Probing Visions 1

Chapter 10 (Part 1)

     The air whirrs with the clanging sound of steel, its muffled noise echoing throughout the vent shaft. Jean progresses down the shaft, dragging his lean body along the path, his arms strained by the force. Although his shoulders feel sore, he pushes himself forward, determined to finish his task. As his hands pull him onward, Jean continues, the vent moaning like a dying beast.

     Specks of dust, settling like a layer of soil in the park, shroud the surface of the shaft, causing Jean to cough involuntarily as he moves forward. Mould hovers across the space, prompting Jean to squint, finding discomfort as he advances. The steel within the shaft groans as he pulls his body onward, the haunting sound reverberating like an eerie hymn.

     As Jean delves deeper into his journey, he spots a beam of light coming from the bottom surface of the shaft, presumably a vent. Hurriedly, Jean quickens his burdensome crawl until he reaches it. And there, he peeks through the crack and spots a spacious room underneath. He scans the dimly lit area, seeing benches and a blackboard doodled with colourful chalk. As a thought solidifies in his mind, Jean immediately realizes the room is none other than an ordinary classroom and not the professor's office.

     Resuming his crawl, Jean lifts his arms and legs and drags himself forward. As he crawls deeper into the shaft, his shirt becomes stained by the thick coat of dust that settles along the path. Unbothered by the dirt, he continues and squeezes through the compact space that threatens to crush him.

     Soon, Jean reaches an intersection inside the shaft. As he settles at the crossroads, he quickly ponders which way to go. He peers at the path ahead and sees an impenetrable darkness that oozes mystery and uncertainty. Glancing to his right, Jean carefully studies the shaft's narrow path. He then gazes at the left side and sees a broader shaft.

     Immediately, a decision solidifies in Jean's head, and he proceeds to the right path. However, just as he is about to crawl towards his right, he spots something falling from the upper surface of the vent shaft. Jean pauses in his tracks and squints, trying to discern the object. Slowly, a silhouette of an insect forms. Then, a hand-sized spider appears before Jean, its long, hairy legs threatening to touch him.

"Ah!"

     Jean gasps in surprise, his eyes widening with shock. Quickly, he turns around and hurries to the shaft's left side instead. Jean hastens, hoping the spider won't catch up with him. As he crawls, he glances at his back and spots the spider moving away, finding relief from the commotion.

     As the seconds tick by, Jean finds himself lost in the endless passage of the vent shaft. He fails to see through the thick veil of darkness, and his fingers occasionally stub against the cold surface of the shaft, causing him to grunt. A sense of fear and anxiety climbs up his spine as he realizes his grave mistake.

     Just as Jean was about to lose hope and turn back from the vent, he spotted a vent hole on the bottom of the shaft straight ahead. Jean squinted, ensuring he wasn't imagining things. With a wide, hopeful grin adorning his face, he hastened towards the vent, crawling as swiftly as possible.

     Peeking through the crevice of the vent hole, Jean inspected the room beyond. He gazed around and spotted a wooden desk stacked with loads of paper and a chair. As his gaze travelled further, he spotted cabinets and drawers. With his glance digging deeper into the room, he saw a familiar-looking wooden pedestal and a white sheet. Jean knew this was Professor Lenszcen's office.

     Upon unlocking the vent, Jean silently sneaked into the office. He lifted off the vent and placed it down as his body slithered through the hole. With a quiet leap, Jean jumped down into the office, his feet landing on a fuzzy carpet that muffled his descent.

     As his breathing steadies, Jean takes a deep breath through his mouth and releases a long-awaited, heavy sigh. Pressing a palm against his chest, he closes his eyes and allows himself to relax for a few seconds, his heartbeat turning softer each second. Once he finds peace in his environment, Jean's eyelids snap open, his gaze flitting around.