The fall felt like it lasted a lifetime, but the impact was a brutal reality check. I hit the floor of the pit with a thud that sent a fresh spray of blood from my mouth. My lungs seized, refusing to take in the air that smelled of ancient rot and stagnant grease. I lay there for a second, my cheek pressed against the cold, grimy metal, listening to the frantic, uneven drum of my own heart. It was a pathetic sound the sound of a machine that was running out of fuel.
"Mama..."
The voice was weak, stripped of the terrifying chorus I had heard earlier. I dragged my head up, my neck muscles screaming at the effort. Sasha was lying a few feet away. He wasn't floating anymore. He looked small. He looked fragile. The white light in his eyes had faded, leaving behind a dull, glassy stare that br
