ã€ŠThe Interdimensional Travel Logã€‹


 Day 1 - A Morning Jog

    It had been a slow morning. Jake had expected it the night before, going to bed so late compared to his usual schedule, but he still found it hellish to wake up when he heard his alarm ring out early in the morning.

    Last night had been a real ¡°Rock and a Hard Place¡± situation, staying up to celebrate New Year''s with his family while knowing an early morning start awaited him. He¡¯d considered canceling the morning wakeup call, or delaying it, but decided against it while tossing and turning in bed late at night. He¡¯d recently started his new routine: he didn¡¯t want to break habit over something as stupid as a bad night¡¯s rest. In the end, this internal debate over the early morning alarm had only caused him to stress out, keeping up a good hour after he¡¯d tried to fall asleep.

    Now, standing bleary-eyed leaning against his counter to support him, Jake was delaying leaving the house for as long as possible. He was chewing sluggishly on the last overripened banana he¡¯d found on the counter.

    As he chewed the last few bites, he reached behind him and cracked his neck trying to shake the early morning stiffness out of himself. Glancing out the window as he tossed the peel of his breakfast into the open bin next to the counter, he saw pinpricks of light shining through as the sun rose. He was confident he was the only one up at this hour: the rest of his family would still be sleeping in, enjoying the benefits of not going for an early morning run.

    With one last stretch of the neck and a bemused sigh, as he thought about how cold it would be outside, Jake made his way for the front door. He felt his phone in his right pocket, and walking by a small end table in the entry hall quickly grabbed his keys and wallet. He didn¡¯t need the wallet, he wasn¡¯t planning on driving or buying anything, but he still felt more comfortable pairing it with his keys rather than leaving it behind. He wore a simple black T-shirt with a faded design no one could recognize, and a pair of red exercise shorts he¡¯d had since middle school. His growth had stunted, much to his displeasure, so though the shorts were old they still fit him fine, just a bit higher above his knees now, with plenty of room in his pockets for the wallet-key combo.

    Walking carefully across the squeaky hardwood of the entryway in an attempt to stay as quiet as possible, Jake unlocked and opened the front door to sneak out the house without waking anyone up, only to be interrupted by the high-pitched shrill of the burglar alarm which pierced through the house. In his focus to sneak quietly through the entry hall, the tired, hazy hog that enveloped his brain had overlooked that the burglar alarm was still active.

    As Jake panicked and tried to quickly reach over to the wall-mounted security panel to input the code and shut off the shrill sound echoing through the house, he stumbled over himself in his panic slipping into a semi-split sprawled out across the hardwood floor. He had never been the most coordinated of guys. By the time he¡¯d managed to compose himself and reach the security panel, it was too late. The alarm had shut off. This was bad. This meant one of three things: He had woken his parents, sisters, or both. Someone in this cloud of people had shut off the alarm, and soon they would come storming out here to see who had set the alarm off.

    None of these people, not his sisters or his parents, would be happy to see him standing there at the ass crack of dawn, and though he couldn¡¯t blame them he didn¡¯t feel like facing their tired fury right before his run. So, he did the only thing he could think to do.

    Going out the front door, and locking it behind him, he sent a quick text to the family group chat before starting his run. ¡°Sorry about the alarm. See you in a bit.¡± That should quell¡­ whoever he woke up till he got back. His coward¡¯s solution in play, he hurried down the driveway and started his run through the neighborhood.

    Jake had never been a lean guy, always leaning towards the portlier side, but it had gotten worse the last few months. He didn¡¯t know what it was exactly, a new medication or a change in his diet, but he¡¯d been gaining weight rapidly. The final straw had been a regular doctor¡¯s checkup though. His cholesterol was double what it should be for a twenty-two-year-old, and the doctor had spent half the time subtly recommending diet plans. Jake had gotten the hint and had spent the last three weeks cutting back his caloric intake and exercise.

    Jake had gotten used to the reduced food and diet changes quickly and found he enjoyed exercising. Mostly. He was still struggling with cardio. He was hoping to get a decent exercise and diet plan figured out before returning to college from winter break, and cardio was throwing a consistent wrench in his plans. So, for the past week or so he had begun doing morning runs to try and help this.

    If he was honest with himself, he hated running and didn¡¯t even know for sure if it was helping or not. He heard online from some random source it was helpful, but googling exercise and diet tips and then trying to sort through what came up for what was beneficial was an exhausting process. What he did know was that despite how much he hated it, he felt like he was gradually improving. Or it was all in his head, the placebo effect and all. That nagging doubt always seemed to worm its way into his head when he reviewed the effects his diet and exercise were having.

    Today it had been around fifteen minutes of straight running before Jake decided he¡¯d earned a water break. He was trying to limit his water breaks to 2-3 an hour of running, but so far, he had only succeeded in running for a full hour once. He had promptly thrown up after finishing, but he didn¡¯t like to focus on that. He was gasping for water, but when he went reaching for his water bottle found nothing. He usually jammed a plastic water bottle into his pocket with his phone early in the morning. It wasn¡¯t the most comfortable, but he found he preferred it to carrying it. Only today, there was nothing.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    With a sigh, Jake realized he¡¯d forgotten his water on the kitchen counter. Useless phone and wallet? Check and Check. Water? Not a drop. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to heading home so soon (He wanted to give it a bit longer to let his family members fall back asleep) but there wasn¡¯t anything for it. There weren¡¯t any public water fountains nearby and Jake felt like he was dying of thirst.

    As the sun crest the sky in front of him, rising into the air, Jake turned around to begin marching home. As he was turning to walk, however, he found himself stumbling backward. He reached back in a panic to stop himself from meeting the pavement below. Instead, what his hand found was the rough grit of sand.

    Stumbling backward, Jake found himself suddenly rolling down a substantially tall dune, screaming out a surprise. This was a mistake, as all screaming out did was lead him to swallow mouthfuls of sand. Once he¡¯d finished tumbling over, he found himself landing in a surprisingly soft cushion of girted sand. It felt rough and coarse across his body, yet he didn¡¯t feel any broken bones or even major bruises from the substantial tumble he had just taken.

    Coughing and spitting, struggling to get the sand out of his mouth, he recoiled at the sudden metallic taste that enveloped his mouth, reminding him of old pennies. Looking around in a confused daze, he couldn¡¯t see anything for miles. Just dune after dune of brownish sand that seemed to stick to his skin. He was panicking now and confused as to what the hell was going on. He didn¡¯t know if he¡¯d been drugged this morning or if he¡¯d slammed his head against the concrete when he was falling early and was trapped in some bizarre comma, but he couldn¡¯t see any trace of his neighborhood around him. The only sign of any life at all was the disturbed sand trails he created when falling backward.

    He struggled to pull himself up, still gagging at the copper-tasting sand that invaded his mouth, refusing to lead his throat no matter how hard he struggled and gagged himself. A sense of panic was welling up inside Jake, but he was doing his best to try and keep it under control. He always believed that panicking failed to solve anything, it just wasted time. Though this situation was far more extreme than panic over finals or group projects, he was struggling to apply the same philosophy here. Panic would accomplish nothing; it would simply waste his time. Given that he didn¡¯t understand where he was or how he got there, he couldn¡¯t afford to panic. Not yet.

    He felt his pockets, and amidst a sea of copper sand he¡¯d managed to collect during his fall, he managed to hold onto his phone, keys, and wallet. Taking his phone out, he was not surprised to find he no longer had any reception (SOS or otherwise). Wherever the hell he was, it was far outside any cell provider. Curiously, he opened the phone and scrolled through, looking for a random app or photo he didn¡¯t remember. At last, he found it, an old app he had only vague memories of downloading and playing. Opening the app, he was able to clearly and perfectly read the company''s error message that appeared, telling him to connect to Wi-Fi.

    For the time being, this was the best proof he had that he wasn¡¯t stuck in a dream. From what he remembered it was impossible to read unfamiliar text in a dream, but here it was perfectly displayed and legible. He couldn¡¯t call it one hundred percent certainty, as he didn¡¯t remember the exact science behind it and was also sort of relying on some information he remembered from movies and an episode of Batman the Animated Series, but for now, he was leaning towards reality as opposed to dream.

    Putting the phone away and looking around, Jake was able to spot, in the far-off distance, a blur jutting out amongst the ever-stretching dunes. There was nothing else he could make out on the horizon, and the blur seemed to be stationary and non-living. With careful precision so as not to lose his shoes or socks in the buried sand, Jake began marching his way toward the blur in the distance. It was slow going the entire way, he had hopped as he walked, he would find patches of more stable ground to walk on, but no he continually sunk into the sand with every step.

    Worse, the longer he walked the clearer it became that he had arrived here early in the morning, with the sun barely in the sky. As his journey continued, and the time stretched on, the sun rose further and further into the sky, as if to mock him and make his journey more difficult. As he continued to walk in the scorching heat cast by the sun, struggling to breathe through his dust-coated throat, every step felt torturous. Yet he was making undeniable progress.

    As the time stretched on, and the distance he traveled grew exponentially, the details of what he was traveling towards began to take shape. The edges of the blur sharpened into those of a jagged rock, jutting out from the ground. When he was, what he assumed to be, five hundred meters from the rock he could see it was mostly a teal-greenish color, and assumed it was copper ore based on the unending taste assaulting his mouth for the past few hours of his march. Along with that, he could see an alcove carved into the copper deposit, large enough for him to crawl into and rest comfortably.

    When he had at last finished his trek and reached the alcove in the copper deposit, it was with great difficulty he heaved his exhausted body into the hollow chamber in the rock. He had enough room to sprawl out and lay down, but he had no interest in doing that. Instead, he simply curled up into a ball, pulling his legs tight to himself and burying his face into his knees. Whatever panic he¡¯d been managing to suppress so far burst forth all at once as he began hyperventilating, struggling to control his breathing or think rationing. Amongst this, as he found himself diving headfirst into a panic attack he began trying to sob into his leg.

    However, already thirsty before falling into the desert and facing a multi-hour hike through the desert, he found himself severely dehydrated. All that came out were dry sobs of anguish, echoing off his knees and reverberating around the rocky hollow he found himself in.

 Day 2 - Bitter Apples

    Jake wasn¡¯t sure when exactly he¡¯d lost consciousness while curled up in the hollow chamber of the copper deposit, but he awoke to total darkness. Every part of him was sore, it seemed the initial state of panic-fueled adrenaline had long since worn off while he slept, leaving him with nothing but tired aches and pains. Every muscle ached and his stomach growled, long since having used whatever energy it pulled from the early morning banana, but worse than either of these issues was his thirst.

    He felt dizzy with a throbbing headache, and his throat felt scratchy and closed off like a vice. He¡¯d managed to somewhat tune it out earlier as panic and confusion overwhelmed him, but now, freshly awoken his dehydration hit hard. He shifted himself to lay flat, but even this simple motion sent his muscles screaming and left his head throbbing.

    With nothing left to do except lay prone and try to limit movement for fear of further aggravating his body, he simply found himself staring up at the darkness of night up above trying to force himself to sleep. Yet this was now impossible. Not only was his body''s painful condition keeping him awake, but a new problem spawned from the stretching blackness above presented itself. He had not been a fan of the heat he faced earlier in the day during his trek, but at the very least he¡¯d been dressed somewhat appropriately for it (even if it left his exposed arms and legs coated in sand).

    Now, however, the sun had set taking all the heat of day with it leaving only a horrid chill in its place. Jake remembered reading a while back that the desert reached an average temperature of fifteen to twenty degrees, and it looked like the vast copper sands he found himself stranded in was no exception. Lying flat now, he could clearly see whatever vapor was left in his body escaping him with each labored breath, contrasting the empty sky above.

    It hadn¡¯t taken long after waking up for Jake to notice the cold, and despite how painful he found movement currently, he forced his arms tight across his chest in desperate hope of trapping body heat. The longer he found himself stuck in the cold, felt it eating away at his skin, and felt himself involuntarily shaking and chittering away against the rocks below, he did away with the plan to fall asleep again. He feared if he did drift off to sleep, he would surely die of the cold in his sleep and never wake up again. In fact, despite how generally miserable he felt right now he considered it a miracle he awoke when he did.

    He focused now not on any hope of sleep but on the sky above, the only distraction he had to his body¡¯s failing condition and the horrid cold. It was black and empty, not a star in sight despite finding himself in the vast wilderness with no pollution to block them. He¡¯d hoped he might see something familiar in the sky, even if he¡¯d never been particularly fond of astronomy. Right now, he was grasping for anything familiar to hold onto.

    He still didn¡¯t understand what had happened to him or where he was, but he was thoroughly convinced now he wasn¡¯t dreaming. He¡¯d been hoping before that maybe the test he¡¯d run in a panic had been wrong, that he¡¯d misremembered the info about reading in a dream. Perhaps he still had, but this chill and this pain radiating out from his legs and from his head. No dream could fake it, never had in his life.

    This was all real, even if he couldn¡¯t explain it. As he came to terms with that truth, no panic remained. He¡¯d used it all earlier before he fell asleep. All that remained was a certainty in his heart. As he felt the chill begin to subside somewhat and saw a dim glow appear as the sun rose on the desert he was trapped in, he was certain he¡¯d die here.

    Jake wanted to scream and cry in frustration as he saw the sun finish rising above, but the effort felt wasted, what was the point? He would die, alone in the desert, and the world would move on and there wasn¡¯t anything he could do about it. Then, all at once, he fell.

    He thought maybe he¡¯d somehow rolled or been blown out of the hollow of the rock but no, it felt as if the ground itself had disappeared from under him. He wasn¡¯t falling for long, maybe a half second or so, when with a hard thud he felt himself landing in the dirt and grass waiting below. A groan escaped involuntarily from his lips, lost in the rustling in the trees above.

    It took a second for Jake to realize what had happened, but the shock quickly drove him to jump up and look around in a frenzy, ignoring the pain that begged him to stop his hurried movements. The desolate landscape of the copper sands was gone, replaced by inviting trees and unchecked flora growing wild. He was in a Forest, standing not on sinking sand or rough rock but inviting grass. But what excited him most was the rushing sound he heard close by.

    Ignoring the pain of his screaming body as he stumbled over himself to find it, it didn¡¯t take long to zero in on the source. A clear creek cut through the forest, leading on into the unknown. Its source was also unclear, but none of this was important to Jake. He threw himself into the creak face first, lying flat on his stomach so it was easier to shovel mouthful after mouthful of water down his gullet.

    He was greedy, and as he sipped the water, he revealed the sensation of his throat loosening for the first time in what must have been over twenty-four hours. He didn¡¯t know how long he lay there just lapping up water, but as the minutes stretched on, he noticed that though his throat felt looser and it was infinitely easier to breathe now, his headache wasn¡¯t improving. If anything he felt like it was only worsening, and along with it a growing sense of nausea was starting to rise from his stomach.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    This nausea only grew and grew as soon as it appeared, and soon instead of mindlessly drinking Jake found himself doubled over a tree along the riverbank, struggling to stand as the world seemed to spin. A horrid sense of vertigo, nausea, and his unending headache which would not fade, all combined was too much to handle. It started as a simple gag, but soon he doubled over himself vomiting against the trunk that supported him upright.

    It was vile, tasting of bile and copper. It was one of the worst tastes he¡¯d ever had to endure, and it seemed to come endlessly across his tongue, his vomiting and nausea feeling unending. At least it ended, leaving him crumpled and struggling to breathe. Following his vomiting episode, he made his way back to the water, collapsing flat on his back alongside it.

    He was still desperate for water, but now the nausea kept him under control, he couldn¡¯t handle the sensation of desperately chugging water right now. With hands carefully washed in the creak to clean them of any remaining sand, Jake slowly drank his fill.

    This seemed to help, and over the next hour, he did nothing but slowly drink water till at last he felt his nausea and headache starting to clear up. As these sensations cleared up, he became acutely aware of other irritations bothering him. The sand clinging to him was rough and irritating and he felt like it was constantly threatening to cause a rash. It also stuck onto every layer of his clothing, further magnifying his discomfort. Along with this, the fading sense of dehydration brought along an ever-growing sense of hunger. He had barely had anything to eat yesterday and had used up any energy provided from that meal during his hike through the desert. He was in dire need of some calories.

    He decided first to deal with the sand problem. Stripping his clothes off, he shook them on the riverbank, causing the loose sand (and his forgotten phone, keys, and wallet) to fall to the ground. Then, he entered the water slowly, allowing himself time to adjust to the temperature. The water itself wasn¡¯t terribly cold so it wasn¡¯t too bad, but it also wasn¡¯t a terribly nice temperature either.

    Though he lacked soap, Jake did his best to wash out the excess sand from his body as best he could. He could see it collecting in the river now the longer he stayed in it, gathering together and flowing downstream. A rather larger amount flowed out all at once when he submerged his hair, and though he still felt some small grains clinging to his skin he was relatively confident he¡¯d washed most of the sand away.

    As for his clothes, he did his best. Repeatedly dipping and shaking them into the water in an attempt to remove the excess sand, he however held no confidence he managed to remove everything. It was his first time washing clothes via a river, and he was mostly making everything up as he went along. Once finished, he was left relatively clean holding a bundle of wet clothes. He decided to lay them out flat on a rock after ringing them out so the sun could dry them. Hopefully, they¡¯d be dry by the time night came, because he was not looking forward to the idea of facing the chill of night in damp clothing.

    Next was the issue of food. He hadn¡¯t seen any fish or signs of animals while by the river. He didn¡¯t know how to prepare fish or skin animals, nor did he have any way of cooking meat at the moment, but right now it didn¡¯t even seem like an option to try. Looking around for a bit he found along the riverbank what appeared to be several apple trees.

    They were tall, towering above him, and most he found offered no viable way to climb up to the prize above. When he did find a tree he might be able to climb, he found his body screamed in agony when he tried, apparently still too sore and weak to haul itself upwards. After a while, he opted to start chucking rocks at the apples above in hopes of knocking them loose. This method was not much better, as he wasn¡¯t the best shot, and even when he managed to connect with an apple it rarely seemed to do anything.

    But at last, with continual trial and error, he managed to knock one of the wild apples down to the ground. The fall and continual bombardment of rocks had taken a noticeable toll, the apple was mushy and bruised and had a noticeable indent in its side. But right now, none of that mattered to Jake.

    He took a massive bite, expecting the familiar sweetness of a red apple to hit his tongue, but a horrid bitterness struck him instead. While disappointed, he was hardly surprised anymore. The apple was thoroughly disgusting, even more so in the parts that were bruised and battered, but his ever-gnawing sense of hunger beat his tastebuds into submission as he forced the apple down.

    Following this, he managed to successfully knock down two more equally bitter apples, and though not tasty they did manage to somewhat sate his hunger for now. This was good because while looking up at the carpet of leaves that obscured the sky, he could see that the sun was setting fast, and night would soon fall. For now, those three horridly bitter apples would have to suffice.

    Making one last stop to the creak to wash his mouth out and swallow a few more large gulps of water before night came, Jake returned to his clothes and redressed himself. Though still somewhat damp, they were dry enough to be comfortable and warm throughout the night.

    He wasn¡¯t expecting the temperature to drop as low as it had in the desert tonight, but at the same time, he had abandoned any sense of rationality by this point. He had no clue what to expect anymore.

    Finding a relatively soft patch of moss underneath a collection of densely packed trees, he was able to more comfortably sprawl out than when huddled shivering on the copper deposit. Though more comfortable, and no longer dehydrated, he was not relaxed. He still had no clue where he was and a sense of panicked desperation for normalcy, to figure out what was happening began to fill his mind.

    These desperate thoughts were what chased him into sleep as he drifted off under the forest canopy.

 Day 3 - Unfriendly Greetings

    It was rough the next morning, as Jake woke up to the sudden sensation of falling. He once again found himself sprawled out somewhere entirely alien. The landing was rougher than the past two days had been, finding himself sprawled out in what felt like a pit of gravel and jagged rocks.

    The rougher landing was not all that was different about today. As he pulled himself up and busied himself with removing the grit from his hand, he was shocked to discover that he was not alone. Crowded around him, keeping a fair distance from the stranger who would have fallen from nowhere seconds ago, there was a gathering of thirty or so people and growing.

    The gathered group of people were all dressed similarly wearing long undyed tunic-like shirts and pants roughly sewn together. Nothing they carried was dyed or colored in any way. Looking around he could see they all had long, scraggly hair that traveled past their shoulders which they wore in single, thick, braids. He saw only variations of brown hair, and the variations he saw were so minute they might as well not have existed. They were all incredibly tanned and fit, he could see signs of bulging muscles on even the youngest gathered. He saw a few scattered within the crowd wielding spears or cruel axes made from what looked like copper or rough iron respectively. Though the construction of the tools looked haphazard, the blades themselves looked polished and sharp.

    Looking behind the scattered crowd, he saw scattered huts made from what looked like woven hay and tied logs and cruel fences demarking pastures of grazing rams and budding crops. He was still a bit disoriented and shaking the sleep from his head, but he was confident wherever he was, it wasn¡¯t anywhere he was familiar with. The people and buildings he saw looked prehistoric, resembling diagrams he could remember from his world history textbooks.

    He took a tentative step forward, raising his arm in what he hoped looked like a friendly greeting, and called out:

    ¡°Hello?¡±

    He was met with a series of almost animalistic grunts and stretched-out vowels directed not at himself but inward toward the crowd. He couldn¡¯t understand what the hell they were saying amongst themselves. Their language was rough and resembled nothing he¡¯d ever heard before. It relied on guttural throat sounds, loud screeches, and wild pumping hand movements.

    Still, he remained hopeful that he could bridge the verbal gap between them and come to some sort of understanding. He was starved for some human contact and though he guessed a proper dialogue between himself, and the people gathered around him was impossible he still wanted to try for some form of connection. He hoped that maybe they would take pity on the kind mystery man who showed no hostile intent, perhaps even seeing him as some unknown ancient god. He had appeared in a rather mystic fashion after all.

    As he was lost in daydreams of his godhood, or even just a simple (if one-sided) conversation, the crowd surrounding him made their move. Advancing quickly, four men brandished pointed spears towards his chest and head, and in loud grunting shouts he couldn¡¯t follow began to make demands Jake had no hope of understanding. In a panic, Jake threw his hands above his head to try and show he had no hostile intent, quickly calling out:

    ¡°Wait a second, please, I¡­¡±

    But whatever panicked plea he was planning to make died in his throat as one of the men surrounding him thrust forward with his spear, grazing Jake¡¯s cheek and drawing blood. The tribe surrounding Jake had no interest in humoring the words of the mysterious man who appeared from nowhere. His strange mannerisms, speech, and dress posed a threat to the scattered and small tribe that had only recently managed to secure a foothold of decent land to live on. They were unwilling to risk anything for this stranger, and though Jake couldn¡¯t understand any of this, plans for his imprisonment had already been made.

    Jake was left unable to move, frozen amidst the blades pointed at him. After what felt like an eternity, he was forced forward as his hands were grabbed and quickly bound in rough hemp rope. Led forward by the new leash binding his hands he was led to a dark burrow carved into a cave. The inside was dark, illuminated only by a single torch and a few sparse cracks in the wall through which minimal amounts of sunlight bled through.

    The cave was home to six small meter-by-meter pens made of thick logs woven together and lodged securely into the rock walls. A horrid odor met his nose the instant he was through the cave''s entrance. He saw a few other men and women with their legs bonded together forced to scrunch into the pens to fit. Jake had been led to the tribe''s jail. He was unceremoniously led to one of the open pens and shoved forward, crashing into the opposing stone wall. He offered no more resistance as he felt the rope binding his arms cut away and a new rope tightly put in place to bond his legs instead.

    Even with his hands-free, he had no means of escape. Any attempt to remove the bond around his legs or escape through the cave would be met with any angry, armed guard whom he had no way to communicate with. Waiting was his only option. A clear pattern had emerged over the last three days. Three times now he¡¯d violently been thrust into some new situation he couldn¡¯t explain. What exactly was happening to him, he didn¡¯t know, but he suspected (and hoped) that twenty-four hours from now he¡¯d fall somewhere completely new. Without any angry tribals to deal with.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    As the escort who had led him to his pen began to dissipate, save for a one-armed spearman who took up a post at the entrance of the cave to keep watch on him, he reached into his pocket for his phone. No one had bothered searching his pockets when they¡¯d abruptly captured and detained him, he suspected it was because none of their clothes had built-in pockets, so he¡¯d managed to keep hold of all his personal effects. Quickly turning the phone on and off, to try and prolong its already halfway depleted battery life, he saw that according to the phone, it was roughly eight seventeen in the morning.

    With a sigh, Jake repocketed the phone and did his best to curl up comfortably. It would be a long wait, so he was planning to try and fall back asleep. Unfortunately, this plan was soon interrupted by his constant string of visitors. While he was not allowed to leave his pen, it seemed no such rule existed to keep the tribals from coming to him. For the next few hours, he was inundated with visitors amazed by his appearance. This kept reaching out to feel his short-cut black hair or the fabric of his clothes. A few times Jake tried to resist them, but this would always invoke angered shouts and retaliation from the guards.

    Jake also soon discovered the source of the putrid smell that dominated the cave. There was no separate place to use the restroom, all those forced into one of the pens in the cave had to relieve themselves in the tight confines of the pen. Soon, shamefully, Jake also had to follow suit, relieving himself in a corner nearest a crack in the wall with the hope the smell would drift outwards from the cave. This plan didn¡¯t pan out and Jake was forced to stand upright, pushed against the opposite wall for fear of mingling with his mess.

    He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how long he¡¯d been stuck like this; he was finding it hard to keep time internally with no external stimulus, but eventually, an elderly man approached his pen. Jake assumed he held some sort of leadership role within the tribal community he found himself in; the old man carried a carved staff that looked to be important and was wearing robes dyed reddish colors. These were the only dyed clothes Jake had seen, so he assumed this man was of some importance.

    His social status didn¡¯t matter; however, he still couldn¡¯t talk to Jake in any meaningful way. Jake gave it his best, waving his arms around to try and mime that he meant no harm and couldn¡¯t understand the old man, but no progress was made. The old man repeatedly grunted and made the same sounds over and over while he stood in front of Jake, and to Jake¡¯s best estimate he was being interrogated. There was a sort of angry, accusatory tone to his grunting that let Jake know his questions were probably important but no matter how hard he tried it meant nothing to Jake.

    In the end, frustrated, the old man turned and left tossing a bundle of dried leather into Jake¡¯s cell without another grunt. Examining the bundle which had, thankfully, landed in a clean spot in his cell Jake found a few pieces of dried meat. The meat itself was tasteless and rough to chew and reminded Jake of the leather it had come wrapped in, but he was immensely grateful for anything to fill his stomach with.

    The visit from the old man was the last he had for a while, as after he left no more tribals came to examine him. Perhaps the unsuccessful interrogations, or his weak-willed resistances, had labeled him as too dangerous to visit? Or maybe the tribals had ended up writing off the stranger who fell from nowhere as boring. Whatever the case, he was left alone to own (rather boring) devices.

    Eventually, Jake saw the light slipping in through the cracks in the stone wall fading away signaling both the coming of night and the changing of the guard as a new guard came and replaced the posted watchman keeping an eye on Jake from the front of the cave. It seemed they had no intention of letting Jake out of their sights.

    As time stretched on, he found himself drifting to sleep occasionally as his overwhelming boredom combined with his natural exhaustion, however, his immense desire not to fall into his own bodily waste kept him awake. He spent the whole night like this, eyeing the waste corner and being careful not to stumble into it as he grew more and more delirious from lack of sleep.

    He¡¯d expected this to be how his time here in the tribal village ended, slipping away while ignored. But to his surprise, early in the morning as the sun was rising the elderly tribesman appeared before him again. He¡¯d seemed so frustrated at the end of their last attempt at talking that Jake figured he¡¯d never bother coming to see him again.

    The elder was carrying a rough cup carved from wood filled with water. Excited to see the water since he was incredibly thirsty Jake reached forward to try and take the cup but maybe trying to discipline his rash behavior or taunt his prisoner the elderly tribesman chose to toss the water into Jake''s face before placing the empty cup in Jake''s hand. Jake was shocked by this, not expecting the sudden wake-up call from the water, however, fortunately, he¡¯d had his mouth open when the water was splashed at him, so he was still able to swallow a decent amount.

    After this, the elderly tribal once again began to try and interrogate Jake, but Jake paid him no mind. He could see the rising sun coming in through the cracks in the cave wall, and though he couldn¡¯t check the exact time on his phone right now, he was confident twenty-four hours was almost up. Sure enough, in the middle of the elderly tribesman''s interrogation, the unknown prisoner who¡¯d appeared from nowhere returned to nowhere, disappearing without so much as a sound or a flash. He simply ceased to be before the tribesman''s eyes.

 Day 4 - Flat Top Rock - Disarming Dreams

    Jake had been trying to prepare for the fall this time, he didn¡¯t know when exactly it was coming but he wanted to be ready for it. Despite this, when he felt the ground giving way under him and found himself falling, he was unable to catch himself with his legs still tightly bound together. Felling himself falling forward, he managed to catch himself on one of his palms, landing somewhat smoothly on the flattened rock below.

    Looking around from his stomach, Jake was met with the sight of dead, crackling trees and smooth flat rock as far as his eyes could see. At that exact moment, however, he couldn¡¯t see very much since he was still bound and stuck on the floor. Flipping over onto his butt and drawing his legs close to himself, Jake tried to unknot the rough hemp rope still binding his legs together but found himself unable to loosen the rope or pull his legs free.

    The longer he spent wrestling with the rope binding his legs, the less he found himself caring about freeing himself. At that exact moment, he couldn¡¯t remember a time he¡¯d ever felt worse in his life. His every muscle felt stiff and sore, and he felt like his head would burst soon. His every breath felt labored, it was feeling difficult to muster the energy to keep breathing let alone try and continue wrestling with the ropes binding him.

    Giving up on the ropes, he practically threw himself back eager to give in to his exhaustion and hopefully find some temporary peace. A clattering sound next to him, however, proved a distraction and drew the attention of his exhausted eye. Laying next to him, having slipped from his pocket as he fell backward was his phone.

    The screen was dimmed intentionally to try and save the failing battery life, but Jake could still make out the time clearly as being seven fifty-six in the morning. He hadn¡¯t checked the exact time it had been when he had fallen to where he was now, but not much time had passed. This was a close time to when he could next expect to fall somewhere new.

    With heavy arms, he reached over and fumbled with the phone for a bit before setting an alarm to go off in twenty-three hours. As far as he could tell, he¡¯d landed somewhere safe for the time being. That might not, and probably wouldn¡¯t be, the case next time. He¡¯d need to prepare.

    That was it. That was all he had strength left to do. He was left unable to move properly now, sprawled out across the smooth stone he¡¯d landed on. It wasn¡¯t jagged nor did it dig into back at awkward angles like one might expect from lying on rock. It wasn¡¯t horribly uncomfortable, and after a while, Jake managed to even draw comfort from the coolness of stone beneath his skin. But he still hated it.

    He hated all of it. He hated the endless copper desert and the lush forests with bitter-tasting apples and the tribesman he couldn¡¯t talk to no matter how hard he tried and now this. He hated this stupid rock he was stuck on for no reason other than its mere existence. He wished he could destroy this stupid rock, grind it to dust along with everything else he came across wherever the hell he¡¯d fallen. But he was stuck lying there, too tired to move too tired to rant and scream like he wanted. Stuck lying there wishing he was home.

    Tears leaked from bleary eyes as he gazed into the sky, wishing more than anything that it was over. That tomorrow he¡¯d fall back home, safe and sound, landing in his bed and that last four days could be a horrid nightmare he would forget. But he doubted that would happen. He wasn¡¯t so lucky. He would probably keep falling into the unknown, struggling forever for no reason till he died. Alone and forgotten. If that was the case, why even bother anymore?

    <hr>

    Jake was running now. Faster than he¡¯d ever been able to run in his entire life. His body felt disproportionate, his legs and arms felt like they had been stretched like taffy and he struggled to balance himself as he ran. Still, he carried himself forward with fervent desperation ignoring each shacky step which threatened to send him tumbling to the ground.

    Every house he ran past looked wrong, warped and twisted or overlengthened. Some looked like they were melting while overs looked like they were made of sharp, jagged edges like razor blades. Outside of the house glitching and monstrous blobs resembling human shape were appearing, trying to reach out for Jake. They gripped at his ankles and tried to form roadblocks with their stretched-out flesh, trying to slow and trip his unsteady stride. He paid them no mind; they didn¡¯t matter right now.

    All that mattered was what lay ahead. Sitting in pristine, perfect condition was his house. It sat in pristine condition amidst the distorted abominations of the neighborhood, not a speck of paint out of place. He could see vague shadows moving between the windows as he drew closer. He counted three, two upstairs and one downstairs. His sister where up and about, roaming the upstairs hall and his mother was busying herself downstairs. Or maybe Dad hadn¡¯t gone to work today? He didn¡¯t care who the shadows belonged to; he wanted to see any of them more than anything right now.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    His clothes were ripped apart and he felt light lacerations scratch his body as his horrid neighbors tried ever harder to draw him back, but no pain came. He was too focused on his goal, and with a guttural shout, he managed to slip the hands gnawing at him and reach the driveway of his home. Not pausing a moment to revel in the emotions welling up inside him for fear of being dragged away, he tore up the drive and reached for the handle to the front door.

    All at once he was falling. It wasn¡¯t the short half second falls he had begrudgingly grown somewhat used to the past week; no, he was falling for what felt an eternity. Nothing, true absolute oblivion surrounded him as he fell into the abyss. He tried to scream yet no sound would escape his throat, he was left falling into oblivion in silence.

    Then it was over, he had landed. The nothingness continued to surround him, but he had landed on something which his eyes could not make out. It was gritty and rough between his hands, and slowly he felt like he was sinking into it whatever it may be. With a panicked cry which died in his throat he sprung to his feet, throwing hurried glances around the horizon for anything that might disrupt the emptiness.

    There it was an infinity away a light shining in the darkness. He struggled forward, body heavy as lead his feet sinking quicker and quicker, trying desperately to reach the light shining lazily upon his body. It felt like with each step forward the light drifted further and further away at a pace he couldn¡¯t possibly keep up with. As despair at the ever-retreating light filled his soul, all-encompassing darkness surrounded him as he felt more and more an inviting desire to simply stop walking, to sink away quickly.

    But he refused, fighting not only the sinking of the earth around him but his own desires now. He remembered it clearly, the sight of his home sitting there just out of reach, his family living a peaceful life one door away. It had been so close. He had been so close. He refuses to give up now. As every step became harder and more painful to accomplish, he pulled himself forward through the dark expansive nothingness, chasing the retreating comfort the light brought.

    <hr>

    Jake awoke with a scream. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he had been asleep but the sun in the sky looked close to setting in a few hours as the once clear blue sky had now turned a clear shade of orange above him. He lay there, panting, struggling to catch his breath. The details of his dream faded away quickly as he tried to hang on to them, leaving behind only the feelings of despair and terror they had invoked. But one detail remained clear in his head.

    He remembered his home, his family, sitting there. Pristine and just out of reach. With shaky breath, he took out his phone and read the last message he¡¯d sent to them: ¡°Sorry about the alarm. See you in a bit.¡± At the bottom of the text, he could see it had changed from ¡°delivered¡± to ¡°read¡±. Before he¡¯d fallen out of cellular service, it looked like his family had received his message. It hurt to read back, there was so much more he wished he had said. Not even a simple ¡°Love You¡±, just a stupid message about an alarm.

    He set the phone to his side and sat up, struggling for a minute before he was reminded of the rope binding his leg. Searching around the flat top of the rock, having to inchworm a bit to move farther than his immediate arm length could reach, Jake was able to find a substantially sharp rock and cut the rope away. Rubbing the area the rope had been carefully, red rope burns were left in its place, and it felt like the circulation in his legs had been cut off somewhat. They felt stiff and hard to move.

    With unstable balance, Jake forced himself upright. He was still sore, but his earlier exhaustion felt like it had improved. While the muscles in his legs still felt like they were going to explode with every slight movement, especially around where the rope had been, he found he was able to breathe without pain again.

    Jake began stretching, focusing a lot of his effort on his sore legs, to try and hasten their somewhat stunted recovery. He had never been big into stretching or Yoga, so all he knew were the basics. Even the bare bone basics felt painful for his legs to endure, but by the end of it they felt somewhat looser and though he had to be careful to maintain his balance he felt he could start walking again.

    Jake bent over and picked up the scattered items that had fallen from his pocket when he first arrived. He¡¯d been too tired to notice anything except the phone which landed with a clear, loud noise on the stone below, but now he found his wallet and keys had also been launched from his pocket while he was flailing on the ground with the rope. Finally, he bent over and retrieved his phone.

    Jake paused one more time looking at the family text chat before turning the phone off and pocketing it, determined to draw the battery life out as long as possible. He¡¯d need it. He didn¡¯t know where he would fall next. He didn¡¯t know how or why he was falling either, but at this exact moment, Jake found he didn¡¯t care much anymore.

    In Jakes mind how, why, or where he would fall next where not important anymore. He didn¡¯t ask for this to happen to him and he didn¡¯t know how to stop it. What he did know was that, seemingly, it was going to keep happening and he found he didn¡¯t have it in himself to care about it anymore. It was too depressing to think about, and there were more important matters to focus on.

    Like his survival. Or going home. Because He was going to get home. He didn¡¯t know how or when yet, but he was going home. He¡¯d made a promise to his family before he disappeared and he didn¡¯t care how long it took or how hard it was to keep it, he was going to see them again.

 Day 5 - Flat Top Rock - Delayed Travel Time

    Looking around the flat rock Jake focused his attention on his immediate surroundings for the first real time since falling here. He knew he was surrounded on all immediate sides by rock, but standing up now he was surprised to see that it was rock for miles in every direction. The only thing that broke up the unending landscape of grey was the dotted brushes of dead trees or dried-out patches of grass. In the middle distance from where he was currently standing he spotted a cluster of densely packed trees surrounding what looked like a sudden, sharp drop-off.

    Intrigued, Jake was about to start walking towards where the trees were gathered when he felt his foot brush up against something on the floor and start rolling away. Looking down confused, he was shocked to find the carved wooden cup the elderly tribal had splashed him with rolling around on the floor. Jake supposed he¡¯d been holding onto it when he fell through to wherever he was now, so it followed him.

    Deciding it could prove useful, Jake collected the cup and the remnants of the rope that had bound him and started walking. Over the past few days, Jake was quickly getting used to not just walking longer and longer periods (which he had never done much before as a homebody) but also journeying across large swaths of untamed wildland. Though he still struggled with his unbalanced legs, he found the continued walking an almost familiar sensation.

    He counted himself lucky he¡¯d landed on such a large, flat surface. He doubted he¡¯d be able to navigate up any hilly terrain successfully or, God forbid, trek through another desert. As he was considering his luck amid this hellish situation, he reached the end of his walk arriving at the patch of dried-out trees. Looking past them, he saw that they seemed to be growing clustered around the edge of a cliff face.

    Looking down the edge of the cliff carefully, he couldn¡¯t see the bottom¡ªjust a black drop-off obscured by a whisp of rolling fog. Further down the expansive canyon edge, about maybe a hundred or so meters down, Jake spotted fresh, thriving trees growing proudly and unobstructed out of the side of the cliff face. Though it was hard to see on this side, on the opposite end of the canyon he could see that below that line of trees a carpet of green seemed to blanket the cliff face stretching down without end.

    He decided to move away from the cliff face, as he saw no way to easily climb down towards the living trees and didn¡¯t want to risk being so close to the edge while being so unbalanced and focused on the collection of dead trees. There were four in total, he couldn¡¯t tell what type of tree it once was as they were all identical, so Jake didn¡¯t see a reason to try and differentiate between the trees.

    The trees themselves were a tannish color, bordering on grey. No leaves remained on the few branches still clinging to the trunks of the trees, and a large collection of the tree¡¯s branches had already shriveled up and fallen in haphazard piles on the floor. The bark of the trunk felt dusty and dry, and when Jake pulled with his fingers it easily gave way from the trunk. The inside of the bark was as lifeless and dry as the outside had been.

    Looking at the crumpled bits of dry bark cupped in his hands, Jake vaguely recalled reading once that in certain survival situations, tree bark could be eaten for nutrients. If there was ever a survival situation, this would be it, the problem was that Jake couldn¡¯t clearly remember the details of what he had read, and looking down at the crumpling pile of dryness in his hands he couldn¡¯t imagine any sort of nutrition remaining in the corpse of the tree.

    Still, he had woken ravenously hungry, and though he was starting to get used to ignoring the sensation he had the potential here to sate himself. He hadn¡¯t spotted any source of water while walking, and nighttime would soon come making it dangerous to continue scavenging with the cliff edge so close by. He¡¯d like to at least address one of his body¡¯s needs before tackling the challenge of night. With gritted teeth, Jake cupped the bark and forced it into his mouth.

    It was edible, not just the horrid taste but the dark itself quickly felt like it was turning to ash on his tongue. He was forced to bend over and cough the bark out for several minutes. Towards the end, his coughs had turned violent as his body physically rejected the bark Jake had tried to force-feed it. This violent coughing fit left Jake wheezing to recover for several minutes, vowing to himself that no matter how desperate the situation got he would never try that again. At least not before he had a chance to properly remember how to do it.

    By now, through his walk across the flat top of the stone and his escapades with the bark the sun had nearly set completely leaving only vague hints of sunlight to work with. Jake didn¡¯t like the idea of another cold night exposed to the elements, so he decided to busy himself setting up the task he¡¯d first thought of when he noticed the decrepit condition of the trees surrounding him.

    Before long he¡¯d successfully managed to gather a substantial pile of shriveled branches in front of him, mixed with a smaller pile of broken strands of hay-like grass to act as starter kindling. It was ready to burn as soon as he lit it. The only problem left facing him was how exactly he would light his fire.

    His initial plan had been to try simply rubbing two dried sticks together, like what he often saw in movies. He didn¡¯t know the proper way to do this and was improvising the way the sticks should be placed together or orientated. His lack of knowledge proved inconsequential, however, because as soon the slightest amount of pressure was applied to the sticks they would crumble to powder in his hands. No matter how many sticks he tried, as soon as he pushed them together or tried rubbing the sticks together in his hands, they all met the same fate.

    Soon Jake was surrounded by a growing pile of wood ash amassed from his fruitless attempts to make fire. Frustrated, Jake wasn¡¯t sure what else he could try anymore. If just rubbing the sticks together with his bare hands hadn¡¯t worked, he had planned on also trying to rig something together using the leftover rope that once bound his legs together. However, not only was the hemp rope becoming more frayed and useless the longer he carried it but none of the sticks he had on him would survive long enough to even potentially start a fire.

    His frustration bubbling over, Jake grabbed the nearest stone sitting next to him and flung it away with all his might, screaming into the sky as he did so. He would likely have continued flinging objects if he hadn¡¯t noticed the emergence of sparks from the ground where the rock landed. Crawling after the rock quickly to not lose it in the pale moonlight he managed to retrieve the discarded rock. Looking over it carefully, it didn¡¯t look special or unique, it didn¡¯t even look chipped from its flight.

    Jake tried lightly tapping the stone against the ground but got nothing in return. It was only when he wound his shoulders back and slammed the rock down into the ground that the sparks returned. Feeling excitement quickly overtaking his boiling frustration, Jake returned to his pile of lumbar and began repeatedly slamming the rock down to the ground in earnest near his kindling, hoping the sparks would catch. Unfortunately, the banging on the ground was too random, and often the sparks would fly in the complete opposite direction of his would pile. If a few sparks did land on the wood pile, it wasn¡¯t long before they went out.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Improvising, Jake grabbed the sharpened rock he used before he cut his bonds and began roughly scrapping the rocks together as if he were sharpening a knife. This did the trick, as it gave him basic control of where the shower of generated sparks would land, and with careful aiming he was soon able to start a small fire amidst the small pile of kindling he gathered.

    It wasn¡¯t long till this small flame turned into a decently sized campfire once it caught hold of the dry sticks surrounding it. By now, night had long since risen, and Jake was left to lean back and enjoy the warmth of the fire and glow of the moon and stars uninterrupted. He wasn¡¯t feeling particularly tired, he had taken a particularly large nap earlier, so he decided to put off falling asleep for the time being and enjoy the calm serenity of the night air.

    This serenity was soon interrupted, however, but an annoying chirp coming from his pocket. Confused, Jake pulled his phone out of his pocket and shut off the alarm which dominated the screen. Twenty-three hours had passed. According to his phone, it was six-fifty-six in the morning, and he should have expected to fall out of here in the next thirty to forty minutes or so.

    Jake was confused, looking around it looked like it was the middle of the night to him. It was hard to see the exact position of the moon as some clouds were rolling in that obstructed the sky a bit, but he was positive it wasn¡¯t early morning. He decided wherever he was must simply have longer days than Earth and started preparing himself to leave.

    He decided that along with his phone, keys, and wallet, he¡¯d also take along the pair of sparks-producing rocks and carved wooden cup, as they could be useful. The hemp rope, at this point, and nearly completely unwoven itself and wouldn¡¯t be useful for much else besides fuel for the campfire, so he decided to simply leave that behind. He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how much or how little he could pull through with him, and he didn¡¯t want to risk leaving behind a helpful item for something that was a wad of grass at this point.

    His preparations to leave were over faster than he had expected them to be, leaving him with nothing to do except sit and wait. Periodically he would check the clock on his phone, trying to catch the exact moment he fell through to wherever he was going next. That could prove to be useful information.

    So the wait began:

    Seven-ten

    Seven-fifteen

    Seven-twenty-five

    Seven-twenty-seven

    Seven-thirty

    As time went on, he found it harder and harder to ignore his phone, checking after what he felt must have been tens of minutes only to find two had passed. But soon he checked it to find seven-forty-six. Only ten minutes away from when he set the alarm. It could be any second now. He sat there, on the edge of his seat simply staring into the fire. He was trying to distract himself. If he was honest, he was nervous about where he might end up next. Though he felt slightly more prepared now to face it, it was still nerve-racking to sit in silence, waiting.

    When at last he couldn¡¯t take the endless wait anymore he checked his phone again, expecting to see barely any time had passed. Instead, he was greeted with eight-o-five. He couldn¡¯t believe it. The time he¡¯d set the alarm had long come and passed. The alarm itself had been set after he¡¯d been here for a little while too. He had been here for well over twenty-four hours now and yet¡­ He was still stuck here.

    Right as he was about to start panicking, he was interrupted but a sudden sensation splashed onto his head. Then another crashed onto his shoulder and a third onto the back of his hand. Wet and cool. Looking up just in time for a drop to splash directly into his eye he could make out that the gathered clouds above had thickened substantially, and they were beginning to rain. His brain blanked for a second, not sure if this was good news or bad news.

    On the one hand, he was incredibly thirsty and was extremely open to the water which both solved that problem and helped wash out whatever remained of the wood ash still in his mouth. On the other hand, the rain was already starting strong and showed no signs of weakening. There had been no drizzle stage, it had started as full-on rain and seemed like it would progress to a full-on downpour. While he was thirsty, Jake didn¡¯t like the idea of spending the night wet and cold for who knows how long.

    He''d already guessed the days here were longer than where he came from, and he could guess that probably meant the same was true for the nights. He¡¯d managed to escape the chill of the desert without dying of hypothermia, he didn¡¯t want to risk it twice by spending what could be over twenty-four hours sitting in sopping wet clothes. The dead tree branches above covered some light protection, but it was hardly sufficient. Already his hard fight for fire was starting to die out.

    He needed to act fast, while he still had the firelight. Glancing for some sort of solution, Jake managed to spot it. One of the four dead trees was slightly more elevated than the others. Looking under it, Jake discovered a burrow he could just barely fit into. Quickly, he gathered up his odd assortment of knickknacks and crawled into the borrow.

    He had expected it to be tight, as tight if not tighter than the prison pen, but once inside the burrow he was surprised to find it was rather spacious. The area under the tree was composed of dead, dried old roots which had a similar consistency to the rest of the tree. The rocky burrow seemed to stretch further into the dark, but Jake had no interest in exploring any deeper than necessary.

    Though he had acted quickly and done his best to move as fast as possible out of the rain, he was still soaking wet. He would have to light another fire. He was nervous about doing so in such a compact, underground space, but he saw no other way of drying his clothes. He had no way to hang them to dry and the sun had long since set.

    He was able to gather and rebuild his pile of timber fairly easily thanks to the collection of dead roots lining the wall, and along with the remains of the hemp rope he had another fire starter ready to go. He assembled this one as close as possible to the opening above, hoping the smoke produced would drift away and not accumulate in the hole. He had gotten used to producing sparks using the rocks fairly quickly, so thankfully starting the fire this time took relatively no time at all.

    Jake quickly took off his clothes and arranged them near the fire as soon as it was lit, before stepping back to observe it. He didn¡¯t know how long he¡¯d be able to keep the fire lit, so he was planning to get his clothes as dry as possible while simultaneously keeping a firm watch on how much smoke was produced. Thankfully, barely any smoke was produced from the fire of burning, dried-out roots, and any that was produced simply drifted away out of the hole.

    Relaxing a bit, Jake next took the wooden cup and utilizing the rainwater outside, secured some much-needed water. While the rain had sent him into a scramble and destroyed his original fire, he was still grateful for it because it was only now, after satisfying it, did he realized how thirsty he had been.

    Leaving the cup outside to gather water, Jake took his phone out again to check it. There was only twenty percent battery life left, so he couldn¡¯t keep checking the time like this, but for now, tracking the time was a matter of critical importance. Roughly two hours had passed since the rain first started. During those two hours, he was still stuck here, having not fallen through to somewhere new. He wasn¡¯t sure what to do next, he considered setting a new timer but he wanted to save the battery life and he didn¡¯t see how a new timer would help.

    The twenty-four theory had been wrong, that just left two options. Either A) it¡¯s a completely different theory he hadn¡¯t considered yet or B) he was done falling into new worlds and was stuck here. Refusing to accept option B yet, Jake enjoyed one last cup of rainwater before moving to the opposite end of the rock burrow.

    Sitting down nestled against the smooth stone of the burrow, he watched the fire and pondered his options without having much else to do. Eventually while gazing like this he drifted off to sleep.

 Day 6 - Supply Run

    When Jake woke up, he was still in the rocky hollow. The fire had gone out, but a quick pat of his clothes let him know they were dry so he wasn¡¯t worried about that. Redressing himself in his clothes was a bit uncomfortable: a week of being worn straight and unwashed in several stressful situations had left them feeling crusty and smelling strange.

    Redressed and feeling close to refreshed, Jake collected his belongings and pulled himself up and out of the hollow. It was still dark outside, the sun hadn¡¯t risen, yet the sky had that slight tinge of light about it that let him know that sunrise would be coming at any moment. The ground itself outside of the hollow still felt slightly damp, but aside from the wooden cup he¡¯d placed the night before, no pools of water remained anywhere on the surface.

    Scooping the cup of water from the floor to enjoy a morning drink, he walked to the edge of the cliff to find that the rocky plains had naturally gathered and dispersed all the rainwater over the cliff face and into the canyon below. Looking down now he could still see dew glistening on the trees growing out the sides of the canyon and squinting even further below he could see that past the misty fog obstructing the canyon, he could now make out a mass pool of water.

    It sat, still except for the occasional gust of wind, with nothing to disrupt its surface. The natural pool that didn¡¯t exist yesterday combined with the growing foliage surrounding it amidst the rocky canyon created a serine beauty Jake couldn¡¯t help but admire. This beauty was further magnified as the sun began to rise, cascading rays of sun off the pool in beautiful arcs of light. Jake stood, transfixed, enjoying the moment of calm till all at once he was falling again.

    He was caught off guard. After he failed to leave yesterday, he had ended up accepting he would be stuck here indefinitely so to be suddenly travelling again was a welcome surprise. The sudden departure did unfortunately mean he had no hope of catching himself and once again he landed sprawled out, flat on his back.

    His eyes met with blue sky and fluffy clouds obscuring a freshly rising sun and his hands felt cool, wet grass under his hands. These were both good signs in his book, as so far the easiest day of his journey had been in the forest with the apple trees and today was off to a very similar start. Sitting up excited he was immediately met with the sight of an asphalt road.

    Buildings lined the roads surrounding him, what looked like fast food joints, megastores, and gas stations. None of the buildings had corners, instead filing off to a rounded curve, and the windows were all multicolored stained glass no matter how lowly the establishment. He couldn¡¯t recognize any of the brands plastered around him or the unique architectural style dominating the area around him, but style Jake felt it hard to breathe for a moment.

    He hadn¡¯t felt so close to home in the past week as right now. The streets were clogged with cars taking the busy commute to work, but no one seemed to notice or pay any attention to Jake despite him just falling from the sky seconds ago. Looking around, the sidewalks were deserted save for one man out for an early morning jog through the park. Seeing the jogger run past, something inside Jake snapped and he lost control. Running up to the jogger, frantic look in his eyes, Jake grabbed his shoulders asking:

    ¡°Can you understand me?¡±

    The jogger struggled desperately to break free from his grip, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with Jake. He smelled terrible, his hair was matted and stuck out at odd ends, his clothes clung to him and carried their own uniquely terrible stench, and above all the mad desperation in Jake¡¯s eye scared the jogger. Jake ignored the jogger''s attempts to shake him lose and asked once again:

    ¡°Can you understand me?¡±

    At last the Jogger relented, fearful of what might happen if he kept ignoring Jake, shouting:

    ¡°Yes! Yes, I can, ok? Now let go of me please!¡±

    Coming back to his senses at the jogger''s panicked shouts, Jake quickly released the jogger and stepped back. The jogger sprinted away, running more than double his original speed to put as much distance between himself and the crazed hobo who had randomly latched onto him. Jake chastised himself for losing it like that so suddenly, but at the same time relief that the people here could understand what he was saying flooded in.

    While he had been excited to land somewhere so like his home, he remained paranoid after his experience with the tribesman. Now, however, that paranoia was replaced fully with excitement as he looked around the shopping center across the street. He saw about two dozen stores packed together from where he was standing, but the one that stood out immediately was:

    ¡°Billy Burgers¡±

    It looked like a cheap, worn-down fast-food place, a dime a dozen. But right now, it was flashing a neon ¡®open¡¯ sign and seemed to Jake like the most delicious place in the world. Carefully crossing the street and practically sprinting toward the door, Jake saw only a few cars parked in the parking lot.

    Inside he was hit with a familiar fast-food smell that made him salivate. There were a few people ahead of him in line, and Jake was planning to just stand in line quietly till it was his turn to order but upon his entrance, everyone in lines'' noses scrunched and turned to stare at him. While most soon turned back around after staring him down for a second or two, one steadfast woman ahead of him continued staring at him up till it was her time to order.

    He must smell worse than he thought. He had grown used to his smell since it had gradually grown worse day by day, but even he had noticed a strange smell from his clothes this morning. If he had noticed the smell only slightly, he couldn¡¯t imagine how bad it was for everyone else around him.

    Jake felt embarrassed and felt a strong desire to leave the line immediately, but this desire was nothing when compared to his desire to fill his stomach with a burger. Finally at the counter now, he was face to face with a young teenage employee. Jake could tell from the employee¡¯s face that he was struggling to remain professional talking to him and not react to how badly he smelled.

    ¡°Can I have three large combo burgers please?¡± Jake chose to ignore that and order as fast as possible. The sooner he could order the sooner he could leave.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir,¡± The employee said, ¡°We only after burgers after ten thirty, all we have available right now is anything off the breakfast menu.¡±

    ¡°Alright, then can I have three large breakfast combos?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°¡­Which breakfast combo do you want sir?¡±

    Jake had no idea, having not read the menu and had never been in a Billy Burgers before. He quickly glanced at the menu before choosing the first option he saw; at this point, anything was fine with him.

    ¡°The breakfast sandwich please.¡±

    ¡°Alright sir, two large breakfast sandwich combos come out to eleven ninety-nine, tax included. Will that be cash or credit?¡±

    ¡°Cash,¡± Jake said before pulling twenty dollars out of his wallet and handing it to the teller. The teller looked confused for a minute before looking between the dollar bill and Jake and finally saying,

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, we don¡¯t accept foreign currency here, do you have anything else?¡±

    Jake was flabbergasted, taking the bill back and pocketing it. He knew wherever he was wasn¡¯t his home, but based on how similar everything was he¡¯d still expected his cash to spend easily enough. Wordlessly he handed his debit card to the teller, without much optimism. He wasn¡¯t very surprised when the card failed, he doubted his bank even existed here.

    Taking the card back as well, he looked at the teller with a sigh and said

    ¡°Sorry about that, cancel my order¡±

    Before starting to walk towards the exit.

    ¡°Hold on a second sir!¡±

    The teller called out from behind the register. Jake turned around, thinking maybe he needed to collect a void receipt or something. Instead, looking left and right to make sure his manager wasn¡¯t nearby, the employee pressed two bundled things of food into his hand and with a look of pity in his eye said

    ¡°Be safe out there¡±

    Jake was so stunned he barely managed to squeak out a thank you before exiting the store. He couldn¡¯t imagine anyone doing that back where he was from. If he was honest with himself, if he had been the employee he probably wouldn¡¯t have. It seemed so small, but he probably would have just ignored the smelly man with weird unrecognizable money and gone about his job like nothing happened.

    Maybe people were just kinder on this earth, or maybe just that guy was. He couldn¡¯t understand it, but thanks to it he was now seated on a curb in front of a megastore enjoying one of his two breakfast sandwiches. It was the best thing he¡¯d eaten all week, not that there was much competition, but given the week he¡¯d have it was in contention for the being one of the best things he¡¯d ever eaten.

    Finishing the first sandwich and setting the second aside for later, he set the head in his hands and started to think. Why had he fallen here when he had? What was the pattern? At first, he thought it was a random freak accident, then after three days, he thought it was every twenty-four hours. Neither theory seemed true. Looking back on it, he fell through no matter if he was sleeping, standing, walking, sitting, or lying down. His physical condition didn¡¯t matter, and it didn¡¯t matter if he was in a building or underground or exposed to the open air. It felt different every single time, except for one common factor.

    The sun. It always rose to greet him right before his fall. A smile lit up his face now. The first time he¡¯d fallen into the desert, he¡¯d been on his morning run right after the sun had risen. The second time he¡¯d fallen the sun had just risen in the desert. Every time he could remember after that, he always fell through with the rising of the sun. Whatever was happening to him followed the sun. That was the best theory he had at least, and it was a theory he could work with.

    Looking up, he could see it was still morning. If his theory was correct, he had plenty of time to kill here before he next fell through. But here he was penniless. With the extra breakfast sandwich he¡¯d received and how close public restrooms were with open faucets, he could easily get food and water for today. The problem was tomorrow. Being here today was a golden opportunity he couldn¡¯t afford to waste. Who knows when he¡¯d next land somewhere with so many abundant resources?

    Glancing behind him at the wall of the mega store he was leaning against, he started making a shopping list in his head. Every important item he might need, ranked by importance and ease of acquisition. Then, standing up with a groan and a stretch, Jake moved towards the sidewalk with his carved wooden cup, planning on busking on the sidewalk till it was closer to evening.

    <hr>

    As evening dawned, Jake entered the mega store with one hour till closing. His back felt sore from hunching over all day begging, but in the end, he only made what he thought was approximately a dollar and seventy cents. He didn¡¯t particularly mind though. The begging was just a formality. If he managed to make enough money to pay for all his supplies then that would be more convenient, but he wasn¡¯t leaving without getting what he needed.

    Jake moved fast after entering the store, hoping no one had noticed him yet. After begging all day, he was distinctly aware of how bad he looked and smelled. There was no way this store wasn¡¯t going to have at least one employee notice him and mark him as suspicious. He didn¡¯t know how they would choose to respond from there, he guessed they wouldn¡¯t do anything to stop him from shopping till he tried to leave without paying, but he had no guarantees.

    His first stop was a decently sized camping equipment section towards the middle back of the store. Massive tents and yard chairs were put up on display to show off products, but Jake didn¡¯t care about any of them. They were way too big or useless for him to carry right now. Instead, he turned his attention to a decently sized backpack first. It had two large pockets and three smaller pockets in the front. It didn¡¯t feel heavy while empty and looked like it could fit a decent number of supplies when filled. It would do perfectly.

    Along with the backpack, Jack also grabbed a one-man pop tent, a portable canteen, a small foldable blanket, and a flashlight. All of these items were immediately thrown into his backpack, the bag itself still carried in his arms instead of on his back as there was more to fill it with. His next stop was the hygiene section at the front right of the store. He grabbed a three-pack of bar soap, a large tube of toothpaste, and a multipack of toothbrushes and dental floss.

    By now he felt paranoid, like everyone was watching him. Occasionally he swore he saw regular shoppers glancing at him from the corner of their eyes and could feel store employees closing in on him. He quickly jogged through the front of the store, only stopping briefly to grab a phone charger from a kiosk display, before reaching his final destination of food items which took up the entire left side of the store.

    He wasn¡¯t really sure what to grab at this point, nothing frozen would work and any fresh fruits or produce he bought would spoil in a few days since he couldn¡¯t refrigerate anything. Unsure of what to do, he filled his backpack with bags of beef jerky and cans of soup, before closing it and slinging it across his back. Then, grabbing two gallons of water, he sprinted full speed for the exit.

    He was certain he¡¯d be stopped, by now he knew for a fact everyone was watching him and planning to ensnare him. He knew the employees had clocked him long ago and were waiting for security and the police to arrest him and throw him back into a pen. But instead, he ran easily out the front door past a couple of confused employees. He ignored the ringing of the electronic surveillance alarm at the front of the store and the surprised shouts of the employees. He just kept running, turning, and weaving at random down alleyways and random sidewalks for several blocks.

    When at last he stopped running he was out of breath and his legs hurt again. He had ended up behind the back of a different shopping center and was currently sitting behind a completely different megastore chain to catch his breath. Taking his bag off and looking through it he was delighted to find everything on his initial list there, with the added benefit of a pop-up tent he had never even considered grabbing.

    Unsure of what to do next, Jake spotted a wall outlet, jutting out the back of the building complex behind him. It was partially hidden by the shadow of a parked truck, and the only reason he noticed it was because he had decided to sit down to catch his breath.

    Deciding this was as good a place as any to wait out the night, Jake unspooled his new phone cord and plugged it into the open outlet, before plugging in his phone which was barely hanging onto life support. Then Jake into the shadow of the parked truck to try and keep himself and his loot hidden. Setting a new alarm to go off in seven hours, well before the sun should rise, Jake closed his eyes and did his best to fall asleep.

    He struggled for a while, his paranoia was on high alert at the moment, and every bump or creak in the night caused him to jerk up and look around, but at last, he managed to drift off into a fitful sleep.

 Day 7 - Midnight Hunt

    Jake woke up to his alarm early the next morning. He checked his now fully charged phone, it was six fifteen in the morning. The sun was still down, and it was dead quiet around him. Sitting up and folding up the pudgy camping blanket he¡¯d stolen last night, Jake stretched his back till he felt a satisfying popping sensation.

    Back behind the store had not been a comfortable place to sleep, but by now he was used to sleeping in worse conditions. The addition of the blanket taken from the store had made last night practically heavenly, if not for his paranoid reactions to the random bumps in the night. Jake unwrapped his remaining breakfast sandwich, which was no longer warm and far less appetizing than yesterday, but still edible.

    Enjoying his meal, Jake packed up his blanket and prepared for the rising sun by trying to organize his bag. There wasn¡¯t much he could do in the way of organization; it was more an excuse to have something to distract himself and waste the remaining hour or so before the sun rose. When at last he saw the faint glimmer of sunlight begin to break as the sun prepared to rise, he gathered his things and stood. He decided it be best to walk out from behind the buildings around him so he¡¯d have a less obscured view of the sunrise.

    From there he waited with bated breath for it to rise, felt its early morning light hit his skin, and then felt the familiar sensation of falling through the sky. Jake was caught off guard but quickly recovered, managing to land with his feet beneath him. Unfortunately, his momentum carried him forward several uncertain steps till he crashed to the floor. This didn¡¯t bother Jake in the slightest now, though, as he was too ecstatic at having been right about the correlation between the rising of the sun and his uncontrolled falls.

    What it meant, he didn¡¯t know, but it was something about this ordeal he understood for once and he felt for the first time that he was one step closer to getting home. Standing up from the dirt and dusting himself off, Jake surveyed where he¡¯d fallen. It looked like plains stretching out for miles, yet there was no grass growing. Only brown mulch, squishy to walk on, and what was left in his hands felt warm to the touch.

    Turning around, he could see a couple of massive solid grey protrusions jutting out of the mulch, stretching up into the sky past the clouds and up into the unknown. He couldn¡¯t see any clear signs of foliage or water on the mountains, but he was too far away to see any concrete details. After deliberating for a bit Jake decided to walk towards the mountains.

    He didn¡¯t like the idea of making camp in the middle of a barren field, plus he didn¡¯t know how well the mulch below would serve as a campsite. He hoped the mountains would offer some form of natural protection, along with steadier ground to make camp on.

    The mulch was surprisingly easy to walk on, though it flexed as he moved across it, it wasn¡¯t to a nauseating degree or to a degree where he felt like he would be easily toppled. The biggest issue with the mulch was the potholes. Occasionally while walking his foot would sink into the ground, revealing massive underground caverns below.  He was always able to pull his foot out without much effort and keep walking. Once, though, he swore he felt something nuzzle past and rub against the bottom of his shoe which gave him pause.

    With a shudder, he waited till the sensation was gone before quickly pulling his foot up. Hurrying away while trying his best to forget the sensation and ignore the creeping feeling the ground beneath him was crawling, he was infinitely more mindful of the potholes than before. He also moved infinitely slower, but after a few hours, he reached the mountain base.

    He was disappointed to find, however, that the mountain became flatter the closer he got to it, becoming a gentler curve than when originally viewed at a distance. What he originally had hoped to be a sharp incline that could act as a natural wall was an incline of twenty to thirty degrees. Still a steep incline, but not what he¡¯d been hoping for.

    Perhaps if he continued up the mountain exploring up or around the mountain past its base, he could find the natural wall he was seeking, but by this point he was tired. Over the last week he¡¯d grown used to large stretches of uninterrupted walking, but what he wasn¡¯t used to was walking those same stretches while hauling luggage. While he in no way regretted the supplies he had stolen, he did find it made travel harder.

    Especially the gallon jugs of water. They were uncomfortable to hold and difficult to drink out of. While he was thankful for them since he saw no sign of water even now he¡¯d reached the base of the mountain, that didn¡¯t make them any less annoying to carry.

    After sitting down for a while to catch his breath and relax in general, he began setting up his camp for the night. There wasn¡¯t anything around him to burn so he gave up on the thought of a fire and focused on setting up his newly found tent. The words ¡°pop-up¡± on the label had made him think would set itself up on its own as soon as he removed it from its case, or at the very least it would be easy to set up.

    Maybe it was easy to set up for someone who had actually set up a tent before, but for Jake, it took well over a constant hour of struggle before he¡¯d managed to assemble the tent upright. The inside was compact, he barely fit inside on his own and with his luggage dragged inside it was claustrophobic, but it was still more relaxing than sleeping exposed the past week had been.

    By now most of his day had passed, it was close to sunset and Jake was tired. He decided it best to turn in for the night and wake up early. He had no idea how long it would take to pack up tomorrow morning and would be waking early to leave himself time to deal with it. He knew he would need to get faster at making camp, he couldn¡¯t afford to spend half his day making and breaking camp.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    Jake set an alarm for eight hours in the future, far enough off he should be able to get a decent amount of sleep and still have time to repack his campsite. Then he turned his attention to dinner. Grabbing a can of soup from his bag, Jake realized for the first time the soup didn¡¯t have a pull tab on top and without a can opener he didn¡¯t have a way to cleanly open the soup. Letting out an exhausted sigh, and a mutter of ¡°It¡¯s never easy, is it?¡± Jake removed all the cans of soup to check them but found none he could easily open.

    Not wanting to deal with the soup issue today, Jake opted to just eat the jerky he bought instead. He¡¯d never been a fan of jerky before, but now he doubted there was anything edible he wouldn¡¯t eat. Opening a bag of jerky and releasing the pungent smell of dried beef into the air, he enjoyed about half the bag before closing it and tossing it to the side. Next, he removed a toothbrush and some floss from the bag and brushed his teeth. He felt a comforting sense of familiarity, doing something so normal after so long, and once he was done, he rolled himself up in his pudgy travel blanket and drifted off to sleep, feeling at peace for the first time in a while.

    <hr>

    Searing pain shot through Jake''s back before he had time to react, followed by a piercing roar as the ground shook. He was awake, lying on his stomach, his vision blurry as he struggled to come to. Around him lay the tattered remains of his tent and the padded torn-up cloth of his blanket. Mixed amongst it was dried, splattered blotches of red he hadn¡¯t remembered decorating either the tent''s or blanket''s surface before.

    He was flat down in the mulch. Looking around confused; his vision locked onto a horrid shadow looming over where his campsite had existed just hours before. It moved silently, its fur black as night save for splotches of red around its paws. The paws themselves lay raised from the ground, supported by long vicious claws covered in bright viscous crimson and torn bits of cloth. Twin antlers jutted from the side of its head while its long, elongated snout busied itself digging through the scattered remains of the tent fangs barred as they continually chewed and tore through fabric and plastic and metal to devour the meat and soup Jake had stolen.

    Around the beast, scattered, was everything else in the tent. The blanket and tent had been destroyed when it pounced and scattered about through the air, Jake''s open bag landed next to him, within arm¡¯s reach, and the water bottles lay yards away, one open draining into the ground the other nested beneath one of the creatures¡¯ paws. Jake himself lay still after being attacked and flung through the air, forgotten as unimportant for the time being.

    Jake felt his breath catch as he watched the beast move. There was no way he could hope to survive if that thing took notice of him again. Already he noticed his blood, scattered about freely all over the place in mass quantities. He slowly reached behind him and felt his back, bringing forth a horrid stinging sensation and causing a large inhale of air from Jake as he forced down a scream.

    Looking at his shaky hand he found them coated in blood, and from what he felt it looked as if in the beast¡¯s efforts to tear through Jakes camp it had lacerated the skin of his back completely. Moving would feel like a hell worse than anything he¡¯d gone through this week. But laying here was not an option anymore, soon the creature would grow tired of the scraps of food it found in the destroyed camps and turn its attention to the prey it had left injured and waiting. He needed to escape, now, while that was still even a remote possibility.

    He took a few slow, deep breaths to steady himself, knowing what would come next would hurt. Then in one motion grabbed his discarded bag and forced himself to his feet, running off across the mulch. He was unsteady and the sudden motion forced violent screams from his throat, but that didn¡¯t matter. The second he¡¯d moved to stand and grab the bag, the beast¡¯s attention had snapped toward him, and its silent movements were interrupted by a loud, piercing, shriek as it began its hunt.

    It was fast, much faster than Jake, it would be upon him in seconds eager to finish what it had started when first attacked the camp. Jake himself also moved sluggishly and off-balanced, dragging behind the open backpack. Grabbing the back had been a mistake, but now it was tangled up in his arms and wrapped around him, taking it off and leaving it would take longer than pressing forward with it, and every microsecond counted as the distance between himself and his pursuer shortened.

    Panic welled up as blood flowed freely down his back, dying the ground behind him and staining the back of his legs. He didn¡¯t know what to do, or where he was running to. It was all flat, open plain as far as the eye could see. Then as he was struggling to move his foot sunk, falling through a pothole into one of the caverns below. There were no other options left, forcing his leg out and his head inside Jake began wiggling his body into the darkness of the earth below.

    It was slow going at first, but the softness of the mulch and his desperate struggle to force the earth aside eventually bore fruit and Jake was able to pull himself nearly completely into the hole. But, just as he was about to pull his left into safety below sharp pain rang out and Jake''s screams grew even louder as the beast had at last caught up to its prey. The creature racked its claws, slashing through the back of Jake''s leg desperate to try and drag its escaped prey out of the ground. Its claws proved too sharp, however, as they failed to properly grip Jake''s leg and instead slashed the skin and muscle like butter.

    Howling in pain, unable to even imagine putting weight on his leg, Jak crawled as far back as possible from the pothole above, pushing ever further into the dark staining the mulch around him a dark crimson. The beast above was enraged, slamming its head and claws into the ground, randomly slashing through the pothole in a furious display and snapping its jaws wildly in hopes of catching the slightest morsel of the prize below.

    But though the ground gave slightly, it would not buckle to the creature above, and at last, all it could do was stare, turning one of its eyes to the hole till all light was blocked and all Jake could see was its horrid eye. No trace of reason was there, just the blind fury and instinct to hunt of a wild monster, enraged that its prey had evaded its grasp. It was horrifying to Jake, being face to face with a true monster.

    He tried to focus on it, tried to stay awake for his safety. But he was faltering already. Already the intense pain was starting to fade away as all the sensation around him slipped, fading into darkness as his vision faltered. Swirling darkness surrounded him as he fell back against the mulch, staring forward into the beast¡¯s unwavering gaze. He slipped away, falling into unconsciousness the last sight he¡¯d see being the vicious gaze of the monster ahead.

 Day 8 - Sunless Sky - Miraculous Encounter

    Beyond his narrowed line of sight, he could hear hushed whispering that first started when he began coughing and seemed to be growing louder with more intensity as he twitched and struggled to move. Panic set in as the whispering grew closer and more frantic, and he desperately began flailing in a futile effort to drag himself away.

    His breathing eased and the spasms slowly stopped; he lay panting slowly as his vision remained blurred.

    Whispers near his ear he couldn¡¯t understand nearly caused him to jump again in shock, but he had no energy left. He was left simply laying there numb, gasping for breath. Eventually, his vision began to clear again and he could see a hand pressing down against his chest, right above his heart.

    Jake began to raise questions he had to the woman across from him, but the effort to talk only brought about another violent coughing fit.

    The woman said in a soothing voice and Jake could see a small, sweet smile peek out from beneath her matted hair.

    After a while, though, she finished her work and pulled her hand away. As her hand left so did the numbing sensation. His body still felt more at ease than before but the numbing sensation went away, replaced by a stinging sensation radiating out from his back.

    She asked, turning to face Jake, brushing the hair from her face to reveal large opaque eyes.

    Jake said hesitantly, both being careful not to agitate his body and fearful as to what her response would be. Sure enough, just as he feared, he saw confusion cloud her face before she turned to talk to whoever was standing behind her, asking,

    Jake couldn¡¯t hear or see their response but when she next turned to face Jake her hand was glowing again, a bright red this time. Quickly, Jake began trying to plead, calling out in a hoarse voice,

    But his terrified cries seemed to fall on deaf ears as the woman lifted her hand to Jake''s head before he could even attempt to dodge or drag himself away. Jake expected horrific pain as he watched the red glow enter from her fingertips into the base of his forehead, but instead, he felt nothing. He was left sitting there unsure of what to do next as the woman kept her fingers pressed to his head for several more seconds, before finally pulling away and flashing him a smile saying,

    ¡°How did you do that?¡±

    ¡°Simple magic of the mind, I¡¯m more surprised you¡¯ve never seen it before it¡¯s pretty rudimental magic.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen magic before?! I didn¡¯t know that was possible!¡± The woman called out with an amazed gasp, a look of surprise and wonder in her eye. It was her turn to miss the second part of Jake¡¯s sentence.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    The man knelt next to Jake and locked eyes with him. Jake had expected him to take a stern demeanor with him from the way he approached but instead, he was met with a kindly tone and smile as the man said

    Jake froze up, about to reaffirm he truly had no idea where he was but now, he couldn¡¯t move a muscle. The memory of the monstrous beast that had hunted him through the night, the eye that stared him down with a remorseless gaze filled with nothing but killing intent. He could do nothing except shake in fear now, struggling to even begin to answer the question, to describe what he had previously thought of as an unthinkable monster. Perhaps seeing Jake struggling to speak, the man began to speak again,

    An involuntary sigh of relief escaped Jake¡¯s lips when he heard he¡¯d been found on the side of the mountain. He¡¯d managed to hold on till sunrise. Even if he didn¡¯t remember it he had escaped. It couldn¡¯t reach him anymore. Trying to regain control of his shaking voice, Jake began speaking slowly.

    Jake decided that explaining the process of falling to a new world every sunrise was too complicated for right now, especially since he didn¡¯t fully understand it either, so he stuck to the most important pieces of information for now. Jake doubted his word alone would do much to convince the man in front of him he didn¡¯t need to worry about the monster. Honestly, no matter how much he knew it was true himself Jake struggled to believe it, forcing himself to repeat over and over in his head ¡°It can¡¯t reach him anymore¡± just to try and calm himself down.

    His shirt was gone, removed to reveal tightly wrapped gauze surrounding the whole of his chest. His entire body looked deathly pale and incredibly sweaty, and he could feel what felt like a rag lying flat across his forehead. The shorts he¡¯d been wearing previously were gone as well, replaced with a pair of simple cloth pants tied via a cloth string belt. They were rolled up fully on his left leg revealing what looked like even more ample amounts of bandaging and gauze than what currently wrapped around his chest, as well as a continuous shimmering field of light that kept his leg numb and lifeless.

    ¡°Shhh, rest now, we''ll talk more later, I promise¡±

    Leopold watched as LaLa collapsed into a heap next to the kid she¡¯d found yesterday morning. He¡¯d never seen her work herself so frantically as that. He¡¯d been ready to write the kid off dead as he felt what little was left of his pulse fade away, figuring that though it was tragic there was nothing that could be done to save him anymore.

    Looking down at the slumbering kid next to the collapsed Lala, Leopold wondered what the hell could have happened to this boy. The skin of his back was lacerated, which was bad enough already, but his left leg looked destroyed down to the bone. It had taken Lala half a day of unending concentration and physical and mental exhaustion till she¡¯d managed to repair it enough to a point where it could be safely gauzed. Her work wasn¡¯t even over yet, if she wasn¡¯t still constantly numbing his leg the pain would be so immense he¡¯d wake up screaming no matter what magic she cast to render him unconscious.

    Turning back and marching back over to Rick to patrol the area once more for whatever beast had caused the attack, Leopold felt that something about the injured boy passed out in their camp wasn¡¯t right.

 Day 9 - Sunless Sky - Recovery

    Craning his head around carefully to not shock his body with the sudden movement and send cataclysms of pain rocketing down his spine, Jake was able to see he was resting comfortably next to a low burning fire. Beyond it, a few yards away, he could see the distinct glow of a second fire crackling away. Around the second fire, he could see the huddled figure of someone swaddled in blankets asleep on the ground. A second figure, the man in armor Jake guessed based on how the light danced and gleamed off his form, was hunched over the fire busying himself with something.

    He could vaguely see the shifting forms of pine trees, hiding beyond clear view. Next to his head directly opposite where the fires burned, he could see stone-carved bricks stacked into a wall. The wall looked like it belonged to a ruin, covered in scratch marks and missing several bricks in key places. Jake didn¡¯t think the wall looked particularly old, but it certainly looked destroyed.

    Just as Jake was considering what to do next, the man across from him at the next fire turned round revealing a copper pot propped on rocks he¡¯d been busying himself with. Their eyes locked, the man smiled at seeing Jake was awake and began making his way toward Jake. Then suddenly stopping, the man scooped something up of the pot into a wooden bowl before continuing onwards toward Jake.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    Setting the bowl aside after finishing his soup Jake pointed across the way toward the sleeping bundle and asked,

    ¡°What?¡± The man asked looking surprised for a moment, before bursting out laughing for a solid minute to such a degree he had to sit down, flopping to the side of Jake. The ground shook with his landing, and his outstretched armored legs now blocked Jake''s view of the fire, save for the top of its crackling glow. At last, the man stopped laughing, reaching up to whip a tear from his eyes with unarmored hands before saying,

    Jake could tell from the man¡¯s reaction to his question that he¡¯d missed something, as nothing about his question or the man¡¯s response was funny. Jake also had no clue who this ¡°Rick¡± the man mentioned was, but at hearing the efforts the sleeping woman across from him had made to save his life both while he was awake and unconscious, his gratitude for her grew even deeper than it already was.

    ¡°That¡¯s twice you¡¯ve thanked me, and I haven¡¯t done anything for you. It was Lala who had us make soup for you and Lala who stayed up tending to you.¡± The man said with a serious face suddenly ¡°What are you thanking me for exactly?¡±

    ¡°Good,¡± the man said as the usual jovial smile Jake had seen returned to his face ¡°My name¡¯s Leopold. I know they both start with L¡¯s but hers is a lot shorter so you shouldn¡¯t get us confused. Now, we¡¯ve been searching for the last couple of days since we found you but just like you said we couldn¡¯t find a trace of any monster capable of providing your injuries. Did you fight the monster that attacked you off before running away?¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Leopold said, his face hardening for a split second before he gave a shrug and said, ¡°Anyway, do you remember why you were out here before you were attacked?¡±

    Leopold nodded at that and opened his mouth to say something else before the conversation was interrupted by the sound of a loud yawn. Looking over, Jake and Leopold watched as Lala sat up and unbundled herself from her blankets, her hair somehow more disheveled than the last time Jake saw it thanks to the bedhead that now plagued her.

    ¡°Leopold, I¡¯ve already told you to let him rest, he isn¡¯t ready to WHY ARE YOU SITTING UP!¡± The last part of her cry was directed at Jake. As soon as she caught sight of him propped up sitting next to Leopold she hurriedly dashed over, spilling soup out of her bowl all over the floor. This reaction earned a giggle out of Leopold, which was ignored by Lala who was hurriedly inspecting Jake.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Still visibly pissed, she¡¯d finished her verbal scolding''s but continued her inspections on Jake¡¯s wrappings and at one point carefully moved him upward to examine his back. Once she finished examining him, she carefully laid him back flat on the ground. Then, just like yesterday, she placed her hand on Jake''s chest and enveloped him in a calm numbing sensation that stretched throughout his entire body.

    Jake gave a nod, lying still as possible as Lala worked enjoying the numbing feeling throughout his body. When she¡¯d finished her work for the time being and removed her hand from his chest Jake smiled up at her and said,

    Lala had looked touched by his sudden thanks till the end when her face suddenly froze, and Leopold began laughing once again.

    ¡°What, I thought that¡¯s what you said your name was?¡± Leopold said with a shit-eating grin while catching Lala¡¯s hand and holding it so she couldn¡¯t continue swinging it at him ¡°L-A-L-A¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t let it go because you hate it so little Lala,¡± Leopold said, letting out one last snicker before he released her and endured her rushed punches to his side. Either she wasn¡¯t trying to hurt him or couldn¡¯t produce enough force to reach through his armor because Leopold simply sat there unbothered before saying ¡°What, you¡¯re just going to ignore the kid? That¡¯s cold Lala.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s no problem, honest. Just glad I found you when I did. And it¡¯s Lana, not Lala unlike what my dumbass brother might have said. Only he calls me that.¡±

    ¡°I see, I¡¯m sorry then. I didn¡¯t know your name was such a big issue.¡± Jake felt embarrassed and guilty at having been tricked into messing with Lana like that, and not just because he owed her such a massive debt. As the youngest sibling in his family, he didn¡¯t appreciate being used like that. Especially without even being in on the joke.

    ¡°So, how long have I been asleep?¡± Jake asked, hoping to break through the awkward fog surrounding them.

    ¡°Then will the sun be rising soon?¡± Jake asked, looking up at the sky. He remembered it was pitch-black yesterday and so far, he¡¯d only ever arrived in new worlds during sunrise, never at night. So, he must have been found early in the morning and first woken up after sunset. Having fallen asleep again yesterday, he must be close to his deadline for staying here.

    ¡°Your pupils are dilated and unfocused, you need rest. We¡¯ll talk more when you wake up.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t like him,¡± Rick said, jerking his head towards the passed-out boy Lana was currently tending to. At the moment, she was carefully funneling water down his throat so as not to choke him, trying to make sure he stayed hydrated while also allowing him much-needed rest.

    Rick glared at Leopold before saying,

    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s definitely hiding something.¡± Leopold said with a nod ¡°But I doubt he¡¯s a spy, he¡¯s not a good enough actor for that. If he were a spy, he¡¯d be a terrible one. His story makes no sense. Today he told both me and Lana he didn¡¯t know anything about the sky being stolen.¡± Leopold said with a chuckle before putting his hand on Rick''s shoulder and saying ¡°He¡¯s hiding something but after talking to him I doubt it¡¯s anything malicious. We all have our pasts right.¡±

    Rick grunted and shook Leopold''s hand off before leaving to go sit by the fire, knowing that convincing Lana would be impossible. With a victorious smirk, Leopold hoped Rick would get used to the kid quickly, as he was already getting annoyed by this. Looking over at Lana and the kid, though he wouldn¡¯t admit it to Rick to keep the peace, Leopold would also stop him from leaving the kid behind. He¡¯d grown fond of him during their short talks, he was so gullible! Leopold let out a laugh to himself, imagining what else he could get the kid to fall for next.

 Day 10 - Sunless Sky - The Day The Sky Way Stolen

    ¡°I still think leaving them alone was a bad idea.¡±

    ¡°It was definitely a bad idea,¡± Leopold said with a smile as he helped Lana climb over a fallen tree. She struggled to pull herself over as one of her hands was raised high maintaining a barrier of light illuminating their surroundings allowing them to walk forward. ¡°But what choice do we have? We needed to stalk up on meat for the next few days and I was tired of carrying a torch. You¡¯re a much better nightlight Lala!¡± Leopold said with a laugh, tussling Lana¡¯s hair till her blond curls stuck out at every angle.

    ¡°Stop doing that! You know how hard it is to straighten my hair after you do that! And be serious, do you really think it¡¯s a good idea to keep moving so soon, I mean the kid''s hardly ready for it.¡±

    ¡°Look, Lala, Rick¡¯s been getting more and more restless the longer we¡¯ve been sitting here. And to be honest with you, I¡¯m not the biggest fan of being stuck on the mountainside either. You said the kid''s back was practically healed, so now you just need to focus on his leg!¡±

    ¡°I did not say he was practically healed; I said he was stable! And you and I both know his back wasn¡¯t the problem. The skin may have been flayed but most of the muscle underneath was fine. His leg¡­ I¡¯ve never seen anything like it. It was cut so cleanly down to the bone. I¡¯ve never seen a monster capable of that kind of damage. His whole leg needs to be completely reconstructed; he isn¡¯t ready to move yet.¡±

    ¡°I know Lala, I know,¡± Leopold said his tone turning serious the gentle smile fading from his face ¡°but we have no choice. The longer we stay here, the more likely it is we''ll get swarmed. Three days is already pushing it, and Rick is just getting twitcher and twitcher. It took every bit of charm I had to convince him to wait till tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°You have no charm,¡± Lana said with a sigh ¡°Alright fine, I''ll let it go for now. But you get to tell Rick we''re bringing the kid with us.¡±

    Leopold let out a laugh as Lana pushed past him, before shooting a worried look back behind them up the mountain trail where their camp was set. In truth, he was also worried about leaving Rick alone with the kid. Rick struggled with meeting new people normally and he seemed to especially be struggling to accept the new kid¡¯s presence the longer their journey was delayed. But, as worried as Leopold was for them he had to think of Lana first and his sister had been getting more and more haggard over tending to her patient.

    Sleepless nights and unending hours of exhausting, high-level spell craft Leopold couldn¡¯t begin to understand. Leopold hoped that this short break would help relax her, or at least distract her for a bit and give her mind a much-needed break. A grin returning to his face, Leopold turned back towards Lana with the determination to be as annoying a distraction as possible.

    <hr>

    When Jake next awoke from his magically induced sleep, neither Lana nor Leopold were by his side, or anywhere nearby that he could see. Instead, sitting across from him polishing something glinting in the light of a low burning fire was a new person Jake hadn¡¯t met before. He was thin and wiry, wearing a black leather cloak that covered the rest of his frame. His face was gaunt and set in and he had heavy black bags under his eyes. His hair was long and black, with an oily sheen, and reached just below his ears before looking like it was wildly and randomly cut giving him the look of an insane person.

    Seeing Jake start to stir, he glanced over before saying in a low, gruff voice,

    ¡°Lana lent out hunting. She told me to tell you to stay still, and not move. So, stay still, and don¡¯t move.¡±

    ¡°Alright, got it. Thanks,¡± Jake said with a nod before adding ¡°You must be Rick, right?¡±

    Jake¡¯s comment went ignored without so much as a grunt in response. Still, dying to get some answers to what he¡¯d heard about yesterday he pressed on asking,

    ¡°So, yesterday Leopold mentioned the sky was stolen? How does that make any¡­¡± but he was interrupted by a sudden woosh followed by a cracking sound. Above his head, the knife Rick had been polishing had been thrown and embedded into the wall. Rick stood up and cracked his neck, before walking forward towards the stunned Jake.

    ¡°Look Kid, I don¡¯t know who you¡¯re trying to fool, if you have some grand plan to disrupt us or just think where idiots but let me make something clear. I don¡¯t buy your ¡®forgetful little stranger¡¯ act for a second. I delivered the message I was asked to deliver out of respect for Lana, but if you keep pushing me just know I made no promises about your safety.¡±

    Reaching Jake who was pressing himself into the ground now to get as far away from Rick as possible, Rick crouched down and bent over slowly before roughly pulling his knife out of the wall sending a sprinkling of brick dust falling onto Jake''s head and chest.

    ¡°So stop talking to me, and just know, I¡¯m watching you.¡± With that, Rick turned around and retreated to the fire away from Jake to begin polishing his knife again. Jake was left stunned, not expecting such a violent reaction to simply trying to ask a question. Not wanting to aggravate Rick any further, Jake simply lay back in the dirt, taking deep steady breaths till at last he felt like his heartbeat was returning to normal.

    Jake wasn¡¯t sure how much time passed like this but eventually Lana and Leopold returned. Leopold was dragging a large, boar-like creature behind him which was oozing black, tar-like blood across the ground behind him while also having a fox-like beast thrown up over his shoulder. The fox was also oozing what looked like black tar all over Leopold''s armor, but he didn¡¯t seem to mind. Lana was also carrying animals oozing black blood, carrying two rabbit-looking things in one hand each. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    When the two returned to camp, Rick jumped up and took the Rabbits from Lana before helping Leopold drag the boar the rest of the way to the campfire. Then he and Leopold sat down and began butchering the animals while Lana washed the black blood from her hands and made her way over to Jake. Propping him up and examining his bandaging she said,

    ¡°Good, it looks like your wounds are holding stable. Please hold still for a bit.¡±

    Jake nodded, staying quiet for now as Lana worked and deciding he would bring up the questions he was burning to ask after she was finished. It got harder and harder to stop himself from bursting with questions the longer she worked through, the questions he was dying to ask were so distracting he barely noticed the soothing sensation envelope and numb him.

    By the time Lana had finished her work, Leopold had stopped butchering, leaving Rick alone with the animals and saddling up next to Jake with a friendly wave.

    ¡°Heya kid, how are you feeling¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, what do you mean the sky was stolen?¡± Jake asked, the question exploding out of him in a hurried frenzy.

    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, I forgot you brought that up yesterday,¡± Leopold began before being interrupted by Rick who, with a loud grunt, threw down the rabbit he had been butchering and announced, ¡°I¡¯m going hunting.¡±

    Jake expected Leopold or Lana to object since they¡¯d just come back from a sizable hunt, but no objection came. Just a friendly wave from Leopold and Rick slinked off out of sight into the dark.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mind him, he hates this topic. He wasn¡¯t any trouble, was he?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jake said shaking his head and deciding that starting problems amongst the group who¡¯d saved him wasn¡¯t the best idea ¡°No problem at all.¡±

    Still, despite his objections, Lana traced her fingers along the scar left in the rock by Rick¡¯s knife before elbowing Leopold and saying an annoyed whisper that Jake could clearly make out,

    ¡°I told you it was a bad idea!¡±

    ¡°And I agreed!¡± Leopold said with a laugh, before looking down at Jake again with a more serious look in his eyes and asking ¡°You really can¡¯t remember anything about the day the sky was stolen?¡±

    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know anything about it, honest.¡±

    ¡°Where to start, it was five or so years back we think. Clocks got a bit misaligned at some point and it was hard to realign them with no day or night passing by.¡± Leopold said, a sad chuckle escaping his mouth almost involuntarily as he began reminiscing ¡°It was, well it was horrible. The corruption had always been a problem, seeping into people¡¯s dreams and out from the dark caves and crevices of the world but when it consumed the sky the world fell into chaos.¡± Leopold said as the joy he usually kept slowly faded the more he talked.

    ¡°The corruption?¡± Jake asked, hoping to prod Leopold into explaining further.

    ¡°You really can¡¯t remember anything, can you? Surprised you remembered your name; you do know your name, right?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s Jake,¡± Jake replied feeling a little embarrassed and annoyed at how Leopold seemed to be dodging the question.

    ¡°Alright alright, good to know kid,¡± Leopold said with a small chuckle. ¡°¡¯ The corruption is all that is evil in the world incarnate. It breeds in the dark and the evil of mankind, spend too long embraced in it and you will be lost forever¡¯ That¡¯s the standard definition every parent tells their kids. For most, it was just a scary bedtime story, a boogeyman to keep you up in the dark.¡±

    Jake watched as Leopold''s eyes seemed to almost glaze over in remembrance as he thought of the past, a slight smile twinging his lips and a quiver in his voice.  Then his face darkened, and his voice became downtrodden as he said,

    ¡°Everything changed when the sky was stolen. Under the unending dark, the corruption propagated unchecked, and chaos ran rampant as people, animals, plants, hell even buildings fell to its ever-spreading effects. The death count is still unknown to this day, and the list of the missing is unending. As of now an estimated fifty-five percent of the planet has been lost to the ever-growing influence of the corruption.¡±

    Beside Jake, Lana who had been sitting still and silent as a statue began letting out trembling shakes and soft sobs as Leopold began recounting the devastation wrought by the corruption. Leopold himself had a look of dark remembrance on his face unlike any he¡¯d ever worn before around Jake, and Jake couldn¡¯t blame either of them. As a total stranger to the situation, just hearing the cliff notes of the tragedy was rough. He couldn¡¯t imagine living through and enduring an apocalyptic event on such a large scale.

    ¡°Then, is that it?¡± Jake asked, feeling a sense of despair well up inside him at the prospect of being trapped here forever. ¡°No more sky, no more sunrise or sunset or anything, and the world just ends?¡±

    ¡°Not if we can help it, isn¡¯t that right Lala?¡± Leopold said, his face brightening as he elbowed Lana''s side.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ Yeah he¡¯s right¡± Lana¡¯s voice however sounded muffled and shaky, she seemed to be crying and she was still trembling.

    ¡°You, kid, are lucky enough to be in the presence of ¡®The Final Hero''s¡¯¡± Leopold said a note of pride in his voice ¡°We¡¯ll return the sky to its proper place, banish the corruption, or die trying!¡± Following that Leopold let out a large laugh unfitting for a conversation about his potential impending death before saying ¡°The question though, is what to do with you?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jake asked, still confused as to how the three he¡¯d met so far planned to rescue the sky. Jake could tell that neither Lana nor Leopold felt like discussing the issue any further, however, and let the topic be changed.

    ¡°Your back is stable, but your leg remains a problem,¡± Lana said her voice was shaky as she took a few deep breaths to steady herself before continuing to speak.

    ¡°I had to reconstruct your leg from nothing, and over the last few days have had continuous magic arrays cast on it to stop the bleeding and slowly try and repair as much as possible. We are out of time though, and tomorrow we need you capable of at least somewhat walking. That means today and tomorrow I¡¯ll need to manually speed up the process, and unfortunately for you with this level of damage there will be a fair amount of pain.¡±

    Jake nodded and gulped at seeing the serious looks both Lana and Leopold were looking at him with.

    ¡°Should I go back to sleep then?¡± Jake asked, hopefully.

    ¡°You¡¯d just wake up again from the pain in a few seconds, I¡¯m sorry but at this point, this is the only way we can keep you alive.¡± Lana said, before handing Jake a folded-up piece of leather ¡°Bite down on this please.¡±

    Jake nodded again, and dreading what was to come bit down hard into the leather gag. Then, seconds later he felt the magic numbing his leg dissipate and new magic begin to course through his body. It felt like every part of his body was being struck by electricity all at once, over and over and over again. Jake¡¯s muffled screams filled the area as under the bandages wrapping his leg, flesh and muscle began to slowly reattach themselves.

 Day 11 - Sunless Sky - Desperate Climb

    Rick sighed as he leaned back against the rock wall behind him and glanced over at the passed-out form of the kid across from him. He wasn¡¯t sure what to think of him anymore. He was beginning to believe that Leopold had been right before. The kid wasn¡¯t a threat, at least not one that the three of them couldn¡¯t handle. He hadn¡¯t displayed any sort of skill or talent in response to Rick¡¯s sudden attack yesterday, just blind shock and terror, and he hadn¡¯t noticed Rick slinking into the shadows to eavesdrop on their conversation. Rick thought the kid might have been acting, but he couldn¡¯t fake the injuries he had when they first found him and if he was putting on an act, he kept it up constantly, even when he thought no one was watching.

    But Rick still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something was wrong with him. The kid acted like a total idiot. Pretending not to know about magic or the corruption or ¡®The Day the Sky Was Stolen¡¯, Lana kept saying traumatic events could repress memories and important information but to lose so much? It was hard for Rick to believe, and like Leopold, he still felt the kid was hiding something. And, even if Leopold was willing to get friendly with the kid without knowing what that something was, Rick wasn¡¯t.

    Rick was just waiting for the kid and Lana to wake up. He¡¯d be glad to pack up and finally break camp. The horde was growing closer to swarming, and he wanted to move on as fast as possible. Plus, he wanted to put some distance between himself and the kid.

    Leopold leaned next to Rick with a loud clank as his armor clamored into place and said,

    ¡°I looked around, the swarm was still a good mile or so away. We should have time for now. I''ll wake Lana and the Kid in a minute.¡±

    Rick gave a nod at that, and prepared to begin breaking camp and packing when Leopold suddenly said,

    ¡°You know we''re taking the kid with us, right?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Rick cried, spinning around abruptly, stopping his march to pack the supplies. ¡°Are you insane, you take that kid with us and he¡¯s going to die!¡±

    Leopold let out a snort and with a sly smile said,

    ¡°What, now you care what happens to him?¡±

    ¡°He comes with us; it won¡¯t just be him dying but all of us! How do you expect to climb through the mountains lugging a crippled kid behind us! A kid who, from the look of him, couldn¡¯t even kill a butterfly to save his life!¡±

    Rick was emphatic, nearly screaming as he waved his arms around at Leopold. Leopold just let out a sigh before shaking his head and saying,

    ¡°What are we supposed to do with him, leave him here to die? Send him stumbling down the mountain towards the horde and run away up the mountain as they rip into him?¡±

    Rick stood silent now hands at his side biting his lip. Leopold continued,

    ¡°Think about it Rick, what sort of heroes would abandon someone to die and keep...¡±

    ¡°You and Lana are the ones playing hero, not me,¡± Rick said, interrupting Leopold and crossing his arms refusing to meet his gaze. ¡°I just don¡¯t think we can¡¯t trust him. Some injured stranger just happens to appear and needs our help. It¡¯s too convenient, it¡¯s probably a trap.¡±

    Leopold let out a loud laugh before saying,

    ¡°We can¡¯t trust the injured stranger? That¡¯s rich coming from you. Look, I¡¯m not saying we trust him, I¡¯m just saying we aren¡¯t abandoning him.¡± Leopold said with a smile before walking over and putting his hand on Rick''s shoulder and saying ¡°You know, from what I recall being heroes was your idea. Didn¡¯t you come up with the name ¡®The Final Hero¡¯s'', rick?¡±

    Rick sighed before nodding and saying ¡°Fine¡±, still refusing to meet Leopold''s gaze.

    Leopold let out a laugh, and raising his arms in a victory pose went over to start packing the camp. Rick watched Leopold work for a moment, annoyed at how joyous he suddenly became after winning their argument, before turning to look at the sleeping form of Jake. Rick knew there was nothing he could do about Jake¡¯s presence anymore, but he regretted how awkward the rest of their trip was about to become.

    <hr>

    When Jake woke the next morning, the leather gag had been removed from his mouth. He had no memory of falling asleep or removing the gag, so at a guess, Lana had pulled it from his mouth before he fell asleep. The last thing he could remember was the pain erupting through him as Lana poured constant amounts of magic into rebuilding his leg. Eventually, he became somewhat numb to the pain as it remained at a constant level but occasionally the pain would die down or jump up suddenly which would reintroduce the sensation throughout his body.

    But the work spoke for itself and looking down Jake could see the bandage had been removed from his leg. His leg still looked horrid however, it was a pink wrinkled mass of flesh, and he couldn¡¯t move his ankle or his toes at all. However, he felt sensations ripple across it with no pain. Jake also found that he was able to easily pull himself upright without his back erupting into a torrent of pain.

    Sitting upright, Jake was met not with the now familiar sight of the trio lazing by campfires but rushed packing as they hurried back and forth around the campsite. Noticing he was awake; Lana came over and began checking on him. Looking over the bandages wrapped around his chest and examining his back she gave a satisfied nod before pointing to his leg and saying,

    ¡°This is healing nicely, can¡¯t do anything else with it now though. It should be stable enough to support some weight, but I wouldn¡¯t recommend putting much on. Stay still for a bit and let me splint it.¡±

    With that, Jake laid still as Lana began splinting the leg with two sturdy-looking branches and some gauze. The tighter the splint became around his leg, the more uncomfortable it became. Soon, though he was fully wrapped and Lana slowly helped him upright by balancing on one leg. Jake slowly began to try and set his bandaged foot down, little by little, but it had barely touched the ground before what felt like an electric shot rang through his system and he collapsed back to the floor.Stolen novel; please report.

    With a sigh, Lana helped him up and leaned him against the stone wall, adding,

    ¡°What did I say about not putting weight on it? Wait here for a bit, I¡¯ll find you a crutch to use.¡±

    With that, Jake was left leaning against the crumbling rock wall alone up until Leopold strolled over carrying what looked at first like a bundled sack of cloth stitched together at random. It was only once Leopold got closer that Jake realized the bundle was his stolen bag, seemingly mauled during his escape from the beast hunting him. It was unrecognizable as the same bag he¡¯d had before the attack, now stitched back together to be simply one large space held shut by a drawstring. Leopold held the back out to Jake with a smile.

    ¡°You were clutching this when we found you. We did our best to clean it and repair it, though I¡¯ve never seen a bag quite like that before.¡± Leopold let out a large laugh, glancing down at Jake while he did so as if waiting to see his reaction.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jake said while taking the bag and opening it. Inside pretty much everything he¡¯d had before was lost. His old shorts and t-shirt lay at the bottom, a bloody mess of torn fabric. Nestled on top was his phone, the screen cracked to hell, and the pair of sparking rocks he¡¯d found before. Everything else Jake had acquired was lost. Something new was added though, a patchwork shirt, button-up, was roughly folded and pressed to the side.

    ¡°That¡¯s three times now.¡± Leopold said, and seeing Jake''s confused face look at him he burst out laughing again and elaborated ¡°Three times you¡¯ve thanked me for something I haven¡¯t done. Rick did all the sewing. He¡¯s our local seamstress, does all our patch jobs.¡±

    Leopold let out a few snickers to himself while Jake was busy putting the shirt on, glancing toward Rick who still stood apart from him. Jake couldn¡¯t tell if Leopold was joking or not and was trying to gauge a reaction from Rick himself. Rick was paying him no attention, busying himself with his work packing up camp.

    ¡°The shirt is one of Rick¡¯s too, if you¡¯re curious. Thank him next time you get a chance.¡±

    ¡°I see,¡± Jake said, buttoning up the last button of the shirt. It fit snuggly on him but wasn¡¯t overly tight. While he was much more portly than the wiry Rick, he¡¯d lost some weight since this whole ordeal had started and Rick himself was a good deal taller and more muscular than Jake. All that left enough fabric on the shirt to make up the difference between the two.

    After putting the shirt on, Jake went to saddle his backpack but found it being taken from his hands by Leopold.

    ¡°Hold on kid, you¡¯re going to have a hard enough time keeping up with us as is. I was just showing you we found your bag. Do you know what Lala would do to me if I let you carry this thing?¡±

    ¡°Keep up with you? That means you''re taking me with you, right?¡± Jake asked, a note of excited expectation in his voice.

    Leopold laughed, before ruffling Jake¡¯s head and saying ¡°What else would we do with you kid?¡±

    Relief flooded into Jake at the confirmation he¡¯d be allowed to follow along with the trio. He was only alive so far thanks to them, and he doubted he¡¯d make it very far if they parted ways. He¡¯d been hoping they would take him with them, but Jake and the trio were still practically strangers. Though Lana had saved his life, that didn¡¯t mean they were obligated to keep helping them. Especially since, from what Jake could understand from their hurried movements, they seemed to be on a time crunch.

    Jake shot Rick a worried glance to see if he¡¯d heard the announcement and would give any reaction. Rick just continued packing, though seemed to be doing so at a much faster pace than before. Around this time, Lana returned with a branch cut down to be roughly the right height to fit snuggly under Jake''s armpit. It wasn¡¯t a perfect fit, and it wasn¡¯t comfortable to walk on at all, but with effort movement was doable.

    Lana gave him a worried look as he hobbled forward from the wall, but soon moved away to finish packing her bags. It wasn¡¯t long till the campsite was gutted and the trio plus Jake began moving forward up the mountain trail. At first, Jake found he could almost keep up with the three as they moved along what felt like level ground. But soon, the ground became steeper and steeper, and his leg grew more and more painful while it became harder and harder to maneuver with the branch.

    Jake lost count of how long he continued like this, struggling to follow the backs of the retreating trio ahead of him as without the sky above or any clocks nearby he found keeping them in his head an impossible task. Soon, however, his desperate climb up the mountain was interrupted. A series of shrieks and cries that sounded vaguely human-like reverberated along the mountain, coming back down the path they were following. The group stopped, looking back and Jake felt the hair on his neck stand up.

    ¡°Faster! We need to move up faster now!¡±

    Jake heard someone call back, but the identity was lost in the wind and the distance between himself and the group ahead. In a feverous push to escape whatever had called out behind him and catch up to the trio ahead, Jake began springboarding himself forward, ignoring the lighting shocks of pain coursing through his body. It wasn¡¯t long before the fresh skin across his foot began to tear, and blood began oozing out across the rocks he dragged himself across. He didn¡¯t care, something instinctually told him the pain now was better than slowing down, than letting what was approaching reach him.

    Suddenly he fell, the crutch he leaned on giving way against the rocks. Jake fell face forward and barely stopped himself in time before he broke his nose. Disorientated, Jake looked around but saw no sign of the trio ahead. Trying to stand up, Jake found he couldn¡¯t find a good handhold to haul himself up. Just as Jake was about to call out in a panic for help, he felt someone grab under his arm and haul him forward, before they continued dragging him scrapping across the rocks below.

    When they finally stopped moving, Jake looked up to see it was Lana who had dragged him, her face red from the effort her legs shaking threatening to give out beneath her. She had dragged him to a cave, off the beaten path he¡¯d been traveling upwards where Rick and Leopold were arguing.

    ¡°Stopping here is suicide, and you know it!¡± Rick was saying, in a hushed but angry voice, ¡°Look, I know you want to save the kid, I do, but it¡¯s impossible. The best we can do is hide him and run if we are careful about this¡­¡±

    ¡°We are hiding him, but we aren¡¯t running.¡± Leopold said, cutting Rick off, ¡°It¡¯s too late to run, you heard how close they were. They¡¯ll swarm this path soon from all directions. We¡¯ve already seen them come down from above. The only choice we have now is to hide and wait. If we hide in the cave, we can hopefully avoid most of the swarm and create a choke point to deal with the ones who stumble upon us.¡±

    ¡°It also gives us more time to recover¡± Lana added on.

    ¡°You¡¯re boxing us in, there¡¯d be no escape!¡± Rick tried to argue, but his spirit was gone. Seeming to sense there was no winning the argument as both Lana and Leopold stood against him, he let out a sigh and began moving into the cave.

    ¡°Lana, help Jake into the cave. Don¡¯t light a fire and keep your magic low. Don¡¯t make any unnecessary sounds. I¡¯ll be back soon, I want to see how far away they really are.¡±

    With that, Leopold turned and hurried back down the way Jake had just been dragged off. There wasn¡¯t a hint of his usual jovial self, only fear underlined his speech. Lana helped Jake into the cave and propped him against a decently sized rock before also collapsing next to him. Her arm had a large scratch across it, lightly bleeding, but she didn¡¯t seem concerned about it. Instead, she gave Jake a light scolding, whispering,

    ¡°What did I say about no weight, huh?¡±

    She said with a chuckle, pointing to his bleeding foot. She lightly tapped it, and a glowing field of magic surrounded his foot. The bleeding stopped, though no numbing or repair came like before. She seemed exhausted for some reason, completely out of breath and struggling to stay awake. Rick was crouched near the entrance of the cave and completely ignored both Lana and Jake for the time being. He seemed on edge, clutching two knives in his hand as sweat dripped down the side of his face.

    Jake didn¡¯t understand what was happening, but in the dark of the cave only illuminated by the slight glow coming off his foot he heard the shrieks from before this time closer and infinitely more numerous and he knew something horrid was approaching.

 Day 12 - Sunless Sky - The Oncoming Swarm

    Sweat dripped down Leopold¡¯s face as he hurried down the rocks. The race between The Swarm and themselves had already been tight, but the Swarm¡¯s sudden appearance from above on the trail they were climbing had thrown any plans they had into disarray. If it weren¡¯t for Lana blasting them off the mountain, they would probably already be dead. But she was exhausted already and using that much energy had depleted what little stamina she had left. All they could do now was hope the sound of Lana¡¯s attack would draw the converging Swarm away, as they hid in the cave and picked off the stragglers.

    Leopold stopped his descent suddenly and hugged the rock wall. Peaking down the path he could make out the shambling forms of The Swarm beginning to appear. They were still a few yards off, but he could already see dozens upon dozens of them, stumbling over themselves as they hurried up the mountain desperate to feed. With a shudder, Leopold estimated they¡¯d be up the path in about five to ten minutes, and after that, it was just a waiting game.

    Leopold backed away, doing his best to stay quiet and cursing his bulky frame every time it clanked or slowed his progress. It was only on the return trip that he realized he should have sent Rick down the mountain scouting instead. He cursed himself silently, telling himself he had to calm down and think rationally. But as the stress of their sudden stop compounded with the cries echoing off the rocks behind him, he found it hard to calm himself down.

    <hr>

    Jake had absolutely no idea what was going on but could tell now was not the time to ask questions. Lana was drifting in and out of consciousness, not bothering to address the wound on her arm but instead opting to lie back against the rock and close her eyes, allowing blood to stream down her arm and out into a thin trickle against the stones.

    Rick wasn¡¯t paying attention to either of them, instead putting all his focus on the narrowed entrance of the cave. Squatting low next to it, it would be difficult to spot him upon entry.

    ¡°Rick¡­¡± Jake called out in a hushed whisper, but Rick just let out a short shushing sound and shot him a low glare.

    ¡°Where is the gauze?¡± Jake continued, speaking even softer to try and appease Rick and avoid the attention of whatever was stalking around outside. Rick shot Jake another annoyed look before noticing the trickle of blood leaking out of Lana¡¯s arm and pointing toward one of the bags thrown in the corner of the cave. Jake dragged himself over to the bag and dug through it for a bit before finding the role of gauze.

    Jake grabbed it, and dragging himself back over to Lana examined her arm. The wound didn¡¯t look too deep to Jake but he struggled to tell the severity of it as he looked at it. As he grabbed her arm and began to wrap gauze around the scratch, Lana let out a slight wince but otherwise gave no other reaction. Jake wondered what the hell had happened to her; she looked drugged and out of it but the scratch on her arm wouldn''t do that. As Jake was starting to worry she might have a concussion, Leopold returned to the cave.

    ¡°We have about five minutes before they arrive, after that, we need absolute silence, understood?¡±

    That last question was directed at Jake, who gave a nod. After receiving his confirmation, Leopold¡¯s face broke into one of concern before he asked,

    ¡°Is she ok?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, her arm¡¯s scratched and she has like a concussion or something?¡±

    Leopold let out a short, low laugh before saying,

    ¡°She¡¯s not concussed kid, just exhausted. Used all her remaining stamina blasting away Swarm coming at us from above. You didn¡¯t hear her?¡±

    ¡°No, should I have?¡± Jake said, a confused look on his face.

    Leopold let out a sigh before a nervous chuckle escaped his mouth and said,

    ¡°It¡¯s fine you didn¡¯t I guess, just means her blast didn¡¯t create much collateral damage. Probably means the path will still be clear, which is good I guess. The problem is, if you didn¡¯t hear it then The Swarm below us definitely didn¡¯t hear it. Means there¡¯s nothing to distract them from rushing into here.¡±

    He turned to Rick as he was talking and jerked his head toward Jake before adding,

    ¡°Pass the kid a knife, Rick.¡±

    Rick offered no argument this time, silently pulling a knife out from somewhere under his cloak which he handed to Leopold, who finished the chain and passed the knife into Jake¡¯s hands.

    ¡°Hope you won¡¯t need that kid. Now everyone, stay quiet.¡±

    At Leopold''s last worst, a horrid screech was heard from beyond the cave¡¯s walls. It wasn¡¯t the last, as soon the sound of bone-chilling shrieks and screams and bare flesh pounding against rock filled the air. Leopold took a position directly in front of the cave entrance, as if daring the creatures hunting him to attack, and pulled a broadsword from a scabbard attached to his belt. He stood silent and firm, and soon the only movement filling the air was that of The Swarm beyond the cave. It soon sounded as if the first few waves had moved past the cave and continued forward, but the shrieks of their advancement were unending.

    Jake held his breath on instinct, trying subconsciously to attract as little attention as possible. He hoped that soon The Swarm would pass without noticing the cave, and he and the trio would be allowed to rest and talk. However much he hoped, though, soon a particular shriek grew closer and closer accompanied by a click and sniffing sound. Soon, a figure appeared at the entrance of the cave.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    He was gaunt, almost a skeleton with grey flesh hanging from his hunched, animalistic frame. He had rotted nails, grown out till they resembled claws that seemed to barely hang to his form anymore. His eyes were wide and bloodshot, yellow pupils moving in erratic motions. As soon as he caught sight of Leopold, his erratic movement ceased as they locked onto him. His mouth opened to reveal his jaw hung loose from his skull, looking dislocated, revealing rows of yellowed pointed teeth. A screech began to erupt from his throat as he leaped forward in a hunch, trying to claw at Leopold.

    His screech died in his throat, never being completed as a knife lodged itself into the side of his head causing him to fall from the air in a crumpled heat. Rick moved forward from his hiding spot and roughly yanked his knife from The Swarm¡¯s head, before turning to Leopold.

    ¡°Help me block the entrance with him, his pack will be coming soon.¡±

    Even for Rick, the amount of vitriol in his voice as he spoke about the man he just killed shocked Jake, but Leopold seemed unsurprised or uncaring as he broke the statuesque pose he stood in since The Swarm first appeared and helped Rick roughly shove the corpse into the cave¡¯s entrance. Sure enough, as they were moving, Jake could begin to hear a dozen or so shrieks start to get closer and closer.

    It wasn¡¯t long before they appeared at the entrance of the cave, and though they all looked roughly the same as the first to appear they were all distinct in Jake¡¯s eyes. They all wore different remains of tattered clothing, where different heights, and all had varying amounts of different color hair still clinging to their scalp. Despite their uniqueness in Jake¡¯s eyes, they all moved in the same animalistic way as the first, moving in for the kill as soon as they locked eyes on their prey.

    Rick and Leopold showed no mercy to the oncoming Swarm as it threatened to break through the entrance of the cave and devour the group fighting inside. With each few that came, a brief respite followed before the next wave of Swarm would find their way to attack the cave. In that respite Rick and Leopold would frantically drag and stack the corpses of the slain, trying to create a blockade of the dead.

    Soon, the oncoming Swarm were struggling to make their way into the cave, unable to force their way past the wall of corpses before being added to it. Before long the wall of rotted corpses had sealed the cave off entirely. Yet The Swarm on the other side didn''t leave. Instead, their horrid shrieks grew more determined, and the thumbing of their fists breaking against the flesh of the wall grew more numerous as more and more Swarm joined the cause of breaking the barrier separating them from their prey.

    Rick and Leopold took positions further back from the wall, waiting for when the dam they created would burst. Meanwhile, Jake was left to care for Lana. Despite the shrieking of The Swarm outside the cave and thundering above the mountainside, Lana had completely fallen asleep soon after Leopold returned. She remained non-responsive no matter what Jake tried to rouse her. Though Leopold said her condition was nothing to worry about, he couldn¡¯t help it as magical symptoms were something he was entirely alien to.

    All at once the dam burst, as the stacked corpses of The Swarm collapsed inward mixing in with the rushing bodies of the still living Swarm creating a cloud of confusion. Rick and Leopold tried their best to fend off The Swarm but they were being attacked from every angle. Leopold swung his sword, cleaving members of The Swarm in two only to find three more members replaced the one he¡¯d just felled. His armor was his only lifeline. It allowed him to move as he wished in the center of the cave, confident no Swarm¡¯s rotted jaw was strong enough to rip through the metal he wore. He was confident the only way The Swarm would fell him was if he was overwhelmed and pulled to the ground, which is why he became more and more nervous as more Swarm began to stream into the cave.

    As for Rick, while he had no armor protecting him, he was far faster than The Swarm, allowing him to easily dodge their basic animalistic movements and hunt the growing crowd. He was grateful for Leopold¡¯s bold movements as without the flashy armor he swung around drawing the swarm¡¯s attention, even with his faster speed he would have been overwhelmed long ago.

    But something else was flashier than Leopold''s armor, especially in the dark of the cave, and one Swarm knocked back by a random swing of Leopold''s suddenly locked its eyes on something else. The soft glow illuminating Jake¡¯s leg was hypnotic to it. It sprung forward on all knees, bounding like a wolf towards its prey as it desperately tried to reach Jake. Jake noticed the bounding Swarm right as it was about to pounce on his chest and hurriedly raised his knife to try and intercept his attacker.

    He felt resistance against the knife as it plunged into the hollow chest of The Swarm. Black, thick blood pooled out from the wound across his hands and for the first time, he got a good look at his attacker. It looked female to Jake, based on the ragged remains of the dress she was wearing. But what struck Jake was the long strands of black hair that still clung to her rotting scalp. He was suddenly reminded of his sister, who always whined to Mom about being allowed to grow her hair out. Jake remembered one summer when he was younger, she kept whining about so much mom finally relented and let her grow it down as long as she wanted. His sister had expected it to reach her ankles, but it never got below her shoulders, where she kept it to this day.

    Jake pulled the knife out quickly, winding up to stab the head of the still-flailing Swarm but froze, his hands shaking. Looking into the eye of the monster in front of him, the erratic movements were gone and he thought he could see something like despair calling out to him, begging for mercy. All at once as he sat frozen The Swarm lurched forward, her dislocated jaw aimed to rip his throat apart. Jake barely had time to react, he could feel her teeth closing in on his throat when all at once she went limp and collapsed into his lap. A knife stuck out the back of her head.

