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This was a bad idea this was a bad idea this was a bad idea.
Holly runs as fast as she can but the demon's faster. She has no idea where Lightning's gotten to; maybe he found a tree to climb. She on the other hand has been diverted into a treeless hill and she's careening down a slope, trying very hard not to trip.
And the demon's gaining on her.
She's never seen anything like it and neither has Crystal; maybe Book knows what it is but Book's asleep. It's mostly mouth - it looks like a cross between a floorlength mirror of a mouth and a snake to propel the mouth along.
And Holly's not fast enough.
The mouth catches her.
But it doesn't hurt.
Where are we?
Holly runs as fast as she can but the demon's faster. She has no idea where Lightning's gotten to; maybe he found a tree to climb. She on the other hand has been diverted into a treeless hill and she's careening down a slope, trying very hard not to trip.
And the demon's gaining on her.
She's never seen anything like it and neither has Crystal; maybe Book knows what it is but Book's asleep. It's mostly mouth - it looks like a cross between a floorlength mirror of a mouth and a snake to propel the mouth along.
And Holly's not fast enough.
The mouth catches her.
But it doesn't hurt.
Where are we?
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Holly pants, hard, turns in place to see her surroundings.
"Lightning?" she hollers, when no demons are immediately apparent.
Nothing.
Where are we?
I don't know. It doesn't look like the inside of a demon, though, I don't think.
"Lightning!" Holly calls again, and she checks her mice. Mostly dead. Two alive. That's not going to be enough even if she doesn't get hurt.
She stalks through the forest.
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Oh, good, bunnies. Bunnies that will let her walk up to them and pet them. She doesn't have a way to carry them around with her, they're too big for the mouse compartment on the backpack, but she will go up to one and stroke it and give it her exhaustion. If they can't find a way home, or find Lightning and Book, they will have to construct some sort of bunny pen.
"Lightning!" she yells again. "Book?"
"Lightning!" she yells again. "Book?"
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"Can you be more specific?" Crystal asks, taking over with slightly better patience.
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"This isn't a town, it's a forest. What's the matter with you? How did you even sort of know our names?"
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"I was thinking we'd keep walking until we found civilization, and you don't seem to be it," says Holly, taking over again. "Is there a town nearby?"
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"Are we going to run out of bunnies if we keep hiking? I didn't notice a shortage."
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Holly squints at the sun. There's only one. "You're expecting a longdark?"