Chapter 8

In a high-speed race, the two left the apartment to gather food and returned within half an hour. Greasy bags in hands, they found their way outside, where they enjoyed the food in quiet anticipation. Riley felt unsatiated from the first bite of the burger, as though the meal had not been what he desired. But, regardless of craving, he finished it quickly, consuming the fries and drink before gathering the patio trash to bring inside.

"Okay, so, living room?" Abel asked.

"Yeah," Riley replied and motioned to the table. Placing the tome down, they sat and inhaled deeply.

"This is exciting," Abel’s voice was giddy as he leaned in, watching Riley remove the cord that bound the covers.

Riley opened the book, revealing the first page and allowing Abel to examine it.

"What..." Abel muttered, quickly disappointed. "It's a tree."

"Yes...very good." Riley laughed and pointed towards the canopy and roots. "But there are easter eggs, see—the canopy and the roots—the infinity symbol." He looked over, watching as Abel nodded in agreement, but the look across his friend's face revealed confusion. "Just look it over for a bit."

In support, Riley stared at the image alongside Abel, and as he did, the more he began to uncover. And with each discovery, he pointed them out to his friend. Riley noted flaws in the page that resembled clouds to the left of the tree and sun to the right. And, as though they had been investigating the image for an entire season, he began to see the starts of flowers and eventually fruits hiding beneath the leafy canopy.

"Ugh, my eyes." Abel snapped Riley from his recent discovery. "Can we—I don't know—flip the page?"

Riley looked over at Abel as he rubbed his eyes and examined the notes he had been taking while investigating the first page. He smirked at two hastily scribbled words, 'dick roots.' An annotation that had been half-heartedly scratched out with another, more appropriate scribble.

"Sure," Riley said as he flipped the page. "Okay, I only got to here, but this page is a—"

"Nope, that's fucking nonsense." Abel laughed as he looked away from the parchment. "Holy shit, bud. How do you not go crosseyed looking at that?"

Riley pointed towards the page and dragged his finger across the first line of letters slowly. "It's really not that bad. It's like in the game."

"Yeah, I never found one of those trees," Abel remarked with a huff. "Maybe you read, and I listen, trying to see what you see."

"Teev'kayzee..." Riley said slowly, marking the word and looking at Abel. His eyes were wide and confused as he looked from Riley to the tome.

"Fuck man, I see squiggle, squiggle, triangle, buttcheek-foot-thing," Abel replied, his face slack with defeat. "Keep going. I'll follow along in case the teacher calls on me to read."

Abel flashed a quick smile before focusing back on the book, following Riley's hand and listening to him as he read the first passage of the tome once more.

Careful word by careful word, he made it to the same point he had earlier in the day and showed the rune to Abel before tracing the pattern once more. Running his fingers over the three-cornered knot again, he felt himself become lost in its design before a sudden pain pricked at his finger.

"Ah," Riley said as he withdrew his hand from the book and looked at the thin cut on his fingertip. A faint discoloration painted the skin as blood began to build. "Papercut. Be right back."

He looked down at Abel, who was still lost in thought as he concentrated on deciphering the tome.

Walking away, Riley examined the dark windows of his bedroom, eyeing the amber streetlights that lit the dim atmosphere. As he passed through into the pitch-black bathroom, he flicked the light on.

Click. Riley paused, examining the dark bathroom with a glance. Click. Click. Click. Click.

"That’s just great." He muttered to himself and turned to go back into the bedroom.

The darkness had begun to overpower the apartment, blotting out the street lights and leaving only the faint glow of the idle electronics as its replacement.

Click. Click. Riley attempted to flick on the bedroom lights. He felt his heart beginning to race once more as darkness filled the apartment and fear consumed his mind.

"Abel?" Riley half asked and half panic-screamed.

Rushing into the living room, Riley was surrounded by impenetrable darkness. He cried out once more, only to hear his voice echoing back.

Riley's stomach lifted into his chest as he was suddenly falling. He opened his mouth to scream, but the air escaped his lungs, leaving only a dull, mousy squeak as he hit the wet floor.

Painfully pushing himself up, Riley quickly felt at his body and looked around. The sounds of dripping water echoed from within the darkened space. He felt drawn forward in one direction for several feet before a sudden chill raced down his spine, and he felt the urge to turn around. He did so quickly, revealing a significant tree that took up the sky behind him.

Riley stepped back, awestruck as he looked up at the tree that had appeared. Examining its horizon-consuming canopy and its single large, silver fruit that hung like a moon above, he felt his gaze lifting higher. His head pivoted up, and up, and up until he eventually fell back to the ground. But his body didn't meet the floor. Instead, he tumbled head over foot, falling for what felt like an eternity before he quickly approached the end of his descent.