Рахат Ягшимырадов – A Lucid Dream. The Wrath of Havra (страница 2)

“What kind of problems could a man like that have?” Ruslan wondered.

“The most valuable thing this man has are his daughters from three wives. He didn’t have a male heir, and deciding he needed a son, he married for the fourth time. And so, his new wife gave birth to twin sons — Duzhd and Duzhdam. They lived in paradise until one unfortunate night. One night, while everyone was asleep, his sons woke up and started attacking people, devouring everything in their path. Only when they were full did they fall asleep, like they were dead, and slept for three days without waking. But once they awoke, everything repeated itself. This went on for an entire year, and no one knew what was happening to them. Their father promised a reward to anyone who could cure his sons. Many people tried to help, but no one succeeded.”

Oktam fell silent, lost in thought.

Ruslan couldn’t stay indifferent.

“I want to try to heal them,” he said eagerly. The risk, the uncertainty, drew him in.

“Are you out of your mind? This is very dangerous!” Oktam exclaimed. “Every time they wake up, not only do they devour food, but also people. Although their father hides it with his wealth, the entire village knows that it’s them behind the disappearances.”

“Is that true?” Ruslan’s eyes widened.

“Yes, I myself became a victim of these monsters,” Oktam said, his voice trembling with anger.

“I had a beloved girl when all this started. We loved each other deeply and soon married. One night we went to bed, and in the morning I woke up alone. My wife had disappeared, and I searched the entire village for her but couldn’t find her. I was desperate, asking everyone, but all I got were sympathetic looks from the villagers. Weeks passed, but I couldn’t find her. And with each day, it grew worse. Over the year, several people disappeared, and now everyone is afraid to even go outside.”

Oktam fell silent, and Ruslan stayed quiet with him, feeling the pain Oktam had endured.

“Do you understand how terrifying all this is?” Oktam asked.

“I understand. And I haven’t forgotten about my ‘goddess,’” Ruslan replied with a smirk.

“You haven’t forgotten, huh?” Oktam nodded. “I feel like you’re ready to risk it. But know that this is really dangerous.”

Ruslan didn’t hesitate:

“I feel that I can change this situation. I have to try.”

Despite all the warnings, Oktam couldn’t convince Ruslan to back down and agreed to help him. They headed to Alihan’s house — the rich man who was about to play an important role in their fate.

When they arrived, Alihan greeted them warmly. He was a healthy man with thick hair and a beard, with some gray at his temples. He was happy to see those willing to help. They discussed their plan of action, and Ruslan asked to see the twins.

Alihan kept his sons in a deep well — more than ten meters deep. He had created conditions for the children to live there, away from people, since they were dangerous. Even their father feared them. The twins lay still, as if dead. Ruslan climbed down to take a closer look at them.

“How much food can they eat at once?” Ruslan asked.

“A lot,” Alihan replied, shrugging. “They start eating as soon as they wake up and keep going until they’re full. Then they fall asleep.”

“How long can they sleep? When are they supposed to wake up?” Ruslan asked.

“I can’t say for sure. Sometimes three days, sometimes more. But they should wake up tomorrow or the day after. That’s why we’re preparing food in advance.”

Ruslan thought for a moment and said:

“I’d like to observe them. Maybe I’ll be able to figure out the cause of their affliction and help them. But I want you to stay out of our way and only help if necessary. I’ll take on this task, but on my terms.”

Alihan didn’t object and agreed. Ruslan asked them to prepare ropes and reduce the amount of food for the twins by half. They went home to prepare for the next day.

“I think you’re wrong about the twins. We’ll see what tomorrow brings,” Ruslan said.

“Why do you think that?” Oktam asked.

“You saw where Alihan keeps them. They’re unlikely to be able to get out of there,” Ruslan replied.

“You think he told us the whole truth? He wouldn’t tell us that his sons devour people. Nearly every month, someone goes missing from our village. Maybe Alihan himself kidnaps poor villagers to feed his monsters. He can fool anyone, but not me,” Oktam said.

