Fear crept its icy fingers up Eric's spine, paralyzing him as it rose. His thoughts seemed to jumble together in a mad attempt to escape order and he couldn't coax them into settling down. Eric's newly regained ability to feel seemed an unbearable curse; he wondered how the living could stand such agony.
"Um...Sam..." he stumbled, trying wrest his focus back to the immediate problem, "What...happened to you?"
The tremor in his voice refused to obey orders, reducing every word to a proclamation of his cowardice.
Sam laughed shrilly. "Don't let this Pratz guy fool you, old friends;" he grinned, "the other side's not all bad." (Insert something interesting or funny here).
The expression on his face did not belong to a nineteen-year-old. Eric took an involuntary step back. Suddenly he felt Helen's hand on his elbow and she began pulling him backwards, slowly edging them away from Sam. "I need your help!" She whispered urgently, spreading the pamphlet in front of them and scanning it rapidly.
Eric glanced back over his shoulder and could see Pratz engaged in a yelling match with Sam. He was gesturing wildly, and the movement of his arms was like a
Eric's attention was drawn again to the pamphlet by the sound of Helen rustling papers. The tension of Eric's disappearance and Sam's transfiguration seemed to have dispelled all her previous animosity towards him. The two of them were now bound to the same team. Her need to trust him outweighed her repulsion. She was reading the pamphlet quickly, her mouth moving silently as she read. He leaned in to examine it, wishing he had paid closer attention the first time.
"There!" She cried, pointing to a page titled "CONSEQUENCES." He read, "Any attempt to travel beyond the 15 foot perimeter of the affected area will result in loss of mobility for a period of one hour." Their eyes met in surprise. "Jack can't be far then!" Helen said joyfully. Eric glanced around at the crowd of emergency workers, trying to judge by their activity how long they had spent bumbling around. Helen was quicker, looking to the pamphlet which kept track of their "progress" and time. On the back, in bold red letters was a constantly changing stream of numbers. It read, "1:47:54." (something funny here too)
Their relief was tangible, and what astonished Eric as he looked around is that he could see signs of it on the faces of the living nearest Eric and Helen. Their feelings seemed to be influencing the people inspecting the site and Eric concentrated
"Um...Sam..." he stumbled, trying wrest his focus back to the immediate problem, "What...happened to you?"
The tremor in his voice refused to obey orders, reducing every word to a proclamation of his cowardice.
Sam laughed shrilly. "Don't let this Pratz guy fool you, old friends;" he grinned, "the other side's not all bad." (Insert something interesting or funny here).
The expression on his face did not belong to a nineteen-year-old. Eric took an involuntary step back. Suddenly he felt Helen's hand on his elbow and she began pulling him backwards, slowly edging them away from Sam. "I need your help!" She whispered urgently, spreading the pamphlet in front of them and scanning it rapidly.
Eric glanced back over his shoulder and could see Pratz engaged in a yelling match with Sam. He was gesturing wildly, and the movement of his arms was like a
Eric's attention was drawn again to the pamphlet by the sound of Helen rustling papers. The tension of Eric's disappearance and Sam's transfiguration seemed to have dispelled all her previous animosity towards him. The two of them were now bound to the same team. Her need to trust him outweighed her repulsion. She was reading the pamphlet quickly, her mouth moving silently as she read. He leaned in to examine it, wishing he had paid closer attention the first time.
"There!" She cried, pointing to a page titled "CONSEQUENCES." He read, "Any attempt to travel beyond the 15 foot perimeter of the affected area will result in loss of mobility for a period of one hour." Their eyes met in surprise. "Jack can't be far then!" Helen said joyfully. Eric glanced around at the crowd of emergency workers, trying to judge by their activity how long they had spent bumbling around. Helen was quicker, looking to the pamphlet which kept track of their "progress" and time. On the back, in bold red letters was a constantly changing stream of numbers. It read, "1:47:54." (something funny here too)
Their relief was tangible, and what astonished Eric as he looked around is that he could see signs of it on the faces of the living nearest Eric and Helen. Their feelings seemed to be influencing the people inspecting the site and Eric concentrated
