Chapter43

#Chapter43

Down, down, down they went.

The air took on a weight, a stifling heaviness that hampered Hollis's movements. He felt as if he struggled against something that wasn't there. And then, there was the dizziness as he descended backward. More than once he had stumbled and nearly fallen on his ass. To his left, he could hear J.D.'s labored breathing. He turned to see the younger man's exhalations fogging before his face, as were Hollis's own.

Looking over his shoulder, Hollis could see that J.D's light barely illuminated five feet ahead as they finally reached level ground. Here a constant, breathy keening sound grated against his ears. This was as far as he and Kacey had gotten their first time around; this was where he had been forced to turn back. Hollis maintained a mental vigilance, wary of any intrusion on his psyche, but none came. The quartz seemed to be working its own particular kind of magic.