[System Notification: You Have Entered Regionwide Dungeon The Underworld!]

“WAIT RIGHT THERE, RAT! YOU’RE DEAD!”

Panic floods my body. I stumble to my feet. There’s something…almost warm on my face. I’d know the feeling anywhere, even cold, frostbitten, and wet like I am now.

Sunlight!

Though I can’t see it, I can feel its heat and rejuvenating light. With that bastard somewhere behind me, I get to my hands and knees beside the riverbank.

Maybe he’s floating downstream as well.

Or maybe he’s on the other side.

Just have to run!

Sharp pain lances through my chest and shoulder as the broken collarbone reminds me of the shape I’m in.

Ignore it.

Just run!

I find my feet somehow, stumbling away from the river-side. Each step is agony, each breath, misery. But without my sight, I have only sound to go by, and the angry shouts from behind tell me I need to keep going!

“Ahhhhk!” I cry out as my foot snags on something.

Another root?

This one is thicker than the last. When I fall on top of it, this root is almost as wide as my whole body. My arms go around the sides of its girth and my cheek slams into the rough bark. Stars ring out, and nothing makes sense. The sound of water is coming from everywhere. Both in front, beneath, and behind me. Maybe I’m just dazed, but it’s like I’m surrounded by gushing rapids. Confusion causes me to freeze as I wonder how the hell my arms are wrapping all the way around a root.

Where’s the ground? Is this thing freaking floating in the air?

I remember how the root which saved me before seemed to hang over the water. Suddenly a terrifying thought comes.

Is this thing growing on top of the river?

That would mean…

I have no more time to think as the screaming from behind grows louder.

“Rat! Don’t think you can run! There’s no escape!”

My pursuer is closing in. There’s no time to turn around, I wouldn’t even know which way to go. My only choice is to go forwards. I scoot my way across the root on all fours like a sloth. The farther on top of it I get, the louder the noise of rushing water below me becomes. I’m certain of it now. If I slip to one side or another, I’ll fall into the river!

“GOTCHA!”

He’s got my leg.

CRAP!

I don’t think.

Just react.

My other foot shoots out. The muscles are cramping agonizingly but they work enough to hit him in the chest. There’s just one problem. I wasn’t expecting to hit him. The force of my kick connecting shoves my body unexpectedly to the left. Though my fingernails desperately scrape against the root, the bark resists my efforts to dig into it and I go over the side. As a last-ditch effort, I throw my other arm around underneath the root and try to grab onto my wrist from the other side. But the root is too wide. Both my hands just barely manage to maintain a grip on the root as my legs dangle over empty space.

*Scraaaape*

My hands are slipping. Exhausted and bruised I can’t hold on much longer. Up above, I hear a disparagingly laugh over the sound of a waterfall.

“Can you swim, Rat?”

Then someone kicks my fingers.

“AHHH!”

Though I scream, I just barely manage to get my shattered fingertips back onto the branch before I fall.

“Hahaha, I love it. You just don’t know when to die…do you, Rat? How about another one?”

“AHHHH!!”

I shuffle my hand back onto the root. More of it is broken then not at this point.

It hurts so bad.

Wait…why am I even bothering to hold on?

If I die…won’t I just respawn?

“SCREW YOU!” I give him the finger with my good hand as I let go. The sensation of falling feels like freedom.

*Splash*

My flight lasts only seconds this time, though in the dark, it always feels like forever. When I hit the surface of the water, I’m instantly carried away by a strong current. Luckily, this time, I don’t end up too deep. My lungs instinctively clench, and I work hard not to take a breath as the raging river shoves me head over heels.

MMMRRRR!!

Though I know not which way is up or down, the water is thicker than last time. Somehow, I bob my way up to the surface, more by luck than anything. Blind to everything, I hold my hands out for a root, some rock, anything to latch on to.

The sound of rushing water changes pitch, and I hear this great roar.

I open my mouth to take a breath.

Then the bottom of the river drops out from under me.

“AHHHHHH!” I should hold my breathe. I know I should. But the unexpected freefall is too much for me.

Down

Down

Down

I go with the water, kicking and screaming. The bottom can’t come too soon, nor too late. I hope my skull splatters on a rock. Anything to get out of this cursed darkness.

*Splash*

No luck.

I land sideways, my wrist breaking as it takes the blow. Then my skull hits and I’m knocked out. True darkness eats away everything in an instant.

…

…

…

MRRRHHH??!!!

I wake up underwater with a jolt. There’s no air in my lungs. I try to breath before I remember where I am. That’s the end. Water gets inside me. My arms flail about helplessly under the surface as the waterfall pounds down on top of me. There’s no way out.

Heeeelp.

Somebody…

I…can’t…breathe…

Then my thoughts wink out.

#

*Surrrrrr*

There’s this shushing noise.

Like sheets sweeping across fresh linens.

Nothing makes sense.

I can’t see anything.

It’s all dark.

My lungs are on fire.

I’m not breathing.

Half the bones in my body are broken.

What is this?

*Surrrrrr*

Damn.

I’m dead.

My muddled thoughts catch up with my situation with panic.

I didn’t go back. I’m still underwater.

The Gray is in charge, but our shared ship has already sunk. Though the strange being inside of me tries to right ourselves, it’s impossible to maneuver. Its limited intelligence doesn’t know how to swim and the waterfall above keeps churning us around as it tries to find something to put a foot on. Rising horror begins to make its way through to my sleep brain.

It’s…we’re…stuck.

Oh my god. We’re stuck down here!

CRAP!

It’s the worst-case scenario.

Eternity at the bottom of this waterfall, lake, whatever you want to call it.

For the longest time, I just spin around with the Gray, lost in time. Neither of us are in charge really. We’re just at the mercy of the water. I want to be sick, but my body doesn’t do living things like that anymore. Instead, it just keeps trying to walk while tumbling around. Eventually the waterfall churns everything up and spits us out into calmer water. By that time, even the Gray has run out of energy. I imagine most of the muscles in my body are torn to shreds and exhausted.

*Suuurrrr*

That strange noise again. I realize it’s strange because we’re underwater. But without eyes, there’s no way to see what’s making it. Suddenly, the water ripples and my body’s spinning again.

*Suuuurrr*

What is that?

There’s something in the water.

Something big.

The Gray can do nothing but clack my jaws angrily. It snaps my head from side to side even though it makes no difference which way we’re “looking”.

*Suuuurrr*

*Crunch*

My leg. Sweet Jesus FREAKING HELL!

I’m screaming in my head. It’s all I can do. The Gray snarls soundlessly underwater with no air in our lungs. Something’s torn off our leg. The noise comes again.

*Suuuuurrrr*

Then a deep sonorous roar.

*Graaaawwwr*

Something massive sweeps by and seizes us in its jaws. Like a piece of meat in the grinder, we’re sawed apart by great, jagged, teeth. The Gray is not weak like I am. It keeps struggling even without the lower half of our body.

Then the jaws open and close once more.

Sharp spikes pierce through our chest and neck, severing the spinal cord.

This time…the darkness is welcome.

#

When I open my eyes, I blink.

Then I blink again.

And again.

I still can’t see…

But I went back!

We freaking went back!

Why can’t I see?

My hands twitch and I feel dirt underneath my fingertips. The rushing sound of water permeates all.

No…GODDAMIT NO!

I’m back on the river’s edge. My collarbone is still broken. And my eyes are still empty.

A message from the System glows red, the only light in my endless night.

[System Notification: You Have Entered Regionwide Dungeon The Underworld!]

“WAIT RIGHT THERE, RAT! YOU’RE DEAD!”