Chapter Twelve
P erry stood watching Menut sleep, remembering the way he looked, then turned and left the bedroom. Dressing as quietly as he could, Perry slipped his sneakers on carefully, picked up the chair and placed it under the hatch. Taking a deep breath, he opened it, pausing when it clicked and waited to see if the sound had woken Menut. When he didn’t stir, Perry slowly lowered the hatch, then paused again. When Menut didn’t move, Perry grabbed the edge and then jumped up, shuffling until his upper body was through. His legs dangled, and he gritted his teeth, sweat breaking out across his forehead as he pulled himself up. Once he swung his legs up, he panted softly, then carefully leaned through the opening and grabbed the edge of the hatch. Lifting it up, he moved his fingers out of the way and pulled it closed.
Darkness surrounded him, and Perry shivered in the cold air. He listened carefully but heard nothing but his own rasping breath. Placing a hand on the wall, Perry carefully stood, then grunted when his head hit the ceiling. “Should have brought a flashlight,” he muttered. Not that he’d found any when he’d had the opportunity to look. Bent over, Perry took small steps forward, moving slowly as his eyes adjusted to the dark. There was light in the distance and Perry stumbled toward it, his feet catching on things on the ground that Perry couldn’t see, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to see when he felt something crawl over his face. He brushed it off, managing not to cry out, and trudged on.
He didn’t know how long it took before the small dot of light began to grow larger. Sighing in relief, Perry picked up speed, his hands still using the wall as a guide until he eventually reached the opening. Stepping through, he stopped and turned around, taking in the surrounding landscape.
Perry took several steps toward the edge of the cliff and looked down. “Fuck.” He hadn’t thought about where the opening would actually be, but as he stared out, he realized he was on top of a cliff. That made sense as the main entrance was in the cliff face. He should have thought about that before leaving so he would be prepared. So to make it home, he first had to find a way down. “Fucking fuck.”
Running his fingers through his hair, Perry carefully walked around the area until he found a path that led down. Well, he used the word path, but it was really an area that had less greenery growing on it. Stepping over a small bush, Perry slowly made his way along the path, being careful where he placed his feet. He walked close to the edge and made sure to lean his body weight toward the cliff, making sure each foot stayed away from the drop that would surely kill him.
Slowly but surely, he eased his way along the small path, purposely keeping his eyes away from the edge. He didn’t need to see the drop that he walked far too close to. He just had to make sure he stayed on solid ground. When the wind hit him, Perry leaned against the wall, his fingers digging into any crevice he could find, taking shallow breaths, his eyes closed until the wind disappeared. Opening them, he saw the clouds cover the moon, and what little light Perry had briefly disappeared. Moaning softly, Perry waited until the moon came into view again, then moved on. He had to make it to cover before Menut woke and found him gone. Here, he was exposed and Menut would spot him within seconds.
Fingers white with cold and fear, Perry edged forward, his small steps slowly getting closer to the ground. The wind whined around him, tugging at his hair and clothes, the bushes and trees swaying around him, and Perry shivered, his skin pebbling. Small steps. Nice and slow. Moving forward inch by inch.
He had no idea how much time had passed, but when he finally made it to the ground, Perry staggered forward, then dropped to his knees. His heart raced in his chest, his fingers were numb, but he couldn’t stop. He had to keep moving. Pushing up off the ground, Perry ran across the field, heading toward the forest ahead. He was out in the open now, visible from above, and he knew he had to run hard and fast to make it under cover.
The forest wasn’t close either, so Perry gritted his teeth and pumped his arms and legs, running as fast as he could, stumbling and falling, tripping over things he couldn’t see. As soon as he fell, he was up again, running on. He could slow once he was under cover, but until then he was exposed and he knew he couldn’t slow, couldn’t stop. It wasn’t just Menut he had to watch for. There were other monsters who lived here, and Perry had to keep an eye out for them as well. He didn’t want to escape one monster to fall prey to another. Like he had before.
Eventually, he reached the trees and ran under them, slowing when he felt certain he wouldn’t be seen. Stopping, he turned and panted harshly, hands on his hips as he bent over, taking in huge lungfuls of air. The muscles in his legs burned. His chest did too, but it had been worth it to be standing under the protective cover of the trees. With one final glance back, Perry turned and walked away.
Now that he wasn’t out in the open, Perry slowed, checking around him constantly, pausing to listen in case he heard the flap of wings. Bugs and moss lit up the darkness, and Perry marvelled at the life around him. Most of it could probably kill him, so he made sure not to touch anything. Something slithered behind him, but Perry didn’t stop to see what it was. He carried on, hoping he wasn’t veering off course. Now that he was in the forest, he couldn’t see what direction he was going in, so tried to make sure he was going in as straight a line as possible. He knew he could come out in a different spot than the one he wanted, but he’d made sure to memorize what lay near the town.
