be afraid of them. An echo left over from ancestors a hundred thousand years back. Whatever they were, somehow every part of him knew they were bad. The terror of them pushed his very thoughts away, left him as no more than an animal. He wanted to reach for his bone spear, but was frozen in place. Then a new noise came, a high pitched whine this time. After a few seconds he realized it was coming from him, a tiny scream chocked off in his throat.
Spencer ran blindly, making his way as best he could back the way he had come, forgetting at first to put his right hand against the wall to feel his way back. By the time he did think of it, it was too late. He reached out as he ran and felt only empty space. He struck another stalactite, or maybe the same one as before. Not full on, a glancing blow against the side of his head that left a burst of stars in his vision. He couldn’t hear them following, such was their stealth.
But he could sense it. He felt them following.
He ran on, tears streaming down his cheeks, knowing already his panic had ruined him. They would have him in only moments, because there really was nowhere to run. And then his foot missed purchase, sprawling him face first down onto the ground. He started to get up dizzily, then realized even as his head still spun that he had stepped into the hole he had climbed in from.
He spun and scampered down it, pushing his pack in front of him before he could think to leave it behind. Through every inch of the tunnel he thought he could feel icy claws ready to grab his ankles. Crawling through that tunnel were the longest moments of his life. His panic was such that he thought his heart would explode.
And then, almost as soon as he saw the light of the end, he was out of it. Out and running, though he only ran a few feet before he fell. His right ankle was twisted badly from the hole and wouldn’t hold his weight. He turned on his hands and knees towards the tunnel to see what followed. There was nothing.
Or was there? Something just inside the mouth of the tunnel, just outside of the edge of the light. He thought just maybe he could make out eyes staring at him from the darkness. Black, lumpy eyes. The kind he'd seen just once before. The eyes of Jack's people.
Staring...staring.
Afraid of the light , Spencer thought.
He backed away on his hands and his one good foot, never taking his eyes off it. He backed around the curve of the rocks so it could not longer see him, though still watched in case he should see some terrible thing appear from around that curve. He crawled until he found a stick he could use as a crutch, then moved as fast as he could as far away as he could. It was only after some time he noticed the throbbing pain in his ankle and head or that his nose was streaming blood from the fall.
* * *
The next day after Suzie’s broken arm Spencer woke with the sun, as always. He put his bed back away from the door and sat waiting. Trying to be stoic about what was in store for him and failing. Back in Nowhere Blvd. he’d lived in constant fear, but at least there he had had some control over his destiny. Here he didn’t control anything. He used to take what he wanted, now he only had what he was given.
After a while he heard something at the door. It was Baby Suzie peeking in. His first thought was that she came for revenge, trying to catch him while he slept. After a moment he realized how ridiculous the idea was and actually smiled at the thought of it.
Suzie came in the rest of the way, a purple caste on her right arm and a pink pony in her left hand. She walked up to the bed he was sitting on and handed him the pony. He looked at it, at a loss for what he was supposed to do with it.
Well if she’s not going to hold a grudge then I guess I won’t, he thought.
He pranced the pony around the bed, nuzzling it at her face. She
Spencer ran blindly, making his way as best he could back the way he had come, forgetting at first to put his right hand against the wall to feel his way back. By the time he did think of it, it was too late. He reached out as he ran and felt only empty space. He struck another stalactite, or maybe the same one as before. Not full on, a glancing blow against the side of his head that left a burst of stars in his vision. He couldn’t hear them following, such was their stealth.
But he could sense it. He felt them following.
He ran on, tears streaming down his cheeks, knowing already his panic had ruined him. They would have him in only moments, because there really was nowhere to run. And then his foot missed purchase, sprawling him face first down onto the ground. He started to get up dizzily, then realized even as his head still spun that he had stepped into the hole he had climbed in from.
He spun and scampered down it, pushing his pack in front of him before he could think to leave it behind. Through every inch of the tunnel he thought he could feel icy claws ready to grab his ankles. Crawling through that tunnel were the longest moments of his life. His panic was such that he thought his heart would explode.
And then, almost as soon as he saw the light of the end, he was out of it. Out and running, though he only ran a few feet before he fell. His right ankle was twisted badly from the hole and wouldn’t hold his weight. He turned on his hands and knees towards the tunnel to see what followed. There was nothing.
Or was there? Something just inside the mouth of the tunnel, just outside of the edge of the light. He thought just maybe he could make out eyes staring at him from the darkness. Black, lumpy eyes. The kind he'd seen just once before. The eyes of Jack's people.
Staring...staring.
Afraid of the light , Spencer thought.
He backed away on his hands and his one good foot, never taking his eyes off it. He backed around the curve of the rocks so it could not longer see him, though still watched in case he should see some terrible thing appear from around that curve. He crawled until he found a stick he could use as a crutch, then moved as fast as he could as far away as he could. It was only after some time he noticed the throbbing pain in his ankle and head or that his nose was streaming blood from the fall.
* * *
The next day after Suzie’s broken arm Spencer woke with the sun, as always. He put his bed back away from the door and sat waiting. Trying to be stoic about what was in store for him and failing. Back in Nowhere Blvd. he’d lived in constant fear, but at least there he had had some control over his destiny. Here he didn’t control anything. He used to take what he wanted, now he only had what he was given.
After a while he heard something at the door. It was Baby Suzie peeking in. His first thought was that she came for revenge, trying to catch him while he slept. After a moment he realized how ridiculous the idea was and actually smiled at the thought of it.
Suzie came in the rest of the way, a purple caste on her right arm and a pink pony in her left hand. She walked up to the bed he was sitting on and handed him the pony. He looked at it, at a loss for what he was supposed to do with it.
Well if she’s not going to hold a grudge then I guess I won’t, he thought.
He pranced the pony around the bed, nuzzling it at her face. She
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