The Glooming (Wrath of the Old Gods Book 1) (19 page)

Then the house was silent once more. Tara lay back on the pillow. The noise was gone.

The dog went over to her and put its muzzle near her ear. “Be wary of your ally.”

Tara turned to the dog. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The dog gave her a lick on the nose. “I believe he meant to come in.”

Tara’s eyes opened wide. “Larry? You sure?”

“I’m going back to sleep,” the dog said as it curled up near the bottom of the comforter.

Tara thought about it for a minute and sighed before falling asleep again.

Siberia

Ilya Volkhov smiled at his dinner plate. For the first time ever, they served him three pieces of sausage instead of two to go along with his soup and bread. Ever since the link to Moscow was lost because of the snowed in Trans-Siberian Railway, the head caretaker of the Novosibirsk orphanage had gathered all the children together, then told them there would be a little less food served to them for the time being, so this particular meal had come as a pleasant surprise. He had been in the orphanage ever since he was four, when his mother dropped him off and kissed him on the cheek for one last time and then he never saw her again. Ilya had turned ten years old just under a month ago, before the troubles started. The elderly babushka that was their cook even baked a small cake just for him that Ilya ate a little bit of each day until it turned green and he was forced to throw the rest of it away … although he did save a tiny piece just for remembrance.

“What are you smiling about?” Andrei said while sitting next to him. They had become fast friends the moment they first met since they were the same age. Ilya had yellow blonde hair and had large, bottle-green eyes. Andrei’s hair and eyes were both a deep, dark brown. Ilya had an oval head and a small nose while Andrei’s nose was pretty big, so Ilya’s nickname for his best friend was Buratino, the Russian version of Pinocchio.

Ilya looked at him. Was he stupid or something? “Look,” he said. “We were given three sausages instead of just two. It must be good news.”

The dining hall along with the rest of the orphanage used to be a former administration building that was built during the Second World War, while the Soviet armies were in full retreat against the Nazis. After the war, it had served as the headquarters for the local Communist Party until a more modern one was built for them in the 1960’s that was located closer to the city center. After that, the three-story building lay abandoned for awhile until it was decreed that it would be a sufficient accommodation for the city’s orphans. Several hundred boys and girls of varying ages were moved into it around thirty years ago. Ilya and Andrei were assigned to the third level sleeping hall along with almost forty other boys and they would be living there until either their parents claimed them or they had become adults and would be released.

Andrei cupped his hand to whisper something, so Ilya had to bring his ear closer in order to hear it over the noise of the other children having dinner. “The reason why we’re getting an extra piece of sausage is because another one of us has been eaten by the witch, and so his share of food is being rationed off,” his best friend said.

Ilya jerked his head back. “You’re a liar, Buratino!”

Since all the other kids were in their own conversations, nobody else seemed to butt into their discussion as Andrei’s face reddened with rage. “Stop calling me that name.”

Ilya laughed as he spooned some potato and cabbage soup into his mouth before sticking a fork into the second piece of sausage. The only thing he didn’t like about the soup was the lack of sour cream in it. “Your nose is getting bigger.”

“But it’s true,” Andrei said. “Have you not looked at the empty beds in our dorm? Today I counted who is left and there are only about thirty-six of us from a high of forty-two boys just last month.”

“Maybe they were finally reunited with their parents? I think that’s a good thing.”

Andrei shook his head. “You really are stupid, Ilya. The whole city has been cut off because of the snow so how can their parents even get them?”

“I don’t believe that there is a witch in this city,” Ilya said as a matter of fact.

“She is not in the city, you fool. She is in the woods, just behind our building.”

Ilya rolled his eyes. “How do you know there’s a witch out there in the woods?”

“Because I saw her, of course,” Andrei said.

“You liar! When?”

“Last night.”

“You were asleep right beside me last night, Buratino.”

Andrei snarled. He hated being called that. “No, I was awake the whole night! I saw two of the older boys get out of bed and put their clothes on. I watched them through the window as they started walking to the woods. Then I saw her.”

“Saw who?”