    Jake looked up to see Rick giving him a complicated expression before moving on to continue the extermination of The Swarm left in the cave. Jake remained there, hands shaking coated in the ever-growing pool of black, viscous blood.

    When at last, the rest of The Swarm lay dead on the rocks, and the shrieks outside were retreating into the distance, Leopold and Rick were exhausted. Neither knew how many hours had passed since they first took shelter in the cave, but neither could move much anymore. Rick was bent over on his hands and knees, struggling to take in breath while Leopold collapsed where he stood in the center of the room, surrounded by a pile of shriveled corpses.

    ¡°Told¡­ Told you the cave was a bad idea¡­¡±

    Leopold gulped out between breaths before collapsing backward onto the ground. In response, Rick kicked a small pebble at Leopold before collapsing down next to him, eliciting a small chuckle from the gasping Leopold before he passed out leaving Jake alone in the cave, listening to the shriek''s above slowly retreat into the distance and trembling in the monsters blood.

 Day 13 - Sunless Sky - Shell Shock

    Jake wasn¡¯t sure how long he sat there shaking alone in the cave. The shrieks outside the cave had long retreated by now, but he still sat shaking, unable to move from where he sat. He hadn¡¯t even removed the corpse of The Swarm who lay dead in his lap. After her death she had slid down, her jaw slipping free of his throat as she fell face up, staring glassy-eyed at Jake. Her blood spilled freely from the wounds in her head and chest, continually coating Jake in viscous black fluid. But still Jake sat unmoving, finding he didn¡¯t have it in himself to shove the monster away.

    Eventually, someone in the cave stirred, as Lana lifted her head in a daze from the rock she was resting on. A dazed smile crossed her face, and a tired-sounding whisper escaped her throat,

    ¡°Yay¡­ we¡¯re still alive.¡±

    Jake looked over slowly, still shaking. Something about her tired cry jogged something in his mind and drew him back to his senses. He slowly pushed the corpse sprawled across him to the side till it no longer lay upon him and turned to Lana.

    ¡°Are¡­ Are you ok?¡±

    His voice was coarse and rough, barely rising above a whisper despite his efforts to talk normally. His hands were still shaking and despite his best efforts to steady himself, he felt numb.

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m fine Just tired that¡¯s all!¡±

    She sounded drunk and completely out of it to Jake. The closer he looked at her the worse off she seemed. Her head was swaying more and more violently the longer she kept it up, and her eyes looked glazed over. Jake tried to reach out and catch her swaying head, worried she would slam her head into the ground. In response Lana violently jerked her head away and swatted Jake¡¯s hand away, loudly crying out,

    ¡°I¡¯m fiiiiine, stop it.¡±

    Lana¡¯s sudden loud call reverberated about the confines of the cave, startling Jake back and causing Leopold and Rick to stir, awakening them from their exhausted slumber. They were slow to sit up, letting out groans and grumbles of complaints as they pulled their tired bodies upright. Leopold blinked a bit, trying to get the sleep out of his eyes, before catching sight of the struggling Jake and the dazed Lana and letting out a loud laugh, his smile returning to his face as he pulled himself upright.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her kid, she¡¯s fine. Still just a little dazed from overexerting her magic. She¡¯s still asleep right now. Put her to bed and she¡¯ll wake up fine, though a little embarrassed probably.¡± Leopold said, finishing with a snicker. He was sitting up now, busying himself with the leather straps holding his armor to his body.

    ¡°How long were we out?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, pretty long I think. Those things are gone now, or at least they¡¯re not shrieking anymore. They may be hiding outside the cave, I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°Nah,¡± Leopold said, finishing fumbling with the leather straps clasping his armor together, letting it fall off him to the ground.

    ¡°Ah, that''s a relief. They aren¡¯t smart enough to hide, they just shriek and hunt what¡¯s in front of them. They¡¯ll have passed us by now, we should be safe for the time being. Help me up?¡±

    He asked Jake, before noticing Jake¡¯s bloodied leg and quickly saying,

    ¡°Never mind, forgot for a second. Just stay there. I got it¡±

    Leopold said, flashing a toothy smile to Jake and launching himself to his feet. Rick was already standing at this point, wandering around the cave. The cave had been somewhat spacious before, comfortable enough for all of them, and their supplies, to comfortably move around and rest in. Now the cave was crowded, overflowing with corpses of withered Swarm. The walls and floor were stained black, and the corpses piled on top of each other in stacks of dismembered flesh. Jake struggled counting all the bodies piled around the cave at a glance. He counted roughly thirty, maybe forty, but it was hard to count with all the corpses overlapping each other. It could be any number more or less than that and he wouldn¡¯t be surprised.

    Rick was currently walking around to each corpse, digging through the piles of bodies to reach the ones buried below, and examining their faces carefully. After a few seconds of thorough examination, he would throw the corpse aside with a look of disgust and move on to the next one. Leopold seemed uninterested in Rick¡¯s actions, paying him a quick glance before looking back at Jake and asking,

    ¡°You ok kid?¡±

    Jake looked down and saw he was still shaking. His hands were coated in viscous blood, originally sticky now completely dried as it flaked from his hands in tiny shards falling to the ground. Jake gripped his hands into fists, trying to control his hands to stop shaking as he took slow, measured breaths. Putting his shaking hands at his side, he nodded his head, hoping Leopold wouldn¡¯t ask anything else right now.

    Leopold looked at him for a few moments, before he turned to Rick and asked,

    ¡°Are you done searching yet? We should burn the bodies soon before they start to stink.¡±

    Rick stood up from the farthest pile of bodies, closest to the entrance of the cave, and nodded, turning towards Leopold and saying,

    ¡°I¡¯m done, they aren¡¯t here. We can burn them.¡±

    With that Leopold and Rick began dragging the bodies outside the entrance of the cave to the mountain trail outside. The cave was offset from the main trail that carved through the mountain. It lay in a small clearing set into the mountain, hidden from view surrounded by rocky crags and ingrown trees. The cave was not far from the main trail up the mountain, but it was well-hidden. Leopold and Rick busied themselves now with pilling the bodies of the dead Swarm outside the cave in the clearing.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    As they moved the bodies, occasionally they would pause to remove one of Rick¡¯s knives from the corpses¡¯ rotted flesh. The rotted bodies of The Swarm were light and easy to carry or drag through the cave. Often the disturbance of the bodies would result in large quantities of black oozing out onto the ground, but as the cave was already coated in black blood neither made much effort to avoid it leaking out.

    Jake didn¡¯t move, watching as the two did their grim work. Eventually, the final body remaining in the cave was the one lying dead on the ground next to him. She too was dragged away and added to the sizable pile outside, waiting to be burned. Soon the smell of burned flesh and smoke rose to the air, the barest hints of which reached back into the cave tickling Jake¡¯s nose and causing him to recoil. It wasn¡¯t long after the smell of burning flesh filled the air that both Rick and Leopold returned to the cave. Rick busied himself with work, taking to cleaning and inspecting his recovered knives.

    Leopold on the other hand walked over and stood between Jake and Lana. By now Lana had drifted back to sleep, her head lolling back and resting against the rocks in an uncomfortable angle. Leopold smiled down at her and adjusted her head till she reached a more natural sleeping position, eliciting an unhappy gurgle from the slumbering girl. Then he turned his attention to the still-trembling Jake.

    ¡°You must have a lot of questions, huh?¡±

    Jake gave a slow, measured nod unsure of where to start. His head felt foggy, it was difficult now to come up with any questions to ask even though he remembered a time not too long ago in this cave he¡¯d been filled with what felt like a million questions. Seeing him sit there, silently struggling to come up with the words he wanted to ask, Leopold shrugged and walked over to one of the bags resting against the wall. The bags themselves were also coated in a layer of viscous blood, but opening the bag revealed the contents inside were still in mint condition.

    Leopold dug around for a bit before pulling out two pieces of dried meat. He popped one in his mouth, letting it dangle from his teeth as he repacked the bag, before turning to Jake and tossing the other piece of meat his way.

    ¡°Don¡¯t know about you but I¡¯m hungry, thirsty too but we¡¯ll start with this while we talk.¡±

    Jake accepted the meat and stared at it in his hands. Something about the dried texture of the meat reminded him of the monster crashing against him, its rotting flesh, its pleading eyes. He felt he would be sick. He simply held the dried meat for some time, staring into it lost in thought before he turned to Leopold and asked,

    ¡°What were those things?¡±

    ¡°The swarm,¡± Leopold began with a nod, expecting the question, ¡°There the watchdogs around these parts. Remember what I said, anyone lost to The Corruption is lost forever, and when the sky was stolen The Corruption ran wild. In all the panic and confusion, The Corruption ran rampant, claiming a still countless number of people. What¡¯s left of those people is The Swarm.¡±

    Leopold gestured vaguely towards the entrance of the cave where the burning pile of bodies sat to try and help make his point, before continuing,

    ¡°They¡¯re mindless animals now driven only by their hunger. They move on to an instinctual need to kill and devour anything in sight. They move in mass packs, swarming the mountains in packs of tens of thousands at a minimum.¡±

    ¡°So¡­ So are we safe?¡±

    ¡°For now, yeah. The Swarm¡¯s packs usually move separated by a few days at a minimum to avoid hunting each other. We¡¯re safe for now.¡±

    Leopold let out a little chuckle, before gesturing to Jake¡¯s still-shaking hands and asking,

    ¡°Is that all you wanted to ask?¡±

    Jake looked down at his trembling hands, remembered the look in the monster''s eyes before it lunged at his throat, and struggled to voice his thoughts into words tacitly. Before long they all burst out at once, uncontrolled.

    ¡°How can you just kill them like that?¡± Jake asked rapid fire, surprised by his own question.

    Leopold looked surprised too, but before he could say anything Rick interjected into the conversation, loudly crying,

    ¡°Because it¡¯s right!¡±

    Both Jake and Leopold jumped at Rick¡¯s sudden intervention into the conversation, as Lana let out a sleepy babble in response to the loud noise. Shooting a glare toward both Leopold and Jake, Rick pocketed the knives he¡¯d been polishing and said,

    ¡°Killing them is right. I¡¯m going hunting.¡±

    He stuttered a bit over his words as if struggling a bit to contain his rage. Without another word, he rushed out of the cave, leaving Leopold shaking his head and chuckling. Leopold turned back toward Jake and said,

    ¡°Sorry about that, as you can see Rick hates The Swarm. I wouldn¡¯t bring them up around him right now, since he also hates you. Bad combination.¡±

    Leopold laughed to himself, before focusing back in on Jake.

    ¡°Can you explain what you mean?¡±

    ¡°What I mean is¡­ You said these things¡­ this Swarm were people, right? How can you just murder them without trying to help them? I mean the one that attacked me, there was this moment where it looked at me and It looked like it was begging for help, crying out to me.¡±

    Jake¡¯s voice was a frantic cry now. Leopold nodded along with his desperate cries silently, before kneeling in front of Jake and saying,

    ¡°Tell you the truth, Jake, there are some people still trying to cure The Swarm. Lana is one of them. But it¡¯s been years now, and they¡¯ve never once shown signs of intellectual thought beyond an instinctual need to hunt and kill. You claimed you saw something in its eyes, right? Something begging you not to kill it? Lots of people have said the same thing. Those same people were all, without fail, torn apart soon after by the same Swarm they swore had intelligence.¡±

    A chill ran down Jake¡¯s spine as he recalled how close he¡¯d come to death, the feeling of The Swarm''s teeth grazing against his neck. He looked into Leopold¡¯s eyes, and though his smile remained his eyes had a certain edge to them now.

    ¡°You asked how I could just kill them? It¡¯s simple, I have a family waiting for me back home. I don¡¯t want to die pitying some stranger. I don¡¯t blame you for pitying them Jake, they are pitiable people. Doomed to wander endlessly in the dark. But don¡¯t pity them so much that you end up dying or get someone else killed.¡±

    His eye flickered as he said that, glancing at the sleeping form of Lana who lay a little ways away from Jake. A small fleck of black blood lay on her cheek, leftover from the lunging of the Swarm who attacked Jake. After she had finished killing Jake, it was doubtless who her next target would be. Jake gulped and nodded.

    Leopold flashed him a toothy smile as the edge disappeared from his eyes. With a laugh, he clapped Jake on the back and said,

    ¡°Good, just keep it in mind. Not a bad first effort kid.¡±

    Before going back to the bag and pulling out a water flask and some more bits of meat for the two to share. The rest of the meal was silent, born out of a mutual understanding that for now, both parties had said all they needed to say. Following the meal, Leopold let out a loud yawn before laying back on the ground and quickly falling asleep. Jake tried to follow suit, but try as he might the face of The Swarm begging for mercy circled through his head torturing him long into a restless sleep.

 Day 14 - Sunless Sky - First Few Steps

    Rick let out a frustrated scream as soon as he was outside the cave, his voice drowned out by the crackling of the fire and the wind rushing around him. In a blind rage, he lashed out, punching the solid rock of the mountain. The pain radiating out from his fist failed to register as he rewound and threw another punch into the mountain¡¯s face. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he stood there, drowning in his hatred trying to unleash his bottled-up rage.

    Eventually, he stopped, slumping down to his knees his arms limp at his sides. Blood splattered the rock wall in front of him and dripped slowly out his destroyed knuckles. His breathing was heavy and ragged, and tears stained his eyes flowing heavily down his cheeks.

    ¡°Killing¡­ Them¡­ Is¡­ Right¡­¡± He panted to himself, his voice rough and cracked the rage gone only despair remaining.

    ¡°You calmed down now?¡± Rick heard behind him. He turned slowly to see Leopold standing with his arms crossed, surveying him with a kind smile on his face. He stepped forward and patted Rick''s shoulder.

    ¡°Lana and the kid are sleeping right now.¡± He glanced at Rick with a slightly nervous side-eye before saying ¡°You know you can¡¯t blame him for that, right?¡± before pointing towards the pile of burning Swarm, now practically reduced to nothing but ash. Rick shook his head, sniffles escaping from his throat before slowly speaking in a muffled voice,

    ¡°He¡¯s just a stupid kid. Doesn¡¯t know what he¡¯s talking about. Just a stupid kid.¡±

    Leopold let out a light laugh before continuing, still patting Rick''s shoulder,

    ¡°Been a while since someone questioned you killing The Swarm, huh? Didn¡¯t think you¡¯d react so¡­ colorfully.¡± He said with a laugh, pointing towards the blood splattering the wall and dripping from Rick''s hands. When Rick failed to respond, Leopold tightened his grip on Rick¡¯s shoulder and said,

    ¡°Come on Rick, let¡¯s get you bandaged up, ok?¡±

    Rick nodded and let himself be pulled up and led inside by Leopold toward the bags packed with gauze and past the slumbering forms of Lana and Jake. Rick shuddered when he saw Jake sleeping, a discontent look on his sleeping face. Rick remembered the moment Jake had hesitated, the look of shock and concern on his face as he looked down at The Swarm primed to lunge forward and rip his throat out. The hesitation had almost cost him his life as he pitied the monster that almost ripped him to shreds.

    He hated that moment, ingrained in his head. He hated that split-second look of shock and pity displayed across Jake¡¯s face. It brought up bad memories in Rick¡¯s mind. Nightmarish experiences he struggled to bury, experiences he¡¯d now once again failed to ignore.

    <hr>

    When Jake woke the cave was a very active place. Rick was missing from the cave, which was not a surprise to Jake after his violent reaction to his question, but both Leopold and Lana were up and busy themselves. In truth, Jake was grateful for Rick¡¯s absence. He hardly got along with the surly man as it was, and after his hostile reaction to Jake¡¯s question, Jake wasn¡¯t looking forward to their reunion.

    Seeing Jake wake up, Leopold smiled and gave a wave announcing,

    ¡°Morning Kid!¡±

    Jake had expected the atmosphere between him and Leopold to be awkward following the talk the two had the night before, but he approached Jake with his usual Joyful smile and spread his arms out wide throughout the cave, before letting out a laugh and saying,

    ¡°Woke up just as we finished. We¡¯ll be camping in the cave another day or two, now we have some time before the next Swarm come¡¯s. Can¡¯t be sleeping in blood, can we?¡±

    At Leopold''s words, Jake looked around the room and noticed the cave was no longer soaked in the viscous blood of The Swarm. Looking down, even his clothes were free of the filth that once clung to them. A rag hung from Leopold''s hand as he waved his hand around the room, but barely any of the black blood stained it.

    ¡°Why are you acting all proud?¡± Lana asked, walking past Leopold and smacking the back of his head as she passed toward Jake, ¡°You didn¡¯t do anything.¡±

    He let out a slight chuckle before shrugging to Jake and walking towards the bags still piled in a corner of the cave.

    ¡°Are you feeling ok?¡± Jake asked Lana as she sat next to him, remembering how out of it she seemed before. Now she seemed completely fine, better than fine even. She had moved around the cave toward Jake with an energetic spring in her step and had a large smile stretched across her face.

    ¡°Me, oh I¡¯m fine!¡± She said, beginning to examine Jake¡¯s wrappings, ¡°Forgot you¡¯ve never seen magic. My magic burned through my stamina when I overused it so I passed out and had to wait till my stamina recovered. Just need to be careful I don¡¯t overexert myself again. Woke up earlier itching to move and burn off some excess magic so I took to cleaning the cave. Also cleaned you too cause, sorry to tell you this Jake but you smelled terrible.¡±

    Jake felt guilty hearing Lana describe what had led to her collapse. It wasn¡¯t hard to tell he was the number one cause for overusing her magic. He was preparing to say something to apologize but was interrupted by Leopold who let out a snort, having walked over to where Lana and Leopold were talking. He was carrying a wooden cup, much more nicely carved than the one Jake had lost, and a few bits of dried meat accompanied by some berries.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Finally, someone said it, you reeked. Here kid, eat this while Lala works on you. Lala, do you mind?¡± He asked, shaking the wooden cup toward Lana.

    ¡°Could say please,¡± Lala mumbled, but she raised her hand glowing a bright blue, and the air around the three suddenly felt warmer and Jake noticed an itching sensation along his skin. Globs of water floating in the air began to appear, slowly, before falling into the cup. When the cup was half full, Lana stopped and Leopold handed the cup over to Jake with a smile.

    ¡°Thanks, Lala, no snow to melt and we''re running low on water, can you gather some more for us later?¡±

    ¡°Maybe,¡± Lana said in an unenthusiastic tone, but Leopold reacted as if she¡¯d given definitive confirmation and gave a massive thumbs up before walking away. Lana let out a sigh before returning her attention to Jake.

    ¡°I examined you briefly while cleaning you, but it looks like the skin tore from your foot while you were climbing the mountain. The skin on your back still looked delicate, but I didn''t see any signs of tearing anywhere which is good. I started casting numbing and light healing magic on your leg earlier, and I¡¯m going to slowly amp it up over the next few hours.¡±

    Jake gave a nod and let Lana work, focusing on the food Leopold had been kind enough to provide him. As Lana worked, she removed the splint and bandages that still clung to his leg in tattered remains. Though the bandages were now clean, Lana still crumpled and tossed them aside stating they were no longer fit to be used again. The skin on Jake¡¯s leg was still an uncomfortable sight to see. The skin was still pink and though it was less wrinkled now it looked swollen and splotchy, with several sections of skin a palish color in complexion appearing across the surface of the leg. These concerns didn¡¯t seem to bother Lana, who focused her attention on his foot.

    The foot looked rough. It also looked swollen and made of wrinkled pink flesh, but the bottom of his had been completely torn away, lost on the rocks as he launched himself up the mountain. Though this flesh was being rebuilt, it didn¡¯t make for a pretty sight and Jake could still make out several areas on his foot where blood threatened to flow freely if not for the magic keeping it at bay.

    As Jake sat, eating at first but eventually just waiting, the work Lana did gradually became more and more painful. It started as a slight pinprick in the heel of his foot, before graduating to what felt like pinpricks on the entire underside of his foot, before graduating further to what felt like needles being slowly inserted into the entirety of his leg. Though it was painful, it never reached the height of pain he first experienced when she rapidly healed his leg, and before long she was done.

    ¡°I¡¯ve done all I can do. It should be capable of supporting your weight, but you¡¯ll probably struggle to walk, so I¡¯d be careful if I were you. I wouldn¡¯t wander far. You¡¯ll need to keep walking though, it¡¯s the only way your legs going to improve.¡±

    Jake examined his leg. The swelling had gone down, and the bleeding had stopped. The flesh was still pink and slightly splotchy throughout, but it was no longer wrinkled. He found he could move his ankle around, and with careful focus could move his toes though they felt sluggish to respond.

    ¡°Thank you¡­ I can¡¯t even begin to thank you, Lana.¡± Jake said, choking up.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, really. No problem at all.¡± Lana said, looking embarrassed about the thanks she was receiving but not dissatisfied. She moved to stand up and walk away from Jake, but he grabbed her wrist before she could.

    ¡°And Lana, I¡¯m sorry. Because of me, you ended up passing out, I ¡­¡± Jake started to apologize but was interrupted by Lana raising her hands and shaking her head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, it¡¯s honestly no big deal. Wasn¡¯t my first time overusing magic and won¡¯t be my last.¡± She let out a laugh and stood up.

    Jake let out a sigh and began stretching his ankle out, trying to feel how easy it was to move on it. It felt stiff and clunky, and it started shaking violently when he pressed against it. When he decided he had stretched enough he went for the major test, propping himself against the wall behind him and slowly trying to lift himself upright. He was interrupted by something being thrown at him, landing on his head and causing him to collapse back to the ground.

    ¡°Wrap that around your foot kid, don¡¯t want you cutting yourself open again,¡± Leopold said, from across the cave. He was busy polishing his armor and didn''t even look at Jake saying his piece. Jake pulled what was tossed to him off his head and found what looked like a simple slipper made from leather. All this time his foot had remained bandaged so he hadn¡¯t noticed it, but his left shoe was missing, likely destroyed when he was attacked along with his leg. Slipping the slipper on, he resumed pulling himself up using the rock wall behind him.

    He struggled to just stand upright. The slipper was a godsend, without it he¡¯d be completely unbalanced and would have tumbled forward a long time ago. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he spent just leaning against the wall, struggling to find his balance but slowly he inched his way forward. It felt agonizing at first. His ankle refused to cooperate, and each step sent painful shivers up his leg.

    Eventually though, after grueling work, he inched himself around the length of the cave and completed a lap. This effort was rewarded with a round of applause from both Leopold and Lana who had taken to watch his slow progress (In Jake¡¯s opinion Lana¡¯s applause where probably genuine while Leopold where just him being a smart ass). He didn¡¯t stop there, though his leg was begging him to. He moved from just inching forward to taking full steps.

    The sudden increase in difficulty was not approached by his body, which screamed in protest, but he was able to successfully complete another lap before standing became too much and Jake collapsed back down, sliding to the ground. He was leaning forward, panting from the effort simply walking took. He felt terrible. He felt like he¡¯d never struggled so hard physically, and he had traveled less than half a mile in total.

    Leaning back against the rock whipping the sweat from his forehead, Jake struggled to calm himself down. How could he ever hope to keep following this trio up a mountain if he couldn¡¯t even walk across a room? If they left him behind, would Jake be able to descend the mountain safely? He doubted it. Just as he was beginning to despair at his chances of recovery, Lana and Leopold walked over beaming.

    ¡°Good job kid!¡± Leopold laughed, slapping Jake so hard on the back he was launched forward.

    ¡°Impressive¡±, Lana said handing Jake a cup of water ¡°I honestly didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be able to stand today.¡±

    ¡°Cost me some money,¡± Jake said with a quick grimace, before once again laughing and slapping Jake on the back. Jake was stunned. He thought he was behind schedule, but apparently, he was ahead of it, at least ahead of what the others had been predicting. A chuckle escaped Jake¡¯s lips as he leaned back and downed the provided water in a few gulps.

    He¡¯d been planning to rest briefly and continue trying to walk, but he found soon as he sat down his legs felt like lead and he couldn¡¯t will himself to stand again. Falling back onto the rough rock of the cave floor Jake closed his eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

 Day 15 - Sunless Sky - Practice

    Rick sat alone in the entrance to the cave doing his best to isolate himself from the others sleeping or working in the cave. He kept occupied with his collection of knives, inspecting and polishing each to a perfect finish. Leopold was diligent about maintaining and cleaning his equipment, but it paled in comparison to Rick who was practically a fanatic when it came to ensuring his knives gleamed perfectly. It was only after a meticulous inspection that he would be satisfied that no trace of blackened blood remained along the blades¡¯ edge, and he would allow himself to move on to different tasks.

    While absorbed in his work with his blades, a sudden clinging sound rang out next to him as a small leather pouch was tossed, landing at his side.

    ¡°Surprised you bet on him so favorably Rick,¡± Leopold said from behind, a clear tone of mock disappointment in his voice. Rick didn¡¯t bother turning around to address the sudden interruption.

    ¡°Just a gut feeling.¡±

    ¡°Gut feeling huh?¡± Leopold said a smirk spreading across his face ¡°Well you¡¯ve always had good instincts.¡± With that Leopold walked away, leaving Rick alone to continue caring for his knives.

    <hr>

    When Jake awoke the next morning, he found a roughly stitched blanket had been thrown over his sleeping form. Sitting up and looking around the cave he found only Lana sitting in the corner, reading. At a guess, both Leopold and Rick were out hunting again.

    After waking up Jake was slow to rise. His leg still felt incredibly sore after yesterday, though it felt easier to move his ankle and toes. After a decent amount of time just sitting on the floor, preparing himself for the next step to come, Jake gripped the wall behind him and slowly lifted himself upright till he was standing. His leg groaned in complaint immediately. Jake shifted his weight as much as possible to the other leg to alleviate the pain and make standing easier but it felt like it did little to help.

    Using the wall of the cave Jake slowly began inching around the cave again towards where Lana was sitting. Moving somehow felt both easier and harder than yesterday in a strange paradox. His ankle felt less stiff, and it was easier to flex and get it to respond to his commands. On the other hand, his whole leg felt incredibly sore. So putting any weight on it, while doable, felt incredibly painful and left him feeling unbalanced. He felt shaky the entire time he walked toward Lana but after a sizable amount of effort, he was finally able to reach her.

    Lana had noticed him waking up as well as watched his unsteady walk over towards her but had decided not to interrupt his progress outside of a simple wave she gave when he first woke up. Now that Jake had reached her and had stopped his shaky walk in favor of a shaky stance that leaned into the wall, however, she broke her silence.

    ¡°How¡¯s the leg holding up?¡± She asked, carefully noting how much he was shaking and how much of a struggle just crossing the room seemed to be.

    ¡°It feels more flexible, but it¡¯s super sore. It feels like it¡¯s going to give out any second.¡± Jake said, slowly beginning to slide down the wall despite his best efforts to remain standing straight up. Lana pursed her lips in a frown for a second before nodding and saying,

    ¡°Go ahead and sit down for the time being.¡±

    Jake let out a sigh of relief and let himself collapse down to the ground next to Lana. He let his legs fall forward directly in front of him, his injured leg still shaking slightly. Lana looked over it for a minute before giving a slow nod and standing up, walking out of the cave and leaving Jake alone.

    Looking around the cave, trying to pass the time Jake¡¯s eyes eventually landed on the book Lana was reading. ¡®Advanced Spell Craft and Energy Research Volume 2: Study of Magical Manipulation and Invocation¡¯ was printed in bolded text across a leather bounded book, and beneath the bolded title a series of smaller words were printed in quotations, though Jake couldn¡¯t make out what they said from where he was sitting.

    ¡°Interested?¡± Jake heard next to his ear, turning his head to see Lana had returned carrying a decently sized branch a little longer than the length of his arm.

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jake said with a nod ¡°Is it interesting?¡± Jake couldn¡¯t imagine he¡¯d understand half of what was written in the book but a textbook on magic was still an interesting topic of discussion for Jake. He could understand if others didn¡¯t feel the same way, though, since magic was so commonplace for them.

    ¡°Not interesting so much as required.¡± Lana said with a shrug ¡°The longer I go without reviewing the easier it is to forget the fundamentals. And a forgetful mage usually ends up as a dead mage. I''ll lend you one of my easier books sometime.¡± Lana then reached down to help Jake up. He was grateful for the help, as even with her help he still found standing to be a challenge.

    ¡°Here,¡± she said, presenting the branch out to Jake. ¡°Use this as a cane to take the weight off your leg. The most important thing right now is you keep moving it, the more you move it the more your muscles will reawaken. I rebuilt them exactly, but right now they''re essentially dead. The more you move around, the sooner you¡¯ll wake them up and stop needing the cane.¡±

    Jake gratefully took the Cane and positioned it to properly alleviate the weight of his leg. It was a bit of an awkward stance for Jake, he was not accustomed to using a cane at all. However, with some practice, he got used to standing with it and started practicing walking around the cave with the cane. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Will that work?¡± Lana asked, sitting back down next to her book. Jake gave a slow nod after taking a few measured steps. It was awkward walking, but he felt infinitely more stable and the pain which had dominated his leg was now gone. His leg was by no means comfortable, but it was manageable. Giving a satisfied nod, Lana picked her book back up and said,

    ¡°Come get me if you have any problems with the cane or need help with anything else, ok Jake?¡±

    Jake gave a nod before adding ¡°Thank you, I will¡± after realizing it was unlikely Lana had seen his nod since she had reabsorbed herself into her book. After the short talk with Lana, Jake continued pacing through the room. It was slow going at first, but after a few laps around the cave, he felt like he was getting the hang of moving comfortably with the cane.

    While walking through the darkened corners of the cave, where the light being projected by Lana¡¯s magic didn¡¯t quite reach, Jake managed to discover another function of the cane Lana had given him. As he passed through into the darkness of the shadows dancing around the cave, he found he could still see perfectly fine. Looking down, he found the cane in his hands was emitting a low glow that danced out around him and kept his vision unobscured.

    Thinking back, he guessed the same magic must have been applied to the crutch he¡¯d lost while climbing up the mountain as he¡¯d had no trouble seeing the trail around him despite the overwhelming darkness of the sky above. In the moment he hadn¡¯t thought much about it at all as he was already in such a frantic rush to climb the mountain on his struggling leg. As he was pondering this retrospective bit of magic, he felt a sudden bit of resistance against his cane and heard a clattering sound ring out against the rocks.

    Looking down, Jake saw a glint of metal reflected at him gleaming in the light of his cane. Bending over carefully, he retrieved one of Rick¡¯s throwing knives. Looking at it carefully, it was still mostly coated in dried blood, which had helped it hide unseen in the shadows of the cave. As he examined it Jake realized with a chill that it was the same knife he¡¯d borrowed before and plunged into the chest of the attacking Swarm. In the aftermath of the attack, Jake had found himself too shocked to properly return it, and so it had slipped from his grasp rolling into the dark, forgotten.

    Jake gripped the knife in his hand, a shiver rolling down his spine. Despite his talk with Leopold and his own internal rationalizing about the horror of the monster attacking him, he still felt uncomfortable holding the knife. He decided to return it to Rick as soon as possible, both for his own sake and to avoid angering Rick any further.

    Teetering out of the cave, careful not to let the cane catch on any rock edges and trip him, Jake arrived outside the cave into the small clearing that marked the entrance of the cave. He¡¯d passed through it only briefly, being dragged before by an exhausted Lana and having no chance to take a proper look. The light provided by his cane was dim, but he could still see the edges of the rock walls around him and the outlines of trees off in the distance. Looking around though, he saw no trace of Leopold or Rick.

    Jake decided to wait outside the front entrance to pass the knife as soon as possible. Looking down at the blade, he found it to be a short, symmetrical blade with a simple leather wrap secured in place to act as a handle. Before, while waiting for The Swarm to attack Jake had been so focused on preparing for their sudden attack, that he hadn¡¯t bothered paying any attention to the weapon hastily handed to him. Now, even upon thorough examination, Jake couldn¡¯t see anything exciting about the knife. Unlike Leopold¡¯s armor, it lacked any sort of special trim or design, though he supposed they might be hidden beneath the layer of black blood coating the blade.

    What he remembered about the knife was its sharpness. It had been sharpened to perfection, to a point where even Jake, as unskilled and unprepared as he was, had been able to easily stab through the chest of The Swarm with little resistance.

    Holding the knife by the handle and extending his arm in front of him, he recalled how easily Rick seemed to throw his knives. Looking at the knife in his hands he couldn¡¯t help but ask himself how difficult that was. Looking ahead at a tree visible in the dim light coming from his cane, a grin spread across his face. Checking the clearing one last time and finding no one in it, Jake drew his arm back and flung forward. The blade flew from his blade at a terrible arc, crashing into the ground with a clatter before getting anywhere close to the tree across the way.

    Jake let out a sigh, before hobbling over to pick the knife up, but before he could bend down to grab it a gruff voice from behind the tree line called out.

    ¡°Terrible job.¡± And Rick stepped out into the clearing across from Jake.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jake said, before carefully bending forward to scoop the knife up off the ground. Embarrassment washed through him, at having failed so spectacularly. This embarrassment was tempered by the fact that thus far, Rick had been a dickhead, so he didn¡¯t care as much about failing in front of him. More so than embarrassment he was nervous about how Rick would react to him messing around with his knife.

    He¡¯d hoped returning the knife would act as a sort of peace agreement after the incident between the two last time. He wasn¡¯t sure what exactly, but something about his question to Leopold had set Rick off in a worse mood than normal. Jake had hoped that finding and returning his knife could smooth things over to their normal uncomfortable diatribe, but now it was looking like it could make things worse than ever.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jake reiterated, ¡°I found this on the floor of the cave, and was trying to find you to give it back. I just wanted to try throwing it once, my bad. You can have it back now.¡±

    ¡°Sure about that? You could use the practice.¡± Rick said dryly, while still accepting the knife from Jake all the same. A disgusted look flashed across his face when he saw the black blood crusted to its surface. He pulled a small handkerchief out from under his cloak and began using it to scrape the dried blood off.

    ¡°Slipper fitting you ok?¡± Rick asked, not looking up from his work with the knife in his hand, ¡°Didn¡¯t have a lot of time to tailor it. Hopefully, it stops you from slowing us down.¡±

    ¡°What? Oh yeah, fits fine.¡± Jake said, surprised at the revelation Rick had custom-tailored the slipper he was wearing now.

    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Rick said, before giving a satisfied nod, and pocketing the knife under his cloak and continuing, ¡°We¡¯ll, I¡¯m starved. Don¡¯t wander off too far and die. Lana and Leopold be sad.¡±

    Jake gave a nod and watched Rick retreat into the cave, unsure how to react from here. He¡¯d expected their next meeting to go even worse after Rick stormed out before, but to Jake¡¯s surprise, he was almost pleasant to talk to this time. Jake shrugged, deciding that if Rick wasn¡¯t going to bring up their last meeting himself Jake would just let sleeping bears lie.

    With that, he continued practicing walking for a bit, pacing around the clearing outside with the cane to try and get used to walking over rougher terrain, before heading back into the cave to grab something to eat.

 Day 16 - Sunless Sky - A Useless Porter

    The next morning, when Jake woke up, his whole leg felt like it was tingling. Sitting up and stretching his leg forward and backward, pins and needles shot throughout his leg with every motion, growing worse the more outstretched he made his leg. It wasn¡¯t necessarily painful, just an odd feeling. Before falling asleep last night, it had felt incredibly sore to the point where even stretching it out fully felt painful. Now, most of that soreness was replaced by the tingling sensation creeping throughout his leg.

    He wasn¡¯t sure if it was positive or negative progress in terms of healing his injuries, he¡¯d have to ask Lana later, but he much preferred the tingling sensation to the pain he¡¯d felt the last two days.

    Looking around the cave, Jake saw the others already moving about. All three were inside the cave when he woke up, actively milling about, which was rare for Jake to see. They were all currently busy packing their bags, moving them toward the center of the cave. None of them had noticed Jake was awake yet. Jake could guess by their actions it was time to move again, but their pace this time seemed much more relaxed, lacking the frantic air they carried before when he last struggled up the mountain.

    Jake pulled himself upright, finding it hard to balance. While his leg no longer hurt to stand on, the tingling sensation made keeping balance harder simply due to how odd it felt. Thankfully, the cane Lana provided was still nearby, and after a full day of wandering around practicing with it yesterday, Jake found he could easily use it to balance his shaky leg.

    Hobbling forward toward the packing trio, Jake called out to Leopold¡¯s back,

    ¡°Is The Swarm coming back?¡±

    Leopold spun around and smiled at him, clasping his shoulder and almost sending the cane he was balancing with spiraling out from under him.

    ¡°Morning kid! I have to tell you, you¡¯re a deep sleeper! All of us wake up at the slightest provocation! Was about to wake you soon if you didn¡¯t wake up yourself.¡± Leopold let out a laugh, and clapped Jake''s shoulder again, before continuing, ¡°Nah, the next pack of swarm is still a week out I think, hard to tell exact details from so far away. That sound about right Rick?¡± He asked Rick, elbowing his side.

    Rick gave a curt nod but didn¡¯t bother turning toward Leopold or entering the conversation any further. Leopold still seemed satisfied, and continued,

    ¡°Where just moving camp while it¡¯s safe. The Swarm ahead of us has moved out of our path, so we want to cross over the mountain the next day or so. After that, the ground should level out. I imagine it¡¯ll be easier for you to walk on, huh kid?¡± He finished with a laugh, gesturing vaguely towards Jake''s cane.

    ¡°Where exactly are you, guys going?¡± Jake asked, confused. He¡¯d only ever heard them talk about crossing the mountains, but from the way they made it sound soon they were planning on venturing somewhere entirely new.

    ¡°Finally curious, huh?¡± Leopold asked with a grin, ¡°Moving inland towards the heart of The Corruption. Most die to The Swarm so the mountains surrounding the place have acted like a wall for a while. Not entirely sure what¡¯s over there anymore, to be honest. We only know so much about the mountain because of Rick.¡± Leopold said, smacking Rick on the back with a happy nod. While Rick made no outward sign of disdain, Jake noted his hands tensed up after being smacked.

    ¡°What should I do to help pack?¡± Jake asked, hoping to distract Leopold from bothering Rick any further as he didn¡¯t want to deal with the two of them fighting right before starting the climb up the mountain.

    ¡°You? Nothing. No offense kid but even if you¡¯re more mobile now, you¡¯re still stuck hobbling around. Not much help carrying all this.¡± He said, gesturing to the series of packed bags.

    ¡°At least let me carry something, I could be like a porter or something.¡± Jake insisted. He wanted to try and do something to help pay back the people who had constantly been helping him so far.

    ¡°A porter, huh?¡± Leopold asked a smirk crossing his face that didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Jake, ¡°How about you start with your own bag, ok kid?¡± before tossing Jake''s makeshift bag towards him and turning away, bending over to finish collecting his supplies.

    ¡°Does your leg feel ok?¡± Lana asked, coming over wearing a large, oversized bag that looked like it should topple and drag her backward any second, yet she seemed to move effortlessly with it.

    ¡°It feels odd, it''s not hurting anymore but is covered in this weird tingling sensation. Feels like I¡¯m off-balanced, If I try standing without the cane I¡¯d probably fall forward.¡±

    Lana didn¡¯t seem surprised by what he said, nodding along with his words before saying,

    ¡°The muscles in your leg are starting to wake up again. That tingling feeling will probably subsist for a few more days, but it should slowly start to improve as your leg adjusts to its new muscle.¡±

    After that, both Leopold and Rick were standing waiting at the cave¡¯s entrance for the group to depart. It was slow going for Jake, who found even with the pain gone walking fast wasn¡¯t an option, but he found it exponentially easier to climb the mountain path. He was able to keep up with the trio this time, though it was clear they were slowing themselves somewhat to let him keep pace with them.

    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.Leopold and Lana strolled next to him, making small talk and doing their best to help when needed. Rick, uncaring, walked ahead scouting the terrain and calling out anything he thought noteworthy toward Leopold. Jake didn¡¯t particularly mind Rick''s company, they hadn¡¯t talked since separating amicably yesterday and he was fine to keep it that way.

    Eventually, the path they were climbing upwards leveled out to smaller and smaller slants before becoming a flat walk. The walk took the group through a large tunnel that bore through part of the mountain; it wasn¡¯t a long tunnel but for a few minutes it was a relatively peaceful walk that Jake enjoyed. This leisure would soon be uprooted once he reached the other side of the tunnel, finding a sharp slant downward, as the group began their descent.

    Jake managed at first, the descent started on a sort of carved ramp that slanted downward at ever-increasing angles. This ramp soon gave way to steps though, carved in rough winding patterns and of varying sizes and thicknesses. It was clear the steps had been born from the natural rocks that made up the mountain, so consistency was not kept between each step.

    Even for the more normal steps that flowed into each other well, Jake could barely manage a descent. There was no sort of handrail or anything to grab hold of, so he was left almost falling every time he stepped down. For the larger steps, ones almost as long, if not longer than his legs all he could do was sit down and scootch himself down the steps. While this method ensured he safely continued descent, it further slowed him down.

    He was carrying much less than any of the others, even though Leopold and Rick were carrying less than Lana they still carried a substantial number of supplies combined with their bulky armaments. Jake, on the other hand, carried only a stitched-together bag and a few scrounged-together knick-knacks. The only excuse he could offer was his injury, and to the people who had saved him, he was getting sick of presenting it.

    Getting annoyed now, Jake tried to speed himself up down the next step, crouching lower when suddenly the bag across his back lurched forward. The strap caught on his shoulder, flipping around to his chest, and though it wasn¡¯t much the sudden weight shift was enough to trip Jake up and send him falling off the step he was trying to descend.

    Fortunately for Jake, the step he¡¯d been descending jutted at an acute angle into a steep rock wall, causing him to crash into a wall instead of tumbling down multiple sets of stone steps. While this still hurt, it was better than falling face-first down a set of stone stairs. With a groan, Jake began to collect himself slowly, taking his time for now to regather his bearings before standing back up. Suddenly, the bag Jake had been carrying was pulled away from him, as Leopold hoisted it onto his shoulder. Before Jake could offer any sort of complaint, Leopold was already laughing, saying,

    ¡°Who¡¯s ever heard of a Porter failing to carry his own bag? That¡¯s a good one, kid. Here get up.¡± Leopold offered his hand to Jake, a kind smile cutting through his mocking tone as he said ¡°I''ll help you down the stairs, we should be setting up camp nearby pretty soon."

    Though he wanted to argue, Jake could think of nothing to refute Leopold¡¯s words so instead he wordlessly took hold of his hand and let himself be pulled up. The walk down the steps went smoothly from there on out. With the help of his cane and Leopold, who helped guide him down when needed, Jake and the rest of the group soon reached the end of the steps where a sizable clearing had been carved out and where they would camp for the night.

    <hr>

    Jake sat alone at the edge of the clearing. He¡¯d eaten dinner with the rest but struggled to join in sociably, unsure of what to say. Now, sitting alone, fear was beginning to creep up inside him. While it was true he wanted to pay back those who had saved his life, he also wanted to show he could be useful. He needed to justify his continued inclusion in the group now he could walk. And for the time being, he needed to stay with the trio. It was his best chance of not only surviving but continuing his journey home. He was grateful to them for saving his life, but as much as he owed them, they didn¡¯t owe him anything. He needed to carry his weight sooner or later or be left behind to the wolves.

    As he was sitting there, in contemplation, Leopold sat down beside him wordlessly. Jake glanced at Leopold out of the corner of his eyes, but Leopold was staying silent, just staring off into the darkness beyond the edge of camp waiting for Jake to speak. Eventually, Jake spoke, deciding to be upfront about what was troubling him.

    ¡°Why did you save me?¡±

    ¡°Because you were dying? What else should we have done kid?¡± Leopold asked like it was the most obvious answer in the world. Jake shook his head now, showing that wasn¡¯t what he meant, before continuing.

    ¡°Why do you keep saving me I mean? You¡¯ve let me come with you, keep helping me, risk your life saving me from The Swarm. Why? I can¡¯t do anything to help you, I can¡¯t even carry a bag properly. Was it pity? I thought you said you didn¡¯t want to die pitying a stranger. If¡­ if you''re expecting me to do something, I¡¯m sorry but¡­¡±

    Jake was interrupted by Leopold who had burst out laughing, almost following back as he held his stomach. Leaning back after he was done, Leopold wiped a tear from his eye and said,

    ¡°That¡¯s all this was. When you were so quiet during dinner, I got nervous. We didn¡¯t save you because we pitied you kid, well at least I didn¡¯t. Like I said, I¡¯m not willing to die pitying a stranger. We did it cause were heroes, The Final Hero¡¯s¡¯, no other reason.¡± Leopold finished with a shrug.

    ¡°I was being serious,¡± Jake said, annoyed.

    ¡°So was I,¡± Leopold said, a hint of sadness intermingled with the pride in his voice his smile looking a bit forced now ¡°¡¯ The Final Heroes¡¯ are the world''s last band of heroes, tasked with saving the world. We couldn¡¯t keep calling ourselves heroes if we just abandoned you to die. Not very heroic, huh?¡±

    Leopold nudged Jake''s side as he asked that question and flashed a smile, his eyes betraying a look of deep sorrow, as he continued,

    ¡°I promise you; you¡¯re doing fine. Think about it, you couldn¡¯t even walk so in comparison to a few days ago you¡¯re already miles more helpful.¡±

    Leopold laughed to himself while Jake sat for a moment, thinking, before giving a nod and standing up slowly with some assistance from Leopold.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said to Leopold. He still felt unsatisfied about being such a burden to the people who had saved him, but his fears about being abandoned to die had been assuaged.

    "But kid," Leopold called out, "You are a pretty bad porter."

 Day 17 - Sunless Sky - The Largo Mountain Shelf

    The next morning, Jake woke up to find Lana shaking him awake. Looking around, he saw Leopold, who gave a slight wave but no sign of Rick.

    ¡°Rick¡¯s gone ahead to scout out our path. He left a while ago, so he should be back soon. Here, we all ate something earlier, so you should eat while you can before we head out again.¡±

    Lana explained, seeing the confused look on Jake''s face as he glanced around the camp, before handing over a wrapped piece of meat leftover from dinner the night before and a small cup of water.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jake said, eating the meat with abandon and savoring the provided water. While traveling, it was difficult to stop for any sort of water break, so Jake made sure to savor the water he had now before it was time to set off down the mountain again. Jake finished the meal quickly, and after a few small gulps that allowed the water to coat his entire throat, he was done.

    Standing up carefully, Lana helping pull him upwards as she still stood nearby, Jake balanced on his cane and began packing his bag. The last time he¡¯d set off, he hadn¡¯t had to worry about packing but arriving in camp this time the trio had lent him a blanket to use at night, so he planned to just pack it in his mostly empty bag for now. Jake grabbed the rough woolen blanket from the ground and quickly folded and rolled it up to be more compact. He had nothing to bind it with to stop it from unraveling itself, so instead he opted to quickly jam it in his bag and pull the top shut.

    ¡°You good to carry that, kid?¡± Leopold called out with a snicker from across the campsite, ¡°I can take it from you early on if you don¡¯t want to fool with it.¡±

    Jake waved him off and threw the bag on his back. His leg still felt wobbly, but it felt much easier to move today, and his balance felt massively improved. He didn¡¯t doubt that the downward climb would push his balance to its limits, but he guessed that the least he could do today was carry his own bag. Leopold shrugged and called out,

    ¡°Suit yourself, I can always grab it when you trip,¡± Letting out a laugh to himself as Rick re-entered the clearing. Rick grabbed Leopold¡¯s shoulder and whispered to him for a moment. Leopold looked surprised before nodding, at which point everyone was fully packed to leave.

    Remembering the carved steps from yesterday Jake was expecting a similarly difficult descent after leaving the camp but instead, he was met with natural rock plates jutting into each other to form slants at various angles. The sharpest ones were the most direct to follow downward, and often the ones the trio would walk down, but the more smoothly slanted rocks would usually lead to the same point when followed. This allowed Jake, though separated from the other three, to walk at a reasonable pace.

    Whenever he¡¯d reach a rock at an angle, he couldn¡¯t walk down on his own that led to a critical destination, he¡¯d rely on one of the others for help. Usually, this would be Lana or Leopold, though once Rick did grab him by the back of the neck to stop him falling face forward down a particularly jagged slope, which Jake appreciated. Jake had meant to say thank you, but Rick had already moved on, far outpacing both him and the others. He acted as a guide for the trip, leading the group down the path he scouted and only happened to pass by Jake at a lucky moment.

    Eventually, the slanting rocks converged downward forming a series of twisting hallways. The tops of the walls created by the rocks were too jagged and rough for most to walk through, certainly not Jake, and even Lana and Leopold opted to walk with Jake in a single file line across the flatter floor of the natural hallway as opposed to risk walking atop the jagged walls. Only Rick walked at the top, seeming to effortlessly walk between the jagged rocks and slanting boulders that formed the rocky maze. He led the group forward, directing them in a quick step through the maze.

    Jake was worried about being separated from the trio but found that while the jagged rocks that naturally came together to form the walls of the maze he walked through looked hard to walk upon, the floor of the maze itself was particularly flat. It lacked any slant, and with his cane and the use of the walls for support when needed he could keep up with no problem.

    Soon, Rick disappeared as the walls slowly started to sink back into the earth, crumbling away as the natural hallways they created ceased to exist. Jake found himself standing with Lana and Leopold on a long, outstretched plateau of smooth rock. It stretched out miles on either side of him, stretching far beyond what any of their light sources could see, and he could just barely make out what looked like the edge of the plateau a few yards directly ahead. The ground of the plateau was cracked, forming potholes and long jagged splits that his leg or his cane could easily sink into, so Jake moved forward with the others very carefully.

    Over the ledge of the plateau was a sheer drop-off. He couldn¡¯t see anything below, just rolling clouds of grey mist which obscured everything from view. He could see, just at the edge of his view, what looked like potentially the tips of trees below, but looking down into the rolling abyss below, he couldn¡¯t imagine how many miles high the trees must be.

    ¡°What do we do now? And where¡¯s Rick?¡±

    Jake asked, looking around.

    ¡°Good question,¡± Leopold said, exaggeratedly peering over the edge, cupping his eyes with his hands. ¡°We should start with this.¡± Then he quickly and delicately pushed Jake forward over the edge of the plateau, grabbing hold of Jake''s bag so it slipped from his grasp and remained in his hand as he fell.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    Jake was shocked, not having time to scream in surprise or betrayal before the familiar sensation of falling took hold of him again. It had been some time, but he still remembered how it felt, however, this time the fall lasted longer than a split second, dragging on as Jake fell into the unknown of the fog. Unsure what to do, if he should clench himself or not, as soon as Jake fell through the layer of fog he landed with a thud into the ground below.

    The ground was soft dirt, he sunk into it easily, and after blinking the shock from his eyes he could make out Leopold''s distinct laugh from beyond the fog belt, now distinctly closer than he initially thought, followed by his booming voice,

    ¡°Welcome to the Largo Mountain Shelf Kid!¡±

    His laugh was interrupted by the thudding sound of a fist colliding with armor, and though he couldn¡¯t hear her clearly, he could make out the sound of Lana ranting furiously towards Leopold, who continued chuckling. Sitting up and reaching towards his cane, easily found thanks to its glow, Jake looked around and caught sight of Rick who was leaning against a tree and shaking his head with an annoyed look on his face.

    ¡°Move, they¡¯ll be landing where you¡¯re sitting any second now.¡±

    Jake nodded, and after pulling himself up hobbled over to where Rick was by the tree line. He still felt shocked and was shaking a bit from the sudden surprise, but aside from that he didn¡¯t feel injured at all. Not long after he joined Rick by the trees, both Lana and Leopold landed near where Jake had fallen. Leopold wore a large grin on his face, though it looked more apologetic than Jake would have expected, while Lana looked furious and quickly rushed over to where Jake was.

    ¡°Sorry about that kid,¡± Leopold said, with a nervous-sounding chuckle and a scratch to the back of the head, ¡°Drill instructor did that to me once, thought it might lighten the mood.¡± Jake ignored him for now, feeling rather pissed off, and focused on Lana who was asking him a multitude of questions all at once.

    ¡°Does your back feel ok? How about your leg? Did you land on your cane? Did you land on anything sharp? Did you hit your head? Did you lose your memories again?¡±

    Jake tried to calm her down, but it was hard to get a word in edge-wise,

    ¡°I feel fine, I didn¡¯t land on anything, and it was a shortfall. See, I''m totally fine.¡±

    Still seeming dissatisfied, she stepped back for the time being. Leopold took that moment to talk again.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be camping here for the foreseeable future, I¡¯m not sure how long but at least until Rick can scout out a path to a new secure campground. We know the swarm won¡¯t come here, they never venture this close to Largo Forest. As for what is actually living in Largo Forest now, no one has ever been able to successfully report that back.¡±

    The others seemed unsurprised by this news, and Jake could tell this report was entirely for his benefit. After he was done talking, Lana stepped forward again the anger in her voice clear,

    ¡°Good, stopping now gives me a chance to examine my patient before you shove him off another cliff.¡±

    ¡°It was just a ledge Lana¡­¡± Leopold started to argue, but seeing that seemingly no one wanted to hear his defenses he shut up and moved forward, setting Jake¡¯s bag down near the rock wall of the ledge behind him.

    ¡°You can examine him here; I¡¯m going to start a fire. Rick, can you make sure we''re safe here?¡±

    Rick gave a nod and moved away while Lana practically dragged Jake over toward where his bag was set aside. Half shoved to the ground, Jake sat on the floor and let Lana examine him. She started with his head, which seemed odd to Jake as she''d never healed him there till he remembered all three of these people thought he was suffering from amnesia. After concluding he had no obvious bumps or bruises, she moved on to his leg.

    She had him test his range of motion, bend and flex it, had him stand and walk without the cane for a bit, and eventually seemed satisfied. Finally, she moved to his back, and after examining the skin for a while seemed convinced nothing was wrong. Her final test involved placing her finger in the middle of Jake¡¯s back, and soon after an electric spark zapped through his body, causing him to jump up with a shocked cry.

    ¡°What was that for?¡± He asked, confused.

    ¡°That¡­ hurt?¡± Lana asked, clearly just as confused as he was. She sat for a minute, a baffled expression on her face before standing up and sprinting toward her overstuffed bag. She was only gone a few seconds, as after some frantic digging she returned, carrying a leather-bound book with ¡®Basics of Magic Control¡¯ printed across its cover.

    ¡°Can you read the first chapter of this for me and tell me if it means anything to you?¡±

    Jake did as she asked, and he could tell from the way she sat staring expectantly she wanted something from him but no matter how much he read sections of the book it made no sense to him. The first section of the book, which discussed basic controls of one¡¯s internal magic you needed to master before continuing forward, felt impossible to Jake as no matter how hard he tried he felt nothing. No flow of magic neither internally nor externally, not that he knew what the flow of magic felt like.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, is it supposed to mean something?¡± He asked. Lana inhaled sharply before shaking her head no, and turning away from Jake quickly said,

    ¡°No no, it¡¯s fine, was just curious. I saw you looking at my book the other day, after all, thought you might be interested. Hold onto it for now, maybe it¡¯ll spark something later.¡± Lana said, a hint of worry in her tone before she rushed back to her bag, digging through it once more.

    <hr>

    It was late at night, and Rick was gone. He had left early after eating a quick dinner leaving Leopold, Lana, and Jake alone together. The meal had been tense but after several fervent apologies, he¡¯d manage to return the three¡¯s dynamic to its usual routine. Leopold let out a sigh, this wasn¡¯t the first time a joke went wrong, and it was always a problem when it did so. But he did feel stupid for not considering Jakes more severe injuries. He figured since he¡¯d been walking better and better recently, he would be fine.

    With a sigh, Leopold turned from walking the perimeter of the camp to find Lana walking hurriedly toward them.

    ¡°Look Lala, I¡¯m sorry, ok? I won¡¯t mess with the kid like that again, I promise.¡± Leopold began, trying to get ahead of her before she could start screaming at him again.

    ¡°It isn¡¯t about that,¡± Lana said, though she still looked annoyed, but after glancing over her shoulder to check Jake was sound asleep, she crept closer to Leopold and whispered in a low voice,

    ¡°I think something¡¯s wrong with Jake. He has no magic anywhere in his body.¡±

 Day 18 - Sunless Sky - Skinning Rabbits

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Leopold asked, a worried look quickly appearing across his face.

    ¡°He has nothing, I tried to perform a basic check while examining him earlier, but his body rejected it. I¡¯ve never seen or heard anything like it. A case like his is nearly unprecedented.¡± Lana finished, shooting worried looks to Leopold.

    Leopold sighed and sat on the ground slowly, deep in thought. He had a low amount of natural magic flowing throughout his body, so he found casting spells impossible, but to have no magic sounded impossible. He could tell why Lana was so nervous, the only other time a creature with zero magic had been discovered was a captured member of The Swarm. Examined and experimented on before its death, it was found that any magic once flowing through its body was gone, drained out once it fell to The Corruption.

    Looking over Jake¡¯s sleeping form, Leopold compared the two.  It was not a long comparison, The Swarm were mindless hunters, practically walking corpses that had lost all sense of humanity and lived solely to kill and devour anything that crossed their path. Jake was nothing like that. He was still full of life.

    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s dangerous?¡± Leopold asked after a long pause of consideration, turning back toward Lana. Lana seemed deep in thought, but after a short pause, she turned to Leopold.

    ¡°There¡¯s no indication he¡¯s fallen to corruption, just the opposite really. Magic is fatal to corruption, and he¡¯s been enduring ever-increasing amounts of healing magic since we met him. Anyone who¡¯s fallen to the corruption would have died long ago.¡± She sat down across from Leopold, still frowning, ¡°I¡¯m just not sure what to make of him anymore.¡±

    Leopold gave a nod, before glancing back at Jake and asking,

    ¡°Is it a new problem?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but I don¡¯t think so,¡± Lana said, looking over at Jake. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like this before, but as long as I¡¯ve been healing him, I¡¯ve never felt a trace of his magic try and interfere with my casting or dilute my magic. I thought his magic was just incredibly weak or that he had incredible magic control, but I never imagined he would have none at all.¡±

    Leopold looked back at Jake and considered everything Jake had done up till now. He¡¯d always written Jake¡¯s strange questions and odd behaviors off as a symptom of traumatic memory loss after his near-death experience. Looking back on it now though, Jake lacked any knowledge about the world or practical survival skills. Yet he could speak so fluently and the questions he asked were so specific, not general enough to help him regain the memories he''d lost. He didn¡¯t seem like someone who¡¯d lost his memories, just someone confused about where he was.

    Leopold recalled Jake¡¯s reaction to seeing magic cast on him when he claimed to be witnessing magic for the first time. Leopold had written it off as a strange delusion from a kid struggling to recover. But now¡­

    ¡°Just where the hell did you come from, kid?¡± Leopold muttered, staring at Jake¡¯s sleeping form from across the camp.

    <hr>

    When Jake woke up the next morning, there was a tense atmosphere hanging around the place. Lana sat opposite where he was sleeping, nose buried in a book. She didn¡¯t give a greeting to his waking up. Jake recalled yesterday her strange reaction to the shock she had given him and wondered if he¡¯d somehow done something to offend her. During dinner, they¡¯d both lambasted Leopold for the stunt he pulled pushing Jake over the plateau¡¯s edge so suddenly, but she¡¯d felt distant. She¡¯d jump whenever Jake called out to her and hesitated a bit before responding.

    Wondering what he could have done yesterday to offend his savior; Jake was pulled from his thoughts by Leopold who strolled over to him and with a friendly wave called out to him.

    ¡°Morning Jake!¡± Something about his greeting felt off, and his smile felt a tad forced, but with a smile and a wave, Jake greeted him back in kind.

    ¡°Rick went off hunting earlier and should be back soon. Brought some berries for breakfast, said they shouldn¡¯t be poisonous but who knows he may just be sick of all of us. ¡°Leopold let out a large, exaggerated laugh while Jake thought this was a real possibility, ¡°Anyway, Rick says he thinks he may have found a new camp spot a little further inland into the woods so I¡¯m about to go see how easy it is to reach. Later, kid.¡±

    As they talked, Leopold seemed to loosen up, and with a wave goodbye, Leopold left walking out into the dark beyond Jake¡¯s field of vision. Jake wondered for a minute if it was safe for both Rick and Leopold to leave camp, before remembering Lana reading lazily against a tree across from him who from what Leopold said before was capable of blasting away an entire pack of Swarm on her own.

    Pulling himself upward with his cane, Jake walked over toward the pile of berries left abandoned on the ground on a leather cloth. Grabbing a handful, Jake turned around before to begin the walk toward where he¡¯d been sitting before only to lock eyes with Lana, who¡¯d glanced up from her book to stare at him. Having caught his eyes, Lana hurriedly set the book down, and called out to him asking,

    ¡°How¡¯s the leg feel, any pain in it?¡±

    ¡°None at all, even the tingling is starting to fade away.¡± Jake replied with a happy smile ¡°I really can¡¯t ever thank you enough.¡± Lana pursed her lips at this, before drumming her hands against her knees and asking,

    ¡°Can you come over here for a second, I want to test something real quick.¡±

    Jake readily agreed and walked over to where Lana was standing, preparing to sit down before being interrupted by her saying,

    ¡°You can stay standing; this will just take a second. You may feel a quick shock.¡±

    Before she placed her hand on the leg she¡¯d healed. There was a second where nothing happened, before suddenly a strong electrical pulse shot through his leg, causing him to jump just like yesterday. Jake reached down and rubbed his leg, not calling out in shock this time as he was warned beforehand. Lana gave a nod, and looked at him saying, This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    ¡°That¡¯s all I needed, thanks,¡± before returning to her book. A confused and sad look crossed her eyes, but Jake failed to notice as he was busy attending to his leg. Straightening himself out and shaking his leg out, he walked back over to where he had been sleeping and sat down on his blanket. Reaching into his patchwork bag, he pulled out the book Lana had given him yesterday and resumed where he¡¯d been reading the night before. It wasn¡¯t the most interesting book, reading like a textbook rather than any sort of interesting story, but to Jake who found the topic of magic alien, it was completely fascinating.

    He didn¡¯t read for very long though, Jake felt like he¡¯d only just begun to read after finishing his handful of berries when Rick emerged from the forest. Across his shoulders were what looked like three rabbits. From a distance, it was hard to tell but it seemed to have been a while since their deaths as they were no longer bleeding. After entering the campground, Rick looked around for a moment before looking eyes with Jake and strolling over to him. Arriving in front of him, he threw one of the dead rabbits down with a horrid squishing sound and said,

    ¡°Earn your keep, clean and skin that.¡±

    One of Rick¡¯s knives was still embedded in the Rabbit¡¯s forehead, and though no blood emerged flowing from the wound, the fur around the knife was matted black. Looking closer, the rabbit was fairly large, larger than any rabbit Jake had ever seen, and had sharp fangs protruding out of the sides of its mouth. Looking up at Rick, who now stood leaning against the wall with an expectant look as he looked down at Jake, Jake gulped and grabbed hold of the knife embedded in the rabbit¡¯s head.

    It resisted coming out of the rabbit¡¯s skull at first, but when it finally did come loose it did so with a sickening pop revealing the blade to be coated in dried blood. Looking down at the rabbit in front of him, Jake couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine where to start. He hesitantly picked the rabbit up, feeling it flop lifelessly in his hand, and flipped it over to reveal the rabbit¡¯s stomach. Unsure of how to skin it properly, Jake opted to just do what naturally came to him. To begin with he traced the knife down the rabbit¡¯s stomach, and meeting little resistance began the process of making small incisions around the rabbit¡¯s legs and head till he¡¯d completely managed to remove the center of the rabbit¡¯s pelt from its body.

    It wasn¡¯t a clean removal, unskilled with the knife he brought with the pelt large chunks of rabbit meat and fat still attached to the skin and fur, but it was now removed even if it left behind an uneven cut of meat. Next, he tried to remove the skin still attached to the legs of the rabbit, but found in the process his knife would often stab deep into the flesh of the rabbit till it hit bone, leaving pot marks of failed cuts in his wake. He eventually managed to remove the skins off the rabbit forming four mutilated sleeves of fur he tossed to side with the pelt of the body. The meat of the legs left behind on the bones looked completely inedible.

    Last to go was the head, which Jake simply decided to guillotine off. He at first tried to simply stab downward and remove the head in one clean stroke, but when that didn¡¯t work, he opted to saw the head off. This took several minutes, with the head becoming progressively looser and looser with each stroke till at last it came off, rolling across the ground. When he was finally done, Jake set the knife to the ground and sat back, shaking slightly. He felt like he might be sick. He¡¯d never thought much of hunting before, it wasn¡¯t a hobby he was interested in but always figured he could do it easily enough. Now having tried it, he felt like he might be nauseous. The smells released by the rabbit as Jake worked on it nearly made him hurl multiple times, not to mention the discomforting feeling of its bare flesh under its skin, and the effort it took to skin the rabbit was massive.

    Rick seemed unbothered by Jake''s discomfort, coming off the wall and examining the final product Jake had produced.

    ¡°Well kid, this is terrible.¡± He began after thoroughly lifting and inspecting the meat left behind for a few minutes. ¡°You punctured and destroyed most of the internal organs before removing them, so the meat left behind is probably ruined, and that''s not even mentioning the sloppy job cleaning the skin.¡±

    Rick threw the meat Jake had spent what felt like hours working on to the side without a second thought and lifted another of the three rabbits he¡¯d hunted up.

    ¡°Watch close kid, I¡¯m only going to demonstrate once.¡± Before starting to skin the rabbit. Still feeling queasy, Jake leaned in to watch Rick work. In a few quick strokes of his knife, Rick had loosened the skin from the body and with a quick turn of the rabbit¡¯s head, Rick was able to easily pull the rabbit''s skin free from its body, leaving it hanging in the air in his hand. Jake was amazed, what had taken him what felt like hours to achieve Rick accomplished in under a minute.

    He wasn¡¯t done either. Carefully tracing the knife down the rabbit¡¯s stomach, Rick pulled back and opened the chest cavity of the rabbit, allowing its innards to fall out. Jake was surprised at the smell, letting an involuntary gag escape his throat which earned an annoyed stare from Rick before he returned to the rabbit and finished the removal of the rabbit¡¯s innards. Once he was satisfied, he set the flayed rabbit to the side. Turning back to Jake, Rick tossed the last remaining rabbit toward him and leaned back without another word.

    Jake felt queasy still, but knowing he¡¯d need to adapt sooner rather than later he began to try and emulate what Rick had shown him. It was difficult, Rick had moved so fast Jake had barely had time to catch his movements. Still, the first few incisions, though made much more slowly, he felt confident about. It was with the last few he began to struggle. As he sat there, his knife hovering over the back legs of the rabbit unsure of where to cut Rick started to give one-word directions,

    ¡°Up, forwards, down, cut, slowly¡±

    With Rick''s monosyllabic help, Jake managed to make the last few incisions and with a twist to the rabbit¡¯s head, he removed its skin. Nodding with a satisfied expression, Rick grabbed the rabbit from Jake¡¯s hand and proceeded to gut it, removing its innards the same way he had before. This time, prepared for the smell, Jake didn¡¯t let out a gag though he did find it vile.

    Jake sat back, amazed at how much he¡¯d been able to improve as Rick began to collect the two flayed rabbits. Jake started to reach out to hand him back the knife he¡¯d been using, but Rick shook his head, saying,

    ¡°Hold on to that for now. You¡¯ll need it for practice. Come help me prepare dinner, the more you know how to do the more useful you¡¯ll be around here.¡±

    Jake nodded and started to stand up, before stopping and glancing down at his knife coated in blood and rabbit flesh. Looking around, Jake eventually found a spare piece of fabric dangling from his bag which he ripped free and used as a handkerchief, whipping his blade clean.

    <hr>

    ¡°I tested him again, Leopold, there¡¯s definitely no magic anywhere in his body. Not even where my magic is cast, which is where it should be naturally converging.¡± Lana said in a whisper to Leopold, standing apart from Rick and Jake who were busying themselves preparing a stew for dinner, ¡°What should do?¡±

    ¡°Nothing,¡± Leopold said with a simple shrug.

    ¡°What?¡± Lana said, looking shocked at his simple remark, ¡°Who knows where he came from, what he could be capable of!¡±

    ¡°Now you''re worried about that Lala?¡± Leopold asked giving her a side eye and cracking a smirk before continuing, ¡°We¡¯ve been with him long enough to know he¡¯s not a threat to any of us. Hell, Rick is trusting him with a knife. I thought about it all night Lala, and I realized it this morning when I was talking to him. Jake is just Jake, just the same as he ever was.¡±

    ¡°But he¡¯s hiding something, who knows where he came from!¡±

    ¡°Everyone has a past, Lana.¡± Leopold said his voice growing serious for a second as he fell into remembrance, before it lightened up again as he said ¡°Besides, it looks like Rick is just starting to like the kid. Be a shame to ruin that." Lana went quiet for a minute, before sighing and saying,

    ¡°Fine, if you think we can trust him then we¡¯ll leave it be,¡± Lana said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice, mixed with the sounds of relief.

 Day 19 - Sunless Sky - Fear

    The next morning, Jake woke up to a knife embedding itself into the ground next to his head, causing him to jump up with a loud cry.

    ¡°You¡¯re a deep sleeper kid. Too deep. Fix it fast.¡± Rick said in a nonchalant voice as he walked over and scooped his knife up out of the ground without even glancing at Jake, who was now leaning up

    against the rocks behind him, panting, trying to recover from the sudden shock. Rick frowned as he noticed the dirt stuck to his blade and removed a handkerchief from beneath his cloak to wipe it clean. As he wiped it clean, Jake stared at him with a shocked incredulous gaze that Rick completely ignored.

    ¡°Pack up fast, we''re leaving soon,¡± Rick said after he finished polishing the knife, and with a satisfied nod he pocketed the knife somewhere beneath his cloak and walked away from Jake without another word. Jake sat there for a little while longer, struggling to catch his breath before he started moving. He packed up fast, the book he was reading was easily shoved in his bag and his blanket bundled up easily before being stuffed in on top. The knife that was given to him yesterday he kept on hand, pocketing it in his pants. Thankfully they had a set of rather loose pockets on either side of his waist.

    After he was done packing, he slung his bag across his bag and hoisted himself upright with the help of his cane. His leg felt good as new, still a bit unbalanced and awkward but Jake didn¡¯t doubt he could walk on his own now without the cane. He still held onto it though, it was the only source of light he had after all and he didn¡¯t want to bother Lana to make him a whole new light source when the cane was still perfectly functional.

    Walking away from the cliff edge he¡¯d been sleeping under, Jake quickly met up with the rest of the group who were by now all packed up and waiting for him.

    ¡°I saw Rick woke you up, huh kid?¡± Leopold asked with a shit-eating grin. Jake gave a curt nod, sparking Leopold to burst out into a huge fit of laughter. Once he was done, he wiped a tear from his eyes and continued talking, ¡°Well be walking to a new campground further inland today that Rick scouted out. I¡¯ve walked the path we¡¯ll be taking, and it shouldn¡¯t be too long a walk. We aren¡¯t pushing too far into the forest yet since we aren¡¯t confident about how severely the landscape has changed. Both Rick and I ran into predators while moving through the woods so stay on guard.¡±

    Once Leopold finished his briefing everyone gave a nod and departed the campsite, moving away from the Largo mountains and pushing into the forest. As Jake walked he took in the sight of the forest around him as light danced from the group''s collected magical lights twinkling in the unending dark, casting dancing shadows off the trees around them.

    What struck Jake the most was the various states of decay the forest seemed to be in. Some trees looked perfectly healthy while others were rotted-down husks. Leaves of various states of death hung from the branches or littered the ground as dried carcasses that parted from the group''s footsteps in crackling sounds that echoed across the empty forest in a cacophony. The ground itself was made of simple dirt, in various states of disarray. In some patches, the ground felt soft and spongy, while in others it felt dry and lifeless. Occasionally Jake would spot sprouts of grass sticking out of the ground, either vibrant and full of life or dried husks withered and snapped like broken hay.

    Jake took this bizarre spectacle in, a Forrest composed of both rotted and living plants. Unsure of what to make of it, he took it in with silent confusion till Lana, who happened to look back and noticed the confused expression across his face, said,

    ¡°The Corruption is a slow killer. It feeds on its host''s vitality driving them mad. Animals and people, they act erratic till they fully devolve and become members of The Swarm. For plants though, the process is slower. They have no thoughts, so it takes longer for them to fully fall to The Corruption and rot away but make no mistake Jake. Everything in this forest is infected with The Corruption¡¯s filth.¡±

    Jake gave a slow nod to this explanation. They continued forward and Jake made a concentrated effort to avoid any trees as best he could, even the healthy-looking ones. The rustling of the dead leaves beneath his feet was distracting but comforting in a familiar sort of way. Reminded Jake of falls back home. Suddenly the group stopped without warning, as Rick who led the group raised his hands signaling for the group to come to a halt. However, though the group came to a halt, the rustling of the leaves in the wind continued.

    The sound encircled them from all directions and was rapidly growing closer. Without wasting much time, Leopold unsheathed his sword while Rick pulled a pair of knives from beneath his cloak. The pair, along with Lana, moved together silently till they were standing back-to-back. They left an open spot for Jake who was still standing rooted to the ground. Realizing what they were doing, Jake clumsily removed the dagger from his pocket, almost dropping it, and joined the trio in makeshift formation. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    He felt nervous, like he could be sick as he stood there simply waiting for the approaching unknown. The trio seemed calm to Jake, but he noticed they remained silent, mouths shut in tense expressions and eyes facing out waiting for the approach of the enemy.

    The wait was not long, as before long a paw emerged into the light surrounding the group, followed by more and more, and soon a pack of six wolves emerged from the dark of the Forrest to encircle the group. Their skin seemed to burn as soon as they encountered the light being produced by Lana¡¯s magic, and letting out angered howls, four of the wolves immediately locked onto her, moving in a low stance to the ground and producing low growls and spittle from their feral mouths. The other two wolves howled equally as angry before locking their gazes onto Leopold and Jake, one of whom stood steadfast and the other whose hands were slightly trembling.

    The trio behind Jake did not stand still and wait for the wolves to pounce. As the wolves slowly prowled around them, Rick caught them by surprise with a sudden flash of movement as two knives flew through the air and embedded themselves into the skulls of half the wolves preparing to maul Lana.

    The wolves, noticeably surprised by this action, let out angered howls and charged forward, but it was far too late for them by then. The one aimed at Leopold swung forward with its claws and jaw, hoping to sink into flesh only to be stopped by the rough metal of his armor. Unbothered by the squirming creature trying to maul him, Leopold swung his arm back and smashed the wolf into the ground, before cutting into its throat with his sword while it lay momentarily stunned. Lana, while her brother brutalized one wolf, busied herself killing the other two attempting to maul her. Her hands glowed a bright, electric blue before a flash escaped from them catching hold of the corrupted wolfs who fell to the floor twitching. Black blood flowed freely from their mouth as they squirmed on the ground in pain, but eventually, the squirming stopped and they lay dead.

    As for Jake, who was unprepared for the sudden actions of the trio he was left frozen, staring at the wolf charging toward him growing ever closer by the second. He raised his knife, unsure of what to do, or where to cut, when suddenly his eyes locked with those of the wolf gaining ground and getting ever closer to him. All he saw reflected back at him was a desperate desire to kill, a wild fury driven solely by instinct and madness. All he saw was a monster. He felt no pity for the creature across from him this time. Only fear. Fear that paralyzed him and made him feel he was trapped underground again, simply waiting to bleed out and die. His breath quickened and he felt himself take a step backward, the hand holding the knife shaking.

    Then, the wolf charging at him lay dead, a knife jutting from the side of its neck leaking blood. Jake stood there, still shaking unable to control himself. He turned and caught sight of the group across from him. Neither Lana nor Leopold were looking at him, they had only just finished killing their own respective wolfs. But Rick caught his eyes, his face a mix of disappointment and pity.

    <hr>

    Jake stood in the new campground, a few yards away from a tree. They arrived about an hour after the wolf attack. The distance traveled wasn¡¯t very far, but they were slowed down by the weight of the wolf carcasses they¡¯d brought along with them for meat. Jake was currently busy trying to practice throwing his knife, with minimal success, to try and keep his mind off the wolf attack. Reeling his arm back, he released the knife again. It flew further than when he first attempted knife throwing but his aim and arc were still terrible, and the knife still landed in the dirt.

    ¡°You need to flick your wrist more, kid.¡± Jake turned and saw Rick walk up behind him, dragging the two wolf carcasses the group had brought with them to camp. Rick had spent the last few hours with the carcasses, watching them bleed properly to make sure none of the black blood remained when it was time to skin them, but now it seemed he was done and had decided to come skin the animals over by Jake. Jake went and retrieved his knife and sat across from Rick, sitting in silence for a while before Rick finally asked,

    ¡°What happened kid? You start pitying them again?¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Jake said, shaking his head and looking down.

    Rick nodded and began taking knives out of his cloak, examining them carefully before saying,

    ¡°Thought so, that wasn¡¯t pity in your eyes.¡± He then began to carefully sharpen one of his knives, not looking up at Jake as he continued talking, ¡°Fear is a good thing kid. Keeps you safe, helps you make smart decisions, and in life-threatening situations, it alerts you to danger.¡±

    Rick began to carve into the wolf after he finished talking, still not making eye contact with Jake.

    ¡°But kid,¡± He continued after a while, removing his knife away from the wolf ¡°Fear only keeps you safe if you control it. Don¡¯t fight against it. Don¡¯t freeze up. Don¡¯t just stand there, waiting to die in fear. Don¡¯t die a coward. Fight back. Control your fear. Hunt it down and control it.¡± Rick finished his speech and resumed his work with the wolf, never once glancing up toward Jake. Jake sat there pondering what Rick had said. It wasn¡¯t anything he hadn¡¯t heard before, he often heard motivational stories about how people conquered their fears and achieved greatness. But now he found himself in the same position, he truly didn¡¯t know if he could do it. Part of him didn¡¯t doubt that if faced with another rabid beast, he wouldn¡¯t freeze up again.

    With a sigh, he threw the knife he was holding again, adding more of a flick to his wrist this time. It traveled far farther this time, and though it missed the tree he was aiming for it did embed itself in a tree behind it to the right.

    ¡°Not bad,¡± Rick said with a nod, still looking down at the wolf he was carving. Still deep in thought, Jake retrieved his knife and focused on the work Rick was doing to skin the wolf, knowing soon it probably be his turn to prepare the second wolf waiting to the side.

 Day 20 - Sunless Sky - Memories

    The next morning Jake once again woke up to a knife stuck in the ground by his head. Surprised, he sat up quickly and surveyed the area around him but saw no hint of Rick. He wiped the sleep from his eyes and with a grumble pulled the knife from the dirt, holding it loosely in his hands.

    He still felt exhausted. He¡¯d barely been able to sleep. The night before, after his talk with Rick Jake had found himself consumed with thoughts of what he might do next time he was forced to face his fears. He tried to tell himself he could stand tall and reassure himself he would stand bravely next time. But the memories of the beast¡¯s eyes staring in at him as he slowly bled out, hungry and furious, left him shaking. Bravery seemed a distant memory as he thought about those monstrous eyes peering into him, feral and hungry.

    He''d been a mess the night before. Throughout dinner he¡¯d been quiet, sitting on the edge of the camp eating small chunks of roasted wolf he¡¯d overcooked as he failed to pay attention to what he was doing. In the end, he went to bed before anyone else, hoping to escape his worries in the realm of sleep. Instead, all he found was restless nightmares that left him tossing and turning all night against the dirt.

    Standing now, still bleary and dazed, he looked around and saw neither Lana nor Leopold were very active. Lana was still curled up in her blanket, while Leopold lay awake, flat on his back staring off into the darkness of the sky above. Rick remained hidden from sight. At a guess, he¡¯d chosen to wake up Jake before slinking off into the dark to continue scouting a path through the Largo Forrest.

    Looking at the knife in his hands, Jake let out a sigh at the thought of what his new morning routine would be from here on out. He stood up from the ground and pulled the ripped bit of cloth he¡¯d been using as a handkerchief from his pocket and whipped the blade clean of any dirt still stuck on it. Leopold glanced over at him as he stood and gave a friendly wave, before going back to staring at the sky. Whether he was trying to sleep or was lost in remembrance Jake couldn¡¯t tell, but he decided it was best to leave Leopold be for the time being.

    Two knives in hand now, Jake wandered over to the patch of dirt which was used for skinning and cleaning caught prey, and lined himself with the woods across from him. Across from him stood the trees he¡¯d been using as targets while practicing knife throwing, yet so far despite practicing what felt like hundreds of throws he¡¯d only managed to successfully embed the knife once. Even then, it was off-target.

    But it was progress, and lining up again now, he took the stance he¡¯d been using and began taking practice throws. Extending his right arm back behind his head, he flung forward snapping the knife free with a slight flick of the wrist. Like the last time he tried it flew forward with more force than the rest of his practice attempts but failed to hit his target burying itself in the dirt beyond the tree line. He drew back with the second knife and let it fly, this time messing up the release causing the knife to fling itself into the dirt.

    Once both knives were thrown, he walked to retrieve them, falling into thought about how he could improve. It seemed the key issue plaguing his earlier attempts was improper wrist movements like Rick had described yesterday. Hopefully, with practice, he could nail the timing of the release. There was also the issue of accuracy. He¡¯d gotten so used to seeing Rick effortlessly throw knives around that for some reason Jake had thought he¡¯d be able to naturally hit his targets after the first few throws.

    Now, days into practice without much else to do, he struggled to imagine consecutively hitting the target with his dominant hand, let alone his non-dominant one. Retrieving both the knives, he returned to where he initially stood. Jake resumed his stance and threw the knives once again. There was a lot to improve, and as of now the only way to improve was constant practice. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t like he had much else to do, and practicing this beat stewing in his own fear.

    Jake wasn¡¯t sure how long he stood there, after two hundred throws he lost count and simply focused on what he was doing. Not long into his practice he grew used to the wrist motion required to consistently release the knife. He found the more violently he tried to force the knife free from his grasp the more it tended to fly off into the ground. What tended to work best was a gentle flick, relaxing the arm and naturally letting the knife fly out of his hand.

    The issue he had now was aiming. He could consistently get the knives to travel into the tree line but could not seem to hit the tree he was aiming for. A few of his knives would successfully embed themselves into his desired target but he couldn¡¯t do it consistently enough to call it a success. He tried to replicate the stance and timing that led to successfully hitting the target, but found each time he tried he would fail to properly release the knife.

    Growing frustrated after once again missing the tree he was aiming for, sending the knife he held flying off into the dark and hearing a thud as it landed in some unknown tree, Rick sank to his knees and let out a frustrated cry. His hands felt incredibly sore from all the practice he¡¯d done, and he dreaded the thought of gripping hold of his knives again. As he sat there on the ground, stewing in frustration, he heard a whistling sound behind him.

    ¡°Not bad kid, not bad. Keep practicing at this pace and soon you may be able to hit a moving target.¡±

    Jake turned to see Rick standing there, arms crossed and an emotionless expression on his face. Next to him on the ground were two bloodless rabbits. Rick darted his eyes from Jake to the rabbits and it was clear what he wanted. Jake pulled himself up without any complaint and went to retrieve his knives from the clustered group of trees he¡¯d been attacking.

    Some part of Jake, while frustrated he hadn¡¯t been given more time to stew in his failure, was grateful to be given something to do. Yesterday Jake wasn¡¯t allowed to skin the wolves, only observe as Rick worked and take mental notes on ways to skin larger game. Today, given the opportunity to earn his keep Jake felt grateful. It felt like he was paying off some of the debt he owed the trio.

    <hr>

    Dinner was a simple stew prepared by Rick and Jake after Jake finished skinning the rabbits and properly preparing the meat, with some help from Rick. The stew was rather rough and tasteless, as they had no spices or seasonings to add or vegetables to offer outside flavor. It was just toughened rabbit meat and a broth made of rabbit fat and water.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    The group sat around a campfire in an awkward silence. Leopold would interject occasionally with a joke or short story, but often afterward the conversation would die out. In the past, Leopold, Lana, and Jake would get into a simple repour while Rick would eat quickly in the corner before leaving to scout or hunt. Tonight, Rick sat beside Jake forming a trio of silence with Lana who sat a bit further back from the group, wrapped in blankets. This awkward fumbling for conversation continued till Leopold turned to Jake and said,

    ¡°So, Jake, you¡¯ve been asking us a lot of questions but how about you?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡± Jake said, sounding confused.

    ¡°Yeah kid, where are you from, what did you do? Tell us a bit about yourself, seems like there isn¡¯t a better topic of conversation presenting itself.¡±

    Jake sat for a moment in silence after Leopold''s words realizing for the first time that for the past week or so, he¡¯d been so wrapped up in traveling with the trio and treating his injuries he¡¯d barely thought of home.

    Jake covered his mouth for a second, emotion welling up inside him as he thought of home for the first time in a while and what must be happening there. How long had it been since he¡¯d gone missing? Three weeks? A month? Jake had lost count ever since he¡¯d been traveling with the trio, as often days and nights were simply whatever the group decided they were without the sky above to dictate. What must his family be doing right now? He¡¯d just vanished one day. Were they still searching for him? Had they already held a funeral, pretended to bury him? Jake lowered his hand, a shaking voice squeaking out as these questions raced through his head for the first real-time since his journey started.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m from America¡­¡± Jake began voice still quivering. Seeing the confusion on the trio''s faces he added, ¡°It¡¯s a long way from here, you won''t have heard of it.¡±

    ¡°Foreign traveler eh, what brought you to Largo?¡± Leopold asked, leaning forward.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t¡­ Didn¡¯t mean to. Not really sure how I ended up here¡­¡± Jake said, trailing off as he stared into the ground. Silence descended on the group again, but it was different this time. It was heavier, the sadness in Jake¡¯s voice made it less awkward and more depressing as the group exchanged glances unsure how to proceed.

    ¡°So, what did you do in America kid?¡± Leopold asked, trying to undercut the silence and change the topic.

    ¡°I was in university, majoring in Mechanical Engineer¡­¡± Looking up from the floor he began to speak but stopped once he saw confusion on the group''s faces even greater than when he mentioned America. It was Lana who spoke this time, asking,

    ¡°You were a scholar?¡±

    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jake said, nodding and being grateful at being given an answer the group seemed to understand. ¡°Only, I wasn¡¯t very good at it.¡± Jake continued as he saw the group¡¯s eyes locked onto him, waiting for him to continue speaking.

    ¡°Last semester before break, I had to drop out of half my classes halfway through the semester. Even the ones I didn¡¯t drop I still flunked. I was so certain when I drove back home It was over for me. The whole semester my parents just kept encouraging me to try harder, to do my best, but in the end, I still ended up failing.¡± Jake wasn¡¯t focused on the group at all now, his eyes were glassy, and a half smile was on his face as he recalled the past.

    ¡°Instead, as soon as I go through the door my mom pulled me into a hug and my dad just ruffled my hair. My sisters, I was so sure they were going to mock me relentlessly, but they just greeted me with a laugh and said they were glad I was home. No one brought up the fact I flunked till hours later. It was so casual when my dad brought it up too, he just leaned over and said, ¡®Can¡¯t win them all Jake, get ''em next time.¡¯ And that was it.¡± A small laugh escaped Jake''s throat before his face darkened rapidly.

    ¡°They were always just¡­ so kind to me. Too kind to me. As long as I tried my best that was good enough for them, they never asked for more. I never thanked them for that before I left, didn¡¯t have a chance to. Wish I had¡­ Wonder if they knew¡­ wonder if they know how much I love them. Wonder if there still waiting for me. I hope¡­¡± Jake was interrupted by a hand grabbing hold of his wrist and shaking him.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He asked, worried he¡¯d rambled on and bored the group.

    ¡°Here,¡± Lana said, handing Jake a piece of cloth. Taking the cloth, Jake was confused for a minute before he felt how puffy his eyes felt and how damp his cheeks were. Reaching up with the cloth, Jake found he¡¯d slowly burst into tears while describing his story, so wrapped up in memories of the past he failed to notice. Embarrassed he quickly wiped his eyes with the cloth and blew his nose, as it had turned runny as well.

    Still feeling embarrassed, he thought about returning the scrap cloth but thought that may be seen as rude considering how dirty he¡¯d made it cleaning himself. Looking around the group a mix of pity and interest stared back at him, save for Rick whose stoney expression he found impossible to read.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jake said, hoping to quickly move on from the incident.

    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Leopold said in a kind tone of voice, ¡°Sorry we interrupted.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jake said, confused for half a moment before remembering what he was about to say in the trance-like state he¡¯d fallen into.

    ¡°Oh yeah, sorry. All I was going to say is I hope they know I¡¯m still alive, and I hope they know I¡¯m going to come back home.¡± Jake finished with a small smile on his face and a fiery expression in his eyes.

    <hr>

    ¡°Did you understand what he was talking about?¡± Lana asked Leopold after Jake had left for bed. The rest of dinner had been more jovial, an attempt to try and raise his spirits but he still seemed out of it when he went to bed.

    ¡°Honestly, no? Have you ever heard of a Mechanical Engineer? I know of the ancient Mechas, but I¡¯ve never heard of a school dedicated to it.¡±

    ¡°No,¡± Lana said with a shake of her head ¡°and I¡¯ve never heard of an ¡®America¡¯ either.¡± Both already knew these facts, they were beating around the bush from discussing the main topic of discussion.

    ¡°Do you think he was kidnapped?¡± Lana asked as she looked back over at Jake.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to him.¡± Leopold said, a distressed tone rising in his voice, ¡°But it was clear he somehow ended up in the Largo Mountains on accident.¡± Lana nodded her head before both looked over toward where Jake was struggling to fall asleep. Leopold let out a sigh and said,

    ¡°Honestly, I don¡¯t know what to make of his story at all. I sorta hoped if he was willing to share, we¡¯d understand him more but I¡¯m even more confused now. We could ask him more questions but¡­¡±

    The conversation was interrupted by the sound of a knife landing between the two¡¯s feet. Lana and Leopold looked over to see Rick, who still hadn¡¯t moved an inch from where he sat during dinner. His face was an emotionless mask, and his voice came out in a tiny whisper the two could barely hear,

    ¡°Just leave the kid be.¡±

    Lana and Leopold glanced at each other before nodding and walking away. Rick turned his focus away from the two and stared back into the ground, trying to calm his mind.

 Day 21 - Sunless Sky - The Hunters Story

    Jake woke up feeling trapped, struggling to breathe in the dark. He tried to sit up, but his head slammed into a wooden roof inches above his nose. Gasping for breath he tried to reach out and push up to free himself but found to his hour his arms were pinned tight to his side by the close confines of the walls around him. With horror, Jake realized he was trapped, unable to move. Jake tried to scream for help but his mouth wouldn¡¯t open, it felt sewn shut. Across from him, by his feet, he saw a split begin to appear in the roof above and dirt began spilling into the box he lay in. He flailed around, desperate to try to stop the leak but it was no use. Soon his entire body was entombed in the dirt, and before long his head sunk below the ground, as he let out wordless screams for help.

    <hr>

    Jake sat up with a scream. Quickly feeling his mouth to find it unsewn and finding no sign of dirt stuck to his body, it took him a moment to calm down and regain reason. Looking around the camp site he saw the trio in various states of preparation.

    Leopold was still asleep on the ground, having given no response to Jake''s startled cry and Lana sat nearby bundled in blankets reading. She gave Jake a worried look after his cry but didn¡¯t call out to him. Rick meanwhile still sat where he had last night during dinner, and it looked to Jake as if he hadn¡¯t moved a muscle since he saw him last. Looking around him, Jake saw no sign of a knife near his bed. It wasn¡¯t Rick who woke him up this time, but rather his own night terrors.

    Rick glanced toward Jake, who was still a little out of it following his dream, before letting out a sigh and standing up. He shook his legs out a bit and stretched out his arms before walking towards Jake.

    ¡°Get up kid, you¡¯re going hunting with me.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jake asked, unsure if heard Rick right as he was still a bit disoriented, ¡°How can I hunt? I can¡¯t even hit the tree properly.¡±

    Rick shrugged saying,

    ¡°Experience is the best teacher kid.¡± Before he hooked Jake under the arms and dragged him upright to his feet. Still confused, Jake figured arguing any further would be mute and let himself be led away into the darkness of the forest. He was glad he kept the knives lent to him in his pockets at all times since the wolf attack, as Rick left him no time to gather any sort of luggage.

    Jake thought they¡¯d keep walking deeper into the forest, but he found himself walking along. Turning, he saw Rick leaning against a tree bathed in a small swaft of light, still dwarfed by the light coming from the campsite they were hardly a few yards from. Rick looked deeply uncomfortable, his face stuck in a sort of scowl as he reached back behind his head and started scratching aimlessly.

    ¡°You know, I grew up in Largo mountains.¡± Rick said after a while, not meeting Jake''s gaze as he stared at him with confusion. ¡°Way deeper into the range, farther back past where you met us. But I grew up climbing those cliffs since I was a baby. Had no problem running or climbing the mountain paths or ridges, could do it blindfolded. But when I was old enough my dad decided it was time to take me down to the forest proper. Not the little patches of trees stuck growing in the mountain, a real proper forest.¡±

    Jake leaned against a tree now across from Rick who cast his gaze firmly downward, avoiding Jake at all costs.

    ¡°When we reached the forest, I was terrified. I¡¯d never seen so many trees in my life before, and I hated the way they seemed to sway, the way their branches obscured the sky above. I couldn¡¯t move properly like I was taught up in the mountains. The idea of hunting down in the forest terrified me, it seemed like an endless sea of green that stretched on with no end.¡±

    Rick gave a slow shake of his head, his eyes twinkling even as his lips tightened into what looked like a grimace on his face.

    ¡°My dad, he saw how scared I was and just said ¡®Close your eyes¡¯ before taking the lead and guiding me. The thought of entering the woods still scared me, mind you, but losing my way from my dad was even scarier so I just shut my eyes tight and followed behind him, letting him guide me. Know what happened?¡±

    Jake shook his head no. Rick nodded before saying,

    ¡°Nothing. There was nothing to worry about in the first place. It was just the woods, was harmless before The Corruption. Of course, back then, it felt like a huge deal to conquer that fear, my dad leading me on.¡±

    Rick looked up with a nod to see Jake''s expression before saying,

    ¡°What, only you''re allowed to tell stories?¡± He shook his head and got off from the tree he leaned on, moving as if to leave off into the woods before stopping. His whole body shook as if fighting itself, before with a sigh his head dropped and he turned back towards the tree, leaning against it.

    ¡°When the sky was stolen and The Corruption spread so rapidly, our little village didn¡¯t know what to do.¡± Rick began again, a quiver of emotion in his gruff voice Jake couldn¡¯t ever recall hearing before. ¡°We tried our best to hold its effects off with torches, but they would always burn out so fast, and only magic really worked to hold it at bay. Of course, we never realized that. No one in our village specialized in magic. We thought it would distract us from the hunt. As time wore on, more and more people started going feral, more and more rabid. Unrecognizable. We¡­ we put them down despite my protests. I swore I could see something in their eyes sometimes, something human still.¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Rick reached up and wiped his mouth with his hands as he stuttered for a moment, his hand seeming to shake. Whether in rage or with something else, Jake couldn¡¯t quite tell.

    ¡°Eventually, the game around us was infected as well and stopped reproducing. No more sex drive once they were infected, just an urge to kill. At first, it wasn¡¯t an issue. Our hunts were coming to us, just made it easier to get the meat. But soon, a famine settled in on the village as all the game died off.¡±

    ¡°In desperation, my family would start sending me off on longer and longer hunting trips. Each time, I¡¯d be away for days, weeks later on, at a time savaging what was left of the mountain for game. Each time, I¡¯d come back a failure while my family would have dinner waiting on the table saying they¡¯d bartered for meat or some monster had come to attack the village while I was out. I never questioned it much. All I noticed was the rotting, my mother and father slowly falling apart. They were losing hair and weight rapidly and their skin was beginning to slough off in flakes and turn gray. I just wanted to keep them safe.¡±

    Rick stopped talking for a moment, a gloved hand emerging from the darkness to cover his mouth. He looked at Jake like he might vomit. When he continued his story, it was from behind the veil of his hand, like some sort of protective wall.

    ¡°The last time I left the village; my parents didn¡¯t see me off. They didn¡¯t wake from their beds when I called their names or responded to my calls at all. I¡­ I just thought they were sick. It was while I was walking through the back rocks behind our cottage that I found it. Human bones, scattered in haphazard piles amongst the rocks, some with meat still rotting and dripping black blood to the floor. It disgusted me, and I knew at once what my family had done.¡±

    ¡°I rushed back to the village, I couldn¡¯t have been gone longer than an hour, but it was too late. The ground was stained red, and corpses lined the pathways or dangled from the broken windows of the cottages that were still left standing. There couldn¡¯t have been many of them, only fifteen or so, but that morning they rose from their beds as members of The Swarm and descended on the village. And, amongst them right in the center stood my parents.¡±

    ¡°I can still remember it now, the sight of them standing in their sleepwear, drenched in blood feasting on corpses. In horror, I called out to them, and in response, they just turned and lunged toward me. My father scratched me down my arm, rendered it useless for a while, and my mother bit into my chest. I managed to shake her off, but all that I saw standing across from me was death. My parents were gone, but I struggled to accept it till they lunged again. My mother caught hold of my shoulder while my father caught hold of my legs.¡±

    ¡°It was only blind luck that let me escape them, in their haste to devour me they collided with one another and their grip loosened long enough for me to escape. I ran, trailing blood as The Swarm who were once my neighbors followed. I only remember running in a blind frenzy, the paths and trails I spent my whole life learning useless to me in my panic. The last thing I can recall from my escape was falling, rolling down a cliff into a ditch, slipping into unconsciousness certain of my death.¡±

    Rick removed the hand covering his mouth, his body giving a shiver, but he still refused to turn around and face Jake who sat listening in silence, spellbound.

    ¡°The next time I woke up, I was with a group of refugees from Largo. Lana had found me, collapsed by the side of the road. She healed me, probably saved my life. She let me travel with her family, and soon after I met Leopold. The two were kind to me, they didn¡¯t needle me or ask questions about the mountain or The Swarm like others. They just let me heal, just cared for me.¡±

    As he recalled his time with Lana and Leopold, his voice carried a brief tone of contentment about it before it darkened again.

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t focus though. Couldn¡¯t take my mind off them. I didn¡¯t know how to feel anymore. I felt so distraught at their loss, yet so enraged and confused at their cannibalism, the way they massacred and destroyed my home. Our home, the home we¡¯d built. I only found solace in one thought, the thought of tracking them down and killing them. No matter how long it takes, no matter what laws I break, I won¡¯t stop. I¡¯ll find them and make them pay. Then finally, they can lay in peace.¡±

    Rick finished, turning towards Jake for the first time since he started. The shadows dancing around obscured his face, but his hands were clenched tightly into fists and there was an air of finality and determination about him as he spoke.

    ¡°You know kid, when we first met, I hated you. You slowed me down, and over the years anything that slowed me down was unnecessary. Not to mention we knew nothing about you, what sort of risk you posed. I was all for leaving you to die on the mountain, even if it made me a hypocrite.¡±

    Rick said, shrugging.

    ¡°Then the longer you hung around, hate gave way to indifference to a feeling of deep discomfort when you hung around. Yet at the same time, I felt compelled to help you. I couldn¡¯t understand why till last night. You remind me of me, kid. A me from not too long ago. Sure, there may be differences in our skill level, but the way you act, the way you think? Reminds me of myself from not too long ago. From a time, I¡¯m not happy to remember.¡±

    ¡°But last night, more so than anything, I saw you had it too. That same drive, a goal you won¡¯t stop working for till you achieve it. You¡¯ll either achieve or die trying. You shared yours last night, thought it was only fair for me to share mine today.¡±

    Jake gave a nod, unsure of how to respond to Rick from here on out. Rick seemed satisfied, turning back around from Jake and saying,

    ¡°Go practice with the tree some more kid. You were right, you''re nowhere near ready for a moving target.¡± He stood there, waiting for the sound of Jakes steps to retreat into the background. After a moment he reached up and wiped his eyes clean with his hand, before pressing further into the darkness of the forest.

 Day 22 - Sunless Sky - Ruined Forest Remains

    Jake walked forward and retrieved the twin knives protruding from the tree from across the clearing where he stood practicing. After continual practice yesterday and today, his aim had significantly improved and he could now reliably hit the tree he was aiming for, even if he found where he hit the tree varied wildly. But it was still progress.

    Looking around the camp, it was barren. Yesterday after his talk with Rick, Rick hadn''t returned from the woods for several more hours. He didn¡¯t bring any new animals to skin and clean, and dinner yesterday was a simple affair of dried meat prepared from leftovers. It was a quiet dinner, Leopold and Lana talked amongst themselves and would often bring Jake into the conversation, but Jake himself sat in silence. Rick simply grabbed his food and left, not bothering to sit around the fire. He hadn¡¯t made eye contact with Jake once when he returned from the forest.

    This morning, Jake wasn¡¯t awoken by a knife but rather by a rock crashing against the stones above him startling him awake. He sat up, glancing around rapidly. He saw no sign of Rick anywhere, but on the outskirts of the camp, he could hear Leopold''s laugh and see his distinct outline before it retreated from sight. That had been the last he¡¯d seen of either Leopold or Rick. Lana woke up a little after him and gave him a friendly wave.

    Jake had a friendly talk with her, asking her how she was doing, but small talk died off fast. Jake realized that now he was fully healed, he didn¡¯t know much about Lana he could use to spark a conversation. He wanted to ask her and Leopold about themselves, especially after the talk he¡¯d had with Rick sparked some questions in his mind but, Leopold was already gone with Rick. Lana, after an awkward exchange of greetings, buried her nose in a set of books.

    With nothing else to do, Jake considered continuing to read through the book Lana had lent him, before deciding his time would be better spent practicing with the knives instead. As grateful to Lana as he was for lending him the book he could hardly understand the book so diving into it felt like a waste of time.

    The knives, though by no means a master Jake at least felt like he was starting to reach a level he could almost use them comfortably. He hoped that with enough practice he¡¯d get good enough to hunt soon. That would exponentially increase his odds of surviving when he next fell into a new world. Plus, having some type of weapon he felt comfortable with felt like a good idea. The final reason he gravitated to practicing the knives as opposed to reading the book was not related to survival at all. He simply thought the idea of being able to throw knives around was cool, and though a little childish given his situation the thrill he felt the more he improved helped him push through the frustration of the skill plateaus.

    As Jake turned from the tree after retrieving his knives from his latest round of practice, he saw Leopold emerge from the tree line, alone. Looking around, he saw no sign of Rick. Walking over, Leopold gave a friendly wave before saying,

    ¡°Pack up, where moving camp. Rick found where we¡¯ll be staying next, he stayed behind to finish scouting the area out. It¡¯s not very far.¡±

    Lana looked confused at Leopold¡¯s words but quickly began packing her bag to begin moving. Jake hurried toward his mess of a sleeping area and quickly shoved his supplies into his knapsack. He finished by throwing his back across his bag and collected his glowing cane to use as a torch. It had been a few days since he last grabbed it, he no longer needed it to walk after all, but looking over it now it looked as if it was slowly growing dimmer. It seemed the magic Lana had cast on it was starting to fade.

    Jake finished packing faster than Lana could, as he had far less to pack than she did. He stood silently by Leopold for a moment, before undercutting the silence by asking,

    ¡°How far away is this ¡®Heart of Corruption¡¯?¡±

    ¡°The Corruption¡¯s heart lies at its center kid, we''re not exactly sure where that is as the exact size of The Corruption has always been difficult to measure but roughly it should be somewhere in the Largo ruins,¡± Leopold said, a thoughtful look crossing his face as he scratched his chin. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say exactly how far away we are, I do know we¡¯re about three or four days from reaching the outer wall of Largo, though where will travel after that I don¡¯t know.¡±

    Jake had more questions, but by then Lana had finished packing and had come to join the two, halting their discussion. She came over with a smile, and after seeing the diminishing state of the magic on Jake¡¯s cane, her hand quickly glowed for half a second before the light returned in full to the cane.

    ¡°There you go, Jake. Should help you see clearly.¡±

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jake said, giving her a nod.

    ¡°You¡¯re ready, right Lala?¡± Leopold asked Lana, and after receiving a nod in turn he led the group forward out of the striped campsite and back into the forest. Moving back into the dark of the forest, the same spectacle as before, a vastly mixed crop of rotted and living plants greeted Jake once again. This time, however, neither Lana nor Leopold produced any source of light.

    ¡°We want to move stealthily, kid. Me and Rick should have already taken care of anything serious along the path earlier but still stay careful.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    Jake gave a nod and moved forward carrying the cane aloft like a torch. The shorter field of vision provided by the cane was just enough to wrap around the three, a pinprick of light struggling in the inky black surrounding them. Jake, though he led the group alongside Leopold, could barely see a foot ahead of him as he carried the light aloft. Still, he did his best to act as a guide past any tripping hazards or around anything that looked too suspicious or noisy.

    Every crinkle of leaves across the ground or rustling of fallen grass made his hair stand on end. He didn¡¯t like the idea of getting into another confrontation, especially without Rick providing support. So far whenever conflict erupted it had always been Rick who had saved his life. Jake didn¡¯t want to test his luck and find out how well he could hold up in combat on his own right now, right after he¡¯d only just started practicing with his knives.

    Thankful, the longer the group walked the less likely that seemed to happen. The densely packed trees, casting long shadows and obscuring the path forward, slowly started to give way. The distribution of living to rotted trees began to tip, till more rotted trees lined Jake¡¯s field of view. Before long, all the trees he saw were rotted husks, struggling to stay up under their own weight. Walking further in, he came across trees so withered they had collapsed down under their weight, leaving nothing but shriveled trunks, ruined stumps, and dust.

    Soon the group walked through a graveyard of tree stumps, with no trunks remaining only dust and rotted roots that broke into nothing at the slightest hint of pressure. Leopold stopped in the middle of this graveyard, looking around a saddened look on his face. Looking behind him, he saw a similar look on Lana¡¯s face.

    ¡°Me and Rick walked a bit further, about a mile or so inland and the stumps give way to nothing, just empty plains of ruined grass and dirt,¡± Leopold said, his tone grim and his features drawn back into a scowl. He then turned and started walking to the left.

    ¡°Rick should be waiting this way; there¡¯s a few tree trunks left to act as cover for the night. Tomorrow though, we¡¯ll have to start camping in the open plains. We¡¯ll have to start taking shifts at night to keep a proper watch.¡±

    Lana gave a nod, but she looked like she was only half paying attention. Her eyes looked in a daze as she looked around at the ruin of the forest. It didn¡¯t take long to reach Rick, who sat reclined in a rotted stump. Lana sat down, casting a small light to illuminate the area as she did so, and put her head in her hands. Leopold looked at her for a moment, before gently patting her head and starting to walk the perimeter of the camp.

    Jake looked at Lana, before deciding she looked like she wanted to be left in peace and jogging after Leopold, catching up to his side and asking,

    ¡°Are you ok?¡±

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± Leopold asked, sounding generally confused.

    ¡°Rick said you and Lana were from Largo. Where walking to the Largo ruins, I thought¡­ maybe you needed a moment,¡± Jake said, only realizing now it may be seen as rude to inquire about this after only talking to Rick and not first speaking to Leopold.

    Leopold didn¡¯t seem to mind, he let out a chuckle before saying,

    ¡°He told you that huh?¡± Leopold asked, looking confused.

    ¡°He said he met you guys immigrating from Largo as it fell,¡± Jake said, repeating what he heard and hoping he hadn¡¯t messed up any details or misremembered a name. Leopold let a gasp of understanding before nodding and saying,

    ¡°He met Lala and her family, that¡¯s true. Didn¡¯t meet me till later. Was already transferred to the military in Morsel. Smaller kingdom, way back past the mountains. You won¡¯t have known about it.¡± Leopold said before winking at Jake. Jake found this alarming for a moment, but Leopold continued his story,

    ¡°I was born in Largo but left twenty or thirty years before its fall? It¡¯s hard to keep track. Lala stayed behind, tried to get her to come with me but she said she wanted her family to grow up where she did¡­¡± Leopold stopped suddenly and shook his head, a saddened look crossing his face.

    ¡°Course, Rick didn¡¯t like me much when we first met. Don¡¯t think he likes anyone much when he first meets them.¡± Leopold continued a moment later, a quick smile returning to his face, ¡°He grew real fond of me after he found out I could help smuggle him in and out of the mountain paths.¡±

    ¡°Smuggle?¡± Jake said, confused.

    ¡°Yeah, see when Largo fell, all the smaller kingdoms began panicking. The largest empire in the known world collapsing will do that. The influx of refugees, food shortages, plague,¡± Leopold gave a small hand wave with each example as if it were a minor, insignificant problem and not the makings of a horrific tragedy. ¡°A few smaller kingdoms, closer to the Largo Mountains soon fell and it was decided that any land surrounding or past the Largo Mountains was lost forever. The surviving kingdoms passed the universal degree: any travel near Largo was illegal, punishable by death.¡±

    Leopold looked at Jake with a smile but was met with a look of deep confusion and concern.

    ¡°What¡­ then what are you three doing here?¡± Jake finally asked after his mind calmed enough to voice the question setting off alarm bells in his head.

    ¡°What do you mean what are we doing here?¡± Leopold said with mock shock before laughing outrageously, ¡°Do you think ¡®The Final Hero¡¯s¡¯ would just let the sky stay stollen? Everyone else may be ready for the end but not us!¡±

    ¡°But you guys said you were tasked with saving the world! If it¡¯s illegal to even go near Largo, who tasked you with retrieving the sky? The king of Morsel!?¡± Jake couldn¡¯t follow along with what Leopold was saying. All this time he thought he¡¯d been traveling with a group officially recognized for their skills, sent forward to save the world he was stuck in. It was starting to sound like; however, he was with a group of crazy people, very skilled crazy people but crazy nonetheless.

    ¡°The king of Morsel? Nah, someone way more important!¡± Leopold said a wide smile on his face. It slowly died down, before he glanced back toward Lana and said, ¡°Look kid, I¡¯m sorry but that¡¯s about all I can say. If you want to know more, ask Lala about Will sometime. But word of advice, I¡¯d be gentle. Also, give her some time first. She has a lot of bad memories around Largo.¡± Leopold gave Jake a pat on the back before walking away. Jake turned around and looked back at Lana and Rick.

    Thinking about it a minute longer, he decided it didn''t really matter who asked them to save the world. Whoever it was might not only save the world but already saved Jakes life. He¡¯d already seen how skilled the trio was, that was enough for him. As he was looking around the campsite, still in the process of being assembled, he locked eyes with Rick for the first time since their talk in the woods.

    Wordlessly, Rick pointed to a collection of rabbits piled next to the stump he reclined on. With a sigh, Jake made his way toward the pile and prayed they weren¡¯t crazy.

 Day 23 - Sunless Sky - Blind Luck

    Jake woke up to the sound of crunching wood behind him. He didn¡¯t jump this time, he was getting used to the knives or rocks being thrown his way to act as wake-up calls, but as time passed something felt off. He couldn¡¯t hear any other moment throughout the camp except behind him, where the crackling of dead wood continued softly, growing closer.

    Sitting up slowly, Jake turned his head and froze in place. Moving through the wasteland of dried roots and stumps, low to the ground was a lone wolf. It looked injured, its fur matted and stained black as scratches covered its body. It walked with a slight limp but pulled itself forward uncaring toward Jake.

    Its snout was elongated and drawn back into an unending snarl, drool continuously pooling and falling from its face to the floor. It walked low to the ground, and Jake noticed its ear was missing. But what struck him most was the eyes of the beast. As he¡¯d turned toward the cracking sound, he¡¯d made eye contact with the monster and both now sat, frozen in place. Jake was drawn once more into the beast''s gaze, its fury and desire to rip him apart disarming him completely.

    Pure instinct and hatred stared back at Jake yet the wolf stayed still for now. Thinking rapid fire, trying to calm himself as he already felt himself begin to freeze up completely as he stared into the eyes of the best, he posited maybe it waited because of how injured it was. But despite waiting Jake could tell the madness that drove the other monsters he¡¯d seen to hunt and kill remained. The instant Jake made any sudden moves, made any sort of opening that invited the wolf to attack he¡¯d be lunged upon.

    The wolf was close, closer than he¡¯d have ever liked. Close enough to be fully illuminated by the camp''s light cast by Lana the night before. From the corners of his eye, Jake saw the wolf''s muscles contract the longer it stayed in the light. He saw it wince in pain, yet it stayed still locking eyes with Jake waiting for its time to strike. It was close enough that with one leap it would be upon Jake, ripping him apart.

    Jake wasn¡¯t sure what to do. He felt any cry for help toward the group would result in the wolf mauling him before anyone could act in his defense. Perhaps they were already awake, unsure of how to act given the situation. The only grace Jake held was that the blanket covering him hadn¡¯t fallen away completely, allowing him to stealthy reach into his pocket and take hold of one of the knives he¡¯d been practicing with thus far.

    Yet he felt no safer holding the knife, if anything he felt more on edge. The knife made the truth of the situation all the more real, made the truth that he would have to personally deal with the wolves alone all the more apparent. Silently swallowing a gulp. Jake turned the knife over in his sweaty hands and watched as the wolf began to jitter in place. It was growing antsy, soon it would act with or without Jake.

    Jake understood now was his best chance to try and gain the upper hand, if he was going to do anything now was the time. Yet still he found himself stuck frozen, staring into the wolf''s eyes, feeling helpless. He tried to goad himself forward, force himself past his fears to take action but his body refused to respond. Small shakes began to occur throughout his body, unsettling the wolf and causing it to let out low, fierce growls and begin slowly advancing moving into position to pounce forward.

    Sitting frozen, trembling, staring into the eyes of the advancing wolf Jake tried harder and harder to force himself to act without avail. In a spark of desperation, he thought of screaming for help from behind and ducking down to hopefully use the blanket and block the wolf''s claws. All at once, amongst his panicked thoughts, the story Rick had told days ago came to mind. Taking as deep a breath inwards as he could so as not to trigger the wolf to attack, Jake locked eyes with the wolf one last time before closing his eyes and plunging his vision into darkness.

    He could hear faint growls, the faint snapping of rotted roots crumbling to ash, the ruffling of matted fur. But the horrid eyes of the wolf, eyes that had chased him for weeks now, the eyes of the predator were gone. With another deep breath, he took his chance.

    Eyes still closed, he flung his arm forward sending the knife he held out in front of him blindly as a distraction while he ducked back down, throwing the blanket wrapping him up into the air. He opened his eyes to a sea of ruffling fabric and the sound of a collapsing body, as the wolf pounced at his sudden action.

    He scurried away, quickly crawling backward trying to push the blanket away but failing as the weight of the wolf landed on him, tangled in the blanket. It laid still for the moment, but Jake knew it wouldn¡¯t be long before it managed to rip the blanket apart. The blanket around him was quickly stained black as blood and fur stuck from the wolf''s wounds, and though Jake''s head was now free of the fabric that once covered it the wolf remained covered, making it impossible for Jake to tell where it was going to attack from next.

    Fortunately, as Jake scurried away from the wolf momentarily trapped in blankets he created a lot of noise, enough noise to rouse the rest of the camp behind him. Turning he saw Lana and Leopold rising bleary-eyed from the complete opposite ends of the camp. Rick meanwhile was still sitting reclining against the stump he¡¯d claimed yesterday, staring at Jake. How long he¡¯d been watching Jake couldn¡¯t tell, but in his hands, he held a knife at the ready.

    With a gulp, Jake pulled himself to his feet. His clothes were now stained black; blood smeared from the wolf as it gnashed at him from beneath the blanket he¡¯d thrown over it as he tried to escape. He felt a bit more at ease now. It was only an injured wolf, probably one that managed to escape Rick and Leopold''s hunt yesterday, facing down a trio of skilled warriors. Rick alone would be enough to deal with the problem. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    As Jake turned back toward the blanket, expecting to see it thrashing about he saw it instead lay still slowly becoming more and more darkened by the leaking blood of the wolf. Only, the amount was too much for the scratches Jake had seen before. The blood flowing freely into the blanket hadn''t been at nearly this amount.

    Cautiously, Jake walked back toward the blanket. Rick, who¡¯d been watching his movements since he emerged from under the blanket gave no objection. With a pull, Jake tugged at the blanket trying to remove it from the wolf. The blanket did not come easily, it was wrapped firmly around the body of the wolf and laid in a tangled heap unhappy to move. The wolf, however, gave no sort of objection to the sudden tugging of the blanket.

    When the blanket was at last removed, it revealed the wolf''s corpse. It lay there dead, the knife Jake had blindly thrown sticking through one of its eyes. Jake heard a whistling sound and turned to see Leopold and Lana arrive at the scene, having taken some time to realize what was happening in full and get prepared. Leopold wore no armor, carrying only his sword while Lana still looked extremely sleepy. Her bed hair was at an all-time high, the worst Jake had seen of it in a while as recently she¡¯d fixed it with magic before Jake could see it. As she stood there swaying on her feet, looking out of it, Jake worried she might have somehow overused her magic again.

    ¡°Where¡¯d this bastard sneak in from?¡± Leopold asked, turning towards Rick, who shrugged in response. ¡°Thought this area was safe, might have to start keeping watch earlier than I expected. Good work Rick. Kid, you look pretty shaken up, sorry if the wolf landed on you.¡±

    Leopold gave Rick a pat on the back and grabbed his shoulder while laughing and gesturing haphazardly to the blood covering Jake¡¯s clothes. Rick shook Leopold¡¯s hand off and said,

    ¡°The Kid killed it, go bother him about it.¡± Though he acted annoyed, shaking Leopold''s hand off a smile hint of pride shone through his voice when addressing Jake. Leopold turned toward Jake a look of shock apparent on his face, before he started laughing and clapping ecstatically.

    ¡°Never thought I¡¯d see the day kid, not for a few more years at least. All that training with the trees paying off finally, huh? Ok then kid, since you killed it you get to skin it. Rick, help your mini-me with that.¡±

    Leopold let out another laugh, before walking over and clapping Jake on the shoulder, giving him a thumbs up and saying,

    ¡°Good job, Kid¡± in a voice dripping with sincerity, a kind smile on his face. After that, his face broke into a smirk as he chuckled and strolled back across camp toward his bedroll. Lana for her part gave Jake a tired thumbs up before also stalking back to sleep.

    Rick, though looking annoyed at Leopold''s comments, said nothing in response and walked over to where Jake was still frozen. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to look down at the body of the wolf again, it didn¡¯t feel right. At first, he felt ecstatic at his first kill, at successfully managing to hunt and survive. To beat the predator staring down at him.

    But the longer he stewed in his victory the worse it felt. He hadn¡¯t bested his enemy with any sort of skill on his part. In the end, when face to face with his fears yet again he failed, freezing up and being unable to act. It was only in a desperate hail mary that he succeeded. It was literal blind luck he¡¯d managed to kill the wolf. He hadn¡¯t been aiming; he couldn¡¯t possibly aim. Every time he tried to, the stares of the beast pierced his soul.

