Chapter 19
Bowen
Darkness. It was all around me and inside me.
I blinked hard, but there was nothing to see.
Not even a hint of light. I couldn’t even see the frames of my glasses or tell if my eyes were actually open, so I blinked them again to no avail.
My mind felt just as black as my vision.
A soft scratching at the back of my head was the only thing I could track.
Cold, crisp air circled around me, and I felt a slither of motion around my hands, tightening to hold them in place behind my back.
There was a musty smell in the air that tasted of metal.
The darkness surrounding me was so complete that it was dizzying.
Or maybe I was still seasick. Somehow, the illness seemed to dissipate slightly when I’d been talking to Rudy, as though his voice was the very thing I needed to counter my symptoms. Had he felt me?
Is that how he had known to call? Shit! Rudy!
The last thing I could remember was leaning against a wall, trying to keep the world from spinning, when he called me. There had been an edge to his voice, but I was so relieved to hear it that I hadn’t dwelled on it. Then the shadows…
A shiver racked my entire body, making whatever I was sitting on wobble.
The shadows. They found me. It happened so fast, and I hadn’t been able to say anything.
Before I knew it, I was cloaked in darkness, shadows covering my entire being.
When I opened my mouth, I felt them rush inside me, cutting off any chance of speaking.
Gone was my ability to focus on anything at all.
Now, I was here—somewhere cold, lightless, and with thick, musty air. My head was still foggy, and I couldn’t find the place that allowed me to speak with Rudy mind to mind. Again, that itch in the back of my head came, but an ache rolled through me when I tried to concentrate on it.
Leaving the itch, I searched the rest of my body, nearly crying out loud when I felt that warmth in my chest, which I knew came from Rudy.
It was laced with fear, and I hated to think of what Rudy was going through, not knowing what was happening.
Did he feel my fear? Would it drive out the mindless beast and send him reeling out of control?
He was so reactive to me, something I truly loved about him, only now I dreaded what it might do to him.
Despite the dense air, I took several deep, calming breaths, trying to keep my head and, in turn, hoping it helped Rudy keep his, too.
Think, Bowen. If my sight was of no help, I needed to rely on other senses.
I closed my eyes, which seemed pointless, but it helped me feel less adrift in a world without reference.
A drip sounded in the distance. It was a tiny ping against something solid.
It wasn’t much to go on, but it helped anchor me.
With my body and mind understanding that I was somewhere and not just floating in endless darkness, I felt the tightness in my chest loosen slightly.
Focusing on the drip, holding onto it, I held my breath to try to hear beyond my own noise that seemed to echo in my ears.
A huff sounded to my left. Someone was here! Or… something.
I did the only reasonable thing, which happened to be the thing you should never do according to horror movies. I talked to the ‘something’ in the dark.
“Hello? Who’s there?”
Another huff sounded in response. Okay. I could work with that.
At least it was responsive to a prompt. If I could get a little more out of it, then I might be able to communicate more easily.
My first priority was finding out if I was intended to be its next meal.
That was a crucial detail when dealing with unknown creatures, although, in my experience, even a hungry predator would pause in the face of something they didn’t understand.
Being understood was a hard thing to understand.
Reasons to be on the menu included defending their space, defending themselves, or straight-up desperate hunger. If I could determine whether any of these were factors, I could figure out the level of danger I was in from whatever was sharing this spaceless space.
“Is this your home?” I asked into the dark.
There was a pause before another huff sounded, carrying a slightly different tone.
It sounded uncertain. Most creatures could sense their home, whether they could see it or not.
Was the darkness playing tricks on their mind, or was it just as lost as I was?
Either way, it was one question answered; now to keep trying.
“Are you hurt?”
A heavy snort of air sounded. With it, I heard muddled words that sounded thick and distant. Whatever it was, must be something I hadn’t encountered before because the language wasn’t recognizable… not yet, at least.
“My name is Bowen. I’m not here by choice. Something brought me here. Do you know why you’re here?” If it was meant to eat me, then I’d find out pretty soon.
It sounded like something very large shifted against a wall or the floor.
With the movement came a low groan that sounded almost human.
I cocked my head to the side, listening intently for any signal that it was about to make a move on me, but then I heard a voice.
It was faint, with a deep, gruff quality to it.
“Not… my choice.” It wasn’t spoken in English, but the words were actually spoken. What language was he speaking? I suppose it didn’t really matter if my ability allowed me to interpret the languages of speaking beings, as well as animals, which was something I’d have to dwell on later.
Aside from using another language, there was something beast-like about it, too. Whatever it was, the being was in the same situation I was, but maybe we could help each other out.
“I’m sorry. How long have you been here?”
A huff came again, laced with confusion. “Do not know.”
With the complete darkness surrounding me, it was easy to lose any kind of awareness of time. I didn’t know how long I’d been here either, but there was something about this being that felt… worn, like the kind of exhaustion that came from fighting for a long time.
If he’d been here for a while, maybe he knew more about the space. “Do you know where we are?”
“Underground.” The one-word answer came with another blast of air, as if exasperated by either the location or my questions, I wasn’t sure which.
Underground. The thought made my stomach sour. What did that mean? Underground where? I supposed it made sense why there was no hint of light anywhere. I could still hear the slow drip of water, which was comforting. The water had to come from somewhere and had to lead somewhere.
“Okay. Well, I can help you. There are two of us now; I’m sure we can figure something out.”
“No. Not help… hurt.”
What did he mean by that? A sliver of dread sent an icy chill through me. “Were you brought here to hurt me?”
A gruff, indignant laugh sounded. “No. You were brought here to hurt me.”
My head snapped back at that. “What? No! I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Why would you think that?”
“They said you are the key.”
The key? What did that mean? I was trying to think of what to ask when I felt the slithering around my wrists tighten.
It wasn’t just on my wrists; it seemed as if the darkness itself slithered.
It moved and wafted around me until the shadows drew back enough to reveal a light.
The contrast to the total darkness was so drastic that I squinted; the light too bright for my eyes.
They watered and burned as I tried to take in any details of the space that were revealed behind the shadows.
Wooden frames lined the dirt walls, and there was a metal track on the ground.
As I adjusted to the break in the darkness, my brain was slower to interpret the images than it would normally be.
I wanted to shield my eyes from the brightness ahead, to try to block out the most intense parts and focus in on the edges, but my hands were firmly secured behind my back.
When I saw the tiny splash of water hitting the track, it seemed to be what I needed to understand the space I was in.
It was some kind of mine shaft. An old iron pickaxe lay discarded feet away from me, and I found myself wishing I could reach it to have something to defend myself with.
Seeing as I couldn’t, I would have to rely on the only tools I had at my disposal.
My mind, and with the tug of determination I felt within me… my mate.
A figure stepped in front of the light, providing only a faceless silhouette. It was human-shaped, at least, though that didn’t really mean anything anymore. Not with the understanding that the world was so much more complex than I knew before finding Creature Comforts.
“Yes. Good. I see you two are getting acquainted. That should make this easier, from what I’ve heard.” The figure’s voice had a high, nasal pitch, like the vocal equivalent of nails on a chalkboard. It was rather unsettling, especially given the inability to see them.
At the mention of two of us, I swung my head to the left to try to see my companion, but all I found was a wall of shadows concealing what felt like a rather large figure.
“Who are you? What do you want?”
The light brightened as the figure drew closer, casting their features in onyx shadows, hiding their face despite the nearness. A chill swept through me. It felt like sleep paralysis. To be awake but unable to move while something dark and ominous crept closer. A shadow person.