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Dec. 16th, 2023 at 5:56 PM
[Racing down the interstate as fast as they fucking can, Johnnie tugs Chrissy closer and ducks low over his bike. They're streamlined now, they'll pick up just a little bit more speed, and then they can outride this giant evil fucking wasp for sure -
His eyes blink slowly against the light in the room, and then he frowns and lifts his pillow from under his head and flings it at the alarm clock on the bedside table. That shouldn't work, except that it falls off the table and unplugs in the process, leaving the room blissfully silent.
And now he doesn't have a pillow. Shit.]
Ugh. Hey, you up?
[Like Chrissy could sleep through that.
Soon enough though, he rolls on out of bed, gets the water going, tugs fresh clean clothing out of his bag, then checks on that shower. Yep, nice and hot. Time to get clean and ready for the day.]
Whatcha think? Wanna check out the cafe for breakfast? Maybe we can make 'em do some eggs an' pancakes even though they're gonna say it's dinner only now. I hate when places do that, it's such fuckin' bullshit.
His eyes blink slowly against the light in the room, and then he frowns and lifts his pillow from under his head and flings it at the alarm clock on the bedside table. That shouldn't work, except that it falls off the table and unplugs in the process, leaving the room blissfully silent.
And now he doesn't have a pillow. Shit.]
Ugh. Hey, you up?
[Like Chrissy could sleep through that.
Soon enough though, he rolls on out of bed, gets the water going, tugs fresh clean clothing out of his bag, then checks on that shower. Yep, nice and hot. Time to get clean and ready for the day.]
Whatcha think? Wanna check out the cafe for breakfast? Maybe we can make 'em do some eggs an' pancakes even though they're gonna say it's dinner only now. I hate when places do that, it's such fuckin' bullshit.
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[See, totally he's coming in because he's jealous, not because he was about to get worried.
Now, he doesn't really have swimming trunks but underwear is fine. Hell, he'd go in naked but something about being naked in that big black pool is one step past ideal, so he sheds everything but the underpants, then takes a running leap in.
And fuck it's cold. He kicks his way to the surface, in all kinds of shock, but just as quickly he gets over it and laughs - a startled little bark of a laugh, but a laugh nonetheless.]
Woohoo! Fuck! Okay. Man, that's cold.
[He'll need a second, but if she's diving deep, at least he can be here at the surface nearby.]
When she propels herself down to sink a second time, she swears it's like space down here. There's no stars, but little flecks of something still glow anyway. Her eyes are wide open and the water doesn't irritate or burn. It's like her own secret little world down beneath the surface, and she just wants to stay there because when she closes her eyes it's like she can hear a pleasant thrumming sound from deep below. It's like it's calling to her, beckoning her down to it.
She almost dives down to try and find it right away, but her lungs are burning by that point. When she kicks to the surface, there's a sense of loss at having to come up for air.]
I think there's something down there, Johnnie. I can't explain it, but it just feels...warm. Like I should be down there as deep as I can go.
[And of course, she wants to explore and figure out what it is. She won't go without a kiss for good luck though. She swims over to him, smiling, and puts her freezing cold hands against his cheeks so she can give him a quick kiss. One isn't enough, so he gets several more.]
I'll be back in a minute.
[She goes back under, this time trying to swim down as far as she can. Only she doesn't come back in a minute. She doesn't resurface at all. She loses track of herself and where she is the deeper she swims, and once she manages to swim down and find an opening to a cave beneath the water, she almost forgets who she is entirely. She surfaces, finding there's plenty of space to stand up on what should be rock. It's not though, it's squishy beneath her feet. There's a dark energy here, but it's one that resonates with her. It feels like home in a way that has her on edge, frozen in place as she looks around.
All of a sudden, she's flooded with an urgency to run. She remembers exactly who she is, and who's waiting for her up above the water. And as that panic fills her, she forgets how she even got down here in the first place. That has her screaming Johnnie's name as she stumbles her way through the dark, suddenly terrified of this place. She's petrified by her fear, rended idle with despair. Whatever is down here isn't safe.
And yet, she can't find the energy to pick up her feet and get the hell out of there.]