More sounds of life reached his ears, but Perry carried on. He had no choice now. He’d made his decision, and he was going to find a way home. He didn’t belong here with Menut. Just thinking about the Mothman had Perry biting his lip as his chest tightened. Swallowing, Perry moaned slightly and rubbed his neck where Menut had bitten him. Where Menut liked to bite him whenever they fucked. Perry was certain the bite Menut had given him would scar, but he didn’t care about that. He could always lie when questioned about it.
Pushing thoughts of Menut to one side, Perry continued forward, stepping over fallen branches and dead trees that lay on the ground, pausing when he saw animals that had him holding his breath. Wild and terrifyingly different, these animals that came in different shapes and sizes, some with a few legs and some with many. All the colors of the rainbow too, some fluorescent and some so dark Perry could barely make them out. He didn’t stop to investigate them. He had no idea if they would gang up and try to eat him, so he stepped over or around them and tried to ignore them.
Sweat beaded his brow, trickled down his back, an uncomfortable itching sensation that Perry attempted to ignore. Still, he trudged on, determined to make it to the town and the portal and eventually home. Home. Away from Menut. Perry deliberately pushed away emotions that made him slow and briefly consider turning around and going back. He had to be ruthless. This wasn’t his home. If he had to remind himself a hundred times, he would.
Home was his world. His family and friends. Here wasn’t any of those.
Perry noticed more and more light coming through the branches, then the trees thinned ahead. Picking up speed, Perry focused on the light and stepped out from under the canopy of trees. Standing on the edge of another field, he shielded his eyes as he scanned the area. There, in the distance, was the town he needed to reach. Sagging, Perry bent over, hands on his knees, and breathed. He’d made it.
Standing upright, he noticed dawn was approaching, and straightening his back, Perry set out with renewed determination. He had maybe another hour of walking ahead of him and then he would be back in the safe zone, and not long after that, he’d be home.
By the time he reached the town, his feet hurt. Each step had him biting his lip, pain making him gasp, but he kept walking, or more accurately, hobbling. He had no idea what time it was. He didn’t have a watch, and his phone had been lost days earlier. It didn’t matter, though. Once he reached the portal, he would be home.
Searching the street he walked along, Perry looked for something familiar. He couldn’t remember this area of the safe zone. It was possible that he hadn’t been in this area, so he’d have to find somewhere that was open and ask. Hobbling on, Perry eventually found a map and almost cried in relief. Checking it, he found he still had some ways to go until he reached the building that housed the portal, but he was almost there. Now, in the safe zone, he would be fine.
Stumbling on, Perry winced with every step he took, but he kept putting one foot in front of the other until he saw the building that housed the portal ahead. Then he realized it was open, and Perry felt tears stream down his face. Laughing and crying at the same time, he staggered on and saw the guard.
The man looked him up and down. “What the hell happened to you?”
“The date from hell which I escaped by leaving the safe zone. I’ve only just made it back.” He gave his name, then asked, “Can I leave now?”
The guard checked his details, then nodded. “Go through, but you will be spoken to in the research facility.”
Perry walked towards the entrance and turned to have one last look at the world he was never ever visiting again. As he was about to turn back, he caught movement on a nearby roof. Eyes growing wide, he saw Menut, who stood and watched him. Perry swallowed, his heart beating hard and fast in his chest. His stomach rolled, and he took a step toward Menut before he could stop himself. No, he had to go. He had to leave.
Perry didn’t know how long he stood staring at Menut before the guard asked him if he was going or not. Perry broke eye contact with Menut and nodded. He went inside, a sick feeling building inside his body, one Perry purposefully ignored.
He checked his name off again, then stumbled to the portal. The doorway stood in front of him, the swirling lights between it, the way back home. It didn’t hold his attention like it had the first time Perry had seen it and as he stepped through, he closed his eyes, felt the electricity rush through him and then he was stepping out and back on his world. Staggering forward, he managed to stay upright.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m good. Just want to go home.”
“Name.”
Perry straightened and gave his details, then walked out of the large portal room. A guard met him and told Perry to follow him. The next couple of hours were filled with Perry telling them what happened, several tests, more questions, then he was shown to a room where he was informed he would stay until his test results came back.
Once they came back clear, Perry followed a guard outside of the research facility building and stopped. The cool night air hit him, and he bit his lip, tears streaming down his face. God, he hurt. His body ached, his heart felt like a heavy weight in his chest, and he wanted to go home and curl up under the covers.
“Perry!”
Looking up, Perry saw Dennis running toward him. He let the other man haul him in for a hug and shuddered in his arms. “I’m never doing another bet again.”
“What the fuck happened?” Dennis pushed Perry back, but kept hold of him.
“The date from hell happened. She was a fucking nut job! She tried to fucking eat me and I had to hide, only I ended up outside of the safe zone with werewolves and Mothmen and other weird crazy shit.” Perry sagged, his body running on empty. “Take me home. I just want to go home.”