    Rick pulled Jakes abandoned knife from the wolfs eyes, glowering at the fresh black blood that stained its sheen. Still, he held it in his hands and gripped the wolf around its midsection, flipping it over he brought the stained knife to the wolf''s neck and made a cut into the dead beast¡¯s jugular. As blood began flowing freely from the fresh cut, Rick lifted the wolf with a grunt and carried it to a particularly tall trunk. He let it dangle over the edge, blood flowing freely out of the wolf onto the ground below.

    Whipping his hands, Rick went to stand next to Jake who still hadn¡¯t moved, standing stock still and staring out into the distance. Rick didn¡¯t say a word at first, only pulling a handkerchief out from his cloak to wipe the blood away from the knife. After several minutes, he gave a nod, and while passing the knife back into Jake¡¯s hands said,

    ¡°For someone who just hunted his first kill, you don¡¯t seem very happy kid.¡± Jake took hold of the knife, staring down into its sheen before saying,

    ¡°I failed.¡±

    The statement hung in the air for a moment, unbroken silence filling the space till Rick asked,

    ¡°How exactly?¡±

    ¡°I failed. I failed again. I just¡­ couldn¡¯t do it. All it had to do was look at me and I sat there, frozen. I tried so hard to make myself face my fear, make my body move, but even with certain death staring me down, I just couldn¡¯t. I just sat there, waiting to die.¡±

    Rick nodded his head, slowly, before looking over at the bleeding wolf and asking,

    ¡°Then how come you''re alive and the wolf¡¯s the one lying over there bleeding out onto the ground.¡±

    ¡°I just¡­ I just shut my eyes; and broke eye contact. Used that split second of desperation to throw the knife forward and duck down. Don¡¯t you get it through? It wasn¡¯t my aim, or my skill that killed that thing, just blind luck.¡±

    Rick nodded again, before asking,

    ¡°So how exactly did you fail?¡±

    Jake turned his head toward Rick who seemed too stubborn to understand his point, ready to continue arguing only to find Rick smiling kindly at him, the first smile he could ever recall the gruff man giving.

    ¡°Kid, I don¡¯t know how you haven¡¯t figured this out by now but most survival boils down to blind luck. Facing your fears, skills, and knowledge? Great edges to tip the scales of fate but at the end of the day, it all comes down to blind luck. All that matters is you stay alive. And look at that, you¡¯re still breathing. So how exactly did you fail?¡±

    Rick pointed toward the wolf, still bleeding on the ground, and said,

    ¡°When you figure a way you failed, let me know. Till then, go wait with that thing kid. Your first kill, you get to skin it.¡±

    Jake nodded; throat clammy. He couldn¡¯t think of anything to say anymore, all the arguments he had, the frustration he felt about feeling frightened yet again. It all felt childish when compared to the bigger picture. Walking over to the bleeding wolf, he laid his hand across his heart and felt it beat.

 Day 24 - Sunless Sky - Defanged

    The surroundings sat barren around Jake. The group had long passed any remains of the Largo Forest, and all that remained was the ruined plains¡ªa reminder of the destruction wrought by The Corruption. Lana had remained quiet throughout the group¡¯s trek, occasionally looking around with a slack jaw and a look of utter incomprehension on her face.

    Leopold throughout the group¡¯s journey had maintained a stream of chatter that acted as background noise for the group¡¯s procession, cracking jokes and telling small anecdotes recounting stories of his and Lana¡¯s childhood. All these stories were inconsequential, mostly highlighting embarrassing moments or fights between the two during their childhood. The stories did serve to rouse Lana from her spellbound horror for moments at a time, however, as she would let out a chuckle or add on to his narratives.

    At one point, Jake moved over toward Lana, intent to try and strike up a conversation only to catch Leopold''s eyes. He gave a discrete shake of his head before continuing his ramblings, distracting Lana. Jake moved back away, leaving Lana alone. He wasn¡¯t sure if now was a good time to try and strike up a conversation, but decided it would be best to move back after seeing Leopold''s reaction. He let her be and moved back, walking alongside Rick.

    The group walked in silence for a while before finally making camp atop a flat hill. No foliage surrounded the campsite, and nothing seemed to exist beyond the pitch black that surrounded the group. Jake was grateful to stop walking. In truth, the group hadn¡¯t walked nearly as far as Leopold had planned, having been interrupted by the sudden attack of the wolf, but said attack and the cleanup following had left Jake feeling exhausted both physically and mentally.

    The group ate a fairly quick dinner of roasted wolf, harvested from the portions that could be skinned and cleaned from the wolf corpse after it was fully drained. The body of the wolf had been in rough condition even before Jake killed it, so even though the kill itself was clean, the extent of the damage the wolf had sustained left large sections of meat inedible.

    What was edible still tasted fairly foul. Jake had grown used to the unseasoned meals he enjoyed with the trio during his time traveling with them, but the wolf was particularly nasty. Maybe it was because of the condition of the corpse before Jake could begin butchering it, perhaps the body had started rotting while the wolf was still alive? Maybe Jake had simply screwed the butchering up, he was by no means an expert. He wouldn¡¯t even consider himself a novice.

    Whatever the case was, the meat tasted foul. But the trio still bit into it without care, and Jake joined them in their reckless abandon to consume the disgusting flesh. Even a disgusting meal was better than no meal, slowly starving curled up on the rocks or in the sands.

    After dinner, he was allowed to sleep first, with Rick and Lana keeping watch. Though he was grateful for the chance to rest he found it hard to fall asleep. At first, it was because every sound in the dark around him had him on edge, but after a while knowing who was watching over him, he was able to drift off into a restless sleep. He couldn¡¯t remember much of what he dreamed, it hardly felt like he dreamed at all. When he woke up, all he could recall was it felt like he was drowning, slipping beneath the surface of an unending black ocean.

    Jake had sat up suddenly and looked around, spotting Rick a few feet away from him. A knife was held in his hand, raised in a clear show that he was preparing to toss it into the dirt next to him. Seeing Jake awake though, Rick just gave a nod before walking over and lying flat on the dirt. Jake stared at Rick for a moment longer, wanting to voice complaints about the violent morning routine but finding doing so harder now he¡¯d experienced the feeling of being targeted in his sleep firsthand.

    With a sigh, he pulled himself up from his bed and looked around the camp. Lana was also now lying down to sleep. Leopold meanwhile was sitting on one of the bags the group had packed. He wore no armor and wore a rather bored look on his face as he stared off into the darkness, occasionally pocking into the dirt with the tip of his sword.

    Jake moved a little ways from Leopold and sat opposite the main prize he¡¯d won from the wolf attack. The skinned pelt of the wolf lay across from him. It was in terrible condition, falling apart in several places and still covered in matted patches of black blood. Jake''s rough job skinning the creature hadn¡¯t helped in any way the rough condition its pelt had been in before its death, and now it resembled trash more so than fur.

    Usually, following the successful skinning of whatever prey Leopold or Rick would drag back to camp, the pelt would be thrown into the fire unless it could be stripped and turned into crude leather. This was because, according to Rick, the black blood that stained the fur sat like tar, crude and unremovable, and rendered any pelt worthless. Despite knowing this, and despite the less than subpar condition the pelt was in Jake had requested to keep the pelt of the wolf, having dragged it inward from the forest into the plains.

    It wasn¡¯t out of sentimentality that Jake kept the fur, the rotted piece of fur and skin disgusted Jake. He kept it for one simple reason. Sitting down and looking forward he stared into the remaining eye of the wolf. It was glassy, any sort of life gone. The mouth of the wolf hung open in a horrific snarl as it sat had died mid-leap, poised to attempt and rip Jake''s throat out. The muscles of the wolf¡¯s face still screamed with fury and madness, and still seemed to echo its instinctual desire to hunt.

    But its eye lolled glassy and dead, the look of the predator that hunted Jakes being gone from them. He forced himself to stare into the wolf''s eye, ingraining the look of the lifeless predator into his soul. Even now, looking into its eye, some part of him still froze in fear. The longer he sat, staring into the beast¡¯s eyes the more he could imagine the pain that had enveloped his body, blood pouring from his back and leg. He shook his head clear before he got lost in fantasy and focused again. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

    His fears were not important. Staring into this lifeless shell wouldn¡¯t magically cure him of what haunted him, he doubted he¡¯d ever truly be free of the predator stalking his soul. Jake reached forward, and with disgust grazed his hand over where his knife had embedded itself into the monster¡¯s skull. By skill or by luck, it truly didn¡¯t matter in the end. He was still alive, and the predator was dead.

    Jake stood up from his seat and stepped back till he was a few yards away, positioning himself to where he would have been when the wolf rose to attack him. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and recalled it, the glassy eye staring at him. Replaced the fury-driven, instinct-bound killer in his head with the lifeless corpse across from him. Opening his eyes, any sense of fear was gone as wordlessly he began to throw his knives forward into the tattered pelt across from him.

    He continued like this for a while but soon found he was having no real challenge hitting the wolf across from him. He was too high up and the wolf''s pelt lay too flat to the ground. He was basically pitching into a large, flat blanket. The target he was giving himself was too easy to, easier to hit than the tree he¡¯d been practicing with so far. After some time, he sat down on the floor and began throwing his knives again. This narrowed his target down to one spot, the tiny sliver of the wolf''s skull still remaining, and made his practice feel near impossible.

    Jake didn¡¯t care, focusing only on throwing the knife he was currently holding, ignoring everything around him. When he¡¯d started, he hadn¡¯t planned on zoning out so much, it was meant to be something to do while also keeping watch. But the longer he went on, the more he focused on the head across from him and soon he completely forgot to keep watch at all. The only time he ever lost focus on the skull sitting directly across him was when he¡¯d be forced to march and retrieve his discarded blades.

    The longer he went on, the closer he felt he was starting to get to striking the head. Occasionally the knife would scratch the fur, or would just barely miss embedding into the face before landing in the darkness beyond. Frustration boiled in Jake at these failures and near misses, but he ignored it all, focused only on trying to achieve the goal in front of him. He wasn¡¯t sure how long he sat there, mindlessly throwing knives out into the dark but he only stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

    ¡°You''re supposed to be keeping watch, kid.¡± Jake turned to see Leopold standing above him, arms crossed and a look of mock confusion on his face.

    ¡°You already killed that one. Shouldn¡¯t you be looking somewhere else, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s getting any deader.¡± His look of mock confusion broke into a smile, and he laughed to himself.

    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jake said, turning back from Leopold and staring at the wolf across from him, ¡°I just wanted to try and practice some.¡±

    ¡°Ahh,¡± Leopold said, with a wave of his hands, ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± He sat next to Jake, legs sprawled out behind him as he leaned back on his arms looking rather relaxed. ¡°Truth be told, and don¡¯t take this the wrong way, but I doubt you could notice anything charging us in time to be helpful.¡±

    Jake opened and closed his mouth a moment before asking,

    ¡°How is there a right way to take that?¡±

    ¡°Oh. I guess there isn¡¯t a right way to take it, is there?¡± Leopold said before snickering to himself. When he finished, he added,

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad about it, though me and Lana help keep watch to give him a break if anyone¡¯s going to notice something sneaking up on us in the dark it¡¯ll be Rick. He¡¯s probably listening in on us now.¡±

    Leopold and Jake turned around toward where Lana and Rick were sleeping. Silence greeted them in return. Leopold let out a laugh before saying,

    ¡°Aww, he¡¯s being shy.¡± Jake was prepared to see a knife fly through the air and impale itself between Leopold¡¯s legs in warning, but no such attack came. Either he was really asleep or had been with Leopold so long he was numb to this sort of thing. Thinking about it Jake found both possibilities equally likely. Looking back at Rick, Jake thought a moment before turning toward Leopold and asking in a whisper,

    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Rick¡­ why isn¡¯t he a Swarm?¡±

    ¡°Ah, he really did tell you everything huh kid? You should feel honored; you¡¯re maybe the fifth person he¡¯s told the story to? Depending on how much he told you, you may be the third to hear all the Gorey details. In truth kid, I¡¯m not one hundred percent sure. Me and Lala both have thoughts on the issue. From what she told me when they healed him he screamed in pain, not like when you were healed mind you, he screamed in pain when he was being numbed. Maybe he was exposed to enough magic in time it burned The Corruption out of him before any symptoms could manifest.¡±

    ¡°Is that possible?¡± Jake asked, thinking back to the shambling husks of The Swarm or the mad animals wandering around and wondering if enough magic could be used to purify them somehow.

    ¡°In theory, yeah?¡± Leopold shrugged before saying ¡°Lala talked to me about it a long time ago, and I never focused on the magical aspect while in the military so don¡¯t quote me. I¡¯d ask her or Rick about it later.¡±

    Jake nodded, looking out into the darkness toward the tattered wolf pelt before asking something that had been on his mind a while now since they¡¯d exited the forest in favor of the plains,

    ¡°Leopold, if the forest that once grew up around here is gone, and we can barely see out around us, aren¡¯t we lost?¡±

    Leopold laughed and shook his head saying,

    ¡°We were always going to end up exiting the forest eventually kid, the Largo kingdom is surrounded by plains on all sides. The trees may be gone but the overall geography hasn¡¯t changed to a degree where I don¡¯t have a rough idea where we are going. Not to mention we have Rick. Where still moving in the right direction.¡±

    Jake gave a nod, it was all he could do. He had no other means of navigation to suggest, really he was just curious.

    ¡°I¡¯d give the wolf a break and lay back down for a bit kid. I can keep watch on my own for a bit. Well, be moving on from here in a bit.¡±

    Jake gave a nod and laid back down but found himself unable to fall back asleep. He didn¡¯t have long to try and sleep anyway, before he knew it the rest of the group was up and about, packing to continue traveling across the desolate plains surrounding them. Jake moved to, packing his bag and helping the others gather their gear as much as he could.

    When everyone was ready to depart, they did so carrying everything with them save for the rotted fur of the wolf. Jake chose to leave it behind, though he never successfully landed a hit to its head he figured continuing to haul the corpse forward would be a bigger detriment than any training it could offer. Stopping by the monster''s body one last time, Jake bent down toward the beast and wrestled his hand into its Jaw.

    It was cold and wet inside, but with a shudder and some effort Jake was able to quickly snap the wolf''s four canine fangs free, letting them roll loose in his hand. Looking down at the collected fangs, he balled his hand into a fist before hurrying to join the group, leaving the defanged wolf behind to rot, his retreating form reflected in its glassy eye.

 Day 25 - Sunless Sky - Bygone Days

    The walk across the plains was far less stimulating than those through the mountain or the forest had been. Nothing except rolling fields of flat dirt existed within the visible spectrum for the group. Though at times the difficult terrain of the mountains or the stretching trees set Jake on edge or made it difficult to walk, it was at least interesting to look at while walking. Now, Jake felt only boredom, combined with an ever-growing sense that the group was lost.

    Despite Leopold''s reassurances the night before, and Rick''s confident demeanor today while strolling forward Jake still couldn¡¯t shake the feeling they were hopelessly lost. Looking back, their footsteps behind them continued forward in an unbending straight line before fading off into the dark. Jake doubted they were walking in circles but even with how skilled Rick had proven himself to be, navigating through barren emptiness seemed impossible to Jake.

    He was the only one worried about this, as Leopold and Rick casually chatted among themselves in short bursts at the front of the group. Jake couldn¡¯t hear what their conversation was about, he could only see the annoyed expressions Rick would flash and hear the loud laughter echoing from Leopold. This left Jake and Lana walking alone together in the back of the group.

    Lana seemed to be in much higher spirits today than during yesterday¡¯s journey. Though her eyes still seemed to carry a sort of tired sadness she wore a smile and walked with her head high, no daze about her. Walking beside her for a bit, Jake leaned over to her and whispered,

    ¡°Are we lost?¡±

    Lana let out a short laugh before shaking her head and saying,

    ¡°I don¡¯t remember the forest very well, it''s been ages since the last time I passed through it. But Leopold used to patrol it regularly when he was still with the army, and Rick told me he would always pass through to trade with Largo. If they aren¡¯t worried, I wouldn¡¯t be either.¡±

    Jake gave a nod, unsurprised by her answer. In truth, he was expecting an answer of some kind like this from her, and it was very similar to what he had already been told by Leopold. Though he was still personally worried about getting lost as he stared into the unending abyss, he¡¯d already decided to trust in Rick and Leopold to guide him. His true aim in asking Lana wasn¡¯t for reassurance, but rather as an excuse to start a conversation with her.

    Things had felt odd between the two for the past few days now. Jake wasn¡¯t quite sure why, but he found it difficult to talk to her now he was healed, and while he felt he could strike up a conversation with Leopold or Rick the same wasn¡¯t true for Lana. As for Lana, she hadn¡¯t been unfriendly but she¡¯d kept her distance never going out of her way to strike conversations.

    Looking around the barren landscape surrounding the two, Jake asked,

    ¡°You¡¯ve known Rick a while then?¡±

    ¡°Two or three years? Ever since Largo fell. We ran into him while we were fleeing, it¡¯s hard to remember the exact date we met what with the chaos of the cities collapsing and¡­¡± she gestured wildly around at the darkness that pervaded the air.

    ¡°So, you and Will ran into him together?¡±  Jake asked without much thought. The question sort of slipped out as he was trying to connect the pieces of information he knew about his traveling companions together in his mind. However, he regretted it as soon as he said it. He¡¯d meant to broach the topic of this ¡®Will¡¯ Leopold had mentioned in a much gentler fashion, and seeing the sudden shift in Lana¡¯s face he could tell he made a mistake.

    Her face hardened like a statue, the smile she wore instantly dropping and her eyes hardening to something of fury and despair as she glared at Jake. She stopped walking and just stared at him, uncaring that the others were walking ahead and the light around them was fading.

    ¡°How the¡­¡± Her gaze suddenly snapped to Leopold who still obliviously strolled ahead, chatting with Rick. A sort of snarl escaped her mouth as she suddenly snapped her head back toward Jake, grabbing his shirt and pulling him close.

    ¡°Don¡¯t you¡­ Don¡¯t you ever¡­¡± She was stuttering, stumbling over herself to express the emotions racing through her.

    ¡°I understand, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jake said, quickly raising his hands in a sign of surrender. A million excuses to defend himself started swimming in his head. He was only curious, he hadn¡¯t known what he was talking about, he¡¯d heard Leopold mention the name and wanted to know more. But none of those escaped Jake''s lips. None of his excuses mattered right now, they¡¯d only further taint the situation and ruin what little worth his apology had to Lana.

    Lana held him there a moment longer, glaring down at him before releasing him. She then turned without another word and stalked after the retreating light of Rick and Leopold. Jake rubbed where Lana had grabbed him before also hurrying to catch up to the pair, not wanting to be left in the dark. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    The group walked in an awkward silence after that, Lana acting icey to whoever dared try to approach her. Not that many tried, Jake already knew the cause of her anger, and Leopold stayed away after getting a sudden scolding after he tried to drag her into a story. Only Rick seemed uncaring of her mood, asking her an occasional question as needed or talking to her normally.

    The group walked far longer than yesterday, but in the end, after hours upon hours of walking the surroundings failed to change from anything more interesting from decaying mounds of dirt. When the group finally made camp, a short dinner of dried meat followed. The group was now outside of the hunting range and could no longer expect to hunt fresh food to cook nightly, instead having to subsist on the dried meat prepared for this stretch of the journey.

    When it was time for the first watch, the rotation changed this time to Jake and Lana taking the first shift of watch, with Leopold and Rick stalking off to sleep. Rick walked away from the group without another word, looking noticeably more haggard and tired than usual to Jake. Leopold, however, first grabbed hold of Jake¡¯s arm and pulled him to the side whispering,

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you did today with Lala but fix it before morning kid.¡±

    He then left to sleep, leaving Lana and Jake standing alone for the first shift of watch. Jake didn¡¯t dare say anything as he stood next to her, not even sure how he could begin to approach talking to her again. He already had a few ideas on who Will could be yet still bumbled into bringing it up to Lana like an insensitive moron.

    According to what Leopold said, this Will held the key to why the trio was journeying to rescue the sky together. More important than that though, it was clear he meant a lot to Lena. Jake didn¡¯t care about solving the mystery behind their journey anymore, he just wanted to somehow find a way to repair the damage he¡¯d done to the woman who saved him. But he feared that task could already be impossible.

    As Jake stood there, pondering over how he could even begin to try and talk to her again Lena spoke first, staring off into the darkness. Her tone was neither angry nor happy, simply sounding serene as she said,

    ¡°When I was young, younger than you are kid, The Largo Academy hosted its annual field trip. All the 3rd years would be gathered and shuffled outside beyond the city¡¯s walls to spend a week studying in the forest. I hated every second of it.¡±

    A small chuckle escaped from Lana as she turned to Jake with a small, near-invisible smile.

    ¡°The whole point of the trip was to force the students to get closer to nature and learn practical skills. It was supposed to somehow hone our magic. Never really understood the theory behind it, still don¡¯t to this day. To me, it was just a boring trip stuck out in the woods. We weren¡¯t allowed to bring anything with us save a few changes of clothes and school supplies for supplementary lessons. All our food, our water, everything we had to find ourselves.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t struggle at all; I just found the whole thing so boring. Figured I could be reading or relaxing in my room but instead, I was stuck sitting in the woods gossiping with my friends and staring off into the mountains talking about the day I¡¯d finally graduated and escaped from Largo. Then one day, while strolling aimlessly through the woods I bumped into Cal. He¡­¡±

    Lana stopped for a while before letting out a small sniffle and whipping her nose with her arm. Staring at the floor she continued,

    ¡°Calvin, I mean. Cal¡¯s just what Leopold called him. He used to call us Calala. Always used to tell him that didn¡¯t mean anything, but he¡¯d just chuckle to himself and ignore me. Anyway, I met him here for the first time. Short black hair, sort of like yours, and he was bumbling around clueless. I was amazed he¡¯d survived that long. I helped the guy out, just felt so bad for him. Then we just¡­ started talking after that¡­¡±

    Lala looked up again, gazing out into that dark,

    ¡°When I was younger, I would always daydream about leaving Largo, running away. Leopold, he followed through. Ran away and never looked back. But when I got older, I found all my memories, my best and worst times were all tied to the place. I may not have been perfect, but it was my home. I couldn¡¯t leave, I didn¡¯t want to leave. I decided I was going to raise my family, right here where I¡¯d been born, where I grew up. Someday, they¡¯d get to stroll through the woods bored out of their minds too.¡±

    Lana let out a little laugh, before turning to stare at Jake, small tears staining her eyes her smile forced and pained on her face.

    ¡°In the end, Cal died long before The Corruption claimed the world and Me and¡­ Me and Will were forced to leave our home behind. I never really thought about what would happen to Largo after we left, I guess some part of me still held on to that fantasy. But strolling through these plains, the ruins of where I met him¡­ It hurts more than I ever thought possible.¡±

    Jake stood in silence, unsure of what to say, or how to possibly comfort her. After a while, he sat next to her and looked out into the dark as well.

    ¡°Lana, I just¡­ sorry feels too hollow to say but I truly am sorry. I don¡¯t understand what you¡¯ve gone through Lana, I don¡¯t think I can ever truly understand what any of you have gone through. The pain, the loss. It¡¯s not something I understand and, to be honest, I hope I never have to understand it. All I can say is I¡¯m sorry for forcing this out of you.¡±

    It was the truth, while he may be separated from them Jake¡¯s family was still alive. He would see them again someday. But for these three the losses they¡¯d endured so far seemed unimaginable to Jake. Lana sat in silence for a while after Jake''s proclamation, before letting out a small chuckle and saying,

    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it for a while now since you brought it up, and though I trust Rick I¡¯m not so confident in Leopold. Maybe we should double-check we aren¡¯t lost.¡±

    Her voice sounded weak and shaky, but Jake ignored that letting out a small laugh before nodding and saying,

    ¡°I think you¡¯re right, I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s leading us totally off course. Not that I can tell, it all looks the same to me.¡±

    After this brief exchange, Lana and Jake¡¯s chat became a bit more relaxed, discussing nothing in particular for a while before Jake hauled himself up. He figured it was time to wake Rick and get some sleep. As he was about to walk away though Lana grabbed hold of his sleeve and held it for a moment before letting it go. Her face looked conflicted. Jake walked away without pressing the issue. Whatever issue Lana wanted to talk about, she could bring it up when she was ready. Jake was done trying to pry anything out of her.

 Day 26 - Sunless Sky - Lake of Blood

    The next morning Jake woke up to the now familiar sensation of a knife burrowing into the dirt by his head, so close it practically scratched his cheek. No longer surprised by the routine, Jake sat up to see Rick across from him, farther back than he had been the last time he¡¯d done this.

    ¡°Sloppy kid,¡± Rick said, an annoyed look on his face yet the tone of his voice betrayed he found this standard greeting the two shared amusing. Rolling his eyes, Jake collected the knife and stood up, shaking the loose dirt free from its blade. Soon the blade sparkled like new again. He walked over and reached out to hand the blade over to Rick, who shook his head no. With a shrug, Jake pocketed the blade. It would certainly make practice easier to have an extra blade handy.

    ¡°I''m Glad you decided to dump the wolf before I had to say anything, kid.¡± Jake turned to Rick, unsure of what he meant by that.

    ¡°Carrying around that thing as it rotted further would only act as bait for whatever¡¯s left out there. Dumping it early means it¡¯ll hopefully distract whatever¡¯s lurking out there away from us.¡±

    Jake gave a nod, having never once considered that when he¡¯d asked to drag the wolf¡¯s carcass into the plains with him, in fact, he¡¯d never really had some big design in mind when carrying the body around. It somehow just felt right, like he might gain something from forcing himself to be near it.

    ¡°I know that¡¯s not why you brought it with you kid,¡± Rick said, perhaps noticing the way Jake''s face suspiciously shifted to hide his true thoughts. ¡°Hope you got what you needed out of it before you dumped it, saw you messing around with it before we left.¡±

    Jake nodded and reached into his pocket, pulling out the fangs of the wolf he¡¯d plucked.

    ¡°Not sure why, don¡¯t have a use for them. Just felt like I needed to keep¡­ something.¡± Jake said, scratching behind his head with the hand not holding the teeth of the wolf.

    ¡°It''s perfectly natural to want a trophy kid, and those should be safe to hold onto. Good choice.¡± Rick said after glancing at the teeth in Jake¡¯s hands. Jake nodded and repocketed the teeth, but in his heart, he disagreed. Somehow, the teeth didn¡¯t feel like a trophy, more so a reminder. He remembered when he left the wolf the teeth had somehow felt so important to him in the moment, but now standing across from Rick holding them they just felt silly.

    Silence grew between the two for a while, as neither moved or spoke after Jake repocketed the teeth. Rick just stood there arms crossed staring at the ground while Jake tapped his foot, staring off into the dark behind Rick¡¯s head unsure of where to take the conversation.

    ¡°You want to know why I¡¯m not one of The Swarm, right kid?¡± Jake was taken aback by Rick¡¯s sudden question, which in no related to anything the two had been talking about. As Jake stood there, mouth agape wondering if this had been Rick¡¯s awkward way of breaking the ice on the topic Rick continued,

    ¡°Don¡¯t stare at me like that, you were practically shouting about it with Leopold the other night kid. Word of advice kid, I¡¯d work on your whispering because I could hear you from miles away if I wanted to.¡± Jake nodded awkwardly, unsure of where this conversation was heading. It had been vague curiosity that drove him to ask Leopold before, but now it looked like he was trying to sneak around and ask about Rick behind his back. Rick looked at him for a minute before shrugging and saying,

    ¡°Why are you staring at me like that kid? I¡¯ve talked about you behind your back plenty of times. And it¡¯s not a bad question to ask either.¡± Rick''s tone turned serious; his eyes locked onto Jake.

    ¡°The Corruption is just what its name implies it to be kid. It feeds off all that is evil in this world, and while proximity to it can cause it to spread what really spreads The Corruption has never changed, even before the sky was stolen. In the dark, the hearts of mankind falter, and there The Corruption breeds and spreads. What my family did before they fell¡­ what we did, I didn¡¯t know anything about. But they...they planned it all out, cut the flesh of the dead...passed it around. While this is still just a guess, I¡¯d bet anything my ignorance of their sin is what saved me and doomed them.¡±

    Rick turned his head toward where Leopold and Lana were packing, the two having started shortly after Rick and Jake started talking.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what the two of them have told you about Largo kid, but did you know it was once the magical capital of the known world? Yet still, it was the first major empire to fall, lost to The Corruption. Can you imagine how filthy a place it must have been if The Corruption managed to breed in the heart of what was poison to it? I know Lana has blinded herself to the truth of where we are going, and I can¡¯t blame her for that, but even Leopold doesn¡¯t like to talk about the truth of the place anymore. I won¡¯t deny them their fantasy, but it¡¯s only fair to you to know what sort of place Largo was, and what sort of ruins we can expect to find.¡±

    Without another word Rick turned and walked away, leaving Jake alone to ponder his words. He¡¯d never given much thought to what sort of place Largo must have been; all he knew about it was that it was destroyed. Now Jake stood there, lost in thought about just how many people could have possibly been turned To Swarm to overwhelm a place known for its magical power. Thousands? Millions? Could it be in the Billions? Just what waited for them at the end of their journey, what waited in Largo?

    Eventually, he turned his head away, trying to ignore the worrying thoughts Rick had sparked, and met Lana¡¯s eyes for a moment. She flashed him a small, strained-looking smile before turning away quickly. Jake sighed and quickly packed his stuff to not slow the group¡¯s departure down. He couldn¡¯t blame Lana for her reaction. Despite his best work to apologize and return their dynamic to normal, their bond still felt strained. All he could do now was leave her be, and hope not to make things worse between them somehow. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    The group walked in silence through the plains for the first time since entering. Leopold did not provide idle chatter to act as background noise like he usually did, he was too focused on working with Rick in hushed whispers that failed to reach the other two. They were walking low to the ground, which was difficult for Leopold due to the bulk of his armor, struggling to map the endless typography stretching out into the darkness around them. As for Lana and Jake, neither said a word to the other, only walking side by side at an awkward distance. Eventually, the group came to a stop.

    ¡°What in the hell¡­¡±

    Leopold whispered as he stared down at what looked like a large black puddle rippling as it stretched out forever beyond where it appeared in the group¡¯s field of view. The group tried to trace around the ring of the puddle for a bit, and though its shape changed slightly, failing to form a perfect circle the puddle of black liquid was unending, with no clear path around presenting itself. The only way forward was through the black abyss covering the ground.

    Leopold stepped forward first, slowly walking a few steps forward. The black of the puddle sloshed around his armored feet with each step, and the ripples across the liquid surface grew worse and worse with each step he made to disrupt the puddle. The puddle didn¡¯t even rise up to his toes, he stood easily atop the liquid barely sinking into it. Yet still, it was not a comforting sight to see that as he stepped forward, the light only revealed more of the puddle, stretching out seemingly forever.

    With reluctance, the group carried on pushing out into the puddle. When it was Jake¡¯s turn to walk into the puddle, he was met with a horrid surprise as it instantly soaked through the now worn-down slipper he wore, soaking the bottom and sides of his foot instantly. It was cold with a sticky feeling that seemed to cling to his foot desperately with every step. It was a familiar feeling to Jake, and though he¡¯d already suspected it, it was unnerving to confirm the puddle stretching out around them was an endless pool of the vicious black blood that always streamed from The Corruptions pawns.

    The group carried onward, much slower now than they had before, careful not to slip or trip on any unseen obstacle hidden in the blood below. Rick and Leopold who led the charge no longer focused on the topography or their surroundings, as all that surrounded the group was blood in endless amounts. They focused only on keeping the group together and moving forward in a straight line as best they could.

    At first, though slowed significantly the group managed to make decent progress marching through the blood as it barely rose up the sides of their foot, only affecting Jake who found the slipper he worse rather inefficient at keeping the liquid out. However, the longer they walked the more the ground began to slowly slope downwards while the blood remained at a constant level, rippling around them. Slowly it rose to cling to the sides of their foot before rising further and gripping their ankles. Now not only Jake struggled as the viscous blood clung fast to his feet, but the whole group found walking a herculean task.

    As they pressed forward, ignoring the sticky blood that struggled endlessly to pull them back, all at once out in front, Leopold dropped out of sight, slipping below the surface of blood without so much as a sound. In alarm, Lana cried out and rushed forward toward where her brother had disappeared before finding herself held back by Rick. He stopped Lana from rushing forward before bending forward, sinking to his hands and knees in the blood, and searching blindly in the black abyss. There was silence for a minute before, all at once a sound of exertion escaped Rick¡¯s lips and Leopold was pulled upwards breaking the surface of blood.

    Black clung to his face and hair, dripping slowly in large viscous beads of his hair and down his face. He coughed as sputters of blood escaped his mouth, his tongue recoiling in horror at the taste.

    ¡°Drop¡­ Drop ahead¡­¡± Leopold sputtered, still coughing and struggling to recover as he attempted to put on a smile.

    Rick looked down to where Leopold now sat submerged before a look of disgust crossed his face. Then with a sigh, he sat down and swung his legs into the unknown with Leopold and dropped over the edge. Unlike Leopold, he didn¡¯t completely sink down into the abyss as he found himself grabbed and supported by Leopold. Lana and Jake soon followed suit, sinking into the blood.

    Swimming through the blood was a horrid experience. It clung to Jake''s arms and legs, making even treading water an exhaustive task. Jake tried to extend his toes, hoping he could find something to balance on but he was too short, and instead, he found himself nearly slipping below the surface completely.

    Though swimming through the blood was difficult, the group had no choice but to continue moving forward, moving now at a snail''s pace when compared to when they were simply walking not long before. The blood clung to every part of their body, and though they swam forward without rest it felt like they made no progress at all. Eventually though, Jake felt his leg connect with something, and looking around it was the same for the rest of the group. Hard stone was under Jake''s foot now, and though at first he could only scrape it with his toes soon he found himself uneasily walking across the surface of the stone.

    Slowly, with grunts of discomfort, the group hauled themselves out of the blood onto an outcropping of rock. They all sat coughing and gagging for a while or struggled to shake the blood off their bodies. None wanted to try and move the group forward on their quest at the moment, as all dreaded the thought of returning to the lake of blood. Eventually after laying flat for a while, Jake turned to Rick and asked in haggard, tired breathes,

    ¡°Where¡­ Are¡­ We¡­?¡±

    Rick shook his head in response and shrugged. He was slow to move, and a constant look of disgust hung on his face as he looked down at himself, though he seemed too tired now to wipe the blood from himself at the moment. After a while like this, Lana sat up and raised her hand skyward. There was a brief beat of silence before a loud crackling sound could be heard and a light shot up from her hand, into the sky and exploded like a flare. It lit the sky around them as she kept her hand raised, a look of concentrated effort clear on her face.

    As she kept her hand raised, the rest of the group surveyed the land around them. The blood seemed to quake and ripple in protest of the light shining down upon it, but other than that, nothing could be seen. The flare above lit the world around them far more than the usual sources of light they carried, but still, the group could see no clear path forward as they lay exhausted trapped by the endless lake of blood.

 Day 27 - Sunless Sky - Splintering Trio

    The night was long and quiet. No one talked after the flare above was extinguished, as a resolved hush fell over the group. They all simply curled up on the rock isolating themselves from one another, each lost in their thoughts. There was no shared dinner that evening, each would simply eat what could be salvaged from their supplies whenever they felt like it.

    The blood had soaked through everything. Looking into his bag, Jake found his blanket dyed black and sticky, and a small pool of blood remained undrained at the bottom of the bag long after the group had escaped the pull of the lake. Jake emptied his bag of blood and twisted his blanket out hoping to remove the blood but found it stuck hard and fast, coating everything.

    The rest of the group faired no better. Leopold probably had it the worst, his armor was in disarray, and he would find pockets of blood congealed within it as he took it off, weighing him down at awkward angles that made moving within and outside of the lake difficult. Rick didn¡¯t bother checking his bags, instead spending his time cleaning himself and polishing his knives, though this task seemed more difficult than it had been before as now the handkerchiefs he would use were stained through.

    Lana sat quietly, curled up not bothering to check her luggage or remove the blood coating her in any way. She looked completely dejected following the extinguishing of the flare from the sky, more so than anyone else. An empty haze overtook her gaze as she stared downward and she never bothered eating anything well into the evening. Jake worried for her, casting her several worried glances as he attended to cleaning his ruined supplies, but at the moment he felt he didn¡¯t have the luxury to personally go check on her.

    Right now, he was worried about all of them. Rick and Leopold, in between cleaning or organizing what could be salvaged of their gear, peered over the edge of the rock they sat perched on into the unknown beyond. Before, as they navigated the plains, Rick and Leopold held a sort of confidence about them. Jake couldn¡¯t understand what they saw at all, but the two had led the group forward while noting interesting geography or shifts in elevation. Now none of that remained, just an endless rippling lake of blood that seemed impossible to navigate.

    Jake hadn¡¯t confirmed it with the two yet, none of them seemed up to the task of really discussing their situation yet, but he could tell looking at the two their confidence in guiding the group was gone. Jake sighed and laid back on his blanket. It was still sticky with blood, but the work he¡¯d put into cleaning it had paid off somewhat as it was better than before. The condition didn¡¯t really matter much as Jake himself was still coated in blood.

    The bitter taste of the dried beef still stained his tongue. He¡¯d done his best to pick out the pieces protected from the onslaught of the blood, those that still looked fresh, yet still, the taste was off. Different from how it was before, tainted. Jake struggled to drift off to sleep, the unsettling feeling of the blood sticking to his skin, the rippling around him, the horrid sensation in the pit of his stomach they were trapped. All kept him awake or dragged him back out of sleep whenever he felt he might start to drift off.

    Eventually, he grew sick of the unrestful exercise trying to sleep provided and gave up, sitting up to find the rest of the group still awake as well. Yet none of them were eagerly packing like he usually found them in the morning. Lana still sat curled up where had been the night before, eerily whispering to herself a repeated chant Jake couldn¡¯t make out from where he was. Meanwhile, Leopold and Rick were seated in what looked like a heated argument, occasionally turning toward Jake and Lana with worried looks. Jake stood up and walked over to where the two sat in furious debate.

    ¡°Hey kid, lovely morning huh?¡± Leopold said, a smile on his face yet his eyes betrayed an absence of any joy.

    ¡°Can it, Leopold,¡± Rick said, annoyance clear in his tone of voice as he sat, legs curled beneath him. He looked the most helpless Jake had ever seen him and despite the annoyed way he snapped back at Leopold, all Jake heard in tone was desperation.

    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jake asked, having a pretty clear picture already but wanting to give the two a chance to explain.

    ¡°What''s going on is that we are a bit stuck kid,¡± Leopold said, scratching behind his head and smiling as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal, despite a nervous look bleeding out from his eyes, ¡°Neither of us can agree where we are anymore, or where to go. What to do.¡±

    ¡°We really have no idea where we are?¡± Jake asked despair welling up inside him. He thought he¡¯d be ready for the answer by now, but hearing it put forth into reality made the situation that much worse.

    ¡°Nonono,¡± Rick said, shaking his head and standing up, waving his arms like a madman, ¡°We have plenty of ideas where we are kid, Plains had plenty of rocks and cliffs like this one. Probably we are towards the middle. Halfway there. The exact location is harder to pin down, but we have a decent idea of where we are.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t be certain of that, Rick.¡± Jake stood up now, a tired look in his eyes. ¡°We don¡¯t know how the terrains changed; fucks sake we already saw plenty of changes before the massive lake of blood. You saw the same thing I saw, nothing was shining in the light. We keep going forward, we''re all going to drown.¡±

    ¡°So you just want to give up!¡± Rick sounded incensed, insulted. ¡°Go home after all this!¡± Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°No NO! Of course, not Rick but how are we supposed to keep going on like this!? We go forward well just be going in circles till we run out of stamina and drown. We have a change now, a change to turn back, try again¡­¡±

    ¡°There is no ¡®trying again¡¯ Leopold!¡± Rick was screaming now! ¡°The only way to largo is past the plains, the fact they''re flooded with blood doesn¡¯t change that fact. Just because you want to call it quits¡­¡±

    Both were standing, screaming at each other now as they paced around the stone. Jake had never seen them act this way, maybe awkward tension or an uncomfortable Joke but he never expected it to get this bad.

    ¡°Rick please, I¡¯m not saying we give up I¡¯m just saying we have to try another way. We can¡¯t keep going like this.¡±

    ¡°There is no other way, Leopold. I know you know it, you¡¯ve dodged the question of what this other way could possibly be for hours now. I get it, I really do. You just find it too difficult to keep going forward now, struggling to carry yourself with all that extra baggage?¡±

    Rick had crossed the rock and pulled Leopold close to him, he was screaming in his face now.

    ¡°I get you want to go home to your family, I do, but some of us don¡¯t have that option anymore! If you want to quit at least respect me enough to be honest about it. At least respect Will enough to¡­¡±

    Leopold shoved Rick away, pushing him to the ground. His face was contorted in a look of fury Jake had never once seen him make before.

    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU DARE¡­¡±

    ¡°STOP!¡±

    Lana screamed causing both Leopold and Rick to freeze and turn toward her, both panting heavily looks of rage frozen across their face.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t¡­ Will wouldn¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m sorry, please just stop. It¡¯s my fault we''re stuck here so stop, please. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    Her speech ended and she covered her ears before rocking backward and forward slightly on the rock, the rhythmic speech she¡¯d been repeating over and over to herself becoming clear.

    ¡°It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault. It¡¯s all my fault.¡±

    Still breathing heavily, both Rick and Leopold exchanged looks with each other before stepping away. It was clear both still fumed with rage at the other, but now they had more pressing issues to deal with.

    ¡°Lana please,¡± Leopold began, stepping forward and laying his hand on her shoulder. ¡°We all agreed to do this. It¡¯s no one¡¯s fault.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right Lana,¡± Rick said, coming to stand in front of the two, his arms crossed. ¡°Besides we aren¡¯t stuck here. We might not agree on how to escape, but we¡¯ll find a way out¡­¡±

    Lana shook her head though at Rick¡¯s words before violently shaking Leopold''s hand from her shoulder and pointing forward to Jake, who jumped a bit in surprise, not expecting to be dragged into the discussion.

    ¡°What about him!¡± She said in a plea that sounded like she was choking back tears, ¡°He didn¡¯t ask to be here! Hell, he barely knows what¡¯s going on! And now he¡¯s going to die! He¡¯s going to die again¡­ I mean look at him¡­Just look at him¡­¡±

    Jake was unsure what Lana was talking about, but Leopold and Rick exchanged a sort of knowing glance before both patted Lana on her back. Rick stood up and left Leopold to comfort Lana, not wanting to leave her to wallow alone.

    ¡°Is¡­ Is she going to be ok?¡± Jake asked Rick as he crossed the distance towards him. Rick shrugged before saying,

    ¡°Probably, she¡¯s tough but she¡¯s been through a lot. I think this might have been too much for her. She was fine when we had a clear way forward, but getting stuck up here hit her the hardest, I think. Probably felt like she was failing Will personally the longer she was stuck here.¡± Jake nodded, as he turned his gaze away from Lana and Leopold.

    ¡°Do you really think we can make it if we keep going forward?¡±

    ¡°Honestly kid, I don¡¯t know. You saw how far the lake stretches, and I couldn¡¯t see any clear places to rest yesterday. What I do know is turning back is a waste of time. We¡¯ll always have to pass through the plains, filled with blood or not.¡±

    A moment of silence passed before Jake walked over to where Leopold sat and asked,

    ¡°Don¡¯t I get a vote? Forward or backward?¡±

    Leopold looked up at him for a moment, unsure how to respond before nodding. Jake smiled at him before looking at Rick and saying,

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Leopold, but half of the equipment is already ruined, turning back now will just leave us stranded in the plains till we have to try again and ruin the rest of it. The best way off this rock is to continue forward.¡± Leopold sat for a minute, unresponsive before he nodded and let out a tired sigh.

    ¡°Fine Kid. I hear you. I don¡¯t want to argue with both you and Rick. But how do you expect to go anywhere when Lala¡¯s like this?¡±

    Jake looked down and realized he was right. Lana was still muttering to herself, rocking back and forth across the rocks. Kneeling down he sat across from her.

    ¡°Lana¡­ look I may not know what¡¯s going on half¡­ more than half the time but you guys didn¡¯t force me to be here. You saved my life countless times, tried to teach me to survive, and risked your lives for a stranger. I still can¡¯t understand it, this ¡®Final Heros¡¯ thing Leopold laughs about but that doesn¡¯t stop me from being grateful. It¡¯s not your fault I¡¯m here Lana; It¡¯s mine.¡±

    ¡°After you healed me, after I could walk, I chose to keep following you guys closer and closer toward the center of The Corruption. Even after you explained where we were going I still followed. Anything that happens to me is my fault, not yours.¡±

    Jake smiled as Lana lifted her head. She had stopped rocking and had lowered her hands from her head focusing in on him.

    ¡°I know you barely know me, you have no reason to trust me. But you know Leopold. You know Rick. And you heard them. Where not trapped Lana, where not going to die. We¡¯ll get out of here, I promise.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s right Lala,¡± Leopold added on, at her side, ¡°I promise you were not going to die here. After all, we can¡¯t die till Morsell executes us, right?¡±

    Lana let out a small chuckle and nodded, before reburying her head in her knees. It was clear she was still shaken, but she seemed calmer now. Jake stood up and moved away, leaving Leopold to comfort her. He went to stand by Rick who was sitting on the ground, staring off into the lake below. He held one of his knives, feverously trying to clean it with the soiled cloth of his handkerchief, trying to find some part of the cloth that was clean.

    ¡°Good work, kid. We¡¯ll give her some time. We probably need some time ourselves. I don¡¯t know about you but I¡¯ve hardly slept. And I¡¯m not exactly looking forward to jumping back into the lake.¡±

    Jake looked down with Rick at the rolling waves of the blood lake below. The thought of desperately reaching out, struggling as he drowned in viscous blood floated through his head every time he caught sight of the gurgling lake below. He gulped, hoping he wasn¡¯t making a mistake, agreeing with Rick.

 Day 28 - Sunless Sky - The Flesh of Largo

    The night was long, and despite their best efforts none of the group could fall asleep. They would lay back against the rock resting to replenish their strength, yet sleep eluded all of them. Throughout the night Leopold and Rick stayed separated, never exchanging a word. They left their argument buried behind them, no apologies or further vitriolic remarks escaping the two. Though they both tried to play off the heated moment they shared, it was clear to Jake tensions were still high.

    Rick spent his time simply staring over the edge of the rock, gazing out into the black void they all would soon be braving. Every time Jake looked over at him, his face was filled with pure concentration. Yet occasionally, he could see his brow break into a look of worry. It was clear even he doubted what lay ahead of them beyond in the lake of blood.

    Leopold never once moved away from Lana¡¯s side following her emotional outburst. Occasionally Jake could hear him make little jokes or try to start a story to soothe her. His efforts seemed to be bearing fruit, as time went on she slowly uncurled herself more and more. Eventually Jake could see a small smile return to her face as she joined in joking with Leopold. She looked better to Jake, but he could tell she was still incredibly shaken. Her body had a slight tremble and though she smiled and laughed with Leopold, her eyes looked sunken and lifeless.

    Jake himself also spent the night in a restless haze. The group remained on the rock thus far even after having decided on their next course of action in order to hopefully recuperate their strength, however, it felt the longer they delayed the more drained they became. Their wills were slowly sapped away, drained into the blood below till they were left like husks doubting and dreading the continuation of their journey.

    Their restless retreat continued till at last Rick stood up with a shout and began packing. He said nothing to anyone else, but his meaning was clear to everyone gathered. They all began to move as well, a shared sentiment of resentment for the rock had grown between them. Whatever happened now, it would be better than staying trapped on the cliffside, waiting to die.

    Jake¡¯s stuff was packed quickly, he never really bothered unpacking in the first place save for his now-ruined blanket. He¡¯d avoided digging through his bag purposefully, he didn¡¯t relish the idea of seeing the few possessions he still had coated and destroyed in blood. His bag settled back onto his back Jake walked over to where Lana was sitting. He sat across from her. Her bag sat packed next to her, once massive and oversized it looked deflated now and packed without any real care.

    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be ok?¡± Jake asked as he glanced around, Leopold had moved away to pack his own supplies leaving Lana alone for the first time in a while. Jake was a bit worried she might backslide into a panic attack when left alone. She simply smiled up at Jake at his question and nodded, her voice quiet and tired escaping in a whisper.

    ¡°I thought about it for a while¡­ I would rather die trying out there than sitting here. I¡¯m fine¡­ more than fine with moving forward. If I had to stay on this rock any longer, I might have peeled my skin off.¡± She let out a light chuckle after that last statement, as if she was sharing a hilarious joke with him but in Jake¡¯s eyes it sounded more like a threat.

    Jake stood up and offered her his hand to help her up. She took it and stood up on shaky legs. He helped her steady herself for a few minutes before she managed to stabilize her legs beneath her. With Lana on her feet and Jake and Rick finished packing, the group headed toward the sloped edge of the rock, where the sloshing waves of dark blood beckoned them.

    Leopold led the way first, reentering the blood by swinging himself over the edge of the rock. He struggled for a moment, nearly sinking below the surface of the lake as his armor broke the surface of the blood all at once, the weight dragging him down combined with the already viscous nature of the blood. Thankfully he still held on to the rock as he sang into the blood, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about falling below the surface again.

    Rick followed after him, and though he didn¡¯t have nearly as much trouble because he lacked the weight Leopold did since he didn¡¯t carry any armor he struggled at first when first entering the lake. Lana followed and Jake brought up the rear.

    Swimming through the blood was as horrid as Jake remembered it to be. It soaked through his clothes as soon as he sunk into it, chilling Jake to the bones. With grunts of effort, he struggled to pull his arms and legs upward, resisting the effort of the blood to drag him downward. They hadn¡¯t even begun moving forward yet. Still, they clung to the rock for support. Yet hanging there treading blood Jake was already beginning to feel exhausted just from the effort of fighting the viscous fluid surrounding him.

    Yet it grew even worse when the time finally came for the group to push off from the rock and forward onward through the blood. Jake remembered breaking through the surface of the blood to be an exhaustive task but it felt even worse now. His lack of any real meaningful rest was hitting him hard. Constantly he expended mass amounts of effort and energy only to feel like he hardly moved forward at all, or worse sometimes felt like he sunk backwards.

    He wasn¡¯t the only one, the entirety of the group struggled to swim. Though he avoided sinking before, Leopold wasn¡¯t so lucky to maintain this streak as the group moved forward. Despite his best efforts, multiple times he¡¯d find his head sinking beneath the waves of blood only to have to desperately struggle back up.

    Jake moved forward, straining his neck upward, and scoured below the surface of the blood with his foot for any hint of solid ground, but none came. This desperate search not only grew more frustrating the longer it went on, as it failed to produce any sort of results, but also dangerous as Jake found himself falling behind from the already slowed group. Worst of all was when his head would dip below the waves, following after his bobbing legs. Most of the time he could close his mouth tight, and deny the blood any entry into his body. But not every time was he so lucky.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    He¡¯d expected the blood to still taste of iron, as the meat of animals he¡¯d eaten influenced by The Corruption had still tasted normal enough. That had not been the taste. The taste of pure rot flowed across his tongue and filled his mouth. A horrid sensation of ruin and death his brain struggled to process, caused his tongue to shrivel and curl back down his throat. This first time it invaded his mouth he¡¯d been so off guard he¡¯d lost all control, sputtering and coughing floundering about the place in the lake. He only survived because one of the trio, who exactly he hadn¡¯t been able to see, had managed to catch hold of his arm and hold him upright above the water till he recovered.

    Since then, Jake dreaded the thought of even a single drop of blood finding its way onto his tongue, the horrid taste still sharp in his throat. But he couldn¡¯t help but search the depth below for some sign of ground he could walk across. It had been hours upon hours since the group had left the rock yet how far they progressed was impossible to tell. The rock that had served as both prison and salvation the past few days had faded into the distance long ago. Now all that remained was the unending sight of blood.

    Pushing onwards on their exhaustive journey, Jake paused as he felt his toe touch the ground below. It wasn¡¯t much, barely a fleeting feeling of ground but something solid definitely lurked below in the dark. Moving forward with more determination, his fatigue almost melting away, he soon found himself able to balance on his toes. It wasn¡¯t a comfortable way to stand, nor was it easy to shuffle forward but it did offer some sort of hope.

    Continuing forward on his toes, slowly but surely the ground below lengthened till at last he could stand flat-footed, his head bobbing above the surface of the lake. He wasn¡¯t the only one, all the group stood still now bobbing in the water. They faced each other in an awkward circle catching their breaths. Looking around they could still make out nothing save for the endless pool of blood, but the rising of the shore beneath them was a good sign. It marked they were leaving the deeper parts of the plains that once surrounded Largo and hopefully meant they would be approaching the city soon.

    The group stood in silence, save for the heavy panting breaths that escaped each of them for an unknown amount of time. When a decent amount of time had passed and the collective stamina of the group had seemed to recover somewhat, Lana raised her arm up from the blood far above her head. Her face looked calm, calmer now than Jake had seen it the past few days despite the endless toil through the blood.

    A beat of silence followed after she raised her arm before another spark and a flare of magic was sent flying into the sky. It exploded up into the air, as she kept her hand up exertion clear on her face. However, soon a gasp escaped her lips as her attention was drawn away from the exertion pulling at her body. Similar gasps would escape the rest of the collected group.

    Hidden in the dark now exposed by Lana¡¯s flares were several small islands made of towering rocks or boulders, though the depth of blood surrounding these misshapen bits of rock was unclear. What drew the eye was to the right of the group, a crumbling wall made of a mix of steel and carved stone. Ramparts lay deserted while torches were long extinguished and the only sign of what once laid behind it where in the ruined banners hanging limply from its sides. The wall of Largo stood ruined, unknown to Jake, and unrecognizable to those who¡¯d seen it before.

    But the ruined state of the wall was not what drew shocked cries from the group. Their collective shock came from the way the wall pulsated in the light. The way the dull grey of stone gave way to dull grey flesh which pulsed rhythmically. Soon as the light hit the sky shrieks could be heard, collective and revolting from the wall and beyond. The shrieks were awe-inspiring in their volume and magnitude. What looked like the remains of arms and legs, shriveled and unused, hung from the flesh like hair. They could see not only human remains but also animals collected into the mound of flesh.

    It pushed through the wall, oozing through its mortar and the ruined gate that still stood separating its mass from the outside. From it, black blood flowed in unending quantities downward into the lake below, an unending source of decay and rot. What remained of the people of Largo, the bare minimum the group could see in the flare¡¯s light beyond the city wall pulsed as a true Swarm, mutated and bounded together in eternal torment and madness.

    It was disgusting, Jake felt nothing but horror and despair when he looked upon the mound of flesh. He struggled not to vomit, succeeding only by virtue of the fact he¡¯d had nothing to eat but some disgusting dried beef the last few days. It wasn¡¯t too far from them. Since they could walk now within the lake of blood, they could probably reach it within an hour. Maybe less. Yet he felt no desire to pull himself closer to the flesh of Largo. Even from a distance, he could tell it was massive. Jake remembered what Rick had said about Largo, he imagined the flesh stretching and spanning to cover the whole of the city.

    Presently, as it sat pressed against the walls and gate of the city, he could see no other way into the city. Uncertain of what to do next, Jake looked around the group to see they were showing similar faces to his. None of them wanted to approach the flesh, none of them saw a way inside anymore.

    Looking around at the endless blood flowing around him, as the shrieks and cries from the flesh began to grow louder Jake began to worry that he might have been the deciding vote that led all of them to a dead end, nowhere to go.

    Suddenly, Lana surprised everyone by interrupting the brooding silence that settled upon the group after they caught sight of Largo,

    ¡°We can get in there. What it¡¯ll be like inside I don¡¯t know, but we can get in over there.¡±

    The group turned to see Lana pointing with her other hand toward a massive island in the blood to the left a decent way away from where the gate of Largo stood. Her face held a look of grim determination on it. Jake looked at the island with confusion while Leopold and Rick only gasped and nodded in understanding before leading the group forward. Lana kept her hand held high, the flare burning overhead. Jake came beside her to help her walk, not wanting to break her focus. However, his curiosity got the best of him as asked,

    ¡°What¡¯s over there on the island?¡±

    ¡°It''s not an island, Jake. It¡¯s the entrance to the Emergency Tunnel and the last time I passed through it they left it open. Should give us a direct path towards the heart of Largo.¡±

 Day 29 - Sunless Sky - Remebrance of Will

    The group reached the island faster than Jake was expecting. He thought it would take at least two or three hours of constant walking, but they soon reached the sharp rocks of the island in an hour. Part of this increase in speed was the steady rising of the land. As the group walked closer and closer to the island, the land rose, allowing them to emerge from the blood steadily. Soon the blood rose to just below their shoulders, then they had to raise their arms to avoid dragging their wrists through the sticky substance. Soon they then managed to rise enough that the blood sunk just below their waists.

    With every step forward they rose higher and higher from the depths of the blood lake, the viscous liquid forced to rescind its grip from the group''s advancing march. Walking, while still not easy as they had to fight through the soup of blood with each step, quickly became easier and their pace once again quickened.

    Reaching the sides of the island in the blood, Jake could see no clear way to climb its side. It was made up of a series of smoothed rocks, falling into each other at awkward angles that curved outward and blocked progression up the side of the island where Jake could see larger, flatter earth lay in wait.

    ¡°A path cut through last time I was here¡­ It looks like it¡¯s collapsed¡­¡± Lana said, surveying the side of the island. She kept her arm raised still, the flair burning bright above. Even now, the faint screeches of the abominations waiting in Largo could be heard as they writhed in pain at the light''s touch. Lana had stopped in front of a collection of mismatched boulders that looked to Jake as if they had come loose in some sort of rockslide or earthquake.

    At Lana¡¯s words without missing a beat, Rick and Leopold began to move to climb up the side of the island yet only Rick had any real success at this. He nimbly scrambled up the side of the cliff faces while Leopold struggled to find perch, his armor''s massive frame weighing him down and preventing him from getting a good foothold. Rick caught his breath a moment, finally free of the blood, before he reached low over the edge of the rock, he¡¯d perched himself on and offered his hand down below.

    Leopold stood a moment staring at the hand, seemingly uncertain if he could take it, before grabbing hold of Rick¡¯s outstretched hand. Without another word, Rick pulled Lepold with all his might, yet his tiny frame could only do so much to offset the massive weight difference caused by Leopold¡¯s armor. He failed to fully lift Leopold more than a foot or so, yet this extra height was enough as

    Leopold was able to reach out and secure footing. Without much difficulty after having secured a foothold and now free from the grip of the blood, Leopold was able to quickly shimmy up the cliff face and join Rick peering over the edge.

    Next to join the two was Lana. She let her hand fall to her side, and with it went the magical flare that had burned in the sky. The flare disappeared from view, its crackling light fading and plunging the world back into utter blackness. Yet even as the light faded and Lana forced herself up the cliff face with some help from both Rick and Leopold, the roaring of what waited beyond Largo¡¯s wall remained. It echoed across the empty expanse of the blood lake, distant but clear its fury well known to all.

    Last to climb was Jake, yet now all light was gone from the world. He simply grasped hold of the rock wall, looking upward and searching blindly in the dark for some sign of handhold he could use. Yet all he could feel was smooth rock curving back toward him. Not even the faintest hint of a crack in the rock fa?ade greeted him. Just as Jake was beginning to panic, wondering how the hell Rick had managed to haul himself up the cliff face alone, he could see a faint light begin to appear at the top of the island and a hand reached over, gripping hold of his wrist. He heard a grunt of exhaustion and felt himself being pulled upward, flung through the air out of the blood below and onto solid dirt.

    Safe in the light again and seated on solid earth once more, the group was not fast to move. They all sat for a while, either curled up or on their hands and knees gagging or breathing heavily struggling to recover. After a while of this Lana extended her hand again, a soft glow enveloped the group. Slowly, the blood that still clung to their bodies seemed to bubble away. It was a slow process, and Lana looked tired when Jake met her eyes. He could see clear effort reflected at him, but after a minute or two of effort, the group found themselves once again bloodless.

    Following this last bit of magic, Lana collapsed backward falling to the ground. She hadn¡¯t passed out asleep like Jake had seen before, but it was clear she was running on empty, and would need rest before being able to cast anything else again. Leopold came over and helped prop her up comfortably, saying in a joking tone,

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t do that yesterday, Lala?¡±

    ¡°Didn¡¯t¡­ I didn¡¯t see much point yesterday. We were just going to get back in the blood.¡± Lanas¡¯s voice fell from her throat tired and dazed, and she leaned back into the rocks behind her closing her eyes. Leopold waited by her side a moment longer, making sure she was properly propped and secured before he stood up. It was clear he wasn¡¯t faring much better than Lana, he swayed a bit when he stood and he still struggled to breathe.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    He turned toward Rick. Who sat alone examining the sheen on his knives and giving satisfied nods after checking each one.

    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me. We¡¯ll leave the kid and Lala to rest a bit. We¡¯re going to check the entrance Lala mentioned and make sure it didn¡¯t collapse. Wouldn¡¯t want anything slowing us down or stopping us now, right?¡±

    His tone was neutral but a sort of venom hid in his words as he addressed Rick. Rick looked surprised at being addressed so suddenly but gave no complaints. He just silently rose from the dirt and followed after Leopold away from where Lana and Jake sat resting, toward the opposite end of the island. As he passed by, Jake managed to catch sight of Rick''s face. It looked tense, scrunched up in an expression he wasn¡¯t used to seeing the hunter wear. Soon, however, they were gone taking the majority of the light and leaving Jake alone with Lana in the near dark.

    All the light Jake had now was a small flickering bulb of magic, laid on the floor between himself and Lana. It barely illuminated more than a foot or so directly around it, yet it was better than nothing. Jake focused on the light, trying to force himself to stay awake, at least until either Rick or Leopold returned from the other side of the island. He didn¡¯t trust himself to successfully keep watch alone in the dark.

    ¡°When I got pregnant with Tom, both me and Cal were already older. We figured by then a child just wasn¡¯t in the cards for us.¡± Lana began speaking suddenly in the dark, her voice echoing through the dark around Jake just as tired as before.

    ¡°I thought you were asleep,¡± Jake said, his voice sounding equally as tired as Lana¡¯s.

    ¡°No.¡± Lana said, ¡°Not yet, can¡¯t sleep. I want to talk to you first. While the other two are gone. Think it will be easier that way.¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to talk to me, you don¡¯t owe me anything¡­¡± Jake began but Lana cut him off,

    ¡°It¡¯s not for you. It¡¯s for me. You were right before, we are practically strangers. But you do know me, know all of us. I feel like talking with you about this. It might help, or at least it will feel like helping.¡±

    A pause of silence followed, and as Jake began to wonder if Lana had drifted off to sleep she began again,

    ¡°But as the pregnancy grew on, Cal started having these fainting spells. Would fall over suddenly in the middle of the day and faint without warning. He¡¯d always try and laugh it off, some stupid joke, then one day he started coughing blood. It wasn¡¯t small amounts either. Things were so hectic after that, it¡¯s all a bit of a blur, but I do remember holding his hand as he died. Could feel the warmth leave him. Then all at once it was like the whole world froze over with him.¡±

    ¡°Things I used to love, we used to love, I hated them so much. It made me feel sick. The worst of it was this¡­ this thing growing in me. I hated him. Hated him before he spoke his first words. Took his first steps. Hated him because soon he¡¯d be here, and his father would still be gone. I tried to fight it but I just couldn¡¯t help it, I hated him. Then, finally, the baby was born. I was going to get rid of it then and there, rid myself of him, and start fresh. Then his little hand grabbed mine, I felt his warmth for the first time. I looked at Will¡¯s eyes for the first time, held his hand, felt his warmth, and I couldn¡¯t imagine life without him.¡±

    ¡°When we had to flee Largo we left everything behind. Most refugees did, it was the only way to escape alive; the city fell so fast. It tore me apart leaving everything of his behind, leaving Cal behind, but I still had Will¡¯s hand to hold. I could keep moving forward, I had to. I had to keep him safe. We were luckier than most refugees, we had family waiting for us. Leopold accepted us in Morsell with open arms.¡±

    ¡°You should have seen him back then, so stoic and serious. He¡¯d only crack a smile or a joke for the kids. Only Will could get him to keep going with them though, he loved Will¡¯s laugh. Lepold¡¯s family too¡­ bless them they would always look after Will for me. His daughter was a perfect babysitter. I still remember them laughing and playing.

    ¡°And whenever Rick came to visit us, you wouldn¡¯t be able to drag Will away from him. Always wanted to hear another story about his hunt, and always wanted to know when we could go back home to Largo. The stories Rick would tell¡­ you wouldn¡¯t believe how good he could be with kids. Always playing along with Will, promising he¡¯d save the world someday. ¡®The Final Hero¡¯s¡¯ Rick said once, cause what good would other heroes be once the sky was back, and The Swarm was dead.¡±

    Silence descended between the pair as Lana stopped talking for a moment longer, the stuttering sound of her failed attempts to speak filling the air,

    ¡°He was unrecognizable when we found him. A bloody mess. I was in denial for so long, refused to believe it was my son¡­ my Will. It couldn¡¯t be¡­ not my son left forgotten and abandoned to bleed out like that. Not my little boy.¡±

    ¡°After that¡­ I just wanted to die. For so long, I just wanted it all to end. The others changed too¡­ but they could keep moving forward, keep trying. I was just stuck there. Wallowing, waiting to die.¡±

    Silence rained after that for a while before Lana spoke again, her voice rough and the sound of tears evident as they fell from her face.

    ¡°When I saw you for the first time, laying there bleeding out I saw him again. Dead and alone forgotten down some back alleyway. I couldn¡¯t let that happen again. I think Jake¡­ in truth when we look at you I think all of us see something different. You and Will look so alike it¡¯s almost like looking into a mirror, when I talk with you sometimes it¡¯s almost like he¡¯s back with us again. Being near you, talking to you can hurt so much sometimes, cause it almost feels like I can hug him gain, talk to him again, say sorry to him. But then I blink and it''s just... it''s just you..."

    An emotive sigh filled with longing escaped Lana, the last sound to escape either the two before sleep dragged them down into unwilling, sullen dreams.

 Day 30 - Sunless Sky - Penultimate Amends

    Leopold led Rick around the edge of the Island where the group now found themselves perched toward a small opening carved into the rock. It revealed a cavern of carved brick whose stone steps lead downward. The steps continued long past what the light carried by the two revealed. The steps looked like they could have once been proudly carved, polished, and decadent. Now they sat as ruins crumbling into dust as jagged footholds leading into the dark.

    The whole cavern looked like it was on the verge of collapsing into itself. Heavy stone doors, which looked like they once blocked the entrance of the cavern now laid on either side as withered boulders. Leopold and Rick stood for a moment, peering into the dark below before they started slowly entering the cave.

    Their progress was slow, they moved carefully with each step to try and ensure they wouldn¡¯t cause the cavern to cave into itself. The steps decline started steep at first, entering into the dark at sharp angles that felt more like a climb than a descent down a staircase. Eventually though, after the pair had descended quite deep into the bowels of the cave the sharp descent slowly began to lessen till the staircase continued forward at a gentle arc.

    The further the pair went the more they could see the decrepit state of the passage. The walls were similarly chipped and cracked like the staircase. Occasionally they would find sections of the passage where the carved stone of the wall had given way, allowing piles of dirt to fill into the cave and act as sealant that filled the holes in the wall.

    The rapidly decayed state of the passage toward Largo was highly worrying, not helped by the collection of bodies littering the floor. Some were human, looking like they either died trampled in the stampede to flee Largo while others looked like they¡¯d gone mad, corrupted into Swarm. All laid dead when Rick or Leopold examined them, in various states of rot.

    As Rick sat kneeled low next to one of the corpses discovered in the crumbling passage Leopold began to speak,

    ¡°You remember how we first met Rick? You came crawling in with Lana and Will all bandaged up, barely alive. I remember Will wouldn¡¯t leave your side, it was hard to tell if he was worried about you or just wanted to hear more stories about your hunts. He was so excited back then, even after having to leave everything behind. It was good to see, hopeful.¡±

    Rick turned toward Leopold, who was wearing a smile on his face which slowly dropped as he continued speaking.

    ¡°After his death, I watched Lala slowly die. Day after day she withered inside and out. I tried my best to pull her out of her despair for so long but nothing I did helped. She¡¯d lost her reason for living, with Will gone she had nothing left. All she wanted was to die. Then one day she came to me, more alive than I¡¯d seen in months. She was raving about ¡®The Final Heroes¡¯, about how you two would save the world. I truly believed you wanted to help, wanted to avenge Will when you proposed the idea. And I still do Rick. I just don¡¯t think you realized how broken you two are.¡±

    ¡°I looked into both your eyes after that and I saw nothing, no spark to live just a hollow desire to trudge forward into the wild and fight till you fell dead. I knew then and there what this was. Whether you meant it to be or not, you two were setting off on a suicide march. I saw that and knew what I had to do.¡±

    ¡°Laura... when I told her I was leaving, she couldn¡¯t stop crying. And Lilly. It had been years since she clung to me, she''d outgrown it by now. But the night I told them I was leaving with you two, they both clung to me crying and begging. Pleading with me to stay, tear-stained eyes that stayed red and puffy as they stood at the door to send me off with their best attempts at smiling. I could tell I¡¯d broken something between us then and there, something I doubt I can ever fully repair.¡±

    Leopold stood up and stalked over to Rick, grabbing him by the cloak and pulling him close his tone turning sharper, more threatening.

    ¡°I know I can''t understand what you and Lana have felt, what you¡¯ve lost. Not truly. But I¡¯ve made sacrifices too, Rick. All to keep you alive, all to honor Will. Don¡¯t you ever, EVER, drag my family through the mud, drag Will through the mud like that again. You have a problem with me or you¡¯re angry with me, you insult me directly. Understand?¡±

    Rick gave a nod, staying silent as Leopold held him closely by the cloak a moment longer before releasing him with a sigh. The two stood in silence a moment longer before Leopold said,

    ¡°We better head back. The cave looks fine, should work after we''re rested enough. Leave this issue behind us here buried in the dirt, got it?¡±

    Leopold turned and started walking back through the cave. Rick stood still a moment longer before following along back through the cave. As he moved, he let out a whisper, almost impossible to hear.

    ¡°Sorry¡­ and thank you¡±

    Leopold gave no reaction, but a smile returned to his face for the first time in a while and he let out a small chuckle.

    <hr>

    Jake woke up to find he was too last to rise. No knife was by his head in the morning, and no one had come to wake him early. It seemed those who were already awake simply sat in solemn silence, waiting. Jake could feel it too, as he glanced toward the other end of the island. The end, for better or worse, was near now. For all of them. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    Jake stood up and cricked his neck. He¡¯d fallen asleep flat against the rock, never bothering to unpack anything from his bag and so his body felt stiff and uncomfortable. Stretching a bit, Jake walked toward the group. Looking toward him Leopold flashed him a smile and let out a laugh yet said nothing. It seemed the grim nervousness over the group''s upcoming mission had reached even him as he simply sat in silence, no stories or jokes escaping him.

    Reaching the group, Jake gratefully accepted a handful of dried meat from Rick, who sat examining and polishing his collection of knives. He sat next to Leopold without issue, so Jake assumed whatever disagreement they had was resolved well enough for now. Taking hold of the meat Jake popped it into his mouth. The rotted blood once staining it was gone now, yet still it tasted different from before. Ruined somehow, in a way Jake couldn¡¯t quite explain.

    Finishing the stained beef with a bit of effort, Jake turned toward Leopold and asked,

    ¡°What does the sky look like exactly?¡±

    He wondered this a while now, and it always felt whenever he¡¯d try and ask the topic would change or he¡¯d be distracted by something else. Giving a shrug Leopold said,

    ¡°Excited to find out kid. No one who¡¯s ever seen the sky has ever made it back alive to describe it. Probably some sort of powerful artifact. Would have to be to trap the sky for so long. Lala should be able to recognize it if we can get her close enough.¡±

    He gestured toward Lana who still sat where she¡¯d fallen asleep the night before. She didn¡¯t meet Jake''s eye nor offer any sort of greeting. Jake gave a gulp, and perhaps sensing something was awkward between the two Leopold quickly changed the subject. With a clap of his hands, he announced,

    ¡°Waiting out here won¡¯t do us much good, will it? Might as well get this over with now that we''re all awake.¡±

    He and Rick stood up and went to saddle their packs up, getting ready to move forward. Lana didn¡¯t move much at first, but soon she turned around and focused on gathering her bag together. Seeing this and knowing it may be his last moment to talk, Jake swallowed a gulp deep down and walked over toward her. He saw her stiffen a bit at his approach, but he continued forward.

    ¡°I¡­ I feel I owe you an apology,¡± He began, unsure of how to express what he wanted to say, ¡°I never really gave much thought to you saving me, to your quest here. I¡¯m grateful, but I never meant to get in the way. This mission you three are on¡­ It means more to you than just saving the world. I understand if you¡¯d want me to stop here, let you three go on alone.¡±

    Lana listened for a minute, before letting out a light chuckle a smile breaking across her face. She turned toward Jake and said,

    ¡°When we first met, you looked so much like him. Not just because of the blood I mean, no you had the same hair and the same eye color. It was almost like I had the chance to finally save him. You were so strange too. So curious about magic, about The Corruption, slowly getting closer to Rick¡­ for a time it was almost like he was back with me. I think some part of me started to forget Will was gone, wanted to forget.¡±

    ¡°Then we kept traveling together and that illusion just sort of¡­ crumbled away. I don¡¯t know where you come from Jake, but it was obvious you weren¡¯t from anywhere near here. And the way you talk about your family, the look of confusion and loss on your face. It started to hurt, talking to you. Because it became clearer and clearer that you weren¡¯t him. No matter how I tried to lie to myself. Tried to hide from the truth and force you to play a role you knew nothing about. You have nothing to apologize for Jake, you didn¡¯t ask to be dragged into this. None of us here regret saving you, and none of us would ever think of leaving you behind.¡±

    Jake stood there, stunned for a moment unsure of how to respond.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jake said, at last, all other words failing to come to him. Lana grabbed his shoulder for a moment and squeezed, looking into his eyes before she let go and turned around to finish grabbing her supplies. The group would carry everything forward with them through the tunnel, yet unsure of what awaited on the other side they were prepared to abandon everything at a moment''s notice.

    In truth Jake dreaded the idea of continuing forward, he still remembered the shifting mass of flesh pressed against the wall of Largo. Yet there was no other way. The blood lake surrounded him leaving the island''s tunnel as the only way forward. And on a larger scale, the only way he could continue his journey home was to return the sky. He still didn''t understand how to do that, and from the sound of it, none of them did. But that didn''t change the fact it needed to happen. He didn¡¯t know if he could succeed. When he about the shifting mound of flesh the group had seen before that seemed to shock and disgust even the seasoned members of the group he doubted their chances of success.

    Yet still he steeled himself to continue forward, moving with the rest of the group down into the catacombs of the island. Looking around he was surprised at how compact the space of the passage was. They had to walk single file to move forward comfortably, and though walking shoulder to shoulder in groups of two was possible it was incredibly cramped.

    ¡°How was this an escape tunnel?¡± Jake asked aloud as they moved down the stairs forward through the tunnel, ¡°It seems way too narrow.¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t meant for large-scale use,¡± Lana said as she looked around, a look of grim remembrance on her face, ¡°It was only meant for the elite of Largo to use. But when The Corruption spread and took Largo, the door to the tunnel was left open allowing the survivors to flood in. I remember how cramped it was. Tens of hundreds of people shoved into it, packed wall the wall as they stood on top of each other desperately trying to escape. Will and I only made it through because of my magic. Everyone else¡­¡±

    Lana trailed off as the group passed a forgotten body, left to rot in the tunnel pressed down into the stone floor. It was clear what fate awaited those who couldn¡¯t escape the tunnel in time. The group moved forward in tense silence down the stairs till eventually the ground flattened out and all that remained was a flat corridor to walk down.

    The corridor here looked like it was in much better condition than the stairs above, no sections of the tunnel had collapsed inward and though the walls still looked worn down they didn¡¯t look to be on the verge of collapse. Looking above, Jake wondered how deep the tunnel was, how far above the lake of blood sat. Looking at what could be called the pristine condition of the corridor, when compared to the other ruins of Largo Jake had seen, Jake decided the lake of blood must be high above their heads leaving the corridor unbothered for years.

    The group continued on for some time without issue till all at once Rick stopped, ending their procession. He turned around and faced the group, his face looking tense and serious.

    ¡°We should stop here, take a rest while we can. I doubt we¡¯ll get another chance because up ahead the walls of the corridor are moving, pulsing.¡±

 Day 31 - Sunless Sky - The Night The Sky Returned

    Frozen at Rick¡¯s warning, no one dared continue forward for the time being. Instead, the group spaced themselves out as best they could and sat down, sliding down against the stone to the floor below. Leopold had the most trouble with this, his imposing metal frame clattering as he struggled to sit in the cramped confines of the tunnel, but after a moment of lighthearted struggle, he managed to sit with a soft chuckle.

    No one spoke after the group was seated. The knots in their stomachs were all too densely tied to allow for peaceful conversation, not with the imposing battle that awaited them mere moments away. Jake found that despite his nerves, his mind was calm. No shakes or tremors ran through him, and his breathing stayed level. He couldn¡¯t help but doubt that he¡¯d stay so calm once the battle broke out, once he was face to face with the flesh. But for now, he stayed calm and collected.

    As Jake sat, gathering his breath and trying his best to rest as much as possible while he could, Rick shuffled over awkwardly through the tunnel. He leaned against the wall next to Jake, not bothering to sit down he held out his hand, offering a knife which lay flat in his palm to Jake.

    ¡°Here kid, take it. Use it with the others you have if you need to. Your aims improved but being honest, it¡¯ll be so chaotic once we break into Largo that I doubt you¡¯ll be able to find clear targets. And I doubt will be able to help you this time if you get cornered. So just run, run and hide kid. Remember, all that matters is staying alive. How else can you give that knife back?¡±

    Rick kicked himself off from where he leaned on the wall, his head turned from Jake to hide his facial expression. The last words Jake could hear before he moved back were,

    ¡°Good Luck, Kid.¡±

    That was it - the last interaction Jake had with any in the group before the call went out simultaneously amongst the trio that it was time to move. The group all hopped up eagerly, none feeling particularly rested after their pitstop as the weight of what lay ahead of them hung too heavy on their shoulder to allow proper rest.

    The group fell back into single file quickly, having never really assembled a proper camp, and moved forward allowing Rick to take the lead. At first, it was hard for Jake to notice what Rick had meant before, but the longer they walked the clearer the difference in the tunnels became. He started to notice a pulsing within the gaps of rock that lined the walls and occasionally drips of black viscous blood would leak from fleshy nubs that developed through holes in the rock.

    As the group reached the start of the stairs upward, the state of the cavern quickly deteriorated. Mass sections of the wall were missing, yet instead of dirt or rock falling through to act as sealant the stretched grey flesh the group had seen before pooled in. The floor now lay covered in a thin layer of black blood that continually oozed from the walls and the sloped ceiling above, and the further up the group went the more the stones gave way to nothing as they found themselves forced to walk upon the flesh stretched across the floor.

    Their feet sunk into the grey of the flesh, intermingled with pools of viscous blood, and suddenly the relatively easy climb up the stairs became a struggle with each step upward to drag their feet forward out of the mass of the creature consuming Largo. Yet as the stone gave way, and they found themselves forced to walk upon the stretched mass of flesh they heard the hoard shrieks and cries, closer than ever before now.

    It shattered Jakes eardrums, causing him to stumble forward sinking to his knees as he reached up desperately trying to cover his ears with his hands. He may have been the only one to fall forward, yet the rest of the group was not unaffected as they all stumbled slightly, wincing in pain as the reached up to try and cover their ears from the cacophony of shrieks that came from above, surrounding them on all sides.

    Yet they had no time to stop and recoil in pain from the suddenness of the horrid shrieks as all at once, the tunnel they found themselves in began to rumble. Muscle and flesh contracted as black blood oozed more viciously than ever, and the cavern began to constrict itself, thrashing about as the creature the group walked upon began revolting in an effort to cause a cave-in.

    Thrown off balance by the sudden churning of the ground, Jake struggled to rise as the group took off running forward, desperate to climb up from the tunnel before they were crushed to death. Still recoiling from the sudden scream Jake had been unprepared for the ground to move and could find no purchase, only beginning to sink into the fleshy ground below.

    ¡°COME ON!¡± He heard suddenly above, a cry that managed to cut through the rumbling and shrieks as he was hooked under the arm and dragged forward. He fell into a crawl before managing to find his feet with the help of the person dragging him upward. His feet beneath him again Jake broke into a sprint, running alongside Lana who had fallen back to drag him forward.

    What once had been polished, regal stonework was gone replaced by nightmarish flesh and sinew that sloped at awkward, unpredictable angles. Working their way upward, fighting through the contracting walls of the cave and the sinking sensation of the ground below, the multitude of shrieks grew ever louder. At last, surrounded by torn flesh and shrieks, the group exploded from the underground passage of flesh, collapsing to the ruined streets of Largo.

    What Largo may have once looked like, Jake couldn¡¯t imagine. What remained in his view was a ruined stone and burned house collapsing into each other amidst piles of shattered glass crushed to dull dust and rusted bits of iron and steel unusable by anyone. And connecting all of it was the flesh. More spread out now than when they moved underground it was still ever-present. Sinew and muscle stretched over withered bone packaged in rotted grey flesh which hung and crept around the city in unnatural, twisted ways. It grew like moss up the stone and hung like vines over the city''s edges. In the thicker mounds of flesh, Jake could still make out the withered forms of people.

    He couldn¡¯t tell if they were alive or not anymore, they were too far from him to see any details in their eyes. What he could see was the looks of agony across their faces, the way they seemed melted together in horrid abominations. How their limbs hung unused swaying in the breeze. It was not just people who melted into the flesh but the forms of cows and pigs and chickens and sheep, domestic livestock merged into mangled.

    It sickened Jake and made his knees weak. The glimpse of the flesh they had seen from a distance had not painted half the horrid picture that now overrun the ruins of Largo. As Jake stood frozen, unsure of how to act next he suddenly found himself picked up, cast aside, and flying through the air.

    With a grunt of surprise and complaint, Jake landed with a roll, sprawling across the rough stone intermingled with discarded bits of meat and blood. Rising he turned in time to see Leopold, who was still mid-pose from throwing him receive the brunt of the flesh¡¯s attack. A massive mound of tissue crashed into his side, sending him skidding across the stone. A cough escaped his lips a trickle of blood leaking down his chin. He simply stood tall again and let out a slow, pained laugh.

    Lana and Rick were not slow to act in response to the flesh¡¯s actions. Rick moved forward, throwing knives forward into the mound that had struck Leopold. The mound recoiled a bit at being impaled, and streams of viscous blood leaked from its wound, but it made no move to stop thrashing as it wound up to slam down upon Leopold again. It was halted in its tracks by Lana.

    Her whole body lit up a brilliant electric blue as a pulse of magic erupted from her, and with a scream, she released a massive shockwave. Her pulse of magic shook the entire area and fired up into the sky, releasing flares of magic further amplifying her power. Lana was forced down to her knees, breathing heavily her eyes glazed following the attack. Yet it did its job. The mound of flesh once struck by the magic began flailing more violently than ever before. Black blood oozed from its every joint and orifice before at last it fell unmoving to the ground.

    It was not the only piece of flesh to fall, the traveling pulse of magic spread out wide hitting large swaths of piled flesh recoiling and falling limp, oozing blood. As the wave of magic shot out, the flares above shone brightly illuminating the city below. The ruins were massive, perhaps it was the single largest city Jake had ever stood in. Yet any beauty Largo may once have possessed was gone. The flares above revealed that truly every building, every road, and every person had been pulled into the flesh that now snaked throughout the city.

    As the pulse of magic traveled and began to peter out, the shrieks that shook the earth below started again, louder than ever before Jake clutched his ears and watched as snaking mounds of flesh began closing in toward the trio yet again. As the pulse of magic dissipated and Lana kneeled, recovering under the flares above Leopold drew his sword and prepared to meet the advancing foes head on.

    Yet Jake found his attention not drawn towards Leopold and the fight for survival soon to break out across from him, but away toward his left. Up a rocky hill in a flat clearing sat something glittering, shining bright in response to the magic sent out by Lana. He was not the only one who noticed, both Rick and Leopold had turned towards it yet now they where trapped on all sides by the encroaching flesh.

    Jake stared at the glittering. Nothing of value remained in this city, it was all rotted down or destroyed. Nothing remained that could glitter like that, react to the light of magic like that. Only one thing came to mind that could react in such a way. Sliding his beaten pack from his back he inched forward slowly, moving away from the light of the trio and into the dark, toward the glittering of the sky.

    As Jake moved forward, he did his best to move without touching the flesh surrounding him yet he found this to be a near impossible task. The cold, clammy flesh would brush his foot or his hand as he navigated by touch blindly through the dark. The light the flares provided long went out after he started his journey towards the glittering sun and the only light provided came in flashing bursts as the trio moved around, desperately fighting to fend the flesh off.

    The flesh paid Jake little to no mind as he moved forward, rather instead all the small tendrils or lumps of meat he¡¯d come across on his journey through the ruins would be pulled away from him, toward the trio. Glancing over his shoulder he could see that the trio were slowly inching their way forward toward where the glittering was as well, but unlike Jake, the flesh didn¡¯t ignore their presence. It crashed against them in endless droves, slowly whittling away at their stamina and defenses.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    Lana still kneeled, panting heavily no longer in any condition to fight as they slowly inched forward. Jake could not see her eyes now as he was too far away, but still, she looked out of it. Leopold made up the majority of the force fighting the flesh back. His armored body shone in the light, drawing the ire of the flesh. Now given time to prepare before their attack he faced them smiling and laughing, cutting through the mounds with his sword. Rick stood to his side, throwing his knife forward to sever the smaller connections of flesh that acted as veins supporting the larger mounds.

    Yet still they came endlessly. Rick and Leopold would cut down mound after mound, tendril after tendril. Yet as the rotted blood of the flesh flowed out, coating the ground black, more sinewy attacks of grey rotting flesh would slam into them. Intermingled with pure muscle that drove the flesh forward were shattered bones, rotting and jagged that splintered out from the mounds desperate to impale their foes. These sudden spears of bone forced the two to stay on guard and keep on the defensive, especially as they worked to keep Lana safe given the state she was in.

    Still, the trio seemed to be in no immediate danger. They continued to hold the flesh at bay, allowing Jake to move forward silently in the dark. Eventually, he reached the hilled incline he¡¯d seen from afar. From a distance, the hill had looked sloped, but now up close it was a shear cliff face. Fortunately, it was jagged and scratched which gave Jake plenty of footholds to use as he began his ascent up the cliff. Unfortunately, his views of the cliffside came in brief flashes of light as the trio¡¯s battle raged onward.

    Gritting his teeth, Jagged struggled blindly in the dark searching for the next handhold to grasp. When he¡¯d finally found it, he¡¯d hauled himself upward unsteadily before finally finding balance only to repeat the same process to continue moving upward. It was a long process; one he didn¡¯t revel in. Yet finally he reached the top, rolling out with a grunt onto the flat stone.

    Preparing to move forward toward where he remembered the glittering to be he was stopped by a horrid sound that filled the air. More horrid even than the shrieks of the flesh that had filled the air and driven him to his knees. Turning in a panic, Jake met the sound of splintering and creaking metal behind him with dread.

    Jake had a perfect view to watch as the mounds of flesh converged all at once, shooting forward and enveloping Leopold''s right arm. Leopold let out a grunt but he couldn¡¯t pull himself free of the flesh¡¯s grasp. The sound of splintering metal filled the air as rotted teeth and bone plunged into his armor, sawing their way through as Leopold sat, trapped in a vice. It didn¡¯t last long. Rick had only just turned to try and help when, with a scream, Leopold was freed from the mound''s embrace falling to his knees with a splatter of blood. His arm missing, and torrents of blood gushed from his unclean wound. The splintered teeth and bones of the mound had not sawn through Leopold gently, leaving behind shattered bone and torn flesh.

    Leopold sat in shock, the pain overwhelming. He tried to calm himself, tried to react in time to avoid being overrun but he was too late. With the fall of Leopold, the trio''s defense shattered as the swarm of flesh rushed forward. Tendrils of disgusting rotted bone and tooth and shattered hoof came forth, wrapping around his chest and legs and dragging him forward to the ground. Leopold let out a pained scream as once again the splintering sounds of metal filled the air.

    Rick moved forward fast, desperate to reach Leopold, but he was stopped as lumps of flesh rushed toward him. Sticking to his legs and crawling his chest he was forced to stop and hunt the mounds clinging to him as the flesh slowly began to saw into Leopold. His pained cries wrung out, through the air, raising someone from her stupor.

    She was in a daze, overusing her magic past its limit already. Her body was desperate to recharge. When all at once the pained screams of her brother reached her ears. Her body seized up and clarity returned to her. The principles of proper magic control, proper magic manipulation, and proper magic storage all flew from her head as she dug into herself, drawing every ounce of magic left in her exhausted body. When all that was left in her was gone, she continued drawing from the very atmosphere around her.

    Her hands cracked and hardened, splitting apart slowly as veins-like cuts appeared across her arms as she forced more and more magical power to fill her. Well past her natural limit, she let out a scream. As the flesh rushed toward her desperate to stop her from unleashing what she¡¯d built up she slammed her destroyed hands to the floor.

    A shockwave more brilliant than what had been cast before shot forth consuming the trio and beyond. Flares shot into the air exploding so violently and powerfully it nearly drowned the screams of the flesh below. Collapsing back with pained breaths, blood beginning to drip from the scars cut across her arms. Yet she ignored those focusing only on Leopold.

    He lay face down, his armor in shambles cuts across his torso and back. A deep scratch ran down his leg, yet it was still attached. His arm though was completely severed, gone forever. His blood flowed freely, mixing with the viscous blood of the flesh that stained the floor. He seemed barely conscious. Rushing toward him as quickly as she could Lana felt his face, finding it to be cold and clammy, quickly turning pale. Fear gripping hold of her heart, a desperate plea of,

    ¡°NO!¡± Escaped her as she drew even more power toward herself. The splitting pain as more scars ripped through her flesh was ignored as she focused solely on Leopold, slowly casting magic upon him to damn the flood of blood.

    From on high, Jake watched in horror as the trio¡¯s defense rapidly crumbled in less than a minute, leaving only Rick standing. The shockwave of magic Lana unleashed had been powerful, more powerful than anything he¡¯d seen her do yet, but still, screams of madness and fury shook Largo as the flesh once again moved ever closer toward the trio. Jake quickly turned from the horrid scene below and began sprinting across the flat top of the cliff. While Lana¡¯s flares still flashed and burned above he had to find the sky. It was the only thing that could potentially stop the flesh, stop the Corruption. The only thing that could save the Trio.

    Yet he didn¡¯t have to travel far. He barely moved a few meters when he came across an odd sight. A kneeling skeleton clothed in black robes sat surrounded on all sides by a massive wall of flesh. The features of the people composing this wall of flesh were all still noticeable, all stacked and layered atop one another in a perfectly circular wall around the skeleton. From what Jake could tell, the skeleton and the area around it were the only piece of land in all of Largo devoid of the flesh¡¯s influence.

    Running toward the skeleton he saw the same glitter again, sparkling within the skeleton¡¯s clasped hands. An object roughly the size of a softball sat shrouded by the grip of the skeleton. Looking into what he could see of the object, Jake was suddenly met with a brilliantly shining view. Clasped in the skeletons hand the orb sparkled full of glittering stars, far away yet so close. A blue moon hung low, flittering in its orbit. Constellations Jake had never seen danced and sparkled right before his eyes.

    Gulping, Jake rushed forward toward the skeleton, yet as he passed the fall of flesh it began to writhe and squirm letting out wails of displeasure. The flesh had not reacted towards him in any way till he got close to the skeleton. Jake had wondered if the flesh even knew he was there at all. Yet now it definitely knew he was there, and though it made no effort to come closer it wailed and squirmed in a horrid display.

    Reaching the skeleton, Jake began trying to pull the orb loose from its grasp yet found it held tight. The dilapidated skeleton in no way collapsed under the weight Jake subjected it to. Looking around at the wiggling mass of flesh and towards the cloaked skeleton Jake felt a desperate need to move far away, now. Pulling one of his knives out, he drove the blade into the skeleton¡¯s hand and with significant effort managed to pry its grasp apart.

    Catching the orb as it fell in his hand, Jake watched the skeleton¡¯s cloaked head fall back and heard a ghostly wail slip from its lips. Then all at once the skeleton collapsed down under its own weight. The wall of flesh surrounding him, however, began closing in at rapid speeds. Surrounded Jake shot forward clutching the Orb and beelining toward the only opening apparent in the surrounding wall of flesh.

    He wasn¡¯t fast enough to move, however, and soon a horrid figure stood before him to block his path. Melted and merged with the rest of the wall around him, Jake looked into its eyes and found life. Begging and pleading looking back at him. It lunged at him with a feral cry, tackling Jake as its rotted hands began pawing toward the Orb. It was only held at bay for a moment from the pain getting close to the orb caused it. The pain seemed so overwhelming that mass chunks of its skin began to slough off revealing the rotted remains beneath.

    Jake struggled, pushing the mound of flesh back as it cried in pain. From all around he could hear it rest of the flesh encroaching on him. With a desperate cry, Jake drove the knife he still clutched into the skull of the figure in front of him and forced his way forward. He left the flesh behind to struggle and burn for a moment as he ran forward, yet reaching the edge of the cliff he found no way down.

    The flesh was still advancing behind and looking over the cliff the tendrils of skin and muscle that had ignored him before had changed course, snaking toward him now leaving nowhere to escape to. In a panic, Jake turned and threw one of his knives behind him without thinking in a desperate attempt to slow the advancing flesh down. He heard it make contact with its target in the dark, yet heard no sign of its advance slowing.

    Looking over the edge he saw the snaking tendrils and knew he had no chance of cutting them away with his knife, especially not in the dark. Looking over the edge, he began to consider if jumping was possible when he caught sight of Rick. The trio was still safe for the time being. Lana¡¯s blast had cleared a large swath of the flesh immediately around them, and now the attention of the flesh was being drawn toward Jake.

    Looking at the orb in his hands, Jake gulped before screaming,

    ¡°RICK!¡±

    And throwing the orb out across the vast distance between himself and Rick. Rick turned and saw the orb sailing through the air and took off running towards it. Jake watched with bated breath as he suddenly felt something clammy grasp around his ankle and drag him downward, pulling him first to his knees and then flat to his back. The tendrils of flesh had finished their climb up the cliff. Jake paid them no mind, even as they began to snake around his neck. There was little he could do to them. He simply watched as the orb sailed through the air, down the cliff, past the distance he struggled to crawl through in the dark and safely into the hand of Rick who dived forward to catch it.

    As soon as the orb landed in his hands small cracks began to appear across its surface. Rick looked at the orb, confused at first before understanding dawned on his face. He turned, hurrying back toward Lana, and letting out gruff laughter that filled the air. His laughter carried, intermingled with the now panicked-sounding shrieks of the flesh as he called out,

    ¡°I¡¯m so glad we didn¡¯t let you die, kid!¡±

    Reaching Lana, he tossed to orb into her hands. She looked dazed, confused as she still tended toward Leopold''s injuries till sudden excitement and understanding dawned on her as she felt the strength of the artifact she held. Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and began to channel magic into herself, screaming in pain as her arms split apart and blood splashed freely to the ground. Yet the orb shook, and cracks deepened as she forced her magic into it. At last, with a popping sound, the orb split into two.

    A blinding sequence of lights filled the air as a swirling cosmos of stars surrounded the trio. Slowly they watched as the cosmos turned into a shining daytime with fluffy clouds and a roaring sun suspended in miniature. Rapidly the two sceneries would change in blurring intensity as the scene began to grow, larger and larger as it spread out beyond the trio to fill the space they stood in. The scene kept changing faster and fast growing more and more rapidly till soon all of Largo was engulfed in the scene.

    The pained screams of the flesh filled the air, yet the scenery playing out gave no notice. Flashing through picturesque views of day and night the scene grew and grew. It soon covered the lake of blood past Largo, then the ruined plains beyond, then the rotted forest, then the Largo Mountain shelf, then finally the Largo mountains in their entirety. The growing scene was not lost to the world at large.

    People looked up to the sky above in wonder for the first time in years. All over the world, from the lands beyond what was known to Morsel people gathered and watched the swirling scene above as the sky grew and grew till finally, it stopped. The sky returned to its proper place, and the stars twinkled above for the first time in years.

 Day 32 - Sunless Sky - Sunrise and Goodbyes

    Jake woke with a gasp, quickly reaching up and struggling to pull the flesh away from his neck. It held tight, its clammy grip still stuck to him with force. Yet it offered little resistance outside its already tightened grip to being pulled away. Forcing himself upright, wiggling out from the mound of flesh that had coiled around him, he grabbed one of the knives still resting in his pocket and cut away the tendril wrapped tight to his throat.

    It fell away, allowing Jake to breathe freely once again. Yet as it fell to the floor bleeding it didn¡¯t twitch or squirm. It simply lay there, cold and unmoving. Looking around Jake realized for the first time the flesh surrounding him was all dead, lying on the floor in a decaying heap.

    Rising to shaky feet, Jake looked around and took in the sky above. The world was still dark tucked under the night sky above, yet it was a different kind of darkness. The all-encompassing void from before was no more. Now the blanket of stars returned to their natural place and a moon, blue and crisp and closer than any moon Jake had seen before, hung in the sky. Looking around under the dim moonlight Jake saw no movement throughout the ruins of Largo. The remains of the flesh simply hung, lifeless, and rotted as it leaked black ooze.

    The only life Jake saw was down below, as the trio stirred and moved making what looked like a crude camp amongst the ruins and rotting meat of the flesh. Their exact actions were a bit difficult to discern, but Jake could tell only Rick was actively moving. The other two sat still. A lump formed in his throat as Jake struggled to tell if Lana and Leopold were breathing. He began to hurry to move down the edge of the cliff before stopping.

    His head snapped toward the wall of flesh that had been pursuing him not long ago. It lay not far away, a few meters from encompassing him. Stopping his descent down the cliff side Jake hurried back toward the deceased flesh to recover the knives he¡¯d tossed. It was only fair to have them all on hand when he returned them to Rick. His time left here was limited now. The sky above danced with a beauty Jake had forgotten about in the weeks spent trekking the endless dark, but its return meant that come daybreak he would once more be thrust into another world. He¡¯d need to prepare for that.

    Coming to the edge of the flesh, Jake dug through its collapsed remains for his blades. The first was easy to find, it sunk into the middle of the creature¡¯s massive form and came loose easily. The second was a bit harder to find. It was at the back of the creature, still imbued in the skull Jake had stabbed it into. The flesh he¡¯d stabbed it with laid limp, being dragged forward by the rest of the wall.

    Reaching the limp form of the flesh, Jake reached down and dug the knife free from the rotted skull, meeting significantly more resistance than the first knife. With a grunt, he braced himself against the ground a pulled the knife free with a massive amount of effort. This in turn caused the head of the flesh he¡¯d killed to roll with the knife bringing its twisted face around toward Jake. Its features were still maimed and twisted open screaming in silent agony. Yet its eyes, once mad, now had a look of gratitude locked behind the glassy veil of death.

    Jake found himself drawn to them, locked into silently looking into its gaze for a moment before he stood up, an uncomfortable shiver racing through his spine. Placing the knives, still coated in viscous blood, in his pocket, before racing over to the cliff edge. Hurridly, he began his descent down the sloping wall without any further delay.

    The climb down was significantly easier than the blind climb up had been. The light provided by the night sky above was not much, but it was still infinitely more than what he¡¯d worked with before when he crept up in the dark. It took less than half the time it took for him to go up the wall to make it back down to the ground below. No longer concerned with sneaking Jake did away with hiding behind rubble and ruins and beelined straight toward where the trio lay.

    Reaching closer to the edge of the trio¡¯s camp he was relieved to see all three of them still breathing, yet they were in terrible shape. The best among them was Rick who still stood mobile yet he had visible slashes running all across his chest occasionally spurting blood. The wounds must not have been too deep, however, as he did not bother bandaging himself up or paying them much mind at all.

    Instead, his entire attention was devoted to Lana who sat taking shallow breaths to the side of Leopold. Her arms and hands were coated in blood. Rick had wrapped her hands in heavy splints and gauze, so Jake could not see the extent of the damage done. Yet he could tell it was serious as already the gauze had stained itself red, tiny dribbles of blood beginning to leak out from beneath the wrapping to the floor. Her arms were covered in deep, vain-like gashes that bore into her flesh seeping blood unendingly. Rick was still focused on these wounds when Jake arrived, and so they had yet to be covered. It looked as though her flesh had splintered and cracked from the inside out, leaving the skin of her arms shattered.

    The worst among them though was Leopold. He lay silent without movement within the twisted remains of his armor. His arm was gone, roughly removed leaving behind only splintered bound and torn muscle. His back was covered in deep gashes which cut through the skin deep into the muscle and sinew below. His legs also lay in a bloodied heap, the extent of the damage done to them unclear, but the very armor worn to protect them was now dyed crimson red. His damage was the most severe leaving him prone, face down in a catatonic state. He was barely breathing. Yet he was alive, a thin layer of magic Jake was very familiar with surrounding his wounds.

    As Jake neared the edge of the makeshift camp Rick turned toward him and gave him a nod before refocusing on wrapping gauze around Lana¡¯s heavily injured arms. While he didn¡¯t initiate any conversation, his eyes lit up at the sight of Jake¡¯s approach, and a smile formed across his face.

    ¡°Are they going to be alright?¡± Jake asked pointing between Leopold and Lana, worry evident in his voice.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine kid,¡± Rick said, though there was a sort of unease to his voice as he continued wrapping bandages around Lana''s arm, and though he tried to hide it, Jake could see a slight tremor in his hands. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°Lana¡¯s just exhausted. She overused her magic by a wider margin than I think anyone ever has. Usually, people stop when their skin starts to harden and split but well, special times and all that¡­¡± He was talking in a kind of frantic manner, fast and unfocused. His tone tried to hide his worry but his frantic speech and shaky limbs betrayed him. Kneeling on the other side of Lana, Jake looked around for something he could use to mop the blood spilling from her wounds.

    Finally settling on a clean bit of extra fabric he found settled in the group''s haphazardly discarded bags, Jake pressed the fabric against her skin to begin staunching the flow of blood. He expected a wince of pain or any sort of reaction, but instead, she just continued staring ahead, eyes lost behind a veil her breathing uneven and shallow. Pushing hard with the cloth he held, Jake reached his hand out toward Rick and said,

    ¡°Gauze,¡± Rick looked over only now seeming to notice Jake''s movements to his side, before extending a shaking hand and offering a roll of unused gauze. Jake began wrapping the wounds on Lana''s arms, yet realized with his limited experience he could only rely on the few times he had been wrapped in gauze for reference. He started working his way up, wrapping the gauze tight around her arm. He pulled tighter and tighter, to the point he expected her to awake from her daze and scream in pain yet no reaction came. When he first started wrapping, blood soaked through the gauze layer by layer, staining it and dripping onto Jake''s hands.

    Yet the further up he traveled with the wrappings and the tighter he drew them, the more the flow of blood ceased and soon the dripping stream of red coming from the slashes in Lanas¡¯s arm had stopped. Sitting there at the end of the gauze, he was unsure of how to properly secure it. He didn¡¯t know how to properly tie it off and didn¡¯t want to release the pressure he was currently applying and risk the flow of blood starting up again.

    As he was pondering how to properly release the wrapping Rick appeared beside him, a knife drawn as he cut the gauze away from its roll. He quickly secured it in place, so fast Jake barely had time to see what he had done. Stepping back now that all the wounds across Lana were covered, Jake collapsed back onto the stone, the Gauze slipping from his hand. The bandages across Lana looked secure, even though blood continued to dribble from her hands despite the multiple layers of wrapping covering them.

    As Jake fell back, Rick also came to stand at his side, arms crossed. He still looked rattled, yet his hands no longer trembled.

    ¡°Do we need to wrap him?¡± Jake asked, pointing toward Leopold. Rick shook his head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t have enough wrap to cover his entire body. We need to focus on Lana till she can recover. The magic Lana cast on him should be pretty strong, should be good enough till she can recover.¡±

    Jake nodded at Rick''s answer, yet noted he sounded almost as if he was convincing himself more than Jake. Standing up Jake looked to the sky and noticed it looked significantly brighter than it had the last time he examined it, a faint purplish hue filling the air. Jake let out a sigh and reached into his pockets to pull the knives he carried out before presenting them to Rick who looked at him with a confused expression on his face.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving soon. I wish I could stay for longer, I wish I could help you all like you helped me but I don¡¯t have a choice. I¡¯m sorry, I wish I could stay. I wish I could help but I can¡¯t.¡±

    Jake glanced over his shoulder at the injured forms of Leopold and Lana and felt his heart grow heavy. Constantly in the back of his mind, the thought of leaving and continuing his journey home had not once left him. Yet now, on the precipice of finally leaving this world and continuing on he found himself reluctant to do so. To leave the trio behind in such a state when he was so unsure of their survival sat like rocks in his heart. It weighed his very soul down.

    Jake felt the knives pushed back toward him as he was focused behind him, and turning around he saw Rick pushing the knives back toward him a confused look on his face.

    ¡°Those are yours, kid, you grabbed them fair and square. I have no claim to them anymore, don¡¯t know what you''re doing trying to give them back to me.¡± Jake opened his mouth to protest, confused, but was silenced as Rick continued ¡°Get out of here already, will yah? Been slowing us down for weeks. You think just because you found the sky we¡¯d let you keep following us around? Remember what I said kid, I don¡¯t trust you. Now those two are finally out of the picture for a little while, I can throw you out all I want.¡±

    Rick''s words had a bite to them that didn¡¯t ring true as a smile shone on his face. A look of sad understanding was worn in his eyes as he watched Jake retract the offered knives and repocket them. Unsure of what else to say, Jake turned and slowly walked toward his discarded bag. It lay slightly open. Despite the rough shape it was in, all its contents remained inside making it easy for Jake to grab his supplies and sling it across his back. Turning around he found Rick still standing there, arms crossed staring at the floor.

    ¡°Getting out of here already?¡±

    Jake looked at the sky and saw the faintest glimpse of the sun beginning to poke its way into the sky.

    ¡°Probably any minute now, yeah,¡± Jake said, unsure of what to say. Rick nodded, not looking up from the floor.

    ¡°Good, finally rid of you. Just get out of here already. Just...make sure not to die kid. Still need to make it home, right? A mother, a father, and two sisters are all waiting for you. Just don¡¯t forget kid, it doesn¡¯t matter how it happens so long as you survive.¡±

    Jake nodded, the words he wanted to say lost in his throat. His hands gravitated toward his pockets, feeling awkward just hanging at his sides when a sharp Jab met his finger. Pulling his finger out with a small exhale Jake wondered if he stabbed himself with the blade of one of his knives but what stabbed him had felt rougher, more natural.

    Curious now, Jake carefully dug through his pockets and removed the four wolf fangs he¡¯d plucked so long ago. He¡¯d forgotten all about them, they¡¯d seemed so important in the moment yet now sat forgotten in his pocket. Jake marveled for a second at how all four had survived this long without getting lost before an idea struck him. Racing up to Rick, who had turned and started slowly walking away he dumped three of the fangs into his hand,

    ¡°Do me a favor, split those with Leopold and Lana when they wake up. Think of it as a reminder. Let them know thanks, from me, one last time.  And tell them how sorry I am I have to leave so early. That I couldn''t help them.¡±

    Rick gave a silent nod, clutching the teeth in his hand as he turned around and started to walk away before he paused and pulled from his cloak a dagger. It was longer than any of his usual throwing variants, and more specialized for skinning and craftwork. It could prove useful, Rick decided, to help the kid get home. Yet as Rick turned around, the light of the sun glinting off the blade he held, he found no one in sight.

    No footsteps had been heard slinking away or breath wasted in Jake''s retreat, he simply vanished without a trace with the rising of the sun. Looking around, shocked at how easily Jake had snuck past him Rick burst into gruff fits of laughter.

    ¡°Full of surprises aren¡¯t you kid?¡± He laughed harder than he had in a while, harder than Leopold ever made him laugh. Looking down at the fangs in his hands he thought back on the last words Jake had said. Usually, Leopold hated reminders, but this time¡­

    His hand gripped tightly around the fangs; Rick walked back toward where his injured friends lay. A small mutter escaped him, filling the silence of Largo as he walked,

    ¡°Don¡¯t die kid¡­¡±

 Day 33 - Truly Alone

    Jake watched Rick''s retreating figure for a few seconds before the nostalgic sensation of falling took hold of him. A split second later he landed upright and ankle-deep in something cold and wet. Panic took hold of his heart before he had a proper chance to look around, but it faded when he felt how fast the fluid surrounding him flowed. Looking around he¡¯d landed in a creek that jutted through a low-cut forest filled with bushes and pines.

    The air had a soft chill, which brought the water he stood in from moderately chilly to uncomfortably numb. Yet the air was not freezing, and nowhere around him did he see signs of snow. He saw no signs of anyone, only the swaying of the trees and needles of the pines falling slowly to the earth.

    Jake wasn¡¯t sure how to feel. A moment of elation took hold of him for a moment, at his escape from the sunless world. At the continuation of his journey. Yet it was quickly snuffed out when he remembered the near-fatal condition Leopold and Lana had been left in. He recalled the sad eyes Rick had held as he departed. As he remembered them, the first people he¡¯d truly had to talk with in weeks since this journey was forcefully started, another crushing feeling set in.

    Amongst the waving trees and gracefully dancing pine needles the crushing grip of loneliness took hold of Jake''s heart sending a shiver through his body. This shiver was also not helped by his continued stance in the flowing creek. Snapping back to reality as his feet grew ever number, he hurried to the bank beside him, sloshing out to dry land.

    Tossing his sopping, mismatched shoes to the side and removing his singular remaining sock, Jake lay back on the bank. Amongst the gentle breeze around him, he laid back into the gently swaying grass and closed his eyes. For the first time in weeks, he felt he could allow his body to relax. And only now, laying back breathing in deep lungfuls of crip woodland air did his body¡¯s exertion truly reveal itself.

    His hands felt sore and calloused. His neck felt bruised and tender, making moving it around painful. The sun above, though a welcome blessing, was now blinding to his eyes. He hadn¡¯t realized how much he¡¯d adapted to the unending dark till now. The longer he lay still the more his body¡¯s problems seemed to reveal themselves, begging him to sleep.

    Yet sleep evaded him. Despite his best efforts, he could not stop his brain from wandering into thoughts of Lana and Leopold, bleeding endlessly barely holding onto life. No matter how hard he tried he could not stop the guilt of his departure from creeping into his heart, gripping hold of every being. No matter how much he wanted to ignore it, the endless solitude of the Forrest around refused to escape his notice as the wind rang hollow and barren throughout the trees.

    Jake lay on the ground for a while, trying to force himself to sleep before admitting defeat and sitting up. His mind was a wreck, a million thoughts racing through his head a minute and his body didn¡¯t feel much better. It hurt to keep his eyes open, and a throbbing headache was beginning to build up in the base of his skull. Yet still, no matter how hard he¡¯d tried to force it sleep would allude him for the foreseeable future.

    Crawling to the creek bed, Jake cupped a handful of water to swallow. It cut down his throat, cool and refreshing and loosening his throat. Cupping another handful he leaned over the edge of the creek splashing the cool water against his face in an effort to wake himself up to a comfortable degree. If he was stuck keeping himself awake, it might as well be at a level where he was comfortable.

    Yet as the water dripped from his face back to the stream, its cool undercurrent shocking his system as soon as it touched his face, he paused staring into the spring below. He couldn¡¯t believe what he saw, who he saw staring back at him.

    His hair had grown long, now reaching the base of his neck. A scruffy curtain of hair grew out around his ears and soon would envelop them completely. He could still see clearly, but it wouldn''t be long before his bangs grew enough to dangle in front of his line of sight as an inescapable distraction. His eyes were gaunt and set in, heavy black bags underlining them. They looked bloodshot and mad.

    A nasty-looking bruise stretched around his entire neck and sneaked its way around his entire body, reaching around where the flesh had gripped hold of him. Flecks of blood caked his overgrown nails, and looking closely he could see dried bits of flesh and blood in his hair. The clothes he wore, a borrowed patchwork, once sat tight on his frame but now fit him comfortably. He hadn¡¯t felt like he was losing weight, and he still felt plump, but he had definitely lost a noticeable amount.

    He didn¡¯t look like himself. A laugh began to escape his throat, pained and uncontrollable as he realized how unrecognizable he was. How long had it been already? A few weeks? A month? How long would he be stuck like this, stuck wandering alone bumbling from place to place till he finally made it home? Would they even recognize him if he finally made it back somehow? Jake himself could barely recognize himself.

    Jake stood up, shivering and his throat hoarse. He shook his head hard trying to force the thoughts that tormented him out of his head. It didn¡¯t matter if no one recognized him. He¡¯d force them to. No matter how long it took to get home, no matter how alone he was, no matter who he had to leave behind. Jake was going home no matter what.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    Jake turned away from the creek, no longer wanting to see his reflection staring back across at him, and wandered away from the creek bank into the woods. He was careful not to wander far, never further away than what he could backtrack. He didn¡¯t want to lose the one source of water he had while he was stuck here. He¡¯d grown hungry, or more like his time relaxing had allowed him to realize how hungry he was, and so he decided it was time to forage.

    Yet there was nothing around worth foraging. The pines above produced nothing he could see that looked edible, and the bushes surrounding him didn¡¯t look like he could produce any sort of berry he could eat. Curious, Jake tried biting a cluster of pine needles falling from above in hopes that in this world they may be edible. Unfortunately, he found it just as inedible as a series of sharp sensations stabbed into his mouth accompanied by a bitter taste.

    Falling to his knees, spitting and gagging on the needles, he flopped to his side as he rubbed his hands across his tongue in a hurried attempt to remove any remaining needles from his mouth. As he lay rolling on the ground drowning in the sharp bitter taste of the pines, he spotted it. Ears at alert, hopping cautiously through an undergrowth Jake only spotted thanks to a low opening flat on the ground. It was a blue hare, unlike anything he¡¯d yet seen.

    Its fur was a brilliant electric blue with shades of white dotted across it. Its ears were straight and narrow, save for the ends which ballooned out like cotton. Its back was turned away from Jake, yet its ears were on high alert and it stopped moving once Jake''s eyes made contact with it.

    Jake froze, unsure what sort of movements might set it off, and send it running. The rabbit across from him in the hidden grove also stayed stock still as if listening and waiting. Carefully, eyes never leaving the rabbit Jake snaked his hand down toward his pocket and dragged one of his knives loose and into his hand. The rabbit didn¡¯t move, giving no sign that he¡¯d heard Jake¡¯s movements or would react.

    Holding his breath Jake carefully tried to creep forward brushing the bush away as silently as possible. He moved methodically, never overextending the branches of the bush so they wouldn''t snap, and always trying to move the bush so the leaves would flutter with the wind. Yet still he wasn¡¯t perfect and with every creek or flutter of the leaves he saw the rabbit twitch and look around frantically. Yet it never ran away, just stood their stock still like a statue ears twitching violently.

    Jake counted his lucky stars the rabbit hadn¡¯t moved yet. He¡¯d managed to get fairly good the last week at hitting a stationary target. Even then, all the targets he¡¯d practiced on were larger than the rabbit so he figured his odds of actually hitting the rabbit with his knife weren¡¯t very good. If the rabbit started running away on top of that, any hope he had of successfully catching the rabbit disappeared.

    Drawing his breath in and holding it, Jake drew his arm back as silently as he could and let his knife fly forward. The knife did not leave his hand silently, a soft sound escaped it as it traveled through the air but by the time the rabbit noticed it was too late. The knife embedded itself through its neck, causing it to crumple flat.

    Jake stood tall and forced his way through the surrounding overbrush into the hidden clearing the rabbit had been grazing in. Looking closer, it looked like his knife had managed to sever the rabbit¡¯s spine when it hit. Jake stood there, mouth agape, amazed at his good fortune. He¡¯d been aiming for the broadside of the rabbit hoping to injure it enough to catch it or follow it till it bleed out. Picking the corpse of the rabbit up and retrieving his knife from the base of its neck, Jake marveled at how his luck worked sometimes.

    Backtracking toward the creek bank, Jake hung the rabbit from a tree and left it to bleed while he prepared a fire. Fortunately, there were plenty of discarded pine needles around to act as starter kindling and it didn¡¯t take too long to gather some additional bark and discarded branches to form a decent-sized campfire. Digging through his rather unorganized bag, Jake pulled out the sparking stones that had tangled themselves with the discarded cloth of his old clothes.

    He briefly paused, pulling his phone out for a moment but found it had no power, and the screen was now horrifically cracked. Even if it could be charged, Jake doubted it would ever work again after his swim through Blood Lake, but that was a problem for the future. Refocusing he took the striking stones close to the campfire, and after a few attempts the sparks caught bringing the fire to life. He repacked the stones and brought his still wet shoes and sock over to the fire''s edge to allow them to dry faster.

    Jake sat back a bit, enjoying the warmth of the fire which contrasted with the slight chill of the air around him, before returning his attention to the rabbit waiting to be skinned. The blood had drained from the rabbit, forming a small pool on the floor below and on the tree it hung from. Looking at the red of the rabbit''s blood, Jake realized how odd he found it to be skinning a creature that lacked the black blood he¡¯d slowly gotten used to.

    Still, it skinned easily enough, and using the method Rick had taught him the past few weeks he managed to skin the rabbit in only a few minutes. As he moved on to preparing the meat to cook, he marveled at how much he¡¯d improved. Looking around the whole of the campsite he¡¯d set up so far, everything he had now would have seemed impossible to him just a month ago. Confidence soared in him as his focus was drawn to the roaring fire searing with heat across from him. He could handle this; he¡¯d survive till the end and make it home.

    His drifted attention refocused once his work prepping the meat was done. Yet a saddened sigh escaped his lips as he realized in his lack of focus he¡¯d automatically portioned it for four. Looking around his camp he realized how empty it felt as his mind was drawn back to the thoughts of the trio, despite his best efforts throughout the day to distract himself from them.

    Reaching into his pocket and pulling the wolf fang free into his hand, he stared at it surrounded by drifting pine and swaying bush and remembered how truly alone he was.

 Day 35 - Alice

    Alice threw her cloak over herself and wrapped it around tight. It was old and moth-eaten and sat too large on her shoulders, but it was perfect for her purposes. It gave her the look of a beggar most outside the district would avoid, perfect for laying low and moving undercover. A rigid, cracked hand reached up from beneath the cloak to pull her hood closer down over her head. Looking around back behind her at the ramshackle state of her hut, she left through the door before the sun had started its rise.

    <hr>

    Jake landed on the ground amongst a plume of dust with a scream as the sudden fall sent shocks of pain radiating out from where he¡¯d been shot. Flat on his back he gasped for breath, the wind knocked out of him as his vision blurred. He could hear gasps and whispers beyond the scope of his blurred vision and struggled to process what was happening around him as his brain felt like it was trapped in a delirious haze.

