Four Years Later

Mylo hopped by his doorway, trying to get on one of his brown rain boots. They only had a small window for this opportunity, and he didn’t want to miss it. Quickly shoving it on, he grabbed a house key from the rack next to him. 

“Mylo, where are you going?” someone asked, as Mylo’s hand was on the knob. 

Mylo looked back to see his little brother Fenn had exited his room.

“I’m hanging out with Karn and Saf,” Mylo replied. “I’ll be back soon.” 

Fenn nodded and turned his attention to the window. “Why are you wearing your boots? It’s not raining out,” he asked. 

“Don’t you have homework you should be doing?” Mylo responded rather aggressively.

“No, I just finished,” Fenn replied. “Where are you going?” 

Mylo rolled his eyes. His brother did not need to know everything he did. Though considering his age, Mylo didn’t know why he was surprised by such questions.

“Listen,” Mylo changed his tune, “I'll tell you about it when I get back. Maybe we can play a game of Humans v. Monsters.”

"Ok, that sounds good,” Fenn replied seemingly satisfied with the response. “Have fun.” His brother waved.

Mylo took this as his queue to leave, opening the door and locking it behind him. 

His boots squeaked as he jogged down the cobbled streets towards the destination where he would meet with his friends. Mylo loved the atmosphere of the early evening streets. It was just late enough for the streetlamps to start to be lit, but just early enough for the dimming sun to lighten the wooden and stone buildings. It was also moderately quiet, which was perfect for the outing they had planned. 

Mylo turned into a side alley tucked between two buildings and slowed to a walk. It was darker in the alley, but the end was marked by a lamp that burned just above a steel door surrounded by several barrels. The salty aroma of fish tickled his nose. It was expected for the back entrance of the fish market. Mylo had expected for his friends to have already arrived and been waiting for him at the end of the alley, but Mylo saw no sign of them. He huffed and took a seat on one of the barrels. 

“Come on guys,” he muttered to himself, “we only have so long.”

"BAH!” someone yelled as a barrel top burst open. 

Mylo almost fell off his barrel and let out an awkward screech of fright. He saw his friend Karn, whose dimly lit head was poking out of the barrel, burst into laughter.

“Oh god, Karn!” Mylo exclaimed, trying to catch his breath. “I hate you.” 

“Oh my man,” Karn replied, still laughing. “What was that sound you made?"

Mylo let a smile creep upon his face, realizing he wasn’t in any imminent danger. “Let me guess Saf is ready to jump scare me from another barrel, yeah?” Mylo questioned. 

He felt the barrel he was sitting on vibrate. Muffled, he heard from underneath him:

“I would if you weren’t sitting on me.” 

“Pfft,” Mylo chuckled before standing up. 

Saf pushed open the barrel top, and her dark, thick hair popped up.  “You got lucky,” Saf replied, stepping out of the barrel. 

Mylo was always caught by how tall she was, even towering a few inches above him.

Karn pulled himself up beside her and blew his dark brown hair out of his face. They both wore tarnished outfits and long boots for their adventure ahead.

“So y’all ready?” Mylo asked, rubbing his hands together. 

“We were just waiting for you, friend,” Karn replied. “Let's go.”

The three of them started on their route. The destination they had planned was an abandoned drainage tunnel in Caskor’s historic sector. Karn had learned about it from a tip from a guard trainee. Apparently in the next couple days it was to be filled in as it posed the risk of allowing an access point for shadowlimbs. Remembering this, he turned to his friends and asked, "Y'all brought the stuff, right?”

Saf nodded and gently shook her bag. “Matches, a lantern to light, and my dad’s tool kit.” 

“You know honestly, I kind of hope we see a shadowlimb, just so we can show that sucker who’s boss,” Karn smiled, raising his fists in the air.

“I don’t believe for a second that you wouldn’t shriek and run the moment you saw one; remember last week?” Saf giggled.

“Snakes and shadowlimbs are not the same thing!” Karn retorted.

“Right! Because most snakes are harmless,” Saf responded. 

“I hate you sometimes Saf; you know that?” Karn said, shaking his head. "Mylo, you think I could take a shadowlimb, yeah?”

“Karn, and I say this in the nicest way possible, absolutely not,” Mylo replied.

“I’ll prove you guys wrong,” Karn declared, taking the lead in front of them. “You’ll see.” He waved his finger in the air to denote his commitment to the challenge. 

Saf turned to Mylo, smiling and shaking her head.

Mylo returned a snort of laughter. 