The next day, closer to evening, they arrived at Alihan’s house and began their investigation. Alihan instructed his men to leave them alone so that no one would interfere. After they were alone with the twins, Oktam asked:

“What are you planning to do next? Feed the monsters like they do? Believe me, it won’t help. They've been fed like this for over a year, and there's no result. Do you see what's happening?”

“We will feed them, but differently,” said Ruslan. “Half of the food will be dropped down, and the other half will be hung on a rope, about three meters high. Let's see how hungry they are, and if they can reach the food.”

“Are you out of your mind? If you really wanted to die, you could just go down there, wake them up, and invite them to dinner,” exclaimed Oktam.

“What do you mean?” asked Ruslan, confused.

“I mean, if they don't get enough food, they will eat you, and then me,” said Oktam, beginning to panic.

“Why do you think they will eat me first and not you?” Ruslan asked with a smirk.

“Because if they ask for more, I'll have to drop you down. But I think they'll still want more, and they'll eat me too,” said Oktam.

“Do you really think you'll be able to throw me to them to be eaten?” Ruslan continued to laugh.

"Of course! You made the mess, now you clean it up," Oktam replied indignantly.

"Quiet, they seem to be waking up!" said Ruslan, alarmed.

They quickly prepared everything without waiting for the twins to fully wake up. After a while, the brothers started devouring the food that had been dropped down. Ruslan and Oktam stood quietly, observing.

When the food quickly ran out, the twins began jumping up, trying to reach the food hanging from the rope. But no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't reach it. The walls of the well were smooth and slippery, making it impossible for them to climb. Finally, the twins started thinking. One of them placed the other on his shoulders, and together they managed to reach the food. But even with this portion, they quickly finished it. The brothers were dissatisfied with their meal. They circled around, cursing, and eventually fell asleep.

The next day, Ruslan told Alihan to prepare half the amount of food, as the twins might wake up much earlier if they weren't satisfied.

"I hired you to heal my sons, not to starve them!" Alihan protested.

"Please trust me, I know what I'm doing," replied Ruslan.

Alihan wanted to refuse his services, but since his sons had already become like living dead, he understood that it couldn’t go on like this, and decided to trust Ruslan.

Exhausted, Ruslan and Oktam headed home to rest. On the way, Oktam kept complaining:

"Are you out of your mind? Wasn't yesterday's show enough for you? Now you're cutting their food again? Whatever your plan is, I don't like it."

"Calm down, everything will be fine. Please, trust me," said Ruslan.

The entire way back, Ruslan reassured Oktam. Once home, they had a hearty breakfast and decided to rest for a while to regain their strength. They knew that their search for the girl couldn’t stop because of new complications. But after searching every corner and not missing a single face, they still didn’t find the mysterious girl.

The next day, after another fruitless search, Ruslan decided to return to the problem of the twins and continue his observations. At Alihan's house, preparing to feed the twins, Oktam suddenly caught a strange scent and started sniffing the air. Ruslan looked at his friend with surprise:

"What are you doing?"

"Don't you think it smells like something?" said Oktam.

"Yeah, it does," Ruslan replied with a serious expression, then smiled. "It smells like food," he said, reaching toward the food prepared for the twins.

"No, it’s just that the scent seems familiar, but I can’t place where I’ve smelled it before.

Never mind. Because of your jokes, my appetite is acting up. Let's eat a little. Show me what they’ve prepared for them this time. I’d rather die with a full stomach," joked Oktam.

"You’ll be fine. Here, eat, and I’ll get everything ready," said Ruslan.

This time, Ruslan and Oktam dropped half the food down and hung the rest on a rope, much higher than before. But there was much less food than last time.

After a while, the twins woke up and, as usual, began devouring the food. Since there was significantly less food this time, they quickly finished it. Then they started trying to reach the food hanging on the rope. However, since the food was hung higher than before, even by climbing on top of each other, they couldn't reach it. They spun around, jumped, got angry, but nothing worked. They stopped, threw their heads back, and began opening their mouths. Their jaws opened so wide that something wriggled in their throats.