Chapter 41 The Hollow Below

• The silence after the fall was worse that the fall itself.
• Even though Jared's body struck an unground object, it still stopped him. His vision flickered between dripping black and blinding white as he rolled onto his side, the air leaving his lungs in a ragged gasp. For miles, the only sound was the echo of his own heartbeat.
• He tried to push himself up after coughing once—smoke, maybe blood. He pressed his hand into the ground. Not all of it was stone. It pulsed softly, moist and warm, as if the world itself were breathing under his touch.