Neverending Loops

Chapter 9.

After wandering aimlessly around for what felt like hours, they finally had to stop and take a break. Most of the discussion that followed after the semi-truce had been about the other inhabitants of the Studio. It wasn't a very pleasant discussion for Joey, which was evident from the clear shock laid out on his face.

Now, they sat on a dusty couch at the end of a stairwell, that only led deeper down. A radio sat nearby on the floor, though it was kept off despite Henry's attempts to turn the dial.

Wouldn't have been any good on though, because all it played for the few seconds it was on were distorted screams and cries. But...

"Did you hear that?" Henry kept his eyes trained on the radio, half expecting it to come back to life, teeming with howling shouts of pain.

"What?" Joey obviously thought something was coming down the stairs, until Henry grabbed his arm, feeling him tense under his grasp.

"In there. Joey, they're screaming, you couldn't hear them?" He kneeled down next to the radio, pulling Joey along.

"There wasn't anything but static, no voices. Shouldn't we keep it off? I don't want to attract attention." Joey leaned away from both the radio and Henry, as if unnerved. Maintaining eye contact, Henry shook his head no, and turned it back on.

To him, the instant the radio was back on, the only thing coming out of the speaker was screaming. Short and shrill, loud and filled woth despair. Whispers and yells of pain and sadness.

I want to go home...

What did I do wrong? What did we do wrong?

It hurts. Why does it hurt?

I am not me.

On and on, shouts and cries from people he knew and cared about. Another disturbing factor though, was the fact that he could hear his own voice in the mix. Joey cringed, and Henry thought for a second that he'd heard them. But it wasn't what had caused the reaction.

"It's nothing but static. There isn't anything in there that I can hear. Are you positive you're okay?" It was the tone he used when talking about a uncomfortable subject, treading carefully while simultaneously wanting information.

"It's not just in my head Joey. It's like the tunnel, only we didn't die. But that doesn't explain why you can't hear them." He switched the radio off after a few more seconds, turning to look at Joey; and the baffled expression on the other mans face.

"Tunnel? And of course we didn't die Henry. We got away-" He paused, thinking of something. "Did you? In the other loop? Die, I mean."

"Lots a times. I kinda got used to it after a bit. The worst had to be getting crushed under the elevator. Hate that thing honestly."

It really was one of the worst, due to the fact that he had been able to feel his ribs crack and snap before piercing though the skin. Only to walk - more like limp - down the inky yet glowing tunnel and come out the other side with only residual pain.

"That's not something to say that casually." Joey was very off put by the notion that his friend, who was sitting right in front of him clearly breathing and alive, had died many times before.

"You think it was fun to go through? But anyway, don't interrupt, I'll tell you more later. The tunnel was, well just a tunnel. You know that phrase 'light at the end of the tunnel?'" He waited for a nod from Joey before going on.

"Think of that, but more literal. It's just an ink covered tunnel with glowing flashes in it. Voices too."

"That's what you're talking about? The voices from this tunnel apparently, are in the radio?" Joey blew out a breath, not quite grasping the whole souls stuck in a radio thing. Strange considering everything the two of them had went through so far.