The fat land

- My Hornet was sort of a one love to me, lately though she's lacking proper acceleration power, without jolting.... thanks to the malfunctioning of the carburettor; it makes a air/fuel mix's deficiency in the combustion chamber. This one, though, really handles it itself nicely.
Two hundred meters ahead of the starting point, Dan and Guaine had decided to exchange places, Dan letting his accidental partner assume the driving of the bike since the latter could manoeuvre it with more experience and skill.

They were now riding at full throttle, lifting the gravel of the unattended speedway, as they darted through the short trees with large tops. It wasn't of wander that Guaine was finding it bizarre. Dan himself was having trouble believing any of that.
Hopefully, though, in a few minutes they'd have more answers to add to the puzzle.
Behind the trees, at the distance and to his right, three hills could be seen, presenting a gloomy countenance, as if they readying themselves to gain movement and come chasing after them through the sorrel land with heated energy.
- It's by that left turn, now. We'll go all the way across until we find a construction resembling a school. Beyond the first building we'll then soon start to see aligned trimmed trees and cottages.

The moonlight reflected evenly over a course surface, that they made out as being a river, small in breadth, which ran across the road for some hundred of meters and apparently had its destination in one of the hills. Thirst, that was the discomfort in Dan's throat, an ignored sensation that was swelling inside him, pricking inside like a sting.
Guaine frowned his eyebrows, as if pensive, and after a few seconds replied:
- Better to begin slowing down a little. It's clear that we're in some kind of danger and have to account for worst case scenarios.
And yet, despite his dryness Dan couldn't help but thinking that that running water that was now drifting apart from them would have the taste of mildew poison.

Then the paving became tiled and there appeared the houses.
- We're here - said Gip, luridly - the end of the fast lane.
- Right. It's the number 10, that grey blue one - Dan took a deep breath - I really wasn't thinking in getting back to this place so soon.
- Hmmm.... having second thoughts, isn't it? I too find that this is no good. The two times I've been in Uhra, I've always felt an extraneous feeling to it, like it was something not of this world. Kind of a voodoo town, if you know what I mean.

Dan stayed silent, turning his head one side to another and watching in every directions.
The street was quiet as when Dan had seen before, impassive before its own dark, menacing secrets, and at the same time claustrophobic in its stillness.

They dismounted the bike and hurriedly walked to the gate.
- Good thing, I still have the key.
Dan put in the key hole and turned it. The door gave in, after a little shove.
-Time to break and enter.
The lights were still on, like Dan had left it. The silence, though was shrouding the place in a suspicious manner.
- Stay on your toes. We heading to the living room. - whispered Dan.
- You said he was TIED UP. - Gip definitely sounded like he wanted to turn back and run away from all that.
- Yes, and I also said he was totally nuts.

Dan slowly opened the door leading to the division and....... the room was completely empty!!!
In the middle..... there were the chair and the gags, but there wasn't NOBODY.