Stonebrook High School

Chapter 56

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~*Ω*~

With Jess's idea of climbing on top of the maze, they only took about 20 minutes to reach the other side. Cautiously, they climbed down the vines and stared at the large ravine that invited them to fall in.

"That... is one deep drop," Axel said, out of breath.

"Damn it! If only Ivor hadn't made that damn Wither and shown us this place! We could get so much valuable information on the Mojang," Soren yelled.

Jess looked down the chasm and, as she did, she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders. She started to shake violently and felt as if her throat was being crushed.

Axel grabbed her. "Jess! What's wrong? What's happening?"

Sudden visions entered her mind like a crashing river and she watched them all play out with pure terror. "I... I think I died."

"What?"

"I- I don't know, but when I looked down there I just saw something come into my head. It was, like, I fell and got closer to the ground or something and this pain just shot through me and I couldn't stop shaking and–"

"Jesse!" Soren shook her shoulders. "You need to take a deep breath. Do it with me. Inhale for four seconds, hold it for seven, and release it through your teeth for eight. Come on. One... two... three... four..."

She nodded and followed along. After a couple of minutes only breathing in and out, she calmed down and held her shaking arms.

"You were having a panic attack," said the Architect. "Was it the depth of the ravine?"

Jess looked around. "No. I was... looking down when all of a sudden I was reminded of something. Like my memory popped back in my head for that split moment. Either I was falling or the other thing was moving, but we were getting closer and closer and I was hugging something, closing my eyes as we hit." She stifled a shaky breath. "It was terrifying. Axel, do you know what I saw?"

The mentioned held his face as he thought. "The only thing I can think of is the moment Reuben got hit by a car."

"My pig?"

"Yeah. But you weren't hit. Only he was. Maybe that was your brain trying to get you to remember something."

"Well, whatever it was, we have to keep moving, friends," Soren interrupted. "We have the world on our shoulders right now. We cannot waste time on our own problems."

The world on our shoulders. That sudden weight she felt when she looked down the ravine. It had pressed down on her back, her lungs, and she couldn't breathe, couldn't open her mouth to call for help. She just froze. It was hell in a single second. Time slowed down and she just watched herself collapse into a bundle of shivering flesh and bone that could do nothing but watch.

What had just happened? Was that really something that happened to her or was it her making stuff up?

She might not ever know.

~*Ω*~

They crossed the precarious bridge across the wide gap. It didn't help that it was action or thriller movie-style, old, wooden bridge with parts falling off everywhere and with every step they took.

After some hesitation, they made it to the building on the other end. It was a small house, crafted roughly with rudimentary materials. Stone roof shingles covered the top and contrasted the tan oak color of the wooden walls. There were no window panes, only square holes with window blinds inside. The door was white and aged.