Glass

Learning

Something inside me feels broken.

I've given up on sleeping. The past couple nights I've simply drifted in and out of it, never truly falling asleep. I'm exhausted all the time, but at least I'm not having nightmares anymore.

Lu keeps talking about trying to get the key again. But after last time, I'm not sure I want to do that. Who knows if either of us will make it out alive? Is it really worth it?

"Hey, bandages? Earth to Kanna?"

I jump, looking up to see Lu's annoyed face. "Oh, sorry."

"God, you're so pathetic. Anyway, I was thinking, this time we should make grenades."

My mouth drops open for a moment. "Why is it that whenever you talk, nothing you say makes sense?"

"No, really! I think we could do it!"

"No. You would just send glass flying everywhere, it would be like it was raining knives."

"Yeah, that's a good point." Lu pulls open the door to the corn room. "You wanna hold it open this time?"

"Nah, I'll go in." I step through the doorway and into the corn maze.

That's right, there's a corn maze. But it's not a fun, 'get your caramel apples, kids!' type of corn maze. One step too far in here, and you'll be lost forever. And even worse, there are crunchers lurking around every corner, waiting to kill you.

Whoever got the key from this room must've been an extremely brave person.

"Hey Lu, how many keys have you gotten?" I say, reaching up to grab some corn.

"Two." He answers.

I've tried not to press Lu too much about the past. When I ask him questions about it, he always tightens up and changes the subject. So I'm trying to spread out the questions over time, one by one, little by little. "What rooms?" I ask, deciding to press him a little further.

"The ocean room, and the electrical one. The electric one used to shock you whenever you touched the ground, but after we got the key, I went in there and figured out a way to make that stop happening."

But after we got the key... Lu says "we" a lot. I don't dare ask him who "we" is, because I know if they aren't here, then they're gone.

I don't know how he's made it through this, I think to myself. I finish gathering the corn, and then we head back to the room. I yawn as I close the door behind us. Lu looks at me, concerned, but he doesn't say anything.

He knows I can't sleep.

Lu's been easier on me lately. He doesn't send near as many jokes my way, not after I told him about Rick's basement.

"Bandages!" Lu shouts.

"What?" I ask, jumping.

"You were drifting off again. You need to pay more attention, we have to figure out a way to get that last key." Lu's face is different from normal. There's no smile there; only fierceness.

"Okay, I'm sorry. What were you saying?"

Whoosh.

Click.

We turn to see Mr. Smiley burst into the room. He moves quickly towards us, towering over Lu. Every other time Mr. Smiley has spoken, his voice has been calm and easy. But now, it's urgent and rushed.

"What is it?" Lu asks.

"Boy. Room."

Lu's eyes widen. "But... That's not..."

"Forest."

Lu stares at the cruncher for a moment. His mouth has dropped open, and as he slowly closes it I see fear shaking his jaw. Then, carefully, he nods. "Come on, bandages. We're about to meet somebody new."

⧫ ⧫ ⧫

As we walk down the hall to the forest zone, Lu's hands shake. He keeps unclenching them and then balling them back into fists, trying to hide the fact that they're vibrating like a vacuum that's sucking up pennies.

We get to the door, and Mr. Smiley swings it open and slides inside. He disappears behind some trees, and Lu runs after him. "Stay with the door!" Lu shouts to me.

But even if I wanted to follow him, I know that I couldn't.

My feet are stuck to the ground. I keep thinking of moving them, of shifting their weight, but they stay planted to the floor. I look down to see that my own hands are shaking.

The rest of me freezes as I see vines snaking towards Lu.

And before I can call out a warning, he turns around a tree and vanishes from sight.

And then I hear him scream. 

Author's Note:

Thanks so much for reading! What do you think will happen to Lu? What do you think is happening right now? Please vote and comment, it means the world to me!