But it's not happening, he's freezing cold. He pushes his way to shallower water, intending to get out and wait for her while basking like those lizards she was chasing on the dry ground. But she doesn't come up, and that sure as hell freaks him out as seconds tick by. How long can she hold her breath? Can she even see down there in the black?
Well, fuck it. Him and mysterious all-encompassing darkness go hand in hand and he's just cold, not afraid. He has to go search for her. Maybe there's something down there that she's stuck on.
So he takes a breath, and doesn't think twice before plummeting back down. He's a strong enough swimmer, he's battled the waves at the beach often enough and there's no current here to fight. But he's completely blind and all he can do is feel around. He touches the bottom, or some surface anyway that might be the bottom, kicks his way back up to breathe, then tries again.
Eventually he finds that passage and since she isn't anywhere else, she must have gone in there. What an idiot fucking move, doesn't she know better than that? Going into an underwater cave where you can't see and can't breathe? Fuck. But he'll be mad later, right now he has to find her.
When he comes up this time, he assumes he's turned around and hit the surface again, because there's no goddamn way to see anything until he's above the water, all he knows is his ankle is somehow clear of it and this doesn't feel like up but it must be up. He turns, kicks toward this new upward, and surfaces, blinking in confusion at what he sees.
And hears, that's more important, it turns out. Chrissy is somewhere not too far off, shouting for him.]
Chrissy?
[Fucking hell. He stumbles out of the water and onto the strange terrain, frowning at their surroundings. His weapons are back with his clothing and this is a hell of a place to be standing around, freezing, dripping wet and wearing nothing but underpants.
He cups his hands around his mouth and yells in the direction he hears her voice.]
Chrissy? Over here!
She hears his voice. A choked sob claws its way out of her, and she stumbles toward the sound of his voice. The ground is so strange and slippery, too squishy to be entirely rock. She slips and falls a couple of times, but picks herself up quickly and keeps going. After a few back and forth calls, she manages to find her way to him, and promptly leaps forward to cling hold of him in a hug.]
There's something here.
[That earlier sentiment is repeated, only this time she says it through tears. All the wonder she had experienced earlier is gone, replaced with fear. It vaguely registers that she's done something very stupid, and she blubbers an apology for getting lost under the water.]
I don't know why, but there's something down here calling to me. It's like I have to keep going toward it. You can hear that too, right? Like the static-y hum of electricity or something.
[He's just going to hold onto her for a second here, mostly so she apparently doesn't go fucking running off to whatever bullshit is down here. That and he's still absolutely freezing and needs her body heat like he's some kind of weird suctiony sea creature.
Looking around, this strange world is sort of familiar to him - not that he's been exactly here, he doesn't think, but he's seen things like this. Or maybe he has been here at some point while drifting or otherwise, who the fuck knows. He hates it but he's not going to turn tail and run either.]
D'you want to go toward it? I don't have anything to fight with other'n my fists if we run into trouble but if you think you really gotta go forward, we can go. We gotta make sure we know how to get back, though.
[She cries as she says it, because she really doesn't want to go toward whatever is there. But it's challenging her, and making her have to act on those oaths she took. And the fact that she'd actually do it terrifies her.]
And I can't surrender to anyone, and I -
[Words are cut off as she starts shaking like a leaf, and she melds herself right up against him like he can keep her from doing anything stupid. Her face presses against his chest and she tries to remember how to breathe. It feels awkward and forced right now, and she quickly realizes it's because she's basically hyperventilating.]
I think I need to find out what it is. I'm afraid, but I need to know.
All right, then, baby girl. I'll be right here with you. Let's go see what this bullshit place is all about.
[They definitely need to leave a path to follow. There isn't much to use, though - no trees right here to cut notches into or anything. He scuffs the spongy ground with a heel and he can barely see the mark it makes, even though he just made it and is standing right on top of it.
And the sky, or whatever that is above - the ceiling? More ceiling than sky - there's no good landmarks there. So, dead reckoning then until they find something better. This'll be interesting.]
C'mon, we'll figure out a way back when we're done with this place. I ain't gonna let you get stuck here an' celebrate your birthday in this bullshit. You lead the way.
