Ashes, Ashes, We All Fall Down
Chapter 5
Chace didn’t know what the hell he was doing here.
It all seemed like a dream. Was it all one big joke; would he wake up if he just closed his eyes tight enough?
Or was his entire family really going to die?
Now he stood in front of one of the coffin-buildings, dithering on the front step as the timer on his wrist dropped lower and lower, beeping menacingly. And the gate was only a dozen feet away, maybe he could make a run for it…
:06…:05…:04…
Trembling, he pulled the cool metal door open and trotted inside the inky blackness.
The door slammed behind him, and another one on the other side opened, spilling out its light.
He moved forward cautiously, muscles clenched—expecting what, he didn’t know.
Chace’s legs seemed to grow heavy with anticipation. Why was nothing happening? It was still as silent as a grave in the room.
He stopped to look behind him. Still nothing.
Sighing with relief, he took another slow step forward.
With a squeal of metal, the floor dashed out from under him.
Chace let out a shout as he fell up to his chest into a…pool of some sort. But how could it be, when it was…moving, somehow?
He grimaced and sloshed through the chilly water, groping blindly for the edge. Funny. It felt like it was squirming…
His clothes were sopping and heavy as he finally heaved himself out of the strange pool. Whatever was in there—perhaps it was pool slime or seaweed of some sort—still clung to his long-sleeved shirt and jeans.
As he leaned against the wall to rest, he felt a hard ridge against his back. Turning, he felt it gingerly with his palm. It felt like a light switch.
He flicked it on and the room was illuminated by a single crackling bulb overhead. But before he could turn back around, Chace looked down and let out a cry.
Hundreds of tiny brown worms were attached to his clothes, slithering and lashing their bloated tails.
“Oh, my God,” he uttered in pure disgust.
Leeches.
He threw himself against the tile floor, shaking and thrashing his limbs madly like some awful, possessed dance. But they wouldn’t come off.
Chace started to scream, still lashing at the vile things that were attached to his very skin, ripping them off his arms…
But now they were starting to bite.
More yells clogged his throat as sharp needle teeth pierced right into what felt like his entire body—arms and legs, chest and feet—they had eaten their way through his clothing. The few that had been thrown onto the ground had crawled back onto his face.
Crying now, tears streaming every time another one gnawed through and eagerly drew blood, he stood up and faced the door.
It had been the pool. It was filled with millions of leeches, to the point where the water was not clear but deep brown, alive with wriggling creatures excited by a warm, fleshy body pumping with blood entering their cold lair.
And the only way out—for the water stretched from wall to wall—was across a rickety wooden rope bridge, dangling mere inches from the brown surface. Worst of all, it was only a foot wide…
It all seemed like a dream. Was it all one big joke; would he wake up if he just closed his eyes tight enough?
Or was his entire family really going to die?
Now he stood in front of one of the coffin-buildings, dithering on the front step as the timer on his wrist dropped lower and lower, beeping menacingly. And the gate was only a dozen feet away, maybe he could make a run for it…
:06…:05…:04…
Trembling, he pulled the cool metal door open and trotted inside the inky blackness.
The door slammed behind him, and another one on the other side opened, spilling out its light.
He moved forward cautiously, muscles clenched—expecting what, he didn’t know.
Chace’s legs seemed to grow heavy with anticipation. Why was nothing happening? It was still as silent as a grave in the room.
He stopped to look behind him. Still nothing.
Sighing with relief, he took another slow step forward.
With a squeal of metal, the floor dashed out from under him.
Chace let out a shout as he fell up to his chest into a…pool of some sort. But how could it be, when it was…moving, somehow?
He grimaced and sloshed through the chilly water, groping blindly for the edge. Funny. It felt like it was squirming…
His clothes were sopping and heavy as he finally heaved himself out of the strange pool. Whatever was in there—perhaps it was pool slime or seaweed of some sort—still clung to his long-sleeved shirt and jeans.
As he leaned against the wall to rest, he felt a hard ridge against his back. Turning, he felt it gingerly with his palm. It felt like a light switch.
He flicked it on and the room was illuminated by a single crackling bulb overhead. But before he could turn back around, Chace looked down and let out a cry.
Hundreds of tiny brown worms were attached to his clothes, slithering and lashing their bloated tails.
“Oh, my God,” he uttered in pure disgust.
Leeches.
He threw himself against the tile floor, shaking and thrashing his limbs madly like some awful, possessed dance. But they wouldn’t come off.
Chace started to scream, still lashing at the vile things that were attached to his very skin, ripping them off his arms…
But now they were starting to bite.
More yells clogged his throat as sharp needle teeth pierced right into what felt like his entire body—arms and legs, chest and feet—they had eaten their way through his clothing. The few that had been thrown onto the ground had crawled back onto his face.
Crying now, tears streaming every time another one gnawed through and eagerly drew blood, he stood up and faced the door.
It had been the pool. It was filled with millions of leeches, to the point where the water was not clear but deep brown, alive with wriggling creatures excited by a warm, fleshy body pumping with blood entering their cold lair.
And the only way out—for the water stretched from wall to wall—was across a rickety wooden rope bridge, dangling mere inches from the brown surface. Worst of all, it was only a foot wide…
♠ ♠ ♠
A big, big thank-you to an RL friend of mine, Abby, who came up with this trap idea and pulled me out of writer's block. You're awesome. :)