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Description
In the darkness of the pipes above the Undercity, foul water dripped. Nameless things stirred in their sleep and the shadowed caverns in the cliffs rumbled, as if a gong had sounded in the heart of the earth. Astrid froze, sensing first the vibrations, then the low, powerful hum, that echoed and rebounded amongst the narrow concrete pipe. The rats sensed it too, and leapt out of their hiding holes amongst the cracks in the broken drain and the rubble, heading in the opposite direction to which the sound had originated. Astrid stood up, senses alert, eyes and ears straining as she looked into the darkness. Then she turned and ran, following the rats, her steel toed boots clacking against the cracked concrete of the pipes, breathing raggedly as she plummeted away from the depths of the earth, followed by silence and a deep feeling of dread. The luminescent moss glowed a feeble blue-green, barely lighting the pipes ceiling; but it was enough. Astrid's lamp clattered as it bumped against her leg, its flame dancing frantically, the oil sloshing about.
The pipe ended without warning. First its cracked grey walls bathed in blue-green light, its dirty, sloping floor, there under your feet, then gone the next. The rats were gone now. Astrid stood at the end of the pipe, facing the vast darkness before her. The immense silence almost hurt her ears and her eyes stared blindly into the blackness, almost as if they were not open at all. She blinked several times. The darkness stayed. It felt as if it would swallow her up and crush her. Her breathing came shallow and fast. And scared.
A pinprick of light appeared. At first she thought she was imagining it. Astrid shook her head as if to ward it off, her shoulder-length, ratty blonde hair flying every which-way. Then the light grew, and grew, so bright Astrid's eyes watered. She stood there, like a deer caught in headlights as the light expanded. Then it was gone. Astrid again, blinked, trying to rid herself of the neon coloured imprint the light had left behind. A soft mechanical whirring filled the black cavern, followed by various sharp clicks and finally a short, high pitched whistle. Astrid took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stepped forward into nothingness.
The feeling of falling is unpleasant to say the least. Nothing to support you, your stomach somewhere above your head, your heart beating its way out of your chest, every muscle tightening, bracing yourself for the worst. The worst thing is you never quite get used to it, Astrid found. Even the adults still felt their guts lurch, or found their hearts racing or a sliver of fear somewhere in their brain. This thought stayed with her until she finally it the water. It came upon her like a great hammer, knocking the breath from her lungs, seeming to crush her body, its heavy darkness steeling into her chest and pounding on her skull.
Then it was over. She floundered for a second, kicking and waving her arms in a haphazard fashion, bringing herself to the surface, where she gasped for air like a fish out of water. She clutched at the lamp as it bobbed beside her, before it could sink to the bottom of the tank. There was a faint metallic clanking and a splash to her left. Astrid swam blindly until her fingers connected with the familiar rusty metal of the ladder. She hauled herself up, her standard issue black jumpsuit clinging to her skin while her wet hair was plastered her face and neck, all letting down a cascade of water droplets. As she climbed, there was a faint gurgle as a spout of water lazily trickled to join its kind, replenishing the pool so it contained a consistent amount of water. She reached the top of the ladder and proceeded through a narrow doorway, hearing the grate of metal and a click as the door slid down behind her.
Dim lights flickered above her head as she walked the length of the damp corridor. Its black walls and black carpeted floor smelt of wetness and grime. The lights steadily got brighter, and her eyes soon adjusted. Finally the hallway ended and she opened the door, and entered a brightly lit room. The white-clad nurse smiled at her briefly as she walked past, carrying a clipboard. In the corner a white-clad cleaner soaped and scrubbed the floor and his companion dried it.
A small smile crept across Astrids face. Although she was no fan of medical facilities, privately, she was glad she made it home.

Description
In the darkness of the pipes above the Undercity, foul water dripped. Nameless things stirred in their sleep and the shadowed caverns in the cliffs rumbled, as if a gong had sounded in the heart of the earth. Astrid froze, sensing first the vibrations, then the low, powerful hum, that echoed and rebounded amongst the narrow concrete pipe. The rats sensed it too, and leapt out of their hiding holes amongst the cracks in the broken drain and the rubble, heading in