Soil: III

Helping my husband see the error in his ways made things far more pleasant around the house. He no longer nagged me about the smell of rot. I no longer had to hear him whine about all the dirt scattered around the house. His protests that I never eat anymore and lurk around his bed died down with him.

Now, he only sat on his wooden chair and stared at the wall. Sure, I had to do everything for him now, but as long as he understood what I wanted him to, I was content. In a few days, he even started smelling like me. Of course, the scent could have alerted somebody, but the soil absorbed masked most of it.

My husband was among the higher priests of the village. His job was to ensure that all the nastiness in Naash never left. Unfortunately, it also meant that the humans living there couldn’t leave either. Per the priests’ logic, having lived among evil for so long, the people had been tainted, too.

Due to the nature of his work, it wasn’t unusual for him to be absent without notice for weeks. It was common knowledge, and everybody was sure he would eventually return.

Thanks to this, I got to spend a beautiful time with my beloved, and that too in the comfort of my own home. Still, I knew people would eventually start wondering, and someone would come looking for him soon enough.

Because of this, I started peeking through the windows to check for visitors. Once, I thought I saw someone staring right at me from behind a tree, and electricity danced down my spine. Could it have been Him? I quickly shook these thoughts out of my head.

Time passed, and the soil grew stronger as our bodies rapidly deteriorated. It got to the point that we were closer to a skeleton than an actual person. Mud had filled parts of my body where the skin had fallen off.

And then I saw someone just like us. She had ratty clothes, and grime covered her entire body. She seemed lost in a daze. Something was off about her, but I wasn’t sure what. And then it clicked! She was one with the soil, too. But what was she doing there? Were there others like us? Why now?

I spent the entire evening mulling over these questions. As night enveloped the village once again, I dared a peek outside. I found a hoard of similar half-dead creatures standing in wait. Their eyes were directed straight at me as if they knew where I would be already.

Immediately, I understood what they wanted. They wanted to come in. With my husband gone, a part of the village was now unprotected, and gaining access to our house would mean gaining access to it all. It would be a catastrophe.

I knew I couldn’t let this happen. These vile creatures had no business stepping inside my home. I was going to stop them. Despite my conviction, however, I found myself moving towards the door. My bony hand reached towards the door and pulled it open. The fall of Naash had begun.