Expansion

(This was a flash fiction I entered in a contest. The rules were it had to be about space (not outer) and under 500 words.)

I was renovating my flat. It’s in an old building, built in 1907. Not much bigger then a studio, so space was limited. The plain was to knock out the wall going to the closet to open up the room. Considering myself pretty handy I decided to do it myself. Having the tarps down and everything covered I took a swing with the sledgehammer. It made a hole a little smaller then my head. When I pulled the hammer out I knew something was odd. The wall couldn’t have been more than a foot thick. In fact standing in front of the hole I was able to reach around the closet door frame. I couldn’t feel any dents on the other side. Looking in the hole I saw just blackness no studs or interior wall.

After five more swings the hole was the size of a normal window. But I still only saw blackness, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Dropping the hammer I walked to the hole. Reaching in I expected to feel wood or drywall but felt nothing. I leaned in, nothing but blackness and I heard no sounds. When I yelled “hey” there was no echo returned.  Leaning in further I lost my balance. I tried to reach down and brace against the wall I was leaning against but it wasn’t there.

Falling twenty or so feet down through the blackness I landed in a shallow pool. Something squirmed and brushed against my skin. Panicked I waded out of it as fast as I could. Out of the pool the floor felt like damp concrete. The only light I could see was coming from where I had fell, a single window of light floating in the air. It illuminated nothing and was well out of my reach.

It’s been weeks now since I lost sight of that light. I spend my days looking for a way out walking in blindness for miles. I have found no structures just a vast flat landscape dotted with puddles.  The puddle water is potable and most puddles contain leeches. It’s these critters that I sustain myself on. Not being able to see them I presume they must resemble a fist size caterpillar. I often wonder if I will suffer any Ill effects from eating them or from their constant nips. I don’t sleep much but when I do I sometimes find them on me. One will have crawled up a pants leg or be on my arm feeding.

The leeches and cold hard ground are not the only reason I don’t sleep much. There’s something else in here with me.  Besides the sound of my footsteps I have heard breathing that wasn’t mine. It sounds like a large animal sniffing out food. My only hiding places are in the larger pools with the leeches. I need to find a way out soon. It’s been getting close lately: I have come to believe it’s looking for me.