Chapter 6: Sleep It Off

Chapter Six: Sleep It Off

Leviathan Jones slogged up the long brick paver road from the Mole District towards Goyletown. The buzz of the old dim light bulbs was a constant reminder of the pressing darkness that filled Caveumbria. The underground city was ancient, almost as ancient as the feuds with the Above Grounders that drove goyles and the like into the eternal darkness.

Jones whistled wearily as he put one foot in front of the other slowly. It was late… well, early in the morning, technically. Buggsy’s charade had cost him a lot of time, but the evening wasn’t a total loss. His time at the Milky Maiden had seemed dismal, but paid off in the end. His ribs throbbed with pain with each deep breath and his chocolate milk headache was already starting to rear its ugly head.

Delilah Brown refused to let him walk her all the way home, but he took her as far as the trolley stop on Main and Vine. He didn’t like leaving her alone so late at night, but she assured him that she’d be fine. He made her promise again that she’d call him if she got into any trouble, which made him feel at least a little better.

He thought over the conversation he had with her back at the milk bar as he marched. She swore she saw a goyle-sized thief jump off the second story balcony of the Rifflebum mansion and sprint off into the darkness, he thought for the hundredth time.

There were many types of creatures that lived in the underground city. The sprites were the smallest, no bigger than a dust bunny, while the dragons were the largest — though no one had seen one of those in decades. Most goyles were around the size of an average human, but more muscular. They had broad shoulders and legs like tree trunks, with very flat feet, similar to an elephant. Some had wings, but Leviathan hadn’t earned his yet and wasn’t sure he ever would.

A furry thief that also happened to be the distinctive size of a goyle, he thought. It just doesn’t add up. Goyles don’t have fur. We’ve got thick stony skin and we certainly aren’t sprinters, let alone made for jumping from a second story balcony.

What on earth could it be?

He winced as he took a deep breath, finally reaching the top of the steep hill and wiped his sweaty brow with a handkerchief from his coat pocket. His apartment was several blocks into Goyletown. Well, apartment may be a bit kind. In reality, he slept in the back of his office, behind a wall of filing cabinets and his fake palm tree. He liked to call it his apartment during off hours to add a bit of normalcy to his crazy life.

He turned the conversation over and over again in his mind as he shuffled along towards the old brick building. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something about it was bothering him. It’s not the thief that bugs me. That’s just a classic case of an eye witness not remembering details correctly. There’s something else…

“Morning, Jones.” A gravelly voiced goyle said, passing him by on the sidewalk.

“Morning, Bob,” he replied. Bob worked in the smelting facility in the industrial district across town. He left for work around four in the morning each day, which Leviathan knew from personal experience.

Leviathan swung the door open to his building and climbed the creaky wooden stairs. His office was on the third floor. He reached it a moment later and realized how exhausted he truly was. The lamp on his desk was glowing warmly, inviting him in.

He closed the wooden door behind him with a satisfying click and hung his long leather jacket on the nail in the stone wall. I just need to sleep a while, he thought. That’ll help me figure out what’s fishy about her story.

He turned and took a deep swig of water from his large mug on his desk before sitting it down with a soft thud. “Yes, some sleep will do me some good,” he said aloud.

“Oh, I sure hope not,” a cool feminine voice said in response, causing him to jump from surprise.

He looked to the shadows near the door. *Did I *really walk right past her? I must be more tired than I thought.

“It’s been a long time, Jones. Too long. Almost feels like you’re trying to avoid me.”

Leviathan didn’t say anything in response, but just rubbed his heavy eyes.

Looks like sleep’s gonna have to wait.