Andrei ate a piece of sausage as he talked. “This old woman, she had long white hair that was longer than her body—she came out of the woods and I saw them talking. She then led them into the woods and I never saw them come out again!”

“Which of the two was it?”

“Evgeny and Gleb. The two bigger boys who used to pick on us, remember?”

Ilya turned and looked around the dining hall to see if he could find them. When he realized that they weren’t around, he put his fork and spoon down. Then he looked back at Andrei again. “I-I don’t believe you. This must be a trick you’re playing with me.”

Andrei smirked. “All these years we’ve been friends and you never believe a word I say.”

Ilya crossed his arms and stuck his tongue out at him. “Because you always try to trick me, that’s why!”

“This isn’t a trick,” Andrei said. “I’m telling the truth. If you want, we go look for them after dinner.”

“Fine, we’ll do that,” Ilya said as he picked up his utensils and started eating again. “But if this is a trick and they are just hiding then I will punch that big nose off of your face, Buratino!”

Both boys waited until the lights went out and everyone had gone to sleep before silently slipping out of their beds and putting on their clothes. After putting on his snow boots, Ilya carefully slid out a cardboard box from underneath his bed and started to rummage through his personal items. Although the night wasn’t fully dark as a strange twilight had begun ever since the snow started to fall, the sleeping hall’s windows still didn’t give him enough illumination so he had to feel his way around his most precious possessions. Ilya’s fingers could feel the soft fur of his little toy husky dog along with some string until he felt a small plastic wrapper. As he brought it up to his face and smelled it, he noticed that it was some of the moldy cake he had kept from his birthday. He decided to stick it into his jacket pocket because he wanted to be reminded of that happy day. Ilya also found an old but unused stick of chewing gum that had been forgotten and he took that too. Rummaging through the rest of his stuff, he decided to leave his plastic cars, tanks, and a rubber ball in the box before he finally slid it back underneath the bed. After putting on his jacket and gloves, Ilya took his dark blue knitted-wool beanie cap and put it on the top of his head, then over his ears before slowly making his way to the door.

As he slipped out into the corridor, he found Andrei testing a small flashlight along the darkened passageway.

“Where did you get that from, Andrei?” Ilya whispered to him.

“It was in Roman’s shack,” Andrei said softly as he pointed out the window towards where the groundskeeper lived. “I snuck in there last week after dinner and found it in his desk drawer.”

Ilya shook his head. “But that’s stealing.”

Andrei shrugged his shoulders as they both started walking towards the stairs. “I’m just borrowing it because we will need it. I'll return it when we get back here.”

“You better. Stealing isn’t good, Andrei.”

Andrei snorted as they silently walked down the stairs. “Are you telling me you never stole anything in your life? Ever?”

“Never, the last words my mother told me before she left me here was, never take anyone else’s property and to help anyone that I could.”

“That’s stupid. You mean you won’t steal a piece of bread even when you’re starving?”

“No,” Ilya said as they got to the front door of the orphanage. “I would rather starve than take something that isn’t mine.”

Andrei made another snort of disgust as he tried the door knob. Unsurprisingly, it was unlocked as both boys carefully opened the door and got out. In the twilit night, the snowy ground could clearly be seen as they saw the shadowy outlines of the abandoned factories and the dark forests nearby, in contrast to the reflective white snow on the ground. The two boys had looked everywhere inside the orphanage for the two older lads right after dinner, so they hatched a plan to go look near the woods once everyone took to bed.

“Are you sure they weren’t inside the building?” Ilya said.

“We already looked, stupid,” Andrei said as he started walking towards the edge of the woods.

Ilya rubbed his shoulders. Despite wearing a winter coat and his beanie cap, he could feel the cold slowly seeping into his body. “I don’t like this. If we do encounter the witch, we may end up just like the other two.”

Andrei turned to face him as he walked backwards and smiled as he pulled out a folding pocket knife from his coat pocket and showed it to him. “If that witch finds us, I'll cut her eyes out.”

Ilya’s mouth opened wide. “Where did you get that?”

“It’s Roman’s, I found it along with the flashlight.”

“That’s two things you’ve stolen now.”

