Wonderer's Wish World: An Empty Land

The Stairwell

As the four stepped into the darkness, they all knew it was their own will taking their feet and walking down. But with how much they stomach twisted into knots, and their instincts told them to run, it felt like there was another force, urging them deep, deeper down.

Tulip took her hand, and brushed it against the wall, before immediately snatching her hand back as it touched ice. She couldn't help but make a surprised noise.

Their line stopped. Eventually, Jolene spoke up. "You okay, girl?"

"I-I'm fine," Tulip told her, feeling her face heat up. She knew she was scared, but she hadn't thought she Would be startled by something she had been expecting.

"Let's keep going," Tulip told them, turning her face away, even though know of the others could see it in the dark, even with the light of the lanterns.

"If you need to stop..." Jolene trailed off, and Tulip heard her shaking her head, turning back to the front and continuing on. "No, we can't stop."

The line continued on, further down the steps. Tulip reached a hand out again, and brushed the wall. Even though she knew what to expect now, the freezing wall still surprised her, but Tulip held her tongue, unwilling to cry out again.

The wall wasn't just ice-cold, it was literal ice. The warm air from the desert above had been replaced with a chill that before, Tulip thought she was imagining.

Tulip had resented the heat before, but now, her skin had completely forgotten what it felt like.

Suddenly, a sound echoed out through the stairwell, and the line froze again. But this time, they knew the sound hadn't come from them.

The sound continued, and Tulip listened closely, above the panicked beating of her own heart and her slightly frantic breathing. It was the dripping of water, or some sort of liquid, that is. That's it. Probably.

Tulip still couldn't control her breathing.

"Where is that?" Mira whispered, but it echoed. Loudly.

"Further down," Jolene told them, and she spoke at a normal volume, sounding a little annoyed. "We have nothing to fear from that, so we'll continue."

The other's voiced their agreements, and they continued on further down. The dripping got louder and louder, and after a bit, got quieter and quieter, until it disappeared. By that time, the four had been walking for a long time, and Tulip had gotten used to the unease of the darkness. She was also starting to wonder how long this stair well was. She couldn't see an end, and they had lost sight of the light at the top, too. They couldn't see an end on either side; it felt like they were trapped.

"Oh, look at this," Mira suddenly said, and the rest of them jumped.

"What? WHAT?" Kai cried.

"There's a message on the wall," Mira answered calming. When Tulip looked up, she saw that Mira looked intrigued in the light of the lantern.

"Well, anything useful?" Jolene asked her sharply.

"Uh... it's hard to read..." Mira said, squinting into the wall. In the light, Tulip saw that the walls were red and glistening, and she cringed, discretely wiped her hand on her shirt.

Suddenly, Mira's face changed to annoyance. "Ugh. It just says: 'You will die'."

"Classic horror game writing," Kai laughed, and Tulip gave him a shocked look. Unfortunately, Kai's bravo did not stay for long, and soon his nervousness was back. "I-It is u-usually a l-lot less scary."

"You find it scary no matter what," Mira teased him, and Kai groaned.

"Hey, you and Adam played a lot more horror games, in my defense!" Kai defended, but when he finished, he seemed to realized what he was saying, and froze suddenly. Mira and Tulip did too, a just like that, Tulip saw Mira and Kai find the hole in the soul of Adam again. The grief inside of them, that had been there all along but small and ignorable, it was there again. Tulip could practically feel their grief, even if she didn't share it as strongly.