There's a moment where she hesitates, and glances back the way they came. That instinct to run is still strong, but Johnnie's right here with her. They'll figure this out together. She leads the way forward, but keeps hold on his hand. With their fingers linked together, she feels a little more safe. She still trembles as she slowly heads further into the darkness, that sound that's calling to her getting louder and louder as they go.
The sound goes from just a buzz to something more like a hum, and eventually words. Just two words, and as she trips over something in their path it dawns on her what they are.]
Come home. Whatever is down here is telling me to come home.
[Like those early days when they had first met, dark tendrils coil around her. They tear her down through the cave and into water deeper inside, screaming the entire way. She's pulled through the water with a force she's never felt before, as everything feels like its shifting and turning upside down. It disorients her and leaves her dizzy, water filling her lungs as she screams in terror.
When she's tugged out of the water, it forces the breath out of her lungs, and she's unable to even scream as she's thrown through the air and lands in a heap on the ground. Instead of getting to her feet, she just curls in on herself and tries to process everything she's just experienced. Her hands cover her ears, blocking out the voice that's getting louder and louder. It's so inhuman that it makes her skin crawl.
Come home?
She doesn't need to sit up and look around to know where she is. She's back in that place that her body was in beneath Hawkins. Even if they're not in the exact same spot, she's there. Something inside of her is broken and twisted, connected forever to this upside down place. It used that to trick her into coming back, and she just has to cry because she's so weak and so stupid.
The sound of something else hitting the ground beside her doesn't get her to uncurl. It doesn't register with her that it might be Johnnie. Why would he be pulled here too? He's not tethered to it like she is.]
Chrissy is torn from him by the darkness. It rips her free of his hand even as he tries to hold on, and then tries to run and yell and keep up and he can't, no matter how fast his legs work. The ground is springy, sapping energy from his stride, like running on sand. But he can see the track left by her being dragged and he follows it, even if the speed at which she was pulled away makes him think there's no way he'll ever catch up.
It starts to feel like burning, like he's being ripped apart at the very core, like whatever is going on here isn't just trying to take her somewhere else, it's trying to separate them. And that just isn't going to fucking ride, no way.
Darkness wells up around him, but it isn't like the stuff that took her, this is something else. In the few seconds he has that he can think about it, this feels like the darkness that rose up and protected them when that asshole tried to exorcise them or whatever the fuck he was doing. This darkness feels like part of him, or like something he's connected to from someplace deeper than just here. It surrounds him, wraps him up and spits him out.
There's a muted thud as he lands on his hands and knees. Not exactly an elegant landing, but whatever, because here's Chrissy. And here's that fucking tentacle shit still writhing, still trying to keep her here. Without a knife, all he can do is sink his fingernails into it and pull, shredding through it until one of those tendrils lets go and retreats.]
Chrissy! Fuck. Wake up, babe. Tell me you're okay.
[Another tendril snakes across the ground and he stomps on it, but keeps his eyes on her the whole time.]
There's a warmth there, a feeling she can't describe. It's dark, but it's absolutely Johnnie. His darkness, the same darkness that's bound them together in New Orleans, that isn't what she's afraid of. It keeps her safe, she belongs to it. Belongs to Johnnie. She whimpers his name as she lets her hands drop down and pushes herself to sit up.
Seeing him there is more than a relief. It feels like her soul is crammed back into her body and she can move and speak again. Again, she hurries in close to him, desperate to wrap her arms around him and keep him close.]
You found me.
[Which is amazing, because it means that spell worked, doesn't it? There's not exactly a lot of time to think about it though, because more of those tendrils are approaching, and she has to help stomp them back.]
[No, he got picked up and spat out here, but he'll take credit for it for the moment. Now doesn't feel like the time to sit and wonder about the details.
They're given a momentary break from the things grabbing at her, and Johnnie takes Chrissy by the hand and holds tight. Is it gearing up for worse? Probably. Whatever this is, it doesn't seem to want to leave her alone.]
C'mon, we can't beat this thing in our underwear, let's get the fuck outta here.
[He's not so sure they can outrun it either, but they can try. They came, they faced this thing as best they could, but now getting out is the best answer. To stay here and give up, that's surrender, and he wants to fucking get her back to the surface, that is the fight this time around.]