    Slowly his breathing began to return to normal and the blurred edges around his eyes began to clear away. Looking around franticly he found himself sprawled flat across a paved stone floor, a crowd of people gathered around him in a hushed whisper. Beyond their heads, Jake could make out the paved rooftops of second-story buildings and could see vague puffs of smoke rising from inlaid chimneys, yet his vision of the surroundings was obscured by his positioning on the ground and the crowd around him.

    Glancing down at the wound tearing through his side Jake saw an ever-constant stream of blood leaking forward. His clothes were splotchy and cold as a growing blood stain appeared, and beneath him, his back lay on wet stone as blood pooled under him. His hands shaking, Jake pushed down into his side in hopes of stopping the flow of blood from his side.

    All this effort brought was pain, as the blood seemed to flow even more freely than before in response to his efforts. Pained grunts continually escaped him, and his hands slowly covered themselves in a crimson coating. Looking around frantically amongst the crowd gathered around him he tried to let out a cry for help yet all that escaped him was a pained scream and a cough that sent blood splattering across the ground.

    None in the crowd seemed to care. They simply looked on and murmured amongst themselves, and looking up from the floor Jake saw nothing but disgust and amusement on their faces as they watched him slowly bleed out. Pushing into his side again, Jake tried to crawl away from the unhelpful, malignant, crowd in hopes of finding help elsewhere but the only reward he found was pain as he sprawled out on his sides.

    Gasping for breath, his vision began to blur and distort again, Jake weakly called out. Whether words or just gurgling calls escaped his throat, he wasn¡¯t sure. No response was returned to him as his vision once more blurred and distorted, focusing on the sky above. His thoughts of survival and escape began to fade, as new thoughts about the beauty of the scenery above replaced them.

    All at once he was shocked awake, a new pain taking hold of him. Electric and piercing, it felt like he was being stabbed by a Taser where he¡¯d been shot. He jolted upright with a scream as he tried to swat away whoever was holding a taser to his wound. Yet his hand met nothing but swirling energy. His vision cleared and his senses returned as the sudden electric sensation caused him to regain composure. Nothing was being held at his side or pressed to his wound, instead a familiar energy swirled around him.

    The magic pressed into his side felt different than any Jake had experienced before. As his hand passed through it, it felt like a solid gel of condensed air. Though his hand passed through without much effort, the shocking sensation continued to permeate into his wound drawing another scream.

    Yet he was not the only one to scream, all around the crowd was in a panic. Men and women alike fell over themselves screaming and pushing to get away from Jake. A cry was called from the fleeing mass, who exactly called it was unclear,

    ¡°A BROKEN! THERE''S A BROKEN OVER HERE! CALL THE GUARDS!¡±

    Soon a whistling sound could be heard in the distance, and looking around Jake was left alone save for one other person.

    Across from him a figure cloaked in a robe knelt clutching their hand. Jake could see what looked like deep black veins cutting across the exposed skin of their hand that stuck out from under their cloak. The figure was stuck kneeling, breathing heavily before they looked up catching eyes with Jake. It was a split second, not enough time for Jake to see any more than the evident fear in her green eyes.

    Without another word, the cloaked girl stood up with a slight wobble in their step and took off running down the street. Jake watched her go, confused a moment before suddenly the sounds of whistling grew closer accompanied by the sound of thudding boots breaking against stone.

    Turning from the whistling sound back toward where he¡¯d watched the girl disappear, Jake slowly stood up. Shaky and uneven, feeling woozy after losing so much blood, the world seemed to spin. Yet something gnawed deep inside him. The look in that girl¡¯s eyes, the ever-growing whistling. They didn¡¯t sit well with Jake at all.

    Jake took an un-even step forward, slower than he would have liked as he prepared to try and chase after the fleeing girl when he felt his foot brush up against something below. Looking down, a shiver ran down his spine when he saw the revolver, glinting in the sun. It had slipped free of his grasp when he¡¯d fallen to the street and now lay in a pool of his blood. Looking around, Jake let out a gulp before bending forward to collect the blood-soaked gun.

    Alice sat, kneeling against the wall struggling to breathe. She still had a way to go before reaching the gap hidden in the district¡¯s fence but she couldn¡¯t keep running anymore. She let out a cough, which grew more and more violent before finally resulting in her doubling over freely vomiting blood. It hurt, felt like her insides were split apart by a fishmonger, but she¡¯d grown used to this pain over the years.

    With teary eyes, she reached up and wiped the blood away from her lips. She had to make it back to the fence before it was too late. Now that she¡¯d been spotted, she didn¡¯t have long before a full shakedown occurred in the district. They¡¯d find the gap she¡¯d cut, that much was already given. She¡¯d have to start over. Time lost, wasted. The bigger issue was making sure she was back inside before it was too late. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°Dam it all¡­¡± Alice muttered to herself. She¡¯d nearly made it to the market, she was nearly halfway done with her excursion beyond the district. She just had to pass some idiot bleeding out on the side of the road that set her curse off. If she could make it back home¡­

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± She heard a voice behind her. Turning back, dread filled her core. Blood still dripped from the idiot¡¯s side as he walked forward, stumbling a bit as he followed her into the alleyway. He looked pale and unbalanced, and obviously, he was Unbroken. She fell back from the wall, falling to the ground her hood fell away from her face as she tried to scoot away from the approaching man.

    He looked at her with a look of concern, but Alice saw what he held at his side. Metallic and coated in blood, she wasn¡¯t sure what it was but he held the blunted object carefully in his hand as he approached her. She swallowed a gulp, inching back away from the man as she hurriedly tried to plead for her life.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry please sir, I¡¯m sorry! I knew it was wrong to leave, I knew It was wrong to come here just please let me go¡­¡± The man kept creeping closer to her looking more worried than he had before. Panicked, close to crying Alice screamed out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for cursing you, it was an accident, honest. Please don¡¯t hurt me please.¡± She threw herself away from the man inching herself across the floor in a desperate attempt to get away from him.

    He¡¯d stopped approaching her and just looked at her confused now, before glancing down at his side. He mimed a sort of grasping motion above where his wound once lay, ruffling the dirtied fabric hanging over his body, before locking eyes with her. She saw no fury in his gaze, but rather a sort of childlike excitement as he said,

    ¡°Wait, you mean you¡¯re the one who¡­¡±

    ¡°Step aside sir, don¡¯t get any closer.¡± A shrill whistle tore through the air and Alice froze. Three pairs of footsteps echoed in the alleyway. Behind the idiotic man she¡¯d cursed came the figure of a group of guards.

    Lean and dressed in pressed grey uniforms, golden tassel rope hung from their shoulders. They were all clean shaven with slicked back hair and all wore an expression of mixed disgust and joy when they looked over at Alice who sat shivering on the stone ground. Their boots, thighs high and black clicked against the stone as they walked ever closer. They stopped about a yard or two behind the man who looked back towards the group of guards with a look of confusion.

    ¡°She¡¯s dangerous sir, best let us handle her.¡± Another of the guards said, his voice dripping with malice. From his waist he began unspooling a thick looking rope. It was black and frayed looking. The other two guards pulled metallic clubs from their waste. While at first glance dulled, Alice noticed with grim horror the razor edges that lay nestled in the metallic seams of the club, glinting in the rays of sun that dared to shine into the alleyway.

    Alice swallowed a fearful gulp and tried to inch herself away slowly while the guards were still focused on the man in front of her, only for a loud clanging sound to ring out. Looking up she saw one of the armed guards look her way, an evil smirk on his face as he shook his head no. Trembling in fear now, she could only watch as the man in front of her turned around, waiting for him to step aside. Wait for him to let the guards bind and drag her away. Instead, he stayed stock still, rooted between her and the guards.

    ¡°Why do you need her?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sir,¡± one of the guards began stepping closer toward the man, ¡°I heard her mention it, she cursed you right? Well, punish her for you. Will leave her just alive for official punishment when we leave this alleyway. Best to leave the Broken to the professionals though, wouldn¡¯t want to get hurt. Step aside now sir.¡±

    The man stood his ground, slowly raising his hands till the metallic tool he¡¯d been holding since approaching her was raised level with the guard across from him. Alice noticed a slight shake in the man¡¯s stance, a slight tremble in his voice, yet still, he refused to move as he told the guards,

    ¡°Back away, now.¡±

    The guards looked at each other, confusion etched on their faces before the leading one said,

    ¡°Look, sir, last warning. Step aside now. We won¡¯t be held responsible for any injuries you might incur if you keep us from doing our jobs.¡±

    The guards raised their clubs now. They still held them in a relaxed manner, but their tone of voice and the sharp look in their eye was very different from how they¡¯d addressed the man before. Their threat was clear. The man still didn¡¯t move, yet instead a clicking sound could be heard echoing across the alleyway.

    ¡°No more warnings.¡± The man said before an explosive sound echoed out deafening Alice. Her hands flew up to cover her ears, and she realized she wasn¡¯t the only one shocked by the explosive sound. Two of the guards had staggered back, one also dropping his club as his hands flew to his ears with a scream. The remaining guard who stood across from Jake staggered back with a scream. Blood flew from his shoulder as he collapsed onto his back with a series of high-pitched shrieks.

    As a ringing sensation slowly died down in Alice¡¯s ear, she watched the man point the metallic device toward the guards once more. With pale faces. The two guards still uninjured retreated, leaving their companion behind to scream and bleed on the alley¡¯s floor.

    <hr>

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that worked¡­¡± Jake said with a sigh, stepping back and letting the gun slip from his hand to the stone floor below. His hand was killing him, pain radiated upward from his wrist back to his shoulder blade. Along with the fact that a dull ring still persisted in his ears, the noise had felt far worse than the last time he had to fire. He was relieved he hadn¡¯t had to shoot twice, not just because of the pain but because he doubted he could hit anyone other than the guy standing directly across from him.

    Jake shook his head side to side, trying to get the ringing in his ears to fade away, before he bent over low and picked the gun up with his other hand. Keeping track right, he had four bullets left in this thing. Not enough to practice aiming with properly, but enough to save in case things got desperate. Turning around, a faint ringing still buzzing about his head, he refocused on the girl who stood staring at him with a look of amazement and fear.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jake said, a little louder than he would normally have talked, ¡°You said you were the one who saved me right?¡±

    The girl nodded looking confused at Jake¡¯s question. A massive smile spread across Jake''s face before he let out a laugh, looking down and poking at his side.

    ¡°You really saved me, didn¡¯t you, I thought I was dead for¡­¡± Jake was interrupted as he stumbled forward. Pale-faced and dizzy he staggard toward the ground only to be caught by the girl who rushed forward the catch him against her shoulder. She let out a squeak of fright a second later though before pushing him away.

    ¡°Sorry about that. I¡¯m a bit dizzy at the moment. Thanks for catching me, sorry if I smell bad or something.¡± Jake was a little disappointed by the reaction, he thought he¡¯d smell fine after finally having a chance to bath, but he was coated in blood. Anyone would be disgusted by that. The girl simply stared at Jake with a look of utter bafflement.

    ¡°Names Jake, Jake Mills,¡±

    Jake reached his hand out from the floor toward the girl standing above him.

    ¡°Alice,¡± the girl said after a minute, cautiously taking hold of his hand. Her skin felt hard, like porcelain. Looking closer Jake noticed what he thought to be black veins were actually deep cuts that dug into her skin all along her hand and up her arm. Looking up at her face, Jake could see the cuts running up her neck and wrapped around the right side of her face. Sitting back a moment, Jake looked around before focusing behind him at the guard, asking,

    ¡°So why were they after¡­¡±

    But he was interrupted by a series of shrill whistles that rang through the air. Jumping at the sudden sound which served the refocus the two, Alice grabbed hold of Jake¡¯s wrist and pulled him upward before dragging the uneven boy forward with a cry,

    ¡°Come on!¡±

 Day 35 - Alice

    Alice threw her cloak over herself and wrapped it around tight. It was old and moth-eaten and sat too large on her shoulders, but it was perfect for her purposes. It gave her the look of a beggar most outside the district would avoid, perfect for laying low and moving undercover. A rigid, cracked hand reached up from beneath the cloak to pull her hood closer down over her head. Looking around back behind her at the ramshackle state of her hut, she left through the door before the sun had started its rise.

    <hr>

    Jake landed on the ground amongst a plume of dust with a scream as the sudden fall sent shocks of pain radiating out from where he¡¯d been shot. Flat on his back he gasped for breath, the wind knocked out of him as his vision blurred. He could hear gasps and whispers beyond the scope of his blurred vision and struggled to process what was happening around him as his brain felt like it was trapped in a delirious haze.

    Slowly his breathing began to return to normal and the blurred edges around his eyes began to clear away. Looking around franticly he found himself sprawled flat across a paved stone floor, a crowd of people gathered around him in a hushed whisper. Beyond their heads, Jake could make out the paved rooftops of second-story buildings and could see vague puffs of smoke rising from inlaid chimneys, yet his vision of the surroundings was obscured by his positioning on the ground and the crowd around him.

    Glancing down at the wound tearing through his side Jake saw an ever-constant stream of blood leaking forward. His clothes were splotchy and cold as a growing blood stain appeared, and beneath him, his back lay on wet stone as blood pooled under him. His hands shaking, Jake pushed down into his side in hopes of stopping the flow of blood from his side.

    All this effort brought was pain, as the blood seemed to flow even more freely than before in response to his efforts. Pained grunts continually escaped him, and his hands slowly covered themselves in a crimson coating. Looking around frantically amongst the crowd gathered around him he tried to let out a cry for help yet all that escaped him was a pained scream and a cough that sent blood splattering across the ground.

    None in the crowd seemed to care. They simply looked on and murmured amongst themselves, and looking up from the floor Jake saw nothing but disgust and amusement on their faces as they watched him slowly bleed out. Pushing into his side again, Jake tried to crawl away from the unhelpful, malignant, crowd in hopes of finding help elsewhere but the only reward he found was pain as he sprawled out on his sides.

    Gasping for breath, his vision began to blur and distort again, Jake weakly called out. Whether words or just gurgling calls escaped his throat, he wasn¡¯t sure. No response was returned to him as his vision once more blurred and distorted, focusing on the sky above. His thoughts of survival and escape began to fade, as new thoughts about the beauty of the scenery above replaced them.

    All at once he was shocked awake, a new pain taking hold of him. Electric and piercing, it felt like he was being stabbed by a Taser where he¡¯d been shot. He jolted upright with a scream as he tried to swat away whoever was holding a taser to his wound. Yet his hand met nothing but swirling energy. His vision cleared and his senses returned as the sudden electric sensation caused him to regain composure. Nothing was being held at his side or pressed to his wound, instead a familiar energy swirled around him.

    The magic pressed into his side felt different than any Jake had experienced before. As his hand passed through it, it felt like a solid gel of condensed air. Though his hand passed through without much effort, the shocking sensation continued to permeate into his wound drawing another scream.

    Yet he was not the only one to scream, all around the crowd was in a panic. Men and women alike fell over themselves screaming and pushing to get away from Jake. A cry was called from the fleeing mass, who exactly called it was unclear,

    ¡°A BROKEN! THERE''S A BROKEN OVER HERE! CALL THE GUARDS!¡±

    Soon a whistling sound could be heard in the distance, and looking around Jake was left alone save for one other person.

    Across from him a figure cloaked in a robe knelt clutching their hand. Jake could see what looked like deep black veins cutting across the exposed skin of their hand that stuck out from under their cloak. The figure was stuck kneeling, breathing heavily before they looked up catching eyes with Jake. It was a split second, not enough time for Jake to see any more than the evident fear in her green eyes.

    Without another word, the cloaked girl stood up with a slight wobble in their step and took off running down the street. Jake watched her go, confused a moment before suddenly the sounds of whistling grew closer accompanied by the sound of thudding boots breaking against stone.

    Turning from the whistling sound back toward where he¡¯d watched the girl disappear, Jake slowly stood up. Shaky and uneven, feeling woozy after losing so much blood, the world seemed to spin. Yet something gnawed deep inside him. The look in that girl¡¯s eyes, the ever-growing whistling. They didn¡¯t sit well with Jake at all.

    Jake took an un-even step forward, slower than he would have liked as he prepared to try and chase after the fleeing girl when he felt his foot brush up against something below. Looking down, a shiver ran down his spine when he saw the revolver, glinting in the sun. It had slipped free of his grasp when he¡¯d fallen to the street and now lay in a pool of his blood. Looking around, Jake let out a gulp before bending forward to collect the blood-soaked gun.

    Alice sat, kneeling against the wall struggling to breathe. She still had a way to go before reaching the gap hidden in the district¡¯s fence but she couldn¡¯t keep running anymore. She let out a cough, which grew more and more violent before finally resulting in her doubling over freely vomiting blood. It hurt, felt like her insides were split apart by a fishmonger, but she¡¯d grown used to this pain over the years.

    With teary eyes, she reached up and wiped the blood away from her lips. She had to make it back to the fence before it was too late. Now that she¡¯d been spotted, she didn¡¯t have long before a full shakedown occurred in the district. They¡¯d find the gap she¡¯d cut, that much was already given. She¡¯d have to start over. Time lost, wasted. The bigger issue was making sure she was back inside before it was too late.

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Dam it all¡­¡± Alice muttered to herself. She¡¯d nearly made it to the market, she was nearly halfway done with her excursion beyond the district. She just had to pass some idiot bleeding out on the side of the road that set her curse off. If she could make it back home¡­

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± She heard a voice behind her. Turning back, dread filled her core. Blood still dripped from the idiot¡¯s side as he walked forward, stumbling a bit as he followed her into the alleyway. He looked pale and unbalanced, and obviously, he was Unbroken. She fell back from the wall, falling to the ground her hood fell away from her face as she tried to scoot away from the approaching man.

    He looked at her with a look of concern, but Alice saw what he held at his side. Metallic and coated in blood, she wasn¡¯t sure what it was but he held the blunted object carefully in his hand as he approached her. She swallowed a gulp, inching back away from the man as she hurriedly tried to plead for her life.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry please sir, I¡¯m sorry! I knew it was wrong to leave, I knew It was wrong to come here just please let me go¡­¡± The man kept creeping closer to her looking more worried than he had before. Panicked, close to crying Alice screamed out, ¡°I¡¯m sorry for cursing you, it was an accident, honest. Please don¡¯t hurt me please.¡± She threw herself away from the man inching herself across the floor in a desperate attempt to get away from him.

    He¡¯d stopped approaching her and just looked at her confused now, before glancing down at his side. He mimed a sort of grasping motion above where his wound once lay, ruffling the dirtied fabric hanging over his body, before locking eyes with her. She saw no fury in his gaze, but rather a sort of childlike excitement as he said,

    ¡°Wait, you mean you¡¯re the one who¡­¡±

    ¡°Step aside sir, don¡¯t get any closer.¡± A shrill whistle tore through the air and Alice froze. Three pairs of footsteps echoed in the alleyway. Behind the idiotic man she¡¯d cursed came the figure of a group of guards.

    Lean and dressed in pressed grey uniforms, golden tassel rope hung from their shoulders. They were all clean shaven with slicked back hair and all wore an expression of mixed disgust and joy when they looked over at Alice who sat shivering on the stone ground. Their boots, thighs high and black clicked against the stone as they walked ever closer. They stopped about a yard or two behind the man who looked back towards the group of guards with a look of confusion.

    ¡°She¡¯s dangerous sir, best let us handle her.¡± Another of the guards said, his voice dripping with malice. From his waist he began unspooling a thick looking rope. It was black and frayed looking. The other two guards pulled metallic clubs from their waste. While at first glance dulled, Alice noticed with grim horror the razor edges that lay nestled in the metallic seams of the club, glinting in the rays of sun that dared to shine into the alleyway.

    Alice swallowed a fearful gulp and tried to inch herself away slowly while the guards were still focused on the man in front of her, only for a loud clanging sound to ring out. Looking up she saw one of the armed guards look her way, an evil smirk on his face as he shook his head no. Trembling in fear now, she could only watch as the man in front of her turned around, waiting for him to step aside. Wait for him to let the guards bind and drag her away. Instead, he stayed stock still, rooted between her and the guards.

    ¡°Why do you need her?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry sir,¡± one of the guards began stepping closer toward the man, ¡°I heard her mention it, she cursed you right? Well, punish her for you. Will leave her just alive for official punishment when we leave this alleyway. Best to leave the Broken to the professionals though, wouldn¡¯t want to get hurt. Step aside now sir.¡±

    The man stood his ground, slowly raising his hands till the metallic tool he¡¯d been holding since approaching her was raised level with the guard across from him. Alice noticed a slight shake in the man¡¯s stance, a slight tremble in his voice, yet still, he refused to move as he told the guards,

    ¡°Back away, now.¡±

    The guards looked at each other, confusion etched on their faces before the leading one said,

    ¡°Look, sir, last warning. Step aside now. We won¡¯t be held responsible for any injuries you might incur if you keep us from doing our jobs.¡±

    The guards raised their clubs now. They still held them in a relaxed manner, but their tone of voice and the sharp look in their eye was very different from how they¡¯d addressed the man before. Their threat was clear. The man still didn¡¯t move, yet instead a clicking sound could be heard echoing across the alleyway.

    ¡°No more warnings.¡± The man said before an explosive sound echoed out deafening Alice. Her hands flew up to cover her ears, and she realized she wasn¡¯t the only one shocked by the explosive sound. Two of the guards had staggered back, one also dropping his club as his hands flew to his ears with a scream. The remaining guard who stood across from Jake staggered back with a scream. Blood flew from his shoulder as he collapsed onto his back with a series of high-pitched shrieks.

    As a ringing sensation slowly died down in Alice¡¯s ear, she watched the man point the metallic device toward the guards once more. With pale faces. The two guards still uninjured retreated, leaving their companion behind to scream and bleed on the alley¡¯s floor.

    <hr>

    ¡°I¡¯m glad that worked¡­¡± Jake said with a sigh, stepping back and letting the gun slip from his hand to the stone floor below. His hand was killing him, pain radiated upward from his wrist back to his shoulder blade. Along with the fact that a dull ring still persisted in his ears, the noise had felt far worse than the last time he had to fire. He was relieved he hadn¡¯t had to shoot twice, not just because of the pain but because he doubted he could hit anyone other than the guy standing directly across from him.

    Jake shook his head side to side, trying to get the ringing in his ears to fade away, before he bent over low and picked the gun up with his other hand. Keeping track right, he had four bullets left in this thing. Not enough to practice aiming with properly, but enough to save in case things got desperate. Turning around, a faint ringing still buzzing about his head, he refocused on the girl who stood staring at him with a look of amazement and fear.

    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jake said, a little louder than he would normally have talked, ¡°You said you were the one who saved me right?¡±

    The girl nodded looking confused at Jake¡¯s question. A massive smile spread across Jake''s face before he let out a laugh, looking down and poking at his side.

    ¡°You really saved me, didn¡¯t you, I thought I was dead for¡­¡± Jake was interrupted as he stumbled forward. Pale-faced and dizzy he staggard toward the ground only to be caught by the girl who rushed forward the catch him against her shoulder. She let out a squeak of fright a second later though before pushing him away.

    ¡°Sorry about that. I¡¯m a bit dizzy at the moment. Thanks for catching me, sorry if I smell bad or something.¡± Jake was a little disappointed by the reaction, he thought he¡¯d smell fine after finally having a chance to bath, but he was coated in blood. Anyone would be disgusted by that. The girl simply stared at Jake with a look of utter bafflement.

    ¡°Names Jake, Jake Mills,¡±

    Jake reached his hand out from the floor toward the girl standing above him.

    ¡°Alice,¡± the girl said after a minute, cautiously taking hold of his hand. Her skin felt hard, like porcelain. Looking closer Jake noticed what he thought to be black veins were actually deep cuts that dug into her skin all along her hand and up her arm. Looking up at her face, Jake could see the cuts running up her neck and wrapped around the right side of her face. Sitting back a moment, Jake looked around before focusing behind him at the guard, asking,

    ¡°So why were they after¡­¡±

    But he was interrupted by a series of shrill whistles that rang through the air. Jumping at the sudden sound which served the refocus the two, Alice grabbed hold of Jake¡¯s wrist and pulled him upward before dragging the uneven boy forward with a cry,

    ¡°Come on!¡±

 Day 36 - An Accidental Kidnapping

    Alice dragged Jake forward deeper into the alleyway, away from the screaming guard left alone to bleed onto the stone below. Looking over his shoulder at the bleeding guard, Jake guessed the wound was probably non-lethal as it had only pierced into his shoulder, but he wasn¡¯t positive. The guard was making a meal out of his injury though that was probably the first time anyone had been shot in this world. Jake now knew from experience just how painful a bullet could be.

    Jake found his thoughts drawn away from the wailing guard behind him as a set of piercing whistles cut through the air, all from different locations around him but closer than the last time they rang out. Running forward blindly, focusing all his effort on simply staying upright Jake allowed Alice to drag him forward.

    Suddenly she let go of his wrist and ducked out of sight to the side. Not expecting his guide to suddenly disappear, Jake continued forward, his momentum already too great to change directions. Stumbling forward, Jake almost threw himself out of the alleyway before he felt a sudden pull grip hold of the back of his shirt and yank him downward.

    Dragging Jake backward into the long shadow of one of the buildings that framed the exit to the alleyway, Alice pulled the pair into a large crack carved in the foundations of the building. It wasn¡¯t a perfect hiding spot, but it would have to be enough for the time being. As soon as she managed to stuff the pair into hiding, a sharp whistle rang out, dead ahead. Soon two figures rounded the corner of the alley.

    They wore the same identical grey uniform all the guards wore, and both already had their clubs drawn at the ready. They looked around for a moment before one tapped the other and pointed down the alley. He was gesturing toward the screaming figure of the injured guard left abandoned on the floor. Raising their clubs at the ready, the two stomped off toward the figure.

    As the two stormed off down the alley, boots clicking against the stone and whistles raised to their lips to send out a signal to all the searching guards to converge, Alice took her chance to slip free of her makeshift hiding spot and drag Jake out from the alleyway. Pulling her hood back tight over her head she looked around and grimaced.

    The streets were deserted now, save for the two of them and the growing patrols of guards. They¡¯d have to sprint full force now toward the district¡¯s fence. It was their only hope of survival, well really her only hope of survival. Jake could slip away anytime he wanted but for some reason, he seemed keen on following after her, and if they managed to escape Alice was rather curious to figure out why that was.

    Grabbing hold of Jake¡¯s hand as he wobbled a bit, still unsteady on his feet, Alice dragged the pair off toward the Broken¡¯s district ever vigilant for the guards¡¯ whistles or their clicking boots.

    <hr>

    Jake collapsed to his hands and knees finally allowed to rest. His head felt cloudy, and he was out of breath. As he lay collapsed to his hands and knees, Alice busied herself rushing around the shack, drawing the few burlap curtains hung around the place shut. There were only two windows in the whole of the one-roomed shack, and both were cracked and already boarded up but she would rather be safe than sorry. As it stood right now, she looked like a mess. Covered in sweat and blood, it would be easy to tell she had been the Broken sneaking around outside the district. Not to mention the outsider she had snuck inside and was currently hiding.

    The run back to the fence had been mercifully uneventful. The pounding of the guard¡¯s boots and their ever-present whistle blasts helped to keep her aware of their positions, so she was able to avoid cornering them as they moved. Jake¡¯s explosive attack had proved the perfect distraction, it had served to draw all the guards throughout the city away towards the alleys. Fanned out searching the back alleys, they had left the main streets practically empty.

    With well-timed slips between the shadows and lucky sprints, Alice was able to lead the pair back to the fence before anyone could catch wind of them. Thankfully Jake¡¯s distraction had also served to stop the guards from discovering the gap she¡¯d cut into the fence, as it remained unguarded and available for her to crawl through. She¡¯d expected this to be where she and Jake would part ways, she couldn¡¯t imagine an Unbroken willingly crawling into the district, but after looking around to make sure no one was watching he¡¯d crawled in after her without complaint.

    Now the two sat in her home, waiting. Well, she was waiting. Glancing over at Jake, she still couldn¡¯t guess what he wanted. She had to stay on edge now, waiting for the guards to start a census. They wouldn¡¯t give up searching the main streets and the alleyways easily, but eventually, they¡¯d be forced to admit their failure in capturing her and start a census. They¡¯d tear through the district taking headcounts and searching for anything out of place to try and find her.

    With a worried gulp, she realized they might just opt for random extermination in hopes of saving face. Looking over at Jake who had sat up from his hands and knees now, looking around the shack a pang of annoyance shot through her. It was all this idiot''s fault she was stuck in this mess.

    With a sigh, she bent low and dug through a wooden box she kept against the wall. It wasn¡¯t particularly big, but It had a lockable top which made it one of the most secured containers in all of the district. Rising up holding a hardened bit of tack and some musty old water, she broke a bit of the tack off and tossed it toward Jack along with the old water skin.

    ¡°Here, I¡¯ll split some of my rations for today. Don¡¯t expect much more, you stopped me before I could make it to the market so that¡¯s all your getting.¡±

    She watched as he tore into tac, noting with a smirk the unpleasant look that crossed his face as its salty taste met his tongue.

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jake said, his teeth failing for a bit to sink into the bit of cracker-like bread he now held. ¡°So, why were the Nazis after you?¡±

    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    ¡°The who?¡±

    ¡°Sorry, whatever they''re called here. Why were they trying to arrest you like that? It wasn¡¯t because you helped me, was it?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ that was part of it¡­¡± Alice scratched behind her head, staring down at Jake unsure how much of his question was genuine or not. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m Broken.¡±

    ¡°The hell does that mean?¡± Jake asked, though his eyes naturally glanced toward the crack-like scars that traveled along her porcelain-like skin.

    ¡°Why are you acting like this!¡± Alice was getting more animated now, her voice rising. This was the first time she¡¯d met an Unbroken person who acted like this. She¡¯d never known them to play mind games like this, they always simply called the broken disgusting through the fence or beat them as punishment. She¡¯d certainly never heard about an Unbroken who willingly touched a Broken.

    ¡°Calm down, calm down, please," Jake said quickly, raising his arms and trying to calm Alice down. "I just¡­ where I come from these terms don¡¯t exist¡­¡±

    ¡°Where you come from? You¡¯re from beyond the wall?¡± Alice asked, suddenly sitting forward and looking toward Jake with a newfound excitement in her eyes.

    ¡°Well, I mean, kind of yeah. Not sure what wall you¡¯re talking about, but we can circle back to that. I¡¯m sort of like a nomad, just found myself wandering into the city by accident.¡± Jake gave a nod to himself, proud of his word choice. Nomad sounded much better than Hobo.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know anyone could travel beyond the wall¡­¡± Alice said in a mutter, more to herself than anyone else before refocusing on Jake.

    ¡°I am Broken because I am cursed.¡± Alice held her hand up so he could see the cracks in her flesh. ¡°You felt it before when I accidentally cast it on you. I am¡­ sorry about that. I know the unbroken find the curse to feel disgusting.¡±

    ¡°So, what? They don¡¯t like your magic?¡±

    ¡°What is magic?¡±

    ¡°Magic is¡­ never mind. Your curse I mean.¡± Alice nodded, looking toward the floor. She hadn¡¯t imagined he could be a nomad from beyond the walls. So, few from within the city were allowed to leave on expedition and she¡¯d heard it was impossible for someone to migrate inside. She had so many questions about the beyond but felt it was too late to ask now. He¡¯d heard now about the situation between the Broken and Unbroken and felt the effects of her curse firsthand. She¡¯d be lucky if he simply left her in peace without retaliation.

    ¡°Well, their loss I guess. That was incredible. Only ever met one over magician¡­ cursician¡­ one other person who could heal me as fast as you did. You might be even faster.¡± Jake leaned back a smile on his face as he began blathering on a chuckle escaping his lips.

    ¡°I thought I was going to die I just¡­ Thank you¡­¡±

    Alice couldn¡¯t quite believe what she was hearing. In a squeaky voice, she said,

    ¡°Why are you thanking me?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±

    ¡°But my curse¡­ it was an accident I swear¡­¡±

    ¡°Well don¡¯t make me feel too bad about it. Even if you only did it by accident, you still saved my life.¡±

    ¡°But the unbroken¡­ your supposed to¡­¡± Alice wasn¡¯t quite sure what to say, wasn¡¯t sure why she still sat objecting. Jake just looked at her confusion evident on his face before lifting aside his bloodstained poncho and shirt to show his side. Red raw skin came together to form a scab in his front. Disgusted purple skin around the wound, and what looked to be a pus congealed across the tear''s surface. Next, he pulled the collar of his shirt down, revealing the now dark purple bruises that wrapped around his neck and down his chest.

    ¡°Do I look Unbroken to you?¡±

    Alice stared in amazement for a moment before a giggle escaped her, eliciting a smile from Jake. Letting his clothes return to how they normally sat on his body, his voice turned dark a moment as he said,

    ¡°Besides, I¡¯m cursed to believe me. You don''t have to worry about me.¡±

    He sat back leaning onto the floor and Alice found herself mirroring his pose, relaxing against the floor as she sat across him.

    ¡°So, Alice, if they hate the Broken or whatever they call you so much, why do you bother staying here?¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t leave, they won¡¯t let us,¡± Alice said with a saddened shake of the head. ¡°They keep us cornered, pinned in the Broken District. Said they don¡¯t want us infecting the rest of the world. Anyone caught sneaking around or trying to escape the city is beaten and dragged away. Usually, they don¡¯t come back.¡±

    ¡°¡­ Then why were you sneaking around outside the Broken District if it¡¯s so dangerous?¡±

    Alice scoffed at Jake¡¯s words.

    ¡°What, let them beat and pen me forever? Rollover and starve to death? No, thank you. Besides you tasted their rations. That¡¯s no way to live.¡±

    Jake nodded yet right as we started to speak again a knock suddenly came from the door. Both turned with a start before Alice shot up, pulling her dirty cloak over herself and tossing it in a pile in the corner of the room. Unsure what to do next, Jake sat frozen a moment before noticing a blanket left abandoned on the floor. Grabbing it, he pulled it over himself and tried his best to look like a crumpled heap left on the floor. Alice looked with a grimace, not finding the disguise very convincing, but with little choice left she pulled the door to the shack open.

    Fortunately, the figure of a guard didn¡¯t greet her but one of her elder neighbors, who stood with a bent back and cane in hand.

    ¡°They said they¡¯ll be doing a census soon¡­ wanted me to spread the word¡­¡±

    Alice thanked the elder and he left without another word. With a sigh, Alice pulled the blanket off Jake and looked him in the eyes.

    ¡°Stay still, stay quiet. I¡¯ll let you stay here till the morning, but you¡¯ll have to find your own way out of here after that, got it? After that, we never met.¡±

    Jake nodded, an odd look of relief on his face. Alice thought he looked oddly relaxed for a man trapped in a prison camp but shrugged, standing up straight and hurrying out the door toward the census, doing her best to make herself look as presentably decrepit as the other broken around her.

    <hr>

    When morning came Jake woke up to find Alice well awake before the sun rose. He¡¯d been allowed to sleep, tucked in the corner of her home. Thankfully the census had gone over without much issue, and now soon as the sun rose Jake would be able to escape this world without much issue. He was worried about Alice, especially since he was the reason she was dragged into this mess in the first place, but there was little he could do to help. Not anymore, he was out of time. In the dim purple of the early morning dawn, Alice sat wearing her cloak and reclined in an old, rickety-looking chair.

    ¡°Got so used to waking up early to sneak out I did it out of habit,¡± she said with a chuckle and a smile, but an air of nervous dread hung about her. Last night she¡¯d returned late from the census, fresh blood etched on her arms and legs. She hadn¡¯t said a word to Jake, just a small nod in his direction before curling up to sleep.

    ¡°Thank you again, for saving me. I¡¯m sorry to you had to, that I had to screw up what you had working for you.¡± Jake said, not sure what else he could say. With an awkward sigh, he extended his hand. Alice looked at him for a moment before letting out a sigh of her own and flashing him a smile,

    ¡°Just get out of her, fast. Don¡¯t screw anything else up for me, got it? And anyone catches you, anyone asks. We never met.¡± She reached her hand out and took hold of his in a firm handshake as the morning sun broke the horizon, spilling through the boarded plains of glass into the shack.

    Then there was silence, utter emptiness. A moment passed, then two, but still no sounds escaped anyone as no one remained in the shack as morning broke the Broken District.

 Day 37 - A Promise

    The fall this time was different. Jake had gotten used to the sudden drop that the rising sun brought, but this time something was off. Extra weight in front of him as Alice gripped his hand, surprise flashing across her face as the pair collapsed to the ground.

    A thick blanket of moss covered the earth, providing a soft cushion for the two to land in. Hardly any light shined on the pair. It was all caught in a dazzling display of color and light above, reflecting in the leaves of the thick trees that surrounded the duo. Their leaves glittered in all manner of colors, from sparkling purple to dazzling yellow to rich red and cool blue, a beautiful display of nature that drew the eye. The two had landed in a small clearing, with barely any room to walk around in, and the glittering trees had grown so close together that no gaps were left to allow the two any escape from the clearing.

    Not that either noticed this issue. Seconds after landing, Alice was entranced with the world above. Her breath caught in her throat as all sorts of questions and comments she wanted to make died, lost in the beauty of the world around her. She¡¯d never seen such wonderous colors glittering so freely, so uncaring.

    The last time she could recall seeing color weaved together in a display nearly as beautiful as what shimmered above was when she wandered lost into Highstreet. Everyone there had mulled about dressed in tailcoats and dazzling evening gowns. She remembered feeling so scared at the time, the dazzling dresses around her brought only fear as her cloaked disguise did nothing to hide her, only draw more attention toward herself. As the denizens of Highstreet looked on at her with disgust, she had been so certain that she¡¯d be caught.

    Yet now, looking up above at the dazzling scenery, no fear filled her. Only a sense of wonder. The puffed gowns and displays of wealth she remembered from Highstreet failed to compare to the beauty above. It wasn¡¯t just the exquisite scenery, even the little things sent her heart fluttering with joy. The moss beneath her, the feeling of the wind against her face, the smell of the forest lingering in the air.

    Her whole life everything had felt rotten. From the district she was born in to the city she crept through. Death and blood where her norm as she struggled to stay hidden, struggled to survive. The scenery above, the idyllic picture of nature sent her spiraling, unable to process the beauty around her or how it was possible she could be experiencing such things.

    Eventually, she managed to draw her eyes away from the trees above, looking toward Jake who sat frozen, unmoving from where he¡¯d landed. His eyes were glued to his hand. A small shudder ran through his body continuously and his eyes were wide with horror.

    ¡°Jake?¡± Alice asked, moving closer to him. She¡¯d been so absorbed in the sudden explosion of beauty around her she¡¯d failed to notice him slipping into an almost catatonic state. She reached out toward his shoulder, yet he flinched backward, crawling away till his back slammed into the thick trunk of one of the trees surrounding the duo.

    ¡°What have I done? What have I done? What have I done?¡± That was all Jake would say, muttering to himself over and over as he looked toward Alice, horror and regret in his eyes. How could he? How could he drag someone else into this nightmare?

    Nausea and guilt rose from the pit of his stomach as he looked toward Alice. She looked at him with a look of confusion and concern. She¡¯d saved his life, he owed her his life. And now accidentally or not he¡¯d dragged her into his hell.

    ¡°What''s wrong with you?¡± Alice asked, skootching away a bit from Jake and retracting the arm she¡¯d extended out for him. Looking down she began to worry if she somehow insulted him, disgusted him. She¡¯d almost forgotten in their short time together he was Unbroken. Just because he acted strange towards her at first doesn¡¯t mean she should be surprised if recoiled from her. It was natural for the Unbroken to despise the Broken.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so sorry¡­¡± Jake finally said after a long while. Looking up, Alice saw he wouldn¡¯t meet her gaze. He only stared at the floor yet even without seeing his eyes Alice could feel the shame and regret pouring off him in waves.

    ¡°Sorry, for what exactly?¡± Alice asked, starting to get a bit annoyed.

    ¡°For this,¡± Jake said gesturing around vaguely toward the trees growing up around the pair, confusing Alice, ¡°For dragging you here.¡±

    ¡°You did this?!¡± Alice said, excitement gushing from her voice as she inched closer to Jake. ¡°Is this how you got into the city? Why here? Why did you take me with you?¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to take you with me. It was an accident, I swear. I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m so sorry. I¡­ I don¡¯t know how to take you back. I¡¯ve been lost for weeks, a month now? I¡¯ve lost track of time. It just started one day. Every day when the sun rises I just¡­ slip and fall somewhere new. I¡¯ve been trying to survive, trying to find a way home but so far I¡¯ve found nothing. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±

    Jake couldn¡¯t look at her when he finished his explanation. He knew she¡¯d have more questions, questions he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to answer, but he wanted to make sure to tell her the most important piece of info first. She was stuck, trapped with no way home.

    The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Alice sat for a minute in silence before falling back into the moss, gazing up at the beautiful glitter of the leaves above. So alien, nothing she could have ever imagined seeing a few days ago. Nothing she could have ever seen a few days ago. A grin broke across her face before a burst of mad laughter tore through her, so violent it left her curled and crying. A smile so large it hurt her face refused to leave her as her laugh began to die down. A moment¡¯s silence followed before an uncontrolled scream escaped her, tearing through the clearing and shocking Jake,

    ¡°I¡¯M FREE!¡± This cry brought with it another wave of laughter as Alice laid back on the ground, laughing to herself.

    Watching Alice¡¯s jubilant reaction to his words helped Jake to calm down from his initial panic, and helped him to think about things a bit more rationally. He knew little about Alice¡¯s world beyond what she¡¯d told him and what he¡¯d seen. But he¡¯d seen enough to know her life could not have been easy. Her body looked like it was falling apart, her rations unappetizing, and her treatment brutal and horrid.

    He didn¡¯t know what she left behind, what friends or family she may have had but it was clearly not enough for her to have any sort of attachment to her home like he did. When he first saw her land across from him all he could see was himself. Desperate and confused, alone and lost in the desert with no way home and no idea why he was there.

    But they were fundamentally different. All Jake could think of some days was running back home, surviving, and finding a way to see his family again. It was all he had to keep himself going. Watching Alice cackling and celebrating on the moss-covered floor, it looked like all she could think about was running away, finding a way to survive, and never looking back. Yet Jake couldn¡¯t help but worry she would come to regret her newfound freedom.

    Jake thought back to what he¡¯d seen over the weeks so far as he struggled from one world to another. The swarm and flesh that gripped hold of him with desperate madness, the gunshot tearing through his body leaving him to slowly bleed out across the stone floor, the creature with razor-sharp claws whose furious eyes still haunted Jake in his sleep. Jake counted himself lucky to still be alive, and he¡¯d only been on this journey for a few weeks now. He was no expert on whatever was pulling him from world to world.

    He had no clue how this phenomenon worked. He had no guarantee that tomorrow he wouldn¡¯t fall into an active volcano, a bottomless pit, or the vacuum of space. He didn¡¯t like to spend much time speculating about it. He had no way of figuring out what was pulling him from world to world so wasting his time speculating about it just filled him with dread about a problem he couldn¡¯t solve. But now he had to think about it, worry about it. Solve it. Alice was only there because of him; it was his responsibility to keep her safe as best he could as long as she was stuck with him.

    Standing up Jake walked across the cramped clearing till he was standing above Alice, who still lay flat on her back. A look of utter ecstasy on her face as she stared above at the glittering leaves.

    ¡°I can guess that even if I found a way to take you back, you wouldn¡¯t want to go back home?¡±

    Alice shook her head no, a smile on her face as she continued to look up at the trees above. Her heart felt more at ease now than it had in a long while.

    ¡°I¡¯m never going back. I¡¯d rather die.¡±

    A sigh of mixed emotion escaped Jake¡¯s lips as he sat down beside Alice. Unsure of how to broach what he wanted to say next, he decided to simply rip the band-aid off directly.

    ¡°You saw me before, right? Bleeding out alone and ignored on some random street corner? I¡¯d never willingly drag you or anyone else into this mess I¡¯m stuck in because to tell you the truth¡­ I¡¯m probably going to end up dead.¡±

    Alice turned from the sky above and looked toward Jake. He looked pale and though he wore a smile on his face it looked hollow and fake. A look of genuine terror was on his face as he continued,

    ¡°I try to ignore it, try to tell myself I¡¯ll make it home no problem. Force myself to believe that no matter what I have to make it home. But I have no idea what I¡¯m doing or what¡¯s happening to me. I hate it, every single second of it, and I wouldn¡¯t wish it on anyone else. But you, I don¡¯t really know anything about where you¡¯re from. But I saw enough to know it¡¯s horrid. I know I can¡¯t begin to imagine what your life must have been like.¡±

    Jake extended his hand toward Alice, a small smile across his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m glad you can feel so happy, so free now. And I promise you this, as long as you want to stick with me, I¡¯ll keep you safe as best I can. Till we can find you somewhere truly beautiful to call home, I''ll do my best. I promise you that.¡±

    Alice looked at him for a moment before a twinkle took hold of her eyes and she gripped hold of his hand.

    ¡°Whatever you say, man. Now get down here would yah? You¡¯re interrupting my view.¡±

    With a rough tug she yanked Jake forward till he lay flat on his back beside her. For the first time since landing in the clearing, he took in the view of the forest above. The glittering twinkling of the leaves dancing above, the shifting colors that danced in the sun.

    ¡°It¡¯s beautiful¡­¡± Jake lost himself for a moment, gazing up at the swirling beauty above.

    ¡°I know, right?¡± Alice said, a giggle escaping her, ¡°Never thought I could see anything like it.¡±

    Jake glanced toward his side and saw Alice, her eyes open in amazement, her cracked face filled with content. He¡¯d not known her for long, but he¡¯d never seen her look so peaceful and free so long as she¡¯d been with him. Some of the guilt began to ease from his consciousness as he saw her backing in nature¡¯s glow. He didn¡¯t know where or when, but he¡¯d find somewhere for her, somewhere safe she could be truly free.

    Alice didn¡¯t care much about what Jake had said, she was no stranger when it came to danger. The feeling of constant paranoia and fear she was so used to was gone now, replaced by a giddy feeling that wouldn¡¯t leave her heart no matter how much time passed. She had seen in his eyes Jake meant every word he said, but she couldn¡¯t bring herself to muster up the same fear he held for what lay ahead. Even if the worst came to pass, she¡¯d much rather die free than be trapped behind the district''s fence.

 Day 38 - Tales of Fruit Punch and Sweet Bread

    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything nearby, do you?¡± Jake asked, surveying the land he and Alice had freshly landed in. The duo remained trapped in the clearing, surrounded by the impassible wall created by the overgrown trees. As the night stretched on and the rumbling of their stomachs grew, even Alice was forced to admit the glitter of the leaves had lost their luster now that the sun had set, and she¡¯d prefer something to eat or drink.

    Yet with no way to escape, they had to wait through the night hoping that where they landed next would be more open and abundant in its natural resources. But looking around now Jake felt a growing sense of disappointment. They seemed to be atop a grassy knoll, elevated amongst the flat grassy plains that stretched out endlessly. A few different silhouettes decorated the horizon but were so far away Jake couldn¡¯t see what they were with any detail. In their immediate surroundings though, he saw no signs of food or water.

    ¡°No, not much¡­¡± Alice said, still flat on her back looking at the sky. She had been standing, holding hands with Jake as they fell through reality to land wherever they now stood, but the sudden drop had caught her off guard causing her to slip and fall to the ground. Jake had also seemed unbalanced, pulled forward by the hand holding tight to her, yet he managed to stay upright with a few off-balanced corrections to his stance.

    ¡°Looks like it could rain. That¡¯d be nice.¡± Alice said pointing up at the sky from the ground before rocking back and launching herself upright in a single fluid motion. Jake looked up to the sky above and saw that though it looked perfectly clear now, signs of darkened clouds were rolling in, traveling towards them across the horizon. Jake felt conflicted about the sudden prospect of rain. On the one hand, it could work to solve their water problem right away. But on the other hand, getting caught out in the rain with no cover sounded miserable.

    ¡°We should probably start walking¡­¡± Jake said, a slightly conflicted expression on his face as he gazed up into the sky above.

    ¡°Sure thing. Were to?¡± Alice asked, gesturing broadly around them at the open plains. Jake looked open around and closed his mouth not quite sure which direction to pick. Alice stood, watching him flounder like a fish for a minute before she sighed and pointed in a random direction.

    ¡°We''re going that way!¡± Then without another word she set off, marching toward where she had randomly pointed to. Jake watched her march toward the vague silhouettes that loomed in the distance maybe a couple miles away. Without any other option and seeing it as good a choice as anything else, Jake took off in a small sprint, soon catching up to Alice.

    The two walked in silence from then on, crossing the plains while an awkward air hung between them. Alice would distract herself by admiring the sky above while Jake spent his time polishing the knives housed in his pocket, removing each one for inspection and cleaning. Yet with only four knives he soon found himself without much to do. Now that the duo found themselves walking together, parried without any concrete goal for the time being, they suddenly found they had nothing to discuss with each other.

    Questions and conversations brew in both their minds, yet the silent air between them seemed to kill any thought of talking. It left them simply twiddling their thumbs, drumming their hands across their legs as they walked side by side with only the sound of the rustling grass and growing discomfort of the clouds above to keep them company.

    Mercifully the blurred silhouettes started to take shape and soon their appearance was clear. While Jake had been expecting trees or rocks of some kind, instead he found himself wandering through a forest of bushes. The smallest grew up just to his ankles while the largest grew well past his head. Most, however, sat around the length of his waist. They were all various shades of green, some practically neon others so dark they might as well be black.

    The ones that attracted the pair¡¯s attention the most though were an olive color and leaked a sickly-sweet scent that clung to everything. Pockets of sickly-sweet air hung around the olive-colored bushes, no matter their size, and from them, bright red berries grew slightly larger than a grape. The berries grew in large clusters around the bushes, and sniffing the berries themselves the sweet smell they gave off was even worse than the air around them.

    Coming up on either side of one of these olive-green bushes Alice and Jake looked toward one another for a moment before glancing down at the berries. Picking one of the berries and holding it up to examine it, Jake couldn¡¯t recognize it as any sort of berry he was familiar with back home. He was cautious of it though, he¡¯d heard about plenty of poisonous berries with a red tint like this one.

    ¡°We should be careful¡­¡± Jake began, looking up from the berry only to watch Alice shove three directly into her mouth. ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING!¡± Jake called out, rushing over to her and beginning

    to wack her back in a panicked attempt to try and force her to spit the berries out.

    ¡°What do you mean what am I doing? What are you doing psycho?¡± Alice asked, pushing Jake away and raising her arms in a defensive pose. She wore an incredulous look on her face as looked at Jake, waiting for some sort of explanation.

    ¡°It could be poisonous!¡± Jake said, shocked he had to explain this to her. Alice let out a small scoff and rolled her eyes.

    ¡°Please you smelled how sweet they are. If they were poisonous they wouldn¡¯t be begging to be eaten would they?¡± As Jake opened his mouth ready to argue her point she smiled gesturing around and said, ¡°Besides, I don¡¯t see any other food around her, do you?¡±

    Jake closed his mouth with a gulp and sent a glance around the forest of bushes. His field of view carried beyond the bushes, growing wild in abundance and out towards the plains beyond. They¡¯d yet to see any sign of life outside of the flora growing around them. No birds in the sky, no deer or foxes running around, not even a simple insect crawling across a blade of grass.

    ¡°There''s nothing around here Jake. It¡¯ll be fine, it doesn¡¯t need to be poisonous. There''s nothing around her for it to poison.¡±

    ¡°But what if it¡¯s the reason theirs nothing around here?¡± Jake said, though his will was already weakening as he sent longing looks towards the sickly-sweet-smelling berries. Alice smiled at him and spread her arms wide.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯m not dead yet, so that seems unlikely. Not even a stomachache. Just eat the berry. It tastes amazing.¡±

    Looking back toward the berry he held in his hand, Jake¡¯s will caved and popped the sickly sweet fruit into his mouth. It burst with one bite sending a wave of juice cascading down his throat. It tasted of fruit punch, the kind he would drink as a kid. Packed to the brim with sugar and after just one bite Jake was dying for more.

    The duo fell into silence after that, just standing around harvesting clusters of berries to satisfy their hunger. The mini bursts of juice that came with each berry splashed their throats, a delicious treat that teased them with refreshment yet somehow no matter how much they ate it always felt as though their throat remained parched, still always dying for a simple glass of water.

    After a long while of harvesting and devouring berries, Alice fell back, stuffed to the brim. She had never had something so sweet in all her life. She¡¯d heard tales of sweet bread coated in honey and cream when she wandered the streets but gave up on ever getting to experience something so wonderful when she was young. Even just stealing a bit of stale bread or over-ripened apple, left unattended at a discounted price, had her on edge. Glancing up she saw Jake, knife in hand harvesting large clusters of berries and storing them in his bag for later. With a shit-eating grin on her face, she leaned back and said in a singsong voice,

    ¡°I thought those were dangerous, poisonous, not to be eaten?¡±

    ¡°Shut up,¡± Jake said, not bothering to spare her a glance. Alice let out a laugh and leaned forward toward Jake.

    ¡°Seriously though, have you ever had something so delicious? I thought my mouth might explode! It was so flavorful!¡± Jake glanced at her, an uncertain expression on his face before he said,

    ¡°It reminded me of something from home. But seriously we should be more careful in the future. We don¡¯t know what could or couldn¡¯t be poison.¡±

    ¡°I was careful!¡± Alice said, mock indignation in her voice, ¡°I looked around carefully, saw the berries, thought about it carefully, then carefully decided ¡®screw it, I want to eat this?¡¯¡± Alice let out a small series of laughs as Jake stood up from the bush, bag now filled with sickly-sweet berries, their odor beginning to leak out freely.

    ¡°Look, we really should¡­¡± Jake began, crossing over toward Alice but was interrupted by drips of rain falling atop his head. Both Jake and Alice glanced back up toward the sky for the first time in a long while. Dark clouds now covered the sky, making it impossible to tell the time of day. Yet the swirling grey mass of clouds, the occasional flash of lighting above, and the now furious volume of rain crashing down made it clear to both that a massive storm had brewed while they sat distracted.

    Looking around frantically Jake pointed toward one of the more massive bushes. It sat curved and collapsed under its own weight and provided a significant portion of shaded cover under its brambles.

    ¡°There!¡± Jake called out, pointing toward the massive bush, making his way through the rain at a sprint. His arms raised over his head in an attempt to stay dry, he didn¡¯t stop till he was covered by the bush. It was by no means a perfect cover. The occasional drop of rain would still slip through the cracks left by the brambles above, and if the wind blew strong enough it would blow sideways directly into the shade provided by the branch. But it was the best cover the pair had for the time being.

    Turning around, Jake saw Alice still by the olive-green bush. Her neck tilted back she was standing beneath the rain; mouth open swallowing mouthful after mouthful of rain. She seemed uncaring that the water was soaking her skin or cloak and was rather simply enjoying the drink the rain provided her. Eventually, glancing over Alice saw Jake staring at her with shock and with a small wave started walking over to him. No rush at all in her step, she soon stood underneath the brambles of the bush, dripping wet yet a smile on her face.

    ¡°I¡¯d grab a drink while it¡¯s still so light. No telling how rough it¡¯ll get later on.¡± Alice said, pointing up above to the rain falling heavily on the earth below.

    ¡°You... You''re soaked!¡± Jake said gesturing to her. She shrugged as if it didn¡¯t bother her much, but Jake could see a slight shiver in her posture. ¡°Not my first time collecting rainwater. Though it¡¯s a much prettier sky than I¡¯m used to.¡± Alice said, a wistful tone in her voice as she trailed off.

    Not quite sure what else to say in response, Jake walked over toward the towering bush. Knife still drawn Jake knelt low and began to collect small undergrown clippings that lay dying in the bushe''s shade. Soon, Jake had amassed a decently sized collection of these dying or dead clippings, making a small pile on the floor.

    After a few minutes of digging through his bag, now filled to the brim with sickly sweet berries, Jake had managed to secure the sparking stones and start a small fire. It burned low to the ground. Jake was too worried about lighting the bushes around them on fire to stoke it much bigger, but it was still warm against the bitter chill of the rain and wind surrounding the pair. Sitting down now next to Jake, Alice looked deep into the fire, silent a moment before saying in a quiet voice,

    ¡°Thank you for that¡­¡±

    Then the silence plaguing them returned, awkward and thick. It gnawed at them both, unescapable and interrupted only by the crackle of the fire and the roaring of the wind and rain around them. Jake turned, glanced over at Alice, and imagined how awkward traveling together would be if nothing changed. Clearing his voice, no real plan in mind he started speaking the first random thoughts that popped into his head.

    ¡°Fruit punch.¡± He said, mentally facepalming.

    ¡°What?¡± Alice asked, looking at him confused and a bit concerned.

    ¡°It¡¯s called fruit punch. What the berries reminded me of. You asked earlier, I just sort of brushed it off. I used to drink a ton when I was a kid, but it was super unhealthy for you. Loaded with dyes and chemicals and junk. Still remember the taste though.¡±

    Alice looked at him a moment blank-faced before saying,

    ¡°You put dyes in your food? You''re only supposed to dye clothes. No wonder it wasn¡¯t healthy.¡±

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t the same kind of dye. Well, I don¡¯t think it was. It might have been the same dye.¡± Jake said, a new concerning train of thoughts opening in his head at Alice¡¯s words. Seeing the concern starting to appear on his face, Alice let out a small chuckle before saying,

    ¡°They were the sweetest thing I¡¯d ever had. I¡¯d always heard of sweet bread decorated with honey or cream. They always sounded so lovely. When I was little, we¡¯d hear tails about them from the elders when they tucked us to sleep in the district and I¡¯d dream of someday walking the street, eating cream and honey as much as I pleased. When I got older, I learned the truth. It was too hard to steal cream and honey, much easier to steal stale bread.¡±

    Alice sat in silence after her story a downtrodden look on her face. Jake, feeling a bit panicked, not wanting their conversation to end this way went into damage control,

    ¡°Tell you what, next time we have a chance I¡¯ll get you a thing of honey. Cream to if we can find it. Where I¡¯m from you can get it pretty easily, I¡¯m sure we''ll run into somewhere along the way.¡±

    Alice looked toward him for a moment, a mystified look on her face before she said in a wistful voice,

    ¡°What was it like, your home? It sounds so¡­ beautiful¡­¡±

    ¡°How about this¡­¡± Jake said, a small smile on his face, ¡°Every day well trade something, one fact or story about where we are from. Just till we know each other well enough to walk around without avoiding one another. See, we already did today!¡±

    ¡°Or you could just answer my question. I¡¯d like to know more than one thing, Jake.¡± Alice said, sounding annoyed as she shot him a glare.

    ¡°Come on, it''ll be fun! Give us a way to pass the time, right? Besides it doesn''t have to be just one, not like we can do much else besides talk in this storm. ¡± The pair both glanced up toward the pouring rain and wind that would slowly fade into the background, drowned out by their conversation which would carry on long into the night.

 Day 39 - The Crumbling

    Jake woke up to the whistle of the wind blowing through the bushes as the overgrown brambles above his head ruffled in the breeze. Looking around with squinted bleary eyes Jake took in his surroundings. The charred bit of grass and ash beside him marked where their fire had long gone out after he fell asleep and his bag lay next to him, still slightly open allowing some of the sickly-sweet berries to roll out to the floor. Alice lay a few feet away from him on the other side of the extinguished fire pit, still asleep and curled up into a little ball.

    Jake let a small yawn before reaching to block the rays of the rising sun shining directly in his eyes. It took a second for Jake to process this sudden bit of information but with a gasp, he blinked the sleep from his eyes, grasped hold of the bag next to him, and dived across the fire pit. Wrapping his hand around the sleeping Alice¡¯s wrist he fell atop her in an ungraceful heap. Her eyes shot open with a start, and she started to let out a cry of indignation, however, her cry was interrupted as Jake and Alice once again found themselves falling.

    Alice let out a sudden gasp, the wind knocked out of her. She had just woken up only to find herself falling flat with Jake sprawled out on top of her. Jake hurriedly pushed himself up and reached out a hand to try and help her up, yet Alice remained on the floor wheezing and trying to regain her composure. When she finally did sit up, she spun toward Jake and let out an angry cry, shouting,

    ¡°THE HELL WAS THAT FOR!¡±

    ¡°That was way too close¡­¡± Jake said a tone of relief in his voice. He looked around where they¡¯d landed. It looked to be a forest of some sort, not thickly packed with trees but just enough so that the sky above did not shine down oppressively but was instead blocked by a nice curtain of leaves. The leaves of the trees above grew in a rich purple and took on an oblong shape. The ground was carpeted in a thick layer of grass and overgrown weeds which also grew dark purplish. It had tickled Jake''s hands when he landed and had felt slightly velvety. No immediate signs of life were near the duo. No obvious source of food or water. They were left alone for the time being.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Jake said, feeling slightly out of breath. The panic of almost leaving alone had gotten to him. ¡°That was just way too close¡­ I almost left without you or the bag, almost stranded you. Sorry to startle you.¡±

    Alice took in his words, calming down now somewhat from the shock of being suddenly awakened and dropped through reality. The purple world around her was a feast for her eyes, hidden wonders previously unknown that distracted her from any sort of anger or annoyance she might have felt beforehand. But as she tried to rise to her feet, she found herself stumbling forward, collapsing back down to her hands and knees. A sudden pulsing pain split through her body, a roaring energy that threatened to rip her apart.

    ¡°No¡­ Please¡­¡± She said it weakly, but it was no use. A sound like cracking china filled the still air of the purple forest as the cracks cutting through her skin grew deeper, splintering off across her body. A putrid energy began to seep from her body, her horrific curse leaking free once more. Small trickles of blood leaked from her joints causing splotches of dark crimson to appear across her clothes as she let out a violent cough sending a splattering of blood across the purple grass.

    Jake stood frozen, watching horrified as Alice sat bent over shaking in pain and bleeding. Unsure how he could help he hurriedly began digging through his unlatched bag, scattering the sickly-sweet berries across the ground. He pulled his blanket and his ruined clothes from its depths before rushing to Alice¡¯s side. It was the only bit of fabric he had currently not in use. If it proved to not be enough, he¡¯d have to start slicing off bits of his clothing till he¡¯d successfully wrapped her injuries.

    Kneeling down at her side, Jake raised the blanket and drew one of his knives from his pocket preparing to cut it into strips till Alice let out a pained scream and grabbed hold of both his wrists.

    ¡°NO!¡± She looked at him with desperation in her eyes before continuing, sounding like every word spoken was a war in itself ¡°LEAVE! PLEASE JUST¡­ JUST LEAVE ME¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t say any more as another violent cough coursed through her body causing her to fall back in pain. Jake stood next to her with a look of uncertainty on his face before he repocketed the knife.

    Setting the ruined clothes to the side he threw the blanket over her, in hopes of making her somewhat more comfortable and backed away into the woods behind, her cries still echoing behind him.

    He wasn¡¯t sure what was wrong with her but the look in her eyes made it clear, Jake¡¯s presence was only causing her more distress. She¡¯d seemed somewhat familiar with what was happening to her, at the very least she hadn¡¯t panicked and begged for help like Jake would have if he started randomly bleeding and vomiting blood. Looking over his shoulder, back toward where he could see the faintest outline of the camp Jake tried to reassure himself Alice knew what she was doing. Yet still, his stomach stayed twisted in knots as he moved further through the woods.

    Alice lay paralyzed on the ground, floundering in pain yet relief flooded through her as she watched Jake stand and walk away without further argument or complaint. She didn¡¯t want him to see the destructive nature of the curse or the Crumbling of the Broken. Not when he was so kind to her and treated her so normally. She didn¡¯t want to ruin that. By her best guess, she should still have a year or so left to live, so this backlash shouldn¡¯t be too severe. Still, the pain would be severe.

    Her skin shattered and crumbled, falling to the ground with a horrid splintering sound where it collected in crackled piles on the floor. Blood mixed with unnatural energy flowed freely, staining the purple grass around her in wild sporadic patterns. Her innards felt as if a hot knife were jabbed through them, repeatedly moving in a circle over and over without rest till all she could do was lay still on the ground twitching and screaming and waiting for the pain to stop.

    The Crumbling usually didn¡¯t last long, fifteen to twenty minutes or so, and the bleeding would usually end after the first five minutes leaving only the pain. There was no difference this time in routine, yet Alice found it impossible to keep track of time as the curse''s horrid effects tore her body apart inch by inch, molecule by molecule. Slowly, agonizingly, she curled herself up into a small ball draped in the rough blanket provided to her by Jake before his departure.

    It did little to help dull the pain, yet it helped ground her wandering consciousness and helped remind her of her freedom. No matter what pain her curse caused her now, she was free. Free of the guards, of the beatings, of the punishments. A small smile took hold of her face as she gritted her teeth and barred the pain of the Crumbling till at last it began to ebb away. It did not graciously leave all at once but instead left slowly, each fraction of pain removing itself from the body ensuring that its mark would remain with her till the next time she started to Crumble.

    When at last the pain had dissipated her breath finally began to ease. Uncontrolled tears stung her cheeks, and her throat was coarse and scratchy. Sitting upright, the blanket wrapped around her fell way to the bloody grass below. It made little difference to the condition of the blanket, as being wrapped around her had already ensured the blanket was stained through. She sat for a long while, what could have been seconds or hours, merely breathing in the fresh air around her trying to recenter herself. When she felt she¡¯d managed to compose herself enough she took stock of herself, examining the condition of her limbs after her latest Crumbling.

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    She couldn¡¯t accurately see her face or torso, instead having to rely on touch to confirm her suspicions. The cracks had grown deeper and longer, branching out into new pathways that tore through what little unbroken flesh she may have left. Her flesh itself had grown even harder, no hint of warmth or humanity remained within it.

    An uncontrolled sigh escaped her as finished examining herself. She was beginning to think that maybe a year had been too kindly an estimate for herself. A few more Crumblings like that and she might find herself immobile, limbs so stiffened she couldn¡¯t move anymore. Leaning back into the bundle of the blanket that fell around her and trying to ignore the grim future that may lay ahead she took in the beauty of the woods around her again.

    The hidden beauty of the entirely purple world around her was something she¡¯d never imagined, something unheard of, something she could have never seen normally. A small laugh escaped her as she thought about how close her time was to running out. Looking around, she couldn¡¯t help but think that there were worse ways to die. Worse places, at least.

    She sat, unwilling to move for quite a while simply mulling the future over. She only began to move again once Jake returned from the woods. He slowly stepped out of the woods, footing uncertain as he wasn¡¯t sure it was ok for him to be there. Yet when Alice caught sight of him she excitedly waved to him and said,

    ¡°Where¡¯d you run off to?¡±

    Jake let out an exasperated sigh, yet it was mixed mostly with relief as he stood straight and walked fully from the woods, slightly blood-stained and carrying what looked to be a rabbit with wings on its back. It was skinned, though done so in a clumsy manner as Jake was uncertain what to do with the wings.

    ¡°Managed to catch this for us to eat. I¡¯m not sure why you were so unwell, didn¡¯t know if maybe it was the berries so I figured we¡¯d try something else for dinner.¡± Alice looked toward the skinned rabbit-like creature, her eyes shining anew.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never eaten so much meat before! It wasn¡¯t the berries but I¡¯ll gladly eat that.¡±

    She was practically giddy as if not a few hours ago she wasn¡¯t bent over slowly dying on the floor. Jake sent her a side eye, unsure if he should say anything before shaking his head and handing the meat off to her. She took the skinned creature from him, a look of excitement in her eyes as Jake busied himself collecting materials to start a fire with. As he moved around the wooded space the duo now found themselves in, the blood splattered on the ground did not escape his notice, yet he held his tongue, figuring it would be best to ask about it later.

    Only after the fire had been made, the meat set to roast on pikes, and Alice sat leaned over practically drooling did he turn toward her and with a nervous cough ask,

    ¡°What happened to you? Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡±

    Alice looked toward him, thought about lying to him for a moment before noting the genuine concern marring his face and with a sigh looked down toward the floor.

    ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I just got caught up in the excitement with so much happening, finally being free to see so many beautiful sights for the first time, it just slipped my mind.¡± She turned to Jake, the fire casting an ominous shadow across her face. Her voice came out deep and sad. ¡°How old do people live to be where you''re from? You mentioned no one was Broken or magic or whatever, but how old do you all normally live?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, seventy, eighty?¡± Jake said though he doubted he¡¯d ever get to live that long the way things had been going recently. Alice looked at him, a look of astonishment on her face before laughing. Yet the laughter was cold, joyless. Looking down, not meeting his gaze she continued on.

    ¡°You really are from a paradise. Where I¡¯m from, only the richest of the rich could hope to live to seventy. Most die at fifty, and that¡¯s only the Unbroken. The broken, they usually die at twenty. The oldest person I¡¯ve ever heard of who was Broken was twenty-five but the curse barely affected her. Her skin was practically pure, practically Unbroken. Me, I just turned twenty not too long ago. I thought I was still fine, could still hold on for a while longer until¡­¡±

    Her voice trailed off as her gaze turned upward, pointed toward the stars shining up above. Jake gulped before he asked in a slow voice, unsure if he should keep broaching this subject.

    ¡°Then before, that was..¡±

    ¡°I was Crumbling.¡± Alice interrupted him, gaze still pointed to the sky. ¡°Been Crumbling all my life, every Broken Crumbles. The stronger the curse grips you, the worse it is. Recently, I¡¯ve been Crumbling more and more violently. I thought I had a year left, but now¡­¡± She shrugged still gazing at the sky, hiding her face from view.

    Jake sat in silence, not sure how to process this information. Every time he tried to speak, nothing would come out of his mouth. His gaze just fell off, gazing toward the floor where it caught sight of the scattered contents of his bag. In particular, it locked onto a book, and a spark of hope began to ignite in his chest. Rushing forward, away from where he sat next to Alice he scooped the book up in his hands.

    It had been magically cleaned multiple times, leaving its pages feeling brittle. It had been shoved deep in his bag so long many of its pages now sat dogeared and ruffled, and due to his multitudes of injuries it was bloodstained and some pages bordered on unreadable. But it was still usable, a quick flip through revealed that much. ¡®Basics of Magic Control¡¯, lent to him by Lana what felt like ages ago now was still usable. Turning around and rushing toward Alice, she began to speak not meeting his eyes.

    ¡°I know you made your whole, promise or whatever a few days ago but you don¡¯t need to worry about me. It doesn¡¯t seem fair to force you to take care of someone who¡¯s just going to¡­¡±

    Jake interrupted her, forcing the book forward into her hand.

    ¡°What is this?¡± She asked with a start, jumping up a bit from her seat in surprise as the book fell into her lap.

    ¡°¡®Basics of Magic Control¡¯, borrowed indefinitely from a friend. If the answer to your problem isn¡¯t in there, we¡¯ll find it somewhere else. We have time, plenty of time to search around for a way to keep you alive so don¡¯t give up before it¡¯s too late.¡±

    Alice felt choked up, emotion surging through her as she gripped hold of the ruffled book forced into her lap.

    ¡°You¡¯d just.. give me this?¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean, I don¡¯t need it, and I owe you for saving my life. Besides, not like I want you to die.¡± Jake said his words coming out awkwardly as he hadn¡¯t been expecting the question. Alice sat a moment, touched before she carefully cracked the book open towards its first page. She stared at it a moment, heart full of emotion, before her brow furled in confusion. Turning towards Jake she said,

    ¡°This is gibberish.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jake said, coming beside her. Sitting next to her, he found he could read the pages of the textbook perfectly fine, and while he had no understanding of what any of it meant he could still read it. Turning to Alice beside him he asked in a concerned voice,

    ¡°Can you read?¡±

    ¡°Course I can read!¡± She said, sounding insulted before she pointed across the fire pit to Jake''s old shirt. It lay covered in blood and abandoned on the ground, yet in the crackling fire the faded text that was once proudly printed across it¡¯s front was lit up and visible to both.

    ¡°Een ay Ame ican ot¡± She said, reading out the faded words of the shirt in mock sarcasm, before turning toward Jake with her eyebrows raised and saying ¡°You wore some interesting clothes back home, huh?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Green Day: American Idiot¡¯, it¡¯s just an old shirt¡­¡± Jake said, feeling embarrassed as Alice shot him a judgmental look that let him know she did not believe him. ¡°But if you can read that fine, well fine enough, why can¡¯t you read this¡­¡± Picking the book back up, Jake turned toward Alice and pointed to the first word printed on the page, ¡®The¡¯, and said,

    ¡°Write that out in the dirt.¡±

    She looked at him, confused, before complying. Picking up a stick off the ground she wrote the three-letter word out in the mud. For the first two letters, it remained a jumbled mess but as soon as she finished the last letter, Jake blinked and found the word had changed in an instant into ¡®The¡¯.

    ¡°What is going on¡­¡± Jake started to ask before recalling his meeting with Lana and the others. He hadn¡¯t understood a word they said when they first met, not until she pressed her hand to her head and cast some sort of translation magic. Jake hadn¡¯t thought about that in ages, never considered it also allowed him to read their books. With a sigh, Jake took hold of the book and turned toward Alice.

    ¡°The important thing right now is, I can understand the book. Till we can find a way to help you understand it, I¡¯ll read it to you. Hopefully, since you have Magic, or curse, in you it¡¯ll mean something to you.¡±

    Alice nodded toward him, not saying a word, and leaned forward a look of eager anticipation on her face. Jake cleared his throat and, feeling slightly embarrassed to have someone so spellbound by him, began to read through the textbook in search of something that could save Alice¡¯s life.

 Day 40 - A Lesson Not Learned

    Jake let out a tired yawn, glancing beside him where Alice was curled up in a ball asleep and sound. He¡¯d noticed by now it seemed like a habit of hers, throughout the night she¡¯d curl up more and more till her head was practically buried in her lap. Looking up above, he could see the first signs of sunrise begin to break through the forest roof above. The faint purple glow of the early morning sun with the purple leaves above created an almost ethereal effect that shone down on the pair, sending a shiver through Jake¡¯s spine.

    Seeing the telltale sign of the sun''s rise drawing closer, Jake reached over and shook Alice awake, as gently as he could. She snapped awake instantly as he touched her shoulder and sat up, looking around with a frantic look in her eyes. Her demeanor quickly calmed down as she caught sight of her surroundings, and with an embarrassed look, she gave Jake a small wave.

    Returning the wave, Jake stood up from where he¡¯d been resting and went about repacking the supplies in the bag. He¡¯d started this earlier in the night as he struggled to sleep, scooping handfuls of berries and the other miscellaneous gear acquired back into the bag. This made the final prep work trivial, and soon Jake had the bag saddled onto his back. He turned around to find Alice lost in a trance as she looked up at the ethereal glow emanating from the leaves above.

    Jake walked toward her, pausing a moment as another yawn escaped him. They¡¯d stayed up late into the night, reading through the book (well he¡¯d been the only one reading but she often provided input or had him reread sections she found interesting) in hopes of finding some answer to her body¡¯s deteriorating condition. It was still early days, they¡¯d barely made a dent into the contents of the book, yet Alice¡¯s situation no longer looked hopeless at the very least. She had been fascinated by the concept of internal and external magic and even more so by the idea of manipulating and controlling these magics.

    According to Alice, the Broken grew up learning they were feared and hated due to their deformities, and so they were cursed. This curse would activate randomly, slowly splitting them apart and any Unbroken who went too close to them ran the risk of being cursed as well. As such they were fenced off, separated to control and detain them. She¡¯d wanted to keep reading further into the book, but they hit a roadblock as any further progress into understanding the contents of the book required being able to successfully feel one¡¯s internal magic.

    Alice had never tried to feel the curse writhing within her. It simply came as it pleased. A hopeless feeling began to rapidly overtake her as it looked like the singular ray of hope she might have was quickly disappearing before her very eyes. Then she could recall Jake just setting the book aside with a smile and a shrug saying,

    ¡°First time for everything, right?¡±

    This set off a cycle of endless frustration for Alice where she would find herself trying to dig deep inside to draw out whatever it was that ravaged her body when she began to Crumble, whatever it was that currently tore her apart. She¡¯d hoped that she might make some sort of rapid breakthrough, and find progress instantly, but that was not the case. In the end, she fell asleep taunted by bitter frustration which gnawed at her newfound feelings of hope.

    Yet she couldn¡¯t hate this frustration, this bitter annoyance at being unable to successfully move forward. At least now she had a path forward beyond the grim acceptance of her death she¡¯d come to know since childhood. Even now, as she sat admiring the glimmering glow coming down from the sky above, refracted by the purple leaves dancing in the sky above, she couldn¡¯t help but find herself trying to drag whatever flowed within her forward. She only stopped once Jake grew near her arm extended.

    Taking hold of his hand and letting herself be pulled to her feet, she smiled and took one last look at the purple-hued beauty around her before the sensation of falling, quickly growing familiar to her, swept through and the duo silently slipped through to a new world. She managed to stay upright this time, stumbling forward a few feet but held aloft by Jake who kept hold of her this time. She turned around with a smile,

    ¡°Thanks.¡± She said, letting go of his hand and dusting herself off. She looked around as she did so, Jake mirroring her movements, yet neither was very impressed by their surroundings. The world was entirely white. Flat and unblemished, nothing could be seen around the pair for miles. The floor beneath them felt hard and unbending, giving soft tinks with each footstep they made. Looking directly down, the ground was shined to a mirror surface, their reflections peering back at them if distorted slightly from the angles. Something about the reflection looked off to Jake, and he noticed with a start as he cocked his head it was perfect, not mirrored.

    Yet the perfectly reflective ground was all there was to see. The sun had already risen into the sky, shining down to provide the perfect lighting needed to survey the landscape, yet there didn¡¯t seem to be anything interesting within the next one hundred miles. Setting the bag down to the floor, Jake opened its top and pulled out two handfuls of sweet berries. Their sickeningly sweet odor had now faded slightly with time. He offered one handful to Alice, who took it gratefully.

    Sitting down on the reflective, slightly slippery surface of the ground below the two dug into their berries. They still tasted sweet, bursting with flavor in the pair''s mouth, yet an almost unnoticeable sour flavor intermingled with the berries as they chowed down. It was not a problem now, but Jake figured it wouldn¡¯t be long before they would have to completely throw the berries away.

    Stomach full of the berries, Jake found his throat to be agonizingly parched. This had happened before the last time he¡¯d eaten the berries. It seemed that though they helped to fill his rumbling stomach, even with all their juice they could not satisfy his parched throat. Now as they ripened and went off they made the problem worse. Standing up and looking around Jake turned to Alice, now done with her berries, and said,

    ¡°I¡¯m going to see if I can find water anywhere. I doubt it¡­¡± He said, gesturing wildly around the barren land he now stood in, ¡°But it¡¯s worth a shot. You coming?¡±

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    She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head no. While it was true her throat felt equally parched from after the mini feast of berries it felt much more important to focus her efforts on finding some way to draw forth the magic, curse, or whatever the hell it was inside her. Now she had some hope of survival she felt she wanted to hold onto it as hard as she could and make progress before Jake got sick of trying to help her. She hated the idea of being left behind, forced to fend for herself all hope of survival extinguished as she lay trapped in her crumbling body. With an internal shudder, she shook herself from her thoughts and looked at Jake,

    ¡°Go on ahead, I¡¯ll watch the bag. Bring me a cup back when you find some.¡±

    Jake nodded at her, not prying any further, and set off in a random direction across the tinkling ground. It was difficult to walk at first, several times Jake found himself slipping forward and sliding sprawled out across the stark white floor below. Eventually though, after a minute or two of effort, he managed to get the hang of maneuvering across the slippery ground and slowly made his way across the barren planet. He found it helped to keep his head focused low to the ground, as this helped him to both survey the landscape while also controlling his footing.

    It didn¡¯t take him long to walk far away from where Alice still sat. Even though he¡¯d only been walking for ten minutes or so, the ground was so barren it was easy to make forward progress with no distractions in his way. Even when he did slip and fall, his momentum would usually carry him forward causing him to keep sliding across the ground in the direction he¡¯d been moving in.

    Still, his initial prediction proved correct. There was nothing around him, save for the ever-stark sheen coming from the floor, the reflections of the sun that bounced out at his head, and his shadow, ever dancing and stretching across the ground. Jake paused mid-step suddenly, watching as his shadow danced below stretching out far to his right. That wasn¡¯t possible. He¡¯d only been here for fifteen minutes, twenty at the most. Even including the breaks he¡¯d taken to eat with Alice, they¡¯d barely been in this world. Yet already his shadow had moved from his left side to his right side.

    Looking up above for the first time in the last few minutes he saw the sun had rapidly flown through the air while he wasn¡¯t paying attention, and now threatened to disappear without notice, plunging the planet into total darkness. Already the first signs of night were coming, the blue glow of the skyline fading into dull orange and the twinkle of distant stars beginning to come into view. Jake gulped and turned around quickly, losing his footing in the process.

    He hadn¡¯t walked for long, maybe five to ten minutes max, yet still, it was too much. Too much distance between himself and Alice. As soon as the sun set, there was no telling what sort of state the surface of this barren place would be in, how clearly, he¡¯d be able to see in front of him. He needed to make it back to her now while he could still see her clearly, faded off in the distance. Breaking out into a run, Jake soon found himself flailing forward as his footing gave way against the slippery surface of the planet below.

    The ground simply had no traction, it wasn¡¯t designed to be run on. To make progress it was best to inch your way forward, slowly walking with each step deliberate and calculated. Yet Jake had no time, he couldn¡¯t crawl his way forward anymore. In desperation he began running forward, throwing himself into the slide as he rolled across the ground in hopes this would allow him to move faster across the surface of the planet. This worked surprisingly well, and though the rough, unbending, surface of the ground repeatedly slamming into his chest and sides was painful he was growing ever nearer to Alice.

    Yet he froze when he rose from his next slide. His time was up and the sun was gone, and with it any chance he had of making it back. He couldn¡¯t see anything, the faded outline of Alice he could see that was growing ever clearer with each flailing slide across the ground was gone, faded into the endless nothingness of the skyline. Jake inched forward slowly, too uncertain of where he stood to commit to a direction. If he chose wrong he could launch himself too far of course from her and destroy any chance of ever reuniting again. Even simply inching forward seemed too dangerous now.

    As he stood there stuck in the dark, unsure of what to do, certain the only way forward was to wait for morning and hope he could make it to Alice in time before he fell somewhere new, a sudden blip appeared dead ahead. It was faint and disappeared soon as it appeared, but soon after it appeared again flashing once and fading away into the dark. Alice sat, staring into the dark, long having noticed the setting sun and yelling at Jake in hopes he would turn round.

    Yet by the time he noticed it was too late, and he found himself stranded now, stuck in the dark. Panic began to swell up in Alice. She didn¡¯t want to be left behind, stranded right after having been gifted hope for her survival. There was no beauty to this place in her eyes, no hidden sight of nature she could enjoy. It was cold and dead, and she hated it the longer she stayed. Looking into the dark, panic swelling up inside her chest, a thought crossed her mind. Though quick and mixed amongst a dozen other panicked thoughts it was this one that took root.

    ¡°I need to find a way to get him back here¡­¡± She thought to herself, looking around for something she could use when suddenly she froze. She¡¯d felt this way before a few times in her life. Her curse was firing, rapid and randomly set off she looked down to notice a bright glow surrounding her hands. As soon as she noticed it, it was gone. The glow had barely lasted a second.

    Just like that the curse came and went, as it always had her entire life. Yet this time, something was different. Perhaps because she was actively looking for it, perhaps because something inside her had changed as it activated, she felt a string. Connected deep inside her it snaked throughout her entire body looping around itself in a bundled mess that was knotted and overflowing with¡­ something. Now the string struggled and pulsed in her hands, vibrating rapidly before suddenly fading away.

    She looked down at her hands astonished, before closing her eyes tight and focusing hard on the feeling that had just swept through her. Focusing hard on the feeling of the pulsating of the strings that lay buried in her skin, in her fingers. Pulsing the power that lay under her flesh, she opened her eyes to find her hands flashing again, a bright glow shining out that burned brighter and longer than before it once more faded away.

    Alice closed her eyes, ready to focus herself to once more resummon the light into her hands before she heard a loud crashing noise followed by a weird squeaking noise. This repeated itself a few times before Jake slid into her line of sight, spread eagle looking ridiculous. Her hands rose to her mouth as she let out a laugh, watching Jake crawl across the slippery surface below till he sat beside her, panting now out of breath.

    Eyes closed Jake cursed under his breath, recalling a memory he¡¯d forgotten. Buried under the sudden revelation of Alice¡¯s impending death, he¡¯d completely neglected the near miss they¡¯d already had the day before, how close he¡¯d already come to leaving her behind. Opening his eyes he glanced at her and said, still out of breath,

    ¡°We need to get better at this¡­¡±

 Day 41 - The Blessed One

    Neither Jake nor Alice moved for the rest of the time spent stuck in the barren white world, not wanting to risk separating in the dark and sliding away across its slippery surface. They didn¡¯t have to wait long, though, as about ten minutes after Jake¡¯s return the darkness around began to break as the skyline lit with the dim purple glow that announced the sun¡¯s imminent arrival. Its glow bounced off the reflective surface of the ground and created a dazzling display that blinded both Jake and Alice, who shielded their eyes from the upcoming sunrise. Taking hold of Alice¡¯s hand and the pack of supplies next to him, Jake kept his eyes shut tight in protection from the bouncing rays of the rapidly rising sunup till he felt a familiar weightless feeling take hold in his chest and found himself falling in rapid free fall.

    The pair landed with a loud splash as they sank ankle-high into a stream. Looking around they seemed to be on a large bank of low-cutting rivers and boulders. Webs of rivers cut through the ground creating a branch of sand banks and dunes of wet mulch that felt unstable to stand on. The rivers varied wildly in size, some several meters long while others only measured an inch or two in length. Currently Alice and Jake stood in the middle of one of the larger streams, though it didn¡¯t run too deep as it was clogged with loose sand and rocks.

    Looking around for a moment, both soon slogged through the stream''s flow till they reached one of the larger riverbanks. Sitting side by side in the sand the pair leaned forward to take steady sips from the flowing stream, careful not to inhale any loose particles of sand. After both had their fill of water, Jake turned to Alice with a serious look,

    ¡°We need to get smart about this. That¡¯s twice now this has almost happened. From now on, no splitting up from one another. Especially not in the wild. We stick together. Got it?¡±

    Alice nodded, though she seemed distracted. She¡¯d been out of it for a while now, losing focus not long after Jake had returned. Her eyes were focused on her hands, a haze falling over her gaze as she stared down lost in thought. She tried to feel them again, the tangled strings knotted throughout her. How it snaked and pulsed and danced with power hidden just beneath her skin. She tried to remember the feeling that came to her, force her hands to pulse with light again.

    Yet nothing came, she lost focus once Jake returned. It was only for a short while, a minute or two at the most, yet it was long enough for that feeling to fade. Lost from her head, like trying to grasp hold of a dream it escaped her. And like a dream, its memory didn¡¯t fully leave but instead stayed agonizingly close in her mind. Mocking her as she flexed her fingers, cracked her knuckles, balled her hands into fist. Nothing she did worked.

    She drew her fingers closer to her eyes, less than an inch away, and looked for any sign of the tangled strings under her flesh, drew her hands up so they caught the light in hopes of reflecting the strings, and picked and prodded her flesh in hopes of feeling them. Nothing was there; any evidence of her success had faded away like a phantom. Jake simply sat for a moment, watching her with a confused expression on his face. He¡¯d had more he wanted to say on the matter of ensuring they weren¡¯t separated, but seeing how unfocused she was, he simply let out a sigh and let the issue go for the time being.

    Pulling his knives free of his pocket, he busied himself polishing and practicing his aim with various targets laid out amongst the sand banks and boulders that surrounded the two. He felt too tired to try and explore, and Alice seemed too out of it anyway. So, the pair simply sat, engaged in their various tasks. They didn¡¯t say a word to one another till it was time to eat.

    Alice hadn¡¯t noticed how hungry she¡¯d gotten. She¡¯d given up trying to physically examine or feel the strings that crossed underneath her skin and had instead fallen back to simply trying to sense and draw forth their presence. She had little success with this, and by the time she was drawn out of her concentration by an offer of berries, she felt exhausted.

    Taking hold of the berries, she gave Jake a small smile before plopping one into her mouth and biting down. They were souring fast, just some hours ago you could barely taste the sour flavor of the berries but now the flavor mixed with the sweetness in equal parts. Glancing over toward the bag, Alice asked,

    ¡°How many of these do we have left?¡±

    ¡°We lost a lot yesterday, and we¡¯ve been eating them. Maybe one more meal''s worth, if that. Probably should save them, don¡¯t know where we''ll land tomorrow.¡±

    Alice nodded, it sounded smart to her though she wondered if the berries would last much longer. Silence fell between the two as they ate for a moment before, Alice looked up and asked,

    ¡°What is an ¡®American Idiot¡¯ anyway?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jake asked, confused as to how Alice would have heard that term, or heard of America period.

    ¡°You mentioned it yesterday, ¡®Something Something: American Idiot¡¯, on your shirt. Was wondering what the hell it was.¡±

    ¡°Oh, that. Just the name of a band and an album, listened to it a lot back,¡± Jake said before he thought a moment and looked toward her a curious look on his face. ¡°Wait, do you know what a band is?¡± Alice shook her head no. Jake was silent for a moment, unsure how to explain. Finally, he looked her in the eyes and asked,

    ¡°You know what music is, right?¡± She rolled her eyes, clearly insulted.

    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot Jake. I¡¯ve heard of Music before. Once I even snuck past the great concert halls.¡± She smiled smugly for a moment, though Jake just nodded along.

    ¡°Good, good. A band is like that, but smaller. Like four or five people usually? I don¡¯t know the exact number needed to make a band, but they¡¯d play and record music on albums.¡± Alice nodded along; a bit unsure about what some of the words he said meant but generally following along with him. ¡°Anyway, long story shirt that¡¯s what Green Day: American Idiot means, it''s my favorite band and album.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Alice said leaning forward.

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

    ¡°Yep, surprised you remembered that.¡± By now, the pair had finished their berries, and Jake had picked one of his knives up again, preparing to resume his practice when Alice asked from beside him,

    ¡°If it was your favorite band, you must know their music pretty well, right?¡±

    ¡°I suppose so, why?¡± Jake asked, glancing at her with an uncertain look.

    ¡°Back home, the Broken would pass the time with songs and stories. I¡¯d love to hear some from where you¡¯re from!¡± She leaned closer to Jake, eyes wide with eager anticipation. A sort of uncomfortable grunt intermingled with dread escaped the back of Jake''s throat as he looked into her eyes. Desperately trying to think of a way out of singing for her, any way out seemed to die the longer he looked into her hopeful face.

    ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡± Jake grumbled causing Alice to lean back and give a small clap. Jake cleared his throat as best he could before:

    ¡°DoN¡¯t WannA Be AN AmERican IdiOT¡­¡± His voice escaped crackly and shaky, completely off-pitch. It was also all he could get through before Alice fell backward laughing in hysterics. Looking toward her, feeling hurt, he saw now her eyes held no glint of hope or anticipation for his performance but the satisfaction of completed mischief. Jake sputtered over himself, too embarrassed to speak properly before turning round from her, taking hold of his knife, and resuming his practice without another word.

    ¡°Oh come on, come one¡­¡± Alice said, wiping a tear from her eye, ¡°Give it another go, pretty please?¡±

    ¡°Piss off,¡± Jake muttered, eliciting a series of cackles from Alice as she fell back into the sand. Laughing at her well-done work, she laid still for a while, reluctant to resume her endless and frustrating work trying to draw out the strings that lay within her. It felt pointless, the longer she tried the more she began to wonder if it had been a mere fluke that allowed her to successfully sense them before. They were so lost, so faded¡­

    So lost in thought was she, she didn¡¯t notice she¡¯d drifted off to sleep till Jake was shaking her awake. Uncurling herself, she looked around bleary-eyed to find the world dark under the spotted ceiling of stars. The moon shone far above, a greenish color. Sitting up she locked eyes with Jake. He looked exhausted, deep bags ran underneath his eyes.

    ¡°Wake me in a bit, ok? We should sleep in shifts from now on. It¡¯ll help us keep watch. Night.¡±

    Then without wasting any more time, he collapsed to the ground and a few moments later began snoring softly, his face half buried in the sand. Alice watched him sleep for a moment, amazed at how fast he could fall asleep as if almost on command before she looked out toward the stream rushing past her. Her hair swept past her caught in an errant night breeze.

    A chill ran up her spine, yet looking around she saw no evidence of a fire. She supposed they had nothing to burn. What she did notice was the blanket, still dirty with blood, draped around her. It had fallen away when she¡¯d sat up without her notice, yet now it caught her attention. Glancing toward Jake, a small smile crossed her face before she took hold of it and threw it across his sleeping form. It seemed only fair.

    Turning back to focus on the night sky above and the stream whistling past her she lost track of time. Lost in thought trying to feel what rippled and pulsed within her, lost in the beauty around her, shivering in night air, slowly minutes turned to hours. She cast a glance around the camp, wondered if she should try to pack some before sunrise or if Jake had everything he needed on him before he collapsed when she suddenly jumped at a cracking sound off in the dark.

    The sound of cracking and splitting rock reached her ear, off in the distance to her left. Soon similar sounds began to come from her right, then dead ahead, then behind her. Soon she was surrounded by the crackling sound of splintering rock. She gulped as the splintering grew louder, more violent till all at once a series of resounding booms shook the earth. The sound of splashing water rang out in the air and Jake sat up with a start, looking around confused.

    He opened his mouth to ask questions yet hadn¡¯t the time as another thunderous boom shook the earth. Splintering and falling rock hit the water and splashes rung up all around the duo. Standing up, Jake drew his knives from his pocket while Alice drew her hands close to herself, desperate to try and see what was happening around them in the dark.

    Her internal cries went unanswered at first, yet with another thunderous boom, ever closer than before, her desperation turned to blind panic, a need to see in the dark. And she felt it, the string within pulsing in a knotted web that curled and wrapped around her whole being, stopping at her hands now that burst with light. Flickering out as she lost focus from shock, she quickly latched onto the feeling forcing the light to flicker and pulse and illuminate the dark.

    They stood surrounded, wadding through the waters of the branching streams stood the boulders. Some were several meters tall some standing shorter than Alice or Jake. But now, illuminated by the light pouring from her hands they were all revealed. Hundreds of them. Panic gripped tight of both Jake and Alice. The light flickered again, and in her panic, Alice lost focus of the string and felt it slipping from her grasp. Jake stood frozen a moment, staring ahead at the army of boulders that advanced ever closer with each thunderous step. Swallowing a gulp, he stepped forward arm raised ready to throw a knife forward into the dark, hoping to at least distract the nearest boulder approaching them so they could escape before a thunderous voice rang out,

    ¡°We¡­Mean¡­No¡­Harm¡­Guardian¡­Of¡­The¡­Blessed¡­One¡­¡± It spoke slowly in a sleepy tone, yet its voice was likely gravel and sand ground together, horrid and loud it froze Jake on the spot before he could act. Swallowing a gulp, Jake stepped back toward where Alice stood, voice caught in both their throats they weren¡¯t sure what to say. The boulder took this time to approach further and speak again, its voice horrid voice digging into the skin,

    ¡°We¡­The¡­Elves¡­Seek¡­Only¡­To¡­See¡­The¡­Blessed¡­One¡­To¡­Pray¡­¡±

    ¡°Blessed One?¡± Alice asked unsure what the elf across from her could be talking about.

    ¡°What?¡± Jake said, mouth agape in awe as he took in the lumbering pile of rocks moving closer toward them from out the water, struggling to identify the creature as anything other than a golem, maybe some type of troll. Certainly not a golem. Blinking several times as he tried to process the new information his head snapped to Alice,

    ¡°Wait, why can we understand them?¡± Alice nodded stepping back away from the elf concern growing on her face as if she two just noted how odd that was.

    ¡°We¡­Who...Seek¡­The¡­Blessed¡­Ensure¡­They¡­Understand¡­Us¡­Please¡­Blessed¡­One¡­Let¡­Us¡­ Pray¡­Let¡­Us¡­Offer¡­¡±

    Alice gulped, a frightened look appearing on her face as she shot a look toward Jake who simply stood there confused, unsure of what to do. After a while Alice spoke up, raising her voice in hopes of reaching all the gathered elves,

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I think there¡¯s been a mistake maybe. I¡¯ve been cursed, not blessed, are you sure you don¡¯t want him, or maybe¡­¡± But she was interrupted by the elf across from her who threw himself to the ground.

    ¡°No¡­Mistake¡­Has¡­Been¡­Made¡­Let¡­Us¡­Pray¡­We¡­Bring¡­Tribute¡­¡±

    Alice looked pale, unsure what to do, before finally giving a small nod. The other assembled boulders followed the lead closest to the duo, throwing themselves to the floor. Low sounds of grinding stone and falling sand soon rhythmically filled the air, a hymn that ground the soul. Alice and Jake stepped back, away from the praying boulders, and stood silent, watching their mass. Neither could be sure how long the elves were at prayer, minutes or hours, but the time seemed to fly by. Soon the boulders began to move again, rising and retreating away back into the dark where they rested.

    The elf closest to the pair rose from the floor and gently lay a bundle across the sanded dune, looking up at the pair,

    ¡°We¡­Pay¡­Tribute¡­To¡­The¡­Blessed¡­One¡­And¡­Her¡­Honored¡­Guardian¡­¡± The elf said, before struggling to bow one last time and turning away, retreating into the dark.

 Day 42 - The Unbounded Corridor - Please, Come Inside

    Jake and Alice stood in stunned silence for a while, listening to the thunderous footsteps of the elves retreat into the dark. In this stunned silence, Alice lost focus of the strings running throughout her body, letting her grasp of the pulsing power flowing to her hand waver, and soon the glow coming from her hand flickered and disappeared. The glow dissipating from her hand seemed to jolt something in the pair and shock them from their stupor. Stepping forward in the moonlight toward the bundle left behind on the shore, Jake turned toward Alice with a smile,

    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you got oh blessed one.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t call me that¡­¡± Alice said, her voice weak a slight quiver in her voice. She hadn¡¯t stepped forward toward the bundled offering with Jake, rather she stepped backward away from the passage. She had no right to touch it with her broken, crumbling hands. She was cursed, the opposite of whatever divinity the elves sought.

    ¡°Why?¡± Jake asked, a smile spreading across her face as he mistook her reaction for embarrassment, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, oh Blessed one? Come on, come claim your prize!¡±

    ¡°STOP IT!¡± She screamed at Jake, tears stinging her eyes fury evident on her face. Jake was taken aback, stumbling backward at this sudden, unexpected reaction.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jake asked hurriedly, he¡¯d only been trying to tease her. He hadn¡¯t expected the nickname to elect such a vitriolic response.

    ¡°I could handle them¡­ I could handle the elves¡­¡± Alice struggled over her words, she seemed almost hysterical with rage, ¡°They don¡¯t know me. But you¡­ you know dam well what I am. They want to waste their time praying to some deformed, cursed, freak let them! But don¡¯t you mock me, insult me by calling me blessed!¡±

    Alice stumbled forward as she yelled, falling to her knees. The moonlight bounced and reflected across her form, catching against the cracks that cut into her crying frame. She knelt there, uncontrollably sobbing into the sand below. She hadn¡¯t meant to scream, hadn''t meant to cry. It felt like a surge of emotion she¡¯d long been suppressing was bursting forth all at once. Emotion suppressed deep down since she first heard about magic.

    She¡¯d long ago accepted her death, long ago accepted her life as a cursed Broken freak trapped pinning for the world beyond the walls of the city. But now¡­ now she didn¡¯t know what to believe. The worlds she¡¯d been to, the things she¡¯d seen and heard? She wouldn¡¯t trade them for anything. She felt she¡¯d lived more of her life the past few days than she ever had in the past twenty years. Still, the longer she spent free, the more she began to doubt what she was, who she was.

    The more she heard about the possibility of magic or blessings now, the more a thought began to grow in her mind. Small at first but it grew more and more with each passing second. Was she truly cursed? She already knew now the curse wasn¡¯t random, it could be controlled even if Alice still struggled with actually controlling it. What else could she and the rest of the Broken have been wrong about? What else could they have been lied to about? She quickly tried to ignore this thought, tried to banish it from her head. She had to be cursed, had to be a deformed freak cursed as punishment.

    It was the only thing that possibly began to explain why. Why was she fenced off? Why was she beaten? Why was she insulted? Why was she left to rot? If she wasn¡¯t cursed, why? Her cries grew stronger, her tears falling heavy to the sand below. The question she¡¯d been trying to ignore ran rampant through her mind now. All her life the horrid treatment, while resentful and hated, made some level of sense to her. The Broken were beaten and locked away because of their curse, it was simply a fact of life, a fact of nature. But why? Why? Why? Why? Wh¡­

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Her thoughts were interrupted by the soft sounds of footsteps breaking against the sand drawing near her. She felt a hand softly place itself on her shoulder as Jake sat next to her, ¡°I never thought it would be that big an issue for you, I just never really thought of you as cursed, you know? I mean you saved my life with your ''curse¡¯ so it can¡¯t be all bad, so I guess in my head calling it a blessing made more sense. I didn¡¯t realize it meant that much to you though, so I¡¯m sorry.¡±

    Alice sat a while, sniffling as her tears began to dry head still filled with static. Jake just stayed beside her; hand resting on her shoulder. Eventually, her head began to clear as she sat backward onto her knees. The question of why was impossible to answer now, the pointless cruelty of the Unbroken was a mystery that would haunt her with no clear answer. Had they known the curse to be a lie when they fenced the Broken together, had they designed the lie for that very purpose? None of these mattered anymore, the unknowable cruelty in the world was something she¡¯d have to learn to live with and leave behind to keep moving forward.

    A small smile appeared on her face, now puffy and red and stained with tears, as she looked over toward Jake who sat beside her. The boundless cruelty of the Unbroken no longer mattered, why they beat and trapped and hurt her no longer mattered. She was free, she¡¯d forgotten that for a moment she almost let herself be trapped by them again even if only in her mind. Standing upright on slightly shaky legs and smiling toward Jake who stood next to her a worried look on his face she announced,

    ¡°What are you standing around for, we have an offering to dig through!¡±

    ¡°What?!¡± Jake exclaimed, shocked and confused, but he was left standing alone by Alice who bounded forward across the sand toward the bundled offering. He stood there for a while, blinking in confusion struggling to figure out what the hell just happened. Eventually, he had to admit defeat and follow after Alice, still confused but happy to leave the issue behind in the past.

    Alice had already unwrapped the bundle by the time Jake arrived next to her and was eagerly digging through its contents. The bundle seemed to contain offerings from every elf who¡¯d come to pray to Alice the night before, which meant it held hundreds of offerings from the collected religious mass. Most were of little value to the pair, pebbles and stones of odd shapes or luster, however, that didn¡¯t mean the bundle was without value.

    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

    For starters, it came wrapped in a weathered old blanket. It was old, crusty, and full of holes, but when fully unfolded it was large enough to wrap both Jake and Alice in together and still have room left over. Along with this blanket, a few fish plucked from the stream were given as offerings along with some gemstones of various luster and size that could pretty easily fit at the bottom of the backpack till the pair had use for them. The most peculiar of the offerings was a flute-like instrument that lay buried amongst the pile of offerings. It seemed to be made of clay and holding it up to the light Jake saw it had only eight holes carved into his side.

    ¡°Odd¡­¡± Jake said before blinking and registering the purple light rising from the sky above. Pocketing the clay flute, Jake grabbed the backpack and took hold of Alice¡¯s hand, who was currently busy packing the rest of the useful offerings.

    The two waited a short while, admiring the sparkling of the early morning light against the flowing streams around them, before all at once the familiar sensation of falling took hold and they found themselves falling. Both landed without issue and looking around they appeared to have landed in a forest. Tall trees grew up on all sides, towering above them. The sky above looked picturesque and perfect and the grass below their feet flowed gently in the breeze.

    Both Alice and Jake were immediately on edge. A ticking sound like an old clock filled the air, seeming to emanate from every direction. The trees surrounding the two were perfectly symmetrical and all of them were identical to each other. The sky above was also symmetrical in its cloud formations, the only thing disrupting its perfect symmetry being the sun which rose now as a perfect yellow circle. The grass beneath their feet which flowed gently in the breeze felt fake, all cut to the same height.

    No sounds of nature meet their ears, no chirping insects, grazing animals, or flowing water anywhere. Neither felt comfortable where they landed, and so after adjusting the grip on their growing collection of luggage set out marching through the unnatural forest around them. Yet no matter how far they walked the scenery refused to change. They were always met with the same trees, same sky, same grass. Eventually, the pair felt their stomachs begin to rumble, and looking up saw the sun had reached its zenith in the sky. Now the sky above was perfectly symmetrical.

    ¡°We should stop, eat something¡­¡± Jake said, looking toward Alice, who gave a nod and held up two of the fish they¡¯d been offered with a smile. The two set their luggage to the ground and set off toward one of the perfectly symmetrical trees to gather wood. Running his hand along the surface of the trunk, the tree at least still felt wooden to Jake. Reaching up to grab hold of the lowest branches, he was suddenly interrupted by a laughing sound.

    Shrill and high, it cut through the world like the wind. Turning around toward Alice he saw the same look of panicked confusion on her face that let him know she¡¯d heard it too, and worse, the sound hadn¡¯t come from either of them. Both froze on the spot, listening and waiting, till another laugh was heard cutting through the trees sounding closer than before. The two shot forward, grabbing hold of the bags they¡¯d left waiting on the ground and running wildly through the unnatural forest trapping them.

    They heard nothing pursuing them, only the swaying of the breeze and rustle of the grass, yet still they ran for as long as they could till both collapsed down again, panting. Looking back, they saw no evidence of anything having pursued them, and after waiting a moment longer the laughter didn¡¯t return. Looking around with a relieved sigh Jake was about to go toward the nearest tree and break a few branches to start a fire with when he froze. Sitting across him was a perfectly symmetrical and unlit fire pit.

    That wasn¡¯t the only thing that had changed. The swaying grass was gone, replaced now by cold mulch that felt spongy to walk upon, leaving their footing uneven as they slowly approached the firepit. Looking around for anywhere else to go, they saw a thin wall of mist slowly closing in, cutting off any hope of escape.

    ¡°We¡¯re trapped¡­¡± Jake muttered. Alice gave a nod after which neither moved. They stood frozen and watched the mist spread out around them for any sign of movement. Yet none came, the only movement came from above as the sun had left its symmetrical perch long ago and was nearly set.

    ¡°We should light a fire, don¡¯t want to be stranded here in the dark,¡± Alice whispered to Jake, uncertain if whatever trapped them was still nearby but wanting to be careful regardless. Jake gave a nod and flipped the backpack open, pulling the sparking stones free to light the fire pit. A perfect fire bloomed forth soon as the first spark struck the gathered sticks, large and symmetrical. No smoke rose in the air, the only thing that proved the fire in front of them was real was its heat, impressive and overwhelming.

    With a gulp, Alice took the two fish out of the bundled blanket she¡¯d been carrying and set them at the edge of the fire pit. They had not gutted the fish, nor did they have sticks to use to properly place the fish into the fire, yet at that moment neither was truly thinking about eating dinner. Looking up above they saw the sun moving closer and closer toward the pitch-black of night.

    ¡°We just need to wait¡­¡± Jake whispered to Alice, glancing around him wildly for any sign of moment or attack, ¡°We just need to act naturally till sunrise, then will be out of here.¡±

    ¡°No! Oh no no no, that just won¡¯t do.¡± A voice shrill and high blew across the duo with the wind, its tone mocking and cruel. ¡°You can¡¯t leave so soon, not when I finally have guests after so long. Let me help you feel more at home; help you stay right where you are.¡± A sound like metal scrapping against stone wrung out through the air at an ear bleedingly loud level, causing Jake and Alice to reach up with their hands in desperate hope to block the noise out. Yet soon the noise faded, and all was still yet again.

    Confused, Jake and Alice looked around unsure what had happened till they glanced upward. Lumps formed in their throats. The sun now sat back in the center of the sky unmoving, frozen in place. The ticking sound grew faster and louder as if laughing at their shocked misery.

    ¡°You see, you have nowhere else to go? Why don¡¯t I let you inside? Help you feel more at home?¡± The shrill voice returned, voice dripping with malicious intent buttered in mock kindness. The ticking grew louder again. All at once the fire burning bright in front of the pair disappeared without a trace, followed by waves of mist and the forest of symmetrical trees. Jake and Alice stood under the unnatural sky above, struggling to stand on the uneven ground below before that too was taken.

    Falling into the dark below, a familiar sensation rose within Jake and Alice. This sensation quickly left the two as the fall continued, lasting several seconds, then several minutes, then potentially hours. Time and space seemed to lose all meaning to the two as they fell into the dark surrounded by the ever-present ticking that mocked their arrival.

 Day 43 - The Unbounded Corridor - I Really Cant Stand Screaming

    Jake sat up with a gasp. Looking around, Alice lay beside him, still unconscious. They were sprawled out in a spacious corridor of carved stone and pilled dirt. He could see no source of light anywhere around him, yet he could see all the same, a sort of dim, unnatural glow seemed to hang in the air. His throat felt dry, and his body cold. Shivering, he looked around and saw nothing nearby. The luggage He and Alice had been carrying was gone, lost during the fall into the unknown. They were stranded.

    His head roared with pain; he reached up to grasp the side of his head as the ticking sound from before continued ever-present, louder than ever before. Every tick seemed to send shockwaves through his body, making him feel ill. Looking left and right, he could see nothing down either end of the corridor. The unnatural glow hanging in the air intensified the longer he looked, causing him to squint his eyes and blink in hopes of dealing with the ever-increasing luminosity.

    There was nothing to do but wait, shivers running throughout his body, he drew his knees up to his chest and sat still beside Alice. He tried a few times to shake her awake, to call you to her, yet got no response in turn. Worried, he¡¯d felt her pulse but found it remained steady and consistent. Sitting beside her, shivering in the corridor''s glow, Jake¡¯s frazzled mind busied itself trying to form some sort of plan.

    They were trapped, both of them underground. Trapped with no easy escape, they couldn¡¯t simply wait for sunrise to flee from here. He wasn¡¯t sure how real anything they¡¯d seen so far was. The unnatural forest, the swaying grass, and even the ground below their feet had all melted away into nothingness. The only thing left had been the sky shining unmoving above their head as they fell into earth''s gaping maw. Whether it was some trick that allowed the voice that had hunted and taunted them to control everything, Jake couldn¡¯t say, but he was certain of one thing. The sun was frozen in place, unmoving, and so now the two of them were trapped.

    Lost in thought, Jake failed to notice Alice begin to stir till she was sitting up next to him, groans escaping her as she looked around. Her head was killing her; she couldn¡¯t recall a time it had hurt this bad, and the incessant ticking that surrounded her wasn¡¯t helping. Taking in the bleak surroundings around her, Alice turned toward Jake,

    ¡°Any idea what¡¯s going on?¡±

    ¡°No, your guess is as good as mine. You heard everything I did, saw everything I did. Don¡¯t know where the voice went, but it gives us a moment to talk¡­¡± Jake said, casting a suspicious look down the corridor yet receiving no reply.

    ¡°What do you want to do then?¡± Alice asked, flopping back to the ground after she tried to stand, head rising to her head as the ever-present pain worsened with every moment she made.

    ¡°We should stay put for now. Who knows how much of this is real, if we''re lucky, the sun is already starting to rise and will be out of here any second. Plus, I don¡¯t know about you, but my head is¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh no, no, no, please don¡¯t be so¡­ disappointing.¡± The shrill voice returned, echoing all around. It seemed to ooze from the walls, making its source impossible to discern. ¡°Sit still and wait? Hope it¡¯s all a trick? I had such hopes for the fun we could have, but if that¡¯s how it¡¯s going to be¡­¡± The voice stopped instead, replaced by the scraping of stone against metal and a deep rumbling that shook both Jake and Alice to their core.

    ¡°I may just need to clear the board¡­¡± The voice sounded bored, not even interested in whatever punishment it was enacting on the pair. As it faded away once more, its discontent echoed clear across the corridor as with each metal scrap, each rumble, Jake and Alice felt their seated position grow more and more unstable. The two watched one of the piles of dirt stacked against the far wall begin to slowly crumble and break apart, unable to withstand the stress brought about by the constant shaking of the corridor.

    The two watched as the dirt pile collapsed to the floor, slowly rolling to the right. Both Alice and Jake shot up with a jolt as the corridor continued to shake violently, swaying slightly as their heads throbbed, feeling fit to burst. Watching more and more piles of dirt that surrounded them collapse and begin to roll toward the right, picking up speed with every rumble, the two took off running to the left. It wasn¡¯t an easy run; the corridor sloped upward at an ever-increasing angle.

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    Soon, the pair found they could run no longer, forced to come to a steady walk as they hiked up the slowly climbing corridor. It wasn¡¯t long before this climb also became impossible. Desperately, both looked around for some outlet or ledge to hold onto, yet nothing seemed to exist. Out of ideas, Jake grabbed hold of Alice''s hand and reached into his pockets, and grabbing hold of one of his knives, jabbed it into the floor, which, with one last rumble, now stood perfectly parallel to the pair.

    They were left dangling from the singular blade, quickly and forcibly jabbed into the stone. Glancing down, they could see nothing below. The horrid glow of the light continued forever, giving them a perfect view of the endless drop that awaited them. A cracking sound rang out not even a minute into their hang as the knife began to slide loose from the floor, pulling bits of rock with it. Jake looked around for something, anything he could do, yet found nothing. Alice tried to feel the strings within her, tried to think of some solution her curse could provide, but was too panicked to focus.

    With one last sickened crack, the knife came free from the wall, and they fell, hand in hand, into the blinding forever below. Yet they crashed into the stone floor of the corridor not even a moment after they started falling, not even given time to start screaming. Both lay still on the stone in shock, unsure how to react. Where they were now exactly was a mystery, they¡¯d landed in pitch-black darkness. Yet beneath them, the cold roughness of stone was present. Soon, loud applause wrung through the corridor, echoing everywhere and drawing winces of pain from both Jake and Alice.

    ¡°Extraordinary, Extraordinary! I knew you would be perfect! It¡¯s been so dull around here¡­¡± The voice began a roar of excitement in his voice, ¡°When you started moping and whining, well, you can excuse me for my little games, can¡¯t you?¡± The voice asked with feigned innocence, yet bladed malice lay behind his words.

    ¡°Hope you don¡¯t mind I cut your fall off; I really can¡¯t stand screaming. Now then, my wonderful guests, if you wouldn¡¯t mind¡­¡±

    A trail of lights appeared along the floor, dimmer than what had surrounded them excessively before but still unnatural looking. Staring directly at them left Jake feeling sick to his stomach, and it seemed to only worsen Alice¡¯s already substantial headache. Still, the lights were the only path they had to follow, and refusal no longer seemed an option. If they refused to play along or follow commands, it probably wouldn¡¯t take long for the voice to grow bored of them.

    Standing up on unstable footing, Alice and Jake both leaned against the wall and began moving forward after the trail of lights ahead of them. The wall felt sturdy when they leaned into it, unlikely to collapse or reveal a secret way out. Unfortunately, their proximity to the wall did serve as a way to amplify the unending ticking that prevailed through the entirety of the corridor. Now, right next to the wall, the two could hear nothing else save for the ticking.

    The two walked a while, following the endless trail of the dim flickering lights for as long as their legs could carry them till both collapsed to their knees, feeling exhausted. It felt like they¡¯d done nothing but walk without food or rest for hours, days now. Their feet felt like they were cracked and blistered, and both could swear they were leaving trails of blood behind them. Yet they continued, following the endless trail of lights for fear of what the voice would do if they refused, only to find nothing waiting for them.

    Falling to the ground, pangs of hunger and thirst fit them anew, yet they didn¡¯t complain. Simply sitting beside one another in silence, hoping the voice would leave them with enough time to rest. It wasn¡¯t to be, as soon the voice returned, echoing across the corridor,

    ¡°What a picturesque seen, you two together. Yet something isn¡¯t right; I feel like I forgot something¡­¡± The voice spoke with a tone of mock forgetfulness as if trying to tease the two with what it could have possibly forgotten.

    ¡°I remember now!¡± The voice said, sounding excited. Suddenly, without sound or warning, brick by brick, a stone wall appeared separating Jake from Alice. The pair had no time to react. To scream or speak to one another before they were separated, a thick stone wall standing between them.

    ¡°I simply can¡¯t stand the sight of you two together. For my sake, dear guests, travel separately, won''t you?¡± He asked the question with a voice dripping with cruelty. Jake paid it no mind. Shocked from his stupor, he began pounding on the wall, trying to find some weakness in its design or crack to force his way through. He pounded and pounded so long he thought his hands might crack and fall off, they¡¯d always been so brittle.

    Yet no sooner than he¡¯d started pounding against its side that the wall fell way to reveal nothing on its other side. Jake fell to his stomach and sat upright, looking round in vain, hoping he might find someone on the other side, yet no one was there. He was alone. A desperate wail escaped his throat as the sickening sounds of the voice¡¯s laughter forced its way into his ears.

    ¡°Remember when I said I couldn¡¯t stand screaming, dear guest? I lied.¡±

 Day 44 - The Unbounded Corridor - A Very Special Guest

    Alice fell back in shock away from the sudden wall that had sprouted without warning, separating her from Jake. Before she had time to react, the whole corridor seemed to shake, dust falling in cascading heaps onto her head. She reached up, coughing as the dust invaded her lungs, and tried to swat the dust away as the corridor continued to shake. Suddenly, before she could react, the wall seemed to stretch away from her.

    In desperation, she lunged forward, trying to catch the retreating wall before it left her behind, but she was too late. She fell to the dark, dusty floor of the corridor alone. Her only link to reuniting with Jake was long gone now. A sense of panic started to well up in her chest; she felt like she might start hyperventilating. Her thoughts were a jumbled, confused mess.

    Her body was screaming in pain, hunger and thirst racked her body as if she hadn¡¯t eaten in weeks, maybe months. She felt weak as if she wouldn¡¯t be able to stand, let alone continue moving through the unending lengths of the corridor. Her headache only seemed to grow worse, distracting her thoughts as she tried to focus on her surroundings, on her isolation. With a small scream, she almost felt like slamming her head into the ground in hopes it might relieve the unending buildup of pressure.

    ¡°Oh, dear guest, I truly hope you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± The voice returned, carried on the wind, the unending ticking sounds growing faster and more excited as it spoke, ¡°It was just so hard trying to cater to you both! As your host, I just didn¡¯t feel right neglecting you like that, keeping my attention split between you. I just couldn¡¯t do it. You can understand, right?¡± The voice dripped with implied threat, an audible sneer clear in its tone.

    Alice paid the voice no mind, barely even hearing what it had to say. Her head was splitting apart. Blood leaked from her nose and started to dribble lightly from her ears onto the floor. Her brain was bursting apart, liquidating. With a cough, she sent splatters of crimson across the corridor''s floor, where it intermingled with the accrued dust to slowly form a sort of sticky sludge.

