chapter 5

Rakel felt creeped out considering the way everything seemed like a haunted house only they couldn't see 5 feet from in front of them. It made Rakel realize the darkness felt off around them towards the far side of the room. She didn't see it neither did Austin as something in the darkness hid away before Austin had a nagging headache. " This is very creepy. " Austin wasn't joking and he didn't like the way the darkness shifted. He could've sworn he saw something move but there was something else that he could've sworn was staring right back at him but when he blinked nothing was there. That was the second time he thought he had seen something but maybe he was just tired instead. There was no telling what was going on even though he didn't want to think about anything. If anything he'd rather be chased by bad guys.

He followed after Rakel and the only thing that went through his mind was nothing as he felt numb. Everything seemed to scream at him as when he looked at Rakel she didn't seem to really show emotion. What was even weirder to them both was when the darkness and fog that wasn't really there before seemed to make noise that they both didn't like. Rakel through her eyes wasn't fond of things like this and it wasn't her first time but the last time it didn't seem this creepy. Rakel saw a cross shape on the far side of the room. It wasn't too confusing but she could've sworn something else was going to happen and she didn't like that gut feeling and what could happen as she didn't like the sudden atmosphere change. She wondered if Austin felt it, it was like when her ears popped only she heard it echo through the room. She stared down at the floor and down at Austin's feet where part of the floor came back up from where he stepped. " Oh, Fridgnits. " Thinking the worse she grabbed him and pulled away from where they were.

It was far from it as the fire came from the walls around them. " Not what I was expecting." She pulled away from him as more carvings showed on the walls around them. All the engravings and other carvings didn't sit right with Rakel but what did she know? She didn't notice as Austin copied some down that didn't match up." So confusing, what the hell." Austin moved towards Rakel as he didn't want anything else to happen that he thought was bad. He questioned everything in life and he wasn't sure how any of this was going to end. He looked at the wall in front of them at the two holes that seemed to call out. He wasn't sure he liked that about it, even when he could've sworn he saw something move from the other side. He didn't have to say anything before grabbing Rakel's arm and pointing at the wall. It got her attention loud and clear and she moved closer to the wall looking into the holes staring through. " We both saw that now whatever we just saw isn't there." What Rakel had said had creeped her out and she pulled away thinking to herself as to why she had said it as she had in the first place. " Maybe we need to get through somehow? " Rakel said it like she wasn't sure and Austin could tell as there was too much on the walls to know what was what. He only judged their situation before leaning against the wall wanting to rest. His legs were already killing him before not hearing anything and neither did Rakel as the wall he leaned on gave way. " Ahh!" He freaked as his eyes went wide before Rakel jerked him back hard before they both crashed to the floor in a heap. " You're crushing me." She wasn't joking as he was on top of her. Her head lay to the side staring at the wall with the holes in it. " Sorry. " He rolled off her looking at the hallow darkness. Getting up he looked into the void as he could've sworn he saw something moving into the darkness below. It sent shivers and goosebumps down his spine as he moved further backward from the opened wall. Whatever it was it was calling to her and Austin and they weren't sure what to do at the moment. It said a lot they weren't sure what to believe before Austin didn't realize he moved inside the darkness with Rakel trying to snap him out of it. " Crap it Austin." She had him by the arm only she was being pulled instead as she still tried her best to pull on him to stop. " Austin!" She yelled and she felt furious as she wasn't getting anywhere with him.

She groaned in aggravation looking toward where he was staring. Why did it creep her out even more? That was when she felt something breathing down her neck and her curiosity got the best of her as fear didn't just creep its way in. " Austin." Rakel had hoped it was him only he was beside her not behind her. Everything in her screamed run, get away as she barely had to turn her body for everything to feel like it had drained from her very being. She couldn't speak as the only thing that went through her was an utter terror as she stared out at the big black mass that moved towards her. She felt like it was speaking at her only she didn't hear much but the harsh whistling as it got louder and louder in her head. " No! Stop. " Grabbing her head was one thing as the pain from her head worsened, but looking up towards the darkness that loomed over her was another as the last thing she remembered was a face of darkness coming straight at her.

