s grotesque movements, and only when Bernard took his face in both hands could he look at his lover. “Bernard! She’s insane. We can’t trust her. She’s leading us somewhere—and there’s no way back from it.”
“Shhh. Ebram… Ebram, please. What happened?”
The doctor stared at Bernard, then shook his head. “Nothing. Nothing happened. She… she’s just creepy.” Bernard pulled him close and hugged him. “We’ll find out what happened to her—and we’ll undo it. We owe her that, don’t we?” Ebram just nodded. His gaze was already back on Abby, who was looking at him too. She had to go.     After they had eaten—Ebram had positioned himself so that Bernard sat between him and Abby—the young woman pointed to the map that hung in the same spot at every station. “We’re now at the first major junction. From here on, they’re in the tunnels. We have to be careful. Quiet.” She spun around to Ebram in a flash, yanked him down by his tie, and whispered: “Boo!” For Ebram’s already frayed nerves, it was too much. He screamed in panic, scrambled backward, and nearly choked on his own tie while Abby held him effortlessly. She giggled mischievously. Bernard audibly sucked in air, furrowed his brow—and slapped Abby across the face. Startled, she let go, held her cheek, and gave the big man a reproachful look. “Bad Abby, very bad Abby. Shame on you!”   He pointed to a corner of the station, and she crawled over and hid there. Ebram, meanwhile, had fallen onto his back, coughing and spitting as he tugged at his tie, gasping for air. Bernard knelt beside him and reached for the knot. He ignored Ebram’s panicked attempts to push him away and managed to loosen the tie. With a loud gasp, followed by a coughing fit, Ebram rolled onto his side. “That… damn… bitch… She did that on purpose. She wants to kill me!” Bernard helped him into a sitting position. “No, I don’t think so. I think she wanted to show you how dangerous it gets when we’re loud. Her methods are just a bit…” He searched for the right word. “…murderous, sadistic, and inhumane?” Ebram added bitterly. Bernard sighed. “I’ll talk to her.”
“I doubt talking is enough to reach her mind.” There was deep contempt in Ebram’s voice.   Without another word, Bernard stood and walked over to Abby, who was already waiting for him, crouched like a cat. He scolded her, stroked her, spoke to her. Again and again, both glanced over at Ebram, who watched them with suspicion. Then they returned. Abby sat down directly in front of Ebram, whose posture clearly showed he was ready to flee. She lowered her head and murmured, “I’m sorry, Ebram.” Then she lifted her head and stared at him. To Ebram, it didn’t look like she was sorry at all. But Bernard stood behind her, urging him with looks and gestures to forgive her. Reluctantly, with a dry swallow and a crooked smile, Ebram raised his hand and patted her head. “I forgive you, Abby.” Unexpectedly, she didn’t close her eyes this time, but continued to stare at him. “Thank you.” Fangs suddenly growing from her face couldn’t have looked more threatening, Ebram thought with a shudder.     They continued their journey, no longer running quickly but creeping cautiously. Abby had only allowed them one lantern—and even that was heavily dimmed by a hat pulled over it. The light barely illuminated more than three meters around them. Abby kept disappearing briefly, signaling them to wait and not move. After what felt like endless minutes of waiting, she would reappear as a shadow from the darkness and give the sign to continue. Bernard eventually asked Abby quietly, “Who are they?”   The young woman didn’t break her stride and answered in a soft whisper: “They are the eyes and the ears. Some have feet, some only wheels. Many are dead, but some still live. Their hands are sharp claws or deadly projectiles. The trees at the edge of the forest—they’re part of it. Those aren’t trees, that’s just camouflage. Some can kill with their eyes. They look at you—and then they slice you apart. There are big ones and small ones. Many of the big ones are dead, that’s good. But even the small ones are dangerous.” It was clear Bernard didn’t really understand, as he asked, “How do you know so much about them?” Now she did stop. “HE showed me.” She tapped her head.   Suddenly, a rumble was heard, and Abby flinched. “There’s one ahead. We have to hide.” Bernard and Ebram looked around. “Where? Where the hell are we supposed to hide? This is a tunnel!” She pointed to the ground. “Lie down. I’ll distract it. They know I’ve been in the tunnels. They’re looking for me, not you.” Reluctantly, the two men lay flat on the ground, one on each side of the track. Abby vanished into the darkness.   “Bernard?” Ebram whispered.
“Yes?”
“Do you believe her?”
“Yes, I do,” Bernard replied, slightly annoyed. Ebram sighed. Then they saw the light. Two beams scanned the walls and ceiling. A constant whirring and clicking could be heard. Then they saw a shadow leap into the light beams. Gunshots rang out through the tunnel, echoing off the walls. Clattering and metallic screeching followed. The light disappeared, but the noise echoed through the tunnel for a good thirty seconds. Bernard lifted himself slightly. “Do you see anything, Ebram?” The doctor raised his chest a little too. “No. But whatever she’s doing—it’s not quiet.”