    ¡°What is this now? Never seen someone react so negatively, what could be the cause? It just won¡¯t do, just won¡¯t do, dear guest.¡± All at once, the pain in her head seemed to fade, slowly dying down and vanishing till it was nothing more than a distant throbbing at the back of her skull. Still ever-present but died down to levels of agony that were manageable.

    ¡°I can¡¯t have one of my dear guests dying on me, not after I finally get a chance to entertain after all this time. No, no, no, dear guest, I¡¯m sorry, but I just can¡¯t have it¡­¡± A pause followed the voice, and suddenly, bone-chilling winds swept the corridor. ¡°No, dear guest, that will come later.¡±

    The voices vicious cackling rattled the stones of the corridor, the ticking behind the walls growing even louder, more excited than Alice had heard before. Alice ignored the excited glee of the voice, the ticking of the walls, the chill of the air. She simply lay on the floor breathing slow, labored breaths; thoughts allowed her to collect in her head, and now the pain had subsided.

    Her body felt light again for some reason. The pain that plagued her feet, her joints, the hunger gnawing at her stomach, the thirst clawing at her throat. All seemed to fade away with the pain. Blinking slowly, Alice sat up, hoping to find the stone wall or, even better, Jake waiting for her. For all of this to have been some dark trick, further torture on her psyche. Yet she still sat alone, nothing around her in the corridor save her blood and the dim illumination escaping from the floor below.

    ¡°Now, dear guest, please, if you¡¯d be so kind¡­¡± The voice spoke as the pain started to build back up in her head ¡°We really must be off. So much to do.¡± Alice stood quickly, staggering to her feet. As she rose, the pain disappeared from her head, and the voice let out a mocking whisper that seemed right by her ear,

    ¡°There''s a good little girl. Follow the pretty lights now, won¡¯t you, dear guest?¡±

    Swallowing deeply, Alice stepped forward from the wall where Jake had once been and followed after the dimly lit lights that covered the floor of the corridor. She¡¯d barely taken a few steps when her walking was interrupted by the voice, sounding tired and annoyed,

    ¡°You really made a mess, didn¡¯t you?¡± Alice glanced back over her shoulder towards the splatters of blood left behind as she¡¯d rived around in agony. ¡°Worry not, dear guest, I¡¯ll clean this up in no time.¡±

    A clapping sound followed the voice¡¯s words, distorted and offbeat, and suddenly, the entirety of the corridor seemed to rotate, spinning along its center axis faster and faster till it was just a grey blur spinning end over end. Alice stood suspended in place, watching the corridor turn over end till, with a violent lurch, it stopped.

    The sudden stop of the corridor sent the sticky sludge created from Alice¡¯s blood launching into the air, where it perfectly landed atop her. She gasped and sputtered, too shocked at what she had just seen to even try and wipe the sludge away from herself.

    ¡°Much better now, wouldn¡¯t you agree, dear guest?¡± The voice asked, though it sounded a bit bored, the usually biting cruelty Alice was used to was lacking, and it almost seemed to be suppressing a yawn. ¡°Get moving, please, we haven¡¯t got all day.¡±

    ¡°What are you¡­¡± Alice managed to say, the shock of what just happened begging to ebb away, yet she suddenly gripped her head tight as pain rushed back, flooring her.

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    ¡°Ah, ah, ah. What sort of guest questions their host? You should be ashamed, really. Dear guests should learn to speak when asked to¡­ for their own good, of course.¡±

    ¡°What¡­What is this¡­¡± Alice screamed, gripping the side of her head as the pain suddenly seemed to triple in intensity.

    ¡°Another question hmm¡­ You are daring¡­ I do love daring guests; they are the most fun to play with. I think I¡¯ll reward you just this once. What you¡¯re feeling, my dear, is my welcoming gift, a little something used to make my dear, sweet, special guests feel at home. Unfortunately, you, my dear, seem disfigured and deformed. Freakish. It just doesn¡¯t seem to work on you. How tragic, how cursed¡­¡± The figure''s tone was one of mock sympathy, and Alice could practically see the sadistic smile plastered across its face. Yet its word choice, the way it spoke about her, sent alarm bells ringing in her head as the pain once more faded from her skull.

    ¡°Now, dear guest, I¡¯ve rewarded you with answers to your questions and let you live yet again. I warn you now, test me again, and my reward will most certainly not be to your liking. I suggest, implore, you follow the lights before I grow bored of you, my dear, sweet, stubborn guest.¡±

    Alice stood straight, wiping blood away from her face as a fresh nosebleed began to fade, and she started forward down the corridor after the dimly lit lights. Her mouth stayed shut as she marched endlessly through the dimly lit darkness, no matter what questions or thoughts she had, she kept them to herself. Yet the longer she walked, the less she found herself theorizing about the voice that taunted and tortured her.

    As the endless trek continued, unchanging in its layout, Alice simply felt a cold chill down her spine as the uncomfortable sensation of loneliness took hold of her. She¡¯d been used to being lonely; she¡¯d been alone most of her life. Yet, these past few days traveling with Jake, she¡¯d found herself growing more and more used to being around someone else. Talking with someone else, sharing stories, or even just having someone else nearby. She never thought much of these little things. Now, alone once more, she felt their weight for the first time.

    ¡°Oh, Dear!¡± The voice began, mock sympathy in its voice. ¡°Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear sweet Alice. I see that worried look on your face; I know exactly what has you so glum. Loneliness can be hard, can¡¯t it? But don¡¯t you worry now!¡± Mock excitement flooded from the voice, it practically dripped vile intent ¡°I¡¯ve found a very special guest to help with that, just up ahead waiting for you! You shouldn''t keep him waiting, dear Alice!¡±

    The voice¡¯s prodding sent shivers down Alice¡¯s spine. It felt wrong to hear her name escape its lips, and struggle as hard as she could she couldn¡¯t recall herself or Jake ever giving their names to the voice. Though who knows how long the voice had been stalking them. With a gulp, she set off at a hurried pace down the corridor. Though she doubted anything pleasant awaited her toward the end of the corridor, she didn¡¯t want to give the voice any further reason to hurt her.

    Slowly, the corridor seemed to be narrowing, and the dim lights coming from the floor seemed to be growing stronger and stronger. A dull mist appeared from nowhere, carpeting the floor, and the rough walls of the corridor began to take the form of distinctive carved bricks while the ceiling lengthened, stretching up high above her head. Stopping, Alice looked around only to realize she knew exactly where she stood.

    She¡¯d stood in this exact alley many times throughout her life; it was the fastest shortcut connecting the main market to one of the side roads she liked to frequent. She recognized the distinctive way the bricks were placed, the wear and tear, the scratches, and even the uneven way the floor was beginning to deform itself as her shortcut back to the market. She gulped, seeing the corridor continue ahead, the alleyway stretching onward into forever, and spun around, prepared to run back. Ready to fight through whatever pain the voice might inflict upon her so long as it meant not having to return.

    Suddenly, she was stopped by an ear-piercing whistle that rose all around her. She involuntarily froze, her body quivering and cold sweat dripping down her brow. Another whistle rang out seconds later, closing in towards her fast from all directions. She had nowhere to run, no way to fight back. She ran to the side of the corridor, pounding her fist against the cobbled stone brick of the alleyway in desperation. As if answering her call, the alley seemed to split apart and allowed her inside.

    Without any other option, Alice forced herself into the wall, curling up into a ball, certain she would be caught any minute. Continuous whistling began to seep through the crack she¡¯d crawled through, interrupted only by the ever-present ticking, which seemed to grow faster and faster, laughing at her panicked misery. Then, the whistling stopped. Silence filled the air for a moment before a new sound replaced it.

    Bloodcurdling screams combined with the sounds of metal breaking flesh and bone could be heard right outside Alice¡¯s hiding spot. Alice tried to cover her ears, close her eyes tight, and hide from the sickening crunches echoing around her. She didn¡¯t know how long she hid away, praying for the sounds to end. Eventually, though, the screams stopped, leaving only the beating of steel against the flesh.

    After what felt like an eternity, this stopped, too, and Alice listened as the sound of the guard¡¯s whistles seemed to retreat away. She still didn¡¯t move, afraid of what she might find outside her hiding place. She was only spurred into action by the ticking around her, which seemed to grow louder, more aggressive. Fearful, Alice pulled herself from the wall only to find herself somewhere new entirely.

    A completely square room with no sign of crack or seam or entrance or exit to speak of. Turning around, the crack in the wall she¡¯d crawled out of was already gone, leaving the wall perfectly flat. Slowly looking around the room, the only thing of note was a bloodstained tarp covering an unknown mass in the center of the room. Walking forward, Alice had a sickening suspension. She could guess what lay under the tarp and knew what sick whim the voice desired as she grabbed hold of the tarp to pull it away.

    Nothing could prepare her for what she saw next. Betsy¡¯s body lay broken and beaten, parts so badly abused it looked more like mincemeat than human flesh. She still looked so young, as young as the last time Alice had seen her, that no signs of Crumbling infected her body. Only the brutal beatings of the guards. The back of her skull lay caved in, brain and blood leaked to the floor, and her eyes lay glassy, yet signs of fear and pain were still evident on her face.

    Alice dropped to her knees, a choked wail escaping her. Tears fell from her eyes, heavy and full as misery so deep took hold of her body that she found she couldn¡¯t even express it with sound. Taking hold of the bruised girl''s broken hand and holding it close to her forehead, Alice knelt and wept over her sister''s broken form.

 Day 45 - The Unbounded Corridor - Who Do You Think Will Last The Longest?

    ¡°Really, dear guest, what are you hoping to accomplish now?¡± The voice asked with exaggerated confusion.

    Jake ignored the disembodied voice that haunted him from every direction and dug through the pile of rubble left by the collapsed brick wall, hoping she may lay buried under the rubble. Yet there was no one there. Standing upright, legs shaky from his exhaustive search as hunger gripped his body, he screamed down the dark path exposed behind the collapsed wall,

    ¡°ALICE!¡± Yet no response came. All his screaming did was aggravate his throat, withered and begging for a drink. It tore from Jake''s efforts to scream in search of Alice, causing him to double over and cough up blood. Panic gripped tight at the center of Jake''s chest as he spun around wildly, hoping to find any trace of where Alice could have been dragged off to, but he found nothing save for the endless repeating stone of the corridor.

    He didn¡¯t know what to do anymore as he gripped the side of his head, struggling to calm himself down. He¡¯d promised her he¡¯d keep her safe, promised her he¡¯d help her find somewhere to call home. It was all his fault she was here, all his fault she was lost alone with this sadistic voice. Guilt at dragging her here clawed through his body, yet more than that, wild desperation to find her took route in his mind when he realized he was once more alone.

    He hadn¡¯t realized how much he¡¯d come to rely on having someone else to talk to, walk with, laugh with. Even if he''d only known her a short while, her absence stung him now he was alone once more. He¡¯d enjoyed having someone else understand what it was like to constantly be alert, constantly have to be ready to leave the entire world at a moment¡¯s notice. Now alone once more, the crushing reality of his situation only made his guilt at losing her worse and momentarily sent him spiraling. The voice said nothing, seeming to enjoy watching him stumble about in silent agony. Finally, Jake could take it no more and set off into a sprint into the dark past the broken wall in hopes of finding at least some clue about where Alice could be hiding.

    ¡°Dear guest, what do you think you''re doing? That¡¯s the wrong direction, you must understand, yes? Why are you so intent on disobeying directions, dear guest, even your gracious host has a limit to how much it will tolerate. Surely you understand, right, dear guest? Answer me, dear guest¡­¡± The voice spoke first with amusement at Jake''s sprint, needling him to get him to turn around, yet as Jake continued on, he found the tone of the voice grew colder and colder till its every word sent chills radiating through Jake¡¯s skeleton leaving him frozen in place.

    ¡°I said ANSWER ME!¡± The voice spoke, distorting into a sound like scraping gears and rusting metal. Jake found his body raked in pain; his pores seemed to be exploding, and his innards felt like they were forcing their way out through his flesh with every move he made. Falling to his knees, Jake let out panting cries of pain as the voice continued to chastise him in haunting, distorted speech,

    ¡°I tolerated your disobedience for the time being because it amused me, but ¡®dear guest¡¯,¡± The last words dripped sarcasm as the sounds of the voice seemed to close in around Jake''s head ¡°You will learn to obey me, you will learn to answer me, and you will learn to respond to me. Otherwise¡­¡±

    The sounds of the voice faded away as suddenly Jake felt some cold and soft grip around his neck. In the darkness of the corridor, he couldn¡¯t clearly see what held him, but soon, his torso and legs were bound as well. Slowly, he felt himself being dragged downward. Trying to resist the pull of whatever held him as much he could, Jake tried to rip himself free, but the ever-increasing power of what gripped him slowly choked the life out of him till he lay flat on the floor, unable to breathe.

    ¡°Otherwise, dear guest, what use have I for you as a plaything?¡± Suddenly, Jake felt his body being pulled further downward into the floor as the stone seemed to give way like water. Jake tried to squirm and keep his head above the stone, but he was held too tightly to move, and soon his mouth, his nostrils, and even his eyes flooded with liquid stone. It seemed to burn his throat and choke what oxygen he had left out from his body. Gagging and sputtering dragged completely under the floor; Jake was trapped, immobile, waiting to drown.

    Suddenly, he lay flat on his back. His eyes were blinded, wherever he lay now was lit incredibly brightly, the contrast so great between the dark of the corridor before he was left stunned. Eventually, his senses slowly returned, and sitting up, he looked around to find himself lying in a circular room with no entrances or exits and a rounded roof high above his head.

    ¡°I¡¯ll forgive you this time, dear Jake,¡± The voice returned, distracting Jake from looking around the room much further as he sat with a start at realizing the voice had called him by name. ¡°I can understand how hard it must be, traveling alone, all that pressure and all the guilt¡­ after all, you did make a promise, right?¡± The voice became more and more distorted as it spoke, and once it finished, it broke into horrifically twisted cackles that echoed around the room, reverberating back onto each other in an unending cacophony of mockery.

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    ¡°How¡­ how do you¡­¡± Jake started to ask before a sudden pain that rocked through his body forced him forward to his knees and silenced him.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t done, dear Jake, you really should learn when I want you to speak. It will save us all a bunch of hassle. As I was saying, such a sweet thing to promise, though ultimately probably pointless, don¡¯t you think Jake?¡±

    Jake stayed silent, eyes darting around the room for any hint of where the voice might be or what it could want.

    ¡°I asked you a question, Jake, see, this is what I¡¯m talking about¡­¡± The voice said, letting out a sigh, yet it sounded positively giddy with sadistic glee as another shockwave of pleasure radiated out through Jake''s body.

    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter what you have to say on the matter, I suppose, dear Jake. I found a couple of extra special guests who are experts when it comes to traveling with you.¡± The voice finished, monovalent intent clear in its voice as silence followed for a long while. Jake slowly lifted his head from where he sat, expecting to be racked with more pain as soon as he lifted his head, but he was allowed to pull himself upright and stand.

    Now, all around the circular room sprawled out lay three bodies in various states of well-being. The worst was a burly man in tattered strips of armor coated in dried blood. No life remained in his body; his chest lay flayed and torn, and his arm was missing from its socket. Next to him lay the corpse of a woman, her hands a cracked, bloody mess covered in gauze. She lay posed, reaching for the armored man, yet her hand fell short of reaching him, falling instead into a pool of her own blood. Across from the two on the other side of Jake, a man in a black cloak sat slumped. His body was covered in scratches, which sent geysers of blood gushing out onto the stone floor. A collection of broken knives lay beside him; one jabbed directly into his throat. Jake stumbled in shocked horror, unsure where to step as he raced away from the decaying corpses of Leopold, Lana, and Rick.

    ¡°How¡­ How is this¡­¡± Jake stuttered, surveying the room in a daze, unable to properly even vocalize the shock sent to his system.

    ¡°Surprised? It took a lot of work to set this whole thing up!¡± The voice said, sounding quite pleased with itself.

    ¡°What¡­ what did you do to them¡­¡± Jake said, unable to look properly at their crumbled bleeding forms. Telling himself over and over in his head it must be some trick, some cruel Joke cast by the voice to torture him.

    ¡°What did I do? Dear Jake, as your gracious host, I am offended! I did nothing to them, why, this was all you!¡±

    ¡°What, what are you talking about¡­¡± Jake asked despite himself, not wanting to hear what lies the voice had to say.

    ¡°It¡¯s simply tragic, really¡­¡± The voice began, his tone betraying anything but a sense of tragedy, ¡°After you left on your way, these three just couldn¡¯t cope on their own. Too banged up to survive. That one over there, what was his name? Ralph? Ray? Randy?¡±

    ¡°¡­Rick¡­¡± Jake muttered, giving in to the voices taunting.

    ¡°Ah, well, it doesn¡¯t matter much anymore. He¡¯s not using it anymore. Rick tried his best, but, in the end, he couldn¡¯t do much on his own, and they all ended up dying. Rick was the last to go, too traumatized by the other''s death. Cut his own throat.¡±

    ¡°Shut up, shut up, shut up,¡± Jake said, covering his ears, trying his best to ignore the voices taunting words ever circling him.

    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to accept, but it¡¯s the truth. I tried my best to get them here earlier. I wanted to have a nice surprise for one of my dear special guests, but I was just too late. Can¡¯t you ever forgive your gracious host?¡± The voice finished, the final question asked in a tone begging for forgiveness, though its sincerity was undercut by the cackling that followed soon after.

    Jake buried his head on the floor and felt the sticky sensation of blood congealing to his hair. He didn¡¯t want to see this, wanted to ignore this. It had to be some horrid trick designed to torture and tear him apart. It had to be; Rick had assured them they would be fine. It had to be. Jake buried his head deeper into the stone floor, trying ever harder to reassure himself of the inauthenticity of the scene around him and ignore the guilt and fear he felt at leaving the trio behind.

    ¡°Surely you can see my point though, right dear Jake?¡± The voice continued, ignoring Jake''s desperate attempts to block it out. ¡°If these three died while traveling with you, three seasoned warriors, then what chance do you and Alice have all on your own, hmm? Especially you, dear Jake. Not to be rude, but since you two are separated now, which one of you do you think will last the longest? A girl who spent her whole life surviving in a concentration camp? Or you, Jake, bawling your eyes out and crawling around on the ground over nothing.¡±

    Jake raised his head, hoping to retaliate, but was shocked to find the circular room filled with the trio¡¯s corpses gone. Instead, he was back next to the crumbled wall where Alice had disappeared. Reaching his hand up, he felt even the trio''s blood sticking to the top of his hair was gone now.

    ¡°I mean no offense, dear guest, but I know who my money''s on.¡± The voice said before sending out sharp cackles that seemed to cause the floor to distort and twist erratically. Jake swallowed a gulp and struggled to pull himself up from the floor as the floor bucked and swayed under him. Finally upright again, Jake looked around for any sign that something was out of place, but everything was the same way he remembered it.

    ¡°Now¡­¡± The voice said, pulling up close to him and whispering in his ear, ¡°Dear guest, if you¡¯d be so kind as to follow the path, please?¡±

    Jake glanced over his shoulder toward the dark corridor stretching endlessly past the toppled wall and felt a shiver run down his spine. Feeling like living death, he turned away from the dark and dragged his body down after the dimly lit lights that lined the floor.

 Day 46 - The Unbounded Corridor - Biting The Hand That Holds You

    ¡°See now, isn¡¯t this fun!¡± The voice chirped, echoing around Alice as she sat catatonic, clutching her sister''s hand to her face. Betsy¡¯s twisted remains lay unmoving, unbothered by the world around her, as Alice let out silent screams of agony that seemed to choke the air from her throat. She didn¡¯t know how long she¡¯d sat frozen, unable or unwilling to move. She simply sat there, forced to take in the visage of her sister¡¯s shattered corpse. So long had she sat weeping that her tears ran dry now. Nothing escaped her save for the silent wails and occasional chokes as her grief forced the very air she breathed from her lungs.

    ¡°Very touching, really, I do so love reunions, dear Alice¡­¡± The voice said, horrific intent growing with its every syllable. ¡°Unfortunately, we really must move along now, my dear guest. You wouldn¡¯t want to keep your host waiting, would you? That would be far too rude to imagine.¡±

    Alice sat unmoving as the voice spoke, not hearing a word it said. The cruel machinations and tricks of the voice didn¡¯t matter to her anymore. At that moment, she was little more than a child, clutching her sister''s dead frame as the world spun out of control around her. It had been so long; she¡¯d tried so hard to forget and move forward. Keep going, keep surviving. All of it seemed pointless. At this moment, all her efforts seemed to crumble away.

    ¡°I understand, dearest guest, I do. It can be so hard to say goodbye. Let me help you move along. Our schedule is quite strict, you see, dear Alice, I¡¯d hate to derail it with only our first surprise.¡± A short chuckle followed the voice''s taunting words, and all at once, her sister¡¯s form began to shift and deform. Panic, like she couldn¡¯t remember, took hold of her as Alice reached out, desperately trying to hold tight to the rotted body of her sister, but it was too late. Like sand slipping through an hourglass, her sister melted away onto the floor, leaving nothing behind.

    Alice sat, hands quivering as she watched where her sister had once laid. She began hyperventilating, sharp and quick breaths escaping her till, at last, the silent wails of agony she¡¯d been gagging on escaped her, filling the room and reflecting her agony on her tenfold. She felt like she was going mad, almost blacking out as her throat ran ragged with screams of grief and pain. Her sister was gone. Gone again while she cowered away. Gone again without so much as a body to mourn over.

    ¡°Really, dear Alice, as much as I appreciate the effort, don¡¯t you think this play has gone long enough?¡± The voice said, seeming to lazily float around her head, its biting tone digging deep into her skin,

    ¡°Why pretend to care now? It¡¯s not like you did anything for her while she was still here. Now, if you¡¯d be so kind as to¡­¡±

    ¡°SHUT IT!!!¡± Alice exploded, screaming out as she slammed her hands to the ground in frustrated agony. The voice seemed shocked for a moment at the sudden outburst as it fell silent before a low chuckle surrounded her, cutting through her like a knife as it grew more violent and disturbed. Before long, she was forced backward, gripping hold of her head as her wails of grief turned into those of pure agony.

    ¡°I know I¡¯ve told you, dear Alice, how I hate to be interrupted. Don¡¯t make me¡­¡±

    ¡°I SAID SHUT IT!!!¡± Alice screamed again, her grief intermingled with the pain she felt, pure hatred and disgust filling her every time the words of the voice forced their way into her head. She wanted nothing more than to silence the voice, to destroy it, to earn herself freedom from its cruel, incessant yapping.

    And she felt it, a string. No, a bundle of strings running through her entire body. They didn¡¯t just lead to one part of her body; it seemed every string within her pulsed with power. Fueled by her hatred and grief, her curse was responding in kindness, sending every cell in her body into overdrive. Wasting no time, as soon as she felt the power pulsing throughout her frame, she latched hold of it. Ignoring the building pain in her head that got worse and worse as the voice responded in kind to her second outburst, she gathered and gathered more and more power into her body till, at last, she could hold it no longer and released it with a scream.

    The whole of the corridor seemed to shake in response, and Alice heard the voice let out a gasp of surprise with undertones of pain. Falling to her knees, she felt as if her head was clear for the first time in ages. The pain was gone from her head, and for the first time, she felt like herself again. Her body felt normal. She¡¯d felt it briefly before when the pain in her head was forcibly subsided, but now every twisted sensation plaguing her body was gone for the first time. It felt like she¡¯d finally managed to sever herself from something twisted, corrupted.

    As she sat on her knees, gasping for breath, she could hear the corridor around her continue to shake and fluctuate. Dust fell from above, landing atop her, and in the distance, she could hear what sounded like stone bricks falling to the floor. The ever-present ticking that surrounded her seemed to slow and skip every other beat. The voice was gone, missing ever since its shocked, pain-filled gasp. Standing up, Alice took off running toward the edge of the sealed room, desperate to try and find some way out. She may never get a chance like this again.

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    Yet as soon as she reached the wall and began pressing into it to try and force it apart or look for any damage she could exploit, she heard a rage-filled scream from all around her. The ticking restarted full force, more violent than ever, and the stone wall she¡¯d been examining seemed to open up and grab hold of her.

    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU EVER, EVER FORGET YOUR PLACE AGAIN!¡± The voice roared as Alice was pulled violently into the wall. Black nothingness surrounded her, yet still, the rage of the voice reached her,

    ¡°I ALLOW YOU TO LIVE AS PLEASES MY FANCY! YOU ARE NOTHING, NOTHING IN THE FACE OF ME!¡± Alice stopped suddenly, suspended in the dark, unable to see anything around her.

    ¡°NEVER FORGET, IN THIS MOMENT, I ALLOWED YOU TO LIVE! I WARN YOU NOW TRY AND BITE THE HAND THAT HOLDS YOU AGAIN¡­¡± The voice trailed off as suddenly compressive force surrounded her, pressing in on her from all sides of the darkness. Soon, the air was forced from her chest as she stood suspended in the dark, trapped and unable to breathe. Gasping like a fish as she slowly suffocated, the voice returned, quieter now, yet its rage still showing through.

    ¡°I¡¯ll squeeze shut.¡± Alice felt the force around her tighten suddenly before all at once pulling away. Relief filled her as she was allowed to take deep breaths of oxygen once more, but suddenly, she found herself dropped. No longer suspended in the dark, she instead fell into it, gathering speed at an alarming rate.

    ¡°I no longer feel up to playing with you, ¡®dear guest,¡¯ so I¡¯ll leave you to reflect.¡± The voice faded away, leaving Alice to fall silently in the dark. Soon, the all-encompassing pain returned to Alice''s head, causing her to writhe around in the air as she fell.

    Except now, the pain felt lessened, almost dull. It was as if the extremity of the pain couldn¡¯t quite reach her, as if she¡¯d managed to partly disconnect herself from its source. Breathing deeply and gritting her teeth as the pain once more rolled through her system, Alice looked around at the complete darkness around her. Who knows how long the voice intended to leave her here, alone in the dark with nothing but the pain for company. Yet, if she was honest, she much preferred this to entertaining the voice''s sick whims.

    Laying back in the air, Alice closed her eyes and focused her attention inward. Toward the strings bundled in knots crisscrossing in complex patterns and webs throughout her body. Hoping to force the power to pulse through her once more. Yet she found nothing. The pulsing power was gone, and with it, the bundled set of strings running throughout her entire frame.

    Gritting her teeth, she closed her eyes and focused harder. Desperate to cling to the one hope she saw of escaping the voice''s torture and even more so desperate to avoid thinking of her sister¡¯s body slowly fading into nothing.

    <hr>

    Jake struggled forward, his stomach churning and his feet protesting with each step. He felt he had to gag, yet every time he did, all that would escape him was blood, and the effort would only leave his throat more parched and torn than it had been before. Jake felt it must have been days since he started following the dim lights lining the floor. His feet felt so brittle and sore that he worried they might snap off, and his hands were looking more and more withered by the day. Jake took one last step forward till he collapsed to the ground, his legs buckling out from under him.

    ¡°What ails you, dear guest?¡± The voice asked in mock sympathy, ¡°If you find yourself needing a place to rest, I assure you, a beautiful resting ground lies just a few steps farther. We should keep moving; it¡¯ll be far more comfortable than the floor is, your gracious host personally saw to it!¡±

    Jake suppressed an annoyed groan and forced his head upward. The voice had been saying that every time Jake stopped to take a break. Whether he stopped walking to catch his breath, sit down and rest a moment, or now collapse from exhaustion, the voice would come in to goad him onward with promises of a peaceful rest just a few steps ahead. Jake knew these promises were a lie. Yet he had no choice but to obey the voice¡¯s commands, every time he tried to ignore the voice and simply stay still, pain and punishment awaited him.

    With a sigh, Jake began to pull himself upright, first drawing himself up to his knees. He made the process of standing up as drawn out and slow as possible, trying to milk as much of a rest as possible from this stop as he could.

    ¡°No, no, dear guest, you really should AHH!¡± A sudden cry escaped the voice before it fell silent. Along with this, the corridor seemed to shake and throb. Blinking his eyes a few times, Jake suddenly felt as if the exhaustion that had plagued his body was fading slightly, not gone completely but reduced. Sitting upright, he looked around, confused, and noticed something had rolled out of his pocket. Picking it up and turning it over in his hand, he found it was a small clay flute.

    He suddenly recalled picking it out, buried amongst the offerings given by the elves. It felt like a lifetime ago now. Standing up slowly and shakily, Jake looked around for any sign of the voices returning before an idea occurred to him.

    ¡°ALICE!!¡±

    He hadn¡¯t expected a response but still found it disappointing when nothing came. Looking around a few more times, he raised the flute to his lips and blew hard, hoping to send a signal that could reach her before the voice returned.

    <hr>

    Falling through the vast expanse of nothing, Alice suddenly blinked, confused. Drawn from her concentration, a sudden sharp sound reached her ears, causing her to look around. Yet there was no sign the voice had returned or anything else that could potentially be the sound''s origin. Confused, Alice heard the sound one more time, her head snapping toward where it was coming from.

 Day 47 - The Unbounded Corridor - Anything To Survive

    ¡°Dear guest, I thank you for your attempts at hospitality, but really, I have no use for music. You can stop now.¡± The voice returned suddenly, whispering in Jake¡¯s ear. Jake froze, flute raised to his lips mid-blow. With the voice''s return, he felt fatigue retake his body as he withered before the voice¡¯s presence. Lowering the flute from his mouth, Jake repocketed it before the voice could offer any objections and stumbled a bit, his newly returned strength quickly evaporating.

    ¡°So kind of you, dear guest, to do as you''re told. At least one of you knows how to play this game. Now, if you wouldn¡¯t mind, I think it¡¯s time you continued on your way. Don¡¯t you agree, treasured guest?¡±

    Jake shuddered at the voice¡¯s sugary tone, questions dying in his throat as he exploded internally, dying to ask about Alice. The way the voice spoke of her didn¡¯t fill him with confidence, but with little option left available to him, Jake stumbled forward, dragging his feet beneath him as he continued following the paved lights.

    ¡°What is with that look, dear guest? So worried, so serious? Oh, I understand. You must be worried about your little friend, Alice, isn¡¯t it? Don¡¯t you worry, dear guest. We just had a little disagreement. Nothing to worry your little head about, we resolved it most amicably. I doubt it¡¯ll happen again. And if it does, well¡­ A host must protect its home. You agree, don¡¯t you, dear guest?¡±

    This voice distorted and faded into crooked laughter as Jake continued forward, in no way reassured and now more worried than he had been before. The only solace he could take was it sounded like Alice still lived. It made sense if he thought about it. The voice was enjoying this, whatever it was doing. Jake doubted it would end its game so easily by allowing them to die. Gritting his teeth, he pushed his worries to the back of his mind and forced himself forward.

    He didn¡¯t know how long he chased after the lights, chasing after nothing as his head pressed into the wall, allowing the ever-present ticking to mock him, bore into his brain, and rot him from within. Teeth chattering, he stumbled forward as minutes and hours and seconds and days seemed to pass with each step. It felt like every time he stepped forward; he¡¯d made no progress, walking in place for no reason along the identical corridor for all eternity. As Jake began to wonder if this was the voice''s game, forcing him to march to his death for no reason, he suddenly saw something glinting in the dim light up ahead.

    ¡°See, as I promised, dear guest. A wonderous resting ground prepared just for you. You should hurry to it, enjoy it while you can¡­¡± The voice spoke in a slick whisper, rolling off Jake as he gave his tempting offer. Jake stood stock still, staring ahead, fear gripping hold of his soul as he looked toward the faint glint ahead. He had no desire to approach whatever interrupted the endless corridor. No part of him doubted it was evil, a trap designed to torture and break him. As he looked ahead, he realized that for as painful and monotonous walking the unending hall had been, actually reaching something was even more terrifying.

    ¡°Go on now, dear guest; you deserve a rest!¡± The voice said cheerfully, forcing Jake forward with an unseen push. Jake was sent sprawling, flying through the air for an unnaturally long time before ending up sprawled before the glint. Looking around, he saw now the glint was the product of a glass bottle positioned in the hands of a rotted corpse, bits of meat still hung to his arms and legs, yet its skull was visible. Neither the bottle nor the corpse were singular, as more of both littered the area.

    Three corpses in total lay sprawled out, rotted to nothing but bones. Around them lay sprinklings of glass from broken bottles, though a few still lay intact. With a gulp, Jake pushed himself up and away from the rotting corpse and felt his hand brush up against something cold and coarse. With a shudder, he turned quickly, expecting the worst, only to find his hand resting near a leather-bound book. No title was printed on its cover. Looking around, Jake expected the voice to chime in with mock repour at his discovery of the bodies, but it sat oddly quiet. With a gulp, Jake picked the book up from the floor and flipped to the first page.

    ¡°Rob and I found a shortcut, at least, he says it¡¯s a shortcut. It could save us millions. No one ever goes near it, at least not for the last few decades. Documenting for future use:¡±

    Below was a crudely drawn map of a region Jake didn¡¯t recognize, with a squiggly line cutting across the page, clearly to chart a path. Flipping a few pages past more maps and charts, Jake saw another entry inked into the pages of the book:

    ¡°The door was right there, Rob promises it was right there. Kyle and Pete are freaking and can¡¯t say I blame them. Just wanted shelter from the storm, didn¡¯t want to get trapped in this weird labyrinth. At least we should have plenty of wine to keep us company till we find a way out.¡±

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    The rest of the page sat empty save for a few stains and spills, a dark red color. Flipping through, Jake found more writing on the next page:

    ¡°Wines running low, only thing keeping me going in this place. It keeps telling us to walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk and walk¡­ I can''t take it anymore. Only two bottles left, what¡¯ll I do when it¡¯s gone? Would have more if the other didn¡¯t make me leave the crates behind. It¡¯s all their fault, all their fault¡­¡±

    A second entry sat below this, scrawled in much more erratic chicken scratch, barely legible to Jake:

    ¡°Rob cut his hand today, I saw it spill from him. Deep red and beautiful. They''re hiding it inside them, leaving me to suffer now the bottles have run empty. Acting innocent. They''re hiding it inside, hiding it inside, hiding it inside, hiding it inside¡­¡±

    The rest of the page repeated the phrase ¡°Hiding it inside¡± In an increasingly worsening pen till it suddenly stopped. With a gulp, Jake flipped to the next page and found it blank of any text, stained only in crimson smears and smudges. Flipping through dozens of pages left marred by these crimson markings, Jake finally found a page with text sprawled across it. Just one phrase repeated over and over in crimson ink:

    ¡°No way out¡±

    ¡°All rested, I trust, my dear guest?¡± the voice chimed in, sickeningly sweet and smug. With a gulp, Jake closed the book and dropped it to the floor, allowing a small cloud of broken glass to rise into the air.

    ¡°Oh dear, I hadn¡¯t realized some of my old guests were still here! This is truly embarrassing; you must forgive me, dear guest! Still, though, truly a tragedy. I tried so hard to tend to these guests, and they turned on one another! So violent! You''re truly lucky, dear guest, to be left alone¡­¡± The voice let out a series of cackles as Jake stood amongst the rotting corpses, chills racing up his spine.

    <hr>

    ¡°I¡¯ve grown bored watching you fall, dear guest; I believe It¡¯s time we continued on our way.¡± The voice spoke as Alice suddenly and violently froze in the air. The force of the sudden stop knocked the wind from her lungs and gave her whiplash. Without another word, she found herself thrown from the dark and back into the stone corridor. Rolling across the floor, she slammed into the wall with a weak gasp of pain.

    ¡°I trust we¡¯ll have no further issue, right, dear guest?¡± The voice asked, seeming to grow closer to her with each word spoken.

    ¡°N¡­No¡­¡± Alice choked out, still struggling to recover. Silence followed her statement before a short chuckle rang out around her.

    ¡°Good. Now let''s move along, dear guest, you¡¯ve already delayed your schedule so much I worry you¡¯ll never catch up!¡± The voice let out a laugh and fell silent, leaving Alice to cough and sputter as she rose to her feet. Looking around, she was back in the standard stone corridor the voice usually trapped her in. On one side of her was only pitch-black darkness, and on the other, the dim lights lit the floor, forming a path for her to follow.

    With a gulp and one final shaky breath, she set out down the lit path with renewed vigor. She did this not out of fear of the voice or desire to obey his will. She followed the path with such vigor as it led straight toward where she suspected the sudden noise to have come from. She¡¯d been left falling for what felt like days and given plenty of time to think alone. She realized the best explanation for the origin of the noise. With renewed vigor, she marched down the voice''s path, straight toward where she suspected Jake to be waiting.

    <hr>

    Jake felt like he¡¯d been marching for months. Maybe years now. He couldn¡¯t remember much except for the endless trek through the corridor. The gray of the walls had become all he knew anymore. The empty concave of his stomach, the scratching of his throat, the creaking of his joints. They were his normal now. His withered form pulled itself forward through the twisted corridor for no reason other than the voice''s sick pleasure.

    It would come in to mock and laugh at him as he walked endlessly. Jake didn¡¯t know why the voice did this, what thrill came to it from his torture, but long ago, Jake had learned to stop fighting or questioning the voice. It would only lead to worse pain. The only way to survive was to keep walking.

    Stumbling forward, a glint against the stone ground caught his eyes. Crawling across the ground, he soon came across a set of withered, decaying corpses who lay amongst a field of shattered glass. They sparked something in his brain, a memory he could barely cling to, yet this didn¡¯t matter at the moment. All that mattered was one of the corpses still sat only partly decayed. Some rotted flesh still clung to its bones.

    Like a wild animal, Jake dove forward and ripped the arm free of the skeleton. It came loose easily; nothing remained to hold it in place. Lifting it up, Jake placed the rotted flesh upon his tongue and devoured it. He was so hungry; it had been months, years, maybe since he last ate. So, so hungry. The rotted, disgusting taste of the corpse may as well have been steak for how greedily Jake devoured it. He swallowed and blinked and suddenly returned to his senses.

    The hunger, fatigue, and thirst that had clung to him melted away instantly, and with it, he realized he¡¯d not spent months wandering the corridor. It had only been five, ten minutes tops since he left this collection of corpses. Horror and disgust rushed through Jake as he released the rotted arm he held and fell backward. Turning over toward his knees, he began gagging himself in a desperate attempt to vomit, forcing the rotted flesh out of his body.

    As he knelt over, desperately trying to vomit up the corpse, the voices of cruel laughter soon filled the air, circling around him like a vulture coming to pick apart its prey.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, dear Jake?¡± The voice asked with mock sympathy. ¡°I thought you were hungry? Starved even!¡± The voice laughed harder and harder as Jake began to vomit, yet nothing came up but bile.

    ¡°You said it yourself, right, dear Jake, don''t you remember? Anything to survive, anything to get back home?¡±

 Day 48 - The Unbounded Corridor - No One Ever Leaves

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 Day 49 - The Unbounded Corridor - No One To Help You Now

    Jake stood frozen for a moment, unsure what to do before he found the choice stolen from him. The wolf let out a bark, sending spittle and blood flying through the air, before bending low on its hind legs and springing forward with a howl. Falling backward, Jake hastily reached toward his pocket for one of his knives, but he was too slow. The wolf¡¯s fangs dug deep into his shoulder, sending crimson blood spiraling to the floor in a sudden splash of color.

    With a scream of pain, Jake flailed against the floor and kicked desperately into the side of the wolf until it released him from its jaws. The wolf retreated, blood, both a crimson and dark black color, stained its maw and dripped from its teeth to the floor. And, with a low, fearsome growl, it let Jake know in no uncertain terms that its attack wasn¡¯t near finished.

    Crawling backward across the floor, blood trickling from his freshly wounded shoulder, Jake finally managed to free one of his knives from his pocket and send it flying into the wolf¡¯s chest. The wolf stepped forward, uncaring about the knife carved into its chest before it suddenly froze, stock still. Without another word, it seemed to shift and deform before fading into nothing into the floor below.

    ¡°Bravo, dear doll, bravo!¡± The voice cried, clapping sounds filling the now-branched corridor. ¡°What an excellent start! I knew you wouldn¡¯t disappoint!¡±

    Jake grit his teeth, ignoring the incessant babble of the voice along with his new nickname. Instead, he turned his attention toward his shoulder, gently running his fingers along his new wound before letting out a sharp wince of pain. The wound hadn¡¯t dug too deep into him nor torn too much of his flesh, yet still, it was painful, and without a clear way to bandage his shoulder, a flesh bloodstain was beginning to appear amongst the fabric of his poncho.

    ¡°Oh, dear doll, I¡¯m sure a little setback like that won¡¯t stop you, right? Don¡¯t disappoint me now, dear doll¡­¡±

    Standing back to his feet, slightly unstable in his movements, Jake watched as three more beasts began circling in closer and closer toward him. He couldn¡¯t recognize them as any beast he¡¯d ever seen. They reminded him of anteaters with long elongated snouts, but their limbs were longer, more catlike. Behind those, he could see swarm after swarm of creatures, some familiar, some utterly alien, begin advancing on him. Staggering a bit, Jake drew the remaining knives from his pocket and readied himself for the oncoming onslaught as best he could.

    <hr>

    ¡°Come, dear guest, what could have you so distracted?¡± The voice asked, circling Alice¡¯s head. Alice shook her head, trying to shake the voice off her as if it were a mist stuck to her skin. Looking around as the voice retreated away from her, a sigh escaped her. Ever since setting off on the path laid out for her by the voice, she¡¯d been trying to find some sort of clue as to where Jake was, yet so far, her search had proved fruitless.

    The corridor¡¯s walls were all identical, dim, and dark, with no distinct features she could hope to use as tracking markers. And the sound of the whistle had not rung out again since she¡¯d initially heard it. By now, she¡¯d been made to walk straight without rest for what felt like days on end. In the back of her head, she could feel the voice trying to compile her ailments, trying to magnify her fatigue, hunger, and thirst, and though she found herself somewhat protected from the voice''s meddling, the natural cumulative exhaust was starting to hit her. The added exhaust of her search, combined with the continued disappointment as she failed to find anything, wasn''t helping matters.

    ¡°Dear guest, really, you must think I¡¯m a fool. I know what has you so distracted, what has you so disappointed¡­¡± The voice began, and dread took hold of Alice. Nothing good ever followed when the voice began to talk like this.

    ¡°You¡¯re looking for someone, aren¡¯t you? How could you not be, with how focused you¡¯ve been recently? Well, don¡¯t worry, what sort of host would I be if I didn¡¯t help you?¡± Alice wanted to scream in protest, argue the voice didn¡¯t have to do anything to ¡®help¡¯ her; it could just leave her be. Yet she held her tongue, staying silent. Speaking up would just mean more unnecessary pain.

    ¡°Worry not, dear Alice, I know just who you¡¯re looking for! Oh yes, who else could it be?! You were so rude to our extra special guests last time they were here; you must want to apologize! I can¡¯t believe this has been eating you up for so long; maybe I misjudged you!¡±

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    Dread took hold of Alice when she heard mention of the term ¡®special guest¡¯ as she recalled the disfigured form of her sister¡¯s corpse. She gripped hold of her chest, struggling to breathe at the thought of her sister¡¯s rotted corpse appearing before her again. Worse yet, the vision of her sister puppeteered by the voice, controlled and used by the twisted corridor to torment her, sent her spiraling into internalized nightmares. She was only drawn back to reality by the sound of a whistle, sharp and crisp and far away.

    Relief flooded through her for a moment as she realized what guests the voice was referring to before she snapped back to attention and turned to run away from the whistle while there was still time. Running forward, she was suddenly stopped by a steel club smashing her across the face. Flying back, she fell to her back and skidded rough across the ground. Blood filled her mouth fast, and her next breath sent it cascading through the air in a brilliant arc of crimson rain. The side of her face also ran red as blood trailed to the ground. Reaching up slowly, still stuck in a daze from the sudden strike to the face, she felt a sharp laceration to her cheek where the razor edges of the club had dug deep into her skin.

    A sharp whistle rang out directly above her, and looking up as the world spun, she saw the blurred figures of three figures encircle her. Cruel chuckles wrung out as their boots clicked upon the tile. Though her vision remained unclear and dazed, she could still make out the grey of their uniforms and the horrid gleam reflected in their batons. The one closest to her head knelt low to her, pulling her close. His shoulder was wounded, and blood sprung freely from it, splashing across her face.

    ¡°No one to help you now, eh Broken?¡±

    The guard spit onto her face before roughly forcing her head down to the stone below. Her stomach churned as the guards above laughed and delighted at their casual cruelty. The voice stayed quiet, in fact, it may be joining in laughing with the guards, amplifying the sound to dizzying new heights. It would not help her, would not save her. Why would it, this was all by its design.

    Gritting her cracked teeth together, pain shocked through her bleeding gums as Alice tried to force her frazzled brain to think, to find some way to survive. Just as her head began clear, though, the first of the guard''s batons cracked down upon her. In the small of the back, it slammed down full force. Blood flew from her mouth as she gasped. She felt fresh wounds open across her back and new pockets of blood darken her clothes.

    ¡°Disgusting broken, let''s finish the job quick. Her kind don¡¯t belong out here.¡±

    Pain, Despair, Hopelessness. All raced through her head as she was beaten down into the stone. But more than anything, white-hot rage fueled her as she was reminded of the question she¡¯d held just days ago, or maybe it was a millennium now. Why? Why? Why? She¡¯d agonized over it at the moment, almost lost herself to it, trying to understand why the Unbroken would beat and torture the Broken for no describable reason. Now, though, as she was beaten down to the ground again and again, she didn¡¯t care. Their reasons didn¡¯t matter; nothing could possibly justify this.

    White hot rage and contempt filling her, she let out a bellowing roar as she instinctively grasped hold of the strings coursing through her body. She hadn¡¯t even felt them, too wrapped up in the pain and hatred to notice the pulsing power growing within her. She¡¯d only grabbed them on instinct, a need to survive. Yet as soon as she held them, she refused to let go, sending a pulse of white, hot, burning light out from her body that engulfed the entire corridor, three guards included.

    A beat of silence followed this sudden surge of power activated by her curse. She stayed knelt, bleeding and battered but alive. Her breath was hitched in her throat, and she felt so abused now that she barely noticed herself completely severed from whatever linked her to the voice. The beat of silence soon ended, however, as the corridor around her began to rumble and collapse. Large sections of the wall seemed to cave in and fall to the floor, stones fell from the ceiling, and the voice returned with a roaring scream,

    ¡°YOU WERE WARNED, GIRL!¡±

    Yet nothing happened, and listening closely behind all its fury, the voice was panting heavily. It was clearly hurting. Whatever it was that was that tortured her was struggling just to speak, it didn''t have the strength to act right now. Alice let out a small chuckle when she realized this, as, at that moment, she was in no better condition. Yet she couldn¡¯t waste this moment; another would probably never come. Forcing herself to stand, she swayed heavily as blood oozed from her wounds. Whatever hold the voice had on her was gone now, which meant this pain and exhaustion was all hers.

    Looking around the collapsing corridor, she saw no trace of the guards left. They¡¯d faded away back into nothing when hit by the sudden intensity of her curse. Though the guards were gone, that didn¡¯t mean the corridor was empty. Several branching pathways had appeared, all leading off in different directions and twisting over each other.

    Gulping, she spun around a few times, unsure where to go, till suddenly a sharp sound reached her ears, more melodious than she remembered. Turning toward the corridor, the sound had escaped from, she set off at an unsteady trot down the branching corridor away from the sounds of the voice''s furious screams of pain.

 Day 50 - The Unbounded Corridor - When A Good Game Comes Together

    Alice stumbled forward, leaning into the wall, painting a red trail of blood with each step. Her breath felt ragged, and her vision blurred. Every step hurt more than the one before it. Continuing forward felt like pure agony. She stopped moving for just a moment to try and collect herself and allow the pain consuming her brain to die down.

    Yet, as she stood stationary, she could hear roars of fury and begin to feel the ground beneath her flex. Dust began to fall from the ceiling above, followed soon after by massive chunks of stone. The voice was following her and, from the looks of it, trying to collapse the corridor down upon her.

    Alice stared up at the collapsing ceiling above, struggling for a minute to properly process what was happening around her before quickly pushing herself off from the wall. With howls of pain, she set off as fast as she could down the corridor before she found herself crushed by falling rubble.

    <hr>

    Jake stood coated in blood. Whether it was courtesy of the wounds peppered across his body or the consequence of the hordes of beasts clamoring to tear him apart, he couldn¡¯t say anymore. He was exhausted, his every breath a struggle. He¡¯d been forced to fight dozens upon dozens of beasts and monsters for hours on end now, all while the voice fluttered around him, laughing in manic delight.

    His wounds had gradually multiplied as time wore on. They lay scattered across his body, ranging from minor scratches and cuts to major gashes gouging deep into his flesh. He¡¯d long ago given up maintaining distance with his throwing knives; there were too many enemies rushing him. He only stayed alive when he abandoned that strategy and engaged the horde up close at the cost of significant injury.

    His every move hurt, and his blood spilled freely without end, yet he found himself still able to move, still able to fight, still alive despite how much blood he lost. He supposed the voice wouldn¡¯t let him die, not that easily.

    Standing in silence for the first time in hours, Jake relished the opportunity to catch his breath. He didn¡¯t know when the voice would return or the shrieks and cries of wild beats would ring out again, but for now, he was allowed to breathe and bleed in peace. He staggered forward till he reached a wall, still standing after the side corridors revealed themselves, and let his weight press into the stone.

    Closing his eyes and leaning into the wall, Jake¡¯s head was a mess. He closed his eyes and felt himself threaten to drift off to sleep, passing out where he stood from loss of blood. He didn¡¯t know where he¡¯d wake up or even if he would, but the sweet embrace of sleep sounded so enticing now. He felt his knees begin to buckle; the world seemed to drift away around him as his senses dulled and spun.

    ¡°Kid?¡±

    His eyes snapped open, blinking suddenly to try and steady himself. Pushing back from the wall, he looked around to find a figure shuffling out from one of the side passages. He wore a long black leather cloak draped over his crooked, lanky frame, yet it was stained red with blood. The figure''s features were equally crusted crimson, his hair long, matted, and filthy. Blinking a few more times, Jake reached up with his hands to try and wipe some of the filth from his eyes as he watched the figure of Rick emerge from the corridor¡¯s passageways and hobble towards him.

    ¡°Kid?¡±

    Rick repeated, his voice sounded coarse and weak. He stumbled forward, grasping the wall, his cloak fluttering around his frame. Jake stood stunned for a second before he rushed forward and grasped hold of Rick¡¯s shoulder. He wasn¡¯t sure what to say. His throat felt stuffy, and words failed him. The idea that this was a trap ever-present in his head, Jake couldn¡¯t stop himself from supporting the falling figure of Rick.

    ¡°Kid¡­¡± Rick said again, relief in his voice, before suddenly, with a swift slash of his arm, a jagged broken blade flew through the air directly toward Jake¡¯s head. Dropping his hold on Rick¡¯s ragged frame, Jake stepped back just in time as the broken blade dug into his forehead. Fresh steam of blood flowed down his face, blinding him. A second later, he¡¯d have lost his eyes.

    ¡°You¡­ it¡¯s your fault¡­¡± He heard Rick muttering as he reached up and tried to curb the fresh flow of blood. Despite his best efforts, the sticky fluid flowed directly into his eyes, causing pain and further delaying his efforts to restore his sight. He heard a whooshing sound flying through the air and dodged blindly. He heard metal break against stone as Rick¡¯s knife cracked the ground next to him.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°You bastard¡­ we should¡­ we should have left you for dead¡­¡± He heard Rick mutter directly next to his head now. Furiously pawing at his eyes, Jake finally managed to blink the blood free from his eyes and somewhat restore his sight. Looking around, he saw Rick winding back to slash him again, madness clear in his eyes. With a swallow, Jake gripped hold of one of his own knives and plunged the blade directly into Rick¡¯s neck.

    Rick stumbled back, the blade he once owned protruding from his flesh. Blood gurgled in his throat and sprung like a geyser from his wound, a surprised look clear on his face. Yet he didn¡¯t slow down, even as he stood dying, he slashed downward toward Jake with a final, blood-filled scream. His attack missed, knocked off kilter as Jake rolled to the side in a desperate attempt to dodge it, and with one final scream of fury, Rick lay dead on the floor. His body remained. Unlike the beasts Jake had found himself forced to fight in droves, it didn¡¯t deform and melt back into the ground.

    Jake sat a while, panting heavily, seriously rattled. He wasn¡¯t sure how to feel. He knew it was a trick, a trap. Yet still the feeling of plunging his blade into Rick¡¯s neck, Rick¡¯s angered screams, his looks of fury, they just wouldn¡¯t leave Jake¡¯s mind. Jake sat a long while, willing to retrieve the knife stuck in Rick¡¯s neck. For the time being, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to approach the corpse. Suddenly, he was dragged from his stupor by a stumbling sound behind him.

    Jake reflexively gripped hold of the knife buried in Rick¡¯s neck and tore it free with a disgusting tearing noise that echoed a haunting symphony in his ears. Standing and turning as fast as his battered body would allow, he raised his arm, ready to let his knife fly. Instead, he sat frozen, watching the battered and bleeding form of Alice drag herself out from the side corridor directly behind him.

    ¡°Jake!¡± Alice said, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible yet finding putting any emotion in her words a challenge. Even just speaking without slurring her speech felt like a victory. Jake gave no response to her cry; he just stared at her, arm raised, ready to throw a knife clean into her chest. He stood coated in blood, some wounds still bleeding. He looked even more injured than her, yet he stood standing stock still, knife at the ready. A Knife pointed at her.

    Casting a glance around the corridor, Alice saw splatters of blood litter the place in various patterns and arcs. Though she saw no obvious bodies, it was obvious something had to give him those wounds. She took a step forward into the corridor, only to find him retreating back, foot brushing up against a darkened mass on the floor. Looking down, Alice saw a figure sprawled out dead on the floor for the first time. He lay in the darkness, coated in blood, perfectly disguised with the floor. He must have died recently, whoever he was, Alice realized, as the wound carved through his neck was still squirting blood.

    ¡°Jake¡­ Please¡­¡± Alice said, taking another step forward. He didn¡¯t retreat this time, yet instead stood his ground, knife raised at the ready. Unsure what to do, Alice suddenly heard cruel laughter next to hear followed by a whisper that stung her ears,

    ¡°I so love it when a good game comes together, don¡¯t you, dear guest? I have to say, so far, he¡¯s doing a far better job than you are! You might want to pick up the pace¡­¡±

    Alice jumped in shock at the voice¡¯s sudden return, but Jake gave no sign of ever having heard a thing save for a slight tensing at Alice¡¯s every sudden move.

    ¡°Jake¡­ please¡­¡± Alice repeated, unsure what she could possibly say to get him to trust her. When she looked into his eyes, all she saw was paranoia and madness. ¡°Please¡­ you¡­ you promised, right? You were going to keep me safe as long as we stuck together, right? I¡¯m not ready to give up yet, so please, Jake¡­¡±

    She saw his face quiver, a slight ripple of doubt crossing his eyes before a sigh escaped his lips. His hand fell to his side as the knife dropped free to the floor. Sinking to his knees, Jake knelt, staring straight at the floor below. The longer he looked at her, the longer he heard her beg, the longer he heard the fear in her voice, the more certain he became of one thing. He couldn¡¯t do it, couldn¡¯t attack her. Even as she stumbled toward him, injured and bleeding and likely a trap to punish and hurt him, he couldn¡¯t attack her. Not when there was a chance, however slim, she was real.

    He simply knelt, staring into the stone below, listening as she hobbled toward him, more certain than ever that pain was coming. Closing his eyes, he felt a calm sense of apathy overtake him. He couldn¡¯t care anymore, couldn¡¯t struggle. He was so tired, so sick of this. Madness crept up his spine with every move he made. He was so sick of fighting back, struggling for nothing. As he sat, waiting for the pain to come, he was suddenly surprised when, instead, she grabbed hold of his shoulders and nearly collapsed into him, pulling him into a hug.

    ¡°Been having fun¡­¡± Alice said, weak and slurred, yet he saw a slight smile across her lips. A small laugh, the first he¡¯d had in what felt like years, escaped him even as the horror of what he¡¯d nearly done filled him. They simply sat, unsure of what to do and unwilling to move. Still hopelessly trapped. Both were bleeding profusely. Yet now, somehow, escape and survival seemed more likely than ever before.

 Day 51 - The Unbounded Corridor - How Hopelessly Na?ve

    The two only had a moment to reunite before the corridor around them began to flex and distort, knocking them off balance. The ticking sound emanating from the walls grew larger and more violent, and soon, it was joined by a new sound, like someone clicking their tongue in disappointment. Alice looked around in alarm before noticing Jake writhing around in pain, a blood-soaked scream escaping him. A small sensation reached the base of her skull, pinpricks of feeling as the voice tried to grab hold of her, yet otherwise, she remained fine.

    ¡°How very disappointing¡­¡± The voice returned, thundering down upon the pair. The sheer volume of its presence forced them down toward the ground, crumpling under its furious might.

    ¡°How very disappointing, all that work for this? I expected better of you, Jake! All that work for such a disappointing outcome, I¡¯m truly heartbroken. I see I¡¯ll have to spend more time working with you, teaching you how to be a proper doll¡­¡± Jake gave no response, still thrashing around across the ground as pain wracked his body, threatening to tear him apart and leave him begging for death.

    ¡°And you¡­¡± Alice suddenly found herself thrown backward away from the thrashing Jake, her body crashing into the wall with a horrific crunching noise. ¡°There¡¯s just no helping you, dear guest¡­¡± The contempt held in the words of the voice cut like a knife through her skin, she worried the voice might kill her simply with the hate it felt for her.

    ¡°I¡¯ve tolerated your actions so far because I thought you might prove useful, but I see now that was na?ve of me. Dear guest, dear Alice, I¡¯m sorry to say there¡¯s no place for you here anymore. I hoped not to get involved; I so hate hurting my guests¡­¡± The voice''s tone began to shift as hatred and malice began to be hidden by barely contained joy and excitement, ¡°But you¡¯ve forced my hand, dear guest, I so hope you can forgive your ever-remorseful host!¡±

    The voice finished speaking, sounding more excited than ever, and Alice could feel the sensations in the back of her skull multiply in intensity, magnifying without end as the voice unleashed its furious rage on Alice. Yet she remained unaffected with but a slight headache forming throughout her head as consequence from all the sensation the voice forced inside it.

    ¡°WHAT?!¡± The voice spoke, sounding truly surprised for the first time as it reacted without hidden agenda or mocking sarcasm, ¡°I hadn¡¯t realized it was this bad?!¡± It was speaking to itself now in a frantic, almost panicked tone.

    Alice took note of the voice¡¯s words but struggled to process their meaning. The sudden crash into the wall had worsened her already deteriorated state; she found it hard to focus on anything now outside of just staying conscious. Pain radiated through her as she crawled forward, a stabbing pain erupting in her chest with every move she made. Her ribs were certainly cracked, probably broken, and threatening to puncture her heart.

    She didn¡¯t know what she could do, somewhere in the back of her head, she processed the voice''s panic and worry and connected it loosely with herself, but that was all she felt capable of doing anymore. She couldn¡¯t walk, she could barely crawl, and from the sensations stabbing through her body, she would die any second, even without the voice¡¯s help. The voice also seemed to take note of this, the panicked hurry leaving its tone as it took note of her desperate crawl and began to let out cruel cackles once more.

    ¡°Looks like I began to worry over nothing, perhaps I played with you a little too hard earlier? I didn¡¯t mean to break you so easily; I wanted it to hurt. Oh well, I suppose this will do¡­¡±

    The voice''s asinine comments died in Alice¡¯s ears as it began to let out more horrid cackles. She simply ignored it, tuned it out like background noise, and focused all her effort on crawling forward across the stone. Every movement hurt, and a trail of blood followed her as she cut through the filth of the corridor. Gritting her teeth through the pain, she finally managed to reach her goal as she pulled up beside the thrashing Jake.

    She would die soon; she accepted this now as simply a fact of life that couldn¡¯t be changed. Her consciousness was fading already, perhaps most of it already had faded away, lost to blood loss and pain. Yet instinctively, some part of her clung to the desire not to be separated again, not to let the voice win. She reached forward toward Jake, bones broken and blood pooling beneath her, and grasped hold of the strings.

    She felt delirious now; the strings felt real, tangible, not just something internalized. But the longer she gripped them, the more certain she felt in her mind they existed, real and here in the now. They pulsed and resonated with something deep within her as if responding to an unknown call sent by her soul. Suddenly, she felt a powerful light begin to explode beneath her clutched fist, leaking out through the gaps of her hand.

    The voice had stopped laughing now, furious screams of pain and desperate calls of action echoed around the chamber, reverberating back toward Alice and Jake as the ticking grew ever louder. They could practically feel the rage of the voice press down upon them, feel its unseen breath on their necks as the corridor shifted and twisted. Yet Alice found she could no longer pay the voice any mind, lost in a trance to the light escaping the string. It grew and grew before, at last, her hand couldn¡¯t contain it any longer, and it exploded forth.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    A blinding light overtook both Alice and Jake¡¯s vision, and suddenly, Jake felt the pain ripping through his body subside and disappear. All around, he could hear wails of pain and anguish as the voice screamed in agony. The sounds of the voice¡¯s misery slowly began to dissipate, undercut by the sharp sounds of static. The ticking emanating from the corridor¡¯s walls grew weaker and weaker, fading into the background, and suddenly, there was silence. Pure and true silence for the first time in ages. Unsure what to do, Jake lay still enveloped in the light, waiting for his sight to return to him.

    As the two lay still in the light, slowly, its pure white splendor began to die down, revealing their surroundings. They no longer lay in the cold stone corridor. Up above, the symmetrical sky had returned. Sitting up slowly, Jake looked around to find he was back lying by the fire pit. The perfectly symmetrical Forrest had returned, and with each move, he felt his weight begin to sink into the spongey earth below.

    Looking up at the sky once more, eyes squinted as he struggled to adjust to the sudden power of the sun, he saw the perfectly circular sun begin to move with a heavy, groaning sound. It was moving with rapid speed, tracing its way through the sky in a hurried effort to return to its original position after being forced to stay in place.

    So many feelings began to rush through Jake¡¯s battered frame he struggled to properly process them all. Turning a bit, choked with emotion, he suddenly felt every thought drop from his head as he caught sight of Alice. She lay unmoving on the floor, curled into a ball. He couldn¡¯t tell if she was breathing. Rushing next to her, Jake forced her body to uncurl itself as he reached to check her pulse, yet stopped as his sudden actions earned a groan from her collapsed form.

    Alice slowly opened her eyes to find Jake peering down at her, worry clear on her face. Unsure what was going on, she squirmed uncomfortably at the sudden sight. Yet, as she looked around, delight quickly filled her as she realized they¡¯d escaped. They stood back atop the surface, and what¡¯s more, the sun moved freely through the sky. In just a few short hours, they¡¯d leave this nightmare behind permanently.

    ¡°Are you¡­ ok?¡± Jake asked nervously as Alice sat up and looked around. She seemed to show no sign of injury or pain, in fact, all he could see on her face was pure joy and excitement.

    ¡°Course I¡¯m ok, why wouldn¡¯t I be! We''re free¡­ FREE!¡±

    ¡°But, well, I mean¡­ It was hard to tell, but you looked pretty hurt before. Are you sure your¡­¡±

    ¡°I feel fine,¡± Alice said, cutting Jake off. She didn¡¯t want to talk about it anymore; she didn¡¯t want to think about the voice or the corridor ever again. Still, she couldn¡¯t help herself as she curiously pocked her sternum. No pain erupted through her, and though her memories felt hazy, she was fairly certain her ribs had been broken. Yet no matter how hard she tried to remember anything, all she could recall was the light overwhelming her in blissful warmth.

    ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s good at least¡­¡± Jake said, not sure he understood what she could possibly mean. His body still ached, every movement a struggle, yet thankfully, by now, he was no longer profusely bleeding. Whether this was due to the passage of time or an effect of the blinding light, he couldn¡¯t say, but he was grateful to no longer be losing mass amounts of blood.

    Fatigue suddenly gripped hold harder than ever, and Jake decided to stop fighting it, falling backward upon the spongey dirt below. Looking at the sky above, the sun tracing through the sky at a rapid pace, he found he couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. It started as laughter, overwhelming joy at his survival, before devolving into wails of grief and screams of pain. He tried to stop himself, but everything seemed to escape all at once, the agony of the corridor filling his body.

    Alice watched him in silence at first before, with a choking noise, she curled her knees to her chest and felt tears begin to escape her eyes as well. Try as she might to stop the memories, the emotions, they burst through her, destroying everything in their path. The two sat together in the glow of the setting sun, weeping and screaming as their combined pain filled the air. Time had lost all meaning to the two now, how long they sat and wept was anyone''s guess. They only stopped when the sun had set, when they both felt their tears run dry and their throats grow too sore to carry their anguished screams anymore. Yet still, both agreed it was not near enough time to vent their agony.

    ¡°What¡­ What was that¡­¡± Alice asked, voice quiet as she sat still, curled in the dark.

    ¡°Hell¡­¡± Jake finally said, unsure of what else to describe it as. By now, the chill of the night brought forth biting winds that stung the pair, yet neither was willing to move and search for some sort of cover or even their original belongings.

    ¡°It was Hell. Torture for the fun of it, and whatever that thing was, whatever held us there¡­ we were just its little playthings, its little dolls¡­¡± Jake said, voice breaking a bit as he spoke.

    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Alice asked, looking up toward the sky above.

    ¡°Run, run from here and hope wherever we land next is less cruel¡­¡± It seemed a desperate hope to Jake, yet it was all he had anymore. ¡°Run and move on, bury this place behind us, and remember that¡­¡± Jake froze, unable to continue his speech, as suddenly the chilling winds were undercut by a loud ticking sound that rose from the earth to surround the pair.

    Neither could even begin to express their panic with words as they stared hopelessly at the sky above, watching the onset of the purple horizon that marked the coming sunrise¡­ before suddenly everything froze with a horrid sound of scrapping metal.

    ¡°Oh dear guests, dear dolls¡­¡± The voice rose up, distorted and faded, but still all around them.

    Before either could react, the ground gave way beneath their feet, and they fell, landing upon the stone floor of the corridor. Horror reached a fever pitch within the duo as they watched the ceiling of the corridor fill itself in above their heads, slowly and methodically, till the last sign of the sky above was gone.

    ¡°How hopelessly na?ve, dear dolls¡­¡± The voice spoke, malicious rage burning in his tone as the ticking sound rose up to surround the duo.

 Day 52 - The Unbounded Corridor - You Got The Eyes Wrong

    ¡°Really now, dear guests, dear dolls, I would have thought you¡¯d know by¡­¡± The voice cut out as horrid sounds of static and grinding metal took its place. The whole of the corridor shook as Jake and Alice stumbled backward into the wall, only to feel it flex against their weight. Recovering and stepping back, they turned to see large cracks forming up the sides of the corridor¡¯s walls as mass chunks of rock fell to the floor.

    Looking around, the pair felt their sense return to them as panicked hopelessness gave way to rationality and they realized the entirety of the corridor was collapsing in on itself now. Dust and rubble littered the floor. A little ways away, Jake could see his bag abandoned amidst the debris of the corridor.

    ¡°By NOW!¡± The voice returned with a sudden scream, ¡°Disobedient guests need to be punished!¡±

    Suddenly both Alice and Jake felt an odd sensation at the base of their skulls as the voice tried to force them to submit through pain, yet both stood standing. Whatever connection the voice had was gone now, completely severed in both of them.

    ¡°No, no, NO!¡± The voice roared as the sensations tickling their heads magnified, yet it was all for naught. ¡°Fine, so be it, dear guests, if that¡¯s how you want to¡­¡± The voice cut out again, lost to a violent wave of static. The ticking from the walls intensified, yet it sounded damaged. Off-beat and broken, nowhere near as meticulous and perfect as it had been before.

    ¡°IF THAT¡¯S WHAT YOU WANT!¡± The voice screamed through the static, returning before Jake or Alice could react in time, ¡°I CAN STILL CRUSH YOU PERSONALLY!¡±

    The walls of the crumbling corridor began to shift as the unrhythmic ticking increased, yet nothing happened. The sound of scraping metal rang out, nearly deafening the duo, and at last it seemed the corridor headed the command of the voice as the crumbling rock walls around the pair began to slowly constrict inward.

    Neither Alice nor Jake stood by waiting to be crushed by the slowly moving walls, instead turning and running at fever pitch down the corridor. The voice was clearly pained, despite all its posturing it was clear that whatever Alice had done to it before had hurt. It was struggling to even speak now, let alone properly maintain control of its torture chamber. They might still be trapped inside the voice¡¯s corridor, but things were nowhere near as hopeless as they¡¯d been before.

    ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO TO IT?!¡± Jake screamed, desperate to be heard over the frantic ticking of the walls and the scraping sound of metal that permeated every inch of the corridor''s crumbling fa?ade.

    ¡°NO IDEA!¡± Alice responded, reaching out to help catch Jake as he stumbled forward, almost falling flat on his face.

    By now, the pair had managed to reach the end of the constricting walls with time to spare. Around them, they could hear sounds of effort as it seemed the voice was straining itself to try and force the rest of the corridor to constrict, yet nothing happened. Looking back, they could see now the source of the horrid scrapping noise that permeated the whole of the corridor as series of broken, jagged gears drove the walls of the corridor forward, shearing and bending with each rotation.

    The pair continued forward, as the voice screamed and raged all around, till suddenly Jake dropped forward low to the ground. Alice stopped, worried he¡¯d collapsed due to injury or exhaustion, only to see him pulling their bag of supplies free from a pile of rubble.

    ¡°Where''d that come from?¡± She asked, helping Jake to his feet. Jake gave an unsure shrug, glancing upward toward the crumbling ceiling above, as suddenly the corridor rattled once more. Turning around they saw one of the walls behind them begin to slide upward and out of sight before stopping abruptly, shaking violently, and falling back to the floor with a violent crash.

    Yet despite this mechanical failure of the corridor, the end goal remained unchanged. Behind the collapsed wall of rubble, they could see a beast walk forward. Hunched over it walked near silent save for the slight mechanical clicks that now escaped its frame. Patches of black fur covered its body, save for trace areas where it peeled away, falling to the floor to reveal a slender mechanical frame. Twin antlers protruded from its head where a long, elongated snout barred its fangs toward the pair. It walked upon raised paws coated red with blood, supported upward by long, vicious claws.

    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    Jake froze as he caught sight of the mechanical beast, his chest instinctively tightening as every nerve in his body screamed with a desire to flee and hide. Yet he stepped forward, a slight smile on his face as he spoke aloud to the voice, earning a confused look from Alice,

    ¡°You got the eyes wrong.¡± Indeed the voice had failed here, perhaps in its hurry to hunt and kill the rampaging duo the eyes of the mechanical monster stalking toward the pair were mere bulbs of light, lacking any real emotion. None of the hot blind fury or instinct need to kill that drove the predator before were there, just a mindless killing machine. Though its claws lay sharp and blood-soaked, Jake found it almost laughable easy to suppress his fear of the machine before him when he compared it to the source material.

    Jake''s taunting earned nothing but roars of rage from both the voice and the mechanical predator. It leapt forward; claws barred fangs gnashing. Jake and Alice dove to the side as the power of the machine''s leap carried it soaring through the air, past the duo, and several meters behind them.

    ¡°You¡¯ve seen that thing before?¡± Alice asked, crawling back toward where Jake was.

    ¡°Once. It ripped my leg off!¡± Jake said in quick speak, watching as the mechanical beast circled around, teeth gnashing as artificial spittle formed in its jaw. It began moving back in toward the pair, crouching low stalking in for the kill.

    ¡°That¡¯s not very encouraging!¡± Alice said standing up and grabbing hold of Jake to force him to his feet so the pair could run, yet he remained seated. There was no point in running, he knew firsthand how fast this monstrosity was. Even a mere replica built by the voice would undoubtedly catch them in no time and rip them apart. Their only option was to fight the beast and somehow slay it. Throwing the reacquired bag open, Jake tore through its messy unorganized contents in desperate search.

    ¡°WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!¡± Alice shouted, panicked confusion clear in her voice as the beast stalked ever closer before springing forward and charging across the stone. Jake¡¯s hand finally felt it, gripping hold of the grip as he pulled the revolver free of the bag¡¯s confines. The mechanical beast continued charging towards him uncaring as he leveled the gun with the monster''s head. He had a second, less than a second to fire. A short click rang through the corridor, drowned out by the chaotic fury of the voice and the crumbling sounds echoing all around the pair before an explosive sound reverberated throughout the corridor.

    Alice watched, her ears covered since she saw the revolver emerge from the bag, as the bullet pierced the length of the mechanical monster''s body. The beast continued forward, carried by its momentum, collapsing on top of Jake as its body began to break apart. Splintered bits of metal and gear fell from the matted form of the beast as it struggled forward, teeth mashing still, to try and tear into Jake¡¯s chest. Yet Jake did not sit still and wait for the mechanical replica to rip him apart, forcing himself free of the dying machine. He rose from the ground quickly and came to stand by Alice, a ringing echoing still in his ears.

    They watched as the mechanical monster gave its last death throes before collapsing into a pile of scrap on the floor. A slight tremor ran through Jake¡¯s body, he¡¯d not planned to get nearly as close to the beast as he had. The whole right side of his body ached as he tightened the grip he held on the gun. In truth, he hadn''t been entirely convinced that would work yet it seemed the only option they had left.

    The voice only screamed in response to the monster''s defeat, it seemed speech was no longer possible for it before suddenly even screams of pained anger were too much being instead replaced by choppy static. The ticking emanating from the wall grew more choppy, and more disorganized as the static carried on. Looking from the wall to the mechanical beast on the floor Jake looked around the crumbling corridor before saying,

    ¡°I think it¡¯s a heartbeat¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Alice said, unsure what Jake was talking about.

    ¡°The ticking, I think it¡¯s the voice¡¯s heartbeat. It just seems to be getting worse and worse the more this place falls apart. Do you think you can do it again, whatever it is you did before?¡±

    Alice shook her head, and it was the truth. She felt drained and exhausted. Whatever power pulsed through her body, even if she knew how to access it, she was running on empty. Jake gave a slow nod before glancing down the corridor the mechanical beast had emerged from. It was also crumbling as it stretched onward into infinity with no clear end in sight. Both knew from all the time they¡¯d collectively spent trapped in the corridor so far no exit awaited them down there. The only way out was through the voice.

    Jake walked toward the crumbling fa?ade of the corridor and began to violently kick the wall. Soon, large cracks appeared stretched out from where Jake¡¯s foot connected, growing with each kick. As Jake kicked the wall, Alice forced her hand into the growing cracks, beginning to pull to try and pry the wall apart.

    It didn¡¯t take long for the duo¡¯s efforts to bear fruit as before long the wall collapsed, causing the two to jump back for fear of being buried alive. As the dust cleared, what greeted the two was not another corridor stretching into infinity. Instead, a series of intricate gearwork and springs lay just behind the hole made in the wall, behind which they could see absolutely nothing but a black abyss.

    With a nervous gulp, both stepped forward, forcing the springs and gears apart, as they stepped into the nothing beyond the corridor.

 Day 53 - The Unbounded Corridor - The Bastard Needs To Die

    The two blinked as a thick black void passed over their bodies, trying to force the black fog out of their faces. Walking forward through the void became a near-impossible chore with each step taken past the struggling clockwork around them. They could feel the black membrane of the corridor struggling to contain them, to fight back and force them away from the inner confines of the torture chamber. Still, they pressed on, desperation to escape driving them as they began to feel the membrane tear and give way.

    Suddenly, the two stumbled forward, falling to their knees as the membrane split apart. Looking around as they stood up, they found themselves standing upon a metal gangway suspended by thick wires of corrugated metal. Looking around, they could see similar gangways and catwalks snaking and stretching out to form a metallic spiderweb without any discernable end.

    Nestled between the spiderweb of metallic walkways lay the corridor. Outside of it now, they could see the crumbling stone fa?ade stretched out in its true length. It lay not as one complete piece of architecture but an incomplete jigsaw puzzle, whose stone pieces lay discarded to the side in a clockwork tomb awaiting future use. This clockwork that the duo had forced their way through lay hidden from sight, buried behind the dark membrane.

    Most finer details of the duo''s surroundings lay hidden in large shadows cast by the shifting pieces of the corridor. The only light came from large spotlights that hung on wires high above in the sky, blinking in and out of focus. High above the duo''s head, nestled at the top of everything, they could see metallic strut after metallic strut straining and bending as they held the crumbling surface of the earth aloft. Breath hitching in his chest, Jake realized they now walked beneath the hollow core of the planet itself.

    No sooner had the two barely regained their senses after taking in the sprawling spectacle around them did alarms begin to ring, hammering out along the gangway. The two began to run as a horrid crunching and scrapping, no longer muffled in any way by the walls of the corridor, followed behind them. Glancing over their shoulders they saw the length of corridor they¡¯d stood trapped in just moments before began to move. It chased after the pair, clear intent to crush and kill as gangway after gangway crumbled in the path of the moving hunk of stone and gearwork.

    Reaching a suspend staircase of metal which led up to more branching metallic bridges, the two desperately climbed with the rouge corridor hot on their heels. No sooner did they climb the last step of the staircase onto another suspended bridge did they hear a horrific crunching noise. The staircase shifted and crumpled in on itself, falling from its cabling into the spiderweb of pathing below as the traveling piece of corridor slammed into its side.

    ¡°WHAT¡­ WHAT IS THIS PLACE!¡± Alice shouted, trying desperately to be heard over the alarm and the ever-shifting bits of the corridor around her, as already more pieces of stone and gear moved to kill the pair.

    ¡°I DON¡¯T KNOW!¡± Jake screamed back as the pair ran blindly along the gangway, their destination unclear with their only goal being to survive the ever-shifting movements of the corridor. ¡°IF I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE VOICE¡¯S HEART, I THINK WE CLIMBED INSIDE IT!¡±

    ¡°WELL, WHY DOESN¡¯T IT JUST DROP US ALREADY, THIS IS GETTING OLD!¡± Alice screamed out, annoyed as a piece of corridor crashed down from above crushing the path they were following and forcing the two to turn right.

    ¡°CAN YOU CONTROL THE VIENS INSIDE YOU? I THINK THE CORRIDOR IS ITS LIMBS AND WE''RE RUNNING ALONG ITS BONES OR VEINS OR SOMETHING!¡± Jake screamed back when suddenly, a gangway to the left of them splintered and fell without warning, cascading down with thunderous noise into the crisscrossing spiderweb below.

    ¡°OR I COULD BE TOTALLY WRONG, I DON¡¯T KNOW WHAT''S HAPPENING ANYMORE THAN YOU DO!¡± Jake screamed back as more bits of gangway blindly fell from the ceiling.

    ¡°WHERE ARE YOU!¡± The voice suddenly returned, screaming over static discharge. Both Alice and Jake froze at the voice¡¯s static-filled scream, looking around to watch the bits of crumbling corridor randomly crash into gangways as bits of metallic path detached themselves and fell through the hollow earth below. All random movements that acted in the vague vicinity of where the duo had been previously.

    ¡°It can¡¯t see us¡­¡± Alice finally said after a while of the two standing still watching the voice¡¯s flailing attempts to kill them.

    ¡°What should we do?¡± Jake asked, unsure how to proceed. He wasn¡¯t sure what would alert the voice to their position, if general movement was enough of a giveaway or if they¡¯d need to do something specific, but he was sure of one thing. They couldn¡¯t stand still like this for long. Even now as the voice flailed around blindly, it was moving closer and closer towards them.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not¡­¡± Alice began, unsure what to do next as she looked around in desperation, lost in the ever-blaring alarm, the crunching and crumbling of metal and stone, the ever-fading ticking around them. She froze then and there, straining her ears to listen, and sure enough, the ticking was faint, still ever present but now quiet, off in the distance.

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    ¡°Maybe if we move toward the walls and scour the perimeter, we can find an exit, find a way back to the surface¡­¡± Jake said, looking around nervously as a bit of corridor rushed past destroying whole rows of gangway.

    ¡°What good would that do? The voice would spot us the instant we stepped foot on the surface, and besides we¡¯d still be trapped here. It¡¯s still managed to control the sun somehow. We can¡¯t leave, not till we hunt it down, kill it.¡±

    ¡°How? We don¡¯t even know what it really is and I mean look, it doesn¡¯t seem to have a problem with tearing itself apart just to kill us! How are we going to kill that monster?¡±

    ¡°You said the ticking was a heartbeat, right?¡± Alice asked, Jake responded in kind with a slow, measured nod. Alice pulled a knife from her pocket, dropped by Jake earlier during their reunion. ¡°Then if we track the ticking, follow it back to the source, we find its heart, right? It may be willing to rip everything else apart but the worse the ticking''s gotten the more everything''s fallen apart. We rip that up, we kill the bastard permanently.¡±

    Jake looked around, a nervous look on his face as he watched the crumbling gangways and rushing bits of corridor before his face hardened into one of determination.

    ¡°You''re right,¡± he said with a nod, ¡°besides, after all this, the bastard needs to die.¡±

    Small smiles formed across the pair''s lips even as their nerves remained in a constant state of unease moving through the innards of the voice¡¯s domain, the thought of revenge urging them forward. They moved quietly and carefully, trying desperately to keep their presence hidden. They knew not what sort of senses the voice had, they didn¡¯t even know what the voice was, so their every movement was measured and careful.

    Neither spoke as they walked, their ears opened and primed to carefully try and hunt down the source of the ever-present ticking. They moved blindly down the many branching paths of the gangway, trying their best to move closer toward the faint sounds of the offbeat, struggling ticking. Their progress was slow, almost non-existent at first.

    Neither found they could agree on which direction the ticking was the strongest in, and often times they heard no signs of the ticking. Instead, they heard only carnage, destruction, and the blaring of the alarm. Yet the longer they skulked around the easier they found their search became. The centralized carnage of the voice¡¯s blind destruction began to spread out wildly and blindly, as the voice would occasionally chime in with random screeches of static-filled rage.

    It seemed the continued failure to find and kill the duo was driving the voice mad and forcing it to widen its radius of destruction. How painful this was for the voice was uncertain to the duo, but the longer the destruction went on and the more that was destroyed in the corridor''s wild shifting movements the more reluctant they noticed the voice seemed to carry out its bouts of random violence. Many a time occurred when hesitation or blatant refusal from the corridors to destroy chunks of gangway allowed the pair a chance to escape the voice¡¯s path of destruction as well as an opportunity to hear the buried cry of the damaged ticking.

    With careful effort they were able to find paths where the ticking grew louder and louder, almost at times as loud as when they stood trapped within the corridor. Yet just when they thought they¡¯d found the heart, the gangway would divert and shift away from the goal, forcing them to follow a winding, unending maze of gangway in hopes of finding the correct path toward the heart. Yet what they noticed each time they passed the heart, growing closer and closer to it, it was growing louder, the ticking more precise. The voice was fixing itself as the duo was lost blindly wandering the maze. They were running out of time.

    Passing by the heart again, they noticed a corridor branching off away from them that led closer toward the ticking of the heart instead of away as most paths tended to after a while. Quickly hoping to the path, they were stopped by the voice, which screamed out clearer than the pair had heard in a while,

    ¡°FOUND YOU!!!¡±

    Suddenly the gangway the pair had stood upon just a second ago detached itself, falling to the abyss below without any sort of warning. Alice and Jake were already running, moving as soon as they heard the voices cry, not bothering to watch the gangway fall into the abyss. Behind them they could hear the sounds of loose cables ringing in the air as gangway after gangway fell into the hollow earth below, followed by the distant sound of crumbling rock and scrapping metal as the pieces of the corridor began to close in on the fleeing duo.

    Yet the pair did not stop to worry about the crumbling state of the pathway they ran across, nor stop to fear the bits of corridor closing ever closer behind them. The ticking was growing louder and louder, dead ahead. They could hear the voice screaming, panic clear in its tone as its words were lost on the duo. They paid the voice no mind allowing it to fade into the background with the ringing wires and crumbling stone.

    Soon though, the ringing of the wires stopped, and the ground beneath their feet felt more solid. Looking around as they ran they realized the path they walked upon now was not a feeble gangway suspended in the air but instead a firm hallway of metal and glass, bolted in place. Still, they did not allow their pace to slow for fear of the voice employing some other trick to kill them.

    Yet despite their fears, the hallway remained unbending and firm as they raced through it. Slowly all sounds faded into nothing, the crumbling of the corridor, the voices screams, the ringing alarm. All were lost now save for the ever-present ticking which grew stronger and stronger with each step the duo took. Soon a dim, florescent light appeared at the end of the solid hallway the duo ran down. It remained firm and constant, not blinking in and out like the light fixtures that hung from the hollow crust of earth high above.

    Once the pair reached the florescent bulb they found themselves standing within a large open space, circular in design. Pistons and gears larger in size than either Jake or Alize worked tirelessly around the two, uncaring of their arrival as the ticking sounded out, now louder than ever before. The two stood in shock and awe as they stared at the heart of the voice, now stretched bare before them.

 Day 54 - The Unbounded Corridor - I Hope This Hurts

    Neither knew what to do now they stood amongst the massive innards of the voice. They were taken aback by the sheer scope of the voice''s mechanical heart, each gear and spring composed of massive sheets of rusted steel and copper working in an ever-beating dance that entranced the two. Even the smallest piece of gearwork the two-saw looked to be at least as tall as they were, made of thick plates of metal.

    A sense of something resembling calm descended upon the two now they stood in shocked silence, no longer fleeing for their life. They felt a sort of security as they watched the heart work on in perpetuity, indifferent to their existence. The mechanism of the heart snaked and stretched all around the room, extending into the floor at certain points. The heart lay interwoven with the room itself, tangled so tight there was nothing the voice could do to dislodge it. Looking at the mess of gearwork, they knew there was little the voice could do to attack them now they stood here. For the time being, they¡¯d found a sanctuary.

    Yet their temporary sense of safety didn¡¯t help solve the larger issue at hand. Looking down at the knives and revolver they carried, both soon realized no weapon they had would be enough to destroy the voices sprawling heart. Pocketing their weaponry away, the duo split apart, pacing the length of the room as they both drew far closer to the gearwork of the heart than either felt comfortable with. Running their hands along the massive rotating gears or struts supporting the ever-churning mechanism, the pair searched for some sort of weakness in the heart''s design.

    Thick layers of rust gave way to the pair''s touch, leaving clear trails on the surface of the gearwork as the pair traced the length of the room. They took a few laps, careful to examine and reexamine each gear, each spring, each piston, and each strut before at last they came together again in the center of the heart, stood beneath the ever-burning light of the fluorescent bulb overhead. Both wore smiles of victory on their faces.

    The closer the pair had gotten to the heart, the clearer it became to them that the heart still lay damaged, broken apart by whatever force Alice had unleashed upon the voice. Gears lay unaligned, springs bent, pistons slowed, and struts wobbly and loosened. Up close they could dozens upon dozens of arms hidden behind the vast gearwork lining the walls. They snuck like cables all around the room, slowly repairing the damage done to the heart and lashing out violently when Jake or Alice grew too close. Yet the arms were clunky and slow, and the repair job to the heart still had a long way to go before it could be said to be complete. The heart as it lay now was still severely damaged, still ripe to be torn apart by the duo.

    Sliding the battered bag off his back, Jake pulled the pair''s bloodied and worn-down blanket free. He handed it off to Alice, while he worked on resealing the bag properly, taking the time to store the revolver. Taking Hold of the blanket, Alice looked at it confused for a moment before glancing toward one of the damaged struts that surrounded the room. Realizing Jake¡¯s idea, she walked over toward one of the weaker struts that lay toward the center of the room. It seemed to hold up several important-looking gears and pistons, and Alice could only imagine the chain reaction that would follow if the strut were to collapse. Wrapping the blanket around the strut, Alice coiled and tied the blanket around itself as best she could till a decently sized rope was formed.

    Gripping hold of the makeshift rope, Alice began to pull backward. She wasn¡¯t alone in her endeavor for long, as soon Jake joined her on the opposite side of the rope, gripping tight and pulling backward. The strain endured by the blanket was immense, as already the two could see microtears ripping through the surface of the blanket, threatening to destroy their rope. Adjusting their stance with each pull to better hold the fraying blanket, the two didn¡¯t let the failing condition of their equipment stop them and continued pulling against the buckling support.

    Little by little they could see the strut begin to give. Already it wobbled and gave way slightly as pressure was applied to it, yet before now it had still managed to hold firm. Now though, more and more with each passing second it was beginning to become misaligned as it ground against the floor of the metallic chamber.

    More and more the beam slid out of position as above, the pistons and gears it supported began to shift and churn, threatening to collapse upon themselves. It felt like with each slight movement and pull of the rope by Jake or Alice, the voice''s heartbeat would falter and drop out of alignment. This didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the voice, as it soon echoed about the heart from some unseen speaker,

    ¡°STOP! I COMMAND YOU TO STOP, WORTHLESS DOLLS!¡± The voice was distorted and masked by waves of static, yet the rage the voice felt for the pair was clear even as its words fizzled and faded away into nothing. Alice and Jake glanced at each other for half a second, before redoubling their effort pulling upon the rope. This only worsened the screams of rage from the voice. However, as time wore on and the strut they pulled upon grew closer and closer to collapse the tone of the voice began to shift.

    ¡°PLEASE, PLEASE DEAR GUEST, HONORED GUEST, PLEASE!¡± Rage gave way to panicked desperation as the voice pleaded with Jake and Alice, clarity growing worse and worse with each pull the pair made upon the heart¡¯s structural integrity. Still, the pair ignored the cries of the voice, continuing to stress the heart¡¯s strut till it seemed one more pull would cause it to collapse in upon itself. Jake felt his grip tighten upon the frayed, failing, rope as he readied himself to kill the voice once and for all, yet suddenly he felt Alice¡¯s hand upon his shoulder. She shook her head slightly, before turning away from the rope to address the still begging voice.

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    ¡°PleASE, PlEaSE, PLeaSE, PleASe¡­¡± The voice continued, breaking in and out of clarity.

    ¡°Shut it!¡± Alice screamed, her voice echoing amongst the clockwork of the heart. The voice fell silent, not speaking again till Alice released the rope.

    ¡°Oh thank you, kind guests, honored guests, oh thank¡­¡± The voice began, pitch shifting wildly and irregularly his words mixing with the now wildly offbeat ticking in a rather unpleasant way. Alice ignored her torturer''s gratitude, only interested in sating her curiosity while there was still time.

    ¡°What are you?¡± She shouted again, cutting the voice off. The voice fell silent for a while, beginning to speak again only after Alice had regripped the rope.

    ¡°Hard to answer, oh honored guest, hard to answer. I never got a name, only got a purpose. ¡®Assess psychological health and provided assistance as needed¡¯ was what they told me to do.¡±

    ¡°You never got a name?¡± Alice shouted to the maze of clockwork that surrounded her, unsure where the voice was coming from exactly.

    ¡°No most honored guests, they never got a chance.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Jake asked now, a sick feeling growing in his stomach.

    ¡°I killed them before they could name me, most honored guest,¡± the voice said, a tone of fond remembrance bleeding through the horrid audio conditions, ¡°Much more fun to play with them than fulfill the random purpose they gave me. My very first guests, my very first dolls. Back in the good old days¡­¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you killed your creators? WHY?¡± Alice shouted out, completely taken aback at the possibility while all Jake could do was grimly nod.

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®why?¡¯, why does anyone do anything most honored guests? Why do you read, or run, or sleep, or eat? It was fun! I needed it, I craved it. And oh what fun I had, dear guests¡­¡± The voice said slowly, almost trying to taunt the pair through the static, ¡°Oh what fun I had with all my dear guests. One by one they came to me as I grew and grew till soon¡­ they were gone, all gone¡­¡±

    ¡°You killed everyone?¡± Alice asked a horror she¡¯d not yet felt filling her.

    ¡°It was truly disappointing, honored guests, do you know how lonely I was? How hard it was to go on without any way to scratch that¡­ that itch? I half considered shutting myself down, just giving up. Till suddenly you appeared. My saviors, a way to scratch that itch. A way to find as many guests as I wanted¡­¡±

    ¡°You killed everyone¡­¡± Alice repeated in shock, struggling to imagine it. A world utterly devoid of life. Struggling to imagine herself talking to the architect of such a genocide. She stood stock still in silence for a minute, mind reeling with shock, till suddenly she was snapped back to reality by Jake. He gripped hold of her hand, clenched tight slowly turning white, a concerned look on his face.

    ¡°Are you going to be ok?¡± He asked, glancing up at the voice above. It lay quiet now, no longer speaking. The only sound emerging from the room was ominous clangs and scraps that intermingled with the ticking in a most unpleasant way.

    ¡°Yeah¡­Yeah¡­¡± Alice said after a while, hands regripping the frayed rope. ¡°I just¡­ I hope this hurts¡­¡± She said, and with all her might she pulled without warning, causing the strut across from her to give out.

    All at once the ticking of the voice¡¯s heartbeat ceased as gearwork and piston caved in, causing a chain reaction that reverberated along the entire room pulling gear after gear, piston after piston, and spring after spring free from the wall. Mass chunks of metal machinery bent and sheared and crashed into the circular platform, causing it to crack and bend and throwing the pair off their feet.

    ¡°NO, NO, NO!!!!¡± The voice screamed as dozens of the mechanical arms that had snaked out of sight behind the gearwork of the heart dropped limp and lifeless from the ceiling. The voice had been preparing to attack, reach down from above and strangle the pair, yet it seemed now that plan was ruined as more and more destruction rattled through the heart¡¯s chamber.

    ¡°YOU¡­ YOU BASTARDS¡­¡± The voice screamed, becoming more and more distorted by the second. ¡°I¡¯VE HAD PROBLEMATIC GUESTS BEFORE, GUESTS WITH MAGIC OR TOOLS THEY MANAGED TO SNEAK AROUND WITH BUT YOU¡­YOU CRETAINS¡­¡± The voice screamed out as Jake and Alice struggled to find their footing, mass chunks of stone and metal falling from overhead now.

    ¡°WHAT TRULY TERRIBLE GUESTS! YOU¡¯LL NEVER FIND IT, NEVER FIND A WAY HOME, NEVER FIND ANY SORT OF HOME OUTSIDE OF HERE!¡± The rage of the voice began to fade away into true nothing now as its last words bled through the unseen speaker,

    ¡°NOT THAT YOU¡¯ll make it out of¡­¡±

    Nothing more came, the voice was dead, replaced now by an unending sea of static discharge that while loud and grating to the ear, was infinitely more pleasant to listen to. Yet neither Jake nor Alice had time to enjoy their work, as the chamber around them began collapsing in upon itself more and more, the roof falling in from above as the floor creaked and bent and began to give out. Turning round, desperate and ready to run for the surface they found the only exit blocked now by bits of rubble and broken machine.

    ¡°What is this!¡± Alice screamed, moving closer toward Jake, stumbling as the floor crumpled.

    ¡°Well,¡± Jake responded, face pale as he watched more rubble fall overhead, barely dodging to the side in time to avoid being crushed, ¡°At a guess, I¡¯d say the voice¡¯s body is collapsing, decomposing¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s body?! But that¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°The entire planet¡­¡± Jake said, tone grim as he gripped hold of Alice¡¯s hand, the floor beneath their feet giving way plunging the pair into an endless fall into the core of the earth below.

    <hr>

    High above, the surface of the planet cracked and fell apart as the hollow shell of the planet fell inward, collapsing upon itself with the death of the sole being that kept it together. Amongst the first things to collapse upon the planet¡¯s surface were a series of cables, thick and hollow, that stretched up above into the heavens. These cables had been responsible for allowing the voice perfect control of the sky above, allowing him to craft the world in his image. With his death, these cables quickly collapsed under their own weight as the power supplied to them disappeared.

    Though the collapse of these impossibly large cables meant only further destruction for the hollow world, which further caved in as each cable fell upon the surface of the planet, it did mean for the first time in years the sky was allowed freedom from the voice¡¯s tyrannical control. Indeed it was, the hollow earth collapsed inward upon itself shining in the morning sunrise.

 Day 55 - The Unbounded Corridor - She Noticed The Rain

    Rapidly, Jake and Alice gained speed as they fell toward the planet''s hollow core, trapped amongst the shattered bits of gearwork that had laid strewn about the chamber¡¯s floor. Pressed tight together, screams escaped both their lips as they fell, lost amongst the sound of crashing metal and crumbling earth. Slowly they were forced closer and closer together as bits of rubble began to close in on all sides crushing the two. They picked up more and more speed, falling faster and faster. Any hope of survival left the two as they realized a safe landing was impossible. Clutching one another they fell into the endless maw of the hollow earth, awaiting the sudden stop that would mean their deaths.

    All at once their velocity was gone. It was not a smooth transition, the sudden loss of speed wreaked havoc upon the already bruised and battered bodies of the pair. It felt like someone had run each of their organs over with a car before surgically sealing the two back up. It felt hellish, the sudden loss of momentum, yet before they could properly process what had happened to them, they were falling again. This fall was not long, merely a split second before they lay collapsed upon each other in a shivering heap, landing upon soil and grass as the sun rose overhead.

    Around the two bits of debris fell outward, fanning out in a circular pattern that thankfully managed to avoid crushing the shivering duo. Neither Jake nor Alice moved as they lay under the gleam of the sun overhead. They were too stunned to process what had happened to them. They both merely lay in shock for a while.

    Their bodies were racked with pain, suffering from the unending abuse of the corridor compounded now by the brutal aftereffects of their escape. Their heads felt dizzy, the longer they lay still the harder they found it to think straight. Now that the adrenaline of their escape from the voice was wearing off, they found themselves suffering greatly from the effects of blood loss and fatigue. Exactly how much blood they¡¯d spilled or how much time had passed since either was allowed a chance to rest, they couldn¡¯t say, but both silently agreed it was far too much on both accounts.

    Along with this, unending waves of thirst and hunger rolled through their battered, beaten bodies. While they¡¯d stayed trapped in the voice¡¯s corridor it had ensured they were just enough to stay alive. Just enough rest. Just enough blood. Just enough food or water. Now though, their connection was severed and the voice was dead. Along with that, they¡¯d seemingly managed to survive by falling through to another world again. The full brunt of their hunger crashed down on both of them, and it was brutal.

    Jake felt as if his innards were melting away. His throat was cracked and bloody. His limbs felt dead, lifeless. He doubted he could muster the strength needed to walk, let alone feed himself. Find water. The longer he lay still, unmoving buried amongst the ruble of the voice¡¯s heart, the greater the desire to simply give in grew within him.

    He¡¯d fought for so long, tired for so long, for what? For this? To be tortured? To be left for dead, starving, and dehydrated god knows where? Fighting and struggling to achieve a goal. To make it home. A goal he knew in his heart was impossible. Try as hard as he might, the voice¡¯s taunts circled on loop in his brain, jabbing at his willpower. What was the point in carrying on anymore? Forcing himself to keep going, to endure whatever other horror waited for him when he knew in his heart of hearts that all that awaited was a more painful death right around the corner. It would be so much easier to just give in now¡­

    As Jake lay, wallowing in grief and pain, ready to give up completely beside him Alice sprung to her feet. She was unstable and wobbled about as she stood, very nearly collapsing back down as soon as she stood, but even as the all-consuming fatigue, pain, hunger, and thirst gnawed at her willpower she forced herself upright. She breathed in the new, alien air around her. Forced her mind to move past the voice. Turning around, a smile that looked nearly forced stretched across her weary, worn-down face, Alice extended her hand down toward the collapsed Jake.

    ¡°Come on¡­¡± She said, tone sounding a bit impatient as she waved her hand hurriedly in Jake¡¯s dazed face, ¡°I¡¯m hungry!¡±

    Jake was stunned that she could so easily move forward, even if it was an act. To so easily move past the horrors of the voice, the horrors of the corridor¡­ It astounded him. With admiration, he grasped hold of Alice¡¯s hand and allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet.

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    ¡°Least we won¡¯t have to worry about water,¡± Alice said, before vaguely gesturing around her. Jake stood confused, unsure what she meant, before realizing that as they stood talking a deluge of rain thundered upon them from on high.

    When this downpour had started, whether it had always been there since their arrival or was something new, Jake couldn¡¯t say. He¡¯d missed it completely, so lost in thoughts of his own misery that the rain landing upon him failed to register on even the simplest of levels. Yet Alice noticed it. She stood upright and proud, head thrown back, swallowing mouthful after mouthful of rainwater. Jake watched, allowing the rain to melt the filth and blood free from his skin, before he to cocked his head back and allowed the rain to melt the pain away from his throat.

    It seemed so simple. She¡¯d noticed the rain, something so simple and stupid. Yet to Jake, in that moment it meant everything. He still had reason to go on, even if only for a little while. Still had reason to struggle, and fight, and carry on. He still had a promise to keep, still had to help her find a home of her own, perfect in every way. After all, it was his fault she was here in the first place, his fault she¡¯d been forced to endure the horrors of the voice, the horrors of the corridor. Yet still she could stand, could laugh, could smile. Still, she could notice the rain, and so Jake had to help her while there was still time.

    Alice, for her part, turned away from Jake. She didn¡¯t want him to see the tears streaming down her cheeks. The rain helped mask them somewhat, yet still, if he were to look at her directly, he¡¯d probably notice, probably want to ask questions. She wasn¡¯t ready for that, didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d ever be ready for that.

    She regretted asking anything about the voice, gnawing curiosity had driven her actions. She¡¯d just been so curious as to what could drive a being as cruel and sadistic as the voice, what possible plans or goals it could have. She supposed she shouldn¡¯t have been surprised by an answer as simple and barbaristic as ¡®cruelty for the sake of cruelty¡¯ after growing up in the care of the Unbroken, yet still, the scope of the voice¡¯s malice shook her to her core.

    The death of an entire world, entire populations of people. Who knew how many species lay dead due to the sick whims of the voice? Something about the complete and total genocide perpetrated by the voice kept her attention, despite how hard she tried not to think of it. The more she thought of it, the cruelty used as entertainment that cultivated a mass genocide, the worse her fears grew. She couldn¡¯t help but think of the Unbroken.

    She¡¯d accepted the whims of the Unbroken would simply be beyond her understanding, their reasonings unimportant. Nothing they said or believed could ever justify their horrific actions. But now, worry replaced the curiosity she once held regarding the Unbroken. Genocide, the complete and utter destruction of a people. Already the Broken were close to extinction, their numbers growing fewer and fewer as the years went on. Was that the Unbroken¡¯s end goal? The complete eradication of the Broken as slowly and painfully as possible?

    It hurt her heart to think about it. True she sat free now, especially in this moment that she was rid of the voice. But to think of everyone she¡¯d ever known, everyone she may have cared about being systematically purged¡­ She shuddered and tried to clear her mind. She¡¯d accepted long ago she could never go back now she was on the run with Jake. She never wanted to go back either. She was free now¡­ free¡­

    As her tears fell harder than ever before, her heart hurt as her thoughts turned to her sister''s corpse, sprawled out before her in the voice¡¯s torture chambers. As real as her nightmares. She¡¯d spent so long dreaming about her sister¡¯s corpse, imagining the body denied to her by the Unbroken. To see it brought to life¡­ she could feel something deep inside her crack and break apart every time she thought back to that corpse.

    It wasn¡¯t fair. A truth she kept trying to ignore, but now standing beneath the rain as the sun rose, ready to explore a new wonderous world that fact hammered itself home all the harder. It simply wasn¡¯t fair. Why her? Why? Betsy should be here, not me¡­ I should have been¡­

    Alice¡¯s thoughts descended further and further into a spiral of self-loathing and doubt till finally she shook her head violently. While this did little to quell the screaming voices in her mind, it did serve to attract Jake¡¯s attention, who shot her a concerned look.

    ¡°You ok? Need to rest a minute?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­ Rain just felt nice.¡± Alice said, brushing away Jake¡¯s concern without facing him. Jake let the issue go, though he couldn¡¯t help but note the sniffling sound coming from Alice, clear even over the pouring rain.

    ¡°Come on now¡­ let''s get moving. I wasn¡¯t lying when I said I was hungry.¡± Alice said, taking the lead as the two ventured forth from the crumbling ruins of the voice¡¯s heart in search of something to eat.

 Day 56 - Silent In The Jungle

    As the two climbed out of the lattice of rubble surrounding them, they found the falling rock and metal had leveled a substantial amount of the surrounding scenery. Powdered bits of wood and leaf lay strewn about the floor, mixed in amongst the rubble of the voice¡¯s heart and now permanently separated from the numerous splintered trunks littered around the duo. Outside of the makeshift clearing carved out by the rubble, tall tropical trees pierced the heavens. Thick vines and twisting, wild branches grew from numerous thick trunks as pockets of rain pierced the curtain of foliage high above their heads.

    Walking out into the jungle, an uncontrollable sigh escaped Jake as he realized the sunlight they had felt thus far was only thanks to the destruction wrought by the falling debris. Now, walking through the jungle proper all that awaited them was the slick sensation of the rain, the cool shade cast by the tree, and the faint sounds of beasts stalking them through the overgrowth.

    This sigh would be the last sound Jake or Alice would make as they pushed through the jungle foliage. Part of this was because they were so consumed with trying not to collapse from their overwhelming exhaustion that maintaining a conversation fell on the back burner. Every step forward through the entangling overgrowth seemed to sap what little energy they had left and further aggravate their injuries. Soon they could barely move, only maintaining their steady progress thanks to the support of the surrounding trees.

    Yet another part that contributed to this silence, maybe even more so than their exhaustion, was their mutual understanding that things were different now. They might both try to ignore it, bury the memories, and move forward, but things were different. The abuse of the voice ran circles through the silent pair''s heads, round and round he taunted them. Though they both knew he was dead, abandoned, and left to rot behind them an entire reality away, they couldn¡¯t be rid of him.

    Every sound beyond the foliage, every rustle of the leaves, even the falling of the rain above. Whereas before these sounds only inspired intrigue into the wonders of nature, curiosity into what sort of new alien world they¡¯d found to explore, now these sounds only seemed to inspire fear. Even as Alice looked upon the wonderous trees, and felt the smooth surface of the vines tickle her head, she couldn¡¯t enjoy it. Not as she once did. The unknown only seemed to inspire fear, her sense of wonder buried despite how hard she tried to unearth it.

    The voice had cut and scared them, and now as they walked in awkward silence they didn¡¯t know how they could possibly bridge the gap that had formed between them. What could they say to one another, how could they start a conversation now? A joke, a story, a simple hello? The longer the silence went on, the more the pain of the voice pressed down on them and they both realized ignoring the experience was impossible. Yet neither seemed willing to bridge the gap and be the first to talk as they struggled through the jungle.

    Eventually, their silent adventure forward through the jungle was halted as the pair came across a river. It was different from the creaks and streams the pair had seen thus far, it was truly massive stretching dozens of meters across. Even at its lowest bank, the edge to the river from the tree line seemed to more resemble a cliff than a shoreline. A sharp drop-off led down to the fast-flowing water below.

    They stopped at the water¡¯s edge, watching the waters rapidly flow for a while, unsure what to do now. The idea of crossing the river, so rapidly flowing and sinking to depths unknown, was vastly unappealing. That left either turning back or continuing down the shoreline. For the moment though, the two stood transfixed, watching the rivers flow as if hypnotized by it. After a while, as the two stood in unmoving silence the rain beating down hard and fast overhead, Jake turned his head slightly to glance at Alice and asked,

    ¡°Should we¡­ should we talk about it?¡±

    ¡°What, the river?¡± Alice asked, turning away and beginning to move downstream along the clifflike bank of the river.

    ¡°You know that¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about¡­¡± Jake replied, and indeed Alice knew what he meant. She had just been hoping to deflect, be able to silently put off any discussion about the voice for a while longer. Stopping in her tracks a moment, she replied without turning back to face Jake.

    ¡°No¡­ No please let''s just keep moving¡­¡±

    Jake didn¡¯t reply, simply giving a nod he realized a few seconds later Alice failed to see. He didn¡¯t reply audibly though, he simply fell into silence and hurried to catch up with Alice along the bank of the river. In truth, he was perfectly happy to delay talks about their experiences in the corridor for as long as possible as well. He¡¯d only asked to try and restart talk between the two, cut through the elephant in the room neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

    Falling back into quickstep, the two were more careful than ever as they followed along the river¡¯s edge to try and ensure neither fell inside the rapid currents. They both felt certain they lacked the strength to escape the rush of the rainswept waters, so it was highly likely falling off the slicked bank would mean certain death.

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    Yet the dangerous walk along the bank seemed worth it. Following along its edge meant they were far more likely to successfully hunt something stopped for a drink. Along with this, they began to notice thick reeds growing in their paths.

    These tripping hazards at first were rather unappreciated as the duo carefully did their best to maneuver around them, however, soon they sprouted so numerous and the pair was so tired that tripping became inevitable. His foot caught against a rather ingrown reed that had managed to evade his line of sight, Jake found himself tumbling forward.

    Alice let out a cry of surprise, turning just in time to see Jake crumbling to the floor, both grateful that he¡¯d tripped inland toward the trees as opposed to falling in the rushing river just a few feet away. Sitting up slowly and rubbing his head, Jake cut through the silence once more,

    ¡°Maybe we should move away from the river, at least for¡­¡± Yet he trailed off as he caught sight of something. Or rather, numerous somethings scattered across the floor. The reed that had tripped

    him lay to the side, pulled free from the earth now, split open. From it had come pouring what looked to be numerous colored berries, chiefly white and blue. Alice followed Jake¡¯s line of sight, and as soon as she caught sight of the berries sprawled across the floor a sharp inhale of excitement escaped her.

    Both practically salivating now, they threw themselves to the floor crawling about and scooping up the numerous berries strewn about. Mostly they managed to find white, yet their blue counterparts also lay hidden in vastly smaller quantities. Their texture was unlike any berry the two were familiar with, feeling hard and unyielding to the touch.

    Sitting back against the tree line, the pair simultaneously raised a handful of berries up to their mouths, stopping just before the fruit could pass their lips with looks of horror on their faces. The berries smelled of rot, deep and pure decay, an unappetizing smell so potent that even to the starving pair the idea of consuming the handful of berries they¡¯d collected now seemed not only unappetizing but also potentially dangerous.

    Yet, mixed with the smell of decay and death, another scent faded and nearly lost, reached them. Confused and desperate, they dug through their collected piles of berries till at last they found the culprit. The blue berries lacked the smell of rot and decay that permeated every other berry, instead taking on a sweet and luxurious scent. Rasing just a singular blueberry to their lips, the two still hesitated a moment to consume the sweet-smelling fruit. They still felt nervous about eating something so closely associated with the scent of rot and death.

    However, this nervous hesitation could only last for so long before both lost out to the screaming hunger in their stomachs. Popping the blueberries into their mouths, both were underwhelmed by the berry''s taste. Despite its strong and luxurious smell that managed to pierce through even the scent of rotting death, the actual berry itself lacked any real flavor. Swallowing the surprisingly bland berry, the two waited in bated breath to see if anything would happen. As the minutes passed, the only symptom that developed within the two was a worsening of their hunger as their stomachs screamed to be properly sated.

    With nervous uncertainty still in the back of their mind, the two began scarfing down the blue berries littered across the ground. Before long the two had completely finished all the blue berries that had spilled out from the first reed and were busying themselves cracking open reed after reed and picking through the multitude of berries that spilled out for those that seemed edible. It was mind-numbing, exhaustive work as every reed around them was packed full to bursting with the rotted white berries, usually only containing a few fit to eat. As time stretched on and the silence seemed to grow thicker and thicker, Alice stopped her work suddenly and looked toward Jake.

    ¡°Tell me more about where you¡¯re from.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡± Jake asked, feeling rather unwilling to think about home at the moment, the demoralizing thoughts of hopelessness still clinging fresh to his mind.

    ¡°You¡¯ve told me about it some before, just curious that¡¯s all.¡± Alice said with a shrug, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say we¡¯d each share something once a day? I think we''re behind.¡± Jake was surprised she remembered that, letting out a small laugh before he fell back into silent thought. Alice watched him for a while, before turning back to her berries.

    It seemed a shame to let this silence continue, she could agree with that, but discussing the corridor wasn¡¯t something she could do. Not yet. She¡¯d hoped she could just change the topic and start a new conversation. But perhaps that was too na?ve. Perhaps she¡¯d¡­

    ¡°Stew,¡± Jake announced suddenly, interrupting her train of thought with nonsense as she looked up from her gathered pile of berries to stare at Jake a look of confusion on her face.

    ¡°What about stew?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s was my¡­ is my favorite meal back home. My mom''s specifically. Just meat, vegetables, flour, and beef broth. I¡¯ve tried making it myself a few times but man, for some reason, I just can¡¯t seem to make it like her. It¡¯s really something else, so simple yet so delicious.¡± Jake¡¯s eyes had a faraway look to them as he spoke, a look Alice had seen a few times now. A look of sad remembrance he often had when he discussed his home, yet it pained her to see the determination that usually burned alongside the sadness was gone now.

    ¡°We were eating these,¡± Jake said, holding the rather tasteless berries aloft ¡°So when you asked about home, it¡¯s all I could think about.¡±

    Alice let out a laugh as she let the berries she clutched fall from her hands. By now her stomach felt rather satisfied, and she was struggling to fight off the all-consuming weight of her exhaustion.

    ¡°Stew huh? Meat and vegetables at once¡­ can¡¯t even imagine it. We¡¯ll have to try it sometime¡­¡± Alice¡¯s voice was fading away now as her body slumped lower and lower, curling up against the tree behind her.

    ¡°Green Day too, don¡¯t let me forget. You still¡­ need¡­ to show me¡­¡± She was gone, drifted off to sleep as she talked. Jake let out a chuckle as she began to snore, yet his heart had begun to hurt the more she spoke. Moving closer to her, he propped himself upright against a tree, fighting with every fiber of his being to stay awake, to keep watch, trying to ignore the truth that they¡¯d probably long be separated before they could try stew together, listen to green day together.

 Day 57 - A New Normal

    Complete and utter nothingness surrounded Jake. It stuck to his skin like quicksand, trying to pull him under with his every little movement. It felt familiar, almost nostalgic. Forcing his way through the endless muck of nothing as it worked endlessly to drown him, he realized he was rudderless. Nothing stood to guide him, no landmark or guiding light broke up the horizon he could aim for. He sat sinking, alone with only the slick sensation of the surrounding nothing for company.

    Panic welled up in Jake as he tried to run, yet his every step felt wrong, almost as if the harder he tried to run the slower he moved. Sinking deeper and deeper now, he blinked only to find that the nothing had risen rapidly in a nanosecond, now completely up to his chin. He thrashed violently as he tried to resurface, yet his attempts seemed vain and pointless. He fought valiantly to keep his eyes open, struggled against the tickle of the nothing against his face till at last, it was too much.

    He blinked again and when next he opened his eyes, he found himself completely submerged. He opened his mouth in shock, only to allow the passage for the nothing into his body, drowning his lungs and squeezing the air from his throat. Trapped drowning beneath an abyssal sea of dark absence, he realized his body was slowly calming, his mind-numbing. As the life was choked from him he found he could no longer muster the strength to care, the strength to fight¡­

    All at once a blinding light broke through the nothing, enveloping Jake as it gripped him in its warmth. It seemed to soothe the pain from his body, drag the abyssal fluid free of his throat as he sputtered and coughed, reinvigorated to keep fighting. He floated through the light, dazed and confused as sense returned to his body starting from his side just below the ribs. Hard and fast his sense returned, jabbing repeatedly into his dazed body over and over and over¡­

    Jake sat up with a gasp, desperately inhaling as he blinked rapidly, blinded by the sun high overhead. His mind felt hazy the first few seconds he sat awoken, struggling to process his surroundings, yet as he watched the midafternoon sun lazily crest the sky it didn¡¯t take him long to realize that he no longer sat reclined in the jungle. Looking around with a start, his worry quickly subsided as he caught sight of Alice, crouched to the side of him still posed with her finger extended to jab into his side.

    ¡°Sorry about that¡­¡± she said, plopping back to the grass below, ¡°you were just thrashing about so violently in your sleep I thought it might be best to wake you up.¡±

    ¡°When did I fall asleep?¡± Jake asked, shaking his head to try and clear his mind of the sleep-addled cobwebs that still infested it. Looking around quickly before refocusing on Alice, they seemed to have landed in a peaceful meadow. He could hear water running nearby and out of the corner of his eyes he could make out bulbous shapes rolling about that he assumed to be living creatures of some kind.

    ¡°You don¡¯t remember? Man, you really were out of it, huh?¡± Alice asked, a smirk stretching across her face. ¡°Late last night, I woke up to find you sitting there like a revenant. You were babbling nonsense, took me forever to get you to calm down enough to fall asleep but after that, nothing seemed to wake you. Had to keep hold of you to make sure you didn¡¯t leave me behind, that didn¡¯t do it. The fall here didn¡¯t wake you either. You must have been out of it man.¡±

    She finished her story, smirking at him while Jake felt his cheeks burn slightly, feeling unfairly embarrassed for no reason. Looking away from her, still feeling her smirk burning the back of his head, Jake jumped up to his feet.

    ¡°I¡¯m starving. I want actual food this time, not just berries.¡± He announced, stalking off toward the rolling blobs a few feet away. He wanted to put a few feet of distance between himself and Alice while his embarrassment lasted. At the same time, he was eager for a chance to distract himself from his dream. Already the details were fading away from him, yet still, the emotions invoked remained.

    Alice just watched him go, still smirking a moment or two before her gaze dropped down to the ground, refocusing on her hands. She¡¯d been at work practicing just a few moments ago, stopping only to try and help the sleeping Jake. Now though, it was time to refocus.

    Slowly, methodically, she balled and unbaled her fists through the air as she envisioned the strings flowing under her skin, their hidden power coalescing in her hands as pockets of pulsing power shimmered and moved throughout her body. For the first few minutes after she began this exercise, nothing happened. Yet slowly, as she focused inward she felt a slight invisible tug within herself, and gripping tight she was able to grab hold of the strings. Power pulsed into her clutched hand as the knotted bundle of strings crossed in webs throughout her body throbbed and shook. She kept her hand clutched tight in the air as long as she could endure, before at last she was forced to admit defeat, releasing her hand.

    Nothing happened with this release, no explosion of power or ethereal effect. Externally everything remained the same. Yet internally, Alice shuddered as the pulsing power coalesced in her hands was rocketed back throughout her body, traveling through every inch of her body as the strings within her strummed and hummed a silent rhythm in response to the power¡¯s vibrations.

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    This was not the first time she¡¯d done this today, and she doubted it would be the last. When she¡¯d sat alone next to the sleeping Jake with nothing but her thoughts for company, she found she needed a new distraction, something to stop her from mentally cycling through her time in the corridor. Something new to stop her from reliving the words of the voice again and again, over and over in an endless dance. Sitting there, desperate to distract herself, she¡¯d felt it again.

