Calibrate Vol. II

“Ugh.” Callisto pushed off the slime floor.
“Agreed.” Argo sighed, circling her. “Onward, I guess.”
“What if I just stay where I am?” She folded her arms. “I’ve only fallen due to trying to get through. How long do you think it’ll take before I just wake up?”
“Might be worth a shot. Maybe it’s trying to get you to do the opposite of instinct.”
“Hopefully ‘it’s’ on my side.”
“Cal. Cal. Cal.” Argo’s voice climbed an octave. “Blood. You’re bleeding.”
He wasn’t wrong. She felt the liquid cross her lip and drip down her chin. “Oh boy.” It dripped fast, like a new wound, but not normally. Instead of the normal bowl-filling sensation her exposed tongue usually triggered, it felt like a string was being tugged out of her mouth.
“Callisto?”
She gave him a slightly panicked glance. It fell down her chin and onto the ground in one line, much more bright red than blood usually was. It started to ‘drain’ towards the light.
“I think that’s a pretty clear response to our stand still strategy.” Argo shuddered. “Let’s go.”
She swirled her hand around the red blood string. It gave way to her motion just like a normal thread, but still fell past her skin like liquid. Unnerving to say the least.
“Cal? Let’s go! Go!”
All at once, the sludge at her feet started to fill, and the string connected to her mouth pulled taut towards the claw light. Her heart jumped into high gear.
“Run!” Argo sped next to her as she pulled herself from the floor. Heavy steps drew her energy quickly, her body straining for the effort. The shard had never looked so close.
“Hold on!”
She wrapped her hands around the string like a desperate climber, and held her breath. A wall of dark slammed into her, and she dropped.

She awoke this time like she’d expected to the first go-around. Her top half shot up, chest heaving like she’d almost drowned. It felt like she had. Argo tapped her head in a “we’re alive” kiss, but gave off the same level of exhaustion.
Nalim had undoubtedly felt Cal’s weight leave her legs, and now stared at her, concerned. “Hey, you okay?”
She tried to calm her breathing, nodding sideways.
Alexi’s eyes flickered on, and his warm metal hand encapsulated hers. Euri had apparently woke up too, and set a hand on her back.
“Was it the nightmare again?” Euri tilted her head.
Nalim glanced much more concernedly between her and Euri. “Are you having nightmares?”
She looked down sheepishly. “Yeah. It was just another nightmare. Don’t worry.”
“The SAME nightmares?”
“I mean, yeah.” Here was her fear manifesting. Nalim was going to get too worried about it. Euri mouthed ‘sorry’ in the moonlight. “It’s just the same thing every night. Creepy dark hallway, light at the end of the tunnel. Get eaten by black sludge, wake up.”
Nalim’s expression looked intense. “How many times have you had this dream?”
“...Every night.”
“For how long?!”
“It’s just nightmares. It’s really not all that surprising, considering.” She felt awkward. What kind of guardian had to be watched this much?
“Cal, I love you, but you have no idea the weird shit that happens to people in our situation.” Nalim was glaring, but not angrily. “Tell me.”
“I haven’t really been counting. A few days, at least. Maybe a week?” She tried to focus on Alexi’s gentle hand stroking. Was something wrong with her?
“What happens in them?”
“Me and Argo appear in a hallway covered in dark sludge-”
“BOTH of you?”
Argo nodded. “It’s actually me in there too.”
Nalim looked heavily confused. Ghosts never appeared in her visions. No Light was ever replicated. She couldn’t decide which one she preferred.
“I start running towards the light, which we think is the Traveler shard, and then I fall through the ground.”
“Why was tonight different?” Euri. Her scientist voice had activated.
“I decided to stop chasing it, and suddenly my mouth started bleeding. But it wasn’t blood, it was like a string. A thread. It started to pull me towards the shard, and then the hallway filled up and drowned me.”
Nalim shook her head. “That doesn’t sound good.”
“It certainly wasn’t my favorite.” Cal laughed lightly.
“Don’t go near the shard, Cal.”
She tilted her head. “Why not?”
“Not only is it unsafe to be near, the journey itself will kill you. And you are not immortal.” Now Nalim was being stern. Cal felt in trouble, although she really hadn’t done anything yet. Yet.
“What if I’m supposed to?”
“You are NOT going to. Do I make myself clear?”
Cal held back a groan. “Yes. Fine.”

When she set her head back down to sleep, she looked at Argo. He looked at her. They both solemnly tapped their ‘heads’ and closed their eyes.