The Second Circle

I gasp and gape into the darkness for a second, before jumping to follow him, and run smack into what feels like a slick, cement wall. I land on my butt in the dirt, head ringing and eyes watering from the blow to my nose.

"What—?" I gasp, grabbing my nose. "Aiden?"

I stumble to my feet, still holding my nose and squinting. I can't see anything that I could have hit, but my vision is blurred, so I don't risk stepping forward again. When my eyes stop watering I inch my way step by step, hands in front of me, until I brush a solid wall and stop before the rest of me runs into it.

I start to shake. There's nothing here. But it's solid. Slick. Impenetrable—a smooth steel wall made of absolutely nothing--nothing I can see, at least. The ground in front me appears normal, but in the dark, it's hard to know. I can barely make out shadowed shape of trees, and the mountains in the distance, but since there's so little light around here, that doesn't seem odd.