It took a second for what I had done to catch up to me as I was plummeting down the open shaft. My shriek bounced off the walls around me then got lost as I fell past it. Panic gripped me for at least the first five seconds, then I realized that I hadn’t died yet.

I could die anytime, since the floor where my fall would terminate was out of sight. And before this I had been pretty close to death to begin with. Also, as I breathed in weakly, it felt like any further attempt to scream would be a wheeze.

I tried to calm down, just focusing on the sensation of the wind rushing past me. I succeeded a little. I could at least focus enough to think and check out my surroundings. Or what I could check, given the absence of light. Would it have killed past me to pack a flashlight?

Wait, there had been one in the briefcase, but considering I was barely holding on to the handle as I plummeted down, trying to get it out would be a bad idea.

It was not entirely dark in here, little bits of light from along the side of the shaft from doors being opened briefly, people tossing laundry out, baskets of clothing being thrown out into the abyss with me. I certainly hoped that was what I could feel around me, and not what I had encountered in the bathroom before. I knew that was wrong.

Clothes didn’t feel like syrup, hard rigid objects, or the other textures and shapes I could feel. I just pretended to ignore it for now. I didn’t feel the same urgency that I had before. Or maybe it was just being swallowed by the existing existential dread that soon I would be dying anyway. I was likely to land straight onto something solid, hard, and very likely to kill me. Could they make this any worse?

How long was this drop, anyway? It had seemed like this building was endless from the outside, but clearly, it couldn’t be that long in reality. And I had been near the bottom just a few minutes ago. But there were no signs of anything below me still.

The light was gone soon, leaving me completely in the dark. Clearly out of doors. Was this eternal? I wasn’t sure if I’d choose death by starvation over death by hitting the ground, but both looked like options. Or blood loss, since I could still feel the wet slickness of it coming out of my existing wounds.

The hot flashing pain was beginning to become a dull throbbing ache, probably not from them getting better and more likely because I was getting close to passing out. Or blood loss was in fact already kicking in. Money on the blood loss then. It was a struggle to even think about, as I continued tumbling down.

Intellectually, I knew I should be feeling more upset over that, but I just felt tired as the wind rushed past me. The only sensation left for me was that touch of the wind, the pain, and where the wind combined with damp clothes to create a chill. Even if I survived the fall, what would be for me at the bottom? More people wanted to kill me, and I didn’t really want to keep on running. Even if I could run, right now it felt like crawling would maybe be beyond me.

It felt like hours when something broke the darkness.

I could see lights now, pale-colored and coming into view. It was something to focus on. A motley assortment of colored lights mixed in down below. Most were white or yellow, but all the colors of the rainbow were mixed in there as well. Smaller lights were coming into view, more and more, a sea of darkness broken up by islands of light. Some as big as an actual island, most smaller.

That description was more accurate than I thought as I fell past the shaft and into a cavern instead. I thought it was a cavern at least, nothing but air stretching on either side. Far, far below, the inky blackness, but not of more darkness. Of water, deep and dark. Still a ways away, but that distance was shrinking quickly.

The light was oppressive, a dozen small suns holding vigil above the water. I could see ground, islands, or coasts or something mixed in and among the water. The suns were the largest but plenty of smaller lights. Many of them moving across the lake’s surface. An entire flotilla of small boats and ships were traveling across the surface. They looked strange. But that could just be the overhead view.

Clothes were everywhere. Above and below fabric and cloth of all kinds and types of clothing were fluttering down with me. None had caught on me, but they did surround me. If these things come alive to try and collect the rent That thought died in my head as my eyes fluttered.

Knowing there was an appointment between me and the water below made them want to shut even more. Dying in my sleep sounded better than the alternative. Not enough time now.

I tried my best to brace myself, not that I could muster much strength in my own limbs against the wind. That numbness that had been spreading across me was near complete, from either exhaustion, blood loss, or something else. I couldn’t feel my limbs, much less move them. Not that it would matter, I had been falling more than long enough to hit freefall speeds, so even falling into the water I was about to go splat.

Well, it had been a short, painful little life thus far, and I could say I hadn’t enjoyed it that much. Not that I wanted to die, but better this than something slow and painful. I closed my eyes as the surface of the water neared.

I hit the water, and somehow I wasn’t dead.

It wasn’t a pleasant landing, a gasp getting punched loose from me as my torso felt like a horse had kicked each part of it. I got my mouth shut before any water could come. Resisting the urge to open it to scream was only possible because of how tired I was.

Even when I wasn’t dying, it had to be painful, although I couldn’t expect anything less since I had hit my torso first. Seems I’m alive for now, I thought to myself, a little bit of feeling back in my limbs. I could at least feel how painful they currently were.