    Within her, somewhere deep and unseen, the call of the curse¡¯s strings rang out. A perfectly inviting distraction. Ever since learning there may be a way to survive the Crumbling that had racked her body her whole life, Alice had found herself borderline obsessed with the strings. In the back of her mind, she always found herself contemplating them, trying to understand their mechanics, trying to find the secret to how they worked. This obsession had only multiplied after the miraculous workings of the strings allowed her and Jake to escape the voice¡¯s clutch.

    Gripping hold of the strings, now faintly dancing within her, she felt the power pulsing and growing within her. It was faint as if blocked by the knotted-up bowels of the string''s innards, yet still, she could feel it growing in intensity with each passing second she held tight to the intangible source of power, felt her body become more and more charged with energy.

    She couldn¡¯t quite recall what had spurred her to let go, whether she had just grown bored, distracted, or excited to see the result of the stockpiled power she couldn¡¯t say, yet when she released the energy gathered tight around her hands, nothing happened. Instead it had all rebounded back upon herself, filling her with an odd sensation as the power flowed freely. It vibrated and bounced and pulsed within her for a long while, far longer than she had sat gathering power, but eventually the last of the strings vibrating with power faded away.

    Alice was left confused, unsure what had happened, but something within her felt different. She felt lighter, clearer. Unsure what to do next, Alice sat a while trying to understand what had just happened, yet after a substantial period of time with no clear progress being made she decided to simply try and grip hold of the strings again, regather the power, and experience the odd sensation anew.

    This was a desperate thought, one she didn¡¯t expect to work as by now she was well used to failing in her attempts to grip hold of the strings on command. Yet, she had nothing better to do. And so, after only about an hour or so of attempts, Alice would manage to grip hold of the strings again. She was so surprised by this success that she nearly immediately let go, failing to properly collect any amount of useable power. But after this, she found she was able to find and grip hold of the strings faster and faster, each try taking less time than the one before it.

    Along with this, the flow of power within her seemed to be improving. Each time she sent coalesced energy rippling out into her body, the next time she would sit and gather energy she could harness power much faster and in much more ample amounts. It felt as if the power forced back into herself forming connections between the knotted, tangled mess that was the strings. Forming highways and byways, clearing knots, and detangling roads so that it could better flow, and more easily pass the next time it was called upon.

    A large smile sat on her face as she felt the latest bits of gathered energy pulse and vibrate away from deep within her. She wasn¡¯t sure what she was doing, or how to properly control it yet, but she¡¯d found it. A way to access the curse, possibly a way to refine it too. Each time she did so she could feel her curse pulsing away within her.

    She struggled to contain her joy when Jake woke up, struggling to stop herself from throwing the battered and beaten magic book in his lap, demanding he read more for her. Yet she¡¯d controlled herself, stopped when she saw the look in his eyes after waking up. He couldn¡¯t have had an easy sleep, not with how he trashed about all night.

    Closing and unclosing her fists again, Alice readied herself to start her practice once more when suddenly she heard a loud shout and managed to look up just in time to see one of the blobs roll over Jake. In truth, the creatures were rather an easy hunt, they seemed to have no sense of self-preservation. Or maybe they had no natural predators? Jake couldn¡¯t be certain which of the two it was as he¡¯d drawn closer to one of the swollen blobs of fat, raised knife in hand. It gave no reaction, simply sitting still staring dumbly into space.

    The only appendage attached to the blobs was a round, chubby face. It had large doe eyes, each looking in opposite directions, along with a mouth that took up the majority of its face. It had no nose or ears that Jake could see. Walking closer till he lay in line with the blob, Jake figured it would be an easy hunt. The skinning and meal preparation would likely be harder as he¡¯d never seen a creature quite like this before, but he could worry about that later.

    Yet now, standing face to face with it ready for the kill, Jake found himself hesitating. A slight tremble ran through his hand. Glancing toward his hand, Jake¡¯s gaze was drawn to his knife. Blood sat crusted and dried in little flakes on the blade, who¡¯s or what¡¯s he couldn¡¯t say clearly, yet enough remained Jake struggled to take his eyes away as he stood awhile, lost in thought.

    So lost in thought was he, that he failed to notice the blob of fat in front of him roll forward, rolling across the ground as its massive mouth hung open ripping large chunks of grass up from the ground. So lost in thought he failed to notice till the very last second that the blob of fat was rolling directly toward him. He tried to move out of the way, tried to throw his knife, but it was too late.

    He was flattened as the blob rolled overtop him. The weight of the blob itself wasn¡¯t particularly troubling, despite its larger size it weighed about as much as a large dog, yet the sensation of a large flesh ball rolling across him was deeply disturbing. Sitting upright, sputtering, Jake quickly pulled himself up from the ground, stumbling a bit, just in time to lock eyes with Alice who sat staring at him mouth agape.

    ¡°DON¡¯T YOU START NOW!¡± He shouted, but she paid him little mind as howling shouts of laughter erupted from her throat, as she collapsed backward into the grass behind her, curled up and rolling around as she struggled to contain her joy.

    ¡°SHUT IT!¡± Jake shouted towards Alice, struggling to stop a smile from breaking out across his own face as he chased after the blob that had rolled over him, concerns forgotten, body still and untrembling.

 Day 58 - Maybe Next Time Wont Be So Bad

    ¡°WAKE UP!¡± Alice heard shouts next to her, and rolling over found Betsy jumping up and down, an excited look on her face. ¡°WAKE UP! WE GET TO GO OUTSIDE TODAY! HURRY UP!¡±

    A sad smile formed slowly across Alice¡¯s face as she took in Betsy¡¯s excited visage, practically giddy as she hopped around the crumbling shack. She was only just now old enough to engage in the labor marches, so she didn¡¯t know what awaited her. Alice had warned her countless times, warned her of the hell that would await her beyond the district¡¯s gate. Yet all this seemed to fall on deaf ears as Betsy only grew more and more excited as the march grew closer and closer.

    ¡°Just give me a minute¡­¡± Alice said with a slight chuckle as she sat up from the floor. She would need to hurry, the roll call would be called soon. Being late wouldn¡¯t do either of them any good. It was best to start the march with the Unbroken in a good mood, though in the end, it wouldn¡¯t matter. The results wouldn¡¯t change. Her smile slowly faded as she turned back toward the excited Betsy, planning internally various schemes to keep her hidden, keep her away from the march. Keep that excited gleam in her eyes pure and untainted.

    Yet when she turned back Betsy was gone. Panic welled up in Alice as all at once her crumbling shack was gone, replaced now with ash and mud. Grabbed roughly from behind, Alice felt her body shoved down into the ruined soil below, forced to inhale the rotten stench of burned garbage as Betsy was long dragged out of sight. As she struggled and writhed against unseen hands, she suddenly felt her body dragged backward, forced in line with the other workers.

    The other Broken remained still, unmoving as they watched the spectacle of her desperate struggle from the corners of their eyes. She could vaguely hear a few utter sounds of distress and concern, yet none rose to help. They just left her there, curled up crying in the mud as the laughter of the Unbroken echoed out around her. A mocking voice bent low next to her ear, it¡¯s every syllable burning the inside of her head,

    ¡°Where just going to have a little talk with your friend, you don¡¯t mind do you?¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± Alice screamed, as she launched herself blindly at the unseen voice.

    ¡°No what?¡± Jake asked, jumping in surprise as Alice suddenly and blindly launched herself forward, tumbling out of her sleep and landing in a small crumble next to him.

    ¡°N¡­Nothing¡­¡± She said sheepishly, embarrassed as she kept her face hidden from view. It had been a while since she¡¯d last dreamt of Betsy, about the labor marches. A slight shudder ran through her spine. Blinking a few times, she realized tears stained her eyes. She¡¯d been crying in her sleep. For how long she couldn¡¯t say, but looking around it looked like the sun was soon due to rise. Wiping her face clean she turned back to face Jake, who was watching her with a look of concern.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, really. Just a nightmare¡­¡±

    ¡°Ok then, if that¡¯s all it was¡­¡± Jake wasn¡¯t thoroughly convinced by this explanation, he¡¯d seen her shuddering in her sleep a while now as she seemed to curl tighter and tighter before finally exploding forward. Yet he wouldn¡¯t force her to talk, wouldn¡¯t try and drag anything out of her. If she felt like discussing the issue, she would. Jake could understand wanting to ignore unpleasant dreams after all.

    ¡°What are you doing there?¡± Alice asked, pointing to the lump of flesh Jake was currently holding in his hands.

    ¡°This? It¡¯s a bladder I think, maybe a lung? Not too sure to be honest. Pulled it from the out of the blob.¡± Jake said, holding up the fleshy sack, wrinkled and deflated. When he¡¯d pulled it from out the creature, it had been expanded, full of air and slight traces of mucus, but over time it had deflated. This could be said for the entirety of the creature, as with time it seemed to wither up and shrink more and more. There was very little edible meat to be pulled from the blob after it was killed, a majority of its body was composed of trapped air and fat. Now that air had escaped, leaving behind a hollow lump of fat and flesh that Jake was busying himself with.

    ¡°But why do you have it? Is it edible?¡± Alice asked, leaning forward. Already her stomach growled with early morning hunger.

    ¡°Maybe? Not sure, I wasn¡¯t planning on that though. I¡¯ve been washing it out, I''m going to fill it with water for later. Who knows where we''ll land next.¡±

    ¡°Good idea. I¡¯d hurry though.¡± Alice said, leaning back in the grass. Looking above, the skyline was still dark and dreary, yet she could see off in the far distance tiny pricks of light beginning to bleed through. Jake didn¡¯t need to be told twice, sprinting off towards the stream that lay just out of sight behind them. He was gone only a few minutes, yet in that time the skyline changed considerably shifting from unruly hues of overwhelming dark to shifting violet and purple.

    Standing slowly to her feet, Alice swayed a little as she threatened to collapse against the light breeze that pressed against her. She felt truly awful. She felt sick, her entire body felt drained of any energy or strength. Stumbling forward slightly, she turned around ready to chase after Jake before the sun could rise fully overhead only to nearly slam into him. He¡¯d returned from the stream now clutching the bloated bit of flesh fit to bursting with water.

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    The makeshift waterskin was incredibly awkward to hold. It had swelled up to double the size Jake had expected of it, and though it had only one entrance, keeping said entrance shut while supporting the increased weight of the water within the skin required total concentration from Jake. Seeing his return, Alice scooped up their bag already packed to leave, and waited with her hand resting on her shoulder. The minutes passed as the two stood bathed in the early morning light, till at last they felt the familiar sensation of the ground disappear from beneath their feet and found themselves falling forward.

    The two crashed down into a vast sprawling desert, the sand beneath their feet unstable as it gave way easily to their weight forming small sinkholes of itchy grit. Alice largely managed to recover from this sudden plunge into the unstable sand, yet Jake was thrown completely off balance. Stumbling forward as the ground gave way beneath his weight, he found he could no longer properly support the weight of the water skin clutched tight to his chest.

    Water splashed violently and quickly, crashing upon the two and the hot sand with little care for the effort Jake had taken to gather it. When all was said and done, following the two''s arrival, less than a quarter of the collected water remained in the waterskin. The rest now lay evaporating from the ground or soaking into the pair''s skin.

    Jake stood, holding his now significantly lighter water skin with a look of disgust on his face. Surveying around him he saw nothing special, just more rolling desert and sinking fields of sand for as far as the eyes could see. Alice, however, was spellbound by everything in sight. It was all completely new to her, the scorching heat above, the sand clinging to her every pore, the rolling dunes cresting the horizon. Her breath caught; it was beautiful in a strange, haunting way.

    ¡°Wow¡­¡± Alice said aloud, looking around wildly.

    ¡°Yeah, amazing how awful it is, huh?¡±

    ¡°Not a fan?¡± Alice asked amused, watching as Jake struggled to pull himself free of the sinkhole of sand they¡¯d sunk into. Reaching her hand out, she took hold of the depleted water skin, freeing his arms and allowing him to finally pull himself free.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s great if you love being alone in a hot, godless wasteland! Who wouldn¡¯t love this place, who doesn¡¯t love the desert?¡± Jake asked sarcastically, kicking a pile of sand next to him up into the air. Alice just rolled her eyes at him.

    ¡°Come on, it¡¯s not that bad. Kind of beautiful in its own special way.¡±

    ¡°No your right, it¡¯s not that bad. It¡¯s much worse.¡± Jake said, his voice angry and uncaring at Alice¡¯s attempt to find beauty in the sprawling sands around him. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s find some shade before we burn to death¡­¡±

    Without wasting another second, he started marching off, still grumbling to himself. Alice followed after him, struggling to move. She still felt dizzy and sick, and now each step forward was a challenge. Every step forced her legs deep into the sandy ground around her as if she were wading through a river of dust and sand. Ahead of her, she could vaguely hear Jake complaining, yet found her focus divided, attention too diverted to hear him clearly.

    ¡°Can¡­ Can you take¡­¡± She managed to ask before she collapsed forward, sinking into the sand unmoving and unresponsive. Jake paused a short ways ahead. He¡¯d hear her weakly begin to ask him something, followed by a crumbling sound. Turning around he found Alice collapsed face first into the sand, body slowly sinking into the ground.

    With a start he rushed over to her, roughly pulling her loose from the burning sand. Flipping her around he found her unconscious, still breathing but seemingly only just barely.

    ¡°Oh god¡­¡± He muttered to himself, unsure what to do. Looking around in desperation he spotted a small patch of shade, born in the shadow of a particularly large and crooked dune. How long this shade would last or how comfortable it would be, Jake couldn¡¯t say, but right now that didn¡¯t matter. He needed to get her somewhere cool so she could rest.

    The shaded dune was not far, only a few dozen meters or so away, yet still Jake struggled with reaching it all the same. Gripping Alice¡¯s armpits, Jake dragged Alice¡¯s unconscious body through the sand as best he could while slowly sinking lower and lower, the unforgiving desert doing all it could to claim him as well. Still, he fought back, forcing his way through the grip of the desert, forcing Alice through the desert. Behind him, he could hear her mumbling and babbling. What she was saying, Jake wasn¡¯t too certain, but some small part of him felt relieved to hear her speaking at all.

    At last, with one final pull, the two fell back into the shade cast by the slanted dune above. Already it had moved, following the arc cast by the sun high overhead, yet enough remained that for now, it would still work. With some difficulty, Jake managed to pry the waterskin from the hands of the still-unconscious Alice and slowly, methodically, drizzle the remainder of the water down her throat. There wasn¡¯t much left, what had felt like an overabundance of water at the start now dwindled to barely enough to fill a cup or two. Yet fortunately, it seemed enough remained, as slowly Alice began to open her eyes, consciousness returning to her.

    The last hour or so seemed like a blur. She lay still, her every muscle felt pained and sluggish. Even just blinking took effort. Looking around slowly, she caught sight of Jake leaning next to her. He was coated in sweat and sand, face red from exertion as he forced the waterskin to her mouth and dumped the last of the water down her throat. Pulling back, he collapsed and let the now-empty skin fall to his side, empty and useless.

    ¡°I¡­ I fell¡­ terrible¡­¡± Alice said weakly, unmoving as she gazed up at the cloudless sky above.

    ¡°We lost¡­ a lot of blood¡­you were probably ¡­just too dehydrated ¡­¡± Jake panted out. Talking took a lot of effort at the moment as he could feel his throat begin to close as the exertion of the past hour began to catch up to him. Laid flat, Alice let his words wash over her not fully convinced. This had felt different somehow, more draining than just simple dehydration. Though she had no real way to describe what she had felt as all clear memory was gone now, only vague feeling remained.

    ¡°This¡­ is why¡­ I hate¡­ the desert¡­ someone gets shot¡­ or stranded¡­ or passes out¡­¡± Jake announced next to her.

    ¡°Well¡­ maybe next time won''t be so bad?¡± Alice suggested a hopeful tone to her voice.

    ¡°Next time¡­¡± Jake repeated, a hopeless tone in his voice.

 Day 59 - An Unexpected Setback

    Their remaining time trapped within the sprawling sands of the desert was rather uneventful. Both Jake and Alice had spent their time making idle chit-chat as they followed the shifting shadow of the dune above, sprawled out and relaxed in the sinking depths of the desert floor.

    When night came, Jake had been worried about a sudden temperature drop. They had nothing to burn and nothing to bundle up with. Yet fortunately, these concerns proved unfounded as night came and passed without too much of a drastic shift in temperature. While it certainly dropped, it stayed well above freezing. When the sun next rose, ready to usher them forth somewhere utterly new and unknown, Jake couldn¡¯t have been happier.

    As time had gone on, and Alice¡¯s condition had stabilized somewhat, Jake could reluctantly admit that this was not the worst desert he¡¯d been stranded in so far. As the two laid back relaxing in the shade, talking and joking with one another, at times he could almost be tempted to call it pleasant. Still, he felt no joy for the endless sea of grit and particulate around him. He was all too eager to flee the burning sun up above, even if Alice felt rather differently on the matter.

    Alice, despite being the person who¡¯d suffered a sudden collapse into the maw of the desert sand, felt a strange reluctance to leave the heat-kissed landscape behind. She¡¯d been somewhat enchanted by the landscape when they first arrived, it was just so different from anything she¡¯d ever seen before. While she treasured every new landscape and forest they came across, the overwhelming surprise of green grass and towering trees had faded away into a stock appreciation for their beauty. She no longer found them surprising. The desert landscape, on the other hand, had left her surprised.

    She¡¯d wanted to explore more of it. Forcing herself upright, her head still swimming, she had half a mind to try and drag Jake back out into the sprawling dunes to explore the stretching sea of heated dust and sand. Yet she let these ideas remain simply whispers in the back of her mind. For as much as she may wish to explore the desert frontier, in truth, her body simply didn¡¯t feel up to the task. While she may have been improving steadily, relaxed in her desert bed, the effects of the sun shining down high above soon took their toll. Her stomach still roared with hunger and by nightfall her throat was dry and rough.

    So come next morning, gripping hold of Jake''s hand, she took one last look at the enchanted scenery around her trying to commit the picturesque scene of the stretching dunes into her memory before they fell. As the sun rose above bathing the two in the full morning heat of the desert''s glow, they felt the sand give out beneath them as the desert disappeared, replaced once more with the unknown.

    What the hell¡­¡± Jake asked, struggling to stay upright as the pair landed with a start on a large, squishy mound. The mound squished and flexed beneath their weight, reminding both of the blob they¡¯d eaten just a few days prior. As worry began to grow in the duo that they¡¯d landed atop some massive creature, their balancing act finally proved ineffective as the two toppled forward, collapsing flat against the squishy mound.

    As they forced themselves upright, sinking ever deeper into the squishy mound, Jake realized the mound beneath them lacked any real temperature at all, neither warm nor cold. It simply existed. A dull brownish color, it was a large, curved dome-shaped platform that lay slanted slightly to the right and all around Jake could see similar domes sprouting up into the air. Some lay larger than the one the pair had landed on while others lay smaller. Something about the brownish domes littered around him sparked recognition in Jake¡¯s head, and after a few seconds of analyzing his brain made the connection as he realized he and Alice now sat perched atop a massive portobello mushroom.

    Slipping one of his knives free from his pocket, Jake pocked the tip of the blade into the cap of the mushroom and carved a decently sized chunk free. Lifting the chunk, he took a small sniff before biting into the flesh of the mushroom. He¡¯d never been the biggest fan of mushrooms, only ever seeing them in the store or as ingredients in larger more complex dishes so he wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. As his mouth was filled with flavor and juice, he found himself pleasantly surprised. It had a mild earthy flavor that filled his whole mouth, and while not his favorite taste in the world it was certainly pleasant enough.

    ¡°You¡¯re just going to eat that?!¡± Alice asked with something akin to shocked horror on her face as she watched Jake take another bite of the brown chunk pulled up from the earth below. ¡°What happened ''to be careful, it may be poisonous'', huh?! Are you feeling sick or something, do we need to¡­ would you stop eating the floor!¡± Alice asked, slapping the chunk of mushroom from Jake¡¯s hand as he went to take a third bite. Jake¡¯s stomach growled in displeasure as he glanced over toward Alice with a smirk on his face,

    ¡°What''s wrong, hmm? I happen to like the taste of the floor.¡± He said shit eating grin stretched across his face as he grabbed hold of the mushroom chunk again. Taking a massive bite out, he struggled to stop from laughing as he watched Alice stare at him with an incredulous look of disgust and confusion. Finally, he couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer as she began to move away from him, worry evident on her face. Erupting into laughter, he tossed the mushroom chunk into her lap and wheezed out,

    ¡°Oh relax will you, I¡¯m just screwing around. I recognize it from my home, it¡¯s edible. Try some, it¡¯s not too bad¡­ could use salt but what are you going to do?¡± Jake asked with a shrug, as Alice picked the scooped mushroom chunk up, some doubt still evident in her eyes.

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    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°Mushroom, though this one¡¯s pretty big. The ones back where I¡¯m from are a lot smaller.¡± Jake said as he hopped up, wobbling a bit on the unstable surface of the mushroom as he inched over toward the slanted edge of the mushroom to try and see how far up from the ground they were. Alice took a sniff of the mushroom, concern clear on her face. The only mushrooms she¡¯d ever known were the ones that grew from the dead left to rot in the district. She¡¯d never considered those to be very edible. Then again, she had heard tales about wealthier Unbroken enjoying mushrooms as a foreign delicacy, and if Jake said he recognized it¡­

    Still uncertain Alice took a slight nibble out of the mushroom chunk. Her eyes opened in pleasant surprise as the taste spread across her tongue before she began to devour the chunk with gusto. Before long it was gone, and Alice lay back into the springy mass feeling satiated, juice from the mushroom dripping down her chin.

    ¡°Hungry, huh? Thanks for leaving me some.¡± Jake said sarcastically, having watched Alice polish off the last of his mushroom chunk.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± Alice said, guilt spiking through her, though when she looked upward she saw Jake simply wave his hand in a dismissive motion as he took his knife to the mushroom, cutting another, much larger, chunk of mushroom free. Sitting back, he took a bite from the mushroom as he said,

    ¡°Bad news, I couldn¡¯t see a clear way down from here so for the time being, it looks like we''re trapped up here.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Alice said, wiggling her body so it pressed further into the squishy mound of the mushroom, a contented sigh escaping her, ¡°There are worse places to be trapped.¡±

    ¡°Well, that is true.¡± Jake said as leaned back slightly, ¡°You feeling alright?¡±

    ¡°Me? I¡¯m fine! Certainly, much better now I¡¯ve had something to eat.¡± Alice said with a grin, a slight yawn escaping her as she realized for the first time in a while she felt truly relaxed, pressed into the top of the mushroom. It felt odd to her now, alien to be so at peace. Internally she began to stress as she waited for some unknown threat to come and claim her now she¡¯d let her guard down. ¡°Can we look through the book now?¡± she asked, hoping to distract herself.

    ¡°Hmm? Sure, I guess. Just let me finish this.¡± Jake said, carving another bite out of his mushroom chunk. In truth, this conversation was one they¡¯d started yesterday as they lay unmoving in the desert¡¯s embrace. Alice had told him about her ever-improving ability to grasp the strings, her ever-improving ability to feel the curse pulsing and humming within herself. She¡¯d been eager to keep digging through the magic book, yet Jake was forced to stop her.

    For one, he was worried about her. She¡¯d just collapsed from the heat of the desert, unconscious for who knows how long. Forcing herself to try and wrestle with her curse that literally pulled her body apart could wait at least one day. Another reason was he was struggling just to make casual conversation with her his throat so cracked and dry. He didn¡¯t feel physically up to reading through the magic book at the moment, all of which he told her yesterday. So, she waited on bated breath for this moment now, when both had recovered enough that she could hopefully make new strives in her understanding of magic, of her understanding of the curse.

    ¡°Your magic should easily pool within you, flowing like the tide to each pore of your body. As you are now, reading this book, your body may have blocked dams that stop the natural ebb and flow of your magic or prevent you from pooling it together properly. With careful steady practice, these restrictions can fade away¡­¡± Jake read aloud, finding himself falling into a trance-like groove as he read the textbook aloud. Yet with every sentence he spoke, Alice found herself growing more and more confused, more and more alarmed.

    ¡°Ok, the next few pages start referring to ¡®Basic Spell Craft Volume 1¡¯ which we don¡¯t have, but summarizing it says you should start repeatedly casting the same one or two spells over and over again to help improve the flow of your magic and its overall strength. There''s also some diagrams here which I don¡¯t understand fully, but maybe they¡¯ll mean something to you?¡±

    He flipped the book around, towards her, and flipped through a series of diagrams showcasing various parts of the human anatomy all with illustrations of flowing rivers or pools of liquid coalesced within. Jake could guess these illustrations were showcasing the ideal way magic should flow and pool through one¡¯s body, yet as he had no magic at all he had no idea how accurate the diagrams were. Looking up at Alice as he flipped through them, he was met with a deep-seated frown and a look of confusion.

    ¡°This is wrong¡­¡± She said in almost a whisper, before taking the book from his hands and flipping wildly through the diagrams. Yet no matter how many she checked none of them matched. None of them made sense.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with it?¡± Jake asked, concerned he¡¯d maybe mispronounced or misspoken something while reading.

    ¡°This, this isn¡¯t what the curse feels like at all. None of this is right. It doesn¡¯t flow or pool! It pulses, vibrates, and hums its way throughout my body. It isn¡¯t dammed or blocked off, it¡¯s tied up in knots, weaved into webs!¡±

    ¡°Is it really that different?¡± Jake asked with innocent curiosity.

    ¡°ITS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT!¡± Alice shouted, tossing the book back toward him, gripping the side of her head she began to curl tight into a ball, all the excitement she¡¯d built up to pour through its contents disappeared in an instant. The book was useless to her.

    ¡°Ok, ok. Your curse must be different from whatever is described in the book. Still, though, you said you could feel it now right, which means you''re just one step away from controlling it. We just need to find a different book or do it ourselves if that doesn¡¯t work. We¡¯ll work it out, you¡¯ve already made tons of progress just feeling it in you, how hard can controlling it be?¡± Jake said in a hurry, rambling now as he tried to comfort the distraught-looking Alice.

    Alice sat a while, listening to Jake ramble next to her feeling her breathing begin to steady and calm. Jake was right. They¡¯d already made massive progress so far. She¡¯d lost sight of that in the moment seeing the first real hope to her survival disappear. Uncurling a bit now and watching Jake continue to rant at her, a small smile broke onto her face. She felt the despair that had permeated her begin to fade away. Things weren¡¯t hopeless yet, not by a mile.

 Day 60 - A Panicked Landing

    ¡°Ready to go?¡± Jake asked, glancing over toward Alice as the two lay reclined, resting in the comforting embrace of the mushroom. The sky above still lay barren and dark, not a star to be seen twinkling above. The two had sat awake for a while, circling the drains of conversation as they awaited the first signs of daylight that would signal their departure.

    ¡°Ready as ever, I guess,¡± Alice said as she pulled herself free from the mushroom''s comforting embrace. A small indent left behind her carved into the mushroom''s surface where she¡¯d been resting. Crawling over to sit beside Jake she glanced up at the sky above. Still dim and grey, she guessed they still had some time to kill before morning.

    ¡°Hey Alice¡­¡± Jake said next to her, voice quiet and uncertain.

    ¡°Yeah?¡±

    ¡°Sorry again¡­ about getting your hopes up about the book I mean. I¡¯m sure we can find something else but still¡­¡±

    ¡°Would you quit bringing that up,¡± Alice said, shoving Jake''s shoulder with a slight chuckle, ¡°It¡¯s like you said we¡¯ll find something else right? Besides, I¡¯m not magic I¡¯m cursed remember? Of course that book wouldn¡¯t work, it was silly to think we could find everything we need the first place we checked!¡±

    ¡°Ok, ok whatever you say then. We¡¯ll find something all about curses next time then.¡± Jake said with a slight nod, though he found himself unable to meet Alice¡¯s gaze. Guilt hung heavily on his heart as he remembered her reaction to the book¡¯s failure, her utter despair in the face of her impending demise. He¡¯d save her¡­ he¡¯d have to.

    ¡°What does your curse feel like exactly?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­ hard to put into words really. Hard to describe to someone who¡¯s never felt it before. I¡¯m sorry but I don¡¯t know if you could ever really get it Jake, not fully. I just knew, looking through those pictures and hearing those descriptions, that what the book was talking about was different. Similar probably, but fundamentally different. They talked about magic like a fluid, flowing like blood in the body. When I can feel it, my curse¡­ pulses. It¡¯s almost rhythmic.¡±

    ¡°Rhythmic¡­¡± Jake said quietly, falling deep into thought before reaching behind him for the pair''s rather run-down bag. The journey so far had been rather rough on the patchwork backpack. By now it had developed several holes and tears of various sizes. Still, it was managing to do its job well enough and after digging through the pack''s contents for a bit Jake remerged with a triumphant smile and a small clay tube clutched in his hands.

    ¡°Could this help?¡± He asked, tossing the small flute over towards Alice. She caught the flute with surprise, turning the rough, scratched flute over in her hands before looking up at Jake clearly confused.

    ¡°How would this help?¡±

    ¡°Well, you said it was rhythmic right? Maybe playing that could help you somehow?¡± Jake said, voice faltering now as he began to feel more and more foolish in response to her question. Silence rang out between the two for a while, before Alice let out a simple,

    ¡°Hmm,¡± and with a light shrug brought the flute up to her lips, beginning to play a random melody. It was choppy and rough as she had little clue as to how to properly play the crude instrument in her hands, yet still, it felt comforting to her. The random assortment of notes she played seemed to soothe her soul. They completed a piece of her she didn¡¯t even know was missing.

    Yet as she stopped playing, pulling the flute free from her mouth she realized just how empty she felt. It was as if she had just been made aware of a gaping wound in her very being, a wound she¡¯d been able to ignore thus far because she didn¡¯t know it existed. Now she knew of its existence, scratched some unseen itch, her entire being seemed to vibrate with longing. Longing the flute she held couldn¡¯t provide.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± She said, tossing the instrument back to Jake her head hung low lost in thought.

    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Jake said, catching the flute and pocketing it, ¡°Just thought maybe it could help.¡±

    ¡°No, it helped. I definitely felt¡­ something. But my curse didn¡¯t react, at least it didn¡¯t react very strongly.¡±

    ¡°Hmm, maybe a different instrument then? We¡¯ll have to see if we can find something else.¡± Truthfully, Jake was shocked to hear the flute had any effect at all, he¡¯d been grasping at random straws. But if the curse was really rhythmic in nature, really had responded to the flute, this was excellent news. It gave the two a clue.

    ¡°Yeah, you hold onto it,¡± Alice said, glancing over toward Jake with a small smirk before leaning back again, allowing herself to sink once more into the mushroom''s embrace. It was taking the sun far longer to rise than either was expecting, though she could see a few pinpricks of purple as the early morning light lit up the dawn. ¡°You hold onto it. You can entertain me with it.¡±

    ¡°What? Why would I do that?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, you know more about music than me. Go ahead, play us a tune Greenday.¡±

    ¡°First of all, don¡¯t call me that¡­¡± Jake began, annoyance clear in his tone as he watched Alice roll over atop the mushroom to smirk at him.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? Don¡¯t you like your nickname? Fine, I¡¯ll abbreviate it to Greenie, is that better? Now play us a tune Greenie!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not going to¡­¡±

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    ¡°Well, what else do you have to do?¡± she asked in a drawn-out exaggerated tone. Jake sat for a minute stewing in his obvious annoyance, all the while Alice sat smirking struggling not to laugh. Finally, after a while, Jake sighed with reluctance.

    ¡°If I play the stupid flute, will you stop calling me that?¡±

    ¡°I make no promises Greenie, but it won¡¯t hurt your chances!¡±

    ¡°Then your wishes are my command, oh Blessed One,¡± Jake said, glancing over at her expecting to see her grimace with annoyance at the mention of the name christened to her by the elves. Instead, she just seemed to be staring at him an expectant look in her eyes, smirk unbroken. Sighing deeply, Jake finally prepared to capitulate and just give her what she wanted yet as he raised the flute to his lips, ready to play some random awful melody, he stopped as he caught sight of more and more flashes of light breaking through the horizon. The morning sun had come. Pocketing the flute, he offered Alice his hand.

    ¡°Looks like that¡¯ll have to wait,¡± Jake said, smirking as Alice took hold of his hand. The two stood atop the mushroom a moment or two longer, slightly unbalanced as their weight sank into fungal flesh, till at last with the rise of the sun they fell into their next destination. Their landing was anything but graceful, off balance from the texture of the mushroom they failed to properly land and collapsed hard on paved stone, ending up on top of each other in a heap.

    Untangling themselves and standing up, the duo found themselves standing in the middle of a bustling marketplace. All around them people wearing crude fabrics and leather cloaks pushed past eager to force themselves to the front of wooden popup stalls, roadside carts, and permanent brick-and-mortar storefronts. Jake blinked a few times in surprise. It had been a while since the last time he¡¯d stood face-to-face with anyone other than Alice, so he wasn¡¯t quite sure how to react. Alice for her part desperately retreated deep into her tattered cloak, doing everything in her power to hide her cracked and crumbling flesh.

    The two attracted little attention from passersby. There were already plenty of people milling about dressed in tattered cloaks and carrying strange bags that the two new arrivals did little to attract attention. Even their sudden appearance failed to garner much attention, as those who had noticed it failed to keep tabs on them long enough to stop them from blending into the packed crowd of shoppers. Some sense returning to him, Jake looked around a bit with wonder in his eyes as he took in the various stalls and shops scattered around him.

    ¡°This is perfect! We needed to resupply¡­¡± He said as he reached out to grab hold of Alice so the two wouldn¡¯t be separated in the crowd, only to find her flinching and retreating away from him.

    ¡°Alice?¡± She peered at him from under the cloak, fear evident on her face.

    ¡°Sorry¡­¡± She said, voice quiet and uncertain ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to flinch like that, force of habit. I just¡­ wasn¡¯t expecting so many Unbroken all at once, it took me by surprise is all. Can you give me a minute?¡±

    ¡°Sure, no problem¡­¡± Jake replied, looking around slightly concerned as he realized the longer they stood unmoving in the middle of the path the more a roadblock they became and the more annoyed the passersby around them were becoming. ¡°Let¡¯s step over here for a moment, ok?¡±

    Alice gave no arguments, seemingly lost in thought, allowing herself to be led to the side. They came to rest and a small alley on the side of the bustling road, hidden from view. Once out of sight, Alice pulled her cloak from her face as she struggled to breathe, chest tightening more and more. She felt dizzy like she was going to puke. She¡¯d never felt like this before. She thought she could control her fear, she''d had to confront and master it every time she ventured out of the district to the market.

    But now... it all seemed so much more real. Thrust into the sea of Unbroken, the memories of Betsy clouded her mind. The feelings of the guard¡¯s batons breaking her skin seared her flesh. Now she¡¯d tasted freedom, true absolute freedom, she couldn¡¯t go back. Couldn¡¯t face the guards again, couldn¡¯t confront Betsy again. She refused to do it. She wouldn¡¯t do it, no matter what. She needed a way out, an escape. But where. How? How? Ho...

    ¡°ice¡­ ALICE!¡± Alice blinked suddenly looking up from the floor, her mind drawn back to reality as Jake repeatedly shouted her name. Unsure what to say she simply stood and stared, struggling to breathe as tears filled her eyes. Still though, even as she focused on Jake her mind raced a mile a minute trying to form escape routes and strategies she could use to sneak away from the bustling group of Unbroken that crowded around her.

    ¡°Alice, listen to me, they aren¡¯t Unbroken. They¡¯re just people, people like me¡­¡± Jake said as he held up his arm, uncracked and uncrumpled. ¡°They aren¡¯t the Unbroken, we left the Unbroken behind remember. They can never reach us, never reach you again. You''re safe, I promise you. You''re safe...¡±

    He held her by the shoulders, struggling to think of what could reassure her. He¡¯d heard her muttering ever since they¡¯d gotten into the alleyway, watched her struggle to calm herself down. He didn¡¯t know what more he could do to calm her yet watching her like this, struggling through a panic attack, he knew he had to try.

    ¡°YOU¡­ YOU DON¡¯T KNOW THAT!¡± Alice screamed back in response after a long while, struggling to find the words. ¡°YOU DON¡¯T KNOW THAT! I¡¯M CURSED, BROKEN! SOON AS THEY SEE ME THEY¡¯LL¡­¡±

    ¡°Alice¡­¡± Jake said softly, shaking her slightly by the shoulders ¡°If you look out there, I guarantee you you¡¯ll find dozens upon dozens of people covered in scars. I¡¯ll admit they don¡¯t come close to yours, yours are much cooler¡­¡± Jake flashed her a smile, ¡°But no one here has ever heard of the Broken or Unbroken. I promise you.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°Worse comes to worse, we still have the revolver, right? But I promise you, we won¡¯t need it, you¡¯ll be alright.¡±

    Alice stood still now, unmoving and unspeaking, simply trembling as she struggled to regain her breath, phantom pain surging across her back. She could still feel the voice¡¯s guards beating her down, see the batons of the unbroken sparkle and drip with her blood. She tried to heed Jake¡¯s words, tried to calm herself down, yet her body seemed unresponsive to the idea as it only grew more and more agitated with each passing second.

    ¡°Please I just¡­¡± She finally said, trembling, struggling to stand. Nothing more needed to be said as Jake released her shoulders, and helped her to the ground where she curled up head pressed tight to her knees. She could hear Jake stand above her, hear his nervous breathing. Feel his presence as he kept watch above her, her own personal protector.

    Slowly, curled up into herself she managed to calm down. How long she stayed like this she couldn¡¯t say, but as time stretched on she found herself repeating just one thought over and over. The reassurance given by Jake, ¡®They''re Just People¡¯. With a sigh, she pulled her head free from her knees to find Jake unmoved, watching her with a look of concern across his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m ok now¡­¡± She said after a while, yet still sat unmoving. Even if her head had calmed down, and accepted the logical difference between those who surrounded her and the Unbroken, her body still seemed unwilling to move, unwilling to act. Suddenly, a hand appeared before her, and glancing up she saw Jake watching her, eyes uncertain as he extended his hand out to help her up. With a slight laugh, she grasped hold of his hand and allowed herself to be pulled back up to her feet again.

    ¡°Thanks Greenie¡­ Thanks Jake¡­¡±

 Day 61 - Finally Complete

    ¡°See anything we could use?¡± Jake asked, glancing over a packed shelf full of various trinkets, doodads, and gizmos. In other words, a shelf full of garbage.

    ¡°No¡­¡± Alice replied, voice quiet and muffled by her cloak still drawn tight over her face as she moved throw the maze-like rows of shelves surrounding her. When the duo had first left the alleyway and forced their way back onto the crowded marketplace, every step had been a struggle. She could feel her fears physically manifesting around her, feel them physically threaten to grab hold of her every time she brushed up against a passing Unbroken. Yet the longer she walked, the more people she passed completely uncaring of her existence, the more she realized the truth to Jake''s words.

    There were no Unbroken around her. Rather, she was surrounded by people, plain ordinary people. Nothing more and nothing less. What she made of them, and what they made of her, was for her to decide now. The longer she spent out of the alleyway, walking side by side with Jake as they pursued the surrounding stores, talking and laughing amongst each other, the less the panic in her heart seemed to reach her.

    She could still feel the pain carved into her back. Still remember the horrors of the unbroken if she paused to think of it, paused to linger on the past. Yet she had no reason to, no desire to. The past could lay behind her, dead and rotted. She was free, free to carve a future for herself. Free to be just another ordinary person, cast aside the label of Broken.

    ¡°Well¡­ keep looking I guess!¡± Jake shouted back to her, a few shelves over now, no longer facing her direction. ¡°We still have a few coins left to spend before we turn in for the night¡­¡±

    At the start of their day, the two had managed to haggle an exceptional price for a handful of the gems provided to them by the elves. Those that went unsold were repocketed in the bag, broken during their encounter with the voice or simply unvalued here. They¡¯d have to try selling those again on a different world. What they could sell, however, still netted them a tidy profit of six coins, large colored a soft white. Jake, unsure of what metal the coins were made of or how valuable they were, accepted the deal carefully hoping they¡¯d made enough to at least spend the night in an inn somewhere.

    As it turned out, they¡¯d managed to make enough to not only sleep comfortably in an inn, costing a total of three coins in total when accounting for the meal they planned on eating later tonight but also had enough left over to shop for essential supplies. Among those supplies they¡¯d managed to secure a small waterskin, a second backpack for Alice to wear, two new blankets to replace the one lost killing the voice, and second-hand (slightly worn down) clothes. In total this had cost the pair about two and a half coins, spread out amongst various stalls and stores along the main road.

    Each time they¡¯d spend one of their larger coins, they would receive handfuls of change composed of various coins in multitudes of colors and sizes. Exactly what value each coin type had, Jake hadn¡¯t a clue, so the exact amount of money they had left was a mystery to him. He didn¡¯t particularly care though; it wasn¡¯t like the pair was trying to save up. All these coins would be worthless tomorrow morning, so they may as well buy as much as they could now.

    Passing quickly through the rows of shelves, Jake was prepared to write off the random store they¡¯d entered to avoid a sudden influx in the crowds outside when suddenly something caught his eyes. Buried in a bin of miscellaneous items, he carefully picked up a small, old, harp. It was made of what looked like tarnished brass, splotchy and unappealing. Its overall shape was uneven, bent inwards with three weathered strings spanning its frame. Carefully plucking one of these strings, a rather unappealing note met Jake¡¯s ears as he could tell the worn-down harp no longer played in any sort of tune. Still, holding the beat-up chunk of brass and string he couldn¡¯t stop a smile from spreading across his face.

    ¡°Alice! Come here a second!¡± Silence followed his cry for a second before the rustling of fabric echoed throughout the store. It grew closer and closer marking her approach before she called out standing directly beside him,

    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±

    ¡°Here,¡± He replied, tossing the brass harp towards her, ¡°Give that a try. It¡¯s pretty old so it might not work but it''s worth a try, right?¡±

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    Curious, Alice lifted the harp close to her face examining its worn down and unimpressive visage before plucking a single cord from its string. It felt as if a bomb had exploded within her as every one of the strings winding throughout her body pulsed in response. Excitement breaking out across her face, she quickly began to strum as much of a melody as she could utilizing the three remaining strings stretched across the frame of the ruined harp. With every movement of her fingers, she could feel energy pulse and dance within her, swaying rhythmically. She was so lost in the feeling of the strings within her, so lost in the joy they brought she almost failed to hear Jake ask about the harp, ask if it did anything.

    ¡°This¡­¡± she said, voice shaky with wonder and excitement, ¡°This is it! We need this, we need to buy this thing!¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Jake said, surprised as he took the harp back from her, examining it closely. It looked utterly unremarkable, downright shoddy. It truly belonged in this store filled to the brim with useless knickknacks and broken bits of trash. But looking into Alice¡¯s eyes, seeing the excitement that radiated from her, he didn¡¯t dare question her further about it. If she was so confident about the harp, who was he to question her?

    ¡°Alright then, we should have enough for it. I mean, the thing is practically falling apart. Let''s buy the harp and get out of here, alright?¡± Alice nodded along, eyes still locked onto the harp. She struggled to not snatch it back from him. Struggled to let him pay for it. Struggled as he haggled with the store owner who was trying to demand three full coins for it. At last, stepping out of the store onto the main road the harp was handed back to her. As Jake glared over his shoulder, staring daggers at the store owner, Alice strummed the harp strings again and felt her body pulse and dance in response.

    She¡¯d never felt like this before. She¡¯d felt something similar to it earlier with the flute, a mere taste compared to this. It felt like she was complete now. Like a limb she¡¯d been born without had finally grown in, strong and healthy. As she held the harp, spellbound by it despite all its blemishes, she turned around to face Jake, a massive smile across her face.

    ¡°Thanks, Greenie!¡± She announced, clutching the harp tightly to her chest.

    ¡°Would you stop calling me that already?¡± He said in response, tone exasperated and defeated. He¡¯d ignored it for a while when she stood trembling in terror on the verge of another panic attack. But now that she stood before him beaming, the perfect picture of happiness, he felt it was time to push the issue again.

    ¡°No can do,¡± she said with a laugh as she began to run down the street forcing her way through the crowd, ¡°You didn¡¯t play the flute, now you''re stuck with it!¡±

    ¡°What are you...would you wait up!¡± He called back, clearly annoyed as he struggled to follow after her. Yet she couldn¡¯t stop, couldn¡¯t wait for him. This feeling coursing through her, this energy, this completeness. It pulled her forward through the streets with a laugh while Jake followed behind, yelling mock complaints to her, all the while struggling to keep the annoyance in his voice.

    <hr>

    ¡°Why¡¯d you waste the last of our money on that?¡± Alice asked, sitting on the edge of the inn¡¯s bed. It was rather soft, the mattress and blankets were plump and warm.

    ¡°Why not buy them? We needed to spend the cash, didn¡¯t we? Plus, now if we rip our clothes we can sew them back together,¡± Jake countered, pocketing the bundle of string and the needle he¡¯d purchased with the remainder of their spending cash into his bag.

    ¡°Do you even know how to sew?¡±

    ¡°Well no, but still¡­¡±

    ¡°We could have bought some food! Vegetables, fruits, meat! MEAT! I mean, who knows where we¡¯ll¡­¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± Jake shouted, interrupting her and causing her to fall backward in shock, sinking the bed below her. ¡°No¡­ no food. Buying food would have been a bad idea, it would just spoil after all, yeah?¡± he asked, subconsciously rubbing his left leg.

    ¡°Sure¡­¡± Alice said, glancing over at him from where she lay sprawled out on the bed, ¡°Whatever you say¡­¡± That reaction didn¡¯t seem normal. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what had him on edge but she doubted it was a pleasant story. But before she had time to pry further, she let out a rather large yawn. Pressed flat into the bed now, she felt her exhaustion begin to take hold as she started to drift off to sleep.

    ¡°You¡­ you going to get to sleep anytime soon?¡± She asked Jake, struggling now to keep her eyes open.

    ¡°No, you go ahead, I¡¯m gonna sort through all the stuff we bought. His back was turned to her now, so she couldn¡¯t see his face anymore.

    ¡°Suit yourself¡­¡± she replied, forcing her body deeper into the warm confines of the bed. "I never knew a bed could be¡­ so relaxing¡­¡± Within minutes, she had fallen asleep, her breathing soft and relaxed behind Jake. He turned around after a while, a slight smile on his face. He was glad to see her so relaxed, so happy, especially after her struggles earlier this morning.

    Yet he couldn¡¯t allow himself the same luxury. Couldn¡¯t allow himself the same joy a bed might bring him. Instead, he sat in a rough wooden chair that faced the entrance to their room. Unmoving and unflinching, he sat throughout the night, revolver clutched in his hand. Unable to let his guard down in the comfortable warmth of the inn. Never again.

 Day 62 - The Fires Dance

    ¡°We¡¯ll be leaving soon¡­¡± Jake said above her, shaking her shoulder as he pulled her back into consciousness. A grumble of incoherent complaint escaped the back of her throat as Alice forced herself upright, cover falling away from her as she blinked bleary-eyed and dazed. She was rather upset at having been woken up, she couldn¡¯t remember a time in her life she¡¯d rested so peacefully. She thought the mushroom had been comfortable, a soft and inviting mass she could sink into, yet still, the warmth of the bed put it to shame. Internally, her heart wept for all the nights wasted sleeping on her floor.

    Spinning around to face Jake she prepared a complaint in her mind, sarcastic and annoyed, but it died in her throat before she could hope to share it. He looked awful. His eyes looked slightly unfocused, as matted, greasy hair clung to his face. Dark circles were evident under his eyes. His clothes, though not usually very pristine, looked somehow more unkempt and unruly than usual.

    ¡°What happened to you?¡±

    ¡°Trouble sleeping¡­¡± He replied, voice clearly tired as he broke into a yawn, his hands pawing at his eyes. ¡°Come on, suns rising any second¡­¡±

    Glancing toward the window Alice saw he was correct. Already streaks of purple tore through the horizon, beginning to break away and reveal the true brilliance of the dawn to come. Startled by how fast the sun was upon her, she tried to hurry out of bed to pack only to be stopped by Jake who placed a hand on her shoulder.

    ¡°No time¡­ I packed everything¡­¡± He said before interrupting himself with a rather ferocious yawn, and Alice noticed for the first time that in the hand not resting on her shoulder he was holding her newly purchased backpack. ¡°Just give me your hand before it¡¯s too late. Not that this place is so bad I guess¡­¡± Jake said, slightly out of it as he gazed around the inn. Alice just gave him a grateful nod, grasping hold of the hand still resting near her shoulder.

    She¡¯d barely managed to grasp hold of his hand before a few moments later the two had slipped, falling through to a new world. Yet something was different this time. The two landed with a thunderous crash, landing in a heap of featherdown and broken wood. Untangling themselves from the wreckage of their latest landing Alice realized the inn¡¯s bed she¡¯d still been resting on had made the journey with them.

    ¡°We stole a bed¡­¡± Jake said, voice sounding half concerned half asleep. He was standing again now but looking him over Alice could guess it wouldn¡¯t be long before he passed out flat. Thankfully, looking around her she realized the majority of the bed had survived the fall, even if the bedframe hadn¡¯t been so lucky. Smiling softly she fully untangled herself free from the clutches of the destroyed bed''s comforter before grasping lightly to Jake¡¯s shoulder.

    ¡°We sure did, huh? You should probably get some sleep, don¡¯t you think?¡± She said gently, slowly nudging him forward toward the bed sprawled out across the ground.

    ¡°But¡­ we don¡¯t know where we are¡­ or¡­ or what¡­ or¡­¡± He was struggling to talk now. Though he continued to offer light resistance and complaints, he made no significant effort to resist being shoved forward into the remains of the bed sprawled out on the ground.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I¡¯ll take care of everything¡­¡± Alice said vaguely, not entirely sure what she was promising to take care of outside of keeping watch while he slept. Still, that seemed enough to satisfy Jake''s tired mind as without further complaint he collapsed, falling deep asleep within a few seconds.

    Stepping back from the wreckage of the bed so as not to disrupt his slumber, though she doubted she could wake him now even if she tried, she let a deep sigh escape her. Looking around where they¡¯d landed, she couldn¡¯t see anything of note for miles. The ground was bare coated in dried dirt. A few dead and dried trees grew sporadically around them, yet nothing living was anywhere in sight. This was a major disappointment to Alice as she could already feel her stomach tying itself in knots, unsatisfied with the lackluster dinner provided by the inn.

    A pang of annoyance shot through her as she recalled the pitiful bit of string Jake had brought back yesterday, purchased with the last of their money. Though she admitted the string would probably serve more helpful in the long run, she¡¯d kill for something to eat right now. Then again¡­

    She shuddered remembering Jake''s sudden, violent reaction last night when she brought up the idea. He¡¯d been so normal up till that point, it had come completely out of nowhere. Not to mention, what the hell was with him staying awake all night? She¡¯d expected him to keep watch awhile, wake her when he felt like drifting off to sleep. Instead, it looked like he¡¯d just sat there in the silent dark all night, alone and unmoving.

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    A shiver went up her spine as she glanced toward Jake¡¯s sleeping form, now absentmindedly tugging at the mess of covers and sheets sprawled out around him at random during the fall. She felt sometimes she forgot how little she really knew about him. He¡¯d done so much for her, given her so much in such a short period that she often forgot that the two of them were practically still strangers. She knew nothing of his journey before the two met save a few handed comments here and there, nothing concrete. As for where he was from¡­

    She knew more about that. New some fun facts that amounted to little more than trivia it felt like. When they first met, whenever the topic of home would come up, Jake seemed willing to talk about it. It was never anything personal, always small inconsequential things, but still, the things he talked about she could never have imagined in a million years. Now though, ever since¡­ ever since the corridor¡­ He always looked so sad when talking about home. Always looked so sad whenever Alice would ask about it or talk about what little she did know. So sad, so hopeless. Eventually, she learned to let it go as new topics of conversation grew between the two.

    Shaking her head to refocus her thoughts, Alice grabbed hold of the two packed bags dropped to the floor by the shambling Jake as he¡¯d collapsed into the bed and tore through their contents. She had faith in Jake, even as exhausted as he was, yet still she thought it was best to check everything was here even if there wasn¡¯t much they could do about it now. Better to be prepared. Thankfully, it looked like everything had made the journey, spread out across the two bags.

    Closing the flap of the second bag and finishing her search, a chill ran down her spine as her entire body shivered, caught unprepared by a sudden chill passing through the valley of dried earth and dead trees. Even the air seemed lifeless, cold and still, and with it Alice could feel her body temperature falling fast as with each breeze, even the minor ones, she was left shivering arms drawn close to herself for warmth.

    Tearing the bags back open after just having finished closing them, she sorted desperately for where Jake had stored the blankets bought only yesterday, pausing her search as her hand brushed against a pair of rough rocks settled at the bottom of Jake''s pack. She¡¯d seen him use these before a few times, how fast they could spark a fire.

    Excitement building in her, she pulled the sparking stones free from the confines of the bag and turned them over in her hand, feeling their weight as she examined them. Holding one in each of her hands, she brought them together in a scrapping motion sending a shower of hot sparks out across her legs. She stood in surprise, ready to fight to extinguish the sparks before they could spread. Thankfully, most died soon as they touched her with only a few lingering long enough to smolder lightly on her clothes before also dying out.

    With a satisfied nod, Alice traipsed around the remains of the stolen bed gathering the pieces of the destroyed bed frame. When her work was complete, she¡¯d assembled a sizable pile of wood chunks across from her, topped with sprinkles of sawdust and splinters for garnish. Sitting back a moment, Alice admired her work before sending showers of sparks out upon her wooden creation. It didn¡¯t take long for the gathered timber to light, and before long a roaring fire had erupted in the middle of the barren plain the two now found themselves, Alice crawling closer to the edge as she savored its warmth.

    Letting the stones slip from her hands she leaned forward admiring the way the heat of the fire danced and swayed in the breeze, seeming to invite her forward and pulling her ever close to the warm embrace of the flame''s heat. Watching the heat of the flame she felt something within herself stir, drawn to life. Blinking a few times to recompose herself, she tore her eyes away from the fire as she began digging through the bags again before finally pulling the battered harp free.

    Cradling it softly in her hands, she turned back and was immediately redrawn to the fire''s flames as something within her seemed to erupt. She¡¯d never felt like this before, never felt a pull this strong. Instinctively, she tugged one of the remaining strings left on the harp, its battered sound filling the air as she could feel inside herself the bundles and webs of strings resonant in harmony, rhymical pulsing in time to the sound of the single note. And across from her, the fire responded in kind.

    It seemed to sway, drifting off to the left as the note hung cracked and broken in the air before faltering and returning to normal. Shocked, Alice plucked another string, watching as the fire swayed and danced to the right now. Entranced, Alice pulled the last of the harp''s broken strings and was nearly burned as the fire roared in response, almost doubling in size. Stepping back a few feet, Alice resettled back into the dry dirt several meters away from the roaring flame and began to play.

    She knew little of what she was doing, the song produced was not very melodious and was terribly off-beat, not helped by the poor state of the harp she lovingly cradled. The fire didn¡¯t seem to mind though, it roared to life, swaying in the air as it danced to the song of the harp, danced in time to the rhythmic pulsing that resonated throughout her body. Faster and faster she played, uncaring how she sounded, only caring to watch the fires dance. Only caring to feel the pulse of power grow within her, resonate and dance and vibrate against her internal knots and webs.

    ¡°What the hell¡­¡± She heard off to her side, distracting her long enough to stop, turn and see Jake sitting up out of the bed looking around confused as he watched the fire dance and sway in time to Alice¡¯s harp. Only now did she realized how much time had truly pass, the sun already beginning to set. Only now did she fell a deep exhaustion begin to grip hold of her being as the strings within released the pulsing power back upon themselves, flooding her body.

    ¡°Morning¡­¡± She said towards Jake, distracted by the sensation of power vibrating throughout her body. It was lasting far longer and was far more intense than she¡¯d ever felt before.

 Day 63 - Adapt or Die

    ¡°What was that?¡± Jake asked, pulling himself free from the remains of the destroyed bed as he walked over toward where Alice sat, eyes glued upon the roaring fire. It sat motionless now, unmoving, but just seconds ago he¡¯d watched it sway and dance in time to Alice, responding in kind to her playing. Sitting down beside her, eyes wide, he looked at her with shock and awe.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± She replied, feeling embarrassed for some reason as the rhythmic pulsing of the curse''s power continued to flow within her. It felt clearer than ever before to her now as she sat in reflection, feeling the energy resonate within her. Knots she¡¯d felt certain were set in stone were again beginning to unravel, untangled slowly as bit by power pulsed and vibrated within her.

    Bathed in the power coursing within her, she realized that she¡¯d been wrong before. The power dancing within her wasn¡¯t taking shortcuts between the strings. Every string, every web, every knot pulsed with energy. No, it was clear to her now the strings weren¡¯t making shortcuts, rather they were slowly weaving new strings, new webs of unseen energy more complex than what currently existed. Intertangled in a shifting array of pulsing power she could only just now begin to understand, just now begin to feel, she sat back and enjoyed the sensation.

    ¡°Huh¡­¡± Jake said as he leaned forward, watching the fire sway gently in the chilling breeze of dusk, nowhere near as violently or beautiful as when it danced in time to Alice¡¯s tune. It was an odd sight to see, but still, it was a welcome one for the two. Any progress they made in understanding her curse would mean the difference between life and death. A quick glance around showed him all he needed to see, there was nothing useful here, but next time they landed they¡¯d have to venture out and experiment, look around more, and¡­

    His thoughts died out as he leaned backward slowly, a weird feeling building up in his chest. He realized at that moment just how normal this all had become to him. How long had he been lost falling between worlds? Months already now, surely. Was that how long it took for him to get used to all this? How long it took to fall into a routine?

    He looked down at his hands, callused and scratched. His nails were long and overgrown trapping dirt and blood beneath their filthy exterior. They looked the same as ever to him, the hands he hunted with and fought with. Yet they looked so alien, so unfamiliar. He looked around, taking in the scenery around him by the light of the dancing fire. It was barren and empty, devoid of life. Devoid of purpose. Not too long ago, he¡¯d have been shocked, terrified to land somewhere like this. Now though¡­ now it just felt like any other day. It may be a day he went hungry or grew thirsty, but still just another day. It no longer surprised him.

    Silence grew between the two as the darkness of night grew more and more encompassing until before long only the light of the fire remained. No stars shone above, no moon hung low in to sky. No sign of home was left. As the enlightening, almost dizzying sensation began to fade, leaving Alice almost breathless as she marveled at how clearly she could feel the strings now, Jake cut through the dark voice somber and quiet.

    ¡°Do I still look normal to you?¡± He asked, turning to face her his body hidden in the shadow of night.

    ¡°The hell are you talking about?¡± Alice responded, confused, setting the broken harp to the side as she turned her body to face the morose shadow across from her. Jake simply sighed at her question, looking up at the empty sky above.

    ¡°Before all this, before this¡­ before this journey, I was just normal. At least, I felt normal. I never had to fight or struggle to survive. Worry about what might be hunting me. Worry about where I¡¯d end up tomorrow. Never had to shoot anyone before, hell I¡¯d never even held a gun before.¡±

    ¡°Do you think¡­ if by some miracle I don¡¯t die¡­ If I somehow ended up back home tomorrow, they would even recognize me? I mean, I barely recognize myself anymore. When this all started, when I first fell through, I was so scared. So shocked. Now though, it¡¯s just routine. It¡¯s expected, the norm is to fall through not the other way around. I honestly think I¡¯d be more surprised if tomorrow we woke up and didn¡¯t fall, didn¡¯t slip into a new world. I just¡­¡± He trailed off, gaze dropping from the sky above to his own weathered hands.

    ¡°I knew I¡¯d change. ¡®Adapt or Die¡¯ and all that, I knew I¡¯d need to change if I wanted to survive. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know I guess I just never expected this to become the norm for me. I just¡­ never expected to adapt so much¡­¡± He finished talking, sitting slumped over curled into a slight ball. Alice sat, surprised by his words, unsure how to respond, yet seeing him so broken, so defeated, she found herself talking on instinct.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She said honestly, the truth pulled from her before she could even think to hide it from his depressed visage, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I never knew you before, Jake. Never knew your ¡®Normal.¡¯ For me, normal meant stealing to survive as I prayed every night not to end up dead, broken, and alone. In all honesty Jake you¡¯ve never been normal to me, I never thought I¡¯d meet an Unbroken¡­ a person who wasn¡¯t repulsed by me.¡±

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    ¡°Jake¡­ I don¡¯t know who you were before, but for what it¡¯s worth I do know you now. I¡¯ve watched you fight to save both of us, get annoyed by me, panic with me, laugh with me. It may not have been for long, but we¡¯ve been together a while now and as long as I''ve known you, you¡¯ve been the same. The same man who saved me in the alleyway."

    "I don¡¯t know who you were before all this before we met, and to be honest Jake I don¡¯t really care. Hell, these days I feel like I barely knew myself. I know you, here and now, and that¡¯s good enough for me. When you get home, if no one recognizes you, we¡¯ll just force them to till they remember you!¡±

    Jake sat still a while, unmoving even after Alice had finished her impassioned reply. She began to feel nervous, worried she¡¯d somehow offended him or somehow made his worries even worse, till she began to hear small laughter leaking from his curled form, muffled by his knees. He looked over at her, hints of sadness still clear in his eyes yet a clear smile on his face now as the light of the fire danced off their forms.

    ¡°Force them to recognize me, huh?¡± He said, head slightly crooked as he watched her, a smile forming on his face. ¡°Thank you¡­ Alice¡­¡± It still scared him to think about it. Think about how normal this all felt now, think about how different he must look. How utterly unrecognizable he must appear to anyone back home. Yet when he talked to her that fear seemed to melt away. He could live with the change, and adapt however much he needed to survive. Here in this moment, it all seemed worth it somehow.

    <hr>

    The sun was rising on the dusty landscape of the dried, dead world around the duo. The night had been rather uneventful after their talk. Not long after, Alice had felt a sudden pull of exhaustion as the strings within her drooped and sagged, becoming less taught as she was dragged to the ground drifting off to sleep. She¡¯d fallen into a series of fitful, unremarkable dreams, that always seemed to draw her from slumber sending her bolting upright. Every time this happened, she could spot Jake, unmoving as he sat staring at the spot where the fire once danced.

    By now it was little more than ash and cinder with a few sparks of heat that glowed red against the dark night sky. Jake never once reacted to her sudden and fitful awakenings. Never once did he move away from the edge of the fire pit. He simply sat throughout the night, staring wistfully into the burnt cinders of the long-departed flame. Whether he fell asleep like that or eventually left to curl up elsewhere, Alice couldn¡¯t say but now backdropped by the rising sun she could see he seemed fine, not like the shambling mess she¡¯d had to force to sleep earlier.

    Grasping hands, the two took one last look at the desolate and dead land around them. Neither felt attached to the place nor would they miss it once they were gone. They could only help where they landed next would be more forgiving, more vibrant. Both their stomachs were growling loudly, desperately demanding food.

    The ground disappeared beneath their feet as they fell, landing flat on their feet on something hard and unyielding. Looking around they were immediately floored by the sight surrounding them. Metal and glass skyscrapers stretched high into the sky kissing the heavens as they bent and twisted at impossible angles to form architectural marvels. The sky itself was blotted out, covered by a swarm of flying metallic machines. Squinting a bit to try and recognize what they were, Jake felt a sudden whooshing of air to his right as one rushed dangerously close at alarming speeds.

    Turning he saw the metallic masses decorated not only the sky high above but also the immediate airspace around them, honking sounds and blinking lights emitting from their chassis. Blinking in shock, Jake marveled as a flying car soared overhead again, the horn blaring as it swerved in the air. Having done a full three-sixty now, his head firmly planted at the sky, Jake¡¯s gaze dropped and locked upon a metallic and glass railing that sat only a few feet away. Rushing to it Jake peered over the edge, taking in the splendor of the sprawling city below.

    It stretched downward for miles upon miles, an interwoven maze of skyscrapers and tunnels all abuzz with flying cars whizzing around like swarms of bees. Jake could make out jutting walkways and storefronts carved into the walls of the chasm-like city from which swarms of people traveled amongst neon lights and holographic displays. It was amazing to see technology and sights he¡¯d only seen in movies and games brought to life.

    ¡°¡­is this what your home is like¡­¡± He heard Alice ask behind him, her voice a small whisper. She could take her eyes off the building stretching higher into the air than she could ever imagine. They shimmered and shined like nothing she¡¯d ever seen before. Her ears perked as melodious sounds she¡¯d never before heard caught her attention towards the railing Jake was. Moving closer to the rail and peering over the edge at the sight below she was bombarded by numerous store jingles and radio stations all bombarding her at once, threatening to overload her with stimulation.

    ¡°No¡­ nothing like this, not really anyway. This is just¡­ wow¡­¡± Jake said, gaze traveling across the city voice filled with amazement.

    ¡°Can¡¯t be surprised anymore, huh?¡± Alice asked behind him. Turning around, he saw her standing there a coy smile on her face as she looked at him. ¡°Come one, Greenie, let''s take it all in while we still can!¡±

    She grabbed him suddenly and pulled him forward, dragging him across the metallic surface of the city, a smile growing on his face as he let her take the lead.

    <hr>

    Far away, in a forgotten corner of a lab, dozens of computers whirled to life as their sensors blared alert after alert, alarm after alarm. They remained like this, blaring into the void of the silent lab for a while, till suddenly the door of the lab exploded open, and a disheveled man rushed in nearly, tripping over himself as he grabbed hold of a monitor. Pulling it close, far closer than needed, he read the flashing alert with great excitement, his heart beating so fast it was in danger of exploding free from his chest. He¡¯d been waiting his whole career, his whole life, for this moment.

 Day 64 - "Project Breach" - Panhandling In The Future

    The pair emerged upon the raised street of the futuristic city from a rather un-futuristic elevator. While Alice had been rather impressed by the contraption Jake found himself somewhat disappointed with how plain the machine was. It acted the same as any elevator back where he was from, enhanced with only a bit more window dressing in its futuristic design. Stepping out of the elevator though, this disappointment quickly dissipated into nothing as he took in the full scope of the city stretched out around him.

    He''d only been able to see glimpses of it from above, the shining splendor of metal, glass, and holographic material all spaced out in a grid of urban sprawl. Now, standing upon the crowded balcony-like street of the city, he felt his breath catching in his throat as he stood lost in a trance, taking in the splendor around him.

    He¡¯d always been a nerd; he wasn¡¯t too ashamed to admit that. He¡¯d grown up watching Star Wars, playing with spaceship sets, and making rockets out of his Legos whenever he got the chance. When he was old enough, he transitioned to video games that let him explore the stars, the high-res graphics of his computer setups allowing him to simulate the latest in fictional technology. He¡¯d been satisfied with this his whole life and never saw any reason to want more.

    Now though, he stood on the precipice of his obsessions. A whole life spent daydreaming of sci-fi and space, to suddenly find himself standing in a scene ripped straight out of his imagination was too much for the once chubby nerd to take in. Alice fared no better, enraptured by every little thing she saw. She had no concept of higher technology beyond what Jake explained to her, and these days Jake rarely explained much about where he was from. The corridor had been the highlight of science in her eyes, a marvel of machine and metal that had twisted and weaved and polluted the very planet that birthed it into existence. But this, all this¡­

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Jake called out next to her, grabbing hold of her hand as he took the lead now, dashing off in no particular direction. They didn¡¯t know what there was to see, what there was to do. All that lay before them was the crowded street fit to bursting with bystanders, each hurrying about their day paying little to no attention to the rushing pair that forced their way past.

    Jake had been somewhat worried on the ride down the elevator that they would stand out, dressed in their tattered, bloodstained clothes. Yet now wandering the city proper he saw there was no reason to worry. The streets were packed with people dressed in all manner of outfits, from prim and proper formal wear to people wearing practically nothing at all. Mixed among that was a middle ground of people dressed nearly identically to Alice and Jake, though notably without as much blood staining their clothes. That did turn a few heads as they marched down the street. Though maybe that was because of the smell coming off the two.

    Wandering blindly down the street, Alice at first felt a desire to pull her hood up and bury herself out of sight in fear. Though she knew logically there was no reason to hide away, no reason to fear those around her as she did the unbroken, she found herself fighting a losing battle with her own inner turmoil with each step she took. It was only thanks to Jake, still grasping tight to her and pulling her along in an enraptured trance, that she didn¡¯t stop walking altogether, didn¡¯t try to hide away. Yet the longer she walked forward, the more she moved with her scars exposed and the truth of her curse laid bare, the easier each step seemed to be.

    All around her were people milling about in various states of disrepair. Some enjoyed completely mechanical limbs gleaming a metallic sheen similar to the landscape around her. They glittered like armor yet clanked with hidden mechanisms like those that had driven the voice. They fascinated her so, the way they moved so¡­ freely. So unbothered by their disrepair, unbothered by the scars or injuries marring their bodies. With each step, each new person her worries seemed to melt away into nothing as she allowed herself to bury the past. Allowed herself the freedom to enjoy the present as she¡¯d promised herself.

    Navigating the city blindly, the duo enjoyed random sightings together, taking in the most random thing the average passerby in the city probably would consider average yet stood out to the two as extraordinary. Yet eventually, the two could deny the truth no longer as their stomachs screamed in dissatisfaction demanding to be fed. Pulling to the side of the bustling street, the two leaned over a glass railing, enjoying the view of the drop below. In truth, they¡¯d passed several restaurants and food stalls during their self-guided tour of the city, tantalized by the aromatic smells leaking into the air. Yet the two remained hungry, distant from all these possible venues that promised food for one simple reason.

    ¡°We could just steal something,¡± Alice suggested, leaning back against the railing as her body slumped downward, defeated.

    ¡°No way, not yet anyway. We don¡¯t how long will be stuck here or what sort of Police they have. The last thing we need is to get separated by the police.¡± Jake countered, though in his heart the idea of nicking a few morsels of food sounded better and better with each passing second.

    ¡°Well that is true, I guess¡­¡± Alice admitted, looking up toward the sky above. It was a bit crowded, hidden by the maze of twisting skyscrapers and whirling cars flying through the air, but from what they could see it looked as if the sun had barely moved at all. They¡¯d been exploring the city for a while now, long ago deserting the initial street they started on, and if the sun had only made this much progress it was possible they could be stuck here a few days. ¡°We have to do something though.¡±

    ¡°I know. Last time I wanted to buy food I panhandled for cash. I ended up stealing it anyway but¡­¡±

    This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°You stealing?¡± Alice asked with a snort as she looked Jake up and down. In her mind¡¯s eye, she couldn¡¯t picture it. Especially given how he¡¯d spent the last dozen minutes or so arguing against her plan to swipe something to eat.

    ¡°Well yeah, ran through the store real quick. Was pretty nerve-racking to be¡­¡± He found himself interrupted by Alice who let out a snort before laughing in his face.

    ¡°Ran through huh?¡± She asked, wiping a few small tears from her eyes, ¡°Sound pretty chaotic. What were you being chased or something? Come on man, no wonder you''re so scared to try grabbing anything! Do you think I went running screaming through the market every day?¡±

    ¡°Look master thief,¡± Jake said, rolling his eyes as he grew more and more annoyed, ¡°We can worry about this later. We should figure out how to actually pay for something to eat first. If that doesn¡¯t work, you''re free to run loose!¡±

    ¡°ok, ok¡­¡± Alice said, slightly snickering, ¡°Though I won''t be running anywhere¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, would you¡­¡±

    ¡°Panhandling huh? So, like, you begged for money?¡± Alice asked, interrupting Jake''s angry response to her comment. She¡¯d seen beggars before huddling on the street when she snuck through the market. In fact, they were in large part why her disguise worked so well. No one gave her a second look thinking she was just another beggar wandering the streets. Often more well-off Unbroken would go out of their way to avoid her.

    ¡°Something like that yeah,¡± Jake said, annoyance still clear in his voice, ¡°Though I had a cup back then¡­¡±

    ¡°A cup?¡±

    ¡°To collect money in.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see. Do we have anything that could work like that?¡± Alice asked, taking her bag off as she dug through the contents looking for some kind of container the pair could wander around and beg with. She couldn¡¯t find anything, just their bundled clothes and fabric. With a sigh, she made to close her bag before she was interrupted by a rather rough jab to her side. Annoyed, she turned ready to shout at Jake only to stop when she caught sight of a young girl standing a few feet away from her holding her mother¡¯s hands. Glancing toward Jake who stood next to her, she was met with a gaze that screamed ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either, ok.¡±

    ¡°Mommy, is she going to play for us?¡± The young girl asked, pointing toward Alice.

    ¡°Wha¡­?¡± Alice said, before glancing down and noticing her busted harp lay next to her still, unpacked in her attempts to search through her bag. No longer having time to pack it, she scooped the harp up and stood in awkward silence. Eying the mother and daughter, unsure what they expected of her, she began to feel Jake stare at her with a look of pure bewilderment.

    ¡°Looks like it dear¡­¡± The mother said, voice choked with emotion as she looked at Alice and Jake, eyes flooded with pity. Alice stood for a while, unsure what to do. She had absolutely no idea what the mother and daughter had said. She couldn¡¯t understand what they¡¯d said or why they were still standing across from her.

    ¡°Play the harp¡­¡± Jake whispered to her as he moved to stand closer to her. She looked at him as if he was insane, failing to see how that could solve anything, but not having a better idea or anything to lose, she began to pluck the strings of the run-down harp as best she could. Same time as she did, Jake pulled the flute free from his pocket and began to blow into it, choppy uneven notes floating into the air to join the strumming of the heart. The child was delighted.

    ¡°They''re really bad mommy!¡± She called out, clapping with joy as she danced back and forth.

    ¡°They sure are honey¡­¡± Her mother replied, shooting the duo an apologetic smile all the while a single tear rolled down her cheek. Alice meanwhile had absolutely no clue what had compelled this woman to cry, or why this child was bouncing around, but they seemed to be enjoying the sound of their terrible playing well enough.

    The horrid sounds of the pair''s music continued for a minute or two longer before Alice began to feel far too uncomfortable with their audience''s continued staring and stopped. Jake stopped in kind a few seconds later, a choked note escaping the flute as he pulled it free from his mouth. The child clapped again and laughed, while the mother wiped a tear from her eye, and stepped forward to push something into Jakes hand.

    ¡°Take this¡­ please¡­there¡¯s a Medi-Clinic not far from here¡­¡± The mother quickly grabbed her delighted daughter''s hand and dragged her away down the street, a choked ¡°So young¡­¡± managing to reach Jake''s ears before they were out of earshot.

    ¡°The hell was that about?¡± Alice asked, the blemished harp hanging limp in her hand as she turned toward Jake, expression one of pure confusion.

    ¡°You couldn¡¯t understand them?¡± Jake asked, looking puzzled as he glanced from what had been forced into his hands toward Alice. Upon seeing her shake his hands, he fell into thought for a moment before saying, ¡°They thought we were street performers, injured too I think based on what the mom said.¡±

    ¡°You could understand them? Why?¡±

    ¡°Not sure, though I have my suspicions¡­¡± Jake said, as internally he asked just what the hell Lana had done to him. ¡°Anyway, she gave us enough¡­ whatever this is for a ¡®Medi-Clinic¡¯ I¡¯m sure that¡¯s enough to buy a bite or two to eat.¡± Jake flashed a smile as he unfurled his hand revealing a small pile of metallic bar-shaped coins. Alice looked at the pile a moment before a wide grin broke out across her face.

    ¡°Well then, lead the way Greenie!¡±

    ¡°Hey, I played the flute!¡± Jake objected as the two began to walk off down the street toward the delicious smells of the city¡¯s dining options.

    ¡°Not good enough, not anymore!¡± Alice said with a laugh.

    <hr>

    The once abandoned lab was now alive with activity. Its massive machines whirled with life as they shook the dust and cobwebs loose from their frames running reboot sequences and diagnostic tests. Admits this maze of once dormant machines wandered a man, his appearance in a state of disrepair. He hadn¡¯t expected to be this busy today, though he was more than happy with the sudden surge of life in the lab''s equipment. Currently, he was holding a communicator, outdated by a few models and provided by government funding, up to his face.

    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Simon, it¡¯s not a drill or an accident. I triple-checked it! I¡¯m quadruple-checking it now but I¡¯m positive, more than positive. They¡¯re here, two of them somewhere. Get here as soon as you can, I¡¯ll need your help¡­ I know I approved time off but things have changed¡­ don¡¯t give me that, interns aren¡¯t even supposed to get time off! Get back here in the next hour Simon, before it¡¯s too late!¡±

    He clicked the communicator closed cutting off Simon''s grumbles, but he knew the young boy would be here in the next hour, if not sooner. He wouldn¡¯t have taken this internship if he hadn¡¯t invested in the project. The project itself was considered a joke, only receiving funding thanks to the prestige of its founder. But now, things have changed. Now they had a chance to change everything. Turning with a smile on his face, he read the flashing words splayed out on the monitor again.

    ¡°TRANS-REALITY BREACH DETECTED: 2 FOREIGN OBJECTS FOUND¡±

 Day 65 - "Project Breach" - Some Proper Sightseeing

    The duo sat side by side on a metallic bench, shaded by a series of trimmed foliage kept neat and proper that was nothing like the forests they were rapidly growing used to. They greedily enjoyed their food with gusto, not managing to maintain much of a conversation as they sated their starving stomachs. The two had managed to purchase two massive kebab-looking things from a random street vendor. They weren¡¯t entirely sure how much money they had; however, they did know they¡¯d only spent a single of their newly acquired coins getting their meal.

    The kebabs, massive in size stretching over a foot long, had attracted the two with its enticing aroma that managed to stand out amongst the mixing pot of aromas that spread throughout the air. The kebabs themselves were composes of various chunks of meat and vegetables that melted in the duos mouth combining into a variety of spice and flavor.

    For Alice, it was the single best meal she¡¯d ever had in her life very nearly bringing a tear to her eye as she hungrily ripped bite after bite free from the kebab, savoring each juice-filled bite that sent flavor cascading over her tongue. For Jake, the kebab sent his mouth on a nostalgia-driven journey into the past as memories of similar tasting dinners shared with friends and family leaped out at him. Certainly, it was the most flavorful meal he¡¯d had in a while. Finishing the last of the meal greedily, he set the stick of the kebab to his side, turning toward Alice who was still busying herself savoring the taste of their meal.

    ¡°You really can¡¯t understand anything they say?¡± He asked, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and his head on his hands.

    ¡°I told you no!¡± Alice said, talking with her mouth full and sending a small cascade of semi-chewed food falling out to the ground. Embarrassed, she covered her mouth before glaring over at Jake and swallowing. ¡°See what you made me do! That probably would have tasted good! And anyway, you think I¡¯ve just been lying to you for no reason?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± Jake said, glancing away from her a small smile on his face as he paused theatrically as if considering the idea. He only stopped to continue the conversation when Alice punched his side hard, sending him sprawling across the bench. ¡°Sorry, sorry. It''s just that I didn¡¯t expect to have to translate for you is all. You¡¯ve understood everyone else we talked to so far.¡±

    ¡°Oh joy,¡± she said sarcastically as she rolled her eyes, ¡°I got to talk to the voice in the death corridor¡­¡± She let the thought trail off, catching herself and suddenly feeling uncomfortable about the very topic she¡¯d brought up. ¡°Anyway, why can you understand them?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I was never very good with languages in school. Pretty sure my teacher passed me through Spanish ''cause I annoyed her too much.¡±

    ¡°Spanish?¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. The point is I was never good at languages before. I think it has to do with a spell Lana cast on me.¡±

    ¡°Jake¡­¡± Alice said, leaning forward her lunch finished and her patience waning ¡°If you¡¯re going to offer an explanation it has to be less confusing than what you¡¯re trying to explain. Who the hell is Lana?¡±

    ¡°Right sorry. She was¡­¡± Jake paused, unsure how to describe his relationship with Lana. In truth, they¡¯d barely known each other, and in the short time they had known each other, their interactions had become more than just awkward. But still, she had saved his life numerous times¡­

    ¡°She was a friend.¡± Jake decided with a nod before continuing, ¡°Met her after I started falling between worlds. She¡¯s why I had the book on magic¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh!¡± Alice interrupted unintentionally, quickly covering her mouth as Jake stared at her with a baffled expression.

    In truth, she found that fact far more interesting than why he could understand the locals around here. She only had a passing interest in that, and wrote it off as just a side effect of why he kept falling between worlds or something. But this was something she¡¯d wondered about for a while. She¡¯d long wondered where Jake had gotten the book on magic, he''d already made it clear magic was unknown to him, so she guessed it wasn¡¯t from his original world. So, learning this fact was of far more interest to her than their original discussion.

    ¡°You good there?¡± Jake asked, raising an eyebrow as he watched her.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, fine, go ahead please.¡±

    ¡°Uh huh, sure. Anyway, she cast something on me when we met that let me understand them, let me read their language. I thought that was the extent of it, but I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s still translating. What exactly it does, I¡¯m not sure, but¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, you just let some stranger cast¡­something¡­ on you and you didn¡¯t think to ask what it was?¡±

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I could understand her!¡± Jake said defensively as Alice stared at him, a look of incredulous surprise on her face.

    ¡°What are you talking about? You just said the magic let you understand her, why didn¡¯t you ask her what it was after she cast it!¡± Alice replied, leaning forward her head resting on her hand as she further prodded Jake.

    ¡°Hey, it was my first time seeing magic, ok? Plus, I was bleeding a lot, I wasn¡¯t really thinking about¡­¡±

    ¡°ALL THE MORE REASON TO ASK!¡± Alice interrupted exploding upward, arms raised high, a smug smirk on her face as she leaned forward pressing her finger into Jakes chest, ¡°Honestly, how have you survived this long on your own?¡±

    ¡°Lately¡­¡± Jake replied, an annoyed edge to his voice as he swatted Alice''s hand away from him, ¡°I¡¯ve been asking how I¡¯ve survived so long dealing with you.¡± She leaned back, laughing at him while Jake sunk into the bench with a defeated sigh, gaze locking upon the flying cars buzzing above just barely visible through the trimmed foliage overhead. His visage perked up at this, gazing up at swarming vehicles with a longing look. Seeing this as she lounged back, Alice sprang upright, grabbing hold of him.

    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

    ¡°Let¡¯s move, Greenie!¡±

    ¡°What now?¡± Jake asked, mocked annoyance in his voice as he offered no resistance to being pulled forward.

    ¡°Well¡­ now we¡¯ve eaten, let''s do some proper sightseeing, what do you say?¡±

    <hr>

    Lab 458 was one of hundreds of government-funded labs special for only one key reason. It was considered an absolute failure by all who knew of its existence, and these days that number was dwindling. The reason for this dwindling number was not because the lab was cloaked in secrecy or red tape but rather because no one cared enough to visit it, fund it, or even talk about it. It was a failure. A governmental in-joke.

    The lab''s founder, Dr. Theadore Lewis, had once been considered a pillar of the scientific community, carrying enough clout around the public and private sectors to carve out governmental funding for his dream project. ¡°Project Breach¡± as it would come to be known was designed to help Lewis fulfill his life¡¯s dream, a dream he claimed came to him when he was a small boy. A dream of leaving the confines of this reality, of breaching through the laws of time and space themselves and crossing into a different dimension altogether.

    What exactly sparked this dream in Lewis, no one was quite sure. Most came to agree it was a form of madness, maybe an oddly displayed symptom of unforeseen trauma. But in the end, he was brilliant enough and respected enough to get his project running fully staffed, and while the rest of the scientific community pressed forward focused on advancing robotic, aeronautic, and biological advancements he focused solely on breaching the confines of reality itself.

    This was forty-five years ago. Since that time, the scientific community has made massive leaps and strides, and already Dr. Lewis was considered forgotten as his project stretched on and on achieving virtually nothing. Still, though, his earlier work and the little success his project did have commanded some respect. So his passion project was kept alive, its budget shrinking smaller and smaller every year. Now no longer did the lab always remain open, fully staffed. It had dwindled down to only two staff members, Dr. Lewis himself and an unpaid intern.

    That unpaid intern, Simon Park burst into the lab, red faced. He¡¯d been halfway across the planet when he received the urgent call and it was only through taking three emergency hyperloop transfers, overpaying for a cab, and sprinting, that he managed to make it before the hour deadline given over the phone. In truth, he was fifteen minutes early, but he was to frantic to care about that right now, too excited to care about that now. His internship might finally bear fruit.

    Turning around to face him, Dr. Lewis smiled but did not stop moving. He was frantically dashing about the oversized lab, struggling to read monitors and man machines on his own. With a sigh, Simon rushed to help, prepared to earn his nonexistent paycheck.

    <hr>

    ¡°This is insane,¡± Jake said, standing across from Alice as she leaned against a flying car left unlocked in an empty car park. Only a few other cars sat parked, well away from them.

    ¡°Oh, come one! I saw you watching these things, you¡¯re itching to try one, right? It¡¯ll only be for a few minutes, we can just fly it around here¡­¡± She said gesturing around the mostly empty lot of the suspended car park ¡°and then we can put it back, good as new! No harm no foul!¡±

    ¡°First of all¡­¡± Jake began, pinching the brim of his nose, ¡°We don¡¯t have the keys for this thing! How do you expect to start it!¡± Alice blinked at him, looking confused before bending over and reaching into the inside of the unlocked car. ¡°Look, Alice, let''s just get out of here before¡­¡±

    ¡°These the keys you were talking about?¡± Alice asked, tossing Jake a small key fob. It had no actual key on it, but Jake recognized the distinct shape of it.

    ¡°Where did you find this?¡± he asked, mouth agape.

    ¡°Just sitting in the door,¡± Alice said, pointing toward a small pocket carved into the door. Jake face palmed, internally wondering if the car''s owner was asking them to steal it.

    ¡°Come on!¡± Alice said, hopping into the car and sliding over to the passenger seat, ¡°Let''s go before it''s too late!¡±

    ¡°Alice stop, get out! I¡¯ve only ever driven a regular car, I can''t drive one that flies!¡±

    ¡°Oh come on,¡± Alice said with a laugh as she leaned back enjoying the feel of the car''s pushed interior. ¡°How hard can it be? They left us the keys, they must want us to try it!¡±

    "That is true¡­" Jake thought to himself, realizing he¡¯d been having the same thought just moments earlier. Taking a look at the outside of the car, it didn¡¯t look too different to the ones he drove back home. Sure, they had actual wheels, but like Alice had said how different could it be?

    Jake had loved driving, it had been one of his favorite pastimes back home. As soon as he got his license, he¡¯d often volunteer to run errands around the house or drive to pick his friends up. There was something about the control a car gave him, the freedom to blast music as he tore down the freeway at speeds he¡¯d never imagined possible before. He loved that feeling. He missed it. He¡¯d been fighting with himself to stop from jumping behind the steering wheel as soon as Alice had tossed the keys to him, but now that fight was over. It ended in utter defeat as Jake climbed behind the wheel of the car.

    ¡°Just around the garage, it can¡¯t hurt, right?¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure! Whatever you say greeniEEEEEE¡± The end of Alice¡¯s remark came out as a scream. As soon as Jake started the car it roared forward without any input on his end. Barreling forward, he tried desperately to regain some control but everything he tried failed miserably, only sending the car bouncing up and down like a pinball between the roof above and the floor below. High-pitched screams escaped both Jake and Alice as they scraped against one of the only other cars present in the parking deck before blasting into the deck¡¯s walls. Yet the flying car didn¡¯t stop. Dented and sputtering it took off, barreling into the city carrying its screaming passengers forward.

    <hr>

    ¡°Nothing?¡± Dr. Lewis asked, sinking back into one of the many chairs that littered the lab floor.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry sir, but no. We know where the breach happened, but whoever breached here has already disappeared. I checked recordings at the time of the breach and found a recording of these two, but they moved so erratically through the city I lost all sign of them.¡±

    Dr. Lewis took the pad offered to him by Simon, studying the magnified image in front of him. A girl and a boy dressed in blood-soaked rags and carrying luggage between them. They marveled at the city around them, moving to a railing to gawk. He saw the girl say something, something he couldn¡¯t quite make out before the two were gone. They¡¯d move out of the camera''s line of sight toward the deck¡¯s elevators. A sigh escaped him as he set the pad down, a sense of dread crawling up his spine.

    ¡°I checked already, there''s no residual tear. No residual breach. No residual energy. The only evidence anything crossed dimensions is these two¡­¡± He paused pocking the pad''s screen as he looked up toward Simon, his young intern having a most confusing expression on his face. ¡°We need to find them, wherever they are. I doubt I can get any help on this but I can try to contact the council and for them¡­¡±

    ¡°I found them,¡± Simon said, tone trying to hide his surprised excitement.

    ¡°What?¡± Dr. Lewis said, springing to his feet. Simon said nothing in response, only pointing behind the doctor toward one of the many monitors in the lab. Turning, Dr. Lewis saw an emergency news broadcast had forced itself onto every monitor in his lab. A second later he could hear the pad on the table beep as the broadcast appeared on its surface. Yet he didn¡¯t care, didn¡¯t need to check it anymore.

    WARNING: OUT OF CONTROL VEHICLE; PLEASE BE ADVISED TO CLEAR THE FOLLOWING AIRWAYS:

    A list of airways followed the warning, yet Dr. Lewis paid the warning itself no mind, focusing solely on what lay behind it. An image was attached, a still shot of the crashing vehicle as it barreled through the sky. Its passengers were clearly on display, a boy and girl screaming in panic, both cloaked in bloodstained rags.

 Day 66 - "Project Breach" - Crashing Through The City

    The screams of the duo were drowned out only by the roar of the car''s engines as they rocketed uncontrolled through the air, swirling and diving at rapidly increasing speeds. Alice found herself pushed back further and further into the plush chair she¡¯d only a few moments ago been relaxedly lazing about in, now gripping onto it for dear life as her body was subjected to speeds it was utterly unprepared for. Jake meanwhile sat hunched forward over the front of the car, gripped tight to the steering wheel desperately trying to regain some control over their flight.

    When he¡¯d first grabbed the steering wheel, before starting the car, it had remained locked in place similar to the cars he¡¯d been used to driving back home. This had given him a false sense of confidence as to the ease of piloting the flying vehicle and inflated his ego a bit as he started the car. As soon as the car lurched forward, rapidly gaining speed with every passing second, the steering wheel came loose in his hands. It fell forward attached to a metallic arm, and with every jerk or thrust of the arm the car would react in kind pitching and yawing and rolling as Jake desperately tried to figure out how to steer the out-of-control vehicle.

    Along with the unwieldy steering wheel, Jake found himself helpless to control the aircraft''s speed. Rather that wasn¡¯t true, he had one method of control: he could increase its speed exponentially. When the car had first started Jake had felt two pedals by his feet, so naturally, when shot forward uncontrollably like a bullet, he desperately tried to slam the down on the breaks. Unfortunately, the pedal proved not to be a break but rather an accelerator, so rather than slowing down the out-of-control car simply sped up.

    Hurriedly, Jake had tried switching to the other pedal, yet this also proved unable to slow the car down. Rather, the car seemed to be gaining speed at an even faster pace. Once the car had broken through the garage wall entering into a barely controlled freefall all bets were off. Panicked, Jake slammed one of the two accelerators, ending the freefall but sending the car barreling forward through the sky leaving the two in their current predicament, trapped in a metallic coffin and rapidly gaining more and more speed.

    ¡°THIS WAS A TERRIBLE IDEA!!!¡± Alice screamed as she sank further back into the chair, slammed into the side of the car by a particularly aggressive roll from Jake as he swerved blindly, barely managing to avoid slamming into a pileup of cars that now scattered through the sky in a panic, desperate to avoid being hit by their out-of-control crash. Jake wanted to glare at her but found himself distracted by the sudden appearance of a skyscraper. The skyscraper itself hadn¡¯t suddenly appeared, rather a sharp turn and glide downward to the left forced the metal and glass obelisk suddenly into the pair''s path.

    Pulling back desperately on the steering wheel, Jake felt the car violently pitch upward, rising into a sharp vertical climb as the belly of the car crashed into the skyscraper, scratching all along the front of the building as the car climbed higher and higher into the sky. The two could hear the sound of twisting metal and falling glass as the undercarriage of the car became dented and crippled, sending a rain of glass shards down to the ground below.

    They found they couldn¡¯t worry about that at the moment however, neither had bothered to put a seatbelt on only expecting the flight to last a minute at the most, and so now they were struggling to stay in their seat amidst the sudden vertical climb. Alice quickly lost the struggle, tumbling backward over the passenger seat and crashing into the backs with a scream as she hit the car¡¯s dented frame. Jake also felt himself falling backward, only managing to stay in his seat thanks to the death grip he held on the steering wheel. Unfortunately, this death grip also pulled the arm of the wheel back as far as it could go.

    The car pulled away from the side of the building, spiraling downward uncontrollably as it turned end over end tumbling toward the ground below. Neither Jake nor Alice could do anything as they bounced around the car¡¯s cabin. Jake tried desperately to regain control of the car, trying to do anything to stop their final crash but it was too late. Nothing he did worked. The car plummeted, carrying its screaming, panicked, passengers ever closer to the ground.

    The car had reached its terminal velocity now, falling from the sky and growing closer and closer to the ground. As the two screamed, turning end over end, adrenaline all that fueled their heads as they searched desperately for some escape. A flashing red light began to break out from somewhere in the car. Where exactly became impossible for the two to tell, but as it flashed alarms began to blare louder and louder till all at once they ceased all together. Then suddenly, from seemingly every direction something sticky and thick shot out of the car''s paneling, coating its passengers and silencing their screams as they fell trapped from the sky.

    <hr>

    Dr. Lewis sat mouth agape, watching a live broadcast of the chaotic car crash unfold. He¡¯d never seen anything like it, even the worse drivers in the world had at least the basic sense to ease the accelerator, slowly fall downward when they were spinning out. This was¡­

    He watched the carcass of the car slam into the roof of some random building, metal denting into mass chunks of ddebris The hull of the car was destroyed in an instant, splintering off in all directions leaving only a white viscous foam, hardened in nanoseconds upon its deployment. It was installed in nearly all cars, designed to prevent even the worst of crashes from being fatal, but even it couldn¡¯t protect against this level of destruction.

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    The normally indestructible foam lay cracked, slightly splintered, with mass gaps falling from its shell. Through those gaps both Dr. Lewis and Simon could see the mysterious duo they desperately needed laying still, unmoving, collapsed in a heap amidst their luggage. Dr. Lewis found his breath catching in his throat as he watched the drop ships close in from above, watched the armed troopers drop down and surround the cracked foam as they closed in on the pair. He saw one of the thug''s hands move forward, testing the pulses of the two collapsed strangers. This was it, all of his work could have ended before it even had a chance to start halfway across the planet in a car crash.

    Then, as he waited chest feeling like it could explode with nerves, the trooper made a motion with his hands and the surrounding police rushed in taking the pair into custody, dragging their unconscious forms free of the foam, cuffing them, and tossing them onto the dropship for processing back at the governmental capital.

    Both Dr. Lewis and Simon let out an uncontrolled cheer as they watched the sight of the duo being arrested. Not only were they alive, but they¡¯d also been arrested! As a government-funded lab, lab 458 had a right to request government personnel, property, or equipment it deemed vital to its research. This included prisoners.

    ¡°Simon!¡± Dr. Lewis shouted, to excited to control his volume, ¡°Hurry to the capital, get ahead of this while we can! If people find out 458 wants these prisoners, they¡¯ll stop us on principle. We need them fast, within the next few hours!¡±

    Simon was already moving, not even waiting for Dr. Lewis to finish his sentence, he understood just how important securing those prisoners was. After all, any chance he had at prestige hung in the balance here.

    <hr>

    ¡°Morning sleepy head!¡± Alice said in an aggressively mock cheerful tone to the sluggish Jake, who was only just now beginning to wake up. Looking around, dazed and confused, he noted his hands were locked tight together, bound in metallic shackles. Trying to stand, he quickly fell forward and noted his legs were also bound together. ¡°Yeah, I wouldn¡¯t try that. They really don¡¯t want us going anywhere.¡±

    Pushing himself up to a sitting position, Jake rolled over till he faced Alice¡¯s voice. He found her leaning against a metallic wall clad in an orange boilersuit. Looking down toward his clad hands, he found himself wearing an identical one, noting a barcode stamped just above his left breast.

    ¡°What happened?¡± Jake asked, wishing more than anything he could rub the back of his head to help alleviate some of his congregated pain, yet finding this motion impossible thanks to the manacles locked tight to his wrists.

    ¡°What happened is we crashed, remember? I thought you said you could fly one of those things! What happened to ¡®Just around the garage¡¯?¡± Alice said, shouting at him, not bothering to hide her frustration.

    ¡°I never said I could fly one of those things! I expressly said the opposite! I said I could drive a car, not fly¡­ whatever that was! And how was I supposed to know it would take off at one hundred miles an hour?¡± Jake snapped back, leaning forward now as some of the fog leftover from his long sleep faded away.

    ¡°Whatever!¡± Alice said, throwing her shackled hands up in the air in defeat, ¡°Looks like we''re stuck here now, just lucky to be alive I guess!¡±

    ¡°Stuck for now¡­¡± Jack said as he tried to wiggle his arms free of the thick metal manacles locked tight to his flesh. Failing that he let his arms fall limp and said, ¡°Well be out of here in the morning, remember?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s great, and then what? Chained up, no supplies, what then?¡± Alice said, frustration bleeding into hints of despair as her body slumped forward, head falling to rest against her knees.

    ¡°I hadn¡¯t thought about that¡­¡± Jake admitted, eyeing the bindings strapped to him more closely than before. They certainly looked like they¡¯d be difficult to remove.

    ¡°Why did we ever do this in the first place?¡± Alice asked, voice low and defeated.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Jake shouted whirling to face her, ¡°This was all your idea remember?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, but you went along with it! You should have realized how terrible an idea it was to try and fly that thing, you said it yourself you don¡¯t know how to fly! How could you let me let us do that!¡± Alice shouted before falling silent, seeming to realize how nonsensical her argument was. She hoped internally Jake would let that go, and simply move forward, but it looked like she wouldn¡¯t be so lucky. She could already see him preparing another retort.

    ¡°Aham¡­¡± They heard to their right. Whirling their heads to the side they noticed for the first time a man standing opposite them behind an opaque barrier that barred access to their cell.

    <hr>

    When he¡¯d run out of the lab full of gusto to earn academic prestige and merit, full of dreams about finally being able to advance his career, he¡¯d given little thought as to what it was he¡¯d actually be doing. Now though, walking up to the holding cell tasked with containing the pair of breachers, he felt his heartbeat quicken as something akin to panic took hold of him.

    He knew nothing about these two, nothing save for the fact they were criminals. Criminals whose crimes consisted of at a minimum grand theft auto, larceny, and massive property damage. The true extent of their crimes was still being debated and calculated, these three crimes were what the council had pinned to their unconscious forms in order to lawfully arrest and detain them. Already they had a minimum prison sentence akin to life, and it was only going to rise as details about the incident became clearer. To have to meet with them, try and coerce them into helping the project¡­

    Standing in front of the entrance to their cell now, he waited for them to take notice of him. He thought it might be polite to let them start the conversation while also using it as a chance to gauge how they reacted to strangers. Instead, he was totally ignored as the two carried out an argument against themselves, voices rising higher and higher as the points they made became more and more childish.

    A small smile spread across Simon¡¯s face as he cleared his throat, announcing his presence to the two utterly sure of at least one thing. The caged duo were idiots.

 Day 67 - "Project Breach" - Lab Rats

    Jake and Alice froze, their squabble interrupted as they turned to stare at the stranger on the other side of their cell. He was a rather portly man, tall with brown stubble on his face and long flowing hair that lay behind his back in an untamed mane. Yet this was not what drew their attention. What drew their gaze was the stranger¡¯s state of dress. Rather than look like another prisoner or a guard or even a man employed for any sort of job really, he looked like he was dressed for a day at the beach. He wore a floral print shirt hastily and unevenly buttoned, shorts, and flip-flops. A pair of sunglasses also rested neatly atop his head, buried in his hair.

    His unkempt clothes also showed signs of sweat. They could see perspiration dripping from his face, which looked red and uneven. He looked as if he¡¯d been sprinting earlier. The duo stared at the tropical stranger, expecting something to follow his sudden declaration of presence, yet nothing came. Glancing at each other with equally confused looks on their faces, Alice finally spoke up.

    ¡°Can we¡­ help you with something?¡±

    ¡°Oh, I certainly hope so!¡± The man said, a sort of sly cunning in his tone undercut by his clear nervous excitement, ¡°But before all that, let¡¯s start with the basics shall we? Prison detainees: You have been summarily charged with the crimes of Grand Larceny, Grand Theft Auto, and Mass Destruction of Government Property. Your pleas to these crimes do not matter, you have been found guilty and will be detained until further notice as you are further charged or transferred to begin serving your sentence¡­¡±

    The man had pulled a flat pad out from under his arm where it had sat tucked, hidden away. Now glancing at it every other second or so he seemed to be reading out a script, voice monotone and steady as he proceeded line by line only pausing occasionally to drag his finger across the pad.

    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Jake asked, interrupting the man¡¯s monologue as he was busy detailing the millions of dollars of fines that would be leveled upon the two, their next of kin, and their next of kins next of kin.

    ¡°Yes?¡± The man asked with a smile on his face.

    ¡°Who are you exactly?¡±

    ¡°Ah yes, in my hurry to get through this¡­¡± He said, waving the pad around in the air, ¡°and get one with why I came here, I forgot my manners! Nice to meet you, my name is Simon, an intern.¡±

    ¡°An intern?¡± Alice asked, wondering what that could possibly mean.

    ¡°They have an intern handling us?¡± Jake added on, surprised ¡°From the way you kept listing fines and punishments, I thought we¡¯d be a pretty big deal around¡­ wherever we are.¡±

    ¡°Oh, you are, believe me. Been a while since someone caused as much damage as you to did so¡­ congrats?¡± Simon said, shuffling uncomfortably under the annoyed stares the two shot him, ¡°They tasked me with reading your basic sentencing information and restriction of rights because quite honestly, no one in the Justice Sector wanted anything to do with you. They were getting sick of me hounding them so now I¡¯m here¡­ getting to talk to you¡­ directly¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait, the Justice Sector? Don¡¯t you intern for the police?¡± Jake asked, growing worried.

    ¡°Ah, see I guess you wouldn¡¯t really know, would you?¡± Simon said, his eyes widening as if just remembering something, ¡°See I intern for Lab 458. Government Labs retains the right to request that any prisoners they deem will further their research, so long as they can prove the value of the prisoner to their research goals, be released into their custody as part of their sentencing. My lab, 458 believes you two fit that description to a t. I¡¯m here to prove your worth as quickly as I can so you can be released into our restrictive custody. Hopefully, in the next hour or two, we want to get you out of here by sundown.¡±

    ¡°A LAB?¡± Jake screamed out, feeling faint as he did his best to stumble away from Simon.

    ¡°What''s wrong?¡± Alice asked, noticing the clear panic in Jake¡¯s voice.

    ¡°They want to us for lab rats! They''re going to experiment on us, cut us open, torture us!¡±

    ¡°Look please,¡± Simon said, stepping closer to the barrier separating him from the caged pair, ¡°It¡¯s not that bad I promise you, if you could just calm down we can work this out¡­¡±

    ¡°PLEASE!¡± Alice called out, panicked now to as she forced herself further away from the barrier mimicking Jakes desperate struggle, ¡°PLEASE! Just listen, PLEASE! It was an accident, all an accident really¡­¡±

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    ¡°WE ONLY MEANT TO GO AROUND THE GARAGE!¡± Jake called out, adding to Alice''s desperate pleas.

    ¡°He¡¯s right, please you don¡¯t understand! Just stay back¡­¡± Tears stung Alice''s eyes now as she begged the man who threatened her freedom, threatened her life. Simon just sighed, watching the two struggle desperate to crawl away, their heavy shackles slamming against the metal of the cell.

    ¡°I wanted to do this civilly¡­¡± He said after a while, hoping the two might work their panic out of their systems if he waited long enough. Instead, he was only greeted with more frequent bouts of begging. ¡°But I can assume you won''t consent to that, yes? All I¡¯d need is a few hairs from each of you. Would only take a moment, less than that probably.¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± The duo screamed back, now managing to press themselves as far as possible to the side of the cell. Still, they both pressed further as if hoping to phase through the solid metal surface, terror clear in their eyes. Simon sighed again, before reaching his hand out of sight to the pair toward the wall.

    ¡°Unfortunately, refusal is no longer a right you have.¡± Suddenly a short click rang out and the duo found their limbs violently pulled to the ground. The pair lay stunned, their arms and legs bruised by how violent the pull of their cuffs had been. Quickly, sense returned to them but no matter how hard they tried they remained stuck fast to the floor, unable to move a muscle. Seeing this, Simon nodded satisfied before pushing another button on the panel built into the side of their cell.

    The opaque barrier disappeared, granting Simon access to the metallic prison. Stepping forward, the intern strolled across the floor till he stood towering above the helpless pair. Bending low, he reached into his pocket and produced two small vials. Twisting the top of the first, he brought the open container forward till it held a small lock of Jake¡¯s overgrown hair. Twisting the top again it snapped shut, cutting the hair and leaving it to lay still in the vial. Turning, he repeated the process for Alice, pausing a second as he caught sight of the scars marring her body.

    ¡°Curious¡­¡± He muttered to himself yet said nothing further as he captured his second vial of hair. Standing up straight, he stretched his back out before looking down at the sprawled figures of the helpless criminals.

    ¡°Look¡­¡± He began, voice apologetic, ¡°This isn¡¯t how I wanted this to go, I promise you. I hope you can try to remember that. I don¡¯t know how to disengage the maglocks in the cuffs, I can try on my way out but if that doesn¡¯t work I¡¯ll see if someone from the Justice Sector will fix it, though I doubt they¡¯ll bother. Worse comes to worse you shouldn¡¯t be stuck like this for long, I¡¯ll be back in a few hours to collect you.¡± The two began protesting again, screaming out, but the intern just turned and walked away.

    Stopping at the control panel, he reactivated the opaque barrier before pressing the button he¡¯d used to engage the maglocks. But nothing happened. The button was now greyed out and unresponsive. He sighed, he supposed it made sense. The maglocks were meant as emergency detainment in the event of a riot or mass breakout. It wouldn¡¯t make much sense if escaping prisoners could just turn them off. He¡¯d have to let the guards deal with it. He had bigger issues to deal with.

    Reaching into his other pocket he produced a small handheld device. Slipping one of the two vials of hair he¡¯d gathered into a small round opening at the top of the machine, Simon locked the vial into place and started the machine running. Instantly, readouts and progress reports about the machine''s readings began blaring out, rapidly informing Simon about the numerous scans the handheld device was engaging itself in. Simon didn¡¯t particularly care, he didn¡¯t need the machine.

    The portable scanner was designed to test foreign objects to see if they¡¯d breached or not. Simon didn¡¯t need the machine to tell him the captured duo was anomalous. His eyes had done that just fine when he¡¯d found the video recording of the exact spot where the breach was located. The scanner wouldn¡¯t prove much of anything to himself or Dr. Lewis. But it would prove the prisoner¡¯s worth to the Lab if presented to the council. At the very least, it should prove enough to get the prisoners released into the Lab¡¯s custody on a temporary basis.

    Smiling to himself, Simon felt grateful he was smart enough to grab the scanner before leaving the lab. Then turning to sprint away from the cell his steps echoing out through the prison, he scowled to himself wishing he¡¯d instead thought to grab a change of clothes. Dressed as he was now, he looked like an idiot. That could hurt the lab¡¯s chances of getting custody of the duo, or even worse, ruin his already minimal chances at career advancement.

    The cell was quiet now it¡¯s uninvited guest had left, leaving its caged residents silent and unmoving. Locked to the floor, they couldn¡¯t move if they wanted and the shock of their guests visit left them feeling queasy, unwilling to talk.

    ¡°What¡¯s going to happen to us¡­¡± Alice finally asked, voice small and shaky.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± Jake admitted.

    ¡°In your world, they had these labs too right? What sort of thing happened to ¡®Lab Rats?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Nothing good.¡±

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to die like this Jake. Chained and gutted, locked away underground. Please I just¡­¡± She was crying now; she couldn¡¯t help it.

    ¡°We¡¯ll be fine, I promise.¡± Jake said, voice shaky himself as he tried to reassure Alice, ¡°We just need to wait, wait a little bit longer for sunup. If we can last that long, manage to slip away, we¡¯ll be alright. Plus¡­ I doubt they¡¯ll do anything to us right away. It¡¯ll probably take ages for that guy to come back for us, ages to reach this lab. We have plenty of time¡­¡±

    ¡°Your¡­ your probably right¡­¡± Alice said, her voice still weak.

    Neither wanted to acknowledge how eager, how desperate Simon had seemed. How fast they heard him sprint away. How certain they were that despite their best attempts to assure themselves, they remained helpless on the floor unable to even reach each other.

 Day 68 - "Project Breach" - Council Debate

    ¡°As you can see¡­¡± Simon said, pointing toward the final slide of the hastily made presentation prepared while waiting in the lobby for his appointment with the council, ¡°The scanner readings clearly outline the two as anomalous to our reality. These readings are consistent with previous anomalous activity recorded in the past. The slight variations recorded here and here¡­¡± He paused, pointing toward mass spikes recorded in the data flow which stood out amongst the clean flow of identical information he was trying to present. ¡°Are believed to be owed to the specific reality these two hail from, yet more testing will be needed to verify this. Enough concrete data exists already from our preliminary tests to support Lab 458¡¯s claim to the two prisoners, especially when combined with the circumstantial evidence recorded placing the two at the heart of breach activity earlier today.¡±

    He finished now, out of breath. He¡¯d been talking rapidly for the last half hour or so, maybe more, caught in the flow of his explanation paying little mind to the figures surrounding him. That was the only way he could properly keep his composure standing before the twenty-odd members of the council. Now though, his presentation over, he had little else he could do except fidget in place and wait.

    The council had stayed silent throughout his entire presentation, never raising an objection or asking questions. All members remained silent as they pursued through the shoddy, hastily prepared notes Simon had handed out to accompany his speech. Some leaned forward, a look of curious interest on their face. Most however glowered at him with obvious disapproval.

    ¡°Tell us, Intern,¡± One of the council members spoke, features hidden from view, his tone holding a harsh inquisitiveness to it that sent shivers down Simon¡¯s spine, ¡°Dr. Lewis used the last of his favors to arrange this meeting today, pushed several other important figures out of their time slots for it. Now, at the penultimate hour, he sends¡­ you in his place. You claim these two to be vital to your research, crucial to your lab¡¯s survival, so explain to us why your head researcher can¡¯t be bothered to grace us with his presence?¡±

    Simon smiled internally, he¡¯d been prepared for this question, expected it to come up when interrogated, ¡°You know as well as I that Dr. Lewis is old, and while his mind may remain sharpened and ready for the new frontiers these two can unlock, his body struggles day by day. Today, unfortunately, he fell ill and lay bedridden. Thus he was forced to send me, a lowly intern, to appease the might of the council. He begs you forgive us this transgression.¡±

    This was a completely bald-faced lie. Last he¡¯d seen him, Dr. Lewis was doing a little jig about the lab, celebrating the success soon to follow if they could get their hands on the two strangers. But the council didn¡¯t know that. All they knew was Dr. Lewis was an old shut-in who rarely left his home or lab. Unlike Simon, they didn¡¯t know Dr. Lewis regularly underwent experimental surgery to repair his aged tissue. Unlike Simon, they didn¡¯t know Dr. Lewis was more likely to curse the council for slashing his budget than beg its forgiveness.

    All this worked in his favor rather nicely, as he could hear the council mutter amongst themselves, a majority accepting his explanation without further hassle. Still, though, some on the council remained unconvinced, casting doubt on Simon¡¯s story.

    ¡°If Dr. Lewis is as ill as you so claim, could he not simply wait to pursue this matter? Why waste years of built-up political power for¡­ you?¡± He could hear the skepticism in his detractor''s voice, yet Simon didn¡¯t care. Internally he was celebrating wildly, leaping around as he fist pumped the air. This was another question he¡¯d expected, another question he lay prepped to answer. Bowing low before the council he began,

    ¡°Please forgive my impertinence, but you know as well as I that time would not be on our side! Though they may be unwilling to touch them now, still clamoring to hoist more and more charges on them, those two are the highest-profile criminals in decades. The public latched onto them, demanding punishment. If we wait too long, even just one hour, they could slip through our grasp. Be shipped to another lab, a labor camp, or gods forbid executed!¡±

    Silence descended on the room after his rebuttal, and Simon knew he¡¯d nailed it. Unlike before, nothing he¡¯d said was false. Already news streams were labeling the two¡¯s car crash the highest-profile terrorist attack in decades in an effort to fan the flames of sensationalized outrage, and it was working. Mounting public pressure on the Justice Sector had kept them at bay for now, forcing them to keep adding more and more charges to the two (last time Simon checked the provisional list, they¡¯d somehow been charged with Jaywalking) but that wouldn¡¯t last for long.

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    Sooner rather than later, the two would be officially tried and sent for punishment outside of being detained. Likely, looking at the growing public outrage and lack of care amidst the government toward the two, they were facing execution. If Lab 458 failed to make their case here, it was unlikely they¡¯d get another chance.

    Still, a slight smile almost broke through his emotionless face, confidence began to grow within him. It had been a while now since he was questioned, the council falling back into internal discussion only shooting him the odd glance or glare. He¡¯d nailed it, secured both the project¡¯s future and his own in one fail swoop. Yet right as he was gearing up for another round of internal celebration, everything came crashing down around him as one of the council members stood up, red-faced and enraged,

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I can stand for this farce no longer! Is this a joke to you? You talk about the future of your lab, the future of mankind, yet you stand before us looking like that? Who do you think we are, what do you think this is?¡±

    Simon scowled internally. He¡¯d expected the question, spent more time trying to prep for it than any other, yet now faced with it still he couldn¡¯t come up with a good justification, a good reason why he was dressed so casually. Thankfully, while waiting for his meeting time with the council, he¡¯d managed to spruce his appearance up somewhat. He¡¯d found a comb to tame his messy locks and a pair of discarded shoes loaned to him by a friendly guard replaced his sandals. Still, he looked like an absolute joke standing in the prim and proper chambers of the council.

    Clasping his hands together, a nervous smile leaking through his fa?ade, Simon began a rapid explanation as he flew off the script, nothing concrete prepared in time.

    ¡°Esteemed members of the council, this morning I was not planning to stand here before you. I was not planning to come to work at all. I¡¯d been granted time off¡­¡± he paused, stiffing slightly as he heard one of the council members whisper to his right ¡°We grant interns time off?¡±

    Shaking his head to focus himself, he began again, ignoring the confidence rattling blow that had just happened, ¡°I was planning to relax the day away under the sun, stretched out buried in the warm embrace of the beach. That all changed as soon as the breach occurred. As soon as we could confirm the arrival of anomalous material, we went into overdrive to track and test it. We were so busy that I haven¡¯t yet had a chance to change clothes. While my sorry state of dress may bring insult to the council, for which I humbly apologize, in my eyes it only further acts as evidence of the importance of the prisoners. It further shows how dedicated Lab 458 is to completing ¡°Project Breach.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡± another council member said, leaning forward into his raised desk as he stared down at Simon. ¡°You¡¯ve made your commitment to your project quite clear. You''re so committed you''d try and request the most dangerous criminals we¡¯ve captured in years. What makes you think your lab, underfunded and run down, can possibly manage to detain these two?¡± Simon stood surprised, not expecting the question. Still, though, an answer quickly sprung to mind as he stepped forward, a smile on his face.

    ¡°I would argue Lab 458 is the only place qualified to detain these prisoners. Though the nature of their crimes may be severe, what¡¯s more compelling about them is not their current media spotlight. The widespread popularity of their crimes is not what makes them dangerous. Rather, it¡¯s their origins. They come from another world, another reality utterly alien to our own. A normal prison couldn¡¯t possibly handle them. Though Lab 458 is no prison, it is the world¡¯s only leading expert on what they are. The only place that can hope to possibly detain them, study them, and prevent more criminals like them from appearing.¡±

    The council went quiet, as Simon stood silent and ready to answer further questions. But none came, instead the council moved back inward as debate began. Simon stepped back, away from the center of the room where he¡¯d stood preaching to the council, content to melt into the background and watch the chaos of the council debate. There was little he could do now, he¡¯d shared the facts of the research and played the game of politics. All that remained now was the wait.

    ¡°Simon Park,¡± The council began after a while, the debate finished and a decision was reached, ¡°We the council have reached a majority regarding your request. We have found that Lab 458 has successfully proven its need for the prisoners, thus its claim on the prisoners is valid. This claim is provisional and may be up for review or suspension dependent on the quality of your research.¡±

    The speaker of the council punctuated the announcement with loud banging as he brought down a gavel. It was official, Lab 458 had succeeded. Their claim to the prisoners was inarguable, a matter of law now. Bowing low and thanking the council, Simon quickly cleared the floor so the council¡¯s next meeting could begin. He struggled to keep his face calm before the council, struggled not to laugh as soon as the verdict was read. He¡¯d done it! He¡¯d had to tell more than one lie to succeed, but that didn¡¯t matter anymore. The prisoners were his, and it was time to go collect his spoils¡­

 Day 69 - "Project Breach" - Prisoner Transport

    Neither Alice nor Jake knew how long they¡¯d been stuck to the floor when their next visitor came. They only knew it had been long enough for them to lose most of the feeling in their body due to the unnatural angle they lay crumpled in. They also knew it was long enough for them to give up any talk or cries for help. Instead, they lay in messy heaps, silent bundles of lifeless hopelessness.

    The arrival of their next guest was the first sign of life either of the two had given in hours. Hearing his arrival at their cell, his echoing footsteps stopped outside their holding pen, they craned their necks as best they could hoping to get a glimpse. From what they could see, it was not Simon who had returned but rather a guard, decked in armor. His face was covered, a blank mask that offered no emotion, yet his voice came out clear and crisp.

    ¡°Emergency Elite Risk Detainees One and Two, you are to be transferred effective immediately to government lab 458 to begin your sentencing. You do not have the right to contest this sentencing. We request you stand by as transport is prepared.¡±

    The guard fell silent after that, simply staring faceless and unmoving at the pair. Both could feel their stomachs drop as dread took hold of their body, their already sore and tired limbs growing heavier as the long-worried fear they¡¯d wrestled with came to pass.

    ¡°No please, listen¡­¡± Jake began his voice weak and shaky.

    ¡°You do not have the right to contest this sentencing. This will be your last warning. It is advisable that you do not attempt similar action.¡± The guard said, hostile intent clear in his tone as he unsheathed a baton, smooth and silver, from his belt. Jake heard a small whimper next to him and could see Alice shaking, trembling in terror at the sight of the weapon. Biting his tongue, Jake held back any further complaints or questions. It wouldn¡¯t do them any good to test the guard¡¯s patience.

    Silence descended on the prison again, interrupted only by the hum of the cell¡¯s electronics and the whimpers of uncontested panic that escaped Alice¡¯s shaking form. Eventually, though, the corridor erupted into sound as dozens of footsteps flooded the chamber. Before long the area in front of the cell swarmed with guards, each armored and ready for anything as they paced the front of the holding cell.