She groaned waking up only she didn't open her eyes just yet as she felt a body move right beside her. She didn't want to remember as she felt weak but tense. " Rakel, hey. " She groaned only in response as she slowly opened her eyes as stared at the starry night. The fire warmed her as she honestly felt like utter trash. " You died. Died, you scared the crap out of me. I gave you CPR." Rakel didn't look at him as the only thing in her mind was the face of darkness. She didn't understand how but she honestly didn't feel good at the moment at all. Austin moved closer as she still lay facing the starry night as he lay right beside her. " How're you feeling?" Austin wasn't just worried he was scared that he didn't see anything that happened. What bothered him, even more, was the fact that when he did realize she was on the floor dead, he didn't know how to react. It had scared him already seeing her not breathing now he wanted to make sure she rested and got her strength back. He had quickly made a fire so she could have more warmth as well as kill squirrel for dinner. Austin had already cooked it on the stick as Rakel didn't want to even move. " What exactly happened?" She wasn't sure if she really wanted to even know and the look on his face when he had said he had to give her CPR hurt her in a way that only made her feel even more numb.

" I um found myself staring out ahead of me and then I realized we were in that scary room that wasn't as scary before. I found you laying on the ground. You were cold, very cold. I couldn't find a pulse, you weren't breathing. I thought that I did something because I still don't remember. I don't remember. " He felt and sounded numb without really trying to be. He still felt scared like he had still lost her and it made him question why he felt more like a wimp who couldn't do anything right and not the guy who could pull himself together. He still felt useless as he tried to breathe not too loudly like he thought he was. He figured she could tell but looking at her he noticed she wasn't worried about him and his breathing, which he thought scared him more. What was it that killed her? He felt like he was in the dark once again and even thinking like that made him realize one thing. Was this really who she was an adventurer or was she just the scared girl who needed help but didn't want to say anything to get it?

Rakel tried to not think as she stared daydreaming of what tomorrow would bring. If anything she just wanted for once to be right and this would all end well instead of being wrong. What would happen next that could be worse than that, nothing could amount to that. At least to Rakel, she wasn't sure how bad it could get. " If you want to sleep I can take first watch. " Austin looked at her as he didn't notice she looked too numb to know really how she really felt. Rakel didn't know how to feel other than her body itself was weak she was too numb to know. When she did close her eyes it wasn't hard to be in a deep sleep. She didn't want to dream as the only thing she kept seeing was a black mass than a face that just smiled in an evil way towards her. Not once did she move or say anything. She started questioning it while the only thing that really pissed off the darkness was anything that had to do with her. She was however not just Rekialia jones but someone who should've already been dead. Maybe if she fought herself she'd kill herself. That was what the demons before were trying to do. Even the darkness itself knew this, nothing was stronger than him, not even her. She wasn't sure if even the dream itself was making her even weaker. She wasn't trying to be relaxed but if she was more relaxed she would be dead. it said a lot she felt dead, and she wasn't sure whether or not that she was even alive considering she felt dead. That morning she wasn't even sure she wanted to keep going she had to lean on Austin while standing just to get her bearings. " Still feel dizzy? " She didn't have to really give him an answer for him to know as she wanted to so badly lean on his shoulder with her head and thinking like that made her what to black out even more. She still wasn't well and he could tell. Everything so far was going as planned and they still hadn't found the scroll map from before. It was going to have to wait even though she didn't want the bad guys to get to it first she knew she needed more rest. Austin knew she needed her strength in the first place to do anything. Even though she wasn't exactly heavy all her weight was on him but just her touch alone didn't feel the same way. He saw her hand shaking as he knew her anxiety wasn't as bad as before, He hoped she'd recover and quickly. Austin's thoughts seemed to be everywhere as her touch barely traced over his flesh, it was like it wasn't there as it clearly was. Nothing made him happier than to see her alive instead of what he saw before. He was thankful hadn't let himself sleep as he pondered on how he had gotten them both out of there so fast. He didn't see anything other than a large room as the walls were made out of rocks. He had never not once thought about being able to carry her out like that and seeing her face when he tried to get her to respond still haunted him. He needed another memory or anything. He tried to daydream, he thought of Harper her friend. The so-called relationship he thought he liked.