How I was living escaped me for now, since I should have hit with enough force to thoroughly break me, but outside of the existing rib issue, nothing felt dramatically worse than before. Well, the ribs actually did feel much worse than before. The dull ache in my chest before was now an active and painful burning. Whatever wasn’t broken was probably bruised at best, I thought as I began to sink. The less said about each limb, the better. The water around me was already showing little streaks of red.

The water was warm, not to the point of scalding, but enough that it had shocked me a little. This time there was no water in my lungs, and I managed to tread for a little bit while I tried to get the water out of my eyes. It wasn’t easy. The sudden splash had reenergized me but it wasn’t lasting, not helped by the fact that I felt like I had taken a sledgehammer to everywhere that had hit the water

Looking around, the lights were enough to keep the surface of the water illuminated, which was nice. They also illuminated down below as well. That wasn’t so nice.

Looking down, it initially seemed like just a shallow pool of water I was in, the ground only a couple of dozen feet below the surface of the water. Then I noticed that the ground was moving. It resembled less the dirt of a lake and more the gray and brown pockmarked skin of a living creature. I couldn’t tell what it was. Its length and breadth stretched beyond the parts of the water I could see through. But the movement was placid and slow. Maybe it wasn’t hostile? Or hadn’t noticed me? Or maybe I just was too small to eat?

There wasn’t anything I could do if it changed its mind. Treading water was challenging me already.

The waters pushed against me, a small wave forming then going over my head. I sputtered water as I tried to keep on the surface, limbs burning from the exertion.

One of the boats I had seen on my plummet downwards was coming closer, steam billowing out of the singular smokestack as it paddled closer. I had thought they looked strange on the way down. Now I knew why. Long nets were on either side of the boats, collecting everything as they passed. The clothes maybe? The most inefficient laundry service in existence.

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There was a trio of figures on the prow of the ship, one of them gesturing towards me and raising an arm. In greeting I guessed, but I couldn’t raise my own arm in greeting. I focused on keeping afloat instead.. Actually, I was already losing progress there. I thought it was just the churning of the water as the ship got closer but the water level was getting higher. It was becoming a struggle just to keep my chin above it, and even that was beginning to slip.

I could hear someone yelling, but I was already fading. Darkness came.

……

I woke up, and the first thing I felt was that I was wet. Again. I tried to sit up, only for something to hold me down. Horizontally across my body and I could feel fibers against my bare skin. I was being restrained by ropes. Tight enough that every breath felt like a struggle against the pair running across my chest.

I could move my head at least, away from where it was currently stuck staring at a wooden ceiling up above, rotting and moldy wood that had the occasional droplet dripping down. Falling nowhere near me, thankfully. I’d had enough of water.

Around me was an oversized closet, with shelves and cabinets surrounded me. They were made of grey and light green wood. Misshapen and warped throughout, giving the impression I was in a room of waves instead of straight lines.

A single lamp burned above me. It provided some dim light, and I could see a wooden door haphazardly framed in the wall. Light shone in from holes formed between the door and the frame. Much brighter than the lamp light, they were almost painful to look at. There were very few shadows here, something I was thankful for right now.

I tried to move once again, wriggling as much as I could. My hands were both restrained by the rope around my waist, and pretty tightly as well as I tried to pull them through. I suddenly froze, then wriggled all the fingers I could. Ten.

That…I could vividly remember that hook ripping two of mine off on my right hand, but now I was moving them, I could feel the rough grain of the woods underneath as I bent them. More than that, the intense pain from before was gone, replaced by a mild ache. By all rights, I should be a broken, barely moving mess.

The missing fingers also felt shorter than they had before. And I felt strange, itchy sensations at the base of the two fingers that should be gone. What was going on?

Okay, enough thinking about that, I had more important things to worry about. Someone had clearly decided to restrain me here, probably for nothing good. At least they had the decency of leaving me in my existing clothes.

There were a total of five ropes tied horizontally across me. Those were the ones that I could feel at least. Straining to lift my head high enough confirmed it, one shoulder height, one chest height, one around the waist, one above my knees, and a final one over my ankles.

Maybe I could saw through the ropes somehow? The choker I had on was ridiculously sharp given how I had cut my finger on it, but there wasn’t really a way to use it. There wasn’t a lot of slack to any of them either, they’d left me enough to breathe but not enough to move. And even getting out of the ropes around my chest wouldn’t help thanks to the cuffs around my wrists and ankles.

I could lift my head a little though, and something glinting on the floor below caught my eye. A knife.

Well, glinting was perhaps the wrong word, as it could barely reflect light at all. Rust had consumed most if not all the metal of the blade. It also looked like it could barely qualify as a pocket knife. But it was a better opportunity to escape than anything else.

I hadn’t heard a noise from beyond the door since I had woken up. Hopefully, that meant no one was there. I did not need someone to just be sleeping or just being very quiet over in the next room. Because I doubted this next bit would go quietly.

