Lost in Translation: A Collaborative Story

Part 8: Grim

In an instant, Rebecca felt a sensation akin to hypnogogic jerk as the ground rushed away from her feet. Unable to tell up from down, she gritted her teeth, feeling pulled at by all sides. The realm around her was as still as the grave, yet it felt like wind ripped at her. A great presence heaved in the darkness, bringing a strange hum that stung her ears like an infection. At first, Rebecca thought nothing of it. She chalked it up to her anxiety. There couldn't be anything in here with her, aside from her friends, somewhere ahead. But the hum rang out again, like an infernal bell, and it hurt so much to hear it.

Something was wrong.

Indescribable sensations ran through her body as, confused and horrified, Rebecca called out for the others in vain. She'd been in here too long. Or had she just entered? Perhaps it would have been wise for them to hold hands, or tether together, before jumping into strange time-traveling portals. Rebecca couldn't fret about what should have been. She didn't have time. She didn't know why she felt like this, but every cell in her was screaming to run. But there was nothing in this in-between place: no friction, no gravity, nothing.

"Mike!" She summoned all of her breath to scream, yet still felt muted. "Dev-"

The wind rushed out of her, and she choked. It was so abrupt, Rebecca didn't understand what happened. She felt as if she'd been punched in the gut by the world's strongest man, but she was absolutely certain that nothing hit her. "Help..." Rebecca croaked, seeking to curl up. She couldn't run. Her instincts, in full panic, told her to protect herself instead. Body tense, Rebecca held her knees to her chest and screwed her eyes shut. Maybe she could will herself forward...wherever forward was.

Rebecca heard a voice. At least, she thought it was a voice. Every time she tried to focus on it, it faded. Like gently turning a knob on an old radio, Rebecca tried to tune in to whoever was speaking. The effort made her obscenely tired. Whether it was frustration or fear, she began to cry. Why wasn't she reaching the other end? Why was she still here? Where did the others wind up? Would she even find them? Would she get out of here at all? Losing herself to helpless despair, Rebecca's mind wandered to every single movie she'd seen about why what she was doing was a bad idea. You're trapped in time and space.

The voice became clearer.

And it was impossible.

Simply hearing it nearly broke her. Rebecca knew she would never be able to adequately describe this if she ever saw the others again. It spoke, but also, it didn't. It was painfully loud but also nigh impossible to hear. It shouldn't exist. That was the only thought going through Rebecca's head. It shouldn't exist. She felt like a child again, in those dark moments hiding stiffly under her covers as she swore she heard something moving around her room. Refusing to open her eyes, Rebecca covered her ears, but the voice did not stop. It spoke in emotions, in concepts, in strange images that filled her mind and threatened to drive her mad.

"Meddling-apes-" Garbled English seemed to translate itself. Rebecca's flesh erupted with goosebumps, hair standing on end. "Out-of-place-" The impossible voice hurt. It hurt so much. Rebecca screamed, but there was no sound. She felt her throat straining, the breath leaving her, but the void around her consumed it so that only that terrible voice could be heard.

"What-" It growled, groaned, or gurgled. Or all three.

"Out-of-PPPPLLLLAAAACCCEEEE-" She had never felt so much rage. It threatened to swallow her forever.

"What do you want?!" She mouthed the words. Her tongue wagged. Her throat pulsed. Still, no sound.

"Pa-thet-ic-," The presence swirled around her, circling her like a pack of sharks. Languages she didn't know crashed into her mind like waves of acid, burning her ears. Waves of pain shot through her body. A nauseating combination of burning metal and sulfur filled her mouth. As Rebecca listened to the chatter, she felt like she was doing something wrong. She knew, somehow, that she shouldn't hear these sounds. Not because they were forbidden, but because she was human.