Beyond the depths of reason

A Story by Austin Tyson

I had never encountered such darkness in my life.

My travels have taken me to some dark places. I've spent nights under canopies so thick with vines and snakes that the only way to know the stars were still there at all was to close my eyes, then open them to see the silhouette of my hand in front of my face for a brief second before it too faded into the black above. But I've never seen, or rather, not seen, anything like this.

My only hope of navigating this hell is to use my hands and hope nothing with teeth is living in or on these walls. All seems to slowly close in around me as I, against my better judgement and instinct, go deeper still.

"What the!" I rear back, searing, piercing pain passes through my right arm just above the elbow in that soft spot that nurses usually go probing for a vein. I pull what feels like long cylindrical blade out and drop it, hand outstretched in front of me. There is no *Clank* or other descriptive noise for metal hitting the ground for over two seconds. I click on my almost dead flashlight, hoping for enough light to see what I'm up against. I am standing on the edge of a void, My light is not powerful enough to reach bottom, nor can I see the other side of the expanse, if there is a 'the other side'.

Before clicking the light off I quickly look around, gauging my options and trying to get a logical mental map of my surroundings. The walls, if there are walls, are covered completely in american coins! 'This isn't so bad', I thought. 'If I can get out of here alive, I'll be rich.'

*Sound*

*Darkness*

*Pain*

I don't know how long I lay there, time disappears in the black. I do know that when I came to, my flashlight had long since died. I struggled to my feet, supporting myself on the invisible wall of change, and then I saw them.

Eyes.

With no real option to run, I hold my dead flashlight out in front of me and let go. Relief! It falls for a second or two and reports with an echoing thud from the bottom of the pit. Maybe that pit is a good thing after all, at least it provides some level of separation from those eyes, still fixed on me.

Wrong.

The eyes raised up in the air accompanied by the sound of labored breaths. This thing was large. "What are you!? Screech! Howl! do something!" I shout. The eyes understand.

*Gheaaaaaaaaahhhh!* Like the suffering cry of a battle torn soldier in his last moment of desperation.

"Maybe running is an option" I think out loud, running towards anything NOT that way.

I fall. No. I've been knocked down. The back of my head feels like I've just been in a bar fight. Cold, Spiney, long fingers wrap around my ankle and lift me from the ground, turning me to face those eyes.

The creature shouts again, this time it feels louder and I can feel it's hot, terrible breath. It lifts me higher and a glowing cavity filled with teeth appears. It's going to eat me! It lowers me towards it's gaping mouth; slowly, as if to draw out my suffering just a little bit longer. I feel the teeth start to scrape against my forehead. I know it's ove....

"Honey, did you find my lipstick yet?" My wife shouts from the powder room, her face glowing in the makeup mirror.

"No sweety, I don't think it's in here." I say, withdrawing the entire length of my arm from her purse. "You'll need to look for yourself. You know I can never find anything in there."