What still had her feeling hopeless and weak was still seeing the demon with her face talking with her voice. What made it more terrifying was they both looked happy until Austin brought her back. Having him by her side made it all worth it. She hadn't had someone who genuinely cared for her. Rakel started getting her color back as well as her strength when she ate more. She liked the rest but she didn't like just sitting there. She didn't want to but she needed to find the scrolls with the map inside them before the bad guys did. She knew it would lead them somewhere else with actual treasure. Austin could tell she was feeling better when he tried to get her to lie down, instead, she went towards the roof and lay there with the drink Austin had made her. The only difference between this view and the one before was everything seemed to scream at her, even the wind. Rakel felt 10 times better but she still felt hollow and the void bothered her. Austin joined her while she felt like there shouldn't have even had been something that dangerous in the first place. She didn't know if it scared her to think if there was something else out there just waiting to do the very same thing. Not once was she in pain but with everything that she had done, she realized she was supposed to be dead but how was she not? Sometimes she wasn't careful and more than once she question why she wasn't dead. " Rakel breathed out as she also had her eyes closed. It always seemed to be the one thing to calm her down. " Does it help?" Austin asked looking at her as she kept her eyes closed as her body relaxed more. " Yeah, It always helps. " Austin tried it just like she had done before feeling like he needed more than just a nap. " That made me tired. " Rakel couldn't help but smile as she opened her eyes to look at him before she noticed his nose crinkled as his eyes were closed. " Don't fall asleep. " She only saw the look as his face crinkled with his nose. He didn't want to comply with what she had said and he really didn't want to listen. " Can't I take a little nap? It feels good up here." Austin wasn't lying about how the weather was and she honestly didn't know what to do as she knew they needed to go back to get the map. It would lead to the lava she honestly didn't want to cross or think about. It got her awake thinking as a helicopter was more than 10,000 feet in the air.

When 2 hours passed and she knew she was fine she immediately got her bearings breathing in and then out as Austin followed behind her towards the hole where Austin had carried her from before. She tried to keep a straight face as she peered in looking before walking in. She tried to steer her brain away from everything that happened before as she didn't question it any longer before jumping through the hole 5 feet down. She knew there was a ramp from the rocks that had caved in but she didn't care. Looking around she didn't see anything out of the ordinary as she was sure this was the same room, but she wasn't for sure. Nothing seemed to add up and it didn't confuse her but everything had already made her want to scream at everything around her. She felt the anxiety rising in her waiting to attack her yet again, only it wasn't an anxiety attack that killed her in the first place. She moved towards the other room not thinking as she didn't want to think.

Pulling herself from the rock wall and into the other room what caught her eye first the shining light directing itself at the wall which had wheels that seemed to be old. Getting closer she noticed that there were no knobs to turn it on as cobb webs ran across it. It looked nasty and she wasn't exactly a fan of spiders but she tried to get across every obstacle even if it was something she didn't like. Austin who had followed her only stared hard at the wall as it seemed like he tried to process it. " What's supposed to do?" He asked as he grabbed the bigger wheel before barely pushing it down before it all connected together in the middle as they all worked perfectly. " Umm." Rakel didn't know what to say as everything around the room seemed to move around. Were were they spinning or was it simply something else? She felt like they were being dropped as she winced from the popping from her ears. Looking over at Austin she wanted to laugh. He had grabbed onto the wall for support as he couldn't get ahold of his footing before he crumbled to the floor with his arm around his other arm.

Rakel knew they were falling when her feet came up from the ground. What she didn't see was what she felt as a cold hands touched her temple and covered her ears before vividly seeing seeing a girl and a family she didn't seem the recognize walking in a maze that was too big to see. The scene shifted as she still saw the girl's point of view as she didn't understand the family as the only one she knew was the little boy that look vaguely familiar to her only if anything it screamed nightmare as she knew she wasn't sleeping. She was only daydreaming, right? She felt the coldness cover her fully as she not once shivered from it. it wasn't that type of cold she knew what that feeling was and she didn't like it staring off at Austin as he seemed to only understand the look on her face, only this time it wasn't killing her. Rakel was fully aware of her surroundings only what she didn't understand was what she was seeing.

