I've got my back to them, squinting against the sun and looking out over the trees, and it's nice. Quiet. Fuckin' peaceful, until I hear an ominous creak, a dry snap, and by the time I turn toward them, they've already disappeared from view.

"Fuck," I hiss, running toward the jagged hole in the ground, a haphazardly covered passageway leading down to fuck knows where. Skidding to a stop at the edge, just as dirt and rock gives way to rotting wood, I lean over, peering down into the darkness and shouting, "Mathias!" and wincing at how my voice seems to echo down, down, down forever.