[03] out of the darkness, into the pit

[gabriel_grey]

The hallway is long, pitch dark, a vague light farther down the way.

[You will live"There you are." Grant reaches out in the darkness and rests a hand on Jeffrey's shoulder. "You shouldn't be afraid," he says as the other man trembles, "I did what had to be done." He can feel the heavy energy in his pocket from the Other's bones

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[jmlevitt]

"She told me I need you," he says. "She told me I need you to help fight them." (She told me you wouldn't kill me.) He emerges, blinking, into the light and the damp, and is not surprised when he turns around and finds that there is no hospital behind them. Nothing but a dead end in an alley. He turns his face up to the rain, closing his eyes and letting it wash the dirt from his face and hair. He looks to Grant and shrugs. "Got nowhere else to go. There's a carousel where I used to sleep now." He glances back again at the wall behind him. "Well...there was."

[gabriel_grey]

"She tells you a great deal." He's not sure whether to believe the man or not. It's ceased to matter. He starts walking, following instinct. The city is almost familiar but not quite. "What does she say about this place? About what's going on here?"

It's best to keep talking. Get close. Gain trust.

"Has she said anything about me?"

[jmlevitt]

"She says this place is a mockery of God's creation," he says, believing it completely. "She says that this..." He spreads his arms, looking down at himself. "This life I have isn't real. That I'm someone named Jeffrey Levitt. And She showed me the mirrors. I saw what I'm supposed to be. What I'm supposed to look like. The demons change the buildings in a mockery of God's power. She can deliver us to God's kingdom if we have faith."

He swallows nervously at Brian's next question. "God knows your sins," he says, then pauses for a moment, frowning in concentration. "Or he knows the sins this place has thrust upon you. She thought you might have seen something in the mirrors. I think...maybe that your life is false, just like mine." He brightens. "Maybe she knows your true name. I can ask her, if you like."

[gabriel_grey]

Grant scowls. He knows who he is. But the mirrors [lies] showed him something else. The fingers on his left hand that should be gone, have been gone since he was a child, they weren't gone.

Hallucinations. I need

"The mirrors. There was sunlight and grass. I was--" LIES

He continues walking, the streets starting to become familiar again. They weren't far. A bitter, quiet laugh. He was going to ascend beyond God's kingdom.

"Sure. What's my 'real' name?"

[gabriel_grey]

Grant's basement is small, just enough room for the washer and dryer, the water heater and the furnace (also an old coal burning stove that's fallen out of use). A worktable sits against one wall with small hand tools, a can of varnish, brushes, and a dropcloth. There is shelving on the opposite wall. The shelves themselves are full of the usual things found in basements; turpentine, old cans of paint, tools, gardening things

[jmlevitt]

He tries to stand up, but the attempt only results in a painful jolt as his rope leash tightens. Another flash of memory--a hard wooden chair, handcuffs, overhead lights snapping on one by one--and then it's gone again. Another attempt at movement reveals that his hands are tied as well. "Oh God..." he whimpers, and he starts trembling again (Have faith, have faith).

The scuttling is the worst. He can hear the clicking of thousands of tiny feet scurrying, the sounds of the devils. He mutters to himself, old half-remembered prayers, but the sound refuses to be drowned out.

He tries screaming instead. "Help! Somebody help me!"

[she_leads]

"Jeffrey," she says, visible suddenly, slipping out from behind the chair. "Shh. It's all right."

Confidence. She speaks with such confidence.

[jmlevitt]

Her soothing voice calms his fear, but only a little. Even with his Angel here, he can still hear the horrid scuttling from the corner, and his eyes continually dart to the hutches. He wishes the rope was long enough to let him cover his ears. "I was afraid I did something wrong," he says, his voice full of relief. "This is part of God's plan?" He made the mistake of doubting Her once. He didn't want to make that mistake again.