It was like a movie playing in her mind as even though she was in a small room that still seemed to drop she seemed to also be somewhere else. She felt like she couldn't breathe as she tried to not hyperventilate. Rakel saw the girl swinging from a vine and to the other side of the room from where she was and quickly pulled the lever that seemed too easy to use as to her it wasn't supposed to be anything but easy. She heard the screams of people as the only thing that seemed to happen was more people showing up as she looked down. Where'd they come from? Looking to the left turning her body towards the wall where it had opened, blinding light erupted blinding her as she had the vine in one hand as something she thought was in her head before she felt like it was a pole before she only had done it a million times before. It was high up and she didn't want her baby brother to see the pain as she tried to keep her bearings. " Sissy, what happened? I scared. Did you see it? He pointed where she once was then back at the blinding light as they ended up following the people that weren't there before. Looking closer as she had Beni by his hand she didn't get where they were. The Ocean lay out in front of her eyes as mounds of the earth laid out in every direction before again it changed. This time she was still the little girl with brown hair only robots masked themselves as they lead an older version of Beni somewhere else. One stared straight at her as she screamed in pain and fear as she got up from the ground running before sliding underneath the closing door as it sounded off with a loud click behind her.

She screamed again only this time looking out no one was there. One thing lead to another as she searched in the rooms again nothing was there. What happened? Where'd they gone? She cried for her baby brother as the scene changed yet again as she mentally got a headache as Beni only stared with a numbing straight face. What was wrong with him? Rakel didn't understand or see that Austin was very worried as Rakel only spoke as she didn't realize she was speaking. Austin yelled for her shaking her only she shook because of the anxiety attack she was having." You can't kill someone who should already be dead!" Rakel yelled it as Austin was only freaking out trying to shake her from the state she was in. They had stopped falling only a few minutes before but Rakel still shook as something grabbed at the back of Austin's head. Feeling the coldness he felt the feeling go down his spine as the anticipation that would already end before he only stared as he immediately saw with trembling lips mumbling for Rakel and only Rakel.

What Austin saw was a little girl screaming and crying as a man only ran at her as she tried to get away from him. He saw the pain as she cried trying to yell that it was her." Alena! Please, Beni. Beni!" She yelled his name trying to get away as she ran down the hallway she only saw him standing there he only wanted to say she could trust him only he didn't have to say anything as when he grabbed her everything around them switched up. Austin found himself as someone else chasing her and tackling her as she only cried more. What could be more hurtful than someone trying to do something he didn't want to even do in the first place? Austin understood clearly and didn't like it as she cried for him to not do it. She reached out calling for another name " Beni." Still crying Austin forced his mind to come back to him and to stop what he was doing as he simply pulled away and softly spoke. He was sorry, something has control, I can't break it sometimes. I don't know what it is. He didn't have to pull away as she moved her body as turned on her side not looking at him. " You want your baby brother. I'm sorry he's gone." She stared as more tears fell as he felt too bad as to cry.

Coming out of whatever it was Rakel breathed out in shock as her eyes were wide with fright. She felt the pain, fear, and burden of the girl. What she didn't know was the little girl wasn't her, it was the little boy. the memories, the family she never had, the father that disappeared only the little boy haunted her. Looking up at Austin she could only tell that he must've seen that same thing only he had a different look on his face, something he was good at was showing his emotions as she only kept hers buried deep inside. She still felt like she wasn't breathing as she knew she was. Austin walked up in front of her pulling her in a hug. " It's never going to be okay, It's never going to be easy. It's how you fight it and get through it that matters." The comfort alone made her feel safer as she only wanted to cry for that girl and the pain and heartache she had. What made her want to cry even more was Austin and how patient he was with her no matter what she said or what was happening. She knew she needed to tell him everything, not just her name, everything. She didn't want to leave his embrace as it was too comfort.