FYSH: Diving Deeper.

Chapter Two: Plucking out the Weeds (Pt 2)

The type of quiet that drives you insane. The immense silence which makes every scitter or breath sound that much louder. The silence bounded off walls and resounded in our faces. There was not a whisper of wind. The tunnel almost seemed as though it had gotten smaller and tighter as we walked on, maybe even darker and scarier. I couldn't tell. The beating of my heart echoed in my ears, distracting me, and from time to time, I had to remind myself to breathe. Something was wrong with me. Something was going to happen.

And lo-and-behold, it did.

We reached the end of the tunnel. A simple silver wall. And we all stood away from it, unable to comprehend our sudden end. I slowly bustled through the wavering crowd and leant towards the wall. My fingers tingled as they reached up and slid against the gleaming surface. The wall, all sleek and smooth, vibrated under my touch. I flinched, pulling my hand away as if I had touched a burning coal.

"Well, that was unexpected." I whispered. I tapped my forefinger against my thumb and leant close to the wall. The wall shook violently, but in such short quakes that were barely visible to the naked eye. Everything was silent.

Then a click sounded. The wall in front of us lurched forwards. A cry rose up from the girls, quickly snatched up by their efforts of jumping back and running. The wall sped towards us and we all galloped back the way we came, breathlessly and violently twisting our necks to see how close our predator was. We were all fit, but it was a very long tunnel. We neared the entrance, the spooky glow reaching out at us. I sprinted gleefully at the sight of the light ahead, adrenaline whispering rushed blessings through my body. We almost made it. Our breathing became one. Each girl's pulse rhythmically beating in accordance to other girl's, as our same goal was set in mind. I felt the energy as our confidence grew, the beating of our feet becoming faster, less girls concerned with the fear of the daunting door that still came rushing for us. My hair whipped around me, streaming behind me, whipping and lashing at the tattoo at the nape of my neck. My eyes met a flash, somewhere ahead, a piercing, scarlet spark which made my heart stop.

From the spark, dropped a little gray rectangle from the ceiling. An exact replica of the wall which seemed to be speeding up from behind us. A miniscule light, green as envy, began to flash repetitively, and rectangle became larger. It was descending at a hellishly quick speed, threatening to lock us in without a doubt.

"Run!" I roared, and we all tore after the slowly disappearing light. 

One of the girls, who I recognized in my coach, caught up next to me, tears forming in her eyes. Ferocious buzzing slipped from her lip, as she mumbled a hasty sentence. Again, and again, and again.

"We're not going to make it, we're not going to make it, we're not going to make it, we're not going to make it, we're not going to make it, we're not going to make it, we're not going to make it."

"Hey-" I panted, reaching out to her, my only intent to calm her down.

Her head moved towards me, in a way I can only describe like this, the way a doll would. She sucked in a deep breath, her bottom lip trembled. Suddenly, her arm shot out, and I veered back, narrowly missing her flying fist, right where my face was. Shocked, I slowed down, and shaking my head, I almost tripped over the little ones zooming past me. Quickly, almost the whole pack had overtaken me and the droning wall was close, nipping at the back of my feet. That bitch. I thought grimly, forcing my aching thighs to help me this one time.

Wall B was quickly closing in, and with despairing realization, I knew I couldn't make it. Some of the smaller girls at the front could easily slide through, but anyone at the back, or even anyone slightly taller, larger or less fit, would be forced to stay against the two walls. Wait, if this wall and can move front and back, will the other as well? Bile bubbled in my throat as I imagined the rest of us caught between the two walls, wailing and calling out desperately as the walls began to close in, slowly breaking limbs and tearing flesh. It can't be what I think, right? I exhaled, but my breath became caught in my throat, as Ioa's eyes swung through my mind. Beady, sneaky and shaded, like she always knew more than you did.

But still, I wasn't going to make it. My legs were giving up, my breathing no longer in trained, quick sips, but rather raw, hasty gulps of burning air. And then, a shadow stretched out before me, ruining the clear light.

"Atlanta!" A voice thundered. Tyde stood with several other older boys as they strained under the weight of the wall, arms crunched against their heads, all on their knees. A small slip was available on either side of the grouping of boys, and our little girls, crying in joy, split into two, ready to slide through. They bought us time, though their foreheads were drenched with sweat and the muscles in their legs were straining. I used my last bit of energy to leap forward, zooming past all the girls, to come to a crude stop, almost hitting my body against the wall. I stood there, making sure all the girls made a swift pass, helping anyone who didn't make it quick enough, so that the next girl could go through as well. Every girl flooded through and under, and there left only a miniscule gap. As everyone passed, Tyde groaned.

"Hurry up! We can't hold it any longer!" He growled.

I shot down, crouching, ready to pounce through, myself. But then I heard it, loud and flimsy gasps exploded in blasts behind me. I flipped back to see one of the younger girls, perhaps a little bigger, had fallen behind and her back was barely inches away from the wall sweeping behind her.

She looked up at me, and the vision reflected off her eyes was a picture of hopelessness and despair. A smile pinched from her lips. The grin of a goner.