“Don’t laugh, you guys just aren’t ready,” Karn said, turning to them. He tried to look stern, but immediately broke character and burst into laughter. They all laughed, causing the few people on the street to turn to them curiously.

They turned into Caskor’s central main street that looped around the capital sector and served as a hub for the other four sectors of Caskor. This was the busiest of streets, and even at this time it was bustling with shoppers, pedestrians, and the occasional horse-drawn carriage. Mylo could name every store and landmark here. In fact, he could probably draw a map of the entirety of Caskor on the back of his hand. It's the only place he’s ever known. The only exception being the capital sector, whose large black gates and patrolling guards kept people out. 

The historic sector was on the opposite side of the loop as the residential sector, where they came from. Walking through the central loop was always a cause for distractions whenever they came through with its constant circulation of events and sales. Today though, the three of them were focused on the task ahead. They walked through the crowded streets of the loop and entered onto the worn cobblestone streets of the historic sector. 

The main sector road continued all the way down to the distant wall. It towered several stories tall, blocking the view of the flowering fields that surrounded the town. As usual, the top ridge was illuminated with a series of lanterns and torches, a measure that kept the shadowlimbs out.

The historic sector used to be a hub for tourists, but since the Upending, tourism had come to a halt. Mylo was honestly thankful about it because the historic sector seemed to always be fairly empty. The few people that lived here were typically older and direct descendants of those that experienced the Upending. It was peaceful, and Mylo enjoyed its contrast to the rest of Caskor. He could imagine himself living before the walls around the town went up and shadowlimbs roamed the land. He closed his eyes, taking in the distinct antique smell of the sector. 

“So where are we headed?” Saf asked Karn.

“She said it's hard to miss,” Karn answered, referring to the person who gave him the tip. 

Sure enough, passing the next intersection was a fenced-off area. On the wooden pickets were large red painted words that read:

Danger, Do Not Enter. 

“Do you see anyone?” Karn asked, his hand already placed against the fence, ready to boost himself up. 

They all glanced around, looking for any sign of life. As usual, the historic sector was ghostly empty.

“Looks clear,” Mylo said.

Karn jumped up to grab the top of the fence and leveraged himself over. They heard a thump on the other side.

“I’m ok,” Karn said, a tinge of pain audible in his voice. 

Saf looked at Mylo and rolled her eyes. She then proceeded to follow Karn’s lead and jumped over the fence. He heard her land much more gracefully. 

Mylo did the same, hurdling the fence. He took a slow descent down so as not to make the same mistake Karn did, and he touched the ground feet first. He looked at Karn, who was wiping dirt off his shirt. Saf was beside him, smiling. The area they were in seemed like any patch of land, except for the untraditional drain grate that lay at its center.

Mylo squatted down with Karn to examine it. It was definitely older in engineering than the ones in other sectors, as was typical for the historic sector. It seemed to be bolted in, and removing it would take some work, but they had prepared for that.

“Saf you got your dad's tools?” Karn asked, now sitting with his butt to the ground. 

Saf dropped her bag off her shoulder. She opened it and proceeded to pull out some sizable maintenance tools. Karn pointed to the blue wrench, and Saf handed it to him. Karn then started to loosen the bolts on the grate. Saf took out a similar but smaller wrench and joined him, leaving Mylo to observe. Some screws took longer than others, but eventually they had collected eight bolts. Karn dropped his in Saf’s hand, and she stored the bolts in her bag.

"Well, who would like to do the honors?” Saf asked.

“Mylo, would you like to get off your lazy ass and help out?” Karn questioned with a gleeful smile on his face

Mylo rolled his eyes but reached out to grip the grate. He pulled on it, and it began to slide out of place. He stood to fully lift it and dropped it beside him. He dusted his hands off and looked at Karn and Saf.

All three of their heads poked over the edge and stared down into the dark, abyss-like hole. 

“I for one am looking forward to jumping in the void,” Saf said, still looking down. 

“Light a match. I wanna see what’s down there,” Karn said, motioning to Saf. 

Saf pulled a match out of her bag and struck it. She dropped it into the hole, and they watched as it fell about just over two meters before hitting the ground and going dark.

They all looked at each other.

“Not it!” Karn yelped, raising his hand.

“This was your idea, Karn. I think it only makes sense,” Mylo replied.

“I have to agree with Mylo,” Saf said. “Sorry Karn.” She wasn’t sorry.

“You guys are the worst,” he said, lowering his hand frustratedly and swinging his legs over the hole. He lowered himself down slowly before dropping. 