“Shut up already, you holy fool.”

Their boots made soft crunchy noises on the loosely packed snow as they made it to the edge of the woods. Ilya could barely see the paths that they used to run and play in just a few weeks ago. Andrei started looking at the ground as he shined the stolen flashlight, looking for clues. Ilya could see the cold vapors of his breath as he exhaled. After a few minutes, Andrei bent down and took something from the ground, then held it up so the other boy could see it too.

It was a small coin. “It’s a gold chervonets,” Andrei said, referring to the old coins that were used as currency during the times of the Soviet Union as he shined the flashlight on it. “This was Gleb’s, I think.”

“Gleb owned a coin?”

Andrei grinned as he put it in his pocket. “He showed it to me a few times, said it was real and he was going to be rich when he got out, but Babushka the cook told me it was a fake replica when I asked her about it.”

Ilya frowned. “If that was Gleb’s, then something must have happened to him. I think we should go back.”

“What’s the matter? Are you scared now?”

“I’m not scared! But we’re just two boys and we will be no match against a witch.”

“I have a knife so we will be safe,” Andrei said. “When we find out where the witch is hiding the others, then we can tell the authorities and we will be heroes.”

“I don’t like this. We could get lost in the woods. We could freeze to death even if we don’t find the witch.”

Andrei shrugged as he turned around, then he turned on the flashlight as he started walking into the forest. “Stop being a girl and follow me.”

Ilya hesitated. He was scared and he thought the whole thing was foolhardy. But Andrei was his best friend, and he felt some concern for him in case they both got into deeper trouble. In the end, his loyalty won out over his caution, and he followed Andrei to walk on the faint, snow-covered trail.

An hour had passed as the boys walked deeper into the woods. Andrei’s stolen flashlight had begun to dim, so he mostly kept it turned off as there was enough twilight to give the forest a dim, grey look. They could hear a few hoots from an owl and the slight moaning breeze from gusts of cold wind that chilled their bodies. Ilya had suggested that they turn back several times but Andrei was adamant; his discovery of the coin had made him bolder and he was determined to see this through. The forest of Siberian pine trees had cast long, pitch black shadows as they loomed over them like tall, rigid tentacles. It was then that Andrei suddenly crouched down and signaled the other boy to be quiet.

Ilya squatted down as well and slowly made his way until he was right behind him. “What is it?” he whispered.

Andrei held the flashlight ready as he took out the pen knife and unfolded it. “It looks like a small clearing up ahead.”

“I don’t like this. We are too far away from the orphanage. Let’s go back.”

“Stop being a coward. Shut up and follow me,” Andrei said as he started to creep forward, just beside the tufts of grass that were blanketed by snow.

As both boys got to within sight of the clearing, both opened their mouths wide in surprise. It was a circular expanse of grass that had been pushed under by a great weight. In the middle of it towered a small wooden hut with a single door at its front. What kept the little cabin two stories high were the pair of giant chicken legs that jutted out from underneath its base.

Ilya started trembling as he whispered into Andrei’s ear. “We’ve got to get out of here, that’s Baba Yaga’s hut.”

“The stories can’t be true,” Andrei said softly. “Baba Yaga is nothing but a tall tale.”

Ilya couldn’t believe it. His best friend was really dumb. “Are you crazy? Her hut is right over there.”

“It’s not moving though. Maybe she isn’t around.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“Let’s go inside, it probably has some gold and magic treasure in it. We’ll be rich and we won’t have to live in the orphanage anymore.”

Ilya bit his lip. “You’re crazy, we’re both going to die and get eaten by her.”

“Come on, just follow me.”

Ilya shook his head. “No way, I’m staying here.”

“Suit yourself,” Andrei said as he crept forward until he was near the edge of the glade.

Ilya said nothing as his heart was now pounding furiously while Andrei slowly crept out into the clearing. No sooner had the boy walked two steps, when the giant bird legs became animated and immediately shifted the entire cabin to face him. Both boys shrieked aloud as Andrei turned and started running towards his friend, but almost immediately the chicken legs began to crouch and the entire hut was lowered until it was just a few feet off the ground.