The Abstraction Chronicles: The Abstract

Chapter 12: A Mournful Mother

I have never been one to believe in the paranormal, but I might need to reevaluate my stance on the subject given what we encountered in the UnderDwelling. The people there were so alone and helpless. It felt like a vacuum of hope. Looking up from the dead ground that is seemingly becoming darker with each step Cynthia and Saxley were already at the top. Without Saxley to guide us, I would have lost my way from the start. It has been about a day since that Dweller battle and seeing the army of them. I would be lying if I say I wasn't on edge. This place is so bland, and everything looks the same.

"Zane!" Cynthia calls. "Yeah?"

"Get up here slowpoke. We finally have a change in scenery." Picking up the pace I get to the top of the hill where Saxley and Cynthia are staring at a grim scene. Before us is a heavy fog. It's so dense that it blots out whatever sunlight makes it through the dark clouds above.

"Well, this isn't good." I say scratching my head.

"Everyone grab hands, Saxley you should take the lead since you know where we're going." Cynthia says holding out her hand to me. Grasping it, I take Saxley's in turn.

"Sounds good to me. I'd be lying if I said this place didn't scare me a little bit."

"You and me both," I say hesitantly. Walking through the thick fog, it gets a little more difficult to breathe as if a boot is being slowly pressed down on my chest. I can't see either Saxley or Cynthia when I look back due to the thickness of the fog.

"It's getting harder to breathe," I hear Cynthia wheeze behind me.

"Yeah, it is," I wheeze back. Within a few minutes of continued walking, we're trudging along barely.

"Should we turn back?" Saxley wheezes.

"We wouldn't make it," Cynthia says behind me.

"We got to keep moving," I murmur gasping for air. Without a word Saxley falls to the ground. "Saxley are you okay...?" I ask my vision blurring. The next thing I know my head hits a patch of dead grass. Waking up, I'm lying face up. Above the sky is still covered by a blanket of fog, but it's much thinner allowing me to see several feet compared to being blinded before. The weight on my chest is also gone. Looking around both Saxley and Cynthia are sprawled on the ground around me.

"Guys wake up!"

Stirring Cynthia rubs her head. "Where are we?" She asks.

"I'm not sure," Saxley says who is looking down at his Key. "It doesn't know where we

are."

"That's not good," I say looking around. Dead ashen trees littered a field around us.

Heavy mist drifting between the branches. An eerie feeling enveloped me as I looked around.

Getting up and brushing her jeans off Cynthia says, "We might as well try and find a way out of here."

Saxley gives her a thumbs up, while I nod, "Agreed. Are we still in the UnderDwelling?" I ask as we pass our first line of dead trees. They looked like they hadn't ever been watered and then burnt to a crisp. My biology teacher would have a fit if he ever saw these.

"Most likely since we never entered a wormhole to enter another mindscape. But it does worry me as I've never seen anything like this before. Saxley, do you know where this could be? Maybe you've been here when you younger?" Cynthia says.

"Trust me, I think I would remember this if I had ever been here."

"Hey, is that a person?" Looking, I can just barely see a silhouette through the thick fog leaning against one of the trees.