Descent: Part Four

Note: the following is based on a continuation of “Community Story” prompt presented by most excellent fellow Canadian Donna Fox. If you would like to join the fun, please go to the original post and either pick a story line or invent your own!

Links to all previous entries in order below. Happy Reading :)

"A Community Story [Challenge]" By Donna Fox

"Descent: A Community Story Challenge" by Yours Truly

"Descent (Part Two)" by Mackenzie Davis

"Descent (Part Three)" by me

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"Hey," Mary tugged on my arm. "Come on, I don't want to get left behind."

Ester, the other one who had been helping me up, sniffed and turned away. I don't think had quite forgiven me for making her stumble into that pillar. The pillar... that was important. I was certain it was important. She had... what had she done? Touched it.

But why would just touching a random chunk of stone make any impact on me? I should be feeling sorry for knocking her over. Maybe and apology would be-

"Mary," I said, my words tasting like dust, "did you see Sasha with us? I could have sworn she was right behind me on our way down those stairs."

"Nope," Mary's voice was very steady, just like her breathing. Even and measured, as though she was trying to prove just how un-freaked-out she was. She pushed lightly with the hand on my right shoulder, hurrying me along. "Pretty sure I saw her go with Ms. Sherman. Poor girl, I hate the Sherman tank."

With a whickering sort of laugh, Ester let her feelings towards Ms. Sherman be known. Not that anyone liked the other teacher, whose nickname was well earned, but something wasn't sitting well with me.

There was the business with the darkness. Much as I wanted to ask Mary and Ester, I doubted either would talk about it. I got the feeling they would rather it all just go away. As if any amount of wishing could get us out of that cavern and back into the sun.

Just as I was promising myself to never so much as go indoors again as long as I could get out of the tunnel, the line stopped.

Up ahead, hidden behind the backs of my classmates, Mr. Sage was muttering under his breath. It didn't sound like English. But then again that might have just been because of the fainting. Having never fainted before, I didn't know if trouble understanding people was part of the package.

"Aha!"

Darkness consumed everything.

I looked wildly around me, straining my eyes against the black. Last time this had happened, I lost Sasha. I knew that I had lost her, she had been right beside me, but when I reached for her-

Groping madly in the dark, I found Mary's hand still on my shoulder. Except, it didn't feel right. Cold and hard, as though her skin were covered in scales. Something sticky, slimy stuck to my hand, the scaly hand was covered in it.

With panic clawing its way up my throat, I followed the arm up, up.

Whatever it was, it wasn't wearing a Saint Martha's blazer. It wasn't wearing anything. There was just the cold, slick scales. I shuddered, trying desperately to control myself. If I could just find the body, just find whatever it was the arm connected to.

Light flared and the slimy feeling under my hand vanished just as I found something hard. The same scales under my fingers for the barest instant before the darkness was driven away by the warm yellow light of the lamps.

Except the light wasn't warm.

Sickly yellow, illuminating ashen faces as the students glanced around them. Were there fewer of them? I hadn't thought to count before, but something told me that I had been standing with more at the base of the pillar. Something...

From my right, Mary chuckled.

My right?

I looked over at her, and almost shrieked when I saw what I was holding. Trying to dance away from her, away from her strong, rugby player's hand on my shoulder, I tore my hand away. Apologies and excuses fought to the death in my throat, neither finding their way out before Mary spoke.

"Coping a feel in the dark? I'd no idea you were," she winked one tilted, brown eye at me. "Pretty brave, Amy. Maybe I'll pay a visit when we get back to the hotel." Another wink.

Butterflies took off in my stomach. My hand tingled with the memory of how surprisingly soft she had been. Familiar in a way, but completely and utterly...At least she wasn't angry.

"Mr. Sage," called Ester - did she look worse? That darkness had come out of nowhere, but it also looked like I was the only one who really noticed or cared. "Is this safe? The lights keep going out?"

"What? Oh yes, I expect there was a power surge of some kind," he tucked a lock of brown hair behind his ear, glancing at his hand with naked surprise as he did so. "Come along, everyone. We don't want to keep the altar waiting."

Mary was still smiling as she grabbed my left shoulder, her arm snaking around behind my back in a way that I didn't mind too terribly. She whispered in my ear, leaning in close to make sure no one else heard. "Maybe best to take the blazer off? Here, you can wear mine, something slimy seems to have fallen on yours."

She opened the front button and slid the jacket off my shoulders. I tried to repress a shudder or pass it off as reaction to the cold. But I had to admit I liked the way she handled me, gentle but firm as she... Slime? On my left shoulder?

Thoughts warred with each other in my head. Gentle clacking of the beads on the ends of Mary's long black braids distracting, pushing any other thoughts away, making me ask questions I had never even considered before.

On my right... her hand had always been there. But I had felt, would swear in front of a judge that I had felt... something on the other side.

"Ester," Mary said, her arm holding me against her as though she were the only thing keeping me standing. "Take your other hand out of your pocket. You're going to keep stumbling if your balance isn't right. Christ, no idea how they can call this part of the exhibit if they don't even maintain the path."

"Up yours," muttered Ester, hand still firmly in her pocket and glaring daggers at me and Mary. "And your little girlfriend's too."

She stalked away, up to where Mr. Sage was leading the group through a hole in the sheer rock wall ahead of us. He gently took her hand out of her pocket and examined it before saying something too softly for anyone else to hear before she vanished around a sudden turn in the tunnel.

He shot me a small half smile, his green eyes twinkling, before Mary and I were past him, the tight walls of the tunnel closing around us.