The Hollow Game.

Chapter Eight

Boulder, boulder, rock, frisson, someone’s foot, boulder. Even with the all encompassing darkness, the boredom was at the forefront of her mind. Humming washed over her and she tuned in just enough to tell Kitty to shut up for a minute before once more fading back into her own monologue.

Rock, boulder, wall. Her ears strained to catch all of the shifting, scuffling sounds echoing around her. JD was beside her, his expensive suit crinkling with each step he took. Kitty was ahead of her, her gown making a soft swish, swish noise as she bounced next to the nearly silent guy.

Pebble, rock, crack, unstable spot, boulder. The tunnels echoed strangely, the sounds morphing until everything had a tinny undertone. She wasn’t sure where it came from or even why it was there, she just knew that it was frustrating to hear. Beside her JD huffed out a short laugh. She blinked, tuning back into the rather one-sided conversation. “So that’s out. How unfortunate for us that an entire room is unavailable.”

His voice washed over her like honey; warm and sticky. “I don’t know, maybe we’ll find another secret room!” Kitty was like bubbles and cotton candy; happy, slightly air-headed and sweet.

“What would be even better is if we find the exit,” JD countered. Tinny swishes from both of them— headshakes, she assumed. The guy up front remained quiet in both movement and vocalization. Instead he led them down the tunnel, through another archway, and then down yet another tunnel. New crack, group of boulders, another rock. The air smelled faintly like rotten eggs and an underwhelming muskiness that lurked just on the edge of her consciousness. At 370 steps the ground became slightly more unstable. Loose gravel scattered and she could feel the cracks lengthening with even the barest of pressure placed on them. Gasps and mumbled curses; a quiet rumbling sound; JD’s hand in hers. The air felt like it did before a thunderstorm-- charged and still, everything so quiet and peaceful. Deceiving.

The rumbling grew both louder and softer.

Although there wasn’t really any change in the level of noise, the air pressure dropped, causing her ears to pop uncomfortably. “What’s going on?” She cried, still grasping JD’s hand. “What’s happening?”

“The ceiling’s caving in!” That wasn’t what she had been expecting and lifted her head before blinking. JD pulled her along, following some peculiar path since she never once felt rocks or boulders in her way.

“This way,” the silent guy called out gruffly. He sounds like a knife in the dark; sharp, unexpected, deadly. She would be careful around him, especially if he proved to be difficult. “I see light!” Kitty said, her voice breaking on the last word. She could practically see the the relief rolling off the small girl in waves and allowed a tiny smile to break free. It was dark, no one could call her out on it.

Within minutes the sharp scent of pine and cold, fresh air overpowered the dank scent in the tunnels. “Freedom,” Kitty wailed. “Freedom.”

She blinked, birds and the hum of other voices mixing with the feeling of dew coated grass and cold dirt under her feet. She had taken her shoes off the first chance she had and was suddenly thankful for her foresight. One voice, loud and enthusiastic and female, called out which the silent guy replied to in kind. She thought that they matched, in a roundabout, too perfect way. Where as he was a cloaked dagger, she was a blunt sword. Both deadly-- both weapons-- yet harmless in the right hands. Another voice, huffy female, mumbled something which a bored sounding male answered and a booming laugh echoed.

“I’m Kitty,” she heard. That bubbliness was hard to ignore sometimes. “And that’s JD and Sally.” She thought to wave but settled for a blank stare and smirk— those always unsettled people, which was funny. A moment passed before names were being tossed around. Derek, Jackson, Lily, Milo; so many names in such a short amount of time. She found out that the silent guy’s name was Binks and the girl who called out happily to him was Ace. Lottie was the huffy female and Lily sounded like a library and perhaps a map. Worldly. Milo had a deep voice that was both anxious and laidback; Jackson equal parts bored and skeptical; and Derek sounded both angry and suspicious of everyone.

All in all, she thought that there was a fairly diverse split of personalities that none of them would be bored with each other.

Laughter, high and wild, circled around her like a tornado. “I like you,” Ace declared. She could feel the girl bouncing towards her, bending the grass under her feet. “Do you want to partner up?” The question took her off guard before she regained her composure and smiled thinly. “I already have partners,” she said. “Well yeah, but now there are ten of us.”

“Don’t we need twelve to move on?” Derek asked. Mixing voices then a murmur of agreement. “We’ll wait here, then!” Despite the cheerful tone, she had a feeling that it was a silent command. No one leaves until we’re all here. “Works for me.” Someone whisked past her, the scent of dirt, sweat, and some type of fruit following in their wake. The rest of the murmurs were more begrudging, reluctant to stay but willing to wait for one more person. “Hey Binks,” and the scent of cherries, more dirt and sweat, and lavender walked by. “Do you wanna hear a joke?”

She would wait, see how this played out. After all, she had all the time in the world.