Notes: Written for JackOfNone for Yuletide 2013.

Ghost Town

He'd barely made it through the mountain pass.

Link was limping as he made his way downhill, his body bruised and battered from hurled rocks. The Lizalfos had chosen their ambush point well, and he'd been careless, trusting that the path would be safe once he'd made it past the river devil. In the shadows cast by the high wooden palisades that lined the route, he hadn't seen that the pathway was overgrown, the old stones cracked and forced out of place by sprawling roots. Whatever magic kept Ganon's forces off the roads in northern Hyrule hadn't worked here.

He was entering dangerous new territory. What lay past the mountains here, nobody in Nabooru had been able to tell him. He could only hope that he'd find another town soon. Healing the worst of his injuries had drained away his magical reserves, and he doubted he had another spell in him.

Past the next curve in the path he saw grave markers, a vast field of them lying south of the road. The great cemeteries of Hyrule always gave him a shiver; so many dead, and always buried far from any town. No chance to lay the dead to rest with proper ceremony when the Moa spirits hovered close above. He could see them in the distance, indistinct shapes drifting in the hazy sky. Step off the road, and they'd be on him in a heartbeat.

Still better to stick to the paths, where they existed... but Link knew he could no longer let his guard down.

He could see a bridge a short distance ahead - almost certainly guarded by Ganon's forces. They controlled every river crossing; even the water town of Saria was full of illusion-cloaked spies, clawing, scratching bats disguised in human form.

He hesitated, reluctant to risk the bridge while he was weak. The swampland north of the road had given way to trees; perhaps he could dodge Ganon's forces in the forest long enough to find another way across. Right now, he'd take the risk of being tracked over the certainty of confrontation.

As soon as Link left the road, he could feel fresh tension in the air, a sense of dark things shifting and scuttling in the shadows. Ganon's hunters, already closing in. They could track him just by the scent of his blood. It wasn't safe to stay still for too long.

A flicker of red at the corner of his eye, and suddenly swarming spiders were on him, bloated bodies descending on thick ropes of web from all sides. He leapt and slashed, ducking under the curtains of cobwebs that covered the trees. Had to keep running, find his way past the water and see what was on the other side. Where there was a bridge, there was a route that must have once led somewhere, even if it was only used by Ganon's creatures now.

Eventually, the soil beneath his feet grew sandy, the trees becoming sparser and more twisted as he drew further away from the river's banks. Thin vegetation rapidly gave way to open desert, the glare blinding after the shade of the trees. Link slowed and squinted through the heat haze, raising his shield arm to shade his eyes from the sun.

A great trio of rock mounds rose from the sands some way into the distance, the scale impossible to judge in this stark, barren place. He stumbled across the shifting sand towards them, the only landmark he could see on the shimmering horizon.

His boots skidded on the side of a dune, sand pouring away into unexpected holes as he sought solid footing.

Not just holes. Burrows. The ground beneath his feet was seething, horned worms twisting up out of the sand as it poured away in whorls. He yelled and stabbed down frantically in all directions, trying to spear the things before they came up from beneath him.

Something skittered on the rock to his left: a giant scorpion, with one great staring eye. Link ducked as the articulated tail whipped towards him, shooting fire from the barb at the end.

And then, as he rose up out of his crouch, he saw it - a sight so desperately craved he was half sure that it had to be a mirage. The shapes of buildings in the distance. A town.

He leapt over the scorpion and ran, dodging the spiked horns of the Leevers as they corkscrewed up out of the sand. The minor scrapes and bruises didn't matter any more. If he could reach the town, he'd have his chance to heal.

As he crested the next rise he saw there was a second bridge crossing the river, hidden from the northern road that he'd travelled before by the rocky outcrop in between. Beyond it, emerging from the glare of the desert sun, he saw the unmistakable outline of a mid-sized settlement. Sanctuary.

Now all he had to do was get there.

As he approached the bridge, Link saw it was in poor repair. There were gaps between the wooden boards where several were now missing, and the water below ran unnaturally dark. The river's banks were scattered with fragmented bones, and the stench of decay was enough to make him gag.

Something bone-white burst up from the churning water: the spiny skeleton of a dead fish. A blood red glow lit the empty eye sockets from within as it spewed stones scooped up from the river bed to pelt him. He raised his shield to knock away a stone and slashed out with his sword, shattering the skeleton into splintered bones.

