mistress and thwart her goals. Promise that you will do these things no matter the consequence with no hesitation."
"I do. I promise." The word echoed in his head disconcertingly. Then even this seemed to be sucked into the endless emptiness.
"Alright." The little man seemed mollified. "There is a door that leads from this dimension to yours. I have hidden it from you until now. It is wide open and waiting. I cannot push you through it. You must find your own way."
With that he was gone, leaving Eric in the endless emptiness. All sensations had completely gone. All that was left was a bitter hatred for the little man and a bottomless fear.
There was no door. He had been foolish to trust the little man. The truth that he had known his entire life returned to smack him in the face. Trusting others was a recipe for disaster.
Time was running out. He felt his emotions and the last of his thoughts slowly disappearing into the void.
Reaching out, looking for an exit, he strained everything in his being. It was no use. There was nothing to be found.
A final flare of anger was pulled out of him, and then there was nothing.
Except there was. There was some itch, some nagging irritant that would not go away. It was like a loose thread on a shirt, small, but difficult to ignore. His mind rolled over it again and again, pulling on it, focusing on it.
Slowly feelings started to return. At first he fought it, confused from his temporary nonexistence. Then, returning to his senses, he started to pull himself back.
The little man had said it was a door. It felt more like a rope. Slowly he pulled himself out of the darkness. As he regained more of his senses the changes seemed to happen faster and faster.
Abruptly he was thrust into the world. The ground beneath him was firm, the air had a taste, sounds were everywhere. For the first time since he had seen the girl at the aquarium he was not afraid. He felt elated.
"What the hell is that?" Someone shouted.
He looked up. A dozen faces stared back at him. Human faces. And each was set in a grimace of pure horror.
The air was filled with the sounds of gunshot as they all fired at once.
"I do. I promise." The word echoed in his head disconcertingly. Then even this seemed to be sucked into the endless emptiness.
"Alright." The little man seemed mollified. "There is a door that leads from this dimension to yours. I have hidden it from you until now. It is wide open and waiting. I cannot push you through it. You must find your own way."
With that he was gone, leaving Eric in the endless emptiness. All sensations had completely gone. All that was left was a bitter hatred for the little man and a bottomless fear.
There was no door. He had been foolish to trust the little man. The truth that he had known his entire life returned to smack him in the face. Trusting others was a recipe for disaster.
Time was running out. He felt his emotions and the last of his thoughts slowly disappearing into the void.
Reaching out, looking for an exit, he strained everything in his being. It was no use. There was nothing to be found.
A final flare of anger was pulled out of him, and then there was nothing.
Except there was. There was some itch, some nagging irritant that would not go away. It was like a loose thread on a shirt, small, but difficult to ignore. His mind rolled over it again and again, pulling on it, focusing on it.
Slowly feelings started to return. At first he fought it, confused from his temporary nonexistence. Then, returning to his senses, he started to pull himself back.
The little man had said it was a door. It felt more like a rope. Slowly he pulled himself out of the darkness. As he regained more of his senses the changes seemed to happen faster and faster.
Abruptly he was thrust into the world. The ground beneath him was firm, the air had a taste, sounds were everywhere. For the first time since he had seen the girl at the aquarium he was not afraid. He felt elated.
"What the hell is that?" Someone shouted.
He looked up. A dozen faces stared back at him. Human faces. And each was set in a grimace of pure horror.
The air was filled with the sounds of gunshot as they all fired at once.