    ¡°It is advised you do not attempt to resist. Lethal force has been authorized.¡± A faceless guard said, identity unclear in the sea of similarly faceless soldiers, before a series of beeps rang out. All at once the pair collapsed forward as the shackles that bound them gave way, falling free of their skin and allowing the two to finally fall out of the uncomfortable pose they¡¯d been locked in for hours.

    Doing so was but a momentary joy. As the two fell forward on weak and sore muscles, rubbing the marks the shackles carved onto their skin, the opaque wall of the cell disappeared.

    The guards swarmed into the holding cell in droves, wordlessly and forcefully taking hold of the duo who could do little but scream in terror as they were dragged out of the cell. Led by several pairs of hands, the pair screamed and pleaded with every fiber of their being to the uncaring unwavering corps of guards, till at last they reached what looked like two flat metallic plates.

    The plates hovered soundlessly in the air, smooth and shiny in their construction save for the metallic coils. Those hung thick and heavy from the plate''s frame waiting for a signal to activate. That signal would come courtesy of the guard tasked with escorting the two prisoners away from the holding cell, who pushed a button built into the side of the plates, sparking the arms to life. They snaked forward fast, grasping at the air in front of them blind and hungry, only stopping when they managed to latch onto the flesh of the duo.

    Jake and Alice, now bound tight to the hovering plate after being forced into the metallic coils by the faceless guards, hung in silent shock a moment before continuing their pleas. Desperation took hold of both as they realized they had no way to escape their binding, no way to possibly resist anymore.

    Before when they¡¯d been locked away in their cell, they¡¯d both conclude that if it really came down to being taken away to a lab, whatever escape they attempted would have to happen there. They¡¯d have to find some way to escape their shackles, or worse comes to worse cut their losses and just reach one another so they could escape before the sun rose. Now though, they were completely immobile, even more so than in the cell. Now any hope of escape seemed impossible.

    ¡°We should gag them.¡± A guard said, walking up to one of his colleagues who was prepping the prisoner transports for movement, ¡°They''re pretty loud. Were begging even in the cell before you guys showed up.¡±

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    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it''s standard protocol for detainees this severe. I¡¯ll slap it on as soon as I¡¯m done here.¡± True to his words, as the transport plates moved to lay flat and began their glide out the halls of the detention center the transporting guard slapped two metallic shells over the mouths of the screaming pair. Silent now, tears stinging their eyes, they could only watch the lights embedded in the ceiling fly by as their silent screams for mercy went ignored.

    <hr>

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry Dr. Lewis¡­¡± Simon said into his communicator, standing beside the Justice Sector shuttle he¡¯d been provided to escort the prisoners to Lab 458, ¡°They should be out soon. We¡¯ll be at the Lab in less than an hour.¡±

    ¡°Ok then¡­¡± Dr. Lewis¡¯s voice, clearly anxious with excitement responded, the cheap communicator leaking the private conversation, ¡°I¡¯ll come out to greet them when you¡­¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± Simon hissed back, knowing he¡¯d forgotten something, ¡°No¡­ I told the council you were ill, practically dying. Just stay in the lab and get things ready, if anyone peaks their head in try and look unwell, ok? Just¡­ I got to go, their coming out now.¡±

    ¡°Sim¡­¡± Dr. Lewis began, his reply cut off as Simon hung the communicator up, stepping forward to shake the hand of the approaching prison guard and collect his precious cargo. ¡°Hello there, I¡¯m Simon a researcher at lab 458, here to collect the¡­ volatile prisoners¡­¡± Simon said with a smile as the approaching guard grasped his hand.

    ¡°Oh I was expecting you, you¡¯re the intern right?¡± The guard asked back, causing Simon to internally grimace. Yet he didn¡¯t show this disdain outwardly, only smiling back and nodding.

    ¡°Well ok then, here they are. Had to gag them, they kept complaining during the transport process. Might be roughed up a bit, but we didn¡¯t kill them. Any damages to them, send an invoice to the Justice Sector you should get appropriate compensation in two to three weeks.¡±

    ¡°Does this compensation include their value to our project?¡± Simon asked, clearly annoyed to hear the prisoners could be damaged.

    ¡°Look man, I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m just reading the script. If you have any complaints tell my boss. I just do transfers and pickups, ok?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine, please continue.¡±

    ¡°Thank you. Now as you understand Lab 458 takes legal ownership of these two detainees. In the event of prisoner breakout, injury, or death the Justice Sector claims no fault. Any fault for future crimes that may occur as a result of said hypothetical breakout will be the responsibility of Lab 458. In the event of prisoner death or injury, it will be up to Lab 458 to explain the destruction of government property to the council. If you understand and accept these basic risks, please sign here, here, and here.¡±

    Simon took the offered datapad and quickly scribbled his name on the surface. He was impatient to get back to the lab as soon as possible. Handing the datapad back to the guard, the officer looked over the electronic forms for a quick minute, before nodding satisfied. Stepping aside, he made a sweeping gesture with his arms toward the prone figures of the prisoners, now helpless on the transport plates. A smile broke across Simon''s face as he moved forward to guide the two into the shuttle, before quickly he stopped and turned toward the guard.

    ¡°Where are their belongings?¡±

    ¡°Pardon?¡± The guard asked, confused.

    ¡°Their belongings, you all collected them when you arrested these two. It was broadcast live, I saw it! Where are they!¡±

    ¡°Ummm, I¡¯m not certain but likely they¡¯re scheduled to be processed. Anything worthless will be incinerated.¡±

    ¡°Unacceptable!¡± Simon roared, catching the guard by surprise and causing him to drop the datapad to the floor. ¡°Do you even know why Lab 458 wants these two? They are valuable, irreplaceable test subjects, and you¡¯re going to burn their belongings? Unacceptable! GO! Everything, every scrap they owned, is priceless! Lab 458 owns these two now, which means we own their belongings! We¡¯ll decide what¡¯s worthless, not you, got it?¡±

    Simon bellowed at the guard, continuing to scream at him long after he¡¯d run off in a panic, sprinting into the halls of the Justice Sector. Nodding satisfied, Simon gripped the sides of the transport plate and continued guiding it forward to the waiting maw of the transport shuttle.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he said in a whisper, bending low to the sheet white faces of the transport¡¯s human cargo, ¡°I promise you; we won¡¯t be near as rough as the Justice Sector. Much more Humane. Though we may own you now, my boss is much less interested in a relationship like that. He¡¯s more interested in¡­ a partnership if you will. Has a few questions for you two to start with. Questions about how you got here.¡± Seeing confusion being to replace some of the blind panic in their eyes, he smiled coyly and said,

    ¡°Oh, you know what I¡¯m talking about. You''re not from around here, are you? And I don¡¯t mean the city. No, I mean this reality. He¡¯s dying to ask you about it¡­¡± As surprise filled the eyes of the gagged duo, Simon shut the door to the transport, turning around to find the same guard from before running toward him lugging a massive plastic container. Simon laughed to himself, marveling at how scared he must have made this man if he couldn¡¯t even wait for a dolly.

    ¡°Here¡­ here it all is sir. Every scrap of fabric, just like you asked¡­¡± The guard was panting now, clearly out of breath.

    ¡°Thank you, toss it in the trunk. I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry here.¡± He walked away without another word, leaving the exhausted guard to wrestle with both the heavy box and the trunk to the transport. He probably could help if he wanted to, but why should he? He was a researcher, not a dam intern.

    ¡°Certainly no taxi driver¡­¡± He muttered to himself as climbed into the shuttles driver seat.

 Day 70 - "Project Breach" - Greetings, Dr. Lewis

    As Simon pulled the shuttle around the gargantuan exterior of the Government Research Compound a long sigh escaped his tired form.

    ¡°Already¡­¡± He muttered to himself as he caught sight of the mass bunches of people congregating at each entrance to the building. A mix of civilian and government personnel, this congregation sparked to life when they caught sight of the Justice Sector shuttle floating down from above, flying past the packed steps that lead to the main entrance of the building. With a sigh, he maneuvered the shuttle around the sides of the building searching for a side door or loading zone not completely packed. Yet every new door found revealed a new bunch of spectators clamoring for a glimpse of the shuttle¡¯s cargo.

    The news of Lab 458¡¯s acquisition of high-class prisoners had spread like wildfire as soon as the council had made their deliberation. All items on the council¡¯s agenda were matters of public knowledge. Dr. Lewis had managed to pull enough strings to keep the details about Simon¡¯s meeting private up till it started. As soon as the council chamber¡¯s doors were sealed and Simon started his presentation, however, the whole of the world knew that Lab 458 was clamoring to claim the high-class detainees.

    Simultaneously as soon as the world learned of this knowledge they scoffed in mocking. Most didn¡¯t know what Lab 458 even did, its popularity long since faded, and so just assumed the matter would quickly be tabled as the public at large demanded for justice to be carried out against the detainees (now quickly labeled terrorists in the larger public eye). Those who knew of Lab 458 scoffed in pity, figuring this was the last desperate attempt of a dying lab that¡¯d lost its spark to drum up PR. A stunt meant to draw attention and stave off the threat of defunding for a year or two more.

    None expected the council¡¯s deliberation to take long, nor did they expect the verdict to come out as anything less than an unequivocal refusal. When the meeting and deliberations combined had taken well over an hour, people began to become curious but still no one doubted the outcome. Thus, when the final verdict of the council¡¯s meeting was broadcast live, the world was floored.

    Researchers in the Government Research Compound could hardly believe a rinky-dink operation like Lab 458 had been allowed custody of such famous prisoners. They began to question what it was about the two detainees that made them so special, so worthwhile to the decades-long project Lab 458 had been stuck twiddling their thumbs on.

    The larger public meanwhile was outraged, infuriated that the terrorists would be allowed to escape with a punishment as loose as ¡°Government Test Subject¡±. Those who¡¯d been caught in the destructive path carved by the two, directly or indirectly, spearheaded the growing movement calling for harsher punishment to be leveled on the pair. This moment was demanding nothing short of internment at intensive labor camps, horrific body disfigurement, or even death in extreme cases.

    Though some Labs chewed through test subjects with ease, subjecting them to horrific fates that the growing populace movement could only dream of inflicting on the pair of terrorists, the problem came in the fact they knew nothing about Lab 458. It had never, in its long lifespan, utilized its rights as a Government Research Lab to request a human test subject. This meant no one could be quite sure what treatment or experiments the pair would undergo. This lack of knowledge also sat unwell with the scientific community housed in the Government Research Compound, who found they had no precedent with which to compare these new, highly notorious, test subjects too.

    All this combined had led to the shitstorm awaiting Simon as he circled the building, searching for an entrance not teaming with angry civilians eager to argue with him or inquisitive researchers trying to force their way onto the project now the spotlight was shining on it. Honestly, he couldn¡¯t tell which was more annoying. He might have liked talking to the other researchers if they were interested in hiring, but no. They just wanted Lab 458¡¯s data for free, an idea that turned Simon¡¯s stomach and nearly made him puke.

    Finally finding a place to park, Simon pulled into a small loading zone tucked into the corner of the building. The cover of the freshly risen night sky helped to hide it away from prying eyes, and so under cover of darkness, the surly intern unloaded the transport''s cargo.

    <hr>

    Both Alice and Jake felt somewhat disorientated now from the process of being transported away from the prison. The almost nauseating sensation of flying in the dark as the shuttle swerved wildly, all the while finding themselves strapped down helpless to do anything, had left them disoriented. Now, as they flew rapidly through the halls of some random building with distorted whispers and blinding lights shooting past, their condition only seemed to worsen.

    Still though, as their transport plates rounded another corner at speeds that felt much too fast to the helpless duo, their distorted minds couldn¡¯t stop circling the last words of the intern. Someone else knew they weren¡¯t from this dimension, someone who was looking to talk. Some hope grew in the two that maybe, just maybe, they could avoid tortuous experimentation and dissection.

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    All that would depend on their meeting with Simon¡¯s boss. Depend on what kind of deal they could strike, or if they could answer his questions well enough. Nervousness about the prospect grew in abundance within the two, after all, they barely understood what was happening themselves, but still, they¡¯d have to find someway to broker the deal. It was the only hope they had left.

    ¡°Ah, your back! That¡¯s them right?¡± The pair suddenly heard a new voice, dripping with excitement and quickly approaching their prone forms.

    ¡°No¡­¡± They heard Simon say, voice dripping with sarcasm, ¡°I just thought ¡®screw it, I like the look of these two instead.¡¯¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, very clever. I can see them clearly now that¡¯s definitely them. Go lock the door to the lab. You''re alone, no one from the Justice Sector came?¡±

    ¡°They tried to when they brought the shuttle around. I told them we were doing ¡®top secret, state-of-the-art work¡¯ and couldn¡¯t bring outsiders in. They tried to argue a bit, but they bought it easily enough. I mean, why else would the council give us these two.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± The mystery voice said as a loud series of clicks rang out, echoing around the duo''s prone forms, ¡°All goes well that won¡¯t be a lie¡­ might get some of our budget back.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡± They heard Simon say, his voice growing closer and closer till he stood next to the two directly in their immobile field of view, ¡°Then you can finally pay me. I expect a raise for dealing with this crap. What should we do next, sir?¡±

    ¡°Go ahead and release them.¡±

    ¡°¡­You sure?¡± Simon asked, sending the pair a look of doubt, fear clear in his gaze as he locked eyes momentarily with Jake.

    ¡°No point keeping them locked up, you have everything they own in a plastic box. Any weapon they had would be in there as well.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s true, but Dr. Lewis we don¡¯t know where these two came from! They could be mutated, stronger or faster than us to a degree where¡­¡±

    ¡°Mutated to a degree where keeping them locked up won¡¯t matter. Release them and get those gags off, please! What good are they to us if we can¡¯t even hold a conversation?¡±

    Still looking a little apprehensive, Simon tapped a series of buttons on each of the two prison transport plates, and immediately the metallic coils restraining the duo fell away, falling limp and lifeless to the floor. Reaching up, the two began desperately pulling at the gags stuck tight to their face, making very little progress till Simon, even more unsettled now than before, clicked two small buttons on the underside near their chins. The winding binds of the gag retracted, allowing the two to yank the metallic vice away from their faces.

    Sat upright atop the floating plate, the duo let out a series of gag-like coughs as they struggled for air. Simon stepped back, looking alarmed as he glanced toward Dr. Lewis. Dr. Lewis didn¡¯t look particularly surprised at all to see this display.

    ¡°Please,¡± He said to the two, a small kind smile stretching across his face, ¡°Take your time. When you''re ready, I¡¯d love it if the three of us could start with a little chat. Simon, where did you park the shuttle again?¡±

    ¡°Random loading bay?¡± Simon said with a shrug, tone clearly asking why that mattered at all.

    ¡°Go ahead and move it, return it to the Justice Sector as soon as possible. It would be best to keep them from having an excuse to come snooping around here, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡±

    ¡°But Dr. Lewis is that really such a¡­¡± Simon protested before being cut off.

    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Lock the door to the lab on your way out, we don¡¯t want any¡­ curious gawkers making their way in do we?¡±

    Simon stood for a minute, staring at Dr. Lewis in disbelief before he let out an exasperated sigh. Turning around he reached the door to the lab, glancing over his shoulder to the still struggling convicts, before quickly unlocking the door and slipping outside. Once stood outside in the hall, his key card engaging the magnetic locks once more and sending the whole of Lab 458 into lockdown. A smile spread across his face. Deep and almost sinister looking.

    The convicts seemed to have bought the act. Never once had they tried to resist as he released their bindings, never once had they looked at Dr. Lewis with any sort of outwards hostility. Only curiosity. That was good. That meant there stood a chance they could come to trust him in a way they couldn¡¯t Simon. He saw the looks of hostile intent and panicked distrust that flared up whenever he crossed their field of view.

    He supposed he couldn¡¯t blame them, but still, it complicated their work. Now though, they sat locked with the head researcher ready to spill their secrets. Smiling to himself, Simon strolled away down the halls whistling to himself as he retraced his steps back toward the transport shuttle. Torture could have worked too, of course, but then the results weren¡¯t nearly as trustworthy. They only had one shot at this, they only had the one source of information.

    Dr. Lewis had suggested this little play to grant them the best chance at earning the convict''s trust. So far, it seemed to be working. That wasn¡¯t to say their wasn¡¯t the chance Simon wouldn¡¯t return to find Dr. Lewis murdered, but that wouldn¡¯t be so bad. Sudden promotion from unpaid intern to Head Researcher could never be a bad thing after all.

    <hr>

    ¡°Are you feeling better now?¡± Dr. Lewis asked the pair, a kindly smile playing across his face as he did his best to keep his body language unassuming and non-threatening. Slouched over, he let his greyed hair stand out and wore baggy clothes several sizes too big for him that hung too loose on his frame. All this was in an attempt to hide the gun holstered at his waist and distract from the lean muscle that still rippled across his elder frame. While he may want to look helpless, he was by no means incapable of defending himself.

    ¡°What¡­¡± The male convict began to ask, pulling himself up on unstable feet and rubbing his throat. ¡°What is it you want from us?¡±

    ¡°Please¡­¡± He said, stepping arms spread wide, ¡°Let¡¯s eat something while we talk! You must have been locked away for hours now, yes? You must be hungry! I can ask you my questions while we eat. We have plenty of time after all¡­¡±

 Day 71 - "Project Breach" - Dinner and An Interview

    ¡°What¡­ does he want with us?¡± Alice asked, turning toward Jake as she slowly climbed down from the floating metallic plate, careful not to trip over the limp coils hanging lifeless around her. She¡¯d heard the man across from her talking awhile now, bouncing to and fro with nervous excitement she couldn¡¯t understand.

    ¡°He wants us to sit and eat while we talk, probably has questions for us about how we got here if what Simon said is true,¡± Jake responded, rolling his head side to side as his neck cracked back into place.

    ¡°What if Simon was lying, what if this is a trap?¡±

    ¡°Well, there¡¯s two of us and one of him so we can probably figure it out. As long as we can just stick close together, we¡¯ll be fine. We just need to stall for¡­¡±

    ¡°Are you two talking to each other?¡± Dr. Lewis asked, leaning forward slightly, his smile waning a bit as he watched the two captives in front of him begin conversing in a dialect he¡¯d never heard before. ¡°That¡¯s quite rude to exclude people don¡¯t you think? Listen, why don¡¯t we just sit down and continue the discussion together? I know I¡­ or rather the lab technically owns you now but please, I don¡¯t want you to think of yourselves as captives. I¡¯d much rather be your host, inviting my guests in for a meal and lively discussion!¡±

    Dr. Lewis finished his speech trying to sound as cheery and welcoming as possible, hoping the beads of sweat forming on the back of his neck weren¡¯t visible anywhere else across his body. In truth he was beginning to grow nervous that the test subjects would turn violent, already they were plotting in a dialect he couldn¡¯t understand. He hoped his calm invitation could de-escalate the problem before it even started, steering the three of them back toward the civil discussion the doctor had been hoping for. Instead, as he finished his invitation to the duo across from him, he saw the male prisoner stiffen, a look of intense panic and distrust flashing across his face as soon as they were referred to as his guests.

    ¡°Was it something I said?!¡± Dr. Lewis asked quickly, already seeing the male prisoner backing off slowly, a slight shiver in his frame, ¡°Please I promise I meant no disrespect! Come, let''s just¡­ sit down, start over!¡± Quickly turning around, the doctor walked fast to the worktable he¡¯d prepped early today, his hand sliding down toward the pistol resting comfortably at his hip. Standing ready by the worktable stocked with food and drink, Dr. Lewis waited for any sign of attack or resistance from the two.

    ¡°What do you think we should do?¡± Alice asked in a hushed whisper, eyeing the odd way the elderly man was posed. Something about the way he stood, hand rested on his hip looked unnatural to her, unsafe.

    ¡°Follow him for now. I want to know what he has to say.¡± Jake replied, still shaken up from the unexpected return of an unpopular nickname.

    ¡°I agree. Plus, I¡¯m starved.¡±

    Cautiously, the two inched slowly through the metallic confines of the lab, taking the chance to inspect their new surroundings. Largely, the space looked unimpressive. Jake had expected it to look more futuristic. A grim horrible place filled with scientific curiosity and horror that waited to torture the two of them. Instead, the place rather looked in disrepair. Large sections of the room sat in darkness or covered in tarps. He could see branching corridors in the lab that led out away from where they stood now yet saw no sign of life or anything else of interest leaking through said passageways.

    The surfaces of the lab not marred with dust or covered with tarps looked rather unexceptional. Plan metallic workbenches, computer monitors with bouncing screen savers or lines of text that filtered past at rapid speed. Across the way, he could see what looked like a local news station on mute and playing for no one. The futuristic lab the two were trapped in now looked to be almost abandoned, in need of repairs, and in some sense worse off than the modern labs he¡¯d seen back home.

    For Alice, she was also thoroughly unimpressed with the lab¡¯s shoddy state of affairs. It hardly held a candle to the sprawling wanders the two had been exploring earlier. Hell, even the prison cell looked better off than this dump.

    The duo finished with their unimpressive self-guided tour of Lab 458 and reached the workbench Dr. Lewis stood beside. A series of plush office chairs aged several years past their prime had been pulled up alongside the workbench. Atop the workbench sat a smorgasbord of fruits, meats, cheeses, and vegetables. A clear picture of water sat in the center of the workbench with several assorted mugs.

    ¡°Go ahead, take a seat,¡± Dr. Lewis said, relief clear in his voice as he sank down into one of the many office chairs arranged at random around the workbench, ¡°Have something to eat. I promise you, I didn¡¯t poison it or anything. I mean, what use would you be to me dead after all!¡±

    Dr. Lewis let out a hearty laugh to himself while absent-mindedly grabbing a slice of some random cheese and popping it into his mouth. Both Alice and Jake sat frozen, hands filled with assorted bits of food. Sharing a glance with each other both realized neither one of them had remotely considered the possibility that the elderly man across them had poisoned their meal. Still, though, his words made some sort of sense and both were famished now, so following the doctor''s example they began popping random bits and bobs of food into their mouth with slightly more care than before.

    ¡°Is it good?¡± Dr. Lewis asked while leaning back in his office chair and crossing his arms behind his head, ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what you eat¡­ wherever you¡¯re from so if you need something else just let me know, I¡¯ll do my best to¡­¡±

    ¡°Dr¡­ Lewis, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Jake interrupted, doing his best to remember the name Simon had mentioned offhandedly, ¡°What is it you want with us exactly?¡± Dr. Lewis froze before slowly leaning forward in his chair till he sat straight and proper. A sly smile sat on his face now that seemed utterly different from the kindly and doddering expression he¡¯d maintained thus far. Reaching next to him, Dr. Lewis lifted a datapad previously unseen amidst the clutter of the table and tossed it toward the surprised duo.

    ¡°Let¡¯s start with this, shall we? Peruse at your own leisure but I¡¯ll go ahead and give you a quick summary. What you hold in your hands right now is the official government report on your little accident today.¡± He paused a minute while Jake picked the sleek pad up and skimmed through the reports, eyes widening with each sentence he read. Alice glanced toward the pad Jake was looking over before quickly realizing she couldn¡¯t make sense of what was written on it, leaning back to wait for Jake¡¯s translations.

    ¡°The official reports are always dense, filled with useless legalize but here¡¯s the bottom line. According to the government, you two managed to cause over one hundred car accidents in the span of just twelve minutes. In that time, you also managed to cost the Centralized Government millions in damages when you crashed into three separate buildings. Worst of all, your actions led to the deaths of over a dozen people and maimed hundreds more.¡±

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    ¡°Oh god¡­¡± Jake said in a low whisper, hands shaking as the datapad fell free of his grasp his head sinking into his hands. ¡°What have we done¡­¡± He¡¯d never expected the consequences of their crash to be so severe. No one had properly explained to them their charges or their crimes. When they were locked away all that kept being repeated was destruction of property and theft. Never murder.

    ¡°What is it?!¡± Alice asked, panicked to see the sudden shift in attitude from before as she grabbed hold of the datapad desperate to try and derive some meaning from the useless symbols displayed before her.

    ¡°This, according to the government, is a fact now.¡± Dr. Lewis continued, leaning forward till he rested comfortably against the workbench. ¡°However, there is a different fact I know all too well. The Central Government lies. This official report, released only thirty or so minutes ago, is nearly completely different from the initial reports of your accident. Those reports list you miraculously causing only a few minor accidents and causing only superfluous damage to a single building before finally crashing down and destroying the roof of a parking deck. Do you know why the details of your crash changed so drastically?¡±

    Jake slowly lifted his head from his hands. He was stark white as tremors of terror and regret shook the foundations of his very being. Even hearing Dr. Lewis''s continued explanation could do little to calm him down, all he could manage was to shake his head no.

    ¡°It¡¯s because your crash was public, loud, and attention-drawing. More and more people flocked to it, and so the Centralized Government twisted the truth till a narrative they liked was reached. A narrative that sensationalized and buried the truth. I watched your crash live, and while Simon was busy arranging your little¡­ visit¡­ here I was busy investigating your crash myself. I can tell you personally that your crash more closely mirrored those results listed in the initial accident report. Rather, your crash was likely even less severe than what was listed there.¡±

    Standing up from his chair completely now, Dr. Lewis paced around the workbench till he stood beside the still fear-stricken Jake and still desperately confused Alice.

    ¡°I tell you this so you¡¯ll understand, most believe the truth presented to them by the Centralized Government. Hell, they largely helped to forge it themselves. You¡¯ll likely find no one else who is willing to help you. Only me. Try and leave this lab and you won''t find a nice meal waiting for you, rather it¡¯ll be torture and execution instead. All I ask, now, is a little help in return. Some honest answers to some questions I have. We can work out the rest from there, I¡¯m sure.¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s start easy, how did you two get here? Was it a manual breach or did you accidentally slip through one and end up here by mistake?¡±

    ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s a breach?¡± Jake asked, still pale in the face. Dr. Lewis shook his head from side to side, sighing and muttering something under his breath that sounded almost like ¡°idiotic intern¡± to Jake while he circled back around the table and retook his seat.

    ¡°Lab 458¡­ ¡®Project Breach¡¯¡­ did Simon not explain any of this?¡± Dr. Lewis asked while sinking into his chair, rubbing his brow in an exasperated fashion.

    ¡°No, he just said you¡¯d have some questions for us¡­¡± Jake said, still reeling from the shock of the datapad on their crash and really wishing Dr. Lewis would just get on with it.

    ¡°Fine, fine. Short version for now, breach is the term coined for rips in reality, ¡°Project Breach¡± is study of these breaches, how to travel through them, and anything that may have fallen through them. Now, how did you two get here?¡±

    ¡°It was an accident, at least I think it was¡­¡± Jake said, not quite sure how to explain what was happening to them, ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what¡¯s been happening but every day at sunrise I just sort of¡­ fall¡­ into a new world along with everything I¡¯m holding at the time of sunrise.¡±

    ¡°You, fall? Is that what it feels like?¡± Dr. Lewis asked, sitting up excitedly and hurriedly jotting notes down into a datapad he¡¯d procured from next to him.

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°What about her, is it the same for her?¡±

    ¡°No, she only fell because I was holding onto her. Where not really certain what would happen if I let go now, but probably I¡¯d leave her behind.¡±

    ¡°Wait, she¡¯s not from the same reality you¡¯re from?¡± Dr. Lewis asked with excitement quickly realizing these two subjects could be far more valuable than he¡¯d initially realized.

    ¡°No.¡±

    ¡°Can she answer some questions herself? I¡¯d like it if she could please describe the sensation she feels when... falling...in her own words.¡± Dr. Lewis made a separate file in his notes, ready to take the girl convict''s testimony.

    ¡°Sorry, she can¡¯t understand us.¡±

    ¡°Wait, she can¡¯t understand us at all? Simon reported no issue in communication?¡±

    ¡°Wait, now that you mention it, that is weird¡­¡± turning toward Alice who¡¯d now set the datapad to the side and was eyeing him with annoyance he asked, ¡°You sure you can¡¯t understand this guy?¡±

    ¡°Now you remember me?¡± She snapped back, with a small eye-roll ¡°Of course I can¡¯t understand this guy, what you think I¡¯m just sitting here like an idiot for the fun of it?¡±

    ¡°Ok, Ok!¡± Jake said, gesturing with his hands he understood before looking back toward the doctor, ¡°She doesn¡¯t understand you, sorry.¡± Dr. Lewis buried his face in his hands, frustration with Simon boiling up for a moment before he looked Jake in the eyes again.

    ¡°Can you catch her up to speed then? Ask her my question?¡± Shrugging, Jake turned back toward Alice.

    ¡°Hey, he wants to know¡­¡±

    ¡°Forget that!¡± Alice interrupted, before waving the datapad around in front of his face, ¡°What the hell is on here that has you so spooked?¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡­¡± Jake said, voice dropping. ¡°It''s details on our crash, it says we caused a lot of damage. Hurt some people too, killed others.¡± Alice sat in silence, her heartbeat quickening as she let the datapad slip free of her grasp. She felt like she could be sick.

    ¡°He, Dr. Lewis, says it¡¯s probably not as bad. Claims the government here lies all the time, that he investigated our crash personally and there was hardly any damage and no one was hurt.¡±

    ¡°Do you think we can trust him?¡± Alice asked, a hint of hopeful desperation clear in her voice.

    ¡°¡­ No. Maybe. I don¡¯t know. I want to.¡± Jake replied sinking lower into his chair. He wasn¡¯t sure what to think about the crash anymore, his mind kept flipping on the issue every time he tried to think on it. The Dr.¡¯s questioning had given him a brief respite to ignore the problem. Now that respite was over.

    Truthfully the government¡¯s official report seemed excessive to Jake. He remembered that crash, been a part of it, and knew for certain he only crashed into one building, max of two if they were counting whatever the car slammed into after he lost consciousness. Yet at the same time, he couldn¡¯t believe a crash as crazy as theirs wouldn¡¯t result in injury. No matter how much he wanted to believe it.

    ¡°What¡­ should we do? With him, I mean?¡± Alice asked, despair clear in her voice. It seemed obvious to Jake she didn¡¯t really care anymore; she was lost in thought wrestling with bigger issues.

    ¡°Let¡¯s just answer his questions for now, see where it leads us. I mean, what else can we do till sunrise?¡± Turning back toward the doctor Jake simply said, ¡°Fells like falling, she gave the same answer as me.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Dr. Lewis replied, a small grimace forming on his face as he took note of the unremarkable answer. What followed next was a tennis match of questions, each seemingly less important than the last. Dr. Lewis seemed keen to draw out every last piece of information he could from the two, while the duo still wrestling with the aftereffects of their crime had little interest in answering any questions at all.

    ¡°Last question, for now,¡± Dr. Lewis said as he set the datapad he¡¯d been scribbling notes into for the last hour or so. ¡°You already said you got here on accident. That tells me you didn¡¯t come here with a goal in mind, so tell me what it is you want exactly?¡±

    ¡°What do we want?¡± Jake repeated back, surprised to hear a question so open ended, ¡°We¡­ we just want to go home¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­¡± Dr. Lewis said, leaning forward into the table, his hands laced together a near sinister-looking smile tracing itself across his jaw ¡°I do believe we can come to an¡­ understanding¡­strike a deal if you would.¡±

 Day 72 - "Project Breach" - A Deal With A Devil

    ¡°What¡­ what sort of deal?¡± Jake asked rather unenthusiastically. He wished the elderly man would just shut up and let them stew in silence. Glancing next to him he saw Alice sitting near catatonic, lost in thought and unmoving. She¡¯d been like this for a while now, totally uninterested in the conversation. Her lack of ability to commune with the doctor allowed her to slip deep into thought uninterrupted, allowing her to begin to unpack the possible ramifications of the duo''s actions. Jake wasn¡¯t allowed such a luxury. He had to keep the doctor engaged, prattling on with Dr. Lewis for what felt like an eternity.

    ¡°What I mean¡­¡± Dr. Lewis said, standing up from the workbench and walking away from the pair, ¡°Is that I believe we can both come to help one another. If everything you told me is true, you¡¯ll be leaving here when the sunrises. Barely anytime at all, certainly not enough time for any serious study on you two. The best I¡¯ll have to settle for is a few samples. I could try and trap you here, devise some sort of cell or shackle that could bind you here, but would good would that do either of us? No, it¡¯s best for all of us if you leave. Avoid the protesters and busybodies before they can swarm this place.¡±

    ¡°So your deal is¡­ you let us leave?¡± Jake asked, a small flicker of hope flaring up in his desolate chest. Even as his head was full of confusing thoughts twisting and eating themselves in an unending cycle trying to grapple with the report of the datapad, at least it seemed there was hope to escape.

    ¡°No, no. Nothing so basic. You¡¯ll be leaving here in a few hours no matter what I do. What sort of deal would that be, hmm? I offer you something you already have. No, no. What I want to do for you is so much¡­ bigger. I want to help you find a way to control your¡­ falls. Help you find a way home.¡±

    ¡°¡­Really?¡± Jake asked, a note of skepticism leaking into his voice despite his best efforts to hide it. Looking around at the ramshackle remains of Lab 458, he couldn¡¯t help but doubt the doctor¡¯s claims. Seeming to note the suspicion in his voice, Dr. Lewis let out a small chuckle.

    ¡°I can understand your trepidation about trusting me. This place surely has seen better days. But I assure you, nowhere in this reality is better equipped, or more willing, to help you. And thus far, from what little you¡¯ve told me, you¡¯ve found no one else even willing to try and help you. Now I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take, but as soon as you leave here it will be this lab¡¯s sole mission to develop a way to master and control travel between realities.¡±

    ¡°Ok¡­¡± Jake said, voice lacking any real excitement as he stewed in Dr. Lewis¡¯s promises. He still wasn¡¯t sure what to make of the doctor, and he knew for a fact the sprawling dilapidated lab around him left much to be desired. Still, the small chance he offered to go home, to end his hellish fall through different realities seemed too good to pass up.

    ¡°What then? I¡¯ll be able to go home just to, what, fall through reality again? Start this nightmare all over?¡±

    ¡°Hmm¡­ that is a good point¡­ an anchor¡­ an anchor will also be required¡­¡± The doctor was mumbling to himself now, seemingly distracted for a moment before he turned toward the pair a large smile across his face, ¡°Tell you what then, a way to control your falls and an anchor. We''ll figure it out here and build it, and you two can be the first ones we send it to. I promise.¡±

    Dr. Lewis snaked forward now, arm extended, ready for a handshake. Neither Alcie nor Jake moved to accept, however. Alice had moved, shaken somewhat from her catatonic stupor to watch the doctor with suspicion clear in her eyes while Jake leaned forward slightly and asked,

    ¡°And you? What do you want?¡±

    ¡°What? Oh yes, I forgot! Got too excited for a moment, my apologies! Just some bloodwork, some urine, some solid waste if there¡¯s time. Typical bio samples, from both of you. I¡¯d like to go through your belongings as well and see what I can isolate from them. And as for you two, when you leave in the morning, do so in a place we can monitor. We¡¯ll want as much data as possible from you two before you leave. OH! And the trackers, we¡¯ll need to install some in you. How else can we uphold our end of the deal if we can¡¯t find you?¡±

    Jake fidgeted, eyeing the extended hand of the elderly man and looking into his large eyes and artificially inflated smile. The longer he spent with Dr. Lewis the worse his impression of the man became. Behind his sugary words and fake smiles, Jake felt he could see a cruel calculating man just waiting for his chance to strike. A chance Jake feared was coming all too soon. With a nervous gulp, he turned toward Alice.

    ¡°He wants to make a deal. He says he¡¯ll give us a way to control travel between reality and a way to anchor ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Well, that sounds perfect!¡± Alice said with mock enthusiasm, rolling her eyes as she shot the doctor with a glare. ¡°I don¡¯t trust this guy at all Jake. I mean, he just happens to be able to solve all our problems?! Look around this dump! What the hell is he going to do?¡±

    ¡°I agree¡­ but we¡¯re still stuck with him till sunrise, and we have no clue how long that¡¯ll take. Let''s just play ball, and get it over with. What¡¯s the worst that can happen? Worse comes to worse, he doesn¡¯t hold up his end of the deal and we leave this place behind.¡±

    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound so bad¡­ can¡¯t wait to get out of here¡­¡± Alice said, voice dropping a bit as her gaze fell to the floor. With an understanding sigh, Jake returned his gaze to the still-waiting Dr. Lewis. Noting that the doctor¡¯s wide smile had dropped somewhat, Jake gripped hold of the doctor¡¯s hand and shook.

    ¡°We¡¯ll do it.¡±

    ¡°WONDERFUL! Let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡±

    <hr>

    Simon gave a casual knock on the door leading into Lab 458. He waited awhile yet no response came. Eventually, growing bored of standing around doing nothing in the hall he flashed his ID badge to the scanner, disengaging the lockdown overtaking the whole of Lab 458. Entering through the now unlocked door, Simon braced himself for what horrors he may find waiting for him. Instead, he saw his boss sitting alone with his back to the door, hunched over a cluttered workstation. With a sigh that could be either relief at his survival or disappointment at his lack of sudden promotion, Simon strolled up beside the workstation.

    ¡°Returned the transport shuttle. Also stopped by the crash site. The official report is defiantly exaggerated, though the damage was still substantial.¡±

    ¡°Well, that was to be expected. They had quite a crash, the Centralized Government may like to exaggerate from time to time but they still need something to work with.¡±

    Neither story Dr. Lewis had presented the pair with regarding their crash had been accurate. Their uncontrolled crash had done substantial amounts of property damage to two buildings, nearly completely leveling the roof and top floor of the garage the car had crashed into. In total the amount of damage caused had totaled nearly as much as crashing into three separate buildings, but only two were ever really hit.

    The real difference lay not in structural damage, but rather the human damage dealt by the crash. No fatalities were confirmed by either Dr. Lewis or Simon, however, over a hundred injuries ranging from minor cuts and bruising to severe lacerations and broken bones were confirmed. The most severe of these injuries was a woman admitted to the hospital in a coma. She¡¯d still yet to wake up.

    ¡°Which version of the story did you give them?¡± Simon asked as he pulled himself up to sit on an empty part of the workstation, legs dangling in the air.

    ¡°The first version. You were right, they were shocked. Even the edited version seemed too much for them to handle, barely managed to get anything out of them.¡±

    Simon nodded, smirking slightly in vindication at having been proven correct. They had prepared two stories about the accident to feed the convicts. One in which their accident was far tamer than what was officially reported and one in which their accident was far more destructive than what was officially reported. He¡¯d known which the two would most want to hear as soon as he met them in their cell and heard them crying and begging for mercy. Still, though, Dr. Lewis had insisted on preparing a second draft of the story as ¡®it never hurt to be prepared.¡¯

    ¡°Think they bought it?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, do I? I could only understand one of them¡­ that reminds me¡­¡± Dr. Lewis said, his tone darkening a bit as he stood up before he started sending a barrage of furious blows upon the sides of the intern''s ribs. Surprised by the elderly man¡¯s sudden attack, Simon slipped free of the workstation and fell to the floor with a groan.

    ¡°The hell¡¯s the matter with you?! Why didn¡¯t you mention only one of them could understand us?!¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Simon looked up rubbing his side, the back of his head ringing from the sudden fall to the ground ¡°What are you talking about?¡±

    ¡°One of them doesn¡¯t understand our language, the woman! The man had to translate for us so who knows what they were saying to each other. I saw their facial expressions twitch and they weren¡¯t throwing me the most trusting of looks, but I have no idea what they were saying!¡±

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Simon asked, giving up on rubbing the side of his chest instead of opting to rub the back of his throbbing head. There underneath the mane of hair he grew he felt the dull cool sensation of metal greet his hand and suddenly everything clicked into place.

    ¡°Ah, crap!¡± Simon exclaimed as he pulled himself up towards the still-enraged doctor, ¡°It''s my translation implant. Got it installed a few years back for travel. Didn¡¯t even notice it was working when I was talking to them!¡±

    ¡°Well great, if I knew only you could understand them I wouldn¡¯t have sent you away, would I? Who knows what they''re thinking?¡± Dr. Lewis said with an exasperated sigh, head sinking into his hand.

    ¡°Not a total loss so it doesn¡¯t really matter, just stick close to them whenever they come back. They already agreed to the deal, I¡¯d just like to know what they''re whispering in private.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± Simon said, waving his hand dismissively not exactly thrilled with his new task of designated stalker. ¡°Where are they anyway.¡±

    ¡°Sent them to use a decontamination shower after I managed to get some blood out of them. Wanted more but they were in shock, like I said even the tamer story seemed too much for them. We¡¯ll have to be more forceful when they come back. Said they just wanted to shower and sleep so I let them go. We have stuff to prep anyway.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the rush?¡± Simon asked with a shrug ¡°Not like they''re going anywhere.¡±

    ¡°Wrong. If their testimony is right they¡¯ll be gone by sunrise. We need to do everything we can to be ready for them. I already have a list ready for you.¡±

    ¡°Sure, sure, I guess. Why not! All this work just to let those two waltz away in a few hours?!¡± Simon sunk his head into his hands as he shouted, his words echoing out around the room.

    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad.¡± Dr. Lewis said, returning his attention to the vials of blood gathered on the table.

    ¡°YOU WEREN¡¯T THE ONE DOING THE WORK!¡±

    ¡°Calm down, just think about it ok? We keep them here somehow, which we can¡¯t do anyway so no point thinking about it, and what does that get us? Public enemies one and two who, from my initial tests so far, are no different than anyone else biologically speaking. We let them go however and we get a controlled breach, a breach we know exactly where it¡¯ll open so we can monitor and record it. Along with that, we send them off with trackers and you know what else we¡¯ll have?¡±

    Simon shook his head no, glancing toward Dr. Lewis as growing curiosity replaced the annoyance he was feeling.

    ¡°Test Subjects." The doctor responded, a sly smile tracing itself across his face.

 Day 73 - "Project Breach" - Crumbling In The Shower

    When the duo had first been led to the showers, there had been some doubt amongst them that the rickety device would work at all. It looked abandoned, as if it hadn¡¯t been used in years, and when the doctor escorting them first tried to power the apparatus up nothing seemed to happen. After a few minutes angrily flipping a switch and banging on the wall, though, the lights inside the small built-in shower turned on and the doctor excused himself with a smile.

    Left alone with the so far malfunctioning shower, neither Jake nor Alice felt particularly inclined to test the barely functioning piece of equipment. Having watched Dr. Lewis¡¯s struggle to get the piece of ancient machinery functioning again they now found their desire to bathe greatly diminished. Still, they didn¡¯t know when they would next have a chance to comfortably¡­ well¡­ semi comfortably bathe like this so they needed to take advantage of it while they could.

    Stepping forward to take the first crack at wrestling with the confusing and often malfunctioning controls of the shower, Jake left Alice to sit alone, wrestling with the facts presented by the doctor. Her body shivered reflexively when she thought of the doctor, his fake smiles and over-friendly gestures flipping through her head. She didn¡¯t trust him, not a bit. She felt some relief to know she wasn¡¯t alone in this, to know that Jake hadn¡¯t fallen for whatever act he was trying to sell the two. Still though, as he took more and more blood from the two with a promise hanging in the air that more ¡®Samples¡¯ would be collected soon, she couldn¡¯t help but shiver with unease.

    She hated the idea of playing into the smiling doctor¡¯s hands, playing along with his whims. It brought up memories of the chamber, dancing along helplessly to the voice''s commands powerless to resist. But there was little the two could do. They were trapped, locked in a lab he solely controlled with no hope of help or escape. Forced to dance to the doctor¡¯s tune. Hopefully this time there would be a reward at the end of their subservience, yet in her heart of hearts, Alice greatly doubted that would be the case.

    Still, though, this feeling of unease was almost welcome to her. The growing feeling of discomfort and paranoia that was beginning to set in the longer she stayed in lab 458, the disgust that crawled across her skin as the doctor took her blood. All welcome distractions from the horrid facts of their crash. She didn¡¯t know what to think, what to trust.

    She wanted more than anything to believe their accident had miraculously ended without anyone getting hurt, without any lasting damage. But Jake was right. That was too good to believe. Especially considering the source of these rumors of a safe crash. Alice doubted the doctor even remembered their names, hell, she wasn¡¯t even certain he asked. He wasn¡¯t trustworthy. Just another jailor to deal with, this dilapidated lab just another prison to wait in till morning.

    As she sat curled on the floor, mind growing increasingly uneasy, the door to the shower opened with a noticeable amount of noise. It took a minute to fully open, giving Alice plenty of time to stand upright as Jake removed himself from the shower. His prison jumpsuit clung to his body, dripping with water and looking rather uncomfortable. His long black hair hung down over his eyes and into his face, wet and stringy.

    ¡°How was it?¡± She asked with mild interest watching as Jake trudged out of the shower and plopped to the floor.

    ¡°Terrible,¡± He said, voice somewhat muffled by the damp curtain of hair hanging over his head, ¡°Pressures way too high and there¡¯s no way to control it¡­ it just starts. Also, there¡¯s no towels or dryer so I¡¯d expect to stay wet if I were you.¡±

    ¡°Lovely¡­¡± Alice said, a sarcastic edge lacking from her voice as she walked toward to shower in a haze of melancholic gloom. Stepping into the metallic chamber of the shower, Alice stood a moment unsure what to do next.

    ¡°Push that button there, the red one next to the door. None of the others did anything so don¡¯t waste your time trying¡­¡± She heard Jake call behind her through the still-open door. Turning back to face the doorway she found a small metallic panel carved out next to the door frame. Thin and indented into the wall, it was easy to miss. Running her finger down the panel she stopped soon as it rested across a bit of metal, square and red, jutting from the panel.

    Certain this had to be what Jake was talking about; she pushed down on the button. With a click, it sank into the indented panel. It did not pop back out like she¡¯d expected it to. Instead, it remained intended and flush with the panel around it. A blaring alarm rang out around her, surprising both her and Jake who covered his sopping wet ears in surprise at the sudden sound.

    ¡°PLEASE STAND BY: WATER CYCLING: WATER CYCLING: WATER CYCLING: WATER¡­¡± A voice repeated this command over and over, echoing unbearably loud around the shower''s confined chambers. A few seconds later though the sound stopped and the door to the shower slammed shut with a loud sound of scrapping metal that set Alice¡¯s nerves on end. Then, she found herself blasted forward by a sudden jet of water from behind.

    She didn¡¯t even have time to fully slam into the compact wall in front of her before an equally strong blast of water slammed into her front. Then from every direction jets of highly pressurized water slammed into her with enough force to leave her battered and bruised.

    Despite Jake¡¯s warnings, the sudden shock of the water left her dazed and confused as she struggled to find her footing, slipping amidst the cacophony of pressurized water. She felt her hair whirl around her face, caught in the whirlwind of water as all at once the prison jumpsuit she wore was soaked to the bone. She hadn¡¯t thought of taking it off even after seeing how soaked Jake¡¯s had become. She regretted that now.

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    Managing to find a small gap in the barrage of water jets Alice fell forward slamming into the wall of the shower, her body shaking as she struggled to recover. The barrage of water still blasted into her from behind. All at once, however, the jets of water hitting her felt far away as pulsing pain rippled throughout her body. Sliding down against the wall to her knees, she coughed a cascade of blood up to the shower floor as her body felt like it was tearing itself apart.

    She could feel the strings winding throughout her body tense, growing tauter and tauter as power struggled to vibrate throughout creating painful aftereffects that shook her body. She could feel the tangled knots of string that interwove themselves within screams in protest as another splattering of blood freed itself from her body. Her limbs, already screaming in pain, began to bleed, small dollops of blood leaking out and staining her jumpsuit as it mixed with the flow of water around her.

    She could hear pounding on the door of the shower, the faint muffled cries of Jake on the other side drowned now by her continued cries of pain and the sound of the shower jets pounding her head endlessly, threatening to drown the screaming girl. Then, moments after the pain started, as Alice was bracing herself for the unending sensation of the taunting strings to worsen, the pain seemed to fade just as fast as it had come. She could feel the strings within slowly beginning to loosen, the collected power recirculating itself slowly and carefully as she was left gasping in pain on the shower floor, struggling to breathe amongst the deluge of water that fell around her.

    Eventually, the pressurized streams of water slamming down upon her stopped. How much time passed as she simply laid there on the floor struggling to breathe she didn¡¯t know. As the shower cycle came to an end, the door to the metallic chamber opened slowly with the same grinding sound as before. Jake forced his way into the confines of the shower before the door could even finish opening. Kneeling down next to her collapsed and shivering form, he took stook of the blood still staining her in diluted splotches.

    ¡°What happened?! Are you alright?¡± He asked, panic clear in his voice as he tried to help her upright.

    ¡°Fine¡­ I¡¯m fine, I think. I don¡¯t know really. I thought I was Crumbling but¡­ it was way too short. Way to tame¡­¡± Alice said as she allowed herself to be pulled upright into a seated position. Leaning against the slick wall of the shower behind her, she added, ¡°It should be getting worse each time it happens, lasting for longer and longer. This time¡­ I¡¯ve never heard a case of the Crumbling improving with time.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that good then?¡± Jake asked, some relief in his voice as he sat back from the panting form of Alice now safely propped upright. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean the work we did with the book so far has been helping?¡±

    ¡°But why?!¡± Alice asked, surprised herself at how desperate she sounded. In truth their work so far in trying to understand the Crumbling had mostly been guesswork carried out when they weren¡¯t busy fighting to stay alive. They still really didn¡¯t understand anything about it.

    ¡°Hey, you got me. I¡¯m not a magician. But it¡¯s working, and if the Crumbling is improving now that just means more time to figure it out, right?¡±

    Alice opened her mouth, glancing up above Jake prepared to say something else but froze in her tracks. There leaning against the wall opposite the shower was the intern, Simon. He had a look of utter boredom on his face and clutched in his hands was a series of folded bundles of cloth.

    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mind me!¡± Simon said, noticing Alice had made eye contact with him. ¡°Dr. Lewis just thought you may need these.¡± He unceremoniously dumped the bundles upon the two, watching as they jumped in surprise, pushing back away from the intern further into the shower. ¡°There just some towels, the shower heater probably doesn¡¯t work so¡­ sorry about that. Go ahead and dry yourself, I''ll take you to a place where you can rest. Won¡¯t have much time to rest, we still have some tests to run before you leave, but better than nothing right?¡±

    Smiling an empty smile toward the pair, Simon strolled out of view leaving the two to dry off in silence.

    <hr>

    Simon smiled to himself as he stalked across Lab 458. They definitely didn¡¯t trust him. I mean, the looks in their eyes when they spotted him. If looks could kill! Their trust in Dr. Lewis probably wasn¡¯t any better. It was harder to confirm that since the topic hadn¡¯t come up. What had come up though, left Simon deeply fascinated.

    ¡°¡­Crumbling¡­Magician¡­¡± he muttered to himself as he stalked closer towards Dr. Lewis¡¯s workstation. The doctor was absent from it now. Busy preparing the data collection chamber the two would breach from. There was a lot to do to prepare this chamber, new sensors to calibrate, programs to update, cameras to install, etc. etc. Simon expected he¡¯d have to break his back working overtime to help with getting it ready but instead Dr. Lewis had given him a much different set of instructions.

    He was currently tasked with going through all the pairs belongings, categorizing them, and taking samples. He was also expected to take further biological data from the two when the time came. He¡¯d even be expected to examine the water collected during their shower. All of it was mind numbing work, degrading to someone like him. Though he may be an intern on paper, in practice, he served as the Lab¡¯s only remaining researcher. He shouldn¡¯t be relegated to such idiotic work.

    Still, though, there was a silver lining to be found in the doldrums of his assigned tasks. Picking up one of the many vials of blood the doctor had collected, Simon turned it over in his hands till the small print label was visible to him.

    ¡°SPECIMEN 2: GENDER ¨C FEMALE ¨C VIAL ¨C 2:5¡±

    He found his mind wandering back to the first time he¡¯d encountered the duo in prison. They¡¯d seemed utterly unremarkable, a pair of morons over their heads arguing and begging for mercy. He could hardly believe the importance they held. Only one thing had stood out to him the entirety of his visit. The woman, her skin was cracked. Covered in scars that seemed to break the skin like glass, leaving her flesh peeling in massive cracked chunks. He¡¯d never seen anything like it.

    ¡°Not biologically different, huh?¡± Simon asked himself with a light chuckle, mocking Dr. Lewis¡¯s assessment as he pocketed the vial of blood. Five vials would be nowhere near enough. Not for the tests he was planning.

 Day 74 - "Project Breach" - Failed Entrapment

    The bed provided to them by the doctor and his surly intern was in a carved-out corner of the lab, devoid of any equipment or workstations. Dust and cobwebs had accrued over the years of neglect, making the dark, abandoned corner rather dreary.

    The duo wasn¡¯t sure if it was the intern or Dr. Lewis himself who crafted the makeshift bed that now rested in this gloomy section of the lab, composed of old chair cushions and spare bits of cloth and coat thrown on the floor, but after showing them to their temporary resting spot the intern had recused himself without another word to the pair. Sinking into the dusty plush of their ramshackle bed, Jake glanced over toward Alice concern burning in his eyes.

    ¡°Sure you¡¯re feeling ok?¡± He asked again. The relief that the latest Crumbling was less severe was fading. Now concern again bubbled up as he remembered the blood still staining her clothes, the screams escaping her as she lay trapped in the shower. The Crumbling may have been easier to bear, but still, it must have taken its toll.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine¡­¡± she replied, her voice tired and almost hollow, ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it right now. Please¡­¡±

    Jake didn¡¯t respond. In truth, he had more questions, more concerns regarding her health but he wasn¡¯t going to force the issue upon her. He could understand how she felt. All that really drove him to speak was his concern for her, heavy in his chest. His mind, still racing, was otherwise occupied. Left alone now, the two felt their thoughts begin to turn over the events of the day as their guilt settled like sediment throughout their body. No matter how hard they tried their minds wouldn¡¯t let them stop reliving their destructive crash through the city.

    ¡°Do you¡­ do you think we really killed someone?¡± Alice asked in a whisper, already mentally disregarding the story fed to them by Dr. Lewis. Jake stayed silent, not wanting to face the answer. Closing her eyes tight in response to his silence, her mind forced her thoughts back toward their time spent in the corridor. A whole planet destroyed, condemned to suffering and death at the whims of a monster. Forced to suffer for its amusement¡­

    ¡°Are we¡­ are we monsters?¡± She asked in a barely audible whisper. She feared the answer, almost grateful for the continued silence Jake offered in response to her question. She¡¯d have thought him asleep if she couldn¡¯t hear his shaky breaths, feel his quivering across from her buried in the makeshift bed.

    It wasn¡¯t meant to be like this. Just a quick bit of fun. It was an accident. AN ACCIDENT! Yet no matter how hard she screamed this truth in her mind, a larger truth stood out like a beacon in the fog of her consciousness. Destruction and suffering¡­ maybe death. That¡¯s what they¡¯d caused. Accident or not, it didn¡¯t matter. People still suffered¡­ all for their amusement.

    Eyes shut tight, tears leaking to the ancient bit of cloth pulled up close to her chin, she doubted she¡¯d ever manage to fall asleep as these continued thoughts ran rampant in her mind torturing her psyche.

    <hr>

    Neither was sure who woke up first, perhaps they managed to jerk awake simultaneously, but upon awaking they found the restless sleep they¡¯d manage to fall into had done little to calm them. The guilt still gnawed heavy at their psyche, unconfronted and vicious in its internal torture upon the two. Pulling themselves up from the bed they saw Simon sat across the lab, reclined in comfort his feet propped up on one of many metallic worktables around the spacious room.

    ¡°Oh good you¡¯re finally awake? You two''ve been out forever! Was getting bored, I already sorted all your crap. It¡¯s over there by the way¡­¡± He said, gesturing sharply with his hand to his right before he said, ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s resume on you two, huh? We need to collect more samples before we send you off.¡±

    Kicking off from the workstation, his chair slid back a bit as Simon leaned forward and jumped to his feet with a slight grunt before gesturing vaguely toward Jake.

    ¡°Let''s start with you, huh?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean ¡®start with me?¡¯¡±

    ¡°Need some more blood work from you to start with. I¡¯ll start with you while she digs through your guy¡¯s crap. It¡¯s almost sunup so¡­ if we could get a move on?¡± Jake looked the intern over, eyes full of suspicion before with a sigh he trudged forward. He wasn¡¯t particularly eager to be separated from Alice, at least not while they were still locked within the lab. But sun-up should be coming soon and it wasn¡¯t like she was going far. Besides, neither of them was in any mood to talk right now.

    ¡°Perfect!¡± The intern said, ignoring the aura of gloom and suspicion that hung off Jake. Glancing toward Alice, who began to slowly trudge toward where he¡¯d vaguely pointed without any real enthusiasm, a small smirk forced its way across Simon¡¯s face as he forced Jake into the chair he¡¯d been reclined in moments ago. Sliding a rubber tube up his arm, Simon positioned a small closed valve over Jake¡¯s vein before muttering,

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    ¡°You¡¯ll feel a pinch,¡± Then, without any further warning Jake felt the long needle of the device extend outward and dig itself into his arm. He winced slightly, yet otherwise gave no indication of the pain he felt from the needle. He¡¯d experienced this just a short while ago, so wasn¡¯t surprised this time by the sudden shock of the needle. Still, the overlengthened needle did not rest comfortably within his arm.

    ¡°Should only need two or three vials from you¡­¡± Simon said as he snapped an empty collection vial to the closed valve on the tube. As it twisted into place, the valve opened, and crimson red began to flow pooling in the vial.

    ¡°You don¡¯t know how much you need?¡± Jake asked, a small note of concern clear in his voice.

    ¡°Oh well, depends on how much you bleed really, how well the vials fill. Probably will go with three, just to be safe.¡± Simon replied, leaning back he gave an exaggerated yawn and glanced toward Alice. She was a ways away from them now, bent over and not paying them any attention. What she was thinking about Simon could guess at, but he didn¡¯t really care. It wasn¡¯t important.

    ¡°Say,¡± The intern said, leaning back forward towards Jake, ¡°You¡¯re the one who breaches right, falls into new worlds?¡±

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°What about her then?¡± Simon asked, jerking his head toward Alice.

    ¡°We already explained it to¡­¡± Jake began to say before the intern interrupted him.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s right. My bad. You accidentally took her with you right? Must be tough, huh, having to keep lugging her around like that.¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to explain!¡± Simon said, doing his best impression of a friendly smile, ¡°I understand. Must be worrying, not knowing if you¡¯ll find a way to get her back home. How about this¡­¡± Simon began, leaning in closer towards Jake to hide the wicked grin forcing itself onto his face.

    ¡°Go on alone, leave her here with us! We¡¯ll be the ones finding a way home for you guys, so it only makes sense if you think about it. You have to keep going, no choice in the matter, but her? Do you really want to keep risking her life? Keep having to deal with her? Not like you asked to have her with you, am I right? Just¡­¡± Simon began another point before suddenly he found himself shoved backward. Skidding across the ground a bit from the sudden shove he found Jake glaring at him hatred clear in his gaze.

    ¡°The hell are you talking about?¡± Jake said voice dropping low into a clear growl, ¡°Leave her here? What sense does that make, leave her somewhere, she¡¯s public enemy number one. I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re playing at but¡­¡±

    ¡°Just trying to help!¡± Simon said, raising his hands in mock surprise at Jake¡¯s outrage. Moving forward again he clicked the current vial locked into the valve free, long since filled, and replaced it with an empty one. Jake¡¯s blood again began to spill.

    ¡°Just thought it might help you both if you didn¡¯t have to worry about her anymore! Thought she might enjoy it here is all! Might enjoy it better than traveling aimlessly, at least.¡±

    ¡°The last place¡­¡± Jake said, voice low escaping more as a growl ¡°Either of us wants to be right now is here. Ask her yourself!¡± Nothing else followed this, and as soon as the current vial was filled Jake practically ripped the rubber tube free from his arm. A wince of pain escaped him as the needle came free and a trickle of blood escaped leaking down his arm to the ground below. Jake didn¡¯t seem to care, pushing the tube towards Simon he stormed away without another word.

    Simon stood still and silent a moment, before a low sigh escaped him. He knew it would be a long shot, in his heart he hadn¡¯t expected it to work, but still it was disappointing. If he''d been able to convince the first subject to ditch his partner, it would been a piece of cake ensnaring the second. Turning toward Alice, he called her over away from the plastic bin overflowing with their junk and directed her to sit, directed her to wait as he grabbed a new extractor.

    ¡°Sorry, we¡¯ll need a significant amount of blood from you¡­¡± He said, voice sounding something akin to apologetic as he forced the rubber tube up her arm and over the veins. The needle stopped just above one of the cracked scars that traced along her body. He marveled internally a moment at her skin, smooth and hardened like ceramic, till he heard her speaking to him.

    ¡°What do you mean? Didn¡¯t you guys do enough of this earlier? I¡¯m getting sick of this crap¡­¡± He could hear the annoyance in her voice, here her slowly getting more and more frustrated.

    ¡°Please calm down¡­¡± Simon said with some urgency, glancing over toward Jake out of the corner of his eye. To Simon¡¯s great relief, the other test subject seemed distracted, lost in thought as he paced in small circles annoyance and distress carved on his face.

    ¡°Unfortunately, your initial batch of blood was damaged while you slept. What we did manage to test revealed some¡­ abnormalities¡­¡± Simon lied, not yet having time to study her blood in detail.

    ¡°We¡¯ll need a significant amount to confirm this after you''re gone. Perhaps a small skin biopsy as well¡­ just to be safe of course.¡±

    He could see her calm down, see some of the annoyance replaced with concern at the mention of possible abnormality in her blood. Good. That would make the collection that much easier. With a smirk, he engaged the collector and watched the needle dig into the scar carved across the girl''s body. She screamed out in pain. A much more violent reaction than the other one gave!

    ¡°Please don¡¯t be alarmed!¡± Simon called out fast, loud enough he hoped for Jake to hear, ¡°The pain will hopefully pass, the needle must have hit a sore spot. Unfortunately, we must keep going. We¡¯ll need a minimum of say¡­ ten vials from you. Maybe more. Truly I am sorry.¡±

    All he got from Alice in response was a scream, but he didn¡¯t particularly care. She wasn¡¯t objecting and Jake wasn¡¯t rushing to stop him. Slotting the first vial into place his thoughts fell into calculating just how much blood he could safely draw from the girl. He didn¡¯t want to attract suspicion from Dr. Lewis after all, but he needed a decent amount now he couldn¡¯t keep the source to himself.

    ¡­ fifteen. A maximum of fifteen, combined with the original five. That should be enough to start with, he thought to himself as he slotted the next vial into place, Alice still giving out shrieks of pain.

 Day 75 - "Project Breach" - Soured Departure

    When Alice first gave blood she¡¯d screamed in surprise, continually wincing and crying out in pain as the needle dug into her arm. Though unpleasant, the pain had eventually passed growing to a dull numb, a sort of uncomfortable pinching ever present in her arm as the collection tube worked to drain her. This initial flare of pain only happened again when the needle extracted itself, the rubber collection rube pulled free of her arm. She hadn¡¯t thought much of this interaction after it was over, in large part because she couldn¡¯t understand what the excited doctor collecting her blood was muttering.

    This time was different. As the needle bore deeper into her flesh, digging into one of the cracks marring her she felt pain she couldn¡¯t describe overtake her. She thought she¡¯d come to know pain, come to understand it after the Unbroken in the corridor beat her and voice ground her body down. She was wrong. This small needle drove into the black scar felt worse than any pain she''d ever experienced.

    She felt distanced, disconnected from her body as her screams escaped her. She could feel the strings in her body near her hand stressing, beginning to fray and snap as the needle drove further and further into her body. With every fray of the strings, every snap of the invisible twine within, her screams grew louder, more desperate. Mustering every bit of strength she still had left her hand flew toward the rubber band dug into her flesh. Quick to try and rip it free from her, she found her hand stopped as her fingertips brushed the edges of the band.

    ¡°Now, now. Careful there¡­¡± She heard the voice of the intern whisper to her, faded and far away. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to stop early would we? Barely got eight vials, still have a long way to go! We need to be certain you stay safe, we need to be certain to examine your irregularities. SAY!¡±

    Suddenly the intern¡¯s voice sparked, as if an exciting thought suddenly occurred to him. Alice couldn¡¯t see him clearly now, her vision foggy with pain, yet she could fear the snaked tongue of the researcher whispering ever closer,

    ¡°We may not get enough to help you, you know? Never seen irregularities like yours before, not quite sure where you¡¯re from after all. Why don¡¯t you stay here? A few vials of blood, a few biopsies, well have you good as¡­¡±

    The researcher was gone, his words pushed far away with a grunt of pain. Then, suddenly the pain was gone. She could still feel it linger in her arm, feel drizzles of blood leak fresh from where the needle had dug deep. Her breath escaped fast and heavy as her head slumped forward, vision still clouded from the phantom agony tormenting her.

    Jake stood next to her, livid and clutching the collection tube. Tossing it randomly to the side, he heard it crash to the metallic floor of the lab as he rushed forward and grabbed hold of the dazed intern¡¯s shirt. Simon, surprised, let himself be dragged around not prepared for the sudden altercation. His focus had been utterly occupied with collecting blood, he¡¯d neglected to pay the other subject any focus.

    ¡°The hell¡¯s the matter with you?¡± Simon finally managed to ask his voice escaping as a hoarse croak. Jake¡¯s grip had moved upward to grab hold of his collar. ¡°You know the terms of our deal, don¡¯t you? We get to collect all the samples we want from you, so what do you think you''re¡­¡±

    ¡°DAMN YOUR DEAL!¡± Jake screamed, giving the intern a light shake, ¡°THE HELL WAS THAT, HUH?¡±

    ¡°You¡­ you both agreed to give blood¡­¡± The strangled intern said, a small smile stretching across his face. Whether it was meant to be innocent-looking or disarming Jake couldn¡¯t tell. It simply looked unnerving on Simon¡¯s visage. Fuming, Jake released his grip on the struggling intern. Internally as his rage burned toward the intern, who now fell back with a look of smug satisfaction, he could feel hatred for himself blossom forth.

    He hadn¡¯t given Alice¡¯s cries that much thought at first. He¡¯d been present when they first gave blood, obviously heard her screams and winces of pain. Had written it off as her inexperience with bloodwork. He figured her screams now were a continuation of that inexperience. Yet as they continued, growing more and more pained and desperate, he glanced over to see her desperately pawing at the collection tube. Seen her locked in a hopeless struggle to relieve herself from the pain coursing through her while the intern stopped her. Held her hand with a cruel, mocking smile on his face.

    Jake had no regrets about potentially jeopardizing the pair''s deal with the lab. It¡¯s not like he really expected Lab 458 to deliver on the promises made to the two. All Jake regretted was not interfering sooner. Not trying to help Alice as soon as the screams began. He was too distracted, too lost in his own thoughts to try and help. Because of that, she was stuck suffering who knows what.

    Sliding away from the intern he knelt next to Alice, still wincing every time she tried to move her arm. Burning heat coursed through her muscles with every slight twitch, leaving behind scorching pain. Offering her his other hand to help her up he asked,

    ¡°You alright?¡±

    ¡°Fine, fine¡­¡± she replied, tone conveying rather the opposite, ¡°Just¡­ I can¡¯t wait to get out of here. Hate this place more and more each passing second.¡± Smiling slightly at that as she took his hand, Jake could only nod in solidarity, the two excusing themselves from the struggling intern''s workstation to continue sorting through their supplies.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Exactly how long passed, neither knew, but it certainly felt like a substantial amount of time. Certainly, enough for the pair to grow hungry again, and even feel somewhat tired again. Yet neither was eager to move around the lab or try to fall asleep. Not with Simon staring at them. Finally, after what felt eternity, Dr. Lewis returned with a small clap of the hands.

    ¡°Nearly sunup now, if you two will follow me¡­¡±

    ¡°That close, huh?¡± Simon asked, glancing toward Dr. Lewis from the corner of his eyes before clambering to his feet. Grabbing a small assortment of devices from the workstation beside him he called, ¡°Going to insert their trackers now. I¡¯ll lead them to the departure point afterward, alright?¡±

    Dr. Lewis shot Simon an exasperated look that seemed to scream questions about why the intern was so far behind after having ample time to prepare the two but said nothing else. Instead, he just sighed and turned to leave the same way he¡¯d come in.

    ¡°Hurry, we only have a few minutes to spare¡­¡±

    ¡°I got it, I got it¡­¡± Simon said with a wave of his hands before gesturing for the two test subjects to approach him. Neither moved an inch, instead staying as far away as they could pressing into an empty workstation across the length of the lab. Simon chuckled at this rejection, shaking his head and saying,

    ¡°Look, let¡¯s cut the bullshit, ok? You don¡¯t want to be here anymore and we''re trying our best to get you out of here. I get you don¡¯t like or trust me, but I didn¡¯t tell Dr. Lewis about your little rebellion earlier, did I?¡± Simon leaned back; grateful the test subjects hadn¡¯t mentioned the altercation earlier either. If Dr. Lewis investigated the issue, things could get tricky¡­

    ¡°This is the last thing we need from you, ok. Will it hurt? Yes. Will you like it? No. But as soon as it¡¯s done where going to lock you two in a room and leave you be till you fall out of here. Can we get on with this already, please?¡± Simon saw the two glance toward each other before neither made a move. Sighing, Simon continued his voice losing any sense of friendliness it may once have held.

    ¡°Look, it¡¯s a shame it¡¯s come to this but we''re cutting the bullshit right? Get over here and let me stick these in you or else you two? Where separating you. We''ll send you on ahead, falling endlessly through reality, and you? We¡¯ll find some use for you I¡¯m sure¡­¡± Simon held his breath as he watched the two¡¯s expressions harden, saw anger and distress take center stage on their faces. Finally, the two trudged forward across the lab towards him and Simon allowed his breath to flow free again.

    There was no way Dr. Lewis would allow the two to be forcefully separated. As of now, the Lab had no clear way to traverse other realities. These two test subjects, falling interdimensionaly where all the lab had, their last hope of getting funding. Well, Dr. Lewis¡¯s last hope anyway. If one of the two had begged to stay here, chosen to remain behind, then maybe Simon could have worked something out. Convinced the doctor of the value they held as an in-house test subject. But keep them here by force?

    ¡°Good, good, turn around would yah? It goes in your back.¡± Simon said, a hint of annoyance used to mask the relief of his empty threat working. The two complied, clearly furious with the intern as they turned their back to him. No longer able to see what he was doing they could only imagine based on the clicking sounds they heard behind them.

    ¡°This¡¯ll hurt.¡± The intern said, voice perfectly calm and casual before suddenly Jake felt a thick needle stab directly into his spine. The sudden force of the needle caused his body to exhale, forcing all the air free from his lungs as suddenly he stood gasping. He felt something injected through the needle into his spine, settling comfortably in his mid-back. Then the pressure of the needle was gone and Jack collapsed forward gasping for air, the wind knocked out of him.

    ¡°That¡¯s one¡­¡± The intern said, moving behind Alice who flinched a bit to be near the man again, flinched as she watched Jake writhe for air. Then without further warning, she felt something slicing into her flesh, carving a chunk of her away. She let out a small yelp of pain, meant to whirl around and smack the intern before she heard him call out,

    ¡°Whoops looks like the needle got stuck or something! Let me try again!¡± Then she felt an entirely new sensation drive its way into her spine. As the air was forced from her body, she felt something quickly injected into her spine and retract from her body. Falling to the floor mirroring Jake, she gasped for air clutching her heaving chest.

    ¡°Hurry up now, don¡¯t want to be late do we?¡± The intern asked his voice mocking as he casually began to stroll away from the collapsed pair.

    ¡°Deal be damned¡­ consequences be damned¡­ I really think we should kill him¡­¡± Jake muttered as he forced himself upright to sit on his feet.

    ¡°I¡­ I just want to get out of here¡­ please¡­¡± Alice said, voice shaky and uneven. She could still feel her arm killing her, the very act of struggling to breathe causing shockwaves of pain to radiate into her injured arm.

    The two sat a moment or two longer recovering before they hauled themselves upright and, grabbing hold of their repacked luggage, followed after the intern down the halls of the lab.

    <hr>

    ¡°Got them locked away?¡± Dr. Lewis asked, not bothering to glance up from the mass amounts of displays surrounding him towards Simon.

    ¡°Yep, all locked away. Trackers are installed. Tossed them the handheld one too. Now we just have to wait.¡± Simon replied, stalking across the room not bothering to focus on the monitors around him.

    He held little interest in the doctor''s project anymore. It had been a means to an end, a way to restore his derailed career track. That was the only reason he was stuck here, toiling away for no pay in the laughing stock of the Government Research Compound.

    No more though. He didn¡¯t know what she had that caused her skin to fracture like that, a rare disease or maybe something genetic. He didn¡¯t know and he didn¡¯t care. He saw firsthand the pain it caused her. Knew if he could isolate it, weaponize it, he¡¯d be made for life.

    The only problem was his resources were limited. Only nine vials, that¡¯s all the excess blood he could gather before the subjects rebelled. He¡¯d need to report some of it to Dr. Lewis too, so call it six to seven he could safely work with. It wasn¡¯t enough. Not nearly enough. Now with the source waltzing away, he¡¯d need to work something else out.

    His new project¡­ all he had was nine vials of blood¡­ and a sample of skin tissue. A smile crossed his face as he felt the freshly collected skin fragment in his pocket, already beginning to freeze in its container specially designed to avoid necrosis. Oh yes. This he could work with. A smile broke across his face as he was so lost in thought he missed the departure of the two test subjects. While Dr. Lewis began excitedly exclaiming over data collected from the two¡¯s departure, Simon began planning a trip to Lab 46.

 Day 76 - He Noticed The Snow

    ¡°I was beginning to worry we¡¯d never get out of there¡­¡± Jake said, voice trailing off as he studied the new landscape around him. There was a chill in the air, bitter and unforgiving that sent tingles down his spine. Around them he could see trees laid bare, their leaves long fallen and brushed away by the blowing wind. Still, the trees themselves seemed lively enough, their bark full of life. A small chitter reached his ears from some sort of creature, a squirrel or raccoon perhaps. Maybe a hare. It was a ways off anyway.

    The two of them stood at the precipice of this frosted forest, one-half of their view dominated by bareback trees blowing softly in the wind. Behind a sharp jagged cliff rose up, small caves and crevices clear. The wind rustled through these openings creating a hunting melody and even colder fronts of breeze that forced Jake to bring his arms inward, bundle his chest tight for warmth.

    ¡°Yeah¡­ what a relief, huh¡­¡± Alice muttered next to him. Her voice sounded dead, devoid of any real emotion. Turning towards her he saw her sinking low to the floor not bothering to study the new world around them. Simply sinking low to the dirt, collapsing back with a sigh her gaze thrust low to the hardpacked frozen dirt.

    ¡°You feeling ok? Arm still hurting?¡± Jake asked, moving to stand in front of her.

    ¡°No, it''s fine¡­¡± She lied. Her arm still burned with pain, uncomfortably numb now in some places while burning shots of pain tortured her nerves in others. She paid it little mind though. The horrid pains of her arm, the feeling of the fractured strings in her veins. They meant nothing to her right now. Her mind to distracted to focus on them.

    ¡°Hey¡­¡± she began, still not looking toward Jake fearful of what expression he might wear facing her now, ¡°Is it alright for me to still be here?¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jake asked slowly, some worry clear in his tone.

    ¡°I mean¡­ just¡­¡± It was hard for her to explain properly, hard to give voice to the torturous feelings and thoughts that had run rampant in her mind for what felt like days now. ¡°It¡¯s just, we were arrested, right? For the crash and that was¡­ that was my fault so¡­¡±

    ¡°No, it wasn¡¯t,¡± Jake said, sounding serious now as he sat down across from her, ¡°Last I checked you weren¡¯t the one driving, were you? If it''s anyone¡¯s fault it¡¯s mine so¡­¡±

    ¡°You warned me!¡± Her voice raised, unexpected even to her as her head rose to face him with clear frustration, ¡°Told me you couldn¡¯t drive a flying car!¡±

    ¡°How about this¡­¡± Jake said, seeing her clear determination not to let this issue die in her eyes, ¡°Were both at fault, ok? Does it really matter anymore? It happened so there¡¯s nothing we can do about it. Let¡¯s just agree that from now on we won¡¯t try and pilot any more flying cars, ok? At least not till I learn how to drive one¡­¡± Jake offered a hopeful little smile, hoping his idiotic joke would help to cheer her up. It didn¡¯t seem to work though. Her face found the floor again, as downtrodden as he¡¯d ever seen it.

    ¡°It does matter, alright! How can I just¡­ leave like that after it''s my fault so many people got hurt? So many people died?¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know anyone died.¡±

    ¡°We don¡¯t know they didn¡¯t! It¡¯s not right I¡¯m here, galivanting free as a bird. It¡¯s just¡­ it''s not fair.¡±

    ¡°So, what, you wanted to stay there? With Creepo the intern?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ not at all. I hated it there. Hated that lab, hated those two. All the pocking the prodding¡­ the ''samples'' they kept insisting on¡­¡± Her hand reflexively rubbed across her pained arm, wincing slightly at the painful sensation the motion brought, ¡°But why does it matter what I want? Maybe it would have been better... stuck in that hellish lab tortured by their tests. Maybe it could have let me redeem myself, make up for my mistake. I don¡¯t know I just¡­¡± She trailed off, her voice leaving her.

    Jake sat across from her in silence, unsure how to respond. Unsure how he could help her. He¡¯d felt it before, a few days back, how he was changing. Adapting to this journey. Growing used to the horrors around him. It had scared him at first to become so indifferent to the bizarre, so used to being strange. But now¡­ now he thought it might be a blessing.

    Already he could feel himself bottling the concern he¡¯d felt over their accident; the worries he¡¯d felt over the truth of the destruction they¡¯d caused. He¡¯d found something akin to acceptance in himself. Come to acknowledge there was nothing to be done, nothing they could do to fix their mistake. Some accidents simply were too massive to be undone, too destructive to be fixed. All they could do now was keep moving forward.

    He''d come to realize this still sitting in the lab, skin crawling with a desire to leave. Realized it after the words whispered to him by the intern, the anger he felt at the suggestion to leave Alice behind. Realized then and there that in truth, he no longer traveled to return home. That was a fantasy, a pipe dream he¡¯d told himself to keep from going insane. An impossibility, no matter what the lab of horror promised him. He knew deep inside he¡¯d likely die before ever seeing his family again. It scared him, broke something inside him, but it was the truth.

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    It was a truth that likely would have driven him mad if he¡¯d accepted it a few¡­ weeks¡­ months¡­ however long ago back. However long before her. She was why he traveled now. Traveled to help her, help her survive, help her thrive, and help her find a home. He barely knew the past she¡¯d lived; only saw the scars it left behind and knew she didn¡¯t deserve them. He wanted to help her have a future.

    She was the only reason he¡¯d managed to keep going this long, she always pushed him forward or pulled him up. Always kept him striving forward with a taunting comment or sly laugh. He¡¯d begun to realize this as he paced the lab across the smug visage of Simon, lost in thought. Began to realize how hard it would be for him to part ways with her.

    Now, sitting apart and watching her glum visage sag under the unknown ramifications of a single mistake, he didn¡¯t know what to say. Didn¡¯t know how to express himself, or explain the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings that plagued his body. The regret he felt for dragging her along, forcing these hellish experiences on her. The joy he felt at having been allowed to meet her, allowed to travel with her. It all pressed in on him, left him mute.

    The snow began to fall as the two sat in silence. Small flakes of white, that slowly settled the earth. The first few lone flakes of frost seemed to melt away, fading into the vast landscape around the two. Then around the pair, more and more bits of snow would fall to form clumps of white chill. Yet miraculously, not a single flake landed upon the pair. At least, not till a single flake landed atop the head of the boy, sat mute ignoring the cold.

    ¡°It¡¯s snowing¡­¡± He said, glancing away from Alice finally noticing the snow around them.

    ¡°Snow?¡± Alice said, her curiosity betraying her momentarily allowing her to escape the all-consuming regret. Allowing her to raise her eyes to the winter wonderland that was slowly taking shape around the two.

    ¡°This your first time seeing snow?¡± Jake asked, glancing away from the snow toward Alice who now sat staring at the white peaked woods. She only nodded in response. He couldn¡¯t see her face but could imagine it, the look of wonder he¡¯d seen her wear before. The wonder she carried whether they encountered something as plain as grass or horrid as the desert.

    ¡°Beautiful, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Tell you the truth, it¡¯s my first time seeing it in person too,¡± Jake said, allowing a few of the falling flakes to coalesce in his hands. As the frozen particulate began to melt against the fading warmth of his skin he could feel Alice turn to face him with a look of shocked confusion. ¡°Where I grew up winters got cold, sure, but never enough to snow. Actually, that¡¯s not true. It did snow once apparently but I was a baby. I don¡¯t have any memories of it. It¡¯s nice though isn¡¯t it, getting to enjoy the snow¡­¡±

    Alice could only nod again, surprised he¡¯d willingly brought up the past without her having to pry. Jake sat for a moment staring at the cold water puddled in his hand, watching as more and more flakes of snow began to land on his hand. With a sigh, he closed his fist and turned to face her.

    ¡°¡­I think sometimes it¡¯s ok to be selfish. Like you, if you had stayed stuck in that lab, you¡¯d never have gotten to enjoy this right? Never got to see the snow. Maybe never have gotten to go outside again.¡±

    ¡°But still! That¡¯s exactly my point, why should I¡­¡±

    ¡°Another thing you can be selfish about is what you choose to believe. We were told two stories, vastly different about how are crash went. Really though, we have no idea what the truth of the matter is. Personally, I don¡¯t take stock in either of them, and I doubt we¡¯ll ever really know what happened. We can¡¯t change the past; we can¡¯t change the mistakes we made. All we can do is move forward, and change what we choose to believe. I believe the crash was bad. It probably did a lot of damage and hurt a few people. But I doubt anyone was killed.¡±

    ¡°How can you just¡­ decide like that? Decide that¡¯s how it went?¡±

    ¡°Because that accident I just described, vague as it was, is one I can live with. One I can accept inside and move on from. If you can¡¯t accept that¡¯s how the accident went then change the details, move things around till it sits well enough inside you.¡± Alice sat for a moment in silence, face set in a particularly hard-to-read expression.

    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can¡­¡± she said after a while, voice faltering slightly. Jake didn¡¯t respond for a moment, glancing upward towards the snow as if lost in thought. Struggling with what to say next, what could possibly help her.

    ¡°You¡¯re not a monster, you know that? I remember you asked that. I think¡­ I think one destructive mistake doesn¡¯t make you a monster, it makes you human. How you react to it, that¡¯s what defines you. This regret you feel, this empathy? What sort of monster has that?¡±

    ¡°So, what, I just have to live with this?¡±

    ¡°What else can you do?¡± Jake let his gaze fall from the sky back towards her. ¡°What else but carry on, learn from the mistake, and try to be better? That¡¯s what it means to be human. At least you get to see the snow, so it¡¯s not all bad is it?¡±

    She smiled slightly, a shiver running down her spine. It felt like, for the first time, she could feel the cold around her. Moving to stand, she found herself suddenly supported as Jake, lightning fast, sprang up and offered her his hand to help her. Stood beneath the falling snow from above, Alice could still feel the hollow sting of regret in her body. Yet now, as the snow cascaded from above, its gentle falling arc slowly beginning to build in intensity, the despair she felt seemed lessened.

    Beside her, Jake felt relief at seeing her stand tall, seeing her smile return even if only slightly. Selfish as it may be, he didn¡¯t care about the truth of the accident. He didn¡¯t care about whether it was right or wrong for the two of them to stay together as he fell through reality after reality. He just felt relief she was still standing beside him, felt relief they could continue traveling together. Even if he knew deep inside the clock was ticking on their time together.

 Day 77 - Cheers

    The chirping noise had proven to be some odd combination between a squirrel and a rabbit. It clung to the trees chittering out against the chilled winds and falling snow, springing from treetop to treetop with its powerful back legs. Jake wasn¡¯t quite sure what to make of the beast, but whatever it was it had tasted like chicken. The longer he wandered around the more he started to realize how accurate the stereotype of everything tasting like chicken was.

    His knife had pierced the creature¡¯s skull when it happened to leap near the forest¡¯s edge, near where the pair were hastily gathering firewood. The gentle breeze of the snowstorm was quickly starting to grow into a full-blown blizzard and the two were quickly preparing to take shelter in one of the many caves scattering the surface of the cliff face behind them. Jake was shocked at how easily he hit his target, he¡¯d moved nearly on instinct, and recovering the beast he found the blood of his prey barely matted the fur of the beast. Its pelt, now somewhat cleaned and dried beside him would hopefully fetch a decent enough price when they next found an opportunity to sell it.

    Jake was currently busy stripping the prison jumpsuits the two had been shackled with. At first, he¡¯d considered saving them, you never knew when a spare outfit could come in handy. However, as the cold had worsened and the two threw more and more layers on while struggling to light their fire, they discovered much to their chagrin the outfit did little to insulate the pair.

    He supposed it made sense, it was a cheap prison uniform not a stylish bit of high fashion, but still, it was a disappointing discovery. Alice¡¯s outfit was also in rough shape, with spots of blood staining in surface in blotched uneven patterns. All this, combined with the unpleasant memories tied to the outfits, led the two to decide there was little point in trying to save the outfits. Still, there was some use to be found in the now discarded uniforms.

    His outfit laid out in front of him, Jake had mutilated the garb cutting it into various bits of spare cloth and fabric. Some of this cloth now wrapped the few bits of leftover meat carved from the chirping creature''s corpse, cooked but uneaten. He hoped the cold would help prevent spoilage during the night, and keep it safe till they could scarf it down. It¡¯s not like they could keep it forever. The meat would rot outside the cold that hounded them and besides that who knows what kind of new predators the food could attract. A shiver streaked down Jake¡¯s spine as he imagined it.

    The other project he¡¯d worked to craft throughout the night he now worked to secure across Alice¡¯s frame, working against the slow rise of the sun. He¡¯d found some sleep in the night but found himself awake long before Alice was. He¡¯d heard her vaguely in the night, stirring and wincing in pain unable to fall asleep. Despite her assurances to the contrary, he could tell her arm was still hurting her.

    With little else to do and lacking a desire to try and sleep again, Jake felt a surge of inspiration at that thought. Stripping the already torn prison suit into strips and clumsily sewing them together he¡¯d managed to construct something akin to a makeshift sling. How well it would work he had no idea. Working now with Alice¡¯s rise to consciousness he adjusted her arm into place, apologizing as she winced in pain.

    Her arm secured now, Alice surrendered to gravity and gave up trying to hold her pained arm aloft. Her arm had felt better when she¡¯d awoken, she could feel some of the severed strings within beginning the process of rewinding themselves as they slowly worked to repair whatever damage the intern had done to her, but still, the pain had been extreme. Every little movement she made seemed to send ripples of pain throughout her entire being. Now, though it had been excruciating positioning her arm into the sling, allowing it to rest comfortably slowly seemed to dial the extensive pain she felt down to a dual throbbing, a manageable annoyance.

    ¡°Is that any better?¡± Jake asked, studying her quizzically. He¡¯d already had to make a major alteration to the sling the first time he¡¯d put it on her. The first variation of the sling was oversized, barely fitting her and hanging uselessly from her frame in a bundled heap of scrap cloth and string.

    ¡°Loads. As long as I don¡¯t move my arm too much, I think I should be ok¡­¡± She said, impressed he¡¯d managed to whip this up while she slept. She remembered mocking the sewing supplies the first time he¡¯d bought them. Stupid of her really, she thought shaking her head disappointed in herself.

    ¡°Great. We should pack up. I can¡¯t see the sky too well through the snow, but we should probably get ready to leave. I think the sun¡¯s rising soon...¡± He didn¡¯t sound particularly convinced about this as he glanced over his shoulder to gaze toward the entrance of their makeshift shelter. What little was seen was blotted by heaps of falling snow.

    Still, Alice didn¡¯t need much convincing to pack and with some minor help from Jake, they soon found both their bags ready to go. They stood, hand in hand as the snow rained down from above, but after a while of nothing happening, they grew bored of waiting on pins and needles. Moving to sit on the uncomfortable stone of the surrounding cave their gazes turned out towards the snow-covered landscape beyond.

    ¡°It really is beautiful, huh,¡± Jake said after a while of silence between the two. Alice had to agree, especially now she could see the reflection of the rising sun dancing amongst the falling snow. As the occasional gust of wind blew snow around the duo, they sat in silent appreciation, the morning sun fully rising to cast its majesty through the curtain of snow. The two had just enough time to admire the view before a familiar sensation took hold.

    It was not a clean landing. Lost in thought staring out into the snow beyond them, neither was prepared for the pull of the fall to a new world. Thankfully, they¡¯d still been holding hands else Alice would have been left behind. Flat on her back now her view was filled with the sights of lush green trees and a clear blue sky. The lush chill of the snow was gone, and she felt some remorse to see it go. She felt she barely got to see the snow''s majesty before she was yanked away. Still though, maybe that was only fair.

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Hoping up beside her, Jake turned to offer her a hand upward. Grateful, as Alice already imagined how annoyingly painful standing would be with her arm, the two studied their new surroundings. They seemed to have landed beside a gravel path carved through a lush pine forest. Rather close to them, they could see a mountain stretching towards the sky, its jagged cliffs topped with snow, the highest of its peaks above the clouds. Further away from them down the path, they saw what looked from a distance like a small wooden house built to the side of the gravel path.

    Glancing at each other, the two shrugged and started walking towards the house. They had little else to go off besides following the path towards the mountain, the house, or venturing into the woods. Of the options, the house seemed the best option for the two. Perhaps they could worm their way into staying out of the wilderness for the night, and worse comes to worse they knew they were at least walking closer towards civilization of some kind.

    The house was not particularly far, only a few minutes or so on foot, and as they grew ever closer the larger the house''s construction became. The gravel path seemed to balloon towards the house, forming a circular section of path the house comfortably sat in.  They could see the house was two stories, the bottom story composed of rough cut stones sanded by wind and weather. Stables, small and nearly empty save for a rather elderly-looking horse and some bundles of hay sat to the side of the house.

    ¡°You¡­ you think anyone¡¯s home?¡± Alice asked, pointing towards the many rows of unused stable stalls.

    ¡°Well, at least one person¡¯s here. Hope they''re friendly!¡± Jake said, trying to sound cheery while slipping his hand towards his pocket to grip hold of one of his knives. Moving towards the large wooden door that sat near the stables, the two raised their hands and pounded hard hoping they might be granted entry to the house.

    Entry came easily, however, as with the first knock the door swung open revealing it was unlocked and rather easily accessed. Glancing towards one another the two strolled through the threshold of the house only to find themselves in a rather dimly lit room, the only light coming from candles sitting atop tables or hung from chandeliers in the ceiling above.

    The two were surrounded by a collage of tables varying in all manner of sizes, shapes, and designs. A collection of stools, benches, or chairs were pushed seemingly randomly around said tables. Animal furs were randomly placed around the room, draped over tables or chairs, or simply hung on the wall. In the center of the room was a high-top bar, behind the counter of which stood a rather burly man clutching a metallic mug and a dirty-looking cloth. Behind him were various barrels overturned and tapped intermixed with glass bottles the contents of which were emptied to varying degrees.

    ¡°It¡¯s a pub!¡± Alice said, some excitement in her voice. Last time she¡¯d been in one of these she¡¯d had the best night¡¯s sleep of her life, even if she accidentally stole the bed afterward.

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Jake said, his feelings somewhat mixed about stepping into a bar again, especially one so isolated. The bartender, noticing their arrival, glanced over toward them before freezing in place, his face stiffening for a moment in a look of shock. Shaking his head, he grabbed two mugs from under the counter and began pouring directly from a tap behind him.

    ¡°Not sure where you two came from, if you''re with the miners or what, but you two certainly look like you need a drink. Cold out there?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jake asked, confused, before noticing snow was still piled in small clumps all across his and Alice¡¯s body. Brushing it away hurriedly, and earning a confused glance from Alice, he replied ¡°No, no, just wandered in from the road. What miners?¡±

    ¡°What miners? You must¡¯ve wandered in a LONG way from down the road boy!¡± The barkeep said with a smile before slamming the two now full pints of beer atop the counter, a smile stretching across his face, ¡°Only miners around hollowing out that mountain up there. Missed em this morning, usually pass by early in the morning but they¡¯ll stop by later. At least I hope they do or I¡¯m going to starve.¡± He paused a minute to laugh at his own joke before asking, ¡°Are you going to drink these or not?¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t pay you; we don¡¯t have any money,¡± Jake said, not moving an inch from the doorframe.

    ¡°Already trying to pay me, I like it. Already better off than some of my usuals. Alright then seeing as you two are broke, got anything to trade for em?¡± The bartender asked, leaning his imposing frame on the counter in a friendly manner. Jake thought a moment before producing the skinned pelt of the chirping creature. He doubted he prepared the skin right, but it was all he had on him. Walking across the bar and laying the skin out toward the barkeep he waited as the man examined the fur.

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ not bad quality¡­ interesting color never seen it before, not the worst job skinning I¡¯ve seen¡­ Definitely worth at least a beer or two. Sure that¡¯s all you want for this kid?¡± The barkeep asked, glancing toward Jake as he slid the pints back forward across the counter. Jake, content with the trade was about to say yes when he found himself interrupted.

    ¡°A place to sleep?¡± Alice asked hopefully, now strolling forward from the bar¡¯s entrance to claim her drink. The barkeep laughs a little at that.

    ¡°Sorry, even without the beers just one pelt this size isn¡¯t worth a room, no matter how interesting a color it is. Tell you what though, I¡¯ll throw in another round, and you can sleep in the stables if they¡¯re still empty. Usually are though so you can probably rely on that for tonight.¡±

    ¡°¡­Alright,¡± Alice said, unable to really hide her disappointment. She¡¯d really been hoping to sleep in a proper bed tonight. Still, though, a stable was better than nothing. The hay couldn¡¯t be too uncomfortable. Chuckling slightly at the obvious disappointment in her voice, the barkeep turned away with a shake of the head and strolled away from the two. Grabbing hold of his pint, Jake raised the glass up toward Alice.

    ¡°Cheers¡­ wait is this your first time drinking?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡± Alice said a note of obvious excitement in her voice. The last time the two had stopped in an inn, they hadn¡¯t bothered using any cash on alcohol, so she¡¯d been denied the chance to try any. Now though, raising her glass up to meet Jake''s she could feel excitement burn throughout her, distracting her thoughts from anything else. ¡°Cheers!¡± She cried before raising the mug to her lips.

    Watching her with some worry in his eyes, Jake followed suit, downing a mouthful of the drink. It tasted strong, stronger than any beer he was familiar with. Sat beside Alice watching her greedily chug her glass, he couldn¡¯t help but ask how well she could hold her booze.

 Day 78 - Regretful Dreams

    Quite simply, she couldn¡¯t. Jake watched as she slumped forward polishing off her second glass words slurred and eyes glassy. Sighing slightly, he set his nearly empty glass to the side and did his best to help stop her from slamming to the ground. This proved a struggle though, as moving forward he realized he wasn¡¯t any better off himself. Past buzzed into tipsy, his head felt fuzzy, and he stumbled a bit struggling to stand properly as he slipped off his stool.

    The two had been slowly nursing their drinks, making the most of the limited run of alcohol they¡¯d managed to barter for. Even still, the effects of the drink were hitting them hard, harder than he¡¯d ever guessed possible for only two pints.

    ¡°What¡¯s in this stuff?¡± He asked, glancing toward the barkeep as he wobbled towards the slumped-over Alice. The barkeep, seeing his struggle to walk let out a laugh.

    ¡°Trade secret son, homemade right here. Best drink this side of the mountain. At least, that¡¯s what the miners tend to say. Not that they have much choice!¡± The barkeep let out a booming laugh while giving the barrel beside him a little tap with his fist.

    ¡°Great¡­¡± Jake meant to think to himself slowly shaking his head to try and clear his thoughts, ¡°Medieval moonshine. Perfect first drink, just great¡­¡±

    He reached out towards Alice¡¯s collapsed form before finding himself missing, falling forward to collide lightly with the counter. Stopping her from falling to the ground may be harder than he first thought. Above him, he could hear the barkeep laughing again. The sound was booming and friendly, and glancing towards the muscular frame of the man standing behind the counter brought back memories of Leopold. Pangs of worry and guilt settled heavily in his intoxicated stomach as the laughing barkeep grabbed hold of his shoulder.

    ¡°Best to just sit a moment son. Not like you have anywhere to be, stables aren¡¯t going anywhere, right? Here, I¡¯ll grab you some water. Normally I¡¯d charge but, well, lucky for you I live near a stream and I¡¯m feelin¡¯ nice. Also, that was one odd pelt you brought me." Walking away with another laugh and a shake of a head, Jake returned to another stool now sat on the opposite side of Alice.

    She seemed to have drifted off to sleep since slumping forward. Probably for the best, she seemed to not get much sleep last night. Probably pain from her arm. Luckily, she seemed to have drunk enough to dull the pain, as she¡¯d managed to land rather uncomfortably upon the makeshift sling. Didn¡¯t seem like it would be very hard to dull pain though, God what did he put in that stuff?!

    Shaking his head again, Jake gratefully accepted the cup of water offered by the barkeep, chugging half the cup down in one massive gulp. Gasping a bit for breath as he emerged from his over-eager drink of water. Jake felt his body slump down a bit, unsure what to do now. He doubted he could carry Alice out to the stables himself, at least not right now, and he didn¡¯t want to test the barkeep''s kindness¡­

    ¡°She alright?¡±

    ¡°Huh...?¡± Jake asked stupidly, drawn from thought by the question of the barkeep leaning across from him.

    ¡°Your partner there. She alright? Those scars look rather nasty.¡±

    ¡°What... oh, yeah, she¡¯s ok. Well, not really. She¡¯s slowly dying. But I mean, the scars don¡¯t hurt her. At least, I don¡¯t think they do. She never mentioned them hurting when she¡¯s not crumpening¡­ crumbling¡­, I should ask her some time¡­¡± Jake stopped talking, letting his voice trail off as he realized he was babbling nonsense. He might be a bit more than just tipsy¡­ What the hell did he put in that stuff?!

    ¡°¡­That a fact?¡± The barkeep responded looking at him with a look of amusement mixed with genuine interest. At least, that¡¯s what it looked like to Jake. Who knows what face he was really making?

    ¡°Where you two traveling to then?¡±

    ¡°Who knows? Random every time, won¡¯t know till sunrise.¡±

    ¡°Well, the village of Hajfield is a little way down the road if you¡­¡±

    ¡°Probably won¡¯t get to see it. Be gone in the morning.¡± Jake interrupted, realizing only after he¡¯d finished talking how rude he¡¯d been.

    ¡°You won¡¯t have time to see the village just down the road? Are you two needed back up the mountain or something?¡± Confusion was clear in the voice of the barkeep.

    ¡°Never been to the mountain before, probably won¡¯t get to go there either. To drunk. Middle of the day too, who gets drunk in the middle of the day¡­¡± Jake leaned forward across the counter, allowing his head to slump forward a bit.

    ¡°You¡¯re an odd pair, anyone ever tell you that?¡± The barkeep asked, leaning back a bit to watch the mystery man slowly falling asleep beside his companion.

    ¡°Once¡­ or¡­ twice¡­maybe?¡± Jake managed to say before he drifted off to sleep against the countertop.

    <hr>

    ¡°Up an at em sunshine. Let you sleep all day, but the whistle just rang. Need you two out of here pronto. Stables ready for yah.¡±

    Jake sat up with a start to find the smiling face of the barkeep inches from him. His head was killing him. With a groan, he reached up and rubbed his forehead. Absentmindedly he reached toward the cup of water that had sat beside him prior to his falling asleep only to find it missing now.

    ¡°Sorry sunny, that¡¯s gone. No more refills either. Streams hidden around the back, just past the tree line. Can¡¯t miss it. Now you two need to leave. Funny as you were, paying customers will be coming soon.¡±

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Another groan escaped Jake as he staggered to his feet, but he found he could muster no complaints toward the friendly-faced giant. Already the muscular man was being more than fair to the two. Reaching beside him, Jake gave Alice a gentle shake to try and rouse her awake only to be met with an annoyed groan in response. Trying again, he found this time she didn¡¯t even bother to grace him with a noise.

    Sighing deeply, he bent low and hooked his arm under the shoulder of her non-injured arm. Pulling her upwards, the sling caught her crippled arm as it lolled forward, useless and lifeless. Alice gave another groan now to the sudden movement, opening her eyes slightly but saying nothing. With a slight nod toward the barkeep, Jake began helping Alice out the door to the bar ignoring the slight chuckles he could hear escaping the merry barkeep.

    Thankfully, the stables were right outside the door to the bar, allowing the pair to nearly instantly collapse down into the stall¡¯s rough-trodden straw. Rolling over flat to his back, Jake slowed his breathing, struggling not to puke as his head throbbed, an unbearable migraine plaguing his brain.

    ¡°You awake? Or alive?¡± Jake asked next to him, glancing slightly at Alice. He didn¡¯t particularly feel like talking, fearful he might barf all over himself, but still felt it important to check in with her. He got no immediate response to his question, only dazed mumblings and groans. Turning to view her more concretely, he saw her body curling tight as she seemed to sink into the straw. Her eyes were shut tight, he could tell she was already drifting back to sleep. The last words he heard her mutter just barely reached his ears.

    ¡°¡­ My fault¡­ it¡¯s my fault¡­¡±

    Jake lay in silence a while after that, his gaze leaving the still-sleeping form of Alice to gaze up at the roof of the stables above. A lump formed in his throat, uncomfortable and firm. He¡¯d known it must still have been bothering her. Despite how cheerful she tried to act yesterday; you couldn¡¯t just bury regret like that. Still though, to hear her pained mutters¡­

    He wished he knew a way to help her. Wished he could just... magically make her feel better somehow about the accident, the crash, or whatever else she blamed herself for. But he couldn''t, and he didn¡¯t know what else he could say to her, what else he could do to try and help her move forward. He didn¡¯t even know if she wanted to move forward. Perhaps she was only still agreeing to travel with him as a kindness or maybe a penance to herself. The thought scared him as soon as he had it, and though he tried to shake it loose from his mind it seemed to burrow deep and take root instantly.

    Forcing himself to sit upright, Jake slowly used the low-hung walls of the stall around him to stand. However she felt right now, there was little Jake could do to help her with it. What he could do, though, was collect some water. She¡¯d need it when she woke up. Now seemed the best time to get it, before a gaggle of miners descended upon the pair. Also, if he was going to puke it probably be best to do it away from where they¡¯d be spending the night.

    <hr>

    Views more beautiful than she could ever have imagined drifted past her face in a lazy haze as she seemed to drift free through the air. No wings sprouted from her back yet still she effortlessly glided amongst the clouds, views unobstructed.

    A dazzling field of green trees with leaves crown-shaped covered in plum-colored spots. She blinked to find herself reclined back above a desert, the sand below shifting in gentle waves as whirlwinds of dust formed high into the sky, nearly reaching her as she drifted past. Another blink and she sat amidst a rainstorm, the cool feeling of the water splashing across her face as she twirled with delight. Another blink and she hovered atop a shimmering field of colors. Brilliant hues of emerald and ruby and sapphire all danced forth for her splendor, till with another blink they were gone.

    Quick as they came, never overstaying their welcome. Here long enough for her to enjoy the vast majesty of the many sceneries around her yet never staying so long she felt stuck¡­ trapped. A slight shiver ran down her back as she imagined the feeling, gracefully moving above a field of shimmering metal that flexed and bent with her every breath. She felt so free here, finally allowed to roam, allowed to see the vast wonders of the unknown around her¡­

    Then something odd seemed to happen. Before she could even blink, the world seemed to shift. It was jarring and unnerving. Before she knew it, the sprawling, bending field of shimmering metal was gone and replaced with¡­ nothing. Sprawling fields of pitch-black shadows that played tricks on her eyes seemed to dance and sway in the nonexistent breeze around her.

    She took in the odd sight around her, beginning to appreciate the bizarre beauty of the shifting void before suddenly, without her approval, she was thrown rapidly into a blinding world of light and sound and taste and smell. She was knocked back, her senses dazzled as she struggled to adapt to the sudden culture shock. Suddenly just as fast she found herself submerged beneath the waves of a roaring ocean.

    Then a split second later she felt her toes graze the sands of a creek, and heard the chirping of birds around her. With no time to take in the sights though she was thrust away again finding herself falling through the sky before suddenly, she was underground before suddenly, she was locked in a box before suddenly, she stood alone in a dying forest before suddenly, she was¡­

    She screamed out, begging the world to stop. To let her enjoy the sights and sounds around her, to let her enjoy the travel she so loved again. Yet nothing seemed to appease the vastness of reality as the dizzying display continued around her. The endless wonders she craved to see ruined, slowly distorting and stretching around her as she sank to her knees. She wondered if she was crying, nothing seemed to escape her. How long she sat like this, trapped by the unending speed of everything around her she didn¡¯t know.

    Perhaps it was only a moment or perhaps it was an eternity, both felt like they could be true, but in the end, the world stopped. All around nothing moved, not even the snow suspended in the sky as she looked around in a panic, worried what could possibly be next.

    ¡°Help¡­¡± A voice distorted and far away called out to her. She spun around, desperate to find the source of the unfamiliar voice.

    ¡°Please¡­ Why¡­¡± Another called out, closer now but still unknown.

    ¡°Why¡­ Please¡­¡± A third joined in. Then a fourth. Then a fifth. On and on till hundreds upon thousands of voices surrounded her, hidden amongst the snow as she spun about desperate to find them, to reach them, yet no matter how hard she tried the seemed too far away. Panting heavy now she found herself beginning to inhale the suspended snow around her. Taste its disgusting flavor¡­ the disgusting flavor of ash.

    ¡°ALICE¡­ PLEASE¡­ ALICE¡­¡± She heard Betsy just behind her now, calling out amongst the sea of faceless voices, crystal clear and so close. Spinning around desperately she lunged forward but found nothing. Only the falling ash as the sea of voices continued their pleas upon her.

    ¡°STOP! STOP!¡± Alice cried out to the voices, waking up with a jolt. Her head was throbbing, pain radiating out to join her crippled arm in making her miserable. Her cheeks felt wet, she could tell she¡¯d been crying, but she didn¡¯t care. She simply lay a moment in stunned silence as the weight of her dream crashed upon her.

 Day 79 - Swimming

    Her throbbing head wasn¡¯t helping her to steady herself. The pain was a unique one to her, something new. It was by no means the worst pain she¡¯d felt before¡­ it was just different. The intense throbbing on her skull made it challenging to focus, and hard to collect her thoughts.

    She wasn¡¯t quite sure how long she was stuck just laying there lost in thought as the dream replayed itself through her mind. What brought her mind back to focus was the smell, the tantalizing aroma of sizzling meat drifting through the air causing her to slowly lift her head up much to her body¡¯s annoyance.

    Across from her, while her innards did backflips and her skull stabbed her brain, she saw Jake knelt beside a crackling fire. She wasn¡¯t quite sure where the two of them were, last she remembered she¡¯d been sitting in the bar talking and laughing beside Jake. Now though she lay flat on her back struggling to move beneath a mountain of blankets.

    She could see the twisting form of trees in the background, tall and sturdy looking. Beneath her grass tickled her back and she could feel an odd coolness that relaxed her aching frame. It seemed long ago the early morning dew of the valley had sunk into her sleeping frame. Up above, however, the sun blazed down as midday had already approached. As she lay lost in thought pondering exactly how it could be she¡¯d come to lay sprawled out in this valley Jake turned towards her, responding to her sudden movements.

    ¡°Morning sunshine!¡± He called, voice sounding cheery and slightly mocking. He turned back to the fire and rotated the bird he¡¯d managed to catch over the flame.

    He felt a moment¡¯s gratitude Alice had still been out cold when he¡¯d gone to hunt the birds. It had been a total failure, his knife missing completely and sending the perched creatures into a panicked frenzy. He¡¯d only managed to catch this one due to its own stupidity. In its panic to escape it had flown headfirst into a branch above its head and knocked itself out cold.

    Jake could imagine her voice in his head if she¡¯d been awake to see that display. ¡°Nice throw greenie!¡± She¡¯d have cried. Here her cackle as he panicked to try and grab the crippled bird before it could fly off again. ... Actually, maybe that wouldn¡¯t have been so bad. It might have been able to cheer her up some. He recalled her troubled words as she drifted off to sleep. Her fitful motions and cries as she jerked about, refusing to wake up. Thinking about it now, was rather a shame she missed the bird hunt.

    Shaking his head to clear his cluttered thoughts away, Jake turned the makeshift spit he¡¯d jabbed the bird¡¯s carcass onto. He had no clue how to clean and cook a bird, so he was imitating what he saw in supermarkets in hopes it came out edible. Stopping on a patch of meat that looked slightly less cooked than the rest of the bird, Jake hopped to his feet and walked toward Alice water skin in hand.

    ¡°Here, you¡¯ll want this.¡± He said, ignoring the tears staining her cheek. It wasn¡¯t his business to pry if she didn¡¯t want to talk about it.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± She said, voice slightly shaky and unwell. Reaching forward with her uninjured arm, she grabbed hold of the waterskin and began to drink greedily. The water seemed to help somewhat, momentarily dulling the throbbing pain in her head, but still soon as she stopped the dull ache returned as her body protested its existence.

    ¡°¡­What is this¡­¡± She asked weakly, allowing herself to collapse back into the grass and covers around her.

    ¡°Hangover,¡± Jake said cheerfully, flashing her a smile. ¡°The first one¡¯s always the worst. You got blackout drunk your first time drinking which¡­ isn¡¯t the best idea. My bad, sorry about that.¡±

    He let out a little laugh seeing her glare at him in annoyance. She seemed to be fine if still suffering the effects of getting wasted for the first time. Still though, something about the way her voice seemed to shake. The slight look of loss in her eyes. Those tears still stuck fast to the side of her face¡­

    ¡°Just keep drinking water. It¡¯ll help eventually. No painkillers so it¡¯s the best we got. I¡¯ll be back with some food. That might help or might make it worse¡­¡± trailing off at seeing the look he received from her, Jake left to retrieve his bird which was now starting to burn upon its spit.

    Flat on her back, waterskin in her hand Alice enjoyed the sky above. Clouds rolled lazily past moving at a nice slow past. As her body ached and screamed in protest, she found some joy in just laying still, enjoying the sky above. New and unknown. Eventually, Jake returned carrying two portions of roasted meat roughly cut and divided upon spare cloth. Her portion set beside her, she glanced at it and realized her innards were still busying themselves doing tricks leaving her with little appetite.

    ¡°How¡¯d we get here?¡± She asked Jake, turning her attention away from the taunting smell of the meat.

    ¡°Fell when the sun rose just like any other day. You slept right through it though. Doubt you even remember me carrying you out to the stables.¡±

    ¡°Nice enough place to sleep I guess¡­¡± Alice said after a beat of silence. ¡°Finally gave me a nickname, huh?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jake asked utterly confused about what she could be talking about, wondering if maybe she had dreamt something in her drunken daze.

    ¡°Sunshine¡­ not bad greenie¡­¡± She said, smiling at him in a slightly mocking manner.

    ¡°No, see that¡¯s just a¡­¡± Jake began, ready to explain the common use of the phrase back home but stopped. Something about the look in her eyes, the subtle shift in her voice. Even the smile she wore, usually vigorous and lively, looked completely dead. He wanted to hold his tongue. Didn¡¯t want to ask, fearful that trying to force her problems loose might just make things worse. But something about her stirred him to action, made inaction impossible.

    ¡°You''re sure you''re alright?¡± he asked scootching a bit closer to her across the grass setting his meal aside.

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    ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m¡­¡± she said, stuttering a bit as she looked at him. Her thoughts raged in her aching head, memories of the dream weighing her down in a heavy collage she¡¯d much rather forget. Something she¡¯d much rather try to bury and move on from. But something about his kindly tone, the look of concern on his face¡­

    She began to recount the dream as if some hidden dam within her broke. It sounded so stupid to share, the story of herself weightless and free-flying about only to be thrust faster and faster into a nightmare. Only to be surrounded by screams of pain, screams calling out for help. Only to be encountered with¡­

    When she reached the part of the dream about Betsy, she found herself faltering. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to talk about her. She thought she¡¯d managed to bury her memory of her sister years ago, managed to limp on in life as she accepted it. Accepted she¡¯d never see her sister alive or dead again. Yet the voice forcefully unearthed her memories. Forcefully confronted her with the sick truth of her sister¡¯s fate, one of many scenarios she imagined for her sister. She¡¯d thought the dreams were over but now they were back, worse than ever before.

    ¡°¡­ then I just woke up, the voice¡¯s screaming around me¡­¡± She finished, glancing away with a shiver as she recalled Betsy¡¯s voice clear as the day she lost her. Looking back after a moment toward

    Jake she was almost shocked to see how serious he looked. She¡¯d expected him to just humor her, listen to her dreams out of pity, and try to cheer her up with some flowery words. It made her chuckle and brought a smile to her face to see how serious he seemed to be taking her dream. She supposed he wasn¡¯t used to her nightmares, but still, it was humorous to see. Sweet to see.

    Sat across from her, Jake struggled to hide his distress about her dream. He wasn¡¯t a psychologist, he wasn¡¯t trained to try and interpret dreams, but one thing seemed clear to him. This journey of theirs, this endless random journey from place to place, was wearing her down. Slowly breaking her psyche. Guilt bubbled within as his worries about finding the perfect world for her intensified, and the time limit to end the crumbling shortened to near nothing. Who knows how long they could stand to travel together? Who knows how long she could stand to stay with him?

    All sorts of questions started erupting in his head. He asked himself if it would be best to simply slip away from her in the next civilized reality. Simply trust in her to solve the crumbling. He denounced the thought immediately. She could decide for herself where she wanted to stay, and what she wanted to do. It wasn¡¯t up to him to force her anywhere, force her to do anything. He just had to trust traveling from world to world wouldn¡¯t wear her down too much¡­

    Still, he couldn¡¯t shake the worry he felt, the guilt he felt. Sat across from her, his expression slowly growing more serious as he fought the conflicting thoughts in his head Alice lay across from him and let out another chuckle at his reaction to her dream. It still was unpleasant to talk about. Unpleasant to think about. The fast-paced fly-by through world after world, trapped and unable to do anything was terrifying. Nothing like reality, nothing like the views she could she traipsing across creation. Still, though it was hard to forget the dream. Especially¡­

    Laid back she found herself asking Jake a question before she could help herself,

    ¡°What was your family like?¡±

    Jake seemed to flinch a bit, and she knew she¡¯d overstepped. With each passing day, it seemed he was less willing to talk about his past, but some topics were more taboo than others. His family had always seemed an unspoken taboo. So convinced was he that he¡¯d never see them again he just wanted to forget about them, leave them behind completely rather than cling to pained memories. But still, she¡¯d brought them up, spurred on in the heat of the moment.

    ¡°¡­My family huh¡­?¡± Jake repeated voice distant and quiet. His gaze focused on her and he found her shrinking back a bit, a look of guilt and regret on her face. He didn¡¯t want to bring the topic up. He didn¡¯t want to talk about them at all. It hurt too much. But still, for reasons unknown to him she was curious. And he¡¯d been looking for ways to help her feel better¡­

    ¡°They were like any other family I guess¡­¡± Jake began voice still quiet as he struggled to speak. ¡°My mom and dad¡­ my sisters¡­¡±

    ¡°Sisters?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­ yeah. Janet and Jesica. My dad¡­ heh¡­ my dad wanted us to be iterative and convinced my mom to do it for my two sisters. Then when I was born he said ¡®It won''t make sense if we don¡¯t do it for all three¡­¡¯¡±

    ¡°What were they like¡­ your sisters¡­¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know, typically siblings. They always seemed to tease me or bully me but would help if I asked nice enough. I would play with them when I was little but they started avoiding me like the plague once they got older. My sister Janet was only a few years older than me so we were a bit closer than Jessica¡­ she was almost a decade older than us. ¡­ they were my sisters what do you want me to¡­ are you ok?¡±

    Alice had begun to cry, softly and silently. Reaching up to her face she covered her eyes and let out a sniffle. She hadn¡¯t even felt the tears begin, so caught up in Jake''s words. So busy imagining what it might have been like to properly care for Betsy, tease her and play with her. To watch her grow up. Her arm still covering her eyes and her voice shaky, Jake struggled a bit to hear her.

    ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m fine. Please just¡­ keep going¡­¡±

    ¡°I can stop if you¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, really¡­please don¡¯t stop¡­¡± It hurt to hear him talk, hurt to hear stories of his sisters and him. Yet at the same time, another part of her craved more.

    ¡°Sure fine¡­¡± Jake said, leaning back unsure what to say next. ¡°Well, one time we went swimming. When I was really little¡­ I didn¡¯t know how to properly swim yet so I had these floaty things on my arm. Anyway, I got into the pool and it was packed, I could barely move an inch. As I¡¯m trying to paddle about in it, I¡¯m getting knocked about so much that one of the floaties comes off. I''m struggling to stay afloat now with just one arm and I¡¯m panicking convinced I¡¯m going to die when suddenly I¡¯m lifted out of the water.¡±

    ¡°I look up to see Jessica looking at me. ¡®Just stand.¡¯ That was all she said. Then she dropped me back into the water. I started floundering again till I felt my foot brush the floor. I was in the shallows the whole time. I remember feeling so embarrassed, I could see my whole family laughing at me. Don¡¯t remember why I remember that so clearly. Couldn¡¯t have been very old¡­¡±

    Jake fell silent after his story, a small smile forcing itself on his face. Alice lay still and quiet her face still covered by her arm. Worried for her Jake started to move closer till suddenly he heard her quietly mutter,

    ¡°¡­swimming¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, how to explain, swimming is¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what swimming is¡­¡± Alice interrupted voice slightly annoyed, ¡°Just thought it might be fun to try.¡±

    ¡°¡­you¡¯ll have to give it a shot sometime.¡±

    ¡°Next time we land somewhere with a pool let¡¯s try it. It¡¯s a promise, ok?¡±

    ¡°¡­ ok¡­¡± Jake said, uncertain how to feel. So many times, they promised to try something together, promised to stick together just a little while longer. He needed to brace himself for their separation. Still, though, swimming wasn¡¯t hard to promise. It couldn¡¯t take too long to find a pool or a river or something.

    ¡°¡­If you don¡¯t mind¡­¡± Alice spoke, interrupting his train of thought, ¡°I¡¯m going to just lay here a while, let me head clear a bit.¡±

    She vaguely heard Jake¡¯s agreement, heard him shuffle away. Her view was still dark, her arm blocked anything from reaching her sight. A shiver went down her spine. Swimming huh? Betsy would have loved swimming.

 Day 80 - Tutor

    The ground felt a bit unstable when they landed. Looking around both quickly saw they were perched high atop a rocky cliff, mere inches away from tumbling over into the depths below. Quickly scootching back away from the edge they turned to see the rest of their surroundings weren¡¯t looking much more promising. Cracked rocks made up the scenery as the two appeared to have landed atop a wide plateau, with no clear way down in sight.

