Board Thread:Fun and Games/@comment-34320391-20181031112919/@comment-34320391-20190301145034

My interenet is dying will edit later

“So, to put it simply, you’ve been out about 3 days.” I say, pacing around the cavern. I notice Tris sitting herself down on the opposite wall to Red, not even bothering to stifle her yawn.

“What? Three days?” Red replies embarrassingly.

“Yeah.” I tap my watch. “Tris has tried calling for help but phones don’t work this far down, and I don’t think we can carry enough water to try to make the journey back up the tunnel.”

“Speaking of water…” It was only then I noticed how raspy her voice was. In my defence it wasn’t like the waterfall had gotten any quieter in the last three days. I’m pretty sure I’m gonna permanently be deaf at some level for the rest of my life.

I pointed at the pooling water by the edge of the waterfall before realising Red’s ‘disability’. “Oh.” I rush over to cup some water in my palm, before returning to Red.

“So, at like 6 in the morning every day the waterfall just stops. I think it might be the tides or something, but we can jump through.”

“You mean the waterfall just stopped? What was on the other side?”

How could I explain it? The Centre of the Earth. Jules Verne was right. And we’d made it. Well, almost. It wasn’t really how Jules Verne described it, it was something more. A lot more. Just beyond the waterfall was an unnatural glow from far below, filling the darkness with purples, blues and eerie greens. It was beautiful. Beyond that I could just make out another waterfall. It was technically the same waterfall as, from the brief 3 minutes I’d looked through each morning, the water seemed to be pouring from the ocean, above us.

“You’ll find out yourself in a few hours,” I smiled back.

Red gestured to my hand, so I poured whatever water still remained in my hand into her mouth as she greedily gulped it down. Red looked up at me gratefully, and if I could blush, I think I might have.

“So… Why are we jumping into Thor knows what?” Red asked. “Shouldn’t we be trying to go up, back to the surface?”

I heard Tris grumble in agreement mid-sleep, we’d talked about this before. “Well, for one, we have no where else to go. Two, we’ll die anyway.”

“And three, I never really got to tick off ‘jumping off a cliff’ off my bucket list. Let’s do this.”

———————

It was time. I never really told Tris or Red this, but I was excited for this. It may be the lack of food for 4 four days or the fact that my half-deaf ears have made my brain go mushy, but I think I’m becoming a… what’s the word? I dunno, I feel… important. It’s undeniable that I’m, sorry we are going to rediscover the centre of the earth. It must just be the hunger, but I feel a strange desire to fame and riches… I’d become famous if I find the hidden truth within the Vernian classic. Iceland isn’t that far away from here is it?

I hold Tris’ hand in my left, with Red’s arm draped over my shoulder, as we stand in front of the unmoving, ever-present waterfall. I look at both of them, as we wait for our gateway to open.

“In case this all goes to shit, we should say some last words and stuff. It’s not like Cora or Newt are here, it’s just us.”

Both of the girls look at me, Red taking the opportunity to explicitly gesture towards Tris.

“Aaargh, come on. Even now you guys hate each other? I love you both equally and it tears me up to see you guys like this.”

“We don’t really hate each other. It’s just a mutual agreement that we won’t get along that well. We’re cool with it,” Red replied, shrugging.

“But I’m not…” I sigh, before turning to Tris, who seemed to be deep in thought. (Or she was trying to over-exaggerate herself. Probably the latter.)

“So… if you love both of us equally either you don’t love me anymore… or you must like Red a lot.”

“That was meant to be a fly-over comment, one that you’re not supposed to notice,” I grumble.

Red looks at me, an eyebrow raised, that intrigued, slightly surprised but curious face, while Tris unconvincingly tries to cover a smirk. The waterfall then pauses, slightly after schedule, yet conveniently on time. Tris takes the opportunity to jump, spinning back to blow a kiss before disappearing into the depths below.

“You ready?” I ask Red. She shrugs, still wincing from her lack-of-a-body-part.

“Don’t let go of me, okay? Don’t lose me,” I whisper, we had to go, now or never, but there was so much I should say.

“Okay… what else did I want to say? Um… Arkin’s a dick. And I… I… I really like your company.”

With that, I jumped, my arms around Red, as we jumped into the chasm below.

———————-

The morning sky gave way to darkness, to those weird yet strangely beautiful glows. As the world rushed around me I could see nothing but the one person I was still holding on to. But sky gave way to sea. To a lot of cold sea.

My hands slipped.

I grabbed blindly, my head sinking below the surface before resurfacing for air, my voice yelling out a colour again and again. My hands frantically grabbed everywhere to no avail, I was alone. I continued to scream to no response before my lungs couldn’t do so any longer.

And the sea took me away.

——————

The sea was warm. Like really warm. There were hot patches but it wasn’t the initial cold my body had defined it as. It was like the core of the earth was warming this entire ocean. It was strangely relaxing, but darker thoughts still flooded my mind, keeping me wide awake.

Could Red swim? Had I just killed her? I felt like crying, but I couldn’t, I was too exhausted. This underground sea is huge, and there seems to be no land that Verne had written about.

——————

I think I saw something. Something flew over me, like a giant bird. A dragon.

Wait, I’d seen a dragon before hadn’t I? The Sandbuster. My memory was fading… my memory hurts… I’m so tired…

——————

In my weakness, he comes stronger.

''You made it. After years of tireless work to try to discover this place, and you managed to stumble into it… by accident, too!''

Who… who are you?

''You’re weak, Nikolas. Do you wish for me to look after you?''

Food, water… I’m soo tired.

I know, Nicholas, I can help you.

Please….