Free The Circle Line by Ben Yallop Page B

over with the effort. Then the room was black again.
    Weewalk gave a heavy breath. ‘Right,’ he said, ‘It's open. Ready to take your first line? Move towards my voice.’
    Sam slid his feet forward, arms outstretched until he felt his fingertips touch something.
    ‘Good, that's me.’ came Weewalk's voice. ‘Now, on you go. This is going to feel weird, but don’t worry you're safe and I'll be right behind you.’
    Sam felt Weewalk's hands on his arm and allowed himself to be guided forwards. ‘Wait, I'm not sure about this.’ he said. Then the hand was at his back, then it was gone and Sam, arms outstretched, shuffled forwards feeling the air suddenly grow cold again. He stepped to where he thought the wall must be and then the world seemed to implode upon him.
     
    He was deaf and blind he thought. It felt like his ears had disappeared completely and he couldn't tell whether his eyes were open or closed. One moment he felt as though he was falling, not to the floor but away from it, then the next he felt as though he was flying. He was disembodied, not part of the world, then he suddenly found gravity beginning to exert itself on him again and, without feeling any kind of impact, there was ground under his feet. He staggered forward a step unsteadily. His vision quickly returned and he found himself standing under a large tree near a wild and remote shore. The whole thing had taken moments or years. It was impossible to tell which. He stumbled against Weewalk who had appeared behind him.
    'Where are we? What happened?' he shouted in panic.
    'It's okay, don't worry.' said Weewalk. 'You're safe. There's nothing to worry about'.
    Sam felt his body, slapping at it like he was trying to find something in a pocket, reassuring himself that his body was still there.
    ‘Really. It’s okay. Don't worry.' said Weewalk again.
    'But, but...' Sam didn't know what else to say. He looked around feeling panicky. How would he ever get back again? He felt his legs shaking and he sat down heavily.
    'It's alright. You're safe.' said Weewalk standing over him. 'Everyone finds it strange the first few times. But I'll look after you. Come on, let's get you indoors.’ He set off, his big boots leaving darker green footprints in the dewy grass. Sam hauled himself to his feet, still feeling shaky, his heart hammering in his chest, but he followed.
    Weewalk headed towards a rough shack ahead of them. As they walked Sam had the time to look around him and absorb his surroundings. They had arrived on a section of deserted coastline. A few stunted trees and the shack were all that broke that horizon. The smell of salt filled the air. It was cold, the wind cut through Sam's clothes and he shivered. The light suggested that the dawn had not long arrived. The sky was overcast, a flat light grey. The crash of waves hitting the long narrow yellow sand of the beach dominated the air.
    Sam took a deep breath. Despite the coldness of the air it was good to have the freshness of the salty breeze around him.
    ‘Hadan is waiting for us in the shack ahead’ said Weewalk, above the rhythmic roar of the waves.
    ‘Is he from your world too?’ asked Sam.
    ‘Yes, but it's probably best not to ask him about it. He doesn't have particularly fond memories of Mu and Rivenrok and he can be a little prickly about it. Don’t mind him though. It's just his way. He’s one of the good guys.’
    ‘Like you, you mean?’ said Sam.
    ‘Yes,’ Weewalk laughed ‘Like me. Don’t worry, Sam. You're safe with us.’
    As they reached the shack Sam saw it was bigger than he had first thought. The absence of anything with which to compare it in the flat featureless landscape had made size difficult to judge. It was made of rough wooden planks, a stone chimney at one end billowed smoke. Weewalk thumped on the door and a voice came from within.
    ‘Who's there?’
    ‘Me’, said Weewalk and glanced at Sam as he shivered next to him, ‘With our friend.’
    There was the