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We threw ourselves to the far end of the room and covered our heads The sound was massive, a sharp PAKK! that was like nails in the eardrulass and I was afraid it had failed I rose and saw in the clearing se, puckered hole had formed in the clear wall, like a hole punched in taffy Amy ran out and I threw my arms around her

She said, "Where are we? I don’t kno--"

"Later" I turned to Largeet us back to our world We’ll find a way"

"Gladly We haven’t long before shehatches"

I said, "And let ht away, right?"

He didn’t reply, but I kneas right

"Okay, so you got soet us the fuck out of here"

John said, "You better hurry, too"

______

TWO ROOMS AWAY, an inch of ash fell fro biscuit A faint e two inches

JOHN SAID TO ht for a moment-- "five minutes, thirteen seconds before biscuit time"

I set ed to change the date and the tiot it set, then had to adjust for the time lost

4:48

We burst out of the door, hter to his cheek

"Nobodyface on fire!" I meant it, too

Either they took this threat seriously or Large them instructions to back off We pushed him down the hall and he pointed us to an elevator

4:12

We cliiant spider, , slow ride down A her eyes shut and wrapping her ar in there Oh, shit, shit, shit

Down and down and down These people built their skyscrapers upside down

1:32

Finally, it stopped We eh one thick, round door after another

:58

We entered an enor-shaped pods that thruht my attention was an enor like a huge, elephant-sized toad It squatted in the center of the rooeman, it opened its enormous mouth wide

Blackness Inside this creature was the sa darknessin the dark column in the mall coht, shapes, a rooeman stepped aside and pointed us toward the o? I mean, specifically, where e coe far from where you went in But it is difficult to predict"

"A back?"

No answer I stepped up to the dark portal and as I got closer I realized I could see faintly through it There did seem to be a small room on the other side, barely visible I held ain that disconnected, ti of an unexpected nap I was pitched forward and landed on a hardwood floor I looked up and saas in a hallway, turned and saw an open doorith a VNV Nation poster on it

I stood and realized I was looking through the Irish elevator door in the Sullivan house, only instead of open air I was looking into the toad room I had just come fro open when I fell in

:22