Disappear: Into Shadow

- CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT -

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Bathed in the boundless whiteness of a room without depth, Susan blinked. Squinting, she couldn't make out any discernable details of this blank space. When the pencil thin outline of a doorway appeared, Susan wobbled on her feet, disoriented. Gunny helped steady her with a gentle hand on the shoulder.

"Thanks." Susan said, regaining her balance.

Gunny pulled the smoke darkened orb containing the poltergeist Mr. Johnson out of his fatigue jacket. He handed it to Susan. "Here, focus on this. It should help you keep your equilibrium."

As Susan took the orb from Gunny, she stepped towards the doorway.

"Woah!" Gunny said, holding out an arm to block her path.

"Not that door." Gunny said. "Not if we want to announce our presence."

"Why don't we want to do that?"

"I'm not supposed to be taking you off the world. We don't want to get into trouble."

"Then what?"

"We use the backdoor." Gunny said, walking from the thin doorway into the whiteness.

As she focused on Johnson's sphere, she tried following, but only succeeded in tripping over her own feet. "What backdoor?" Susan asked.

"There are always backdoors." Gunny said and stopped. He traced a doorway against the whiteness. His fingers left a similar pencil thin tracing outline of a new doorway. It glowed with golden light when Gunny connected the last of the outline. "From this point on, don't open any doors without asking first." Gunny placed his palm flat against the whiteness at the middle of the glowing doorway.

"We want to take the quiet route into the Source. After that we'll head for Tartarus and drop off our dear friend Mr. Johnson."

Looking into the depths of the orb Susan watched the smoke rolling about the crystal's interior. The ghost's dark eyes flitted back and forth inside as Mr. Johnson searched in vain for an escape.

Golden light flooded the white room and the Watchers stepped into the Source. The doorway sealed and the light drained away. The whiteness absorbed the last lingering traces of colour.

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Standing in the midst of the great plain, Susan marvelled at the massive herds of animals mingling free across the plains. The air was thick with flocks of birds and the land teemed with life. The plains were alive with song and the callings of beasts both great and small alike.

Gunny was disinterested in the sights. "Come on," he grumbled. "We need to get moving before we're noticed by anyone modestly aware."

Susan followed but her interest was held by the life teeming through the Source. "It's so beautiful." Susan said.

"Of course it is. It's the Source." Gunny huffed.

"Don't you find it beautiful?"

A hesitant Gunny agreed. "Guess I'm just used to the view."

"How can that be?" She had been here countless times but its power never ceased to amaze.