Chapter 252 — The Distance She Couldn't Hear
Tala knew something was wrong when she stopped hearing Henry's footsteps.
Not because Henry had stopped walking.
He hadn't.
She could see him.
Ten paces ahead, his boots pressed shallow marks into the white soil. Charon sat on his shoulder, occasionally turning his head as though expecting something to jump out of the trees.
Henry was talking.
Tala could see his mouth moving.
She couldn't hear him.
She stopped.
Henry took another three steps before noticing.
He turned.
"Tala?"
She didn't answer.
Henry walked back.
"Tala?"
This time she heard him.
Barely.
His voice seemed to come from very far away, despite standing only a few feet from her.
She stared at him.
"Say that again."
Henry frowned.
"I said, are you okay?"
"I heard that."
"Then why did you ask?"
"I didn't hear you the first time."
Henry's expression changed.
Charon's face appeared over his shoulder.
"That's not good."
Tala smiled faintly.
"No."
Henry glanced toward the others.
Brook was ahead with Gabriel.
Sera and Hutena were behind them.
Crowley had taken the rear.
Nobody had noticed yet.
Henry lowered his voice.
"How long?"
Tala looked at him.
"How long what?"
"How long have you been having trouble hearing?"
She looked toward the white trees.
"Since yesterday."
"And you didn't tell anyone?"
"I didn't want everyone stopping for me."
Henry frowned.
"That's stupid."
Tala raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
"I mean…"
Henry rubbed the back of his neck.
"That's something you should tell us."
Tala smiled.
"You sound like Sera."
"That's insulting."
Charon nodded.
"Very."
Henry looked at him.
"Whose side are you on?"
"The side with common sense."
"You don't have any."
"I have plenty."
"You once tried to eat a candle."
"It smelled like cake."
Tala laughed.
The sound surprised her.
It felt normal.
For a moment.
Then the silence returned.
She looked down.
Her hand rested against the white earth.
Nothing.
Not nothing exactly.
There was something there.
But it was far away.
The Earth had always felt close to her.
Now it felt like standing at the bottom of an ocean and trying to hear someone speaking on the surface.
Tala pulled her hand away.
Henry noticed.
"Still?"
She nodded.
"Still."
He looked toward Brook.
"Should we tell him?"
Tala shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because we're almost there."
Henry looked ahead.
"Almost where?"
Tala stared into the white distance.
She didn't know.
That was the frightening part.
She couldn't feel where Eden wanted them to go.
She could only feel that something was ahead.
And it was getting louder.
Not in her ears.
Inside the earth.
They caught up with the others.
Brook looked back.
"Everything okay?"
Henry opened his mouth.
Tala answered first.
"Yes."
Brook looked at Henry.
Henry shrugged.
"She's fine."
Tala gave him a look.
Henry corrected himself.
"Mostly."
Brook's eyes narrowed.
Tala smiled.
"I'm fine."
Brook studied her.
Then he looked at her feet.
"You're walking slower."
Tala glanced down.
"I didn't notice."
"I did."
Crowley called from behind them.
"He's becoming irritating."
Brook looked back.
"Becoming?"
Crowley smiled.
"Fair."
Gabriel laughed.
The group continued.
The white forest opened gradually.
The trees became farther apart.
The ground changed from soil to smooth pale stone.
There were no plants.
No insects.
No signs that anything had ever lived there.
Then Brook saw something.
A line.
Cut into the ground.
He crouched.
"What is this?"
Sera came beside him.
"A road."
"It isn't on the map."
"Nothing is on the map anymore."
She knelt.
The line was old.
Two parallel grooves ran through the stone.
Not wagon tracks.
Not footprints.
Something heavier had passed through.
Repeatedly.
Brook touched the groove.
Cold.
He pulled his hand away.
Gabriel stared at it.
"I've seen this."
Brook looked up.
"Here?"
"No."
Gabriel's eyes remained fixed on the road.
"Somewhere else."
Crowley approached.
"That's becoming a popular sentence."
Gabriel ignored him.
"It was a long time ago."
Hutena stepped closer.
"How long?"
Gabriel looked at her.
"I don't know."
"Can you remember?"
He smiled slightly.
"That's the problem."
He looked toward the distant trees.
"Eden remembers things differently."
Sera frowned.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I don't trust what I remember here."
Crowley nodded.
"Finally. Something sensible."
Gabriel looked at him.
"You don't trust anything."
"Correct."
Henry pointed down the path.
"So we follow it?"
Brook stood.
"Probably."
Crowley groaned.
"I hate that word."
"Probably?"
"Exactly."
They followed the grooves.
The farther they walked, the deeper they became.
Eventually they entered a narrow valley between two white hills.
The stone walls were smooth.
Almost polished.
Henry looked up.
"How did this happen?"
Sera touched the wall.
"Something passed through."
"Something?"
"Something large."
Charon peered upward.
"How large?"
Sera looked at him.
"Very."
"That's not a measurement."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Henry laughed.
Tala didn't.
She was staring at the ground.
Brook noticed.
"What?"
She shook her head.
"Nothing."