They heard an echoey splash as his feet hit the ground. He looked back up to them with a sigh of relief.

"Ok, bye now,” Saf said, waving down to him.

“Very funny,” Karn replied, "haha.” 

Mylo smiled and grabbed the grate from behind him and began to recover the hole. 

“Watch yourselves!” Karn warned them. 

“Not so brave now, huh,” Saf replied, grinning down at him.

Karn looked up with a face of annoyance. "Ok, just get down here,” Karn replied. “You proved your point.” 

Saf looked at Mylo and shook her head.

Mylo admired the way they were able to bicker. He’d always considered Saf and Karn to be long-lost siblings, ignoring the fact that they don't look much alike. He was grateful they offered him their friendship many years ago. Without them, Mylo wasn’t sure how he would’ve gotten by. 

Saf then followed Karn into the hole and he assisted her to the ground.

Mylo pulled himself down to join them. He gripped the rim of the hole. Karn and Saf stood ready to make sure he didn’t faceplant. With a deep breath, he dropped in and his feet dipped into the ankle high water.

The drainage tunnel was cold, and Mylo couldn’t help but shiver. He rubbed his hand against the wall of the circular tunnel, and his fingers got coated in dust. It felt ancient, untouched from before the Upending. This tunnel was wider than the ones they explored throughout the rest of Caskor. He couldn’t make out how far it went though, as the only thing illuminating the tunnel was the evening sunlight from the hole. 

Mylo watched Saf remove her backpack and take out a couple of matches and a small lantern. She dragged a match against the tunnel wall, and a small flame burst from the tip. Carefully, she transferred it to the lantern and blew out the remaining flame. She looked at them.

“Shall we then?” She asked.

“Let’s do this,” Mylo replied.

“Hell yeah!” Karn exclaimed.

They began their trek down the tunnel. For the most part it was more of the same over and over. Occasionally there were carvings in the wall with the initials of lovers, etchings of art, or political statements. He was fascinated by their age. Untouched relics of history and each had a story to tell. 

“Maybe we should write something of our own,” Saf suggested. 

“I mean who's going to see it though?” Karn asked.

Mylo traced his finger around a heart engraved in the wall and without looking back said,“maybe on the way back, I want to get to the end of this.”

They traveled deeper into the tunnel. It didn’t have much more to offer, and the deeper they got, the rarer the etchings became. They passed by a few outcropping tunnels but decided to stay on the central path to avoid getting lost. Eventually, far down the tunnel, Mylo could make out the faintest light as if the tunnel opened up.

“Hey guys, you see that?” Mylo asked excitedly, his voice echoing through the tunnel. 

“Finally,” Karn replied.

“Come on, speed it up guys!” Mylo said, jumping into a sprint down the tunnel.

He sped forward, unsure if his friends were following. He was eager to see what was at the light at the end of the tunnel. His feet took him there, splashin water up his legs. Reaching the end, he slowed to a walk. The drainage tunnel dumped into the boundary creek. He could make out the moon in the sky and the grassy plains that surrounded Caskor. Quickly though, he began to step backwards. The grate that served as the barrier between the outside and the tunnel had one distinct flaw: the large gaping hole. 

He turned around to warn Saf and Karn, but when he did, he couldn’t see any trace of them. Just the darkness of the tunnel.

“Saf! Karn!” he yelled. There was no response. He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins now. He looked around anxiously trying to figure out what to do, his heart beating a million miles a second.

"Guys, where are you? This isn’t funny!" he yelled. Again, there was no response. He could make something out though. Deep in the darkness of the tunnel were two dull red-violet dots. They laid horizontal to each other. It only took Mylo a couple seconds to compute that they were eyes. 

He couldn’t help but stare back at them. He felt a tingling sensation run over his body until he was shrouded in numbness. His jaw went limp and drool spilled out onto the ground. Mylo was unable to look away; in fact, he couldn’t move at all. He tried to shake his way free, but he wasn’t in control of his own body. 

He continued to stare back. The red eyes seemed more glaring and piercing the longer he looked. His heartbeat was the only sound he could hear, and he could hear as its tempo began to slow. Not because he was calmer, but because something was causing it to. He counted the beats as they got slower and slower. The eyes in front of him began to dim as Mylo’s vision grew foggier. The corners of his eyesight drew closer and closer, until there was nothing to see. He couldn’t count the beats of his heart anymore because there were none. With a final crescendo of ringing in his ears, he felt his body drop.