But more of them were rising from the water on all sides, called back to life by Ganon's evil magic. There were too many to evade, coming at him from every direction; he cried out as a sharp stone struck his shoulder. Death in a thousand tiny fragments, a relentless battering. He sprinted across the bridge with his shield pulled up over his head.

Something reared up on the boards ahead of him. A basilisk! It rose up on its hind legs, spitting venom towards him, and he gulped and yanked the shield down just in time to feel it splash against the wood. The thing back dropped down onto all fours, scuttling towards him, and he leapt over it, his downward stab glancing harmlessly off the ridged scales on its back. Only fire magic stood a chance of burning through that thick hide, but he didn't have the strength to cast the spell.

Just make it to the town. That was all he had to do. He sprinted the rest of the way across the decaying bridge, gritting his teeth against the barrage from the flying fish. The cuts and bruises didn't matter now. Not when salvation was such a short distance away.

The sky was growing dark as he approached the sign that marked the edge of the town. In the dimness, he could make out shapes of battered looking buildings. There was no one around. A prickle of unease crawled down his spine.

Where were all the people?

Link traced the faded letters on the weatherbeaten sign. 'Kasuto', was all it said. No cheery welcome message, nor anything to say where the townspeople might be. He swallowed, still unsettled, and began to straighten up.

Something cold bumped against the back of his legs. Link whipped around, sword and shield raised, but he saw nothing lurking there behind him.

After a tense moment he let his breath back out. Probably just some scrap of debris, carried by the wind.

All the same, he couldn't lose that prickling feeling on the back of his neck, as if he was being watched by unseen eyes.

He edged his way onward through the darkening streets, looking for any building that seemed in better repair, some sign of where the townspeople had gone. With every step, his spirits sank further. The houses were in ruins, and it seemed clear that this town must have been quite long abandoned. There would be no chance of rest and healing here.

He turned to look back the way he'd come-

And something crashed against his ribcage, an icy impact that smashed the breath out of his chest. Link jumped back with his shield raised, seeking his assailant, but he saw nothing and no one in the dark. He raised his gaze to the rooftops. Maybe someone-

Another impact buffeted him backwards. There was nothing there, nothing visible. He flailed wildly with the sword, swiping at empty air. How could he fight something that he couldn't see? He staggered, lurching back in the direction that he'd come.

Another icy blow crashed against his shoulder from behind, and his shield arm went numb, his fingers slacking on the grip. He turned and ran towards the dim shape of the distant town sign. If he made it back outside the boundary of this cursed place, then maybe he'd be safe. His breath wheezed in his chest as he poured the last of his strength into one desperate sprint. A dozen paces to go. Half a dozen. Almost there...

Cold impact crashed against the back of his head, and the world went red.

As he collapsed, Link could have sworn he heard the mocking sound of Ganon's laughter echo in his mind.

He woke up an unknown length of time later, still lying on the ground with one hand stretched towards the sign. He felt... better. Impossibly better. He sat up cautiously, patting himself for the traces of injuries that no longer seemed to be there.

Something clinked like broken crockery in one of his pockets. Link reached inside, and pulled out a half forgotten acquisition, the doll he'd picked up in Moruge swamp. He'd felt unsafe leaving it where it was, a disturbing totem made in his own likeness hidden away on a rock isle amid carved pillars. Was it a gift, a tribute, a curse?

Perhaps a blessing. As he pulled it out, he saw that the doll had shattered and collapsed inwards, the hollow inside stained a rusty red. Whatever sinister sense he'd had when he first found it, the thing was no more than a collection of broken shards now, drained of its magic. Lifeless.

It might be - but he wasn't. He shivered. The doll had saved him at what must have been the very moment of death. If he hadn't picked it up in the swamp, would he still be here now?

He wasn't sure that he wanted to know.

Link wrapped the shattered pieces and took them with him to bury in the desert, afraid that further magic might be worked with the remains. Eyes of Ganon were everywhere, and this dead, haunted town was inhabited by chill spirits that would sap the life from him again if he lingered too long. It was clear that he would find no safety here, and perhaps not anywhere on this side of the southern mountains.

The only thing he could do was keep going.