The Empty World | The Empty World Sequence [complete | rewriting]

"Thirty-One" (Draft 2)

They were running into the very heart of the storm, the rain pelted down on them so that all three were soaked, and then the wind chilled them so that they ran slower and evaded falling things with more difficulty. Daniel Pearl was having the hardest time. The other two could run faster, Julien because he was a Vampyre and the invasion of reality didn't effect them, and Daniel because Dream had created him to run when things got too much to handle and the codes for it had been right there in Gabriel's lab.

The tower still stood before them, and as they raced toward it through the rain the land shook again with another violent slip between regions, and this one came from the point between Los Angeles and Limbo, it was one of the worst. And they were just steps away from the asphalt that had once been the hazy crossroads of Limbo. The ground broke open before them, formations of rock jutted up through the dark and silvery rain and at once Julien and Daniel who had their hands joined stopped and said, "It's like that scene in Fantasia!"

Daniel turned to look for the other Daniel, but couldn't see him.

Julien called up to the Djinn and told them to look for Daniel Pearl and then he pulled Daniel violently to one side and moved around the rock. "Keep running!" he shouted. "If you want to save anyone, it's better to stop the storm than to try to save them!"

They skidded across the wet asphalt then gained traction on the new surface and made a rush for the tower. Julien tugged at the pair of doors and one gave. Daniel slipped in, and then Julien came after, leaned back against the door.

"What the fuck?" Daniel asked.

"No," Julien moaned.

Daniel walked forward slowly and studied the strange staircases and ladders. "How does one get up?"

"Not the Maze!" Julien moaned loudly.

"You've been here?"

"I have nightmares about this place."

"I never dream."

Julien went to one of the dangerous looking ladders. "Usually, if you take the way you hate most, you get farther up," he said.

"Oh, then you've done this before," Daniel said.

"Yes, but I hate it. And I've never got to the top."

"Doesn't mean you won't this time."

"I know, the universe is depending on me getting you up there. Great." Julien made his way up steadily. When he came to the first dead end, he almost panicked. But Daniel said they would keep trying till they got there. So they went down a level and tried from there. Three times Julien met a dead end, but he never looked down until he knew he was at one.

He came to a very dark place that seemed made of acute and obtuse angles in some way that was meant to drive you mad. Julien chose a rather twisted hidden staircase and felt his way up.

"Dead end?" Daniel asked.

"I don't know, there's all this glittery stuff," and then he cried out, "Ow! Its glass all over the floor." Julien felt his way up the wall and stood up on the level floor. Daniel came up behind him.

"I think you found the top, Julien."

"Yeah, I guess I did. I don't see Joy," Julien said. He stumbled around on the uneven carpeting of glass shards. The tower shook and he was thrown to the side. He caught himself on one of the chains that held the couches above he floor. And then in the strange light that came dimly from the glass he saw that these pieces of glass were higher up. "This place is strange, I think it must have looked very different before the storm hit."