Chapter 135

She slid down further into the pit, the loose dirt and jagged rocks scraping against her hands and arms as she struggled to slow herself. The descent was faster than she expected, and for a moment, her stomach dropped with the sensation of a freefall.

When she finally touch the ground, her legs buckled beneath her, and she collapsed in a heap. The impact sent another tremor of pain through her pinned leg, but something worse twisted inside her—the realization that she was now even further down, further away from the surface, from escape.

What luck, she thought. What else could go wrong? Maybe the ground would swallow her whole next. Maybe the walls would cave in, burying her here, that'd be great. She laughed to herself, a sound that came out more like a choke. It wasn't funny. None of it was.

"Where the fuck am I?" Amélie asked as she started walking, waving her hand and trying to feel for the walls around her.