Excerpt: Beyond the black sea
M Joseph Murphy
Chapter Thirteen
Travis followed Defksquar’s specter through the dark
hallway towards the stairway. Behind him the darkness
intensified. It seemed solid now, like a slow-rushing tide.
He heard a wet sound, as if something soaked in blood
was being dragged across the floor.
“You’ll have to continue on your own for a bit,”
Defksquar said. “The strain of projecting this far into your
world limits how long I can stay.”
Travis shook his head. “You leave and so does the
light. You expect me to walk down these stairs in the
dark?”
Defksquar looked over the side of the railing. “Either
that or stay here and wait for the things crawling around in
the dark to find you. Keep your hand on the rail. Move
slowly. I’ll meet you in Ojibway. Hurry.”
Defksquar’s body faded away. The stairwell plunged
into darkness.
“Freaking fantastic.” Travis closed his eyes.
Somehow that made the darkness more bearable.
Somewhere in the distance, a man screamed for help. Then
Travis heard the heavy footsteps of someone running,
followed by a vicious cougar-like snarl.
‘So, going back is not an option. Here we go.’
Keeping his hand on the rail and his body close to the
side, he lowered his foot un F