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“No reason not to,” I agree.
With a resolute nod, Merri strides to the right, and the walls narrow, the earth pressing in from all sides.
The tips of my fingers brush against the wall on my left, and something slithers away.
My hand darts after it, furrowing through the dirt, and I catch what feels like a leathery snake before it slips my grasp.
I reach out and touch Merri’s back. “There’s something in the walls.”
She freezes, even her breathing cutting off.
In the silence, the rustle of dirt comes from behind us, the sound of a tunnel collapsing.
Our eyes meet, and for a moment, it feels like time stands still. Then she spins back around, moving quickly, pushing through the narrow passage.
All at once, the ground beneath us gives way, and we slide down a narrow chute before flying out into thin air and falling dozens of feet.
We crash into a larger chamber, landing on our backs, the ground crunching beneath us. Above our heads, tree roots burst from the walls and ceiling, tangling together to close the hole we fell through.
With a groan, Merri shifts beside me, more crunching filling the air.
“Are you alright?” I climb to my feet and reach out a hand to help her up.
Her hand clings to mine, a fine tremor shaking her body. The urge to pull her to me, to offer comfort, nearly overwhelms me.
But then her eyes drop to the ground, and she stiffens, pulling her hand from mine. “Well, I think we’ve found Nickodemus’s missing children.”
I peer around us and realize we landed on a pile of bones. The elongated skulls of boogeymen with their multiple rows of teeth rest next to humans and other demonic shapes. I even spot a few akuzal skeletons, their slender legs with taloned feet pointed toward the ceiling.
My gut clenches. “This is a killing ground.”
She spins in a slow circle. “But what is doing the killing?”
“I don’t know, but we need to get out before it comes for us.” I bend and grab one of the boogeyman skulls. “Do you sense any energy?”
Merri touches the skull and shakes her head. “Nothing.” She crouches to touch more bones. “I can’t feel any energy left in these.”
My stomach sinks. “This monster is eating energy as well as flesh.”
The glow in her skin brightens. “How far down do you think we are? Can we burn our way out? Or will that kill us?”
“If it does, I don’t mind dying, if it means escape.” I smile down at her. “At least this time when I come back into existence, you’ll be by my side, and you’ll love me until the others arrive to remind you that you shouldn’t.”
Her face morphs into a scowl. “Stop chasing what we had in the past. Who we were isn’t who we are, so make the current me love you even more desperately than that girl in the past.”
Hope surges through me, and I reach out to cup her cheek, sparking the fire between us. “Iwill, my lady. Just give me time.”
A rustle comes from the shadows in the cavern, and Merri steps closer, shifting to put her back against mine. “You’ll have it if you stop dying for love and instead figure out a way to save our asses.”
out of my element
- Marc -
Rain lashesagainst the sides of the house and creates a metallic tapping against the closed, bay doors of the garage. The storm started sometime while I was using the pressure washer on the van and shows no sign of letting up.
I summon the fire inside me to warm my body against the chill of the concrete floor as I complete the meticulous cleaning of the van’s interior. I already finished the exterior, but it’s been a while since I did a deep clean, and who knows what spells Mayor Berdherst’s henchmen have snuck onto our vehicles?
Better safe than sorry.
