Touch: Awakening

Part Twenty Two

Darkness. It's the absence of all light. The only sound is my harsh breathing, punctuated by hiccuping sobs. He's on the other side of the door, stuck with the bots and the wires and the uncertainty of what will happen to him. I press my back to it, like it will miraculously open and reveal Drew, and we won't be so alone.

But he told me to do this. Get out of the dome and run. Heart thudding against my ribs, I stick out a hand, scoot a foot forward, and shriek as lights flash on, blinding me. I blink to clear my vision and wish I hadn't. One more step and I would have fallen straight down the stairs.

They're steep and narrow. Two people wouldn't have been able to walk side by side. Shooting one last longing look at the door, I step forward and grasp the handrail.

And watch as the stairs screech and straighten, becoming a slide of grated metal.

I lean over the railing, watching as flight after flight turns from stairs to something impassible. The metal under my hands begins vibrating, and I jerk forward as it sinks slowly toward the floor.

If I don't start moving, I'll be trapped up here.

I stumble forward, hand on the railing and almost fall onto the slide. It's far too steep to attempt to walk down, and my pants will catch and rip on the grooves. I crouch down and scuttle forward, the angle yanking my arms above my head as I crab-walk down the incline.

The railing continues to vibrate as I work my way to the next landing, shoulders straining with the effort to move quickly. Sweat beads and slips down my spine, my palms dampening. I steal a few precious seconds on the second landing and flex my fingers, wipe them on my thighs before starting down the next slide.

Another three flights, and it's clear I won't make it to the bottom before the railing sinks completely. My knuckles are scraped and bloody from the sharp metal. I sit on the landing, legs hanging over the edge and the polished cement cool under my palms. Five more flights to go. The distance from this landing to the next is too great to jump, and even if I made it to the other side, I'd probably end up hobbling myself.

I study the stairs closest to me. Each individual stair is solid, covered in the rough metal, likely meant to give feet traction when they went up. The slide isn't quite whole; between each stair is a thin strip of empty space. It's not large enough to slip my fingers into, but I can get the tips of my fingers wedged in.

Still no Drew. I tip my head back, anger a wild creature in my chest. He should be here. We were supposed to do this together. Instead he's trapped on the catwalk and I'm stuck in the stairwell.

Blinking away tears, I scoot over to the next slide and turn around. I've seen ladders in books and movies, but never used one. The Realms don't have anything you can climb, but it can't be that difficult.

Two flights later, I change my mind. In order to keep my hands from slipping, I'm putting most of my weight on my fingertips. My arms are already a bit limp from my earlier efforts, and the stress of tensing my muscles to bear the weight causes them to shake.

Three more flights to go.

I'm halfway down the next one when I hear a faint click, and I glance up, fear sparking. No more bots. Please. The stairwell is punishment enough.

"Alexis?"

Drew. I bite my lip hard to stifle my sob of relief. "Down here!"

A dark head pokes out over the landing six and a half flights up. "You okay?"

My right arm gives out, and I lose my grip on the stair. Before I can regain it, my other hand slips, and I fall to the landing, the ridges tearing through my clothes and into my skin. My ankle twists and pops, sending hot red waves of pain through my foot. Above me, I hear Drew cursing and scrambling with the stairs.