TDR: Life as a Traveller

The Cost of Curiosity Part 4, Chapter 3

Part 4 — Encounter

I shoved the loosely held grating off, rattling against the hard concrete floor. The low hum of this place was more apparent in this room than in any other than I had been in before, it carried a feeling in me that felt like a distant and ghostly wail of the people who once walked these halls and rooms.
'Remember, tread carefully, and quickly, child. There should be a light switch in the centre of the room, much like the one you had pressed before.'

I quickly made my way to the centre, all the while feeling that there was something amiss. Aside from the hum, it was too quiet. Even if she didn't say that, I was on my toes for that alone. I was still aware of her early warnings about the Formless and that her tricks would not last forever. With the click of the button on the pedestal, the place came alive, even more so than the one I was in before. It was a blinding flash to my senses—noises and lights blared in an instant. As my eyes adjusted to the overwhelmingly bright room, I saw my brother. He was just lying exactly where the circle left him, motionless.

For precious moments, I stood there, just watching, shocked, as my mind went wild.
Damn! Still half-blind, I rushed to his side. I rushed over, fearing the worst, but even my worst fears would not be a match for what would soon happen.

I reached him, my heart pounding, I couldn't tell if he was breathing at first, so I put my ear to his chest.
*Ba-thump*
*Ba-thump*
His heart was still beating, but it was so weird... was he just asleep?
I nudged him a bit, but he didn't wake up.
Then, to make sure he wasn't pretending or something childish, I stomped on his tail. But no response. He would have been howling in pain if he was just asleep or awake—pretending to be asleep.

'He's unconscious, but transportation circles have no such effect. I suggest being wary—'
Before Luna could even finish her warning, we both felt it—the air itself became heavy—an burning acidic odour assaulted my nose.
Only one word could describe it for me: 'Death'
'Run!' Luna shouted in my mind.
'Get him on your back, and run!'

I ignored the ridiculousness of the instruction she gave, mustered as much strength as I could, and pulled Kun over my back. I expected the moment I would start running, he would slide off, but, somehow, he seemed affixed to me. I stopped thinking about it and scanned for the the quickest way out and ran to it, that's when I finally heard what every other sense had been screaming about. It started with a crash—something heavy—then a screech that ripped through the enclosed space. Deafeningly loud, blood-curdling, a horrific scream, even an A-tier horror film could only hope to have.

I looked back for only a second, but I couldn't see it at all. It was like a shadow, eating up the light, chasing right behind me. It was what she had warned me about: a Formless. It was closing the distance at a terrifying pace, but I had reached a partially open door, a sliding door, it wasn't quite open enough, but I gritted through the pain as I slammed my body through the narrow exit. Moments later, I heard the metallic doors crash with an earth-shattering roar—it had just smashed through a door cemented in concrete—just that alone had me realise just how screwed I was.

'When I tell you, make a right turn.'

'What?!'

'Just do it, we do not have the luxury of having a discussion at the moment. I know the way.'

I was hopelessly out of my depth, I hadn't even thought about what door I had gone through, or what was on the other side. I was running blindly in the dark now with no plan and no idea what the layout was like for this corridor. I had to put my trust in Luna now.

I felt the adrenaline in my system turn to eleven, my already heightened senses grew almost overwhelming, I felt myself zipping through the still air faster and faster. Faster than I had ever done so before, and that was now with my brother on my back.