I moved as far as I could from one side, then to the other, trying to tilt the table as much as I could. Like I had noticed before, not much slack. Just enough to allow me to breathe. But it was enough to start at least.

The wood of the table was helping, like everything else here it was uneven and that made it easier. It was rocking nowhere near enough to tip over yet, but it was a sta-

That thought was interrupted as, with a pair of snaps, two of the table legs gave way, sending the rest of the table to the ground. And me along with it as the edge of the table rammed into the stone floor of the hut. Wood splintered near the edge. But to my frustration, the tabletop I was strapped to was still intact. I craned my neck, trying to spot the knife, and it was near my hand at least. A good two or three inches away, which I’d have to strain to reach for, but obtainable.

I grasped and felt what was clearly the blade of the knife. I wasn’t close enough to get to the handle, but I managed to grab the flat of the blade to drag it closer. I eventually got my hands around the handle and managed to leverage it against the rope around my waist.

It wasn’t long after that I had cut through the remaining ropes as well. Even with the rust, the blade remained sharp at least. With some final sawing through the ropes I hit the ground, then quickly scrambled back to my feet, gripping the knife tightly. My only weapon for now.

I frowned, looking at my hand. I could see it clearly now, and the missing fingers and chunks of flesh that had been torn out were there once again. Half the size I remembered them. Three knuckles, they looked like miniature versions of the other fingers. The itching hadn’t stopped either. A mystery for later.

Now it was time to get out of here.

Of course that’s when the sound of a door opening came from the next room over.

My body stilled as my hand tightened around the stolen knife, and my breathing slowed. I could hear someone moving from beyond the door. The light from the various cracks in its surface disappeared then reappeared as whoever or whatever lay beyond moved about in the room. Could they see me through one of those cracks? I hoped not. Even if they could, I didn’t move. Too much chance of making a noise. So instead, I waited as still as I could as the figure crossed in front of the door.

They weren’t making too much noise, the occasional grunt, the sound of moving footsteps, the scrape of wood across the floor. Probably a chair. I waited, and then waited some more as the sound of something being cut came from the other door. Great, they were having a meal.

I did my best to relax, awkwardly as I was currently folded in on myself but still balanced on two feet. Not the best of places to have to wait in without making a noise. I could blame past me for that. They were apparently responsible for all my problems after all.

It was probably only ten or twenty minutes waiting. Ut felt like an eternity waiting, still stuck in damp clothes. The sound of the chair scraping against the floor. The light became blocked. I tensed. The clack of boots on a floor. The gurgle of strained, unnatural breathing.

A few shallow breaths later and the light shone through the tiny holes and cracks once again. They had moved on.

A drop of water splattered against my cheek. I almost made a noise and tried to force it down halfway through the sound leaving my throat. The result was a very muffled squeak for lack of better words. I lifted the knife, ready for the door to open.

There was a pause, then a muttering from the other side, and then the sound of a door opening. Not mine. I breathed out as the other door closed.

My racing heart slowed down as my grip on the knife loosened a little. Just enough where the handle wasn’t pressing into my hand. I wondered why they apparently didn’t care to check on the person tied up in their closet later. Shouldn’t waste this much time on reasons. I need to get out. I grabbed the handle of the door and opened it.

It was a larger room, but not a very spacious one. This one definitely had more of a lived-in quality though, with a bed in the corner, a table, and a dresser. Still all warped wood but they were clearly functional. The ceiling was in better shape, or at least there was no water dripping from it. Most importantly, there was only one other door, in no better shape than the closet one. There was a gap at the bottom, through which mud was seeping in, so I doubted that one opened to another room.

Outside of the small assortment of furniture I had already noted, there was something else in a corner of the room. It was the only thing in here that was made out of something besides wood, instead being made of metal. A small box with several objects placed inside, etched scenes on the outside walls of the box.

The box itself didn’t have too much out of the ordinary, just another knife, a hexagon of some kind of metal, a cloth cap colored red, and the rotting remains of a three-headed fish. Perfectly normal, I thought as I stared at the three dead sets of eyes staring up at me. I could spend time questioning why a three-headed fish was in there or why it was perched against the wall to stare upwards. However, I had more important things to do, like getting out of here.

I did spare a glance at the etchings on the outside. A city, towering buildings, on a rock, or at least that’s how I interpreted the rough rectangle the city was on top of. Above, a single figure, female and human looking, in what looked like a business suit, light emanating from her. She was chasing things that looked like clouds of darkness away from the edges of the city. I could take a guess at what those were supposed to be after my experiences with the bathroom and the flickering lightbulb.

There were other etchings on the other sides of the box, but I had wasted enough time here. It was time to leave before whoever had tied me up came back. I turned back to the door, which was, of course, right when someone chose to open it, walking inside with the thud of boots on the wooden floor.