CHAPTER 19: FINDING MY WAY BACK HOME
There's darkness all around us, but not so much as usual, we're falling forever and oh God, how far off the map are we going? At least I know Nikki's still with me, and Joe's right ahead of us. Well, further down, technically, but still. Following the sounds of his scream, as much as it's easy to simply let gravity guide us, it's no better for my stressed-out brain when we're all traveling at terminal velocity and we can't possibly catch up to him after that head start.
Eventually, we feel ourselves slowing down and landing softly on what feels like cushions, except we can't see those cushions, not when it's dark all around us. Small comfort.
Finally, Nikki asks the most obvious of Captain Obvious questions. "Where the hell are we?"
I fish the map out of my pocket, and Joe creeps up behind me so he can get a look-see as well. "It says we're in the same place where we fell through that trapdoor," he says, pointing to that spot not too far from the seven towers. "Except we're on a different level by now, aren't we?"
I cycle through all the other levels, but each time I look at another one, our little pentacle-shaped "You Are Here" icon vanishes from the map. It only appears when we're on the second level. At least we're getting some kind of reception. And the map appears more than capable of decent self-illumination.
Speaking of which, I hold the map up and use the light to try and get a glimpse of whatever's around us. But whatever surface we're sitting on, whatever surfaces might be surrounding us, they're so dark that they completely repel all light. As Joe and Nikki pick up on this same realization, they both shudder at the thought.
Then there's a small pinprick of light about five feet in front of me - and that's a random guess, given how meaningless depth perception is in an environment such as this. I keep the map held out as I approach it, finding myself barely able to stand on such uneven terrain.
"Ever been to a Tactile Dome?" Nikki asks. "That's what this is like, pretty much."
"No," Joe says.
"Must be in some big-city science museum or something." I keep one hand on the cushioned floor and one held up, allowing the map's light to continue guiding me to that one little star. It feels like it keeps on receding, like a mirage, but eventually I catch it and raise my other hand to grab hold of it. The light temporarily vanishes before bursting forth, penetrating my clenched fist with small but powerful rays. My brain tells me I should feel pain, but I don't. There's no sensation whatsoever from this stuff, whatever it is.
Within seconds, the light jumps up to eleven, and that's when the pain settles in. Not in my hand, but in my eyeballs, which can't handle the sudden sensory assault.
An eternity later, the light clears, and we're no longer in total darkness. Nor are we sitting on cushions of some kind.
We're standing on hardwood floors, with more wood and stone and even antlered heads surrounding us.
"Isn't this where we came in?" asks Nikki.
I nod slowly. "I think you're right. How'd we get back here?"
Joe crosses his arms. "Nice try, Satan. We know this isn't my dad's old cabin. Not for real. Stop fucking with us."