Page 86 of The Last Session

Jonah looked back. “Are you okay?”

“I’m sorry. I just…” I wrapped my arms around my torso. “I’m fine.”

As Jonah opened the dead bolt and turned the knob, I thought of how in my twenties I’d forced myself to watch horror movies and go to haunted houses. They always seemed like the best idea, up until I was hit with the reality: sharp, physical fear. Then I wanted nothing more than to be far away.

Jonah swung the door back towards himself. “Holy shit.”

He and Mikki stared inside.

I propelled myself forward. My breath shallow with dread, I stood on my toes to see over their tall shoulders. The door opened into a room about the size of a large walk-in closet. The floor was covered in dark, sandy dirt. Two steps in, there was a gaping hole in the ground. It had to be six feet by six feet. And within it, steps carved out of rock descending into darkness. Cold, dank air flowed up the stairs like water.

The cave nightmare reared up in full color.

I stepped back. “No fucking way.”

“What is this?” To my horror, Mikki lowered her foot onto the first steeply cut step, shining her flashlight down. “How far down does this go?”

“Pretty fucking far.” Jonah stood at the lip.

Mikki took another step, then looked back. “Are you guys coming?”

I couldn’t tell them about the dreams; they’d think I was crazy. How could I stop them?

“Maybe we should call the police?” I clasped my hands at my chest.

“And tell them what? We found a creepy staircase?” Mikki turned. “I’m going down.”

“Wait!” The darkness was already swallowing her.

“Thea.” Jonah placed a hand on my shoulder. “Just stay here. We’ll check it out.”

“I just don’t think it’s safe.” The fear felt like a snake squeezing my neck.

“It’s okay.” Jonah patted my shoulder and turned away.

I watched as he descended behind Mikki, their flashlights bobbing. The tunnel down was slanted; soon I could no longer see them.

I slowed my breath and the spiky terror evened out. I sat on the edge of the hole, my feet on the first step, the damp cold seeping through the seat of my jeans.

I rubbed my eyes with my palms. It felt like my dreams were leaking into reality, like this hole existed only because of my imagination. Moon’s words from the night before came back to me:The veils between the worlds are very thin out here.What worlds was I brushing up against?

I leaned down; Mikki and Jonah were talking, but their voices were faint.

It had to be a coincidence. After all, the cave I’d dreamed about had been tiny, and this seemed to lead down into a larger chamber. Obviously, I wasn’t going to wriggle into any tight spaces. The very idea made me shudder.

I’d come all the way here, traveled thousands of miles to find Catherine. She could potentially be down there right now, suffering in the dark. And I was going to just sit here because of a dream?

It took another few seconds, but finally I stood. If I stayed, then I was giving up, and I shouldn’t have come in the first place. Mikki had been scared too—I’d seen the tensed jaw, pursed lips. She just hadn’t let it stop her.

I took one step down. Small pieces of rocks went skittering over the edge. The steps were worn, the sharp edges rounded with age.

Another step.Careful.I shone the light down and pressed my other hand flat against the wall. Tumbling down these steep steps would lead to broken bones, if not worse.

Slowly, incrementally, I made my way down into the earth.

36

The further down I went, the colder it got. Damp, chill air wrapped around me like a straitjacket. It smelled musty, slightly bitter. I took each step mechanically, forcing myself to take deep breaths.

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