"Well? Are you coming?"
Cobalt's voice rings out in the cavern again.
Ira bristles at the annoyance in his tone.
It's beentwo seconds. She thinks.
"Here goes nothing," She mutters, stuffing her ringed hand into her pocket and following him into another unknown.
———————————————————————————————————————
The pool is small, the path to it short. The red mud squelches under her bare feet, giving way to a small, circular depression in the ground. Another tunnel. Ira rolls her eyes.
"You're joking." She says aloud.
Cobalt just looks at her expectantly.
"It's the only way out." He says.
The opening to the tunnel is narrow — barely the width of her body. It glows red, like a vein lit from within.
Not a good vibe. She muses.
Hesitating, Ira peers into the abyss to try to see more, but nothing but the faint light lining the walls reflects back at her.
"I'd rather avoid going into another tunnel if possible. Is there another way we can go? Maybe up there?" She tilts her chin towards the back of the cavern to a ledge that she'd noticed earlier, carved into the ruddy clay.
"That? Oh that's nothing." Cobalt answers cooly. "I carved that into the wall once when I was…excruciatingly bored."
Bored? Carved? Ira thinks to herself. How much time has he spent in here?
"Ira." Cobalt says her name then, looking slightly amused at her attempt to avoid the tunnel. Despite herself, she warms to the way her name sounds coming from his mouth.
Easy, Ira. She thinks. He's a hallucination.
"It's the only way." He says again, chuckling slightly, as though he can read her mind.
She sighs with resignation and gestures toward the tunnel. "After you."
Cobalt smiles, and Ira could swear that she sees relief in her eyes. A quiet alarm sounds from somewhere at the back of her mind, but its quieted almost immediately when he runs a slender yet strong hand through his chestnut hair.
Damn. She thinks. He's fine.
"As you wish," he replies with a mocking curtsy, and jumps into the tunnel.
"Wait—" Ira starts, lunging for the opening to the tunnel, but he's already disappeared.
She wheels around, looking for someone, anyone, to tell her what to do next. But the cavern is empty, with nothing but the sound of the gently moving water on either side of her to keep her company. The fear she'd felt crawling through the tunnel alone rears its ugly head again, and she quickly realizes her only lifeline in this strange place is gone.
To make matters worse, the walls of water start to give way. Quickly. Whatever kept them held up has disappeared down the tunnel with Cobalt.
"I'm gonna kill him." She says through gritted teeth, and pencil dives into the tunnel.
———————————————————————————————————————
Her breath is yanked from her lungs as she free falls through the black, arms pinned to her sides. She struggles to inhale as wet air whips around her face, up her nostrils, into her mouth. Time slows as she falls, but her mind speeds up, racing frantically.
What is happening to me?
What will it feel like to die this way?
Will I crush him underneath me when I land?
Am I having a psychotic break?
Then, as quickly as it started, it ends.
She lands, feet first, into something impossibly soft: a plush resistance that cushions her impact — like she's landed in clouds made solid. She falls forward, winded. Her chest heaves as her breath struggles to catch up with her, heart jackhammering. Her dark matted hair covers her face.
Once she's caught her breath, she pushes herself up onto her feet, pulling her hair back with a crusty elastic that she forgot she had on her wrist. She blinks her eyes repeatedly, trying to take in her new surroundings. Everything is a brilliant white — a white so bright it feels loud. She squints, willing her eyes to adapt from the sudden change of darkness.
Great. Another bizarre place. Where the hell is this? Her thoughts bellow through her mind in contrast with the absolute silence.
There's no visible horizon — just textureless brilliance in every direction. But the air is cool here, and sweet, and something about it relaxes her. It smells like water. And wind.
Then — beside her — a tousled head of dark curls pops up from the pale.
Cobalt.
He rises as if waking from the softest sleep, hair falling over his cheeks, those dark blue eyes blinking to adjust to the brightness.
"Ah! You made it," he says with satisfaction when he notices her beside him. "Excellent. I wasn't sure you'd follow me."
Ira turns on him, immediately enraged.
"What the fuck, Cobalt?" she snarls, voice ricocheting through the white space around them. "The water started collapsing the second you left! I didn't have a choice! I could have drowned!"
Her cheeks redden with rage. Cobalt just sits there, receiving it. Liking it, even. His upper lip curls into a smile.
"Something tells me you are a very strong swimmer," His head tilts a little and he looks at her with amusement, dark hair falling into his eyes. It does that often, she notes.
Ira glowers back at him.
"Fuck you," she spits out, trying to take a step forward but faltering at the strange material under her feet. The embarrassment of her clumsy movement only makes her more angry. "Where the fuck are we? I told you I didn't want to go down that fucking tunnel! Why is everything so weird here?"
"No need to get angry. We're close now."
"Close to where? I mean it, Cobalt I — I can't do this anymore." Her voice breaks. She feels everything at once, all of the exhaustion from the strange journey catching up to her.
"I don't — I don't know what's happening to me." Her throat tightens and tears sting her eyes as they pour down her face. She's cold. She's hungry. Her limbs ache. And she's tired of this bizarre dream. What began as an exciting adventure has turned into a nightmare. She wants to go home.
As though sensing that she's at her limit, Cobalt crawls over to her and puts his hand on her back. His hand is warm, comforting, and grounding, and she takes a deep breath in.
"All of this is real, Ira, I promise. It's not in your head. Things will become more clear once we get there."
Colbalt begins to rub her back. Firmly, steadfastly.
"Get where, Cobalt?" Ira asks through her tears. "I'm serious, I can't take another — another…"
"I told you already," He replies matter of factly. "We're going to Hell."
Ira just continues to cry, rocking slightly.
Hell isn't real. This isn't real. Hell isn't real. This is real.
All of the emotions she's been holding down for so long — the drudgery of her life above, the frightening happenings of the past few hours, all of it comes out in one flood and she sobs while Cobalt continues to sit beside her, rubbing her back.
After a few minutes, the intensity of the emotions ebb having run their course, she looks up at him with swollen eyes, cheeks soaked in tears.
Something he sees in her face takes him aback, though she doesn't know what. And she's too tired to care.
"So, which way is Hell?"
He stands slowly, his face solemn, and extends his hand.
She hesitates. Then slips her unringed fingers into his palm.
His grip is steady. He pulls her up and they turn to walk through the white.