The Pestilention

Chapter 49

We took a break for an hour. My legs were sore from the last obstacle. It would have been a struggle to try to get up, so I just stayed on the ground and soaked in the silence.

The only thing that was interrupting it was Aster's heel tapping on the floor. I would smack him on the shoulder, causing him to stop. Then there would be ten minutes of silence before he did it again.

"We should start moving again," Ed suggested. I didn't reply. I would have happily stayed on the floor for a little longer. Besides, I had just gotten comfortable.

"He's right," Aster said. I groaned. "Come on, if we don't start going, we may never leave."

I heard Aster lift himself off of the ground. He stretched, sighing with relief as he rolled his shoulders.

Aster extended his hand to me. After a moment of hesitation, I placed my hand in his and allowed him to hoist me to my feet. My legs felt like Jell-O, which caused me to nearly collapse on Aster. I managed to keep my balance, though.

Tilly rubbed her eyes. It was evident that she had been sleeping. She didn't look tired, though. She didn't seem energized, either. She didn't show any emotion on her face, really. Tilly just stared at us with her large eyes and waited for us to continue.

It was something about Tilly that had always confused me. When I first met her, she opened up a little and talked. Now she only talked to Ed. It was as if there was something about their conversations that made her bottle up even more than she already did. Now she just stared at us, scared yet ready to take on anything, and didn't say a word.

It was probably for the best. Everything and anything could be used against her, and by being quiet, there was nothing anyone could use to kill her.

We stayed in our usual form—me and Aster in the front and Tilly and Ed in the back. There had been many times when we tried to mix it up, but we all ended up going back to our regular spots. Aster didn't seem to want to move from the front. He had long legs, so he walked quickly and didn't like to nip people's heels.

The walk had surprisingly helped the aching in my thighs. I could fully trust my legs again, which was helpful. I wonder if everyone else was having the same problem as me. It might be because I'm out of shape, though.

Aster, who had trailed farther ahead of me, cried out in pain. He stumbled backward and crashed into me. I nearly fell back in surprise.

"What's wrong?" I asked. Aster slid his glasses to the bridge of his nose. He stepped forward when he realized that I had my hands on his shoulder blades, preventing him from falling on me.

Aster shook his head. "Something shocked me."

The blood in my face drain. Shocked as in surprised or as in electric shock? There was nothing in front of him that could have done the latter. Was he going insane? Was this his final tipping point?

I walked forward with caution. Aster clutched my wrist. I turned around.

"You're going to get hurt," he warned. I shook my head and narrowed my eyes, silently telling him to release my arm. Aster obeyed. I continued walking ahead. I let my hand lead the way, my fingers twitching with anticipation. They glided through the air in search of what Aster was talking about.

"Ow," I muttered as a sudden bolt of electricity stabbed my finger. Hesitantly this time, I placed my finger next to where I first placed it. Another shock.

"It's a wall," I determined.

"Well great," Ed stood next to me, crossing his arms. "How are we going to get over it?"

I stared at where the invisible wall was, not wanting to touch it any longer than I needed to. Aster continued sliding his hand across it, wincing at every shock. He only stopped when he was nearly off the trail. His eyes lit up.

"We're not going over it," he said, "we're going through it."

Aster was right. My hand was able to slide easily through that one section. With a sigh of relief, we continued walking. Having to climb over an electric-producing, invisible wall would have been a pain.

We continued walking, all of us in a horizontal line now. The electricity hissed next to us and made the entryway narrow enough for only one of us to walk at a time. Aster was brave enough to go first, not minding the moments when his shoulder brushed the wall. Or maybe he did. I couldn't see his face, so I couldn't tell.

Aster stopped, crying out again. He slid his hair out of his eyes and turned towards us. "Wall. We have to turn."

I placed my hand towards the right, grinning when I didn't feel the shock. I slid in front of Aster, now taking the lead. My heart hammered. I knew that I would crash into a wall like Aster. I knew that the shock was painful. I kept walking.

Every step caused my stomach to somersault. The apprehension of the electrical shock was almost as painful as the wall itself. I continued to stare ahead, though, listening to the energy around me.

I collided with a wall, my cheek pressed against it. The energy transferred to my body, sending bolts through my veins. I shot back. My heartbeat quickened. The pain was only there for a split second, but I could feel my nerves twitching from the sudden energy. I turned to look at my friends, who were staring at me, concerned.

"We have to turn," I said. I placed my hand to the right, shooting it back as the shock brushed my fingertips. Then I turned to the left. Another shock. Great, a dead end.

Ed led next, turning us around. We found another turn and continued on our blind journey out of the maze. We all switched our turns leading, changing who went ahead every time we met with a wall. It happened often, and sometimes I wondered if we were making progress or walking in circles.

It was my fifth time leading when I realized how exhausted I was getting. The shocks were small, but they had drained all of my strength. I trudged ahead and allowed sleep to fill my thoughts. How nice it would be just to lie down, to let the walls fall, and to be able to walk again. How nice it would be if everything were just easy.

I slammed into a wall. The shock was stronger than the other ones, so I screamed as the pain filled my body. I wanted to move away, but I was paralyzed against it. I could feel my heartbeat quicken. My skin was hot against the invisible wall. I looked ahead, terrified as the shock grew stronger.

Two hands grabbed my waist and pulled me back. I stumbled, collapsing on the object behind me. When I saw that it was a person, I wrapped my arms around his neck. My mind grew dizzy. Voices shouted around me, but they sounded distant. I let the sound fade away as my knees crumbled and my consciousness faded.

Poor Kat! Do you think she's okay? Why was it suddenly so harmful? Comment down below if you have any ideas.

Just a heads up, I'm posting on Tuesdays now. I just wanted to remind anyone who's still in the Sunday and Monday mode. It's easier for me to write on weekends and then publish either early or later on Tuesdays.

If you liked this chapter, comment, vote, and share it with your friends. Don't forget to vote with a brownie (I had one while writing this chapter, it was amazing). Stay amazing, as always.

This is another Rag'N'Bone Man song called Lay My Body Down.