Rubberman's Exodus- WIP excerpt

Third, and likely last book in the Rubberman series (previously known as Rubberman's Blackout) is coming along. Characters sometimes surprise a writer, and do- or become- things not originally intended. Sasha was intended to be an assistant to Tara, a lover, but not too deep... then I found out she was severely agoraphobic. That's already complicating things...

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That dark void stared back at Sasha as she forced herself to edge towards Tara. The sound of Tara striking with the pickaxe seemed distant. That void just seemed to go on forever. The light specks shimmered, some brighter, some darker, seemly swallowed into the nothing. Glittering as they tried to escape, but getting nowhere.

Dozens of them. Hundreds? Thousands?

How hungry was the void?

Sasha felt light-headed. The void seemed bigger and bigger the closer she got to the threshold. If she went much further, it would surround her. It would consume her, just like the glittering flecks up there. How long were they up there? Would they ever fall? Or be sucked away? Would the void bring her up there, and people would look up and see a fleck that once was Sasha? It all began to melt in her mind. She could feel cold on her cheeks where her tears had been falling.

"Sash!" And suddenly, she was safe, she was held. She surrendered to it, and gasped, only now realizing that she hadn't been breathing. The breathing came back riding trembling sobs.

"Sasha, let's get you out of here." Being guided by Tara's arm around her, Sasha turned to face away from the void, looking back across the storage bay. That much already helped immensely, but she knew that the void was right behind her.

"I didn't throw up." Sasha muttered. When did the drop that bucket, anyway? If she didn't notice that, maybe she threw up and didn't notice. She looked down on herself. Clean. She found her hands clasped together, with Tara's hand over them. "My hero," Sasha said meekly, disdain in her voice meant for herself.

"Sasha, Shush. Let's go find you a place to sit down."

"Did you finish the hole?"

"Pretty much."

"I was useless."

"Liar," Tara said.

Sasha was quick to respond, "Less than useless, I'm a burden."

"Shut up."

"I am."

"Stupid bitch," Tara said affectionately as she pulled Sasha closer for a squeeze, "Never a burden."

"Liar," Sasha echoed to Tara softly. She squeezed back hard, but over Tara's shoulder, that endless empty stared back at her. She forced herself not to sob harder, but her sharp inhalation gave Tara a clue to keep them moving. Away from the void of the big room.

"Break time," Tara declared. "Let's go lie down."

In a fairly large room Sasha hadn't seen yet, between the hallways toward Actual's rooms, and the big room, they found a sort of sofa Sasha could lie down on. There wasn't room for Tara, but she sat on the floor next to Sasha and leaned her head against Sasha's shoulder. "Should I get that bucket?"

"No, tummy's fine." Sasha reached out to find Tara's hand. "Well, that big void doesn't seem to bother you much," Sasha said. It was only now that Sasha noticed that this room had a big rolling door that looked suspiciously a lot like the one to the big room. The big room was so big, that this door almost certainly led to it as well.

"The 'big room' certainly is disconcerting," Tara said.

Sasha scoffed a small chuckle. "Disconcerting." She wanted to ask Tara how that endlessness didn't feel like it was trying to crush her. How the strange things in the ceiling that wasn't there didn't terrify her. How the looming return of that Enemy didn't make her want to take the Grand Elevator back to the bottom and hide under the bed. But she said none of it, and just squeezed Tara's hand. Tara brought Sasha's hand to her lips, and just rested them on the back of her hand. "Hon, hon, hon. Been a long day."

"Fuck yes," Sasha said in little more than a sigh.

Tara just kept her lips on Sasha's hand. They sat in silence and Sasha found herself melting into Tara's warm breath. It wasn't long before sleep found Sasha. Tara gently placed Sasha's hand up onto her, and stood. As she went into the central room again, Actual was nearby with a concerned expression. "She... is she all right?"