This isn't her home. She refuses to let it be. Her home is with Johnnie, with the World Enders. And right now, they need to find a way back. That's a good goal to focus on, and she looks around until her eyes settle on the murky water about ten feet away from them.]
When I came through the water, it felt like I was being torn apart. I think we have to swim back down until everything feels like we're being turned right side up again.
[Her head turns, looking back toward the infinite stretch of jagged, dark terrain. That's definitely not the right way to go. The water is their only choice.]
I don't want to let go of you and try to swim though. I'm afraid we'll be pulled apart again.
[Man, they started far away from this spot, but he can't begin to guess at how these pools of water connect this place to the world he knows. Maybe this will put them back, maybe it will put them on the other side of the fucking planet. Maybe it won't put them on Earth at all.
But none of it matters that much. Yeah, their stuff is on the other side of the right pond but it's just stuff, they can replace it if they have to. Nothing back there is irreplaceable - well, no, his guitar is.
But fuck it, he doesn't have any better ideas.]
All right, then. Better jump at the same time, you ready? On three.
[He counts. He takes a running leap with her hand tight in his. And once the water accepts them both, he fucking kicks as hard as he can to find whatever the other end of that shit is, because he wants out of here.]
That's when she feels like she's being pulled and turned every which way, and a pressure starts to steal her breath away. She slows down, unable to keep going. But her hand never lets go of his, even when she fears she's weighing him down. Her vision starts to go black at the edges, and that's when the sensation of the darkness that she felt in New Orleans surrounds them. It closes in tight around them, pushing them close together.
Both of her arms wrap around him, and her face presses against his chest. They're being torn and turned every which way, but they're together. That same protective darkness yanks them free, and the last thing Chrissy feels before she blacks out is the sensation of moving through water at breakneck speed. They're rocketed out of the water and deposited on land, right beside the possessions they left behind.
Chrissy is limp and cold in his arms, not breathing.]
Johnnie groans, ears ringing, and tries to sit up but there's a dead weight across his middle. He gives her a second as he opens his eyes and orients himself. It's the same sky, the same desert landscape beside the same goddamned abyss puddle. It feels like maybe the sun slipped farther in the sky than he would've expected, like maybe they were there longer than it felt like, but his clothes are still here so it can't have been that long. His knife is here, in its sheath attached to his belt about two feet from his head, and that's a comfort.]
Fuuuuck. Okay, get up.
[That's partly to himself and partly to her. She doesn't stir immediately, so he nudges her shoulder, then tries to sit up again, this time alarmed by her lack of response.]
Chrissy? Hey! Hey, you with me?
[Her chest isn't moving, and he sure doesn't know what to do, but he grabs her by the shoulder and tries to shake her like maybe that'll snap her out of it.]
Only to have it torn from her as the void turns in on her, flooding her insides. She can't breathe, and starts coughing to try and get it up. A searing heat courses through her, making her cry out in pain. It's enough to get her to open her eyes, and sunlight floods her vision as she coughs up enough water to make her throat burn.
She slips off of him and goes to her hands and knees, water pouring out of her nose and mouth until there's nothing left in her. Exhausted after that, she collapses cheek down in the dirt.]
I'm okay.
[Look, she's even trying to give him a shaky thumbs up so he knows she's doing great.]
[He doesn't exactly believe her, but he'll let her get away with saying it for now. It's not like there's anything he can do, and she coughed up a bunch of water so it's probably all out of her now. Maybe she's not really okay right now, but close enough is close enough.
He reaches forward to give her a pat on the butt, since it's what he can reach right now, then pulls himself free of her legs and thinks about standing. He doesn't get any farther than thinking about it just yet, though, because trying to push himself up makes all his limbs feel like jello.]
Well, that was sure something, huh? Guess if nothin' else we can say we swam in the abyss an' it spat us right back out.
They weren't messing around when they tried to warn us away.
[She feels a little bad for ignoring that sign someone made. The abyss doesn't fuck around, it really is a doozy.
Slowly but surely she starts to move. First she rolls over onto her back, then she wiggles her fingers and toes. Her limbs feel like jello, and her middle feels like pudding. ]
It feels like I'm on a bad trip right now.
