Chapter 30 -- Dreamspace

In his dream, Zed was driving again. His bleeding hands held the steering wheel and the road in front of him stretched to infinity. Still, he drove on. The car sped on till the speedometer sped in circles. He saw Krazkaf racing on his tank ahead of him and overtook him. Krazkaf waved at him and Zed passed him. Half of his face was hanging from his neck and his bones were showing through his skin, where teethmarks were visible in the flesh.

Next, he saw the little girl called the Questioner. She was sitting in a bath tub by the side of the road. She gave Zed a finger and got a grin as a reply. He saw Baxron next who was riding lopsided on his beast. His body twisted at strange angles and both of his legs were pointing in the wrong direction.

"What the fuck happened to you?" Zed asked.

"Fell from the cliff after cutting that web."

"Good going, loser!"

Zed saw the road ahead and slammed the brakes. Olag was standing in the middle of the road. Zed was out of the car in a flash and he stalked towards the little man who didn't even seem interesting in moving from the path of a sure shot beating.

He reached Olag and kicked him in the face. Zed's boot connected with Olag's face and teeth sprayed out of his mouth. Then he took some time in kicking the him in all the places which were supposed to hurt but Olag didn't even cry out once.

When Zed had exhausted himself, Olag got up and spat some more teeth from his mouth.

"You will never win the race." he said and wiped back sweaty hair with his hand.

"Why did you stab me? You asshole."

Olag shrugged, "I'm in the race to win and I'll stab anyone to win it."

"I thought we were friends."

"Then let this be a lesson for you. Friends will stab you the first chance they get."

Zed looked at Olag's bleeding face.

"This is some kind of dreamspace, isn't it? I am still there in the cave, bleeding to death, or getting poisoned by your black knife."

Olag smiled at him. "One of the two. But the end result will be the same."

"Well," Zed said, "I've got a lesson for you too, Olag. Never stop me in a race."

"I've stopped you already. Your thoughts will be stuck in this dream, while you will die in the labyrinth."

"If this is a dream, then how sure are you of reality?"

A confused expression flitted through Olag's face. Zed focused and thought about his sword which appeared in his hand instantly. Olag's confused expression changed to fear.

"No!"

The words were barely out of his lips when his head hit the road. Zed flicked the blood of his sword.

He needed a shock to get out of his dream. Without thinking for another second, he chopped off his left hand. As blood spritzed out like a water from a broken hose, his eyes opened in darkness. The copper taste of blood was in his mouth and his left hand hung uselessly from his arm. Olag's body was lying on the floor near him, with his eyes rolled back in his skull and his lips formed in shape of a silent 'no".

Zed spat back at him and walked into the darkness. Guided by the sword's blue light, he came up to an underground cave where a river flowed silently. There were three men standing on the other side. All of them wore identical black suits and their white hair were tied back in ponytails.

"Congrats Mr. Zed, on finding the river." one of them said.

"If you'd be so kind to come this side." the second said.

"So we can finish this race and send you back." the third added.

"Can you take them?" Zed asked the sword.

"Them? No issues. But I'd be more worried about their boss."

A figure towered behind the three suits. A bald man with ashen skin, who stood in the darkness, shadows hiding his face.

"Bring me my sword, boy," his voice boomed in the underground cave.

---

Heh :) Now who the hell is this?!