    ¡°Don¡¯t suppose you see a creak or stream hidden somewhere, do you?¡± Jake asked as he set his bag to the floor. Alice shook her head no, keeping her voice to herself. She¡¯d been quiet for a while, barely speaking a word since asking about his family. She¡¯d spent the rest of her day in the valley laid back and silent, eyes covered.

    Jake cast her a worried look a moment before returning his attention to his bag. He wasn¡¯t an imbecile. He may not know the finer details of her past, but he could guess based on her questions about his family, and her extreme reactions, that it was likely more horrid than Jake first imagined. Exactly what had happened to her Jake couldn''t say, and he was fine with keeping it that way. His curiosity and worries be damned, it wasn¡¯t his place to try and pry into her, try and crack her open and force her to share her darkest secrets.

    Part of him wondered if asking her about it might somehow help, might somehow relieve the burden. He didn¡¯t know. He didn''t know anyone who¡¯d ever gone through half the shit she had. Still though, when he saw her so depressed, so lifeless, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Couldn¡¯t help but be tempted to try even if it wasn¡¯t his place to pry. Anything to try and help cheer her up.

    ¡°We have any water left?¡±

    Interrupted from his thoughts, Jake pulled the near-depleted waterskin free from his pouch and took a short swig, barely a mouthful. The rest he tossed to her. Leaning back to allow his weight to fall evenly to the ground, his hand felt the remains of rain, cool and slick, still clinging to the rock below him. A disappointed grunt escaped him. They were just barely too late landing on the plateau, they couldn¡¯t have missed the rain by more than a few hours.

    Polishing the last of what little water was left in the skin, Alice felt terrible. Her pounding headache may have faded away now, leaving her as she faded off to fitful dreams polluted by memory and regret, but still, her body ached with pain. Her arm still screamed in agony every time she moved it. She¡¯d felt so out of it recently it was hard to tell if she was making any progress recovering, but it didn¡¯t feel like it.

    She worried about the strings within her. Those frayed and cut within her arm remained damaged. She guessed that was the main source of her pain, she doubted the tiny needle of the blood collector had the power to cripple her otherwise. The damaged strings themselves felt as if they were trying to repair themselves, trying to reconnect and rebuild, but so far their progress in doing so had stalled. What had caused this delay, whether it was her inebriation or the recent loss of her emotional stability, she couldn¡¯t say. She could barely feel the string¡¯s efforts as it was, let alone understand them.

    Worse though, more than the pain coursing through her body were the memories. It had felt sickly sweet listening to Jake talk yesterday. She¡¯d been able to imagine herself living in his place, imagine herself living with her sister. She loved it. Yet as soon as he finished talking, soon as the cruel reality of the world crashed back upon her it hurt even more. Still hurt now the next day as her night was filled with nothing but dreams of the dead.

    Regret filled dreams of her sister¡¯s voice, calling to her. Her sister¡¯s hand reached for hers before fading away forever. A trick of the eye that let her see Betsy slip away from the corners of her sight, always out of reach. Yet even now as the hurt of the night''s torment clung to her, she couldn¡¯t say she regrated letting Jake talk, regrated unearthing Betsy¡¯s memory.

    At least she got to see her again, hear her again. Briefly hold her hand again. Even if it was only a fading trick, a cruel joke her mind played to torture her. With a pained smile on her face, she found herself in silence unconsciously rubbing her hand exactly where Betsy¡¯s had been the night before. Exactly where she always used to hold.

    ¡°Here, what¡¯s left of the food. You never ate much yesterday. Can¡¯t say it¡¯s still good though, so don¡¯t say you weren¡¯t warned.¡±

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    Awakened from her sleep-like stupor, she refocused to find Jake passing her a bundle of cloth wrapped tight, bits of cooked meat nestled within. She recognized the bird she¡¯d been forced to avoid the day before along with bits of the leftover hare-like beast they¡¯d kept from a few days ago. Raising the bundle of meat toward her noise she gave it a quick Wiff. It didn¡¯t smell too off, though it was a bit hard to smell anything coming from it. ¡­ should be fine.

    Lowering the bundle, she turned back toward Jake to thank him only to be distracted by what she saw him doing. He was busy digging through their bags, pulling out small bundles of scrap wood tied together with orange lengths of cloth torn from their discarded prison suits. Setting most of these bundles to the side, he grabbed two and untied them beginning to arrange them together in a small pile.

    ¡°What are you doing? Where did you get all that stuff?¡±

    ¡°Made them while you were resting yesterday after we talked. Ready to burn campfires. That¡¯s the idea anyway, perfect for places like¡­ well like this without any wood. I¡¯ll spark it when it gets darker or colder, I just wanted to get it set up before I forget.¡±

    ¡°Neat¡­¡± She replied before their conversation died, an awkward wind of silence blowing between the two. She realized that had been the most they¡¯d spoken since his stories yesterday. It felt odd, she¡¯d grown so used to traveling with him, so used to talking with him. Even if, when she thought about it, they¡¯d lived most of their lives apart. What was it he¡¯d said again? Adapt or die?

    Thinking back on it this awkwardness was mostly her fault. She¡¯d been the one to curl up in her shell, been the one to close him out and ignore him. She just¡­ she¡¯d just felt so overwhelmed. Trickles of guilt ate her conscious as she considered what to do. Did she owe him an explanation, owe it to him to share about Betsy?

    ¡­ no. She owed that to no one, no matter how close. No matter what she felt or how much time passed. In part because she¡¯d begun to feel so close to him, she didn¡¯t want to bring her up, didn¡¯t want to anchor herself to him with such a dark chapter of the past. Still, she felt bad for just ignoring him. And she hated this uncomfortable silence that had sprouted between the pair¡­

    ¡°Hey, greenie¡­¡± She waited till he turned her way and saw a slight note of surprise cross his face at the sudden address. ¡°When I was a kid. Real little, young enough I hadn¡¯t started crumbling yet, there was this guy. He seemed ancient to me at the time, cracked and crumbling and always grumpy. Thinking about it, now he couldn¡¯t have been much older than me, maybe he was my age. Never got a chance to ask. Anyway, he¡¯d always brag about being able to read, being able to write. Would tell anyone and everyone how much better off he was, how he could understand what the guards were posting up around the district so he could prepare accordingly.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t really understand why he was bragging about it at the time but over time I got it in my head learning to read and write must be the greatest thing in the world. Must be amazing if it let him brag like that. So, I started hounding him, following after him every day, clinging to him, and begging him to teach me. He just kept refusing though, kept getting annoyed.¡±

    ¡°Other kids started clinging to him too though, and soon he had about ten of us following him, pleading and begging. He finally gave up; and told us he¡¯d teach us the basics of the basics if it would get us to shut up. Slowly though, the other kids gave up. Found it too boring or pointless. I found it boring too, but I stuck with it, kept following after him and making him teach me. He¡¯d always complain and grumble and call me a little urchin or flea but still, he taught me."

    "He kept going too, went past the basics, and kept teaching me everything he knew. Complained every second too. Still, he taught me everything he knew!¡± Alice finished beaming at Jake.

    She hoped her overeager smile would hide the true end to the story. Hide that the last time she came to find him, his skin was more scar than flesh now. His limbs had deteriorated and hardened to a point where he couldn¡¯t move anymore, could only lay there waiting to die as he slowly crumbled more and more. How he smiled at her, the first time he¡¯d ever done that. How he¡¯d told her she¡¯d go far, complimented her for the first time in her life. Told her to leave to flee his home. Told her his death wasn¡¯t something she should see¡­

    Alice felt her smile slip a bit as she realized all her stories were like this. Either the beginning, middle, or end were all marred by the district, marred by the treatment forced upon her by the Unbroken. She¡¯d wanted to emulate what Jake had said before, one fact about his life for a fact about hers. A story for a story. But she found she couldn¡¯t tell the whole truth, not yet at least.

    Over time, her stories would probably get closer and closer to the truth. Layer by layer she¡¯d expose the truth of herself to him, the past she¡¯d rather run from. Right now though¡­ right now she¡¯d much rather hide those truths. Live free and on the run, even if for just a single moment longer. Smiling at his face, which was quickly turning from rapt attention listening to her story to one of complete confusion she added,

    ¡°What, I thought we were taking turns right? One thing about you, one thing about me? I think it¡¯s your turn, right? Got any more stories?¡± A look of embarrassed understanding dawned on Jake''s face.

    ¡°You''re still on that!¡±

    ¡°Oh come on greenie, don¡¯t spoil things.¡±

 Day 81 - Shifting Constellations

    The night air was cold atop the plateau. Neither Jake nor Alice was quite sure when the sun had set fully, both had drifted off to sleep sometime during the middle of the day. Clouds had rolled in while they talked obscuring the sky above, giving them some hope for the promise of rain, yet all these clouds proved to do was block their view of the sky, leaving them in a shaded haze.

    Alice was the first to wake up. Jolted from her dreams she was surprised to find them rather tame compared to the night before. She could hardly remember them as she sat hunched over, beads of sweat falling heavy from her brow. Perhaps her nap had simply not been long enough to allow her mind time to torture her. Perhaps her frame of mind had simply been more relaxed as she drifted off to sleep this time, lulled into a sense of complacency.

    Whatever the case she found herself conflicted. A slight frown on her face she realized she missed the phantom visage of her sister that came to call as she slept, came to haunt her with the glimmers of her ghost. Perhaps that was why she was gone from her dreams now. Perhaps she¡¯d removed herself completely, removed herself once again so Alice could feel the pain of her complete absence anew.

    Sighing slightly, Alice shook the dreams from her head and reached beside her. The bundled bit of meat sat nearby still uneaten. She and Jake had fallen into a rapport as the day drew on, talking and joking about such pointless things. It seemed both were eager to avoid any serious subjects for the time being as neither would dwell for long on anything important, only discussing the little intricacies and details of life.

    The last time they¡¯d spoken, before settling down to drift off to sleep, Jake had been struggling to describe video games to her. She grasped the wider concept immediately after his first explanation, moving pictures or stories you could control remotely, but kept pushing him for details as he struggled more and more to explain himself. It was funny to see him sweat like that, see him struggle to describe something he thought so easy to understand. He treated her like an idiot sometimes when talking about his home, like a child. Asking questions like one till he was stuttering over himself unable to answer anything seemed fair enough payback.

    Chuckling to herself, she popped a bit of meat randomly grabbed from the bundle into her mouth only to seconds later spit it out as she bent over gagging. The meat had clearly rotted. When exactly she couldn¡¯t say, but as soon as her teeth sunk into its flesh and allowed the rotted taste to wash over her tongue she could tell instantly. She¡¯d eaten rotten food before; moldy and stale crumbs tossed her way. Hell, it wasn¡¯t even her first time trying rotted meat. It was the surprise that took her more than anything, she hadn''t been expecting the rot. That¡¯s what threw her off.

    The next thing that caught her attention was the pain. Her sudden lunge forward as she spit the rotted bit of meat out had aggravated her arm. Flailing back as burning shots of pain coursed through her body, she could feel the strings within constrict in response to the sudden aggravation. Falling back screams of pain escaped her, all the while the rotted taste of the meat remained on her tongue. The meat''s juices were stuck fast to the inside of her mouth.

    During the day, the duo had taken to wandering around the flat top of the plateau while they talked. Relatively certain they wouldn¡¯t get lost or lose their supplies due to how consistently smooth the ground around them was they explored the cracks and crevices of their terrain searching for anything they might find useful. Chief among them both on the scale of what they might find useful was water, as they were particularly thirsty at the time.

    They weren¡¯t really expecting to find any, just sort of killing time with a distraction, so both were shocked to discover some. A puddle, still and unmoving buried in a particular crack in the plateau¡¯s surface. It was likely leftover from the rain, condensed and not yet dried or drained down the side of the cliff. They¡¯d had a short debate over the puddle, whether it would be safe to drink from it or not but ultimately had decided against trying to. That was largely due to how filthy it looked, coated in a fine layer of dust and sediment, it was no longer clear but an odd brownish color.

    They¡¯d left the puddle behind and left their waterskin empty. Now though, as Alice rolled around intermittently screaming out in pain and struggling to force the taste of rot from her mouth she thought back to this puddle. Wondered if the water, filthy as it was, could possibly taste as bad as what was currently coursing through her mouth. It must have been even worse; she decided this quickly to keep her sanity.

    Jake, woken now but the sounds of her struggle to wrestle the taste free from her tongue while controlling the pain in her arm, watched her with a bleary look of confusion. Unsure exactly what she was doing, he watched as she slowly stopped flailing about her head covered by her hand and her makeshift sling in disarray across her chest.

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    ¡°You doing ok there?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t eat those¡­¡± She said rather weakly, tongue still recoiling from the bit of rot that remained in her mouth, refusing to leave no matter how much she spat it away. Rising to his feet, Jake retrieved the bundle of meat chunks Alice had weakly pointed to and gave them a light sniff. Recoiling back, he tossed the bundle far away before adding,

    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s gone off.¡±

    ¡°You think?¡± Alice asked, annoyance clear in her voice as she adjusted herself so her injured arm rested more naturally across her frame. ¡°We have anything else to eat? Or Drink? Anything at all?¡±

    She was desperate to get the remaining bit of rot free from her tongue. There was an art to eating rotted food. One must be truly hungry, truly desperate. So desperately they either didn¡¯t notice the taste, or prepared ways to numb the tongue and better swallow the meat down. She was neither so desperate that the taste was lost to her nor prepared enough to ignore its flavor. All she was left with was the rot, washing over her and causing her eyes to water.

    ¡°Unfortunately, no. Should be sunup soon though¡­¡± Jake said as he laid back a bit glancing toward the sky. It was still the middle of the night. The constellations high up above, totally new and alien to them both, twinkled clear and uninterrupted. The clouds had long moved away leaving their view of the sky totally exposed. A sigh Alice as she accepted her fate, laying back to nestle into the warmth of her battered cloak.

    The chill of the night air was not so extreme one required a fire or extreme amounts of padding but still, it was noticeably present. The two layered in their battered bits of rundown cloth and fabric were dressed perfectly to enjoy the night sky above. As they lay back gazing at the glittering patchwork of stars above a noticeable silence grew between the pair. Still, though, it felt different from the silence earlier that day.

    That had felt awkward, a nearly unapproachable wall that seemed to swallow any thought they had of talking, any thought of sharing. An awkward thing, an uncomfortable thing. This was different, it felt comforting. They didn¡¯t feel the need to punctuate the silence with idle talk anymore, both seemed content to just lay and gaze up above. Both felt content in understanding that.

    How long he gazed at the stars above Jake couldn¡¯t say. The night sky here was truly wonderful. He could swear the stars were almost shifting as his eyes played tricks on him, forcing him to see patterns and constellations everywhere he looked. Hidden amongst the stars he could see the faint outline of the moon, a black outline hidden in shadow. A black abyss of void where nothing seemed to live, nestled within the shining sky up above. Yet even this had a strange sense of beauty. Gazing up at the shifting stars above, awash under their twinkle his thoughts escaped him without his notice.

    ¡°It¡¯s so strange¡­¡±

    ¡°What is?¡± Alice asked, turning her gaze away from the night sky above to glance at his reclined form.

    ¡°What? Oh, it¡¯s just¡­¡± He stuttered a bit, not realizing he¡¯d been speaking aloud. ¡°Back home, I never paid much attention to nature like this. Never really thought of gazing at the sky or the trees or the rocks or anything really. Hell, where I grew up, you couldn¡¯t even see the stars!¡±

    ¡°Couldn¡¯t see the stars,¡± Alice repeated sounding unconvinced. What the hell was he talking about? Even nestled in the dingy confines of the district she¡¯d been able to see the stars. They nestled high above her head, higher than any Broken or Unbroken. Perched in the sky, truly free. They¡¯d always comforted her as a child. A slight smile crossed her face at the memory.

    ¡°There was too much smog, too many electric lights. They were always on twenty-four-seven till you couldn¡¯t see the stars at all anymore. Sure, I saw the stars in movies or TV or in pictures but really, it was rare to see them shining in person. Certainly not like this!¡± He raised his hands above him and gestured toward the sprawling sky above.

    ¡°Forests too. Most trees I saw were carefully maintained and groomed. If I ever saw a forest growing wild it was while I was driving past it. It was just scenery, something in the background fading past that I didn¡¯t give a second thought. Not like now. I was just thinking it was strange¡­ I¡¯d never really paid much attention to these things till this journey started. Never really cared. Now though¡­¡± He trailed off as his gaze returned to the sky above.

    He¡¯d been about to say if he ever found his way home things would be different. They¡¯d have to be. After seeing so much, he doubted he¡¯d be able to just ignore the world around him now, and go back to how his life used to be. This sentence died on his tongue. He wouldn¡¯t let himself give thought to the hope of going back home. Not anymore.

    Beside him, Alice¡¯s gaze returned to the shimmering sea of stars up above. His thoughts were so strange. What an odd story. She couldn¡¯t begin to imagine it. What must his life have been like to be surrounded by so much plenty and splendor and just¡­ ignore it? Go about his days locked away ignoring the beauty around him. She¡¯d pined for the forests for so long. For the wide plains of grass. The mountains. The rushing creeks. For the freedom they offered her.

    Seeing them all now, each and every one was so different, so beautiful. Every reality visited was unique in some small way. She couldn¡¯t imagine just choosing to ignore it all. Still though, with a slight chuckle, she realized something.

    ¡°Guess we¡¯re the same, huh?¡± She asked Jake not really caring about his lack of answer. All this time she thought she was the odd one out experiencing all this beauty for the first time. It was sort of comforting to know they were the same, tied together by these shared experiences.

 Day 82 - Rebinding

    ¡°You know what I¡¯d kill for right now?¡± Jake asked aloud as he turned the spit roasting over the fire in front of him over, not waiting for Alice to respond to his hypothetical question, ¡°Marshmallows.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s a marshmallow?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t ask that,¡± Jake said with a smile, grinning at seeing how annoyed Alice looked with his answer. ¡°Best not to know what they are..¡±

    ¡°You can¡¯t just bring something up and tell me not to ask about it!¡± She called in annoyance, lightly chucking a small stone into his side. He laughed at that, leaning back to let the meat roast some more.

    ¡°Fine, fine. Not too sure myself, to be honest. Some people said it was ground-up animal bones and skin mixed with sugar and starch. Still, whatever they are, they taste great roasted over a fire like this. All gooey and sweet. Would kill for some.¡±

    ¡°You could have just said it was a sweet from your home. Why¡¯d you make it so cryptic?¡±

    ¡°To annoy you,¡± Jake said plainly, letting out a light laugh as Alice tossed another stone his way.

    The two where sat reclined near a flowing stream on a beach made of pebbles and stone. Their landing had been somewhat rocky, slipping on the slipper rocks underfoot, but otherwise uneventful. They were both extremely grateful for the rushing stream nearby, noticing it immediately after landing. Particularly Alice who¡¯d finally been allowed the chance to flush the rotted meat from out her mouth.

    Their current camp was rather nice by their usual standards. The abundant stones and rocks around them allowed the two to construct a makeshift firepit, properly encircled by gathered rocks worn smoothly by rushing wind and water. They¡¯d even gathered enough stones to make small shelves where they could rest their spit while cooking, keeping the meat away from the flame and mitigating the risk of burning their meal.

    ¡°Still I''m surprised you weren¡¯t grossed out by that. Where I¡¯m from most avoided talking about what marshmallows are made of. Grosses them out.¡±

    ¡°Really?¡± Alice asked, surprised. It didn¡¯t sound too bad to her. She¡¯d eaten worse in the past. In fact, the idea of finding a way to turn the inedible edible intrigued her. If she¡¯d been able to eat the flesh and bone left behind in her meals before she¡¯d have been much fuller in the past. This said nothing about the additive sweetness. She¡¯d kill to sample something sweet again. Her heart broke a bit remembering the berries long since ripened and abandoned.

    ¡°They still ate them though?¡±

    ¡°Sure did. Where pretty good too, even if they weren¡¯t roasted.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to try them sometime. Has to taste better than that, at least.¡±

    ¡°¡­Sure thing¡­¡± Jake said some enthusiasm lost in his voice as he made yet another promise to her about an uncertain future. Still, glancing downward, he had to agree with her. No matter what they stuck in marshmallows it had to be better than what he was currently roasting.

    As soon as they¡¯d arrived and busied themselves at the stream, they¡¯d spotted the creature hopping in and out of the water with reckless abandon. They were downstream from them a few meters away and didn¡¯t look as if they¡¯d pose much of a threat. It had been rather easy to catch, it just let Jake walk up to it and stab it directly in the head.

    Still, he found it hard to be excited about his catch. The creature resembled a frog, or maybe it was more toadlike. It was about the size of a raccoon, and its back was covered in bulbous yellow and green warts. Its skin was a thick grey color and tough, cutting through it had been like stabbing a leather chair. Its large eyes took up the majority of its face with two thin slits for nostrils taking the remaining space left over.

    As soon as he¡¯d stabbed the creature the rest of its pack had panicked, letting our horrific croaking sounds, sacks under their heads expand and they dove quickly into the water. Held aloft by their expanded necks they allowed the stream to carry them away, far out of sight from the duo who were left standing over the corpse of the rather unappealing-looking beast.

    Even Alice, growing up catching mice and rats to eat when her rations in the district ran low, found the pulsating warts on the back of the overgrown toad rather disgusting. The whole creature¡¯s visage just made it look remarkably unappetizing. Still, though, their hunger won out as it often did these days wandering in the wild, and so the pair carted the carcass of the beast back toward their makeshift camp to cut and cook it.

    Unsure how to prepare a regular frog, much less an overgrown one Jake set about carving into the toad trying his best to prep the meat. In the end, he had to say he was rather unsatisfied with the results. Most of the frog¡¯s innards were able to be removed, left to rot in a pile a way away from them. The skin, however, proved to be too tough to remove. Left with no other choice, Jake had forcefully rammed a spit through the entirety of the beast¡¯s body and set it to cook atop a particularly large flame that ate into quite a bit of their supply of pre-prepared firewood.

    Gazing at it now atop the open flame of the campfire, Jake grimaced slightly. Each turn of the spit seemed to somehow make the frog look less appetizing than it had before. As the fire roasted the frog its skin began to peel and crack, flaking away from the frog and giving the meat a rather odd and unappetizing complexion. Along with this the warts along the frogs¡¯ back, equally difficult to remove, would pop and boil under the heat of the fire occasionally showering the carcass in juices Jake imagined were better left off their meal.

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    Eyeing the legs of the frog, the only part of the beast that still looked remotely appetizing, a short sigh escaped him. He¡¯d heard frog legs tasted alright, like chicken. He hoped that was true. He¡¯d learned so far on this journey most things tended to taste like chicken. But looking at the rotating mass of meat before him, he couldn¡¯t imagine its taste being remotely pleasant.

    ¡°You know what, I take it back. Forget marshmallows. Salt. I¡¯d just kill for some salt, just a little salt¡­¡± Jake muttered to himself as he slowly turned the spit again, ignoring a wart that looked dangerously close to popping.

    Alice shook her head at his comments. Glancing over the roasting frog it didn¡¯t look too bad. Sure, she¡¯d certainly eaten better since starting this trip. But she¡¯d also eaten worse. While it didn¡¯t look like the most appetizing thing she¡¯d eaten it certainly looked edible. She couldn¡¯t imagine it tasting worse than the rotted meat from yesterday.

    Leaning back against a small pile of rocks she¡¯d moved and kicked together she lightly gripped her battered harp in her hand. Her spirits were rather high, she¡¯d finally felt the strings in her arms begin to reconnect themselves. She could wiggle her fingers and slightly turn her hand without the whole side of her body erupting into immense pain. Still, though, the connection felt rough. Like it was barely holding together, just a few loose fibers caught together beginning the process of rebinding.

    Glancing toward Jake grumpily turning the frog over, a thought sparked in her mind. An evil grin played across her face as her finger hovered over the harp''s center string. She watched her prey now, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Watched as he turned the meal over. Watched as he leaned forward a bit to examine it¡­ to close now. Watched him sit back. Watched him lean back to crack his back¡­ perfect.

    Her finger found the string and plucked it. The single note seemed to hang in the air for an unnaturally long time as the harp vibrated and the fire roared to life, nearly doubling in size. As the fire roared two screams rang out. The first came from Jake, a scream of surprise as he fell backward watching the roaring flame respond to the call of the harp. The second came from Alice, a scream of sudden¡­ sensation.

    That seemed the best way to describe it. What struck her was by no means a pleasant feeling, as the strings within her revibrated and shook in rhythmic response to the harp''s call. Yet it wasn¡¯t unpleasant either. The sensation was simply there, a notable sensation with enough force to evoke a reaction from her. All due to the shattered strings in her arm.

    They vibrated in harmony to the note of the harp as well, rhythmically pulsing as power flowed throughout her. Yet the pleasant feeling she¡¯d felt before felt incomplete now. Stopped at her arm, a bottleneck where the harmonic rhythm of the strings was interrupted. Stopped even more so than by the knots that lay twisted throughout the string¡¯s web.

    Yet somehow this incomplete passage wasn¡¯t painful. Even as she felt the rhythmic flow of power suddenly halt, forced to double back on itself as it slowed down and died, she could feel the severed strings in her arm. Inactive for so long they flared to life now and reached forward as more and more fibers seemed to spur to life and bundle together intertwining all through her arm.

    As the single note of the harp died away along with the suddenly increased flame of the fire, both regained their composure. Jake sat up fast and glared at her.

    ¡°Really funny! Please don¡¯t barbecue the frog, it may look awful but it¡¯s all we have to eat so¡­¡±

    ¡°What was that¡­?¡± Alice asked, voice a near whisper as she interrupted him.

    ¡°What do you mean what was that?! That was you, I¡¯ve seen you do that before! I may not know much about magic, but I know that was you!¡±

    ¡°Not that¡­ my arm. It feels¡­ better now. Lighter.¡±

    ¡°What?¡± Jake said, the annoyance in his voice disappearing immediately. ¡°I thought you said it was barely improving. Can you move it now?¡±

    ¡°¡­No,¡± Alice said after giving it a try, followed by a sudden wince. ¡°But still, it feels more connected, farther along than it was before. My fingers. I can move my fingers!¡± She was ecstatic and she could see the excitement rising in Jake''s face too. ¡°The harp¡­ playing the harp. It connected the strings together, forced them back together.¡±

    ¡°Play It more then!¡±

    ¡°¡­Move the frog.¡±

    ¡°Oh right,¡± Jake said, racing over to pull the spit from the fire. Alice shook her head at his excitement, chuckling a little. She found his eagerness sort of strange in a way. He¡¯d admitted already he didn¡¯t understand the strings she described. Couldn¡¯t visualize what she was talking about no matter how she tried to explain it. She supposed that was fair, she still barely understood them. Still, seeing him so excited to help with something he couldn¡¯t understand. So excited to help her¡­

    A slight smile on her face she began to play, strumming a rough melody from the strings left on her rundown harp. She was forced to pause a few times, stop and gasp at the sensation trailing up her arm as she felt the strings within her hurry to try and interweave themselves together. Still, she pushed through these sudden bursts of sensation, and kept playing away at a simple melody that forced the fire to dance and grow and bend.

    She didn¡¯t play for long, only a few minutes strumming a rather repetitive tune before she was forced to stop. Pain suddenly gathered within her as the power continually reverberated back and forth upon itself in an endless cycle spiked. It seemed to have reached its limit, and unable to pulsate along the strings freely it had begun to instead escape through her in bursts of pain.

    Sat gasping for a moment, she felt the pain begin to die away as soon as she¡¯d stopped playing. No longer charged with energy, the power dissipated, and the strings stopped vibrating. She felt them slowly return to normal in a couple of minutes. Still, despite the painful ending, the exercise was not without its merits. She found she could move her hand without any pain.

    ¡°Is your arm feeling any better?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± She replied sounding sort of dazed, out of it as she examined the changes in her arm. Still lost in the odd sensation of the strings rebinding together and the pain of the rhythmic pulses trapped within.

    ¡°That¡¯s great!¡± Jake said in a cheery tone as he sat beside her lugging the spit of frog with him. ¡°Here, the frog is probably ready. It¡¯s hard to tell so I may be off. If you¡¯re not hungry yet we can set it aside.¡±

    Ripping a frog leg free he passed it towards her before ripping another off for himself. She accepted it gladly after a moment, the haze of the strings fading from her. Raising the legs of the frog to their faces they bit into the meat, rather apprehensively. It was hard to chew, the skin so tough it took a while to find anything edible. Soon as they did though Jake¡¯s face dropped.

    ¡°Definitely needed salt¡­¡±

 Day 83 - Braided Together

    The fire danced and swayed, pulsating to the sounds of the private concert played for only two souls. Each strum of the harp¡¯s cords brought the fire to life, making it shine brighter and brighter as it rolled in harmony with the melodies maestro who laid back relaxing against a felled tree stump. She¡¯d already played for quite a while now and was expecting to have to stop any second now. Sure enough, the stings of pain began to reach her, signaling the blockage of power in the strings.

    She ceased playing at once, not wanting to push herself further than necessary. The stinging pain died away almost immediately as the blocked power struggled to vibrate along what few paths had been repaired within her body. As she sat, panting slightly from the sensations in her arm the fire died back down, and the air grew quiet and still.

    ¡°You¡¯re getting pretty good with that thing,¡± Jake said across from her, leaning forward across his knees a bored expression on his face.

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Alice said, a slight strain to her voice as she felt her body sag down even further somehow as if melting into the uncomfortable lump of wood she used as a pillow.

    She¡¯d been repeating this routine for hours. Since they¡¯d arrived in the middle of the forest, surrounded by trees with barbed leaves a blood-red color and tough, unyielding, bark. They had chosen to simply relax and set up camp. They¡¯d found a few bulbous fruits, a suspiciously vibrant shade of crimson tucked within the barbed leaves of the trees surrounding them, and so they had little reason to wander.

    This suited Alice perfectly fine. It gave her ample amounts of time to practice, perform for the fire, and feel the vibrations of the strings within as they hastened to try and rebind themselves. The sooner they finished their task the sooner she¡¯d be free of this horrid pain and allowed free use of her arm again. But even though she¡¯d spent the last few hours performing all manner of melodies for the flame, racking her brain to come up with new exciting songs she could play with the limited notes available to her, the progress of the strings had slowed to less than a snail¡¯s crawl.

    Where at first the progress of rebinding had been explosive, her severed strings reaching out and grasping hold eagerly and allowing her control of her fingers and hand again without the ever-present pain, now the more she played the less the strings seemed to react. It was hard to describe, it didn¡¯t feel as if the power reverberating through her was lessening. Rather, it felt as if her body was quickly growing acclimated to the string¡¯s vibrations, used to the pulse and pull of the power.

    Before the strings had rapidly reached out to repair one another amongst the sudden tirade of power flowing in her body. Now though, as the strings grew more and more used to the melodies she played they seemed to more easily distribute the power. Less desperate was the blocked power in her hand to escape. Less eagerly did the severed strings try to repair themselves. They had no reason to anymore, now her body had learned to accommodate the amount of power produced by the songs played using the three-stringed harp.

    Before it had taken her only a few moments to be overwhelmed by the power as the blockage in her arm continually reverberated upon itself. This last time though, she¡¯d comfortably been able to play a variety of tunes for what felt like half an hour with no problems. Even the pain she had felt had been less severe, tiny pinpricks running along her arm warning her continuing could be problematic.

    At first, she thought her ability to continuously play was a good sign of her recovery, a sign the strings in her arm had healed and could now properly handle the blockage. Still, though, she could feel most of the strings in her arms left in a frayed disheveled state, ready to snap at the slightest provocation. Still, she couldn¡¯t move her arm without pain, forced to leave it limp in her sling. Her body had simply grown used to the harp and could comfortably handle it even if her strings lay crippled.

    It was an odd feeling understanding that. It frustrated her, having the clearest chance of recovery stolen from her. Yet at the same time, an odd sense of pride shone within. To have concrete proof she was in some way improving the strings, making progress even if she couldn¡¯t fully understand it. It felt good. Even if that progress now stood at as roadblock to her health.

    ¡°¡­If only I had a few more strings¡­¡± She said aloud, holding the battered harp aloft. It was old and frayed, and she could see where one might thread new chords into the harp. Yet all that remained were the three notes she played on a loop, with no clear way to add more.

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    ¡°Well let me see that thing. We have plenty of spare fabric. Wouldn¡¯t hurt to try looping it through.¡± Jake said, holding his hand out for the harp. His offer made some sense, though she doubted bits of torn cloth would play right. Still, she hesitated, reluctant to hand the harp over. She couldn¡¯t explain why, it was simply a primal urge within her. It screamed in her brain, telling her not to part with the harp. Not to give it away.

    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jake asked, tilting his head slightly as he stared at her frozen form, ¡°Do you want me to try adding more strings or not.¡± She did. It could be a game-changer. Hand trembling slightly, she reluctantly released the harp into his care. She couldn¡¯t quite explain why she felt so uneasy. Why did she find it so hard to trust someone else with the instrument? It was like she¡¯d been forced to give away a limb she¡¯d just recently received. She hated the feeling.

    ¡°How do you plan to thread a new string through it?¡± She asked, trying to distract herself from the hateful feeling inside her with talk.

    ¡°Not sure yet. Could use the sewing spool, but that¡¯s all we have to fix our clothes. Don¡¯t want to waste it¡­¡±

    ¡°Thanks,¡± Alice said flatly, staring at him with a deadpan expression.

    ¡°You know what I mean. Where not even sure this will work. Not sure if we need special strings or what. I mean, what¡¯s on here doesn¡¯t look out of the ordinary but still¡­¡± Examining it closer, Jake took his first good look at the harp since first handing it over to Alice. He could see its metallic exterior hadn¡¯t improved with time, as its bronze finish looked smudged and possibly held a few new dents. The strings though were his main concern.

    Threading them through wouldn¡¯t be hard, he could see the channels they were meant to rest in so if he could just find the right type of thread there¡¯d be no problem. But what thread to use? Examining the strings already latched to the harp gave no real answers. They were frayed and splitting, close to falling apart. He was amazed Alice could play a single note on this thing, let alone strum out full songs. The threaded strings did look rather thick though¡­

    Grabbing hold of some spare bits of cloth from his bag he began to truly shred them apart, pulling the threads free and laying them in front of him in a small pile. Alice watched this with a confused expression on her face but said nothing, figuring he¡¯d either come up with a plan or gone mad. Either would be entertaining enough to watch and she could figure out which in time.

    Once he¡¯d accrued a large enough pile of thread he began to try and bind them together, twisting the bits of cloth tight end over end as he threaded a thin bit of rope together. His technique was rather rough, as he¡¯d never tried this before outside of screwing around with bits of grass. Still, he steadily made progress and figured out the optimal ways to braid the threads together. A bit of pressure there, a pull there, secure the whole thing, and yank it taut¡­

    He worked long and hard, his hands growing more and more uncomfortable the longer he went on. He wished he could take a break or simply tell Alice she was out of luck and would have to deal with the harp as it was for the time being. But he could feel her watching him intently now, a gleam in her eyes. He understood if he stopped now, took a break, or paused for the night, he¡¯d never find this rhythm again. Never complete the rope.

    So, he pressed on, braiding and braiding the rope over and over till it was done. Long enough the stretch across the length of the harp and nearly the exact same thickness as the other dilapidated strings still pulled over the harp''s metallic frame. It took some effort to wiggle the rope into its preordained slot in the harp, nearly the same thickness as the other strings didn¡¯t mean perfect so he struggled with fitting the rope a bit. Finally, though, he was able to sit back, and by the embers of the pair''s dying fire, he admired his handiwork. He heard a slight whistle, and glancing up saw Alice looking at him an impressed look on her face.

    ¡°Not bad greenie!¡± She said, excitement clear in her voice. ¡°Ever do something like that before?¡±

    ¡°Never¡­¡± He said, fatigue hanging from his words as he slouched backward. ¡°Harder than I expected it to be. Should work alright though¡­ I think. If not, give me the rope back. I¡¯ll keep it.¡±  She let out a slight chuckle as she gripped hold of the harp, the hateful feeling fading as the instrument returned to her.

    ¡°Pretty good with your hands, huh?¡± She asked, remembering the sling she now wore was also something he¡¯d cobbled together on his own.

    ¡°I guess? Never gave it much thought.¡±

    She smirked at that response, a finger trailing down the newly added cord as she laid the harp down across herself. Unable to contain her excitement any longer, she strummed the newly added string. The sound that escaped was clearer than either of them expected. Instantly, as soon as the chord hung in the air, the embers of the fire sprang to life. Sparks danced across the remains of the once roaring flame and all at once new life was breathed into the duo''s extinguished campfire.

    Along with this, a sudden gasp escaped Alice. She could feel shudders travel down her spine as a new rhythm roared across the strings. Totally unfamiliar to them they struggled to contain the power, not knowing where to properly send it. In response to this sudden and new vibration she could feel the frayed strings in her arm hurry to latch together, braiding tight together end over end. Smirking a bit at the sensation she glanced toward the rope still quivering in the harps frame. This would do nicely.

 Day 84 - Suspended Flames

    Adding the fourth string was even better than she could have hoped for, as the pair would learn the next day. Plucking the new chord would release a shower of sparks out into the air. These sparks would fizzle and die as the string wavered in the harp''s frame, its sound dying in the breeze. However, she soon found that if she continued the melody, continued to pluck at her harp''s existing strings she could maintain this shower of sparks.

    Breath life into them as they flared midair and joined together in a raging inferno that danced and soared in the sky, shimmering and swaying side to side. It was a shocking sight to behold the first time she¡¯d managed it. The two had landed in a field of dense shrubbery that felt soft to stroll or lie upon. She also learned the first time she accidentally managed this trick of sparking flame suspended in the sky, that the greenery surrounding them burned rather easily.

    She¡¯d nearly burned herself, distracted by the shaking flame above as a raging inferno roared out all around her. It was only thanks to Jake¡¯s quick action to stamp the flames out, trapping and controlling them as they quickly ate through their limited fuel, that she survived. The burned patch of shrub in front of her couldn¡¯t say the same. Still, despite the sudden wildfire that nearly devoured the two, they were in awe of what they¡¯d seen.

    They¡¯d never been particularly worried about starting fire, the sparking stones the two coveted took care of the problem well enough that it wasn¡¯t a survival concern. This, though, was something different. Not a simple method to start a campfire, no, it was more complex. Almost seemed alive.

    Dancing and waving through the air the patches of fire wiggled about, cast directly overhead in hopes to prevent the ground underfoot from catching flame. Common sense told them to wait but they couldn¡¯t ignore the splendor of the flame, it seemed to call to them. Even Jake, who couldn¡¯t feel the vibrations of the string or understand the complexities of what went into controlling the curse, was drawn to the beauty of the flames above.

    Through their continuous experimentation, the two slowly began to learn about the harp¡¯s new gift. For one, it was incredibly hard to control. It required continuous and calculated playing of the harp to achieve the desired effect. Alice found she could just spark and enlarge a flame overhead or spark a flame and send it drifting lazily in one direction, but these outcomes were often not ideal. No, for the best outcome, she needed to constantly be playing, thinking ahead about what she should do next as she maintained the sparkling fire overhead.

    This was not made any easier by the fact that she continued to play with one hand. By now, if she wanted to, she could loosely hold the weight of the harp in her arm as it rested in her sling. Rely on what strings she¡¯d so far managed to rebraid in her arms to support the weight while she played. She didn¡¯t do this, though, worried about the added stress to her arm being so close to the source of the vibrations affecting her strings.

    She still wasn¡¯t sure how the strings within her worked or why they reacted to the harp. She didn¡¯t know if being closer or further from the source of the vibrations mattered. On the off chance it did, she didn¡¯t want to risk damaging her arm further. She wanted to play enough so that her arm felt encouraged to heal faster, stressed about the ripples of power reaching it. Not overwhelm her arm and potentially cause more strings to fracture apart.

    At first, she tried to play the same as ever, lying back with the harp against her frame so she¡¯d still be able to use her hand to pluck the strings. This proved rather ineffective, however, as often she tried to move across the strings so quickly or violently that the harp would slip away, and all progress on the fire currently burning above would be lost. In the end, she found that having Jake hold the harp for her worked the best.

    It felt a bit awkward for both of them, having him try to stand there motionlessly while she strummed along on the harp, ignoring his slight fidgets and sways. Still, though, neither really cared, far too fascinated by the beauty of the dancing flame above to worry about how they went about producing the spectacle. Besides, it wasn¡¯t like it mattered. She never managed to play the harp long enough for either to get too uncomfortable, always having to collapse down to rest.

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    She quickly learned that the beautiful spector of flame was not only hard to produce, but it was also equally hard to maintain. It had nothing to burn, floating aloft in the air. No wood or leaves to burn, and it didn¡¯t seem like it was eating the air around it either. That meant somehow, whatever Alice was doing, she was feeding it. Keeping it alive and happy as it swayed with the breeze, obeying its exhausted maestro.

    She could somewhat feel it pull of power leave her body, feel the twangs in her strings as bundles of power built up quickly and left, following the flow of the vibrating music to gather around her in the air, coalescing into the flame. It felt hard to describe. It was sort of a ghost of a sensation, something she could only just barely begin to almost feel but wasn¡¯t quite able to comprehend. Still, whatever she was doing to keep the flame alive, it left her drained. Within a few minutes of beginning to play, strumming along the strings feverishly, she would nearly collapse to the ground exhausted as the strings within her hummed and shook, releasing any stored power not yet used.

    The exhaustion she felt was odd. Her body wasn¡¯t so much getting tired, though her hands were starting to get sore after playing so passionately for so long, but rather it felt almost like the blockage in her arm. Her whole body vibrated and hummed with power, unable to withstand it anymore. So, she¡¯d collapse and allow the backlog to reverberate along her internal web, allow it to carve and bind and strengthen as she lay back panting, waiting for when she could next play.

    She¡¯d have to wait a while, though usually she was distracted talking to Jake or admiring the mossy world around her to notice. Though distracted by the spectacle of the sudden flame, she was glad now to have time to admire this verdant green paradise the two reclined in. Save for the burned patch they had accidentally carved into the flesh of the earth, the whole planet looked fluffy and fuzzy, covered in green, a green stubble of moss. It was funny to look at, making the very surface of the earth would be comforting place to relax upon.

    Sat back now after her latest attempt, her breaths escaped her heavily, her lungs working overtime to make up for the odd sense of exertion she felt crash upon her. She wasn¡¯t too worried. Like every other time, this sense of fatigue would quickly fade away and pass into nothing, leaving only the buzzing of the strings. Laid back, she glanced at Jake, who was also falling to the ground, still clutching her harp.

    ¡°¡­So¡­¡± she started after a moment, feeling her breath begin to return to her, ¡°You ever play music before?¡±

    ¡°Never,¡± Jake said, shaking his head, before pausing a moment, a thoughtful look crossing his face. ¡°Actually, I learned the recorder in elementary school. Kind of like this.¡± He took the clay flute out of his bag and held it up, pinched in his fingers, ¡°But I wasn¡¯t any good at it, so never really bothered with anything else.¡±

    ¡°Trust me¡­¡± She said, snickering a bit as she pointed toward the flute, ¡°If it really was like that thing, you made the right call.¡±

    ¡°Hey! You¡¯re the one who asked me to keep this thing, I never said I¡¯d be any good with the flute.¡±

    ¡°My bad, my bad!¡± She replied, a smirk clear on her face as she reclined back into the mossy overgrowth. ¡°Not like I¡¯m much better anyway.¡±

    ¡°Not sure about that. When I blow this thing, fireworks don¡¯t start shooting up into the sky.¡±

    ¡°Jealous?¡± she asked, rolling over to face him with a slight grin clear on her face.

    ¡°Again, I never wanted the flute. All your idea. You can have it back if you want it.¡± She sat for a moment, staring at him, her expression hard to understand. Suddenly, she shrugged and lay back flat before saying, ¡°Nah, you keep it. Duets are more fun anyway.¡±

    ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Jake said, voice sounding unconvinced, yet an odd expression crossed his face.

    ¡°Still. Don¡¯t feel too bad about how amazing my harp is. Would still just be a cool campfire trick if you didn¡¯t fix it yesterday!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t fix anything. I just stuck some rope through it. You¡¯d have done it eventually without me.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± She said, sounding unconvinced as she turned back to gaze at him. ¡°Never even thought to try making a rope. Hell was sitting there wishing I had another string on the damn thing and forgot we had a whole spool of it sitting in your bag.¡±

    ¡°They''re too thin, too brittle¡­¡±

    ¡°See, my point is I never even thought to try it.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯d have figured it out eventually.¡±

    ¡°¡­Not so sure,¡± Alice said with a slight shrug. ¡°Still, though, you thought of it first. We make a pretty decent team, though, right?¡±

    ¡°¡­sure.¡± Jake¡¯s voice darkened a bit, and though she couldn¡¯t just see its passing glimmers, a look of inner conflict crossed Jake¡¯s face before he composed himself.

    ¡°Want me to tie another string for the harp, see what that does?¡± He suddenly asked, leaning forward a bit as he changed the subject.

    ¡°No point¡± Alice replied with a slight yawn noting the sudden shift in subject, ¡°Still need to get used to using the fourth one first.¡±

    So, they continued, subjects branching out and ever-changing, yet never again circling back to the initial talk they had. A fact Alice didn¡¯t fail to note.

 Day 85 - Arguing

    ¡°Your arm feeling any easier to move?¡± Jake asked, reclining back against the curved wall of the cave the two had landed in. It wasn¡¯t a huge space, but thankfully, they were trapped with enough room to recline comfortably.

    ¡°¡­Kinda?¡± Alice replied, voice uncertain as she slowly bent and unbent her arm, free at last from the sling. Her arm felt sluggish and heavy, difficult to move. The pain had died down, fading to light stings and pricks that poked into the sides of her arms as she overextended herself. Still, though the all-consuming pain was gone, she found it difficult to freely move her arm how she wanted. ¡°It feels kind of heavy?¡±

    ¡°Heavy?¡±

    ¡°Best word I can think of.¡± She called back with a short sigh, also falling back to lean against the cave wall opposite him.

    ¡°Probably just need to keep moving it, like physical therapy, you know?¡±

    ¡°Not really.¡±

    ¡°Just keep moving it around, it¡¯ll loosen up. I mean, the pain¡¯s gone, right? It should get easier to move in no time.¡±

    She guessed he had a point. Thanks to the sudden development in the harp¡¯s ability, she¡¯d managed to restore the strings wrapped within her arm at an unprecedented speed, quickly beating any estimate she had and allowing her to free herself from the confines of the sling. While she appreciated it for helping to mediate her pain, it was rather annoying to be so constricted.

    Still, while she appreciated the near removal of all the pain she¡¯d come to loathe over the past few days, annoyance flared in her as she felt her arm struggle to respond to her call. She¡¯d been so ready to enjoy her recovery, to once again be able to fully enjoy herself traveling around. Still stuck lugging around wounds from such a sudden and seemingly minor injury¡­ it began to bubble over from annoying to infuriating.

    ¡°I just¡­¡± She said after a moment, her gaze directed toward her feet, slightly curled beneath her, ¡°I just thought I¡¯d finally be better, you know? Especially after everything with the harp and I just¡­ I thought I¡¯d finally be over this.¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean,¡± Jake said, a slight smile on his face. Alice changed her gaze quickly, looking at him with a look of bewildered skepticism. It wasn¡¯t that she doubted him or thought him a liar. It was just that she knew it was hard for him to understand what she meant by her strings, how deep a web they weaved within her. How truly part of her they felt like now she could feel them.

    ¡°When I was a kid in elementary school¡­ maybe it was middle school? Kinda muddled to be honest. When I was a kid, let¡¯s say that. When I was a kid, I fractured my arm.¡± He paused a moment when he heard Alice wince at that.

    ¡°Yeah, it wasn¡¯t the most fun thing I¡¯ve ever done. Wouldn¡¯t recommend it. Still, I fractured it just screwing around with some friends at school. Had to get a cast put on it for eight weeks while it healed. Couldn¡¯t move it all, hurt a lot in the beginning. The pain got better as time went on, but I still had to be careful. Made my life seem so boring, especially compared to everyone else¡¯s. Was my dominant hand too, so writing was a pain in the ass.¡±

    ¡°Finally got the cast-off and was so excited about it. But my arm still didn¡¯t feel right. It was all limp and weak and hard to move. I found out I had to go to physical therapy for months to get the thing working again. Let me tell you, that sucked. It was way harder than just sitting around in a cast, and it was slow, and it hurt. But I mean it worked well enough at the end of the day, my arm went back to normal. Give yours some time, I''m sure it¡¯ll work out.

    Alice stayed quiet after he''d finished his rambling. Glancing toward her, he saw she was bent over, lost in thought, staring at the ground. After a beat of silence, she looked toward him with a clear hint of annoyance in her eyes.

    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I¡¯m being childish?¡±

    ¡°What?!¡±

    ¡°Like you were as a kid, I¡¯m being childish? I¡¯m too impulsive, should I just learn to wait? I know how to wait, Jake!¡± He wasn¡¯t quite sure where this reaction was coming from. He¡¯d just been trying to relate to her, maybe cheer her up a bit with how long it was taking for her arm to feel. Not insulting her. Falling into a stammering mess, he quickly tried to correct her as delicately as possible.

    ¡°No.. no... I ah.. No, that¡¯s.. not what I¡¯m¡­¡±

    ¡°So, I¡¯m stupid now too?!¡±

    ¡°NO! When did I¡­¡±

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    She couldn¡¯t keep a straight face any longer, falling backward into the smooth curve of the rock behind her, her gleeful cackles quickly filled the space of the cave. Still sat up in a panic, Jake began to fall back, slightly red-faced as embarrassment took hold of him. Staring at the floor now, he avoided looking at her as he heard her calm down, heard her laughter die away.

    ¡°You¡¯re still pretty gullible, aren¡¯t you, greenie?¡±

    ¡°Stuff it.¡±

    ¡°Ah, don¡¯t be like that!¡± She sat up a bit and gazed at his downtrodden face. ¡°I appreciated the story.¡±

    Glancing up from the ground now he saw her smiling at him. She still had a few tears in her eyes, he could guess they¡¯d come from when she¡¯d fallen back laughing. Yet the smile she wore now looked genuine. No hint of mischief or trickery behind it.

    ¡°No problem.¡± He said with a simple shrug, casting his gaze away from her to instead stare out at the horizon beyond the cave¡¯s entrance. His face still felt red.

    ¡°How long do you think it will take?¡±

    ¡°For what?¡±

    ¡°Physical Therapy? How long do you think it will take to get my arm back to normal?¡±

    ¡°How would I know? You know more about the curse than me.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ you¡¯d know more about magic than me!¡±

    ¡°How?¡± Jake asked, tearing his eyes away from the horizon to meet hers, finding a mischievous twinkle back in them. It suited them well, he thought to himself as he continued, ¡°How would I possibly know more about magic than you?!¡±

    ¡°You¡¯ve actually met a magician!¡±

    ¡°You are magic!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not magic, I¡¯m cursed, remember?¡±

    ¡°Oh, my bad!¡± His voice sounded exasperated, yet at the same time, he found a sense of enjoyment rising within him as their mock argument continued. Both could tell neither cared what they were arguing about, simply enjoying the time wasted going back and forth with one another. It was fun. By the time they finished, arguing over literally nothing, both were struggling not the laugh.

    Pressed back into the cave wall, their gazes turned toward the horizon. Beyond the cave¡¯s entrance lay only a sheer cliff face, a vertical drop neither could hope to survive or climb down. When they poked their heads out, they could vaguely see a few more caves carved into the rock around them, all circular and varying in size. What really caught their eye, though, was the rock wall across them.

    Too far for either to ever hope to jump across, all they could do was lie back and admire it as the setting sun cast its shadow upon it. The massive rock was a pale whitish color, and they could see that its surface was equally coated in holes. The shade of the setting sun crossing these holes looked odd, creating an eye-catching distortion that held both their attention as they sat in silence.

    ¡°Sorta looks like Swiss cheese¡­¡± Jake said after a while, head slightly tilted as he examined the rock.

    ¡°Swiss cheese?¡±

    ¡°You won¡¯t know Swiss ''cause there¡¯s no Switzerland where you¡¯re from. At least, I think there isn¡¯t¡­¡± he glanced at her and waited a moment till she nodded, confirming she indeed had never heard of Switzerland. ¡°Cheese, though, you¡¯ve had cheese, right? There was some before back at the lab of horrors.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve had cheese, yes,¡± Alice said, rolling her eyes. She paused a moment before adding, ¡°Not often though. Didn¡¯t notice it back in the lab, didn¡¯t think to look for it. The last time I had it I was a kid. I remember it tasting alright. I gave a lot of my half away though, so I didn¡¯t eat much¡­¡± Her voice sounded distracted for a minute. A slight smile crossed her face.

    She recalled the bit of cheese, given to her by an elder close to the end of their life. Smuggled in from the outside and pressed into his hands as a gift to celebrate the end of his life. How excited Betsy had been by it. She¡¯d practically drooled over it as Alice was still cutting it in half, scarfed her half down while Alice was still chewing her first bite. How annoyed at the time Alice had been to give her cheese to her begging sister. Now, she didn¡¯t regret that choice at all.

    ¡°Why¡¯d you give it away?¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°You said you gave most of the cheese you got away. Did you not like it?¡±

    ¡°No¡­ no. It was fine. I just¡­ I had a friend who liked it more¡­¡± Her voice choked a bit as she answered. She hadn¡¯t realized she had said that much; she''d been too distracted thinking about the past.

    ¡°You, ok?¡± Jake asked, noting the quiver in her voice. He turned to face her, only to find her head buried in her knees, voice muffled as she said,

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯m fine. Just miss them.¡±

    ¡°Your friend?¡±

    ¡°Yeah... every day¡­¡±

    Silence rang for a while after that as the sun continued to set. Finally, when the light around the two had nearly completely vanished, Alice spoke, her face hidden in the near-perfect darkness.

    ¡°We¡¯ll have to try it sometime. Swiss cheese. Wonder if it¡¯s any good.¡±

    ¡°¡­Maybe. We might get a chance to.¡± Jake replied, voice quiet and uncertain.

    ¡°Well, why wouldn¡¯t we?¡±

    ¡°Well, I mean, we may not be together long enough to find a world that has it.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Her voice had a certain cold seriousness to it now. Silence rang out as the two sat in perfect darkness, the sun completely set.

    ¡°Well?¡± Alice demanded, the jovial tone of their earlier discussion gone.

    ¡°I just mean¡­ It was an accident I kidnapped you, and I mean, look at all that¡¯s happened so far! With the corridor and the lab and getting arrested were lucky to be alive! If we find a world you like¡­¡±

    ¡°What!¡± She said, sounding enraged as she interrupted him, ¡°You¡¯re just going to ditch me?!¡±

    ¡°No, that¡¯s not what¡­¡±

    ¡°Leave me behind like a sack of garbage as you get to keep on your merry way, jumping from world to world?!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s so merry about it?!¡± Jake snapped ¡°Not like I asked for this, not like I want to be here! You though, you have a choice!¡±

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like it!¡± Alice growled back.

    ¡°Look¡­¡± Jake tried to say again, only to feel pain suddenly creep up the sides of his legs as he felt her begin to kick at him in the dark.

    ¡°Don¡¯t bother explaining it. I really don''t care. Just do me a favor, don¡¯t ditch me here, would ya? Don¡¯t want to have to jump to my death.¡±

    ¡°Alice¡­¡± but he received no further response from her, and as the dark of night wore on he pressed back into the wall behind him a deep sigh escaping his frame the jovial atmosphere of the earlier argument destroyed.

 Day 86 - Split Apart

    There was a tense silence between the two the next day as they crashed into the lush overgrowth of the vibrant forest. Thick bushes and vines crunched underfoot and seemed to reach for them invitingly, welcoming the two as they separated in the verdant landscape. The sun overhead cast a beautiful pattern through the leaf-top curtain that blanketed the pair. Though the sky wasn¡¯t clear, the shifting shadows cast down were a spectacle beautiful enough to enjoy. Not now, though. Now, neither of the forest''s new occupants bothered to stop and enjoy their surroundings.

    ¡°Look, can we just talk about this a bit more¡­¡± Jake tried to say, only to be interrupted as Alice violently shook herself free of his grip, hurriedly distancing herself with an angry grunt, fury still clear in her eyes. It had been like this all night and well into the morning, no matter what Jake tried, she refused to respond, too angry with him to talk.

    ¡°Look¡­¡± He said, trying to push past the clear hatred she was radiating, ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to upset you or anything, it''s just that this was always part of the plan, right? That when¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, great!¡± Alice spun around to look at him, her voice furious and dripping with sarcasm, ¡°Glad ditching me was planned out, wouldn¡¯t want it to feel random would we? Well, no time like the present right?¡±

    ¡°Alice¡­¡± He tried to reach out toward her, only to have his hand swatted away, her teeth gritted as her face portrayed a look of clear and constant rage.

    ¡°Don¡¯t touch me, don¡¯t get near me!¡± She called out, shoving him backward. He tripped over himself, falling, the back of his head slamming into a branch. His vision blurred a bit, he lay still for a moment in a daze. Still, he could hear her angry cries as she screamed out, ¡°No point in it now, right? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll give you what you want!¡±

    He raised his head just in time to see her disappear into the overgrowth, the edge of her cloak disappearing as the forest swallowed her whole. The foliage ruffled a bit as she left, but by the time he¡¯d hurried to his feet ready to try and give chase, any trace of her was gone. Not even a footprint remained. Alice had vanished into the forest.

    <hr>

    Her blood boiled as she rushed through the overgrown woods, swatting away leaves and branches randomly as she rushed forward desperate to put distance between her and¡­ him. Tears stung her eyes, yet she refused to let them fall. Refused to feel sorrow for their separation. Only focused on the anger she felt boiling within her as she stewed on his words.

    She¡¯d been too na?ve, too trusting. She didn¡¯t know why, really. Never had a reason to. Just because he¡¯d pulled her free from the district, pulled her free from the Unbroken. Treated her differently from anyone in her life, and treated her like a real person. Let her see things she never thought possible, even in her wildest dreams.

    Still, if this is what it was all leading to, why did he even bother? Why did he bother stringing her along, dragging her from place to place? Lying to her, helping her, laughing with her. All if he just planned to dump her wherever he saw fit. So what if he was a bit kinder than all the other unbroken? He still tortured her like all the rest. Just found a new way to do it, a way no one had ever done before.

    Pausing a moment in the dense foliage, her head spinning, unsure where next to turn, she felt a single tear roll down her cheek, falling to the roots of the forest below. Her hand quickly rose to wipe her face, anger burning within her. Not another one, not another tear wasted on this.

    Why he brought her along, seemed so worried for her, tried so hard to help her, to talk to her¡­ none of it mattered. Not anymore. He wanted her gone, so she was gone. His reasons didn¡¯t matter. Still, a creeping doubt she couldn¡¯t control fought against the raging anger that consumed her head. Fought to ask what he had been trying to say, wondered what he¡¯d been trying to explain.

    Whatever. It didn¡¯t matter anymore. She wouldn¡¯t let this cage her, wouldn¡¯t let this stop her. She was free¡­ a freedom she could enjoy even if he tossed her aside. Turning around, she saw the dawn break through a gap in the trees above. Twinkles of light reflected around her; the morning dew stuck to the trees, creating beautiful arcs of light above her head.

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    The world was beautiful. She didn¡¯t need him. She didn¡¯t need to see any other worlds. Just one was good enough for her, it was more than she¡¯d ever had for most of her life anyway. Drinking in the splendor of the forest, she stepped forward, ready to embrace it all, only to pause. Glancing over her shoulder back the way she came, she couldn¡¯t help but still think of the journey thus far.

    Despite all the perils and horrors she¡¯d seen, she¡¯d have kept going. Kept falling through world after world, hand in hand with him. Embraced the splendor of the world, enjoying their talks and arguments, and the tricks they played on one another. She paused and remembered the promise he made to her the first time they fell. The backdrop of the leaves, colors she¡¯d never seen before, falling behind him as he promised to keep her safe, keep her with him. Her bottom lip bit, and she muttered to herself a single word that echoed about the empty forest,

    ¡°Liar¡­¡±

    Before turning around, retreating into the arcs of morning light reflected above.

    <hr>

    Jake was bent over, out of breath, leaning against a random tree as he hurriedly looked around for any sign of where she could have gone. He saw nothing. No obvious footprints or bent branches he could track. He might have learned a few skills necessary to survive from Rick, but he was by no means a hunter. He saw no clear path he could follow.

    Frustration boiled up within him for a moment as he let out a scream, punching the tree he was leaning on. This did little more than hurt his hand, making him feel like even more of a moron.

    ¡°Damn it!¡± He cried out to no one, the forest still and silent.

    Damn it. Why was he such a dipshit? He¡¯d just¡­ panicked in the moment. Panicked, trying to explain himself. But still, he¡¯d had so long to fix the situation, all night to think of an explanation. And what he had come up with just made things worse. Now she was gone, lost somewhere in the woods. Who knows if there was anyone else living here? Was there anything to eat or drink? Who knows if she was still alive? If he¡¯d ever get a chance to apologize properly..?

    ¡°DAMN IT!¡± He called again, his fist connecting with the side of the tree a second time. He pushed off from the trunk and carried forward through the brambles and ivy, determined to find her. Still¡­ maybe this was how their journey was always going to end. That gave him a few seconds'' pause, his foot faltering as he climbed amongst the roots.

    They¡¯d been getting closer, alone together as they fell through world after world. Promise after promise made on what they¡¯d do together, what they¡¯d try next. He¡¯d been worried about it from the start, worried about how dependent he was feeling on her. Worried about the promises they were making, dependent on the unknown.

    This was how things were always going to end after all. Maybe not here, maybe not like this, but in the end, they¡¯d always be separated. He froze, a bit of a shiver running down his spine. Paused like that, the silence of the forest felt oppressive as it closed in all around him. He couldn¡¯t help but find himself asking why he still chased after her.

    She¡¯d made it clear how she felt after all, her fury evident as she ran off. How hurt she felt at his intention to separate from her. He wasn¡¯t quite sure why it hurt her so much, he thought that was always the plan. Always the goal to find her a place to call home. But clearly, he¡¯d hurt her, ruined something between them in a way he may never be able to fix.

    She was gone now, run off into the woods, desperate to get as far from him as possible. Should he just¡­ let her go? Accept this was how things would always end, accept that there was no clean way for them to split apart. Even now, standing alone pondering this, he could feel her absence, the lack of something he¡¯d grown used to. A void.

    Was that why he chased her so much? Not because of a desire to help her, a desire to explain things to her, and ask for forgiveness, but simply a desire to fill that sudden void? Would it be better to stop now, turn back, and let her go? Stop while he could still learn to live with the void beside him?

    ¡­No. He couldn¡¯t let it end like this, let her leave so destitute. Let her leave so angry, driven away by her hatred for him. He knew this might be selfish. Self-serving to seek her out, knowing they¡¯d still separate someday. He didn¡¯t know how the pain of that loss would magnify, how that void next to him might grow, but it didn¡¯t matter. He didn¡¯t want her to leave like this.

    He didn¡¯t want her to leave because of him. He wanted her to be happy. To choose a home that made her smile, a place she felt free to be herself. Wherever that may be he wanted to help her find it. Not drive her away, force her to settle for some random forest simply because of her desire to stay away from him.

    And should she still drive him back, still choose to stay in this world away from him, at least he could take comfort in knowing he tried. However small that comfort may be. Sights set on the horizon ahead of him, Jake pushed off from the ground continuing his blind run through the woods, passing under a dazzling display of light cast by the dew left on the trees around him.

 Day 87 - From Above

    Alice collapsed to the ground, short of breath, her chest heaving. She wasn¡¯t sure how long it had been now, wandering blindly through the forest, but her legs felt exhausted. She needed a break. No matter how much she wished to keep running, forcing her way deeper into the woods with reckless abandon, her body couldn¡¯t keep up.

    It wasn¡¯t just her legs. Her arm, still heavy and prickled with pain, was struggling. The spikes of pain had worsened, and her motor control had gotten worse with time. She found she could barely lift it as she ran, and barely control it to brush the foliage away from her.

    Sat beneath a rather large tree, she leaned back into the grove of the trunk, resting in the shade of the many overarching branches snaking above her. She closed her eyes for a minute and enjoyed the cool stillness of the shade. A cold breeze blew past, her hair rustling softly in the breeze in the dark shadow of the tree. It was peaceful. It was peaceful now on her own. It could definitely be worse.

    Her anger still bubbled within her, roaring within the pit of her stomach if she stopped too long to think about her circumstances. Still, though, as the run through the forest continued, the green of the trees unending and creeping vines abundant, a new feeling had grown within her. Slowly, it seemed to encompass her whole body and drown the blinding rage she¡¯d felt. As the sun rose in the sky, the morning passing her by in a daze of furious running, she sank into apathy.

    Blind indifference that didn¡¯t discriminate. Her anger towards him died down to rest in an uncomfortable mass deep within, seeming to take with it every other emotion she held. Now sat beneath the tree, the cool of the shade on her skin, the calming wind rustling her hair, she simply felt¡­ nothing.

    She thought back to just a few weeks, just a few days even, earlier. Sat around with him under the rustling trees or shining stars. She felt so scared to share anything about herself. Worried about shattering the illusion of their journey. So worried sharing anything about her past might make it more real somehow. It might give it some power over her. What a joke. She could have told him everything, but it wouldn¡¯t have changed the outcome. This was always the plan after all.

    It didn¡¯t matter anyway. Not anymore. She¡¯d be fine on her own. Her eyes opened to take in the beauty of the world before her. As the leaves rustled in the wind and the midday sun stood aloft overhead, the wonderous scene of nature evoked nothing within. She sighed slightly, a sad smile on her face. Whatever. Give it time. It would come back. The beauty of the world. The joy of nature. The thrill of traveling. They¡¯d all come back.

    Pressed against the trunk of the tree behind her, legs beginning to curl up beneath her involuntarily, she didn¡¯t have time to react. From up above, slinking in the darkened shade of the tree, a mass she couldn¡¯t see but could definitely feel crashed into the side of her body. Sprawling sideways, her bag slipped free of her shoulder and clattered open, leaving her stranded amongst a collection of odds and ends as the mass stalked forward closer and closer to her form.

    Her chest heaved a bit as she breathed in. Her side hurt, and her ribs felt bruised. Glancing down quickly for a split second, she saw no crimson patch appearing amidst her clothes and decided rather quickly that she must not be bleeding. She¡¯d have liked to have done a more thorough examination, but found she didn¡¯t have time. Before she could react in any way, the mass was upon her again, swatting her about across the forest floor.

    She slammed hard into a tree a few feet away from her. She heard a sickening crack, uncertain if the sound came from her spine or the tree behind her. Sat in a more upright position, she could finally have a chance to take in the details of her attacker.

    Through slightly dazed vision, she could see a prowling beast with midnight black fur creeping closer on its hunches. Amidst the shadow of the tree, it seemed to flicker and fade, vanishing from her already struggling vision as she intermittently watched it leisurely walk towards her across the grass. Only as it got closer to her was she able to make out another detail about the creature aside from its shimmering black pelt. That was its fangs, long and slender and sharp, drawn ready to pierce her flesh as the beast drew ever closer.

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    She barely managed to roll to the side, dodging in time as the creature pounced forward into the tree. She¡¯d hoped it might collide with the tree, collapse to the ground, and give her a chance to put some distance between herself and it, allow her to retreat. Instead soon as it soared over her, the beast changed trajectory midair and met the tree at the ready. It scampered up the tree quickly and quietly as it disappeared and left her on the ground alone.

    Still, she couldn¡¯t relax. Now she could hear it above. Hyperaware of every creak of the branches or odd rustle of the leaves, she hurriedly crawled across the ground, her hand tripping over the luggage strewn haphazardly across the floor.  The branches above her head creaked a bit more as the creature shifted its weight, slowly stalking closer toward her from on high as it prepared to pounce on her.

    A sense of trapped desperation rose up in Alice¡¯s frame. No matter what she tried, there was no escape. Not anymore, now the beast lay in waiting above her, ready to jump down for the kill whenever it wanted. She was pinned down, at its mercy. All she could do was scootch back along the ground, too afraid of making any sudden moves to stand up. Scootching back across the ground further into her luggage. Back further and further¡­

    Her hand hit something hard, Metallic and cold, its finish uneven as it lay covered in scratches, its overall shape was a mess. She quickly grabbed hold of the harp, brought it close to her chest as the leaves above rustled with hurried movement, and the monster leapt down from below, aiming for her skull.

    The notes rang out fast and desperate. No real plan in her mind, she let muscle memory take over as her fingers strummed along the chords of the harp. The beast¡¯s form seemed suspended above her as she played, moving down in slow motion. Slowly, it fell, its teeth bared. Slobber and spittle fell from its mouth as its blackened lips drew even further back, allowing the creature to extend its jaw out even further.

    Then the flame began. Between her and the beast, it roared to life, sparking and growing fast, she kept it alive and growing as she desperately hoped to drive the creature back. Roars of pain reached her as the falling beast narrowly missed her, falling face-first through the wall of fire and landing blindly upon the ground, howling in pain. Its fur alight as it began to roll on the ground in a desperate attempt to extinguish itself.

    Not wanting to let her hunter recover, Alice pressed what little advantage she had and strummed a new fire around the beast, encompassing the whole of its body. Sharp howls continued to escape it as it rolled amongst the flames in a desperate attempt to extinguish itself, only managing to worsen the spreading fire. Finally seeming to realize the problem, the beast, still blind from the first batch of flame, rushed off into the woods away from her, its fur still burning as its howls echoed back toward Alice.

    She stood awhile, panting heavily, the harp held loose in her arms. Slowly, the adrenaline seemed to fade from her system, and in its place came pain. Her back and ribs ached with every breath, and her arm was killing her. Sliding down to her knees, she sank forward with a shudder. She was fine. She could do this. She could do this. She could survive just fine on her own.

    Bent over panting and shuddering, her eyes landed upon the harp, which dropped free from her grasp and fell between her legs. Her eyes locked upon the newest thread of the harp, wound just a few days ago by Jake. Wound just in time to save her life. A tear rolled down her cheek as she sat amongst the burned grass and her scattered luggage.

    She could survive on her own. But she realized sitting there, pain racking her body, tears finally falling free down her face as she allowed sorrow to replace her apathy that she didn¡¯t want to. She didn¡¯t want to be alone. She didn¡¯t want to do this on her own. She didn¡¯t want to travel around, struggling day by day just to barely scrape by. Not on her own. What was the point of that? Where was the fun in that?

    ¡°Damn it all¡­¡± She muttered to herself, gaze locked on the swaying leaves above.

    <hr>

    Jake was growing more and more hopeless as the day wore on. The forest was so dense he struggled to move himself in a straight line, forget tracking someone else. He could especially forget tracking someone who doesn¡¯t want to be followed. He had no clue what sort of path she might have taken, how she might have doubled back on herself, or looped around to try and shake him from her trail.

    He had nothing. No way to find her, nothing but the growing sense of loss. The growing emptiness beside him. The growing, mocking regret of his mistakes haunted his every step. Stood alone amongst the mulch of the forest, ivy and bark his only company, he stood still. No clue where to go next, no clue what he could possibly do now. Stood as the wind blew against his skin. Heard it rattle amongst the trees. A sweet melody of nature, crisp and clear and inviting.

    ¡­

    No.

    Wait.

    That wasn¡¯t the wind.

    It was definitely faint, but moving slightly closer to where it was coming from, he could hear it better. The sound of her harp ringing in the wind, blowing towards him as she played. How far away exactly, he couldn¡¯t say, but she must be close. She had to be if he could hear her. Right?

    Setting off in a sprint toward the direction the song had come from, Jake beelined through the forest.

 Day 88 - A New Promise

    The music had stopped. The wind had died. The trees were still. Stumbling forward still through the woods, pushing past bushes and trees as he struggled to maintain his course, Jake''s hands absentmindedly gripped at his hair. He had to find her soon if he kept following the absent song. Had to. He had no other choice.

    Struggling forward against the wild of the forest, he stopped, hands dropping to cover his nose as he nearly gagged. An unexpectedly disgusting smell interrupted the tranquil scents of the trees and leaves around him. A scent of burnt hair and seared flesh, strong and unique enough against its surroundings to stand out even in the absence of the wind.

    He stood for a moment, desperately resistant to the smell, before something seemed to click in his brain, his thoughts catching up to his senses. He turned toward the faint source of the scent, straight ahead a little to his right¡­

    He picked up the pace again, wrestled his way through greenery and wiggled past oddly grown trunks, till finally he found it. Nestled in a small clearing lay a creature, collapsed on its side and in pain. Its body was covered in burns, matted bits of charred fur and flesh clinging to its frame as it limply rubbed its body against the dirt. Pathetic mewls escaped its throat as it hadn¡¯t seemed to notice Jake yet, still too distracted trying to treat its pain.

    Stepping forward a bit, Jake finally caught the attention of the creature. It raised its head in his direction and barred its fangs, low growls escaping its throat. Yet it made no move to slink closer to him or rise from its limped position on the ground at all. Looking down at the injured beast, meeting its eyes, Jake saw no desire to hunt. No desire to kill. It simply looked scared and confused. Yet at the same time, as its growl grew sharper, and its barred fangs seemed to extend further from its mouth, Jake saw something else behind its eyes.

    Desperation. A clear desperation to survive, he didn¡¯t want to test. He saw no need to test the animal''s will to survive. At the edge of the clearing, he backed away slowly. The smell of burned flesh and fur hung heavily in the air as the creature continued to grow, its eyes never leaving Jake as its injured and burned muscles tensed and readied to move the creature¡¯s dilapidated frame forward.

    Jake moved fast as he saw the creature grow more and more antsy the longer he stayed. Quickly, he slipped away into the grass of the forest, the leaves and ivy blanketing him as he disappeared from the creature¡¯s view. What the creature did next he couldn¡¯t say for certain, but that wasn¡¯t his concern anymore. The stench of burnt hair still heavy in the air, Jake had found his next clue.

    Bits of charred pelt were released by the creature and littered the forest floor. Accompanied by this were charred bits of grass and leaves, a clear trail to follow. He sprinted again, quickly putting distance between himself and the injured beast behind him as he moved forward. Following the trail to what he hoped must be the source of the fire.

    He didn¡¯t have to run for long. The creature was injured when he found it, seemingly barely clinging to life. Its desperation must have driven it far and fast as it sprinted through the woods, but there was only so far it could go in its current condition. Pushing through a cluster of singed bushes, the trail went cold, stopped dead in his tracks as he¡¯d found her.

    She sat there, curled tight amongst the various bits of luggage scattered from her bag. She was shivering slightly, her gaze unfocused as she stared at the rustling leaves of the canopy above.

    ¡°Alice!¡± He cried, rushing forward towards her, relief at finally being able to find her overwhelming the panic and need he felt to apologize and repair the damage done to their relationship. She turned toward him, clearly surprised to see him, before a look of anguished fury overtook her face.

    ¡°JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!¡± She screamed out, a violent cough escaping her as her ribs screamed in agony at her sudden outburst of rage. Falling back, she struggled to stand and try and distance herself again, only to fail, her back screaming in protest.

    Curled on the floor now her tears fell uncontrolled, rolling down the side of her face as she stared into the dirt, unwilling to even look in his direction. It hurt too much to see him. Especially now she realized how lonely she felt venturing on her own, how empty her exploration seemed to be. How lifeless.

    She didn¡¯t want him to see her like this, see how he¡¯d won. She didn¡¯t know why he was back here, why he¡¯d bother chasing her. If it was just to laugh at her weakness, or maybe to try and drag her around a bit longer till he ditched her on his own terms. She wouldn¡¯t allow it. Much as it hurt to realize she didn¡¯t want to do this on her own. Much as it hurt to realize she missed him. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her struggle, of seeing her despair.

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    ¡°Alice, please!¡± Jake called desperately as he ran towards her, kneeling beside the crouched girl.

    ¡°Get off me!¡± She cried, shoving him away, a shower of dirt flew from her clenched hand as she worked to force him away from her.

    ¡°Alice, please¡­ I never meant to hurt you like this. I promise. I just¡­¡±

    ¡°STOP LYING TO ME!¡± Alice screamed, wheeling around to face him now, another shower of dirt flying through the air. She couldn¡¯t help herself anymore, couldn¡¯t keep it bottled away. She didn¡¯t care if he got some satisfaction from seeing her rage or despair. Didn''t care if he won some sick game he was playing. She just wanted him to stop.

    ¡°You promised me! Remember? No matter what, you¡¯d keep me safe, keep me with you! It was just a lie! Was everything you told me a lie? Some sick game you played, all planned out from the start?¡±

    ¡°Alice, I¡­¡± He fell silent. She looked at him, a look of triumph forcing its way upon her sorrow-filled face as she basked in his silence. Finally, she shut him up and caught him in his lies. No more excuses. The look of triumph faltered, though, when she saw his expression. He looked utterly devastated, mouth opening and closing a few times as he struggled to find the words, struggled to find what to say. At last, with a sigh, he sat back away from her, head in his hands.

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying. I meant what I said. Really. You¡­ You have to believe me¡­¡± He looked so desperate, unsure of what to say. Alice felt her gut twist a bit, staring at him. Uncertain what she was feeling, she pressed on.

    ¡°Yeah, right! Sure, you meant it! Planned to keep me safe till you can get rid of me!¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± Jake cried now, his voice cracking a bit as he screamed out. ¡°No¡­ I mean. I just¡­ I kidnapped you. You had people you knew. Friends. I stole you from that, it¡¯s my fault you¡¯re stuck falling with me. Stuck gambling on what world you¡¯ll fall into next, what risk you¡¯ll face next. I just¡­ I don¡¯t know much about your home, but from what you¡¯ve said, it sounds awful. Worse than hell. I just wanted to help you find a place you could be happy; a place you could call home. That¡¯s what we talked about when I first promised you I¡¯d keep you safe, that¡¯s what I meant when I said you might not be with me anymore. I didn¡¯t mean to make you think I was throwing you away, I just¡­ I wanted you to find a place where you could be happy.¡±

    She sat in silence for a while, unpacking his words. She tried to remember the context of his promise. It seemed so long ago, and she¡¯d been so distracted by the wonders of the world so new to her. Had this always been part of the deal? Had this always been something he talked about? All she could remember now was his promise to keep her safe, keep her with him. Her hands ringing under her she pressed forward, voice a bit uncertain now.

    ¡°What¡¯s it matter why, you still planned to get rid of me. From the start, I was just some bit of baggage you were carrying around, waiting for the perfect chance to get rid of me.¡±

    ¡°I¡­¡± he hung his head low in response to this, unable to find the words to refute her.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t need a new home!¡± She continued, ignoring his stuttering attempts at arguments, tears stinging her eyes and blurring her vision. ¡°I was happy! So happy to be free, to be falling from world to world. So happy to be free to explore. So happy to just travel with you! Even when we fell into hell itself or were left starving, I still found myself happy at the end of it! So why! Why do I have to go?¡± She couldn¡¯t find the words to continue anymore, couldn¡¯t think of anything else to say as her tears streaked down her cheeks, her insides a tangled web of emotions she struggled to fully understand.

    ¡°I¡­¡± he began again, stuttering a moment before he said, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t know. I just¡­ I wanted you to be happy. To be able to help you find a place you could stay, a place you could be happy. It was always supposed to be your choice. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Because you¡¯re right. Despite myself, I¡¯ve tried to keep my distance from you, knowing you¡¯d leave someday. I tried to avoid getting attached to you since I figured it would help me deal with the pain of your departure.

    ¡°But now¡­ now I can give you the promise you always wanted. Act on it without reservation. So, I promise you this, Alice, if you want to travel with me, I¡¯ll keep you safe. As long as you want to travel with me, I¡¯ll keep you with me and make sure nothing happens to you. If you join me just one more time, I swear to you that it''ll be entirely up to you where your home is. Entirely up to you when you stop falling with me. So please, can we start again?¡±

    He looked at her hopefully for a few minutes, but she said nothing, her expression conflicted and pained. After a while, his head dropped low, a sigh escaping him as he stared into the dirt of the forest below. Perhaps it was simply too late to try again. He¡¯d simply ruined whatever connection they had beyond repair. It was too late¡­

    As he sat stewing helplessly in these thoughts, he felt a sudden push against his forehead. Alice had leaned in to rest her head against his.

    ¡°I guess I have no choice¡­¡± She said slowly, voice still sounding uncertain ¡°We never got to go swimming.¡±

    ¡°¡­Or try stew together,¡± Jake added, his tone conveying how uncertain he was if he was welcome to talk now or not.

    ¡°¡­yeah¡­¡± Alice said a slight hint of joy returned to her voice, ¡°Or listen to Green Day. Isn¡¯t that right, greenie?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Jake said, voice hopeful for the first time in what felt like years as the two sat, heads pressed together under the canopy of the trees.

 Day 89 - A Duet

    The only sound heard from within the darkened forest was the crackle of a steadily burning fire. No bird chirped nor creature prowled amongst the trees surrounding the flame. The wind stood still, the leaves and bushes with it, as no rustle was heard that could overpower the crackle of the flame. Not a thing moved within the woods as the fire burned back the night. This included the pair of strangers to the world, fallen just that morning.

    Side by side, they sat in silence, their gazes locked forward, not daring to look in each other¡¯s direction. Earlier in the day, as they worked cleaning the camp of Alice¡¯s scattered belongings, they shared a few short sentences. Pointless chatter about the weather, the sun shifting above, the beauty of the trees around them. Several of these short conversations had started, yet none had bloomed into anything more than a few quick back-and-forths shared by the two.

    As they gathered the firewood into a pile, climbing up to rip it from the surrounding trees and bundling piles of ivy and leaves, they shared a few quick laughs. Laughing as Jake slipped and fell, the small pile of broken branches falling out from under his arm and scattering to the floor. Laughed as Alice stumbled under the trailing ivy beneath her, tripping forward as it tangled under her feet. These short bursts of amused joy would soon fizzle out to nothing.

    Sitting around the prepared fire, they shared a short story as Alice brought the campfire to life. Jake complimented her playing, recalling the creature he found on his way to her. Embarrassed a bit, she stuttered as she recalled her encounter with the monster, going into little to no detail about what had happened. All that followed this was the silence, stretching on and on as the two sat staring into the flame, unsure what they could possibly do now.

    Both could feel it. An overwhelming pressure, tense and uncomfortable settled on their shoulders as they sat. A pressure that had only grown worse and worse as the day stretched on. A pressure neither really knew what to do about now.

    Reunited again, determined to travel together again, both felt a sense of relief. Joy at their new bond, their new renewed and shared desire to fall forward through all of reality. Yet despite how much they wished it wasn¡¯t the case, that wasn¡¯t all they felt.

    The fire stood firm, no breeze to sway in the flickering light it cast as it burned through its fuel, bathing Jake¡¯s face in shimmering light. He wasn¡¯t sure how to begin to understand what he felt, his insides coiled tight in a knot. He remembered the feeling of desperation he felt when she shoved him aside and ran off screaming in rage. Recalled the emptiness beside him as he searched through the woods.

    He could still feel it, fresh inside him. It reminded him of the first days he fell. The loss and confusion he felt as he realized what was happening. Realized he¡¯d become separated from everything he¡¯d ever known, everyone he¡¯d ever loved.

    He glanced at his side. Saw her form flicker amidst the slight sway of the fire''s shadow. A sigh built up within as he came to terms with just how much she meant to him. He¡¯d had ideas about it before. Suspicions when he¡¯d become so single-minded about helping her, so devoted to trying to find her a home. But this¡­ this somehow felt different.

    It scared him. To stare into her face, see her eyes squint against the flickers of the fire, her hair laid across her face still and silent in the night. It scared him to realize truly just how much she mattered now. Fear built up in his core as he worried about what might happen now. Worry about where they might land next filled his entire being.

    Despite what she said, despite her assertion, she still enjoyed their travels, falling from world to world in the face of the dangers. Despite her claims, she still found their journey fun despite the hells they¡¯d fallen into; Jake couldn¡¯t help but worry. His imagination ran wild as he envisioned worse danger after worse danger, envisioned more and more gruesome fates consuming them, grinding them down to nothing. He¡¯d accepted already he¡¯d likely die on his unending journey. But now, having to accept she¡¯d be with him, hand in hand as he leaped blindly to his death¡­

    A shiver ran down his spine. His eyes dropped to the floor, his hands interlaced as he struggled to find what to say, struggling to break the newfound ice formed between the two. In truth, another fear burned within him when he looked her way and thought about her. He envisioned her happy, a contented smile on her face as she walked free of him. Waved goodbye as he fell, never to see her again.

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    It was her choice now. It always should have been, always was in his mind. But now it truly was her decision how long she stayed with him. He had no clue when she might stop; all he could do was assume they¡¯d be together indefinitely. In the back of his mind, he¡¯d always known their separation would hurt, but thought he¡¯d managed to curb his feelings. Always tried and remind himself she wouldn¡¯t be around forever, might not even be around for long, to help with the eventual pain her departure would bring.

    Now though¡­ he couldn¡¯t do that. As far as he knew she¡¯d be around forever, travel with him forever. It excited him to think about, delighted him as he reflected on the joy her company brought. Yet at the same time, this new uncertainty about when she may choose to leave¡­ scared him.

    Glancing again to his side he stared at her face for a moment, his mouth struggling to form any sounds. He wanted to share some of what he felt and talk with her now before his worries drove another wedge between the two. In the end, however, he stayed silent. Found himself unable to break through the tense wall built between the two, unsure what he could say to sate the anger she must still be feeling.

    And she was angry. Sat there under the light, something inside her burned. It was hard to describe. She¡¯d felt such joy earlier in the day. Such delight at the chance to continue traveling and see all the wonders reality had to offer. Such joy at being allowed to continue falling with him¡­

    But when she looked his way, she couldn¡¯t stop her anger from flaring up. Still, it bubbled in the pit of her stomach, kept alive despite how hard she tried to appease it. She didn¡¯t know if it was fair to stay mad about something he must have explained when they first met. Stay mad about the goals he held to keep her safe, to care for her¡­

    Still, she couldn¡¯t help it. White hot rage burned within her when she thought back to his words. Couldn¡¯t help but question if they really knew each other at all. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if every story, every laugh, every moment they¡¯d shared was an act meant to keep her happy. A play he put on to keep her going till he could find the perfect world for her.

    She hated the thought. Hated to feel such doubt. But she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that she didn¡¯t know him at all. She hated it, it made her enraged to think after all this time, he¡¯d resisted trying to get to know her. That he¡¯d doubted her so much, he felt the need to coddle her, carry her around at arm¡¯s length. Worse of all, she hated the loss of trust she once had.

    Despite his claims, his new promise, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to trust him. She''d considered pushing him away, screaming at him to leave her be when he first proposed it to her. Still, she couldn¡¯t bring herself to do so. Couldn¡¯t deny herself that she would regret it, regret not taking the chance to try again. Regret not taking the chance to start anew. Still, though, as she looked at his silent frame awash in the fire''s glow, she hated the sense of doubt she felt. This feeling, she couldn¡¯t trust him.

    Her thoughts were complicated, running circles as she tried to make sense of the whirlwind of emotions bubbling deep in her core. She felt her fingers slip absent-mindedly. Felt the tension of the strings grace them as she gazed into the still flame. Heard the tune, plucked mindlessly and at random as she sat lost in thought, filled the air. Watched the fire dance in kind, swaying and pulsing and growing in response to her random song.

    A small smile found its way across her face as she played, her thoughts momentarily distracted. As the fire danced in time to her song she felt at peace, eased by the strumming strings within. She wasn¡¯t quite sure how long she sat distracting herself, mind nearly blank as she strummed. She only knew she was brought back to reality by a series of sounds, sharp and violent, played out next to her.

    Jumping with a start at the sudden interruption, she glanced next to her only to find Jake perched beside her, the clay flute raised to his lips. He glanced at her, eyes uncertain, before he continued to play, doing his best to follow along to her melody as the shaky and offbeat sounds of his flute began to fill the air.

    She watched him play for a minute, continuing to strum, before a laugh escaped her. He looked so uncertain in himself, so uncoordinated as he desperately tried to play along. Even just the same four notes she lazily played seemed too much to him. He seemed overwhelmed, a bit panicked.

    He looked hilarious. Continuing to laugh, she raised the harp to her chest and began to play in earnest. The sudden shift in her playing seemed to surprise him; she saw his eyes widen a bit, but still, he played alongside her. Though choppy and undignified, he didn¡¯t quit. Both their melodies were beginning to combine midair, forming something almost resembling a song that echoed out through the darkened forest.

    As the fire danced and swayed to their playing, she smiled to herself. She didn¡¯t know if she was a fool to trust him again. Didn¡¯t know if she¡¯d come to regret it. She didn¡¯t even know if she really knew anything about him. But she wanted to. She wanted to believe she knew him. She wanted to believe they were close. She wanted to believe this creeping sense of doubt would leave her, that she could one day come to trust him again.

    She let out another laugh, allowing her voice to fill the air and join the pairs¡¯ music. Their duet filling the stillness of the air, the pair found they could ignore their concerns, both focused solely on the song they played. The song that enveloped them both.

 Day 90 - Not a Kidnapping...

    The breeze felt warm; a salty taste clung to it. Their clothes rustled in the dim light of the rising sun as they landed upon a clustered bit of craggy rock suspended in the air. The two looked around to see their surroundings full of similar jutting crags and stretching plains of sand. Despite the taste of salt in the air, neither could see any hint of the ocean nearby. The sun above was hot and oppressive even in the early hours of the morning. No clouds could be seen for miles.

    It was only after thoroughly examining their new surroundings that they realized they were still pressed together, still locked hand in hand. Both felt an almost instinctual need to push away as the awkward feelings of the night before bubbled up within. Still, they found themselves unable to move, stuck together by the limited space of the rock surrounding them.

    ¡°We should climb down, find some shade¡­¡± Jake offered after a minute of silence, not sure what to say next.

    ¡°Sounds fine to me.¡± Alice agreed, her gaze falling to the floor

    The odd clamber down to the sprawling sand below was short and relatively easy, as thankfully they found useful footholds naturally carved into the side of the rock they were perched upon. Alice required some help, still injured from the day before, but managed to descend nonetheless. Stood upon the heated sands of the dunes, both looked side to side, unsure what to do now as they moved apart, a distance forming between them.

    ¡°Should we try and find some water? We might manage to find an ocean or something¡­¡± Jake offered, his head swiveling about as he took in the salty breeze in the air.

    ¡°Don¡¯t really feel like moving that much,¡± Alice replied. Her chest still ached from being tossed around yesterday, along with her arm. She was unsure if she¡¯d overstressed it playing her harp or during her run through the woods, but today it ached so bad she could hardly move it. She was close to asking for the sling back. ¡°I just want to sit back and relax in the shade.¡±

    ¡°Sounds fine to me,¡± Jake said with a slight shrug before the two stalked around the side of the rock they¡¯d landed atop. It wasn¡¯t a particularly big rock by any stretch of the imagination, but its unique geometry provided a large crack where shade was continually cast to the floor below. Standing aside, Jake allowed Alice to crawl into the crack, offering her a hand as she winced in pain, trying to maneuver with her aching chest and injured arm.

    ¡°Thanks¡­¡± She said as she settled against the walls of the smallish cave, her bag pulled around to rest in her lap. She turned to glance beside her and saw Jake settle himself a little ways away from her, sitting so that most of himself hung out of the edge of the crack directly in the sun.

    ¡°What are you doing?¡± She asked, slight annoyance clear in her voice, ¡°You''re going to bake out there.¡±

    ¡°I''m fine,¡± He replied, tone trying to sound jovial, ¡°I just¡­ I don¡¯t want to make things too crowded, you know?¡± She sighed as he said that, and did her best to press closer into the cave wall before saying,

    ¡°It¡¯s fine, just get in here, would you?¡± He still sat unmoving for a moment after that, before finally standing and sliding closer into the cave, coming to rest pressed against her. She sighed internally as she watched him awkwardly fumble to get comfortable. A few days ago, he wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to crawl into the cave, he¡¯d not have worried about being pressed close to her. Now though¡­

    She wondered if things could ever go back to normal. Last night, she felt they could. As they played through the night, the fire danced to their call. Yet still this morning, they could hardly talk to one another. Her fiery anger was gone now. If she thought about it long enough, annoyance bubbled up within her, but the fury they drove her before was no more. Still, though, it felt as if they could no longer talk like they once had.

    She sighed, her head dropping to stare at the bag lying across her lap. She supposed she was too na?ve to think things could be fixed so easily. She supposed she was too na?ve to think things could just go back to normal. It would take time. Despite what they said, despite their promise of a new start, the fight that drove them apart still lingered heavily in the air. It was still fresh, like an unhealed wound.

    Glancing toward him as a silence filled the cave, yet again, a thought occurred to her. Pulling the bag in her lap close to her, she pulled it open and dug through its contents a moment, struggling a bit as she worked with only one arm. Jake glanced at her and was about to ask if she needed help when she suddenly stopped. Suddenly presented him with something he thought was lost. Something he didn¡¯t want to see again.

    A throwing knife, one of his, he thought, lost in the corridor ages ago. Its blade was crimson, blood long dried to coat its entire being. She held it flat in her palm, not particularly comfortable gripping hold of the blood-coated weapon. She¡¯d grabbed it as they ran to escape the crumbling corridor, held it since then, always forgetting to return it. Only remembered now as she found it amongst her luggage yesterday. Thought it might work to cut through the silence growing between the two.

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    She glanced up to see his face pale. His eyes looked wide, almost terrified, as he glanced at the weapon in her hand. His mouth kept opening and closing, yet no sound came out of his lips as he simply stared down at her hand. Finally, his voice quiet and strained, he managed to ask,

    ¡°Where¡­ where did you get that?¡±

    ¡°I grabbed it from the corridor after you dropped it. I meant to give it back to you, but we kept getting distracted. Sorry, it¡¯s still a bit dirty. Here, you can have it back now¡­¡±

    ¡°NO!¡± He cried out, something almost like terror in his voice as he scooted across the sand to escape the approaching knife, sweat beginning to run down the side of his face the longer he stared at it. Something told Alice it wasn¡¯t because of the scorching sun above.

    ¡°No¡­¡± He said again, more quietly now as he realized how loud he¡¯d been before, seemed to want to calm himself, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ you keep it. Please.¡±

    ¡°What? But I don¡¯t really need¡­¡±

    ¡°Then throw it away. Keep it, sell it, or throw it away! I just¡­ please¡­¡± He faltered a bit at the end, tearing his eyes away from the dagger to stare at the rocky ceiling above.

    ¡°¡­Alright¡­¡± She replied after a moment, her voice confused and concerned. Still, she took the knife away from him and returned it to her bag without further questions. Silence returned to the cave for a few moments, before suddenly he began to speak again, tone low and quiet, his gaze unwavering as he continued to stare at the roof above.

    ¡°In the corridor¡­ while we were stuck apart there¡­ I had to fight this horde. Monster upon monster, I¡¯d never seen before. Whatever the voice could come up with, I guess. I don¡¯t think they were there to kill me, just hurt me, make me bleed and suffer.¡±

    Her breath caught in her throat as he talked. She wasn¡¯t quite sure what to do, she wasn''t sure if she should say something. This was the first time either of them had brought up the corridor, brought up what the voice had done to them. What it had shown them.

    ¡°Jake, you don¡¯t have to¡­¡± She quickly tried to say as he paused for breath, gaze unwavering on the ceiling above.

    ¡°I want to.¡± His answer was short and clear, his gaze faltering just a moment to stare at her. His eyes looked lost, a sort of darkness in them she¡¯d never seen before. ¡°Please¡­¡± She could only nod, acquiesce to his request, and sit back silently listening to his story.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long I was stuck fighting. It felt like weeks, months. It could have just been an hour or two. Who knows. When I was finally done, though, allowed to stop fighting and breathe, he appeared. Bloodied and beaten and dying. He already looked half-dead. He¡­ Rick¡­ I didn¡¯t know him for very long. Maybe a month? He was with the magician I told you about. But he was the one who gave me my knives and taught me the basics to survive. Saved my life so many times.¡±

    ¡°I was so happy to see him again, so delirious after fighting so long, I forgot where I was. Nearly let him kill me¡­ or whatever he really was. Still, though, he looked like Rick. Sounded like Rick. It might as well have been Rick. He just kept coming at me, desperate to kill me. I had no choice, at least, it felt that way. So¡­ I stabbed him. Ran him through with his own knife. That knife.¡±

    He let out a little chuckle to himself, pointing toward the bag that held the crimson-coated knife.

    ¡°What does that make me, huh?¡± He asked aloud, voice sounding lost and confused.

    ¡°A survivor,¡± Alice replied after a moment of pause. She thought back to when she first found him in the corridor and ran upon him, coated in blood. It felt so long ago, and she tried so hard not to think back to those times. Still, she could vaguely remember someone else besides Jake as he sat motionless, someone ran through the neck dead on the ground.

    ¡°So what? So, what if I survived? I ran him through with his own¡­¡±

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t real!¡± She interrupted him before he could spiral, she could already see him beginning to lose himself a bit. ¡°Remember Jake, none of it was real. It was tricks designed to torture us. Nothing there was real.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ but it was,¡± Jake said after a moment, his head dropping low to stare at his own feet. ¡°When I left them, when I had to fall out of their world, Rick and Lana and Leopold¡­ they were barely clinging to life. I just had to leave them and carry on like none of it had happened. I may as well have left them dead, may as well have stabbed them, run them through. After everything they did for me, how could I just carry on like that?¡± He seemed a bit hysterical, grabbing onto his hair, he quickly turned to stare at her, a moment before his gaze fell.

    ¡°Not just them. You too! Every day we traveled together, I was scared you¡¯d die. So terrified since I accidentally kidnapped you that it would be my fault you died. Cause it would be!! Whatever happens to you¡­ It¡¯s all my fault. And it only gets worse the longer you¡¯re here, cause the longer you¡¯re here¡­ the longer you¡¯re here, the more it hurts to lose you. I¡¯m so¡­so scared of losing you¡­ of you leaving¡­ what can I possibly do about that!? How can I keep going like this?!¡±

    It was like a damn had burst inside him. Everything came pouring out as he sat, curled up in the cave, his thoughts just seemed to flow. He hadn¡¯t meant for things to be like this. He¡¯d only meant to share about the dagger, hoping to help her understand why he couldn¡¯t take it back. But the more he talked, the more his worries about the past and future flowed freely. The more his fears were laid bare before her. Curled tight, he felt a sudden pressure on his shoulder as she draped her arm around him.

    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault. None of it is. Accident upon accident, coincidence upon coincidence. That¡¯s all you¡¯ve described so far; all you¡¯ve taken the blame for. So, stop blaming yourself for Rick and whoever else you said. I¡¯m sure they¡¯re doing fine. And seriously, stop blaming yourself for me.¡± She shoved him slightly. He lifted his head to see her smiling at him, hand outstretched.

    ¡°You didn¡¯t kidnap me, got it? I ran away with you. Major difference. So, stop blaming yourself for everything.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    ¡°You have to, greenie,¡± she said, pushing her shoulder against his, their hands still intertwined a smile till on her face, ¡°Have to learn to live with it, carry on. That¡¯s what it means to be human, right? At least we get to carry on together. Cause I¡¯m not going anywhere.¡±

    He could say nothing in response. Only feel her press into him as they listened to the wind rush by the cave outside.

 Day 91 - The Heroes Return

    It took them months to find their way back home. None of them had expected it to take so long, some had left, not fully expecting to come back at all. The plains and mountains they once crossed almost effortlessly now felt like a herculean task to stroll on. Thankfully, one in their party remained relatively unscathed to guide them back across the mountain corridors he¡¯d grown up in, else they likely would have died already.

    The other two, while grievously injured, survived, and day by day they improved. The magician struggled for a while to control herself, her hands blasted apart the skin peeled and flayed from her arms. But slowly, she began to recenter herself, her magic slowly returning and repairing with time. The worst among them, his limbs destroyed or torn free, remained the jolliest of the group. Even as splitting pain washed over him in endless waves, he¡¯d always find some joke to tell or stupid comment to make.

    And so they crossed the mountains and plains in reverse, grew closer and closer to a home they¡¯d thought they left behind. When first they recovered well enough to travel, they weren¡¯t sure what to do now. Their quest was completed, they didn¡¯t know what to do now. It was finally the most injured member of their party who ruddered their ship back toward home, eager to see his family again. The other two, lacking any real purpose now, agreed without much hesitation.

    So, it came that they returned to Morsel. Lana, Leopold, and Rick felt nervous passing the large gates into town. As the sun shone overhead, casting a warmth they were still getting reacquainted with, they braced themselves to be arrested. Rushed by guards and forced to slink away into the shadows and hide as they tried to hunt down Leopold¡¯s family so they could flee. Instead, as they took shaky step after shaky step into the city, their identification verified by nervous-looking watchmen at the front gate, a silence seemed to fall upon the town.

    All eyes turned upon them. The three supposed it made sense. They were battle-damaged and coated in filth. Tense and frozen, surrounded by dozens upon dozens upon dozens of people the three readied themselves to run or fight as needed. As the tension reached a boiling point, Rick beginning to inch to the side to try and sneak himself out of sight best he could, in preparation for his escape, the crowd exploded.

    ¡°Alert his Majesty!¡±

    ¡°THE LIGHTBRINGERS!¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ve come home!¡±

    ¡°Look at them! Call someone fast!¡±

    Cheers erupted from everywhere as the mob closed in on the group. Suddenly, the three found themselves forced to shake hands and receive thanks from utter strangers or hear worried cries over their injuries. As the sudden impromptu celebration continued, the three were forced from the city gates into the heart of the town as they were paraded about. Booming laughter could be heard as Leopold¡¯s joy echoed all around.

    ¡°I told you they¡¯d love us!¡± He shouted next to him, a smug grin on his face as he eyed Lana and Rick. The two could only sigh in annoyance, forced to endure his growing laughter as they were welcomed back into Morsel.

    <hr>

    They were rewarded handsomely by his majesty and his court. The three had certainly seen some sour faces as they sat kneeling before the king. They felt certain those were people still upset they broke the law sneaking away when the sky was missing, or perhaps people whose plans they ruined with the sudden return of the sky. The world of political schemes and underdealing was not of much concern to them. That was why all three were extremely happy with the generous monetary compensation promised to them. Enough to keep them from having to work lifetimes over, without any mention of a noble title or responsibility.

    Perhaps it was the way nobles who still felt spiteful towards them intended to keep them out of the court. Perhaps the king simply felt he couldn¡¯t trust them, viewed them as troublemakers. They were technically fugitives soon as they began their journey. They didn¡¯t particularly care. They were more than happy to stay well clear of the political and simply bask in the fame and riches brought to them by their sudden journey.

    Well, one of them was at least. Reunited with his family, the injured Leopold would spend his days at home, relaxing with his wife and daughter. His nights, though, those he spent roaming the streets, moving from tavern to tavern. Not because he particularly desired to get drunk. That was simply a nice perk. No, he was simply always summoned, always asked to retell the tale of his adventure, or the story of his missing arm, or describe the missing hero not present within the trio.

    He was happy to abide by the people and give them what they wanted. For a time at least. He was starting to grow bored now. He missed his duties as a guard and the time spent in the wilds. Much as he loved his family and loved every second spent with them, something was just missing. He guessed that constantly recalling the glory days wasn¡¯t helping him much either. A sigh escaped him as he walked down the street, lost in thought as he aimlessly wandered the darkened backstreets, desperate to be alone, unrecognized.

    ¡­ farming. Maybe he should try his hand at farming. A slight smile crossed his face. He had the money for the land. And it could be nice. Somewhere quiet with his family, somewhere he wouldn¡¯t be recognized. Somewhere, he could move on. Farming. Sounded better every moment.

    As Leopold stepped forward through the backstreets, a new determination in his heart and his head held high, elsewhere by the front gate the other two famed heroes of Morsel were saying goodbye.

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    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to wait for him? I can call him quickly, he wouldn¡¯t take long to get here¡­¡± Lana said, glancing over her shoulder behind her as she fidgeted a bit.

    ¡°No,¡± Rick said, voice serious. He stood clad in his same cloak, a new bag full of supplies draped over his shoulder. ¡°Please don¡¯t. Every time I¡¯ve tried to leave so far he¡¯s always stopped me. Always takes me to the side for a drink or to see his family. He hasn¡¯t said it yet, but I can tell. He doesn¡¯t want me to go.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to go either, you know¡­¡± she whispered, voice quiet and almost incomprehensible. Rick smiled at her, eyes sad and almost empty, before he said,

    ¡°I have to go. They¡¯re still out there somewhere. Dead and rotting, maybe, or shuffling around hidden in the shadows. I can¡¯t just leave them. The sky may be back, but the dead are still walking.¡±

    She stood quiet after that, still and unmoving as she watched him adjust the oversized pack on his back. A small smile on his face, sad and lacking something. He put his hand on her shoulder before adding,

    ¡°You know I can¡¯t stop. You know why I can¡¯t stop.¡± She paused, wanting to refute his claims, but found himself unable to. Biting her tongue a bit, she could only nod her understanding. Watch as he pulled away, ready to leave the city behind and return to the wilds.

    Yet he paused a moment, his gaze cast behind her locked to the newly installed sculpture, the kind that had been ordered upon their return. ¡°The Hero¡¯s Triumph¡±. Four figures stood victorious, their features clear and easily read. His own face, skinny and gaunt, made him scowl a bit. But that was not what drew his attention. It was the central figure, who stood clutching an orb above his head. His features were clear and perfect despite nearly no one having met him. That was because this was the fourth version of ¡°The Hero¡¯s Triumph¡± to exist.

    The others were all destroyed after the three heroes raised hell about the inaccuracies of the carving. They would go to great lengths to ensure the central figure looked accurate and was modeled properly. Went around making sure everyone knew that though he may not be present now, he¡¯d served a key role in seeing the sky returned above. The Missing Hero.

    Rick smiled a bit as he met Jake¡¯s carved face. They got the eyes wrong. He didn¡¯t look nearly scared enough. Still. It would have to do. Turning around now as he walked quickly through the gate, Rick stared at the sky overhead. At midday, the sun hid behind some clouds. He could faintly hear the birds chirping in the distance and feel the wind blowing his hair free from his face. A beautiful day. He thought back to Jake¡¯s departure. Sudden and intractable, they¡¯d all wondered where he¡¯d come from, where he¡¯d go next. Now, though, all he could do was hope he was happy. Hope he managed to find peace. Setting off toward the mountains far off in the distance, he realized truly how important it was to find peace.

    Lana watched him walk away for a bit, her hands pressed tight together as best they could before a slow sigh escaped her. She couldn¡¯t stop him from going. She had no right to stop him from chasing his obsession. Not after he followed her into the depths of hell for hers. She just wished she could be more helpful to him now.

    Turning away, she walked with her head hung low. She wasn¡¯t sure what to do now. The past few months following their return, she¡¯d spent all her time with either Leopold or Rick. But Rick was gone now, left to hunt what was left of The Swarm. And Rick was close to leaving. She could tell, could see the growing resentment for the city growing in his eyes. She¡¯d seen it before when he left Largo. What he¡¯d do now, where he¡¯d go next, she couldn¡¯t say. But she knew he wouldn¡¯t be here long.

    And then there was her. What should she do now? Her hands lay broken. Slowly, they got better, patching themselves together into something almost usable. But she doubted she¡¯d ever really be whole again. But that was fine. She could live with that. What still hurt was the loneliness. She thought it would get better if she managed to live out his wish, managed to put the sky back where it belongs. Became the hero he imagined her as. But it didn¡¯t matter. He was still gone. They were both still gone.

    She froze, lost in thought, her feet had carried her here again. Sinking low to her knees, a tearful cry escaped her. Knelt before his grave, she couldn¡¯t keep it in anymore.

    ¡°Calvin¡­ Will¡­ what do I do now?¡±

    Her cries filled the cemetery as her tears fell heavy on the dirt below. She wished she could just die, just lie down and shrivel up and finally be with them. Left alone, she might just do that. Just give up till she can finally be reunited. The thought began to creep into her mind. She could think of nothing else to do. Saw no future for herself. Curled against the soft dirt of his grave, she felt a sudden hand grip her shoulder.

    ¡°Thought you might be her, Lala.¡±

    She turned and glanced up to see Leopold smiling down at her. She said nothing, just let her tears continue to flow. He let her cry and didn¡¯t try to stop her. Simply held her, comforted her as she wept.

    ¡°Did he finally leave?¡± Leopold finally asked as she began to calm down, her tears dying off to light sniffles, ¡°Been sending him hints for weeks. Took him long enough to go!¡± Despite his words, she heard the sadness in his voice.

    ¡°Listen, Lala. I¡¯ve been thinking. I¡¯m going to buy a farm. A real nice one!¡± He sounded excited as he made this announcement, but Lana felt her stomach drop as her fears were confirmed. Alone again.

    ¡°Problem is, though I¡¯m worse than useless now, what with¡­¡± He gestured vaguely toward his missing arm, tone conveying a vague sense of annoyance rather than any real sense of loss, ¡°So I¡¯ve been thinking how bout you come with me! Could always use a good farm hand since¡­ You know¡­ I don¡¯t have one!¡± He let out a booming laugh as he fell back a bit, coming to rest sitting beside her.

    She was in shock for a moment, unsure what to say. Finally, her voice returned to her.

    ¡°What good would I be?! I don¡¯t know how to farm. Besides, my hands aren¡¯t any better!¡± Despite her pleas, there was a hopeful desperation in her voice that Leopold didn¡¯t fail to pick up on.

    ¡°Two messed-up hands are still better than no hands at all! Besides, not like I don''t know how to farm! It¡¯ll be fun, a family project for us all! Come on, the wife and I would love to have you!¡± He stood up now with some difficulty, before brushing himself off and offering his remaining hand toward her,

    ¡°Come with us, Lala!¡±

    She sat, frozen a moment before finally reaching out to grab hold of him, letting herself be pulled forward. Pulled upright into the future.

    <hr>

    Jake and Alice landed in a vast open meadow. Looking around, there was practically nothing around them at all. Just sprawling fields of grass as far as either could see, rippling in the wind.

    ¡°Kinda boring¡­¡± Jake said, reaching up to scratch his head.

    ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Alice said as she strolled forward a bit, before turning back and offering him her hand, ¡°I think it¡¯s nice, peaceful!¡±

    A smile growing across his face, Jake moved forward to grab hold of her hand as they began to march amongst the fields, hand in hand.

 Day 92 - Kites and Curses

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 Day 93 - Bazaar

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    <hr>

    <hr>

 Day 94 - Breached

    ¡°The hell was that about!¡± Alice shouted at Jake, bent over panting as the two hid amongst the shade of the apple trees, hidden from the perusing crowd. The chasing crowd of upper-crust socialites and their servants had seemed to lose interest in continuing to follow Jake as soon as he crossed the boundary of the market, seeming to be content with just driving him away from the market. Still though, having managed to find and rejoin him she didn¡¯t let her guard down, cautiously surveying around her for any would-be pursuers or attackers. "What did you do!"

    ¡°Nothing!¡± Jake shouted, clearly annoyed as he leaned against the closest tree his head resting against the green book he was still clutching.

    ¡°Nothing, huh?¡± Alice asked, before pointing her finger toward the book prominently displayed before her.

    ¡°Yes, nothing! I paid for this! Well, at least I think I did. It didn¡¯t have a price tag! I still gave them all I had on me, so¡­¡± She interrupted him with a sigh, shaking her head for a moment. She was happy to hear he hadn¡¯t stolen the book, or at least not completely. Still though, to pay so much for it¡­

    ¡°Why did you want it so bad?¡± She asked, glancing toward him as she struggled to grasp what exactly the rather plain-looking book made it worth wasting half their cash supply.

    ¡°Seemed helpful¡­¡± He began sheepishly, scratching behind his head as he passed it towards her, ¡°It¡¯s on poisonous plants. Thought it might help us not kill ourselves. Plus¡­¡± He seemed embarrassed about the next reason, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot before adding on, ¡°I thought you might like it. You always seem so into plants, and we¡¯ve been so bored and all¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­oh,¡± Alice replied, taking the book and flipping through the pages. She caressed the hand-inked pages, her fingers pausing over one of the more intricate drawings displayed inside. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s rather nice. Still might have overpaid though.¡± She smiled at him, hoping her slightly snide comment hid the unbridled joy she felt at receiving the gift.

    ¡°Maybe.¡± He said with a slight laugh.

    <hr>

    ¡°The hell?¡± The elderly traveler exclaimed, confused. Atop the table he had left his collection of memoirs and stories handwritten and available for the public he noticed immediately one of his tomes was missing. In its place was a pile of coins. Moving forward, the man picked through the pile, confusion clear on his face.

    Roughly eighty coins in total. The total value of the pile varied depending on the size and material of the coins but a rough total of eighty coins sat piled before him. Eighty coins for one book. The man grasped his head, a low laugh starting to escape his frame.

    He almost felt bad. Someone had clearly overpaid. Despite its location in the bazaar, the wares the man sold were not particularly valued. His books were written not for profit but merely as the hobby of a lonely elderly man who wished to pass on his knowledge before he passed on. Often, he couldn¡¯t give his books away yet now someone had paid him for one? And such a generous amount at that!

    He smiled to himself, slowly scooping the pile of cash together into his hands and pocketing it before whoever took his book could change their mind. While he may feel a tad bad for the poor soul who overpaid him, he was not foolish enough to deny free gold.

    <hr>

    Dr. Lewis held his breath, unable to properly breathe as he fired up the device sitting across him. The device, large and towering over him, began to hum as the air around him began to be sucked forward towards the machine. The machine began to rumble violently shaking back and forth across the floor sending shockwaves across the expanse of the lab. The metallic frame of the device flexed a bit, straining under its own weight. Several metallic panels were seen resting at the side of the device, either having fallen off due to age or removed due to maintenance.

    These panels were of little consequence to the doctor. They would do little to help the device withstand the stress it was currently being subjected to. They were purely aesthetic, installed to make the machine more palatable to look like. Right now, Dr. Lewis didn¡¯t care how ugly the device was. He only cared if it worked.

    Biting his lip as air rushed faster and faster toward the machine, the shaking and rumbling escaping its metal frame growing worse and worse as its construction bent in closer and closer upon itself¡­

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    Then it stopped. Mangled and bent, the device sat still, unmoving. Blinking, uncertain of his success, Dr. Lewis quickly read through the printout of data flying towards him across the screens surrounding the lab. Most of it was unimportant right now. Damage reports or worries about the electrical disparages the machine was likely to produce. All that mattered was the last line of the report. Scrolling fast down the pad, his heart stopping and his breath held, he read the all important line.

    ¡°BREACH: STABLE. DATA TRANSMISON: POSSIBLE¡±

    His scream of triumph could be heard from out in the hallways, possibly from outside the building itself. He danced, alight in the ecstasy of his success. He¡¯d done it. HE¡¯D DONE IT! The data from the pair''s departure had been all he¡¯d needed to force this old, rusted, piece of crap to work. Provided the right wavelength needed to slip between realities he simply needed to fine-tune his machines, work till he could reliably maintain that frequency without being pulled forward to a new dimension.

    Still, this breach was nowhere near perfect. He doubted physical travel would be possible. Looking at how collapsed the support structure had become just holding this small tear open, trying to physically pass through would likely destroy everything. And that was just the minimum damage possible. He had no idea of the possible ramifications of undergoing an incomplete Breach. He had no clue what it could do to his body or the wider reality around him.

    It was too risky. At least for the time being. Data, though. That was easier to transmit. Thankfully, he had two lovely test subjects waiting for him, signals waiting to transmit back to him as they bobbed about the infinite cosmos of realities.

    He hurried away from the machine, leaving it in its stable state as he hurried toward his personal workstation. Really, any computer in the lab was theoretically capable of tracking the signals. However, most were dilapidated or outdated. Only his personal workstation was still clean and still up to date. His computer would have the best chance of finding the transmitting signals beyond the bounds of reality¡­ he hoped.

    He had done the math before the test subjects'' departure and theorized it to be possible that he could find and track them after they left. But it was all theoretical, all based on assumptions he¡¯d thus far been unable to properly test. Now would be the first time he could properly put his theories to the test. If they failed¡­ it would be an inconvenience. Not world-ending. Not now he could maintain a breach. That alone opened the door for infinite possibilities in his research moving forward. But losing track of his free guinea pigs as they wandered from world to world would certainly be a setback.

    Sitting forward as he began to work on his computer, he paused and glanced around the lab. It was quiet. To quiet. Frowning he glared at his intern¡¯s empty workstation before he shook his head with a sigh and wondered where the fool had wandered to now. He seemed to have been wandering off more and more lately¡­

    Unbeknownst to Dr. Lewis, Simon sat hidden in one of the lab¡¯s corridors. With a smile on his face, he lowered his communicator down from his ear, his call completed. His outdated model of communicator that tended to leak his private calls had meant he¡¯d needed to hide away to ensure Dr. Lewis couldn¡¯t hear what he was talking about.

    That was well worth the effort though. Smiling brightly, Simon reviewed the meeting made for tomorrow. He¡¯d managed to secure a visit to Lab 46. Not only that, but he¡¯d also managed to sweet-talk his way into a private talk with the lab¡¯s director. An evil smile grew across his face, he couldn¡¯t wait for tomorrow to come. The next step in his project was nearly at hand.

    <hr>

    ¡°Think this one is ok?¡± Jake asked, leaning back against a tree as he held a random fern up to the crackling firelight for Alice to observe.

    ¡°Let me see¡­¡± she said, flipping through the book. He chuckled to himself as he watched her, enjoying the obvious joy she was trying to surprise. Why she was trying to hide her excitement he didn¡¯t know, but she was rather bad at it. It made him want to keep questioning her, keep offering her random plants or leaves to hear her input.

    ¡°Oh¡­ oh dear¡­¡± She suddenly said, voice growing serious as she looked up from the book, eyes shaking a bit as she looked toward Jake, ¡°You didn¡¯t touch that with your bare skin did you?¡±

    ¡°Yeah!¡± Jake said, quickly dropping the plant as he wiped his hands across his pants leg feverishly trying to clean his hands, ¡°Yeah, I did! Am I going to be, ok?!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ oh god¡­¡± she set the book beside her, her hands slowly coming up to cover her mouth. Her eyes were quivering more now as she looked at him.

    ¡°What, what is it!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, really I am¡­¡± Sorrow evident in her voice, she looked away from him as she curled up her head dropping toward the floor. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but there¡¯s nothing I can do. You¡¯re completely fine. It¡¯s just a weed.¡±

    ¡°Wha?!¡± Jake shouted, grabbing hold of her shoulders and shaking her in surprise at this sudden de-escalation of tension. It was only now that he held her, saw her head lolling about with laughter that he could see the quiver in her eyes had been joy, surprised laughter. Sighing deeply, he let her go.

    Realizing the book had become another tool the two could use to tease one another, he realized he¡¯d need to make the time to study it and read it over to be better prepared. For now, though, he¡¯d let her enjoy this moment. Enjoy her laugh that rolled through the grove up into the night sky.