Free Entanglements by P R Mason Page A

figure, an angled lower body with bony feet, hairy bare arms and legs.
    Rom strode past me, but I stopped him with a hand to the arm.
    “No,” I screeched. “Let me go.”
    Rom cupped my cheeks with his hands as he shook his head. His eyes scorched me with their intensity.
    “You must not be lost in the vortex.”
    The breath caught in my throat at his words. Rom’s caring meant more to me than I wanted to acknowledge just then.
    “I won’t.” I took the rope from his hands. “But I need you on the other end of this. You’re stronger.” He seemed to understand I was saying that he could pull us out of the morass I was about to go into, but I doubted if I’d be able to do the same.
    Rom seemed visibly torn with indecision.
    “Come on,” I said.
    He nodded and helped me to tie one end of the rope around my waist then he secured the other end around himself.
    “I can’t hold on much longer,” Billy cried out.
    “My arm feels like it’ll be pulled off,” Senji yelled through gritted teeth.
    As secure as I was going to be, I edged toward the swirling circle—Vortex, Rom had called it. My tentative steps tested the ground until at last I felt a portion under the tips of the toes of my right foot fall away as if I were at the edge of a precipice. I suppose I was.
    The hairy figure’s flailing arm swooped in an arc before landing in a thump on Franky’s arm. The teen’s scream echoed in the tunnel above the increasing sound of the rushing wind. Franky’s hold on Senji’s hand broke and he sank out of sight, his piercing screams silenced.
    Diving into the vortex, trying to hit the spot I’d last seen Franky, felt like landing in clear Jell-O. Sight I had, but sound seemed muffled. The interior of the vortex had the consistency of a long fleshy looking tube, like the television footage I’d seen of a camera down someone’s throat. This throat worked and sucked with incredible force at swallowing us all.
    Over my left shoulder, Juliette struggled from the waist down. Her legs kicked. Although I could tell she was trying to use all the strength she possessed, her legs moved in almost slow motion. Ahead of me on the right was the man who seemed to be in almost a mirror opposite position to Juliette. While his legs and hips were above the vortex entrance to the morgue, his head, chest and arms were below. He wore a white shirt. Together with the boots and trousers I’d seen, he seemed to be dressed to ride horses. His face was barely visible beneath the medium length brown hair whipping around him. But I did see a sly smile on his lips. The man clearly was enjoying this.
    The hairy man who’d been angled was gone. He must have escaped the vortex just as Franky was lost in it. Forcing my head to move, I spotted the familiar red head a few feet below me and to my left.
    I relaxed my body, gave up resistance, and moved quickly to my friend. The tips of our fingers touched. His head tilted back and he gaped up at me. I’d never seen such fear in anyone…except perhaps Adam. I reached for him. Before I could take Franky’s hand into mine, the convulsions of the vortex took him down and he vanished.
    Stunned, I didn’t move. Then I saw a figure coming from below. For a moment my heart leapt in hope. But the head of this figure had long flowing black hair and even at this angle I could tell it was a woman. She sped toward me as if swimming with a current. Finally face-to-face, her exotic features of yellow eyes, high cheekbones and full red lips, fascinated me. She smirked as she gazed into my eyes. Her lips widened to a grin before parting to reveal a full mouth of pointed, razor sharp teeth. Her hand, with claw-like nails, reached for me.
    I don’t know what would have happened if the rope at my waist hadn't jerked me violently back and up. As I was dragged, the monstrously beautiful woman moved down and away. As I neared the surface, I saw Juliette sinking. Terror filled her eyes and her mouth was wide in a