<em>When they got back to the spot at which they had first appeared, they found themselves in a dead end. Fear raced through her veins, not the quavering, nebulous fear of the unknown, but the sharp, hard fear of knowing quite exactly what waits in the darkness just out of sight. The cave, which had for short moments seemed like some sort of beautiful underground bastion felt more like a tomb with each passing moment. Even the glowing flora that inhabited it began to seem sinister. <br/><br/>Over the steady drip drip and the harsh sounds of her own breathing Syk could just make out the almost sounds of what lived within the cave. Profanity continued to spill from her lips, her grip on her companions arm tightened, and she started shouting for him to take them back. She could feel herself make the words, but couldn't hear them, her ears were completely focused on the soft scraping sound, almost as if a breeze were moving over a rough surface, so soft and quiet it was. She was still talking, vaguely aware in some distant part of her mind that Fluffy was responding, but her eyes were locked on the darkness behind them. <br/><br/>The scraping noise was getting closer, more insistent. Like the soft chords of insanity it whispered in her ear, drowning out everything else. She knew soon she would be able to see the horror once again, yet her eyes refused to shut it out. She gazed into that darkness, unable to look away.<br/><br/>With a sickening lurch the world shifted around her, tipping her over the edge of panic for a moment. She swung around wildly with the spork, only to stumble over an over sized pie tin. After a frantic look around she realized they were back in the gingerbread house, standing right where they had been before. She laughed, the sweet laugh of escaping with her life. Syk let go of her friend's arm with a sheepish grin. <br/><br/>From outside came the sounds of bellowing and stomping, as if someone had unleashed a stampede near the house. Moving to one of the windows she threw open the casements to the cool evening air, a chill crawling over her as she thought how good it was to no longer be in the cave. She yelled out to the one who was making a ruckus to pipe down and come inside if that's what he was after. Syk stayed sitting on the window sill, breathing in the cool air and letting the unpleasant rush ebb out into the twilight sky.</em>