[But she's able to sit up with a little effort, so she's making good progress. Her head cranes over to look at him, and she can't stop herself from letting a smile light up her face. She just loves him so much, and is so so grateful to still be with him.]
Are you holding up okay?
Yeah, think so. That last part made me pretty fuckin' dizzy but I'm keepin' it together. Funny thing is I feel like I could go for a drink of water.
[And isn't that some irony? But he's not about to jump up and grab that canteen, he needs a minute. At least he'll dry off quickly and easily here in the sun, and it's doing a great job of warming him right up, too.]
Maybe I'll work on my tan a couple minutes first.
[It's a joke, and he snickers. Fashionable tanning is for people who aren't mostly nocturnal.]
[She's trying really hard to appear light and jovial, when all she wants to do is collapse and cry and then sleep it all off. But the last thing she wants to do is worry him, so she tries her best to crawl over to him so she can rest her head against his chest. What ends up happening is she crawls a little before collapsing up against him, landing face first against his stomach.
That's going to have to be close enough.
She huffs as she lifts her head and turns it so only her cheek is against him. ]
Well, I'm the one that needs to get the tan. I'm so pale I actually look like a ghost.
[She's joking around, laughing. Everything's fine.]
[Chuckling, he joins his fingers together to make a crab claw with his thumb, then pinches her nose.
Poor girl's exhausted though, that's obvious. He strokes fingers through her hair, then reaches for his jeans to drag them over so he can put his head on them. Better than having the crunchy gravel of that old road for a pillow.
After a few minutes of lying there though he starts to feel like he's baking.]
Car's so fuckin' far away. You think if I help you back there, you can make it? I kinda think we need the shade. We can sit back with the windows down, have some water, I'll roll us up a joint if you want. Got all our shit in the trunk still.
[She feels terrible admitting that, but it needs to be done. Her hold on reality isn't great at the moment, and it feels like she's at risk for slipping back into the darkness at any second.]
But I'll sit with you in the back while you get high.
[That sounds pretty nice actually. So she moves off of him and wills her jelly limbs to cooperate while she tries to work her way up to her feet. It's a slow and wobbly journey, but she does eventually get there.]
[Time to try this standing thing again. Sure, it takes a little effort, but it's not too bad. He's pulling through quickly enough. Whatever she got was worse - he mostly just had to suffer through the cold and some real disorientation.
Getting dressed is harder than standing up, and he winds up sitting back down for the most difficult challenge, which is getting his socks and shoes on. But that done, weapons in place, backpack on his back, he applies the finishing touch and settles those sunglasses over his eyes, then smiles as he reaches to take Chrissy's hand.]
All right, let's do this. One step at a time until you feel good about it. Y'know how it's always shorter goin' back from a place than the first time you go there? This won't take us any time at all.
The fact he's wearing those sunglasses only makes it all the more better for her. Her head tips so she can glance up at him with a smile. They take it slow, Chrissy only taking one intentional step at a time. Her speed must be driving him crazy, but he's nothing but patient with her. Just like he always is.
After a handful of steps, her legs get with the program and start to move less rigidly. They're still wobbly, but she's able to at least walk closer to normal. Sure, it takes some time. But they do make it to the car, and she thinks that's all that matters. He helps her get into the back seat, and she sighs as she sinks back and finally relaxes.]
I can't escape that place. It's even all the way out here? That's bullshit.
[She still has no idea what to call that place, but she had hoped it was put behind her for good. To know that it isn't is a little unsettling.]
[That's all he can figure, anyway. That it killed her probably isn't coincidence. It probably draws in people from all over, all the time. Takes advantage of those weak places in the world, the gaps the Ender was talking about, and grabs on and forces its way through, maybe.
That gives him some ideas, but first he needs to get into the trunk where the pot is. He should've rolled up more joints before, but for now he'll just stuff some into rolling paper and call it good. It's clumsy, but it'll work and that's all he cares about. He shuts the trunk and slides into the back seat next to her, gives her forehead a kiss, then lights up his joint and takes a much-needed hit.]
I bet there's a way to use that place to our advantage, we just gotta understand it. Y'know, find out how it connects parts of this world, use it as a shortcut, maybe? I know it's not where you wanna be but wouldn't it be cool if you could make it work for you?