The portal flared and spat, its rough edge burning with a green, otherworldly light as Matt and Lei retreated, their breathing in ragged, desperate gasps. The air around them thickened, as if the world itself had become brittle and fragile, waiting to shatter at a touch.
"No, no, no…" Lei panted, her eyes staring, her hands gripping the rusty, bloody edge of the portal frame. She slammed her shoulder into it, her breath locked, her mind a twisted, tangled web of fear and hysteria. "It can't be… it can't be broken!"
Matt picked up a shovel from the ground beside him, his fingers shaking, his breathing in small, stabbing gasps. He thrust the blade into the sparking, spouting portal, metal tearing across twisted, jagged edges, and a flood of sparks spilled out into the damp cold air.
"Come on!" he bellowed, his voice a harsh, rasping sound, his arms locked, the muscles in his neck bulging like coiled wire. He strained his body against the shovel, the metal shrieking, the portal frame creaking and spitting, the air around them chilling, the shadows reaching out farther.
"It doesn't work!" Lei cried, her voice a hard, snapping thing, her eyes watery and wild, her hands shaking. She gripped the shovel handle, her knuckles thudding against the wet, cold metal, her breathing in short, shallow gasps.
The portal crackled, the light flickering, the edges splintering, the jagged metal twisting and warping. Lei's hands slipped, her fingers scraping against the cold, wet ground, her breath coming in sharp, shallow bursts, her heart a wild, erratic drumbeat in her chest.
"No… no…" Matt breathed lightly, his own breathing in dry, ragged gasps, his eyes fixed on the torn, shattered portal, his brain in mad, tangled web of fear and grief. His knees went to water beneath him, his breath trapped in his throat, his heart a cold, empty drumbeat within his chest.
"It's broken," he whispered, his voice raw, shattered stuff, his breath coming in sharp, shallow gulps, his hands trembling. "We. we broke it."
Lei pulled back, her breathing rasping in coarse, jagged gasps, her mind tangled, snarled nightmare of terror and desperation. She clawed at Matt's arm, her fingers closed into his muscle, her throat stopped, her breath caught behind stiffened throat, her heart cold, empty drumbeat pounding inside her breast.
"We must go," she breathed, her breath a thin, scared wire, her eyes wide and wet, her breathing coming in short, panting little thuds. "We must escape."
They went and ran, their feet ringing off the cold, damp earth, shadows reaching out lean and long, the wind sharply colder, the world spreading out into a cruel, knotted blackness.
They sprinted into the clearing surrounding Margo's house, their breathing in short, shallow gasps, their eyes wide and wild, their hearts cold and empty. Matt came to a halt, his breath caught in his throat, his eyes locked on the dark, gnarled shape of the house, its shattered windows staring like dead, empty eyes.
"No." he breathed, his own voice hoarse, snapped, a fractured thing, his breathing sharp and rasping, his hands trembling. He hurled himself forward, his mind a snarled, knotted piece of memory and guilt, his heart a cold, empty drumbeat inside him.
He reached the porch, his breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps, his eyes wide and wet, his hands trembling. He pushed open the door, the hinges shrieking like a dying animal, the darkness pressing in around him, the air growing colder.
His eyes flicked around the dark, empty room, the broken furniture, the cracked, peeling wallpaper, the twisted, rusted chandelier hanging like a dead thing from the ceiling. His breath caught in his throat, his heart a wild, erratic drumbeat in his chest.
He stumbled toward the stairs, his breath coming in sharp, shallow bursts, his eyes wide and wet, his hands shaking. He reached the top step, his heart a cold, hollow drumbeat in his chest, his mind a twisted, tangled mess of fear and regret.
He pushed open the door to the bedroom, his breath catching in his throat, his eyes fixed on the dark, twisted shapes of the furniture, the thick, dust-choked air, the cold, dead silence.
His eyes flicked to the corner of the room, to the small, hidden cabinet camouflaged against the wall, its edges warped and splintered, its hinges rusted and streaked with dark, dried stains.
His breath caught in his throat, his hands shaking, his mind a twisted, tangled mess of memories and regret. He reached out, his fingers trembling, his breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps. He yanked open the cabinet, the hinges shrieking like a dying animal, the darkness pressing in around him.
Inside, he found a stack of old, faded photographs, their edges curling, their colors washed out and yellowed. He reached out, his fingers trembling, his breath coming in sharp, shallow gasps. He picked up a photograph, his breath catching in his throat, his eyes wide and wet.
It was a picture of his family, their faces bright and happy, their eyes wide with laughter, their arms wrapped around each other. He felt his knees buckle, his breath catching in his throat, his heart a cold, hollow drumbeat in his chest.
"No…" he whispered, his voice a harsh, splintered thing, his breath coming in hard, convulsive gasps, his hands trembling. "No…"
He let the photograph go, his breathing ragged, harsh gasps, his heart a crazed, furious thud in his chest. He fell back, his hands shaking, his head a jumbled, knotted mess of memory and bereavement.
Back to the Creation World...
Downstairs, the water thudded on the door, the walls shuddered, the air was colder.
Down the stairs, he stumbled, gasping short, icy breaths, eyes wide and running, his heart a cold hollow beat in his chest.
There was a muted, despairing cry behind the wall, the sound of scratching rocks on rocks, the air getting colder, the shadows elongating.
"Margo!" he bellowed, his voice a raw, tortured sound, his breathing short, shallow gasps, his heart a wild, chaotic drumbeat in his chest. He grasped at the rocks, his fingers scraping against cold, jagged stone, his breath catching in his throat, his mind a twisted, tangled web of fear and desperation.
His body glowed, a fierce light chill flickering through his air, his breath in ragged, snapping gasps, his heart a skittering, wild drumbeat inside his chest. He tore at the rocks, his fingers bleeding, his breath stuck in his throat, his mind a tangled, knotted mess of fear and will.
The rocks shifted, the air was colder, the shadows were long. He extended his hand, his fingers shaking, his breathing little harsh gasps.
"Margo." he wheezed, his voice a harsh broken sound, his breathing plugging his throat, his hands trembling. "Sorry."