The Rift

Chapter 6: Raked.

 "AAAHH!" Lincoln woke up from a bad dream.

He walked out in the hall with the intention of getting a drink, when he ran into Lana.

"Hay Lana, can't sleep?" Lincoln asked.

"I keep having nightmares." Lana said.

"Me too." Lincoln said.

"Ever since that thing tried to eat me in the park." Lana said. "I haven't been able to sleep. I... I just see the inside of that thing's stomach every time I close my eyes."

"Oh, I almost forgot." Lincoln said. He went back into his room and brought out something for Lana.

"MY HAT!" Lana smiled.

"That government guy said he found this in the woods." Lincoln said, handing the red hat to his little sister. "Guess that's why he wanted to talk to me."

"How's you hand." Lana asked.

Lincoln's hand was wrapped in bandages. It was burned in what he was told was a gas fire. The memory of what happened still felt fake somehow.

"Getting better." Lincoln said.

"Does it hurt?"

"A bit yeah. But not as much as you would think." Lincoln explained. "Something really did happen to you back in those woods, didn't it?"

The two siblings had gone downstairs and sat on the couch.

"You wanna talk about it?" Lincoln asked.

"Well I already told you," Lana said. "I was looking for the Fishmens, and this thing swallowed me. I found what was left of the Fishmens in its stomach."

"What did the monster look like?" Lincoln asked.

"kind of like a cross between a spider and a frog." Lana explained. "But it was the size of a bear."

Lincoln could tell Lana wasn't making this up. Weather the monster was real or not, Lana believed every word she was saying. Plus, Lincoln could vaguely remember the government guy saying something about Lana's hat being found in a puddle of black goo. This was definitely something more than a little girl's imagination.

"I would have been d-dead just like the Fishmens if it wasn't for..." Lana said.

"for what?"

"Something else pulled me out?" Lana said.

"Pulled you out?"

"Like it ripped out the spider-frog's guts." Lana said. "Then I was able to escape."

"Well what was the other thing then? The thing that saved you?" Lincoln asked.

"I didn't get a good look at it." Lana replied. "But I don't know if it was trying to save me, or just trying to eat the other monster. So, what about you?"

"Me?" Lincoln said. "What about me?"

"What's been giving you nightmares?" Lana asked. "Was it the fire?"

"No." Lincoln replied. "This may sound weird but. It's like something is calling to me. Something from deep space."

"Is it that Red King guy again?" Lana asked.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is." Lincoln said.

"You think the Red King is somehow related to the spider-frog?" Lana asked.

"Could be." Lincoln said. "it all started on that camping trip. Lynn, Lisa and I found this staircase. Lynn dared me to climb it. When I was up there, it was like I wasn't alone, someone, or something was watching me. I think that is when I became connected to this, Red King."