33

DARKNESS FALLS, AND IT'S pitch black now inside the cave. The fire has long since burned out, but a new problem exists. There's a growling nearby. The beast may have followed us, or perhaps there are more monsters lying in wait.

Now it's just about waiting for the daylight to return.

Carter stopped pacing a while ago. Now, he's sitting on the ground, looking out into the endless forest.

From here, it's easy to see the graveyard. No beast lurks, at least not that I can see. But we can hear it growling.

It's probably hiding in the trees.

Atlas sleeps, wrapped up in the blanket. I've changed back into my damp clothes, not wanting to stay half-undressed forever.

"You know you'll wake up immediately, and then everything will be okay," I say to Carter, keeping my voice low to as not to wake Atlas.

Carter shakes his head. "I don't know that. What if this is a twisted plot to allow the beast to eat my soul? There are so many things this could be."

"You have to face your fear. It's the only way out of this place."

"I've usually woken up by now. I guess because we're all here now, I can't get out of my fate."

He rises to his feet, glancing back at Atlas. "I'm going now."

My heart stops. "What?"

"Whatever happens, you both don't need to see it. I will go. You'll know I succeeded when we all wake up." He starts towards the mouth of the cave, but pauses just before the curtain of rain. "And in the event I do die for real… tell Atlas he still can't have my PlayStation."

I roll my eyes, but nod firmly. "You're not going to die for real. This is a simulation. But I don't think you should go it alone."

Carter shakes his head. "I don't think anyone should see how this goes down. It's better this way."

Before I can protest further, he's outside, in the darkness. I get to my feet and pace, unsure if I should wake Atlas up to help me follow Carter, or if we should respect his wishes.

Time seems to tick by slowly, painfully.

After a while, Atlas wakes up, rubbing his eyes. "Sleeping inside a dream is weird." He glances around. "Where's Carter?"

"He…"

I don't have to finish before Atlas has shot up, his blanket falling off him. I catch a glimpse of his boxers. My eyes widen with embarrassment and I quickly turn away. I hate that I also noticed his six-pack. "Maybe put your clothes on?" I suggest.

"Sorry," he says, grabbing his shirt and pants. "Why did he go alone?" He turns away from me and dresses quickly.

"He said he didn't want us to see what happens."

"Well, you know we're going to have to go and hunt him down, right?"

I sigh. "Shouldn't we respect his wishes?"

He puts a hand on my shoulder, gently turning me to face him. "If I'd respected your wishes about leaving you alone, you would've drowned."

I cut my eyes at him. "That was a very different situation."

"Life or death. Sounds similar to this one, too."

"He has to face his fear for us to get out of here."

Atlas frowns. "I'm going to track him down. I won't let him do this alone. If you don't feel safe going, I completely understand, and I'll support your decision to wait in the cave. But I can't let him do this."

Atlas's eyes are stormy with passion and fear—Carter's wishes be damned.

"Okay," I say. "I'll come with you."

The rainy forest at night is not easy to navigate, but I follow Atlas's lead.

We find ourselves in the graveyard, hiding behind trees so Carter doesn't see us.

He's perched on a gravestone, looking peaceful. His eyes are closed, and his mouth is saying words, but we can't hear them over the rain. I notice immediately he's clutching the amulet he's spent every dream looking for. It glows in the muted light, brighter than anything I've ever seen.

Soon, a deafening roar fills the air, and something large and furry comes stumbling into the graveyard. Carter rises, turning to face the creature that has come to take his life.

"Come get me," he yells at it.

The beast stares him down. It's similar to a bear, but modified to be twice as large and much more frightening. Small, curved horns grow out of its head, and there are fangs protruding from its mouth.

The fangs drip, and I realize they're full of poison. Carter steps closer to the beast, trying to ignite its fury. It charges, and I quickly duck back behind the tree, unable to look. I close my eyes, hoping this ends fast.

Carter screams, a sickening, guttural sound that will haunt me forever.

Then everything fades to black.

MY EYES FLUTTER OPEN to the sunlight pouring through the window. I sit up in my bed, alone. I'm a little disappointed that Atlas isn't here.

Then I realize that implies I miss him and shake the thought away.

My phone begins vibrating on my bedside table.

"Hello?"

"Good, you're awake."

Atlas's voice makes me ache, wishing he was here with me. The unearthly sound of Carter's scream is still haunting me.

"Yeah, I just woke up."

"I've been up for a bit. I saw Carter. He's sleeping like the dead now, but he's okay."

I sit up in bed. "He's alive?"

I can almost hear Atlas smiling. "Yeah. He woke up for about ten minutes and demanded answers about what happened. I filled him in, and then he fell back to sleep. He's salty that we followed him, but he'll be fine when he wakes up again. I texted his boss from his phone, telling him he isn't feeling well and needs the day. His boss is pretty chill. Mine, however, is not. So I'm about to head to work."

Luckily, it's my day off, so I don't have worry about those things. "Okay. Thanks for calling me. I'm glad he's okay."

"Me, too. Though I have to admit, I'm disappointed I didn't wake up next to you again."

I'm stunned. Atlas takes my silence as discomfort and says, "You can laugh at me. I know it's foolish."

"No, it's okay." Tell him I feel the same. He should know I don't hate him.

"I'd better get to work. I'll see you later."

He hangs up before I can say anything else. My heart aches to see him, especially after the terrifying events we just went through.

Ten minutes later I'm on the road. Five minutes after that, I realize that I have no idea where he works. And didn't he mention having two jobs? Which one would he be at today?

I could drive to his apartment and wait for him to come home, but that could be hours from now. I could ask Carter. I decide that's what I'll do when I get there.

I'm so lost in thought that I don't see the car speeding through the stop sign on the cross road. There's the sudden jerk of my car flying sideways. Glass shatters, sending glittering shards flying through the air. Tiny pinpricks of cuts burn over my arms and face. My car spins on its side before fully flipping. My heart pounds, and then my head hits the roof. The cracking sound my neck makes is sickening. The pain is so intense, I cry out. Sound seems lost at this moment. My world spins out one last time before I black out.