Jack shuddered on the ground, staring at the pile of white and red goop that had once been his eyeball. The pain had subsided, replaced with a dull throbbing ache in the socket. A scraping noise as he shivered, and Einz's voice filtered into his head.
[b]"See? Man of my word Jacky, I'm a man of my word."[/b]
Jack slowly dragged his hands up, staring at them in shock and slight horror. The wrists were split open, the skin peeled back, and the bones, twisted and gnarled over, grown double the length, had sharp talons instead of fingers. Unconsciously, one claw slowly moved up to the space where he felt...empty. The bone claw tapped against the bone of the socket softly, and he jerked backwards, slamming against the wall as his breathing escalated again.
[b]"Normally, when people give something like that, it's both eyes...or their vision. But you...one eye was enough. Wonder why? What's special about that eye Jacky?"[/b]
"SHUT UP!"
Silence for a moment, as Jack pulled his legs up to his chest, trying to slow his breathing.
[b]"I don't think you're getting the concept of gratitude right now. At least try em out before you get all huffy."[/b]
"Hello?!"
Jack's head popped up at the sound of...a girl? He went silent, head turning this way and that to try and hear where it came from.
"...I'm here..."
"Can you hear me?! Please, say something!"
"I'm here! I CAN HEAR YOU!"
Above? The voice was coming from above him! A sheer wall lead up to a dark hole with some kind of liquid trickling over it's edge. Jack searched for hand holds, his momentary fear lost at the concept of finding another person who may know what was going on, or who could help him or...or anything!
"My name is Jack! Are you...Are you trapped here also?!"
[b]"Wow, golly gee...if only you had a set of climbing claws or something Jack!"[/b]
Jack looked down at his mangled freakish hands. Could...he reached up, digging the claw into the stone. It bit easily, and he found it was a cinch to lift his body off the ground. He immediately dug the other in, gouging the stone as he scrabbled up ungracefully, slipping now and then.
[b]"Kid, go slower or you'll fall and break your neck."[/b]
Jack grabbed onto the edge of the hole, legs dangling as he glanced back down in surprise. He had climbed about 15 straight up a sheer stone wall...and he was hardly even out of breath. He could practically feel Einz's smug grin in his head as Jack scrabbled over the edge into a much darker hallway. Reaching out one hand, his bones clacked a wall.
"Hello? Are you still there? Please...please still be there. I won't hurt you, I-...my name is Jack, Jack Simon!"
He took a few steps forward, hand running alongside the wall as his eye adjusted.