Steady Ground | ✔

13 | Let me tell you a secret

August's discomfort immediately told Atlas that this was a place Atlas shouldn't have gone to, but yet he was never stopped.

Instead of its eeriness making him feel scared, he actually felt a little proud of himself. Maybe a little worried that he might drown if he walked too far. With each step, it started to feel like he was trudging through shallow water.

"Do you think this is where I can leave the Eye?" Atlas asked. His voice came out muffled, like he was indeed below water. He had no trouble breathing, though. It wasn't unlike a summer day before a thunderstorm: thick and humid air that clung to your face and neck and fogged up your glasses.

Little darkness bubbles rose, radiating a black aura within their personal spotlight. Even they, he knew, weren't water. They simply passed through their bodies and rose into the air until they were consumed by the liquid black around them.

August sighed, hands tucked into his hoodie. "What makes you think that?"

Atlas was starting to get sick of the not-answers, so he said nothing.

He continued walking forward. With each step, the humidity seemed to grow thicker until he could almost see it, and the black bubbles raged upward with more ferocity. And then, his light aura shortened.

He flinched, stopping short in his tracks.

August had stopped walking. He looked behind him, and his friend had vanished. The light only continued the distance of an outstretched arm before it abruptly stopped. And once more, the darkness seemed a whole lot scarier.

"August?"

"Sorry, man, I can't go with you."

"Why not?" The question left Atlas' mouth before he really thought about it. August made no attempt to come where they could see one another. It made him feel far away.

"You already know!" August said. "Stop asking dumb questions."

There was a shuffle of feet on clay, a wet, sticky sound.

August couldn't leave the Eye, could he? Chaos was going to do that to him. It only made sense. If he left, he wouldn't see August or his mother again.

Somehow, the later was more okay with him.

"Come back here for a moment."

Atlas tightened his jaw. "Okay."

He walked back. With each step the darkness bubbles grew milder, calmer, and then his field of vision expanded.

His friend stood there still with his hands in his hoodie pocket, looking at the ground. Something about it looked sad, and for whatever reason, he felt guilt for it. The young man in front of him was fake, but that didn't mean a whole lot anymore.

"What's up?" he asked.

August sighed, and after a long minute looked up at him with a shrug. "I guess since this is it, I'll tell you some things. Doesn't matter. He can't do anything about it now."

~

Ashe clutched the walkie-talkie in both hands, hoping, begging that the two rescue workers came back up before they continued any further.

The temperature seemed to drop as she stood there. A few minutes, and then ten passed. The sun was starting to travel down, the sky darkening in ombre increments. How long had it been, now, since Atlas and Arrone vanished into the crevice?

There was nothing around to cast shadows, yet the snow seemed to darken around her.

She looked over her shoulder. Her coworkers were huddling near the tent still, occasionally sending glances her way.