Kitty's eyes flashed open as another knock came to her door. She rolled
over and looked at her clock.
3:25.
"Coming!" She whispered and crawled towards the door. She had a feeling she knew who it was, but she wasn't sure. She slowly opened the door, and there, wearing his pajamas, was Kurt.
He looked down.
"Kurt, do you have any idea what time it is?" She sighed.
"I'm sorry, Kitty," She waved him in. "But I couldn't sleep, again.." He sat down on the empty bed across from hers.
"Nightmares again?" Kitty yawned, sitting Indian style on her own bed.
"Yeah,"
"Kurt, it's not your fault!"
"I know Kitty, I know! But it's all I can think about! He's been gone for four nights now, and every time I close my eyes, the nightmares get worse!"
"Well, what was it this time?" Kitty prodded gently. "If you want to talk about it, that is.."
"Well, I probably should... talking helps, right?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, well, have you ever read The Pit and the Pendulum?"
"What?"
"The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe..?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Well, it was just like that, except Gambit was the guy, and there was no General to save him at the end..." Kurt slowed.
"What was in the pit?"
"You don't want to know.." Kurt bit his bottom lip, memories of his horrid nightmare coming back to him..
Gambit, bruised and bloodied, stood at the edge of the pit, teetering perilously. He gave a yell as the walls gave the last, fatal, push, and sent him into the pit.
Three horrors awaited him there.
As he fell, he suddenly came to a halt, seemingly in mid air. He looked at where he stopped only to see a net of what most clearly resembled lines of electricity, held him. A pain shot through his body, a pain so horrible he arched his back and wished to cry out, but was unable. He writhed as the slow pain continued. It ate it's way into his person, shifting, deleting his very DNA until he was nothing more then human.
His mutant powers were gone.
He suddenly began falling again. He senses blurred, his whole being ached, but still he fell. As he began to slip into dreams, he stopped again, this time on a cool, metal floor. He tried to rise to a sitting position, tried to ignore the pain, but as he did the floor shattered into hundreds of spikes, ripping the majority of his clothes from him as he fell.
His fall was longer this time, but the stench and the sounds alerted him to what lay below. A pit of maybe eight feet wide, with no way out, lay below him. Dead, rotting corpses, and other starved, naked souls struggling to stay alive, awaited him.
"Kurt! Kurt!"
"Huh?" Kurt focused his eyes on the worried Kitty before him. As he blinked a few times, she dropped her hand from his shoulder.
"You uh, I guess you just spaced out for a second there."
"Sorry," He sighed. "I guess I'd better head back. I-"
"No, you know I think part of your problem is knowing you're alone in that room." Kitty stood and yawned. "You can sleep there tonight. Nobody shares a room with me, so you won't be invading.
"R-really?"
"Yeah, just-just don't wake up screaming... I'm exhausted." She smiled and climbed into her bed.
"Really? Why is that?" Kurt snickered, climbing into the empty bed across from Kitty.
"Actually, I think there's a fuzzy elf in my room..."
3:25.
"Coming!" She whispered and crawled towards the door. She had a feeling she knew who it was, but she wasn't sure. She slowly opened the door, and there, wearing his pajamas, was Kurt.
He looked down.
"Kurt, do you have any idea what time it is?" She sighed.
"I'm sorry, Kitty," She waved him in. "But I couldn't sleep, again.." He sat down on the empty bed across from hers.
"Nightmares again?" Kitty yawned, sitting Indian style on her own bed.
"Yeah,"
"Kurt, it's not your fault!"
"I know Kitty, I know! But it's all I can think about! He's been gone for four nights now, and every time I close my eyes, the nightmares get worse!"
"Well, what was it this time?" Kitty prodded gently. "If you want to talk about it, that is.."
"Well, I probably should... talking helps, right?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, well, have you ever read The Pit and the Pendulum?"
"What?"
"The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allen Poe..?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Well, it was just like that, except Gambit was the guy, and there was no General to save him at the end..." Kurt slowed.
"What was in the pit?"
"You don't want to know.." Kurt bit his bottom lip, memories of his horrid nightmare coming back to him..
Gambit, bruised and bloodied, stood at the edge of the pit, teetering perilously. He gave a yell as the walls gave the last, fatal, push, and sent him into the pit.
Three horrors awaited him there.
As he fell, he suddenly came to a halt, seemingly in mid air. He looked at where he stopped only to see a net of what most clearly resembled lines of electricity, held him. A pain shot through his body, a pain so horrible he arched his back and wished to cry out, but was unable. He writhed as the slow pain continued. It ate it's way into his person, shifting, deleting his very DNA until he was nothing more then human.
His mutant powers were gone.
He suddenly began falling again. He senses blurred, his whole being ached, but still he fell. As he began to slip into dreams, he stopped again, this time on a cool, metal floor. He tried to rise to a sitting position, tried to ignore the pain, but as he did the floor shattered into hundreds of spikes, ripping the majority of his clothes from him as he fell.
His fall was longer this time, but the stench and the sounds alerted him to what lay below. A pit of maybe eight feet wide, with no way out, lay below him. Dead, rotting corpses, and other starved, naked souls struggling to stay alive, awaited him.
"Kurt! Kurt!"
"Huh?" Kurt focused his eyes on the worried Kitty before him. As he blinked a few times, she dropped her hand from his shoulder.
"You uh, I guess you just spaced out for a second there."
"Sorry," He sighed. "I guess I'd better head back. I-"
"No, you know I think part of your problem is knowing you're alone in that room." Kitty stood and yawned. "You can sleep there tonight. Nobody shares a room with me, so you won't be invading.
"R-really?"
"Yeah, just-just don't wake up screaming... I'm exhausted." She smiled and climbed into her bed.
"Really? Why is that?" Kurt snickered, climbing into the empty bed across from Kitty.
"Actually, I think there's a fuzzy elf in my room..."