“Sorry dolly, but this is the end of the road for ya. Can’t have ya spillin the beans on us just yet here.” The man spoke, adjusting the dark cloak around his body. Sand whipped through the winds, scouring the faces of the 4 people gathered there, three men heavily cloaked and a fourth on the ground, bound and gagged. With a pregnant moon in the sky, the men on the side of the speaker moved forward, hefting the bound woman up, despite her protests or struggles.
“See, if ya had just kept your beak shut, we wouldn’t have ta do this. Luck’s on your side though. Boss wanted ya alive, makes it harder for the cops to find a corpse.” The man spoke as his guards levied the body against a creviced opening in the ground, much like a gaping wound in the earth. He moved closer then to her, lowering enough so she could hear his words one last time.
“Sadly though, ya gotta disappear, and aint no better place than the caves. Death might have been sweeter than trying to live down there.” He spoke, leaning up and placing a foot against her chest. With one mighty heave, he pushed her down, watching as the darkness engulfed her form, any screams soon swallowed up by the scouring winds of the desert. Once the world had fallen silent, he signalled to his men to fall in line, moving quickly to cut through the sandy dunes and away from the tunnels, the cold air wrapping them in silence.
The woman fell, sliding against the rough exterior of stone and rubble, helped by the decades of sand that had been blown into the opening maw of the land. Air rushed past her face as she could only feel the world around her, the blindfold having left her devoid of all possible sight, what little good it would have done for her. She could do nothing to stop her descent, each dip and roll leaving bruises along her body. The tunnel seemed endless before finally flinging her body into open air, wind rushing past with the sound of trickling sand, leaving her in darkened freefall
Eternity seemed to hold her as she fell through the void, gravity pulling her closer towards an inevitable end, the wind, pulling at her clothes as she sailed on, heedless to reality.
As soon as it ended, reality called back, hard. The ground was both unyielding yet supporting as she landed, the stop sudden and enough to render her unconscious to her own fate.
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Dafu sat up quickly, baring claws at the sandy thud that echoed around his chambers, the unmistakable sound of body hitting sand. Had another corpse been thrown down here after him? Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he began moving to the entrance of his cave, a covering of cloth hiding his hidey hole full of anything he had found useful. His nose poked out first, sniffing and testing the air around his opening. Once assured no beasties were round, he moved outside the tunnel, still crouched low in case he needed to run. The cloth was enough to hide his entrance, but he wasn’t taking any chances with these beasts. Two days here after waking up unconscious was more than enough.
“Oh, what treat. Fresh body for Dafu. May have treat for him.” Dafu whispered into the air, quickly making his way up the sandy incline towards the body. He stopped at the top, watching the form for a few moments, checking to make sure there were no traps or otherwise. This was the second body he had seen come down here, the first being mostly scraps and bones. It was best to assume some the Ants used this hole as a dumping ground for the people they killed and the stuff they couldn’t use. Sadly no weapons as of yet.
“Maybe Dafu have better luck with lady body.” He spoke before finally moving up to the body, eyes scanning the person's form for anything immediate of use. With no luck, he began to inspect and search her body, feeling around for anything that may be hidden inside the simple outfit, only to stop when he placed his hand on her side. His nose and ears twitched some, curious if his mind wasn’t just playing tricks on him. Leaning down, he placed his ear against her chest, listening quietly for a few moments before jumping back in surprise, a yelp escaping his lips as he tumbled backwards on the sand pile.
“Lady is alive.. Sleeping but alive.” Dafu spoke with a surprised tone, quickly covering his snout and looking around the room. When no beasts were forthcoming, Dafu moved forward once again, poking the body carefully as he looked her over. He could see the bruises starting to form, along with the minor cuts and nicks to her body from the fall. But very much alive, that was for sure.
“Dafu shall help her.. Maybe then help Dafu.” Dafu whispered as he carefully lifted the woman, carrying her back to his home with the intent to nurse her back to consciousness as much as possible.
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