Brook waited.
Tala sighed.
"I can't feel the Earth here."
He looked at her.
"You couldn't before."
"Before, it was quiet."
She placed her hand against the stone.
"Now it's…"
She stopped.
"Far."
Brook crouched beside her.
"Can you still feel it?"
Tala closed her eyes.
"For a moment."
"What do you feel?"
She hesitated.
"Memory."
Brook looked at the stone.
"Whose?"
"I don't know."
"Can you tell?"
"No."
Tala opened her eyes.
"That's what scares me."
Brook stood.
"We'll stay together."
Tala nodded.
"Okay."
He started walking.
Tala followed.
Henry watched them.
Then quietly said to Charon,
"He does that now."
Charon looked at him.
"Does what?"
"Stays."
The valley ended at a field.
There were structures scattered across it.
Not houses.
Not ruins.
Something between the two.
Low stone buildings with open doorways.
No roofs.
No furniture.
No signs of life.
Sera stopped.
"Did someone live here?"
Gabriel looked around.
"No."
Hutena stared at him.
"How do you know?"
"I don't remember anyone living here."
Sera smiled dryly.
"That's not evidence."
Gabriel nodded.
"You're right."
Crowley stepped into the nearest building.
He looked inside.
"She's right."
Everyone turned.
Crowley pointed.
"Someone lived here."
On the wall were marks.
Children's marks.
Height lines.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Some had names beside them.
The names were worn away.
Henry entered.
He touched one.
"This one was small."
Charon appeared beside him.
"Most children are."
Henry looked at him.
"You know what I mean."
"Yes."
Henry traced the line with one finger.
The wall was warm.
He frowned.
"It's warm."
Tala came closer.
She touched it.
Her eyes closed.
"What?"
Tala whispered,
"Someone stood here."
Henry looked at her.
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"Can you tell?"
"No."
She pulled her hand away.
"But they were afraid."
The room became quiet.
Brook looked at the wall.
There was no person.
No ghost.
No voice.
Just a mark measuring a child's height.
Something about it bothered him more than a monster would have.
He stepped back.
"Let's go."
They left.
By afternoon, Tala could barely hear anything.
She compensated.
She watched lips.
Watched body language.
Watched the ground.
It worked.
Mostly.
Sera noticed first.
She walked beside Tala.
"You've been watching everyone's mouths."
Tala smiled.
"You noticed."
"I notice things."
"So I've heard."
Sera looked ahead.
"You can't hear us."
"I can."
"Sometimes."
Tala nodded.
"Sometimes."
Sera lowered her voice.
"How bad?"
Tala hesitated.
"I can hear you."
"That's not an answer."
"I know."
Sera stopped.
Tala stopped too.
Sera touched her shoulder.
"You don't have to pretend with me."
Tala looked at her.
"I know."
"Then?"
Tala looked down.
"I can hear people."
She swallowed.
"But I can't hear the world."
Sera's expression softened.
"What does that mean?"
"The Earth."
A pause.
"I used to hear it."
Sera said nothing.
"Not words."
Tala searched for the right description.
"Movement."
"Water."
"Roots."
"Animals."
"People."
"Everything."
She looked toward the white hills.
"Now I hear less every hour."
Sera looked at Brook.
He was walking ahead.
Gabriel beside him.
Crowley behind.
Henry was trying to get Charon to stop making faces at him.
Sera looked back at Tala.
"Does Brook know?"
"No."
"Why?"
Tala smiled faintly.
"Because everyone is already carrying something."
Sera looked at her for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"I'll keep it between us."
Tala smiled.
"Thank you."
They stopped near sunset.
Not for camp.
Just to rest their legs.
There was a low stone wall overlooking a white valley.
Brook sat on it.
Henry sat beside him.
Gabriel stood nearby.
Crowley leaned against a tree.
Sera and Hutena were examining the map.
Charon wandered around in the shape of a small dog.
He chased his own tail.
Henry watched him.
"Why are you doing that?"
Charon stopped.
"I was investigating."
"Your tail?"
"Suspicious behavior."
Henry shook his head.
Brook smiled.
The smile lasted.
A full second.
Then he looked away.
Gabriel saw it.
He didn't comment.
Michael's voice sounded faintly inside Brook.
You are tired.
Brook looked down.
Yes.
Lucifer answered.
You're getting good at hiding it.
Brook frowned.
I'm not hiding anything.
That's the problem.
Death spoke quietly.
You don't notice what you stop showing.
Brook's eyes narrowed.
You all talk too much.
Michael's response was almost amused.
And you listen too much.
Brook looked at the horizon.
The white landscape stretched endlessly.
He felt something inside him.
Not pain.
Not hunger.
A small absence.
He couldn't identify it.
So he ignored it.
Tala stood.
"I need to walk."
Sera looked up.
"Where?"
"Just there."
She pointed toward the edge of the valley.
Brook looked over.
"Stay where we can see you."
Tala nodded.
She walked away.
Henry watched her.
"She's getting worse."
Sera looked at him.
"Yes."
Brook turned.
"What?"
Henry froze.
Sera answered quickly.
"Tala's tired."
Brook looked toward Tala.
She was standing at the valley's edge.
Her hand rested against the stone.
He watched her for a moment.
Then looked back at Henry.
"She should tell us."
Henry nodded.
"Yeah."
Brook stood.
He walked toward Tala.
She didn't hear him approach.
He stopped beside her.
She turned suddenly.
"Oh."
"You didn't hear me."
Tala smiled.
"No."
Brook looked at the valley.
"How bad?"
Tala didn't answer.
Brook waited.
"Bad."
"How bad?"
She looked at him.
"I can't hear you unless you're close."
Brook's jaw tightened.
"Since when?"
"Today."
He looked at her.
"You should've told me."
"I know."
"Why didn't you?"
Tala looked toward the valley.
"Because I knew what you'd do."
"What?"
"You'd change the route."
Brook didn't deny it.
"You'd slow everyone down."
"Maybe."
"You'd make yourself responsible."
Brook frowned.
"I am responsible."
Tala looked at him.
"No."
She smiled gently.
"You're responsible for yourself."
Brook didn't answer.
Tala placed her hand on the stone.
"And we're responsible for ourselves."
He stared at her.
"You're part of the team."
"I know."
"Then let us help."
Tala smiled.
"I will."
Brook looked at her hand.
Then at the valley.
"Can you still feel the Earth?"
"Sometimes."
"And Gaia?"
Tala's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Don't."
Brook looked at her.
"What?"
"Don't make it about her."
He understood.
The fourth presence was still there.
But this wasn't about a Source.
It was about Tala.
Brook nodded.
"Okay."
Tala smiled.
"Thank you."
They stood together.
For a moment, neither moved.
Then Brook said,
"We're going back."
Tala nodded.
When they returned, Henry handed Tala a cup of water.
"You look terrible."
Tala took it.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
Sera glared at him.
"What?"
"You could have said something nicer."
Henry thought about it.
"You look… less terrible."
Tala laughed.
"Perfect."
Charon appeared.
"I would have said radiant."
Henry looked at him.
"You're ectoplasm."
"Radiant ectoplasm."
Gabriel laughed.
Crowley shook his head.
"This group is deteriorating."
"You're still here," Sera said.
"Exactly."
Night came strangely.
There were no stars.
Only a white sky turning grey.
The group gathered close together.
Nobody lit a large fire.
There was no need.
Eden itself gave off a faint glow.
Hutena sat beside Tala.
Henry slept with Charon curled near his chest.
Sera wrote quietly.
Gabriel watched the horizon.
Crowley sat beside Brook.
Brook looked at the white valley.
"You think we're being watched?"
Crowley didn't look at him.
"Yes."
"By what?"
"Something."
Brook smiled faintly.
"That's helpful."
"I've had better days."
Brook leaned back.
His hands rested on his knees.
Still.
Crowley glanced down at them.
Then away.
Neither spoke about it.
Far behind them, something moved beneath the white soil.
The wardens remained somewhere in the trees.
They did not attack.
They simply watched.
Ahead, deeper in Eden, a low sound traveled through the stone.
Tala's head lifted.
Brook looked at her.
"What?"
She listened.
For a moment, her face changed.
"I heard that."
"What was it?"
She looked toward the white horizon.
"I don't know."
The sound came again.
Deep.
Slow.
Almost like something enormous breathing beneath the ground.
Hutena closed her eyes.
Her face went pale.
"What's wrong?" Sera asked.
Hutena opened her eyes.
"I can't see tomorrow."
Henry frowned.
"Again?"
"No."
She looked toward Brook.
"I can't see tonight."
Nobody spoke.
Brook stood.
"Everyone stay together."
Crowley stood beside him.
Gabriel moved to the other side.
Sera closed her book.
Henry woke Charon.
Tala rose slowly.
Hutena stood last.
They looked toward the valley.
Nothing moved.
Nothing attacked.
Nothing appeared.
But the silence had changed.
It no longer felt empty.
It felt occupied.
Brook stared into the white distance.
Michael spoke quietly.
Something is ahead.
Lucifer laughed.
Finally.
Death was silent for several seconds.
Then:
And something is behind.
Brook turned.
The valley was empty.
He looked forward again.
The group remained together.
No one ran.
No one spoke.
They simply stood in the white country while the earth beneath them remembered footsteps that were not theirs.
Tala looked down.
Her hand pressed against the ground.
For one brief second, she felt something answer.
Not Gaia.
Not the Earth as she knew it.
A memory.
A place.
A door.
Then it vanished.
Tala pulled her hand away.
Brook noticed.
"What?"
Tala looked at him.
"I don't know."
He waited.
She shook her head.
"Not yet."
They began walking again.
Slowly.
Together.
And for the first time since entering Eden, Tala could no longer hear the footsteps of everyone behind her.
Only Brook's.
Only Henry's.
Only Sera's.
Only Crowley's.
Only Gabriel's.
Only Hutena's.
One by one.
Close enough to follow.
Far enough to frighten her.
She kept walking anyway.
End of Chapter 252