Sees not with the eyes

"You alright?" Hod asked.

"I'm fine. That tree was mostly rotted through or something, I don't hurt that bad or anything." David brushed himself off, grimacing at the mangled bat still in his hands. "Looks like I'm going to need another one of these things." He settled it on his shoulder, saying, "Come on, we got to hurry. It took off into the woods. I think if we follow it, we'll find Claire."

David kept a hand on Hod's shoulder as they hurried up the path. It always amazed him how much Hod could actually tell about his environment. Hod had studied several forms of martial arts throughout the years, and he always excelled, somehow beating sighted opponents on a regular basis. At the same time, things that didn't make too much noise, like trees and chairs and curbs, could catch him completely by surprise. David still wasn't sure what exactly his buddy could sense, but it was definitely most people noticed with their eyes open.

The path was lit slightly, and David noticed without surprise he was glowing again, this time enough so that he didn't miss his flashlight. And Hod was cold to the touch, like he always was when he got upset.

The woods were eerily silent, without owls or little skitters, without the throbbing of frogs or the dull thrum of insects. Even the cars passing above them seemed to be on a distant plane of existence.

The path the big troll-thing took led up onto a little rise before curving sharply. A tree had fallen over, gouging a great hole in the earth where its roots splayed into the air. Rootlets clogged the hole, but David noticed.... "Hey Hod, I think their's a path underneath this tree."

"That's probably the entrance to the lair. Clair is inside."

"Hod, you don't know-"

"David, I can tell. I'm sure of it." Hod's voice was firm, unyielding. "She's alive, and we're going to save her."

David was quiet a moment. "How can you tell?" he asked softly. "Hod, we've had a lot of strange stuff happen over the years. Full on X-files. But that thing, Hod. I'm going to have nightmares about it for months. It had more teeth than a chainsaw, and these weird eyes, and the way it moved- Hod, I don't think something like that keeps prisoners."

"Love sees not with the eyes, but with the mind. Therefore is winged cupid painted blind," Hod answered. He smiled. "One of my favorite quotes from Shakespeare. I just know. Now lets get into that cave and kick some troll butts."

"You think their might be more than one?"

"Of course. You don't think something like what we fought could be subtle enough to make itself look like Clair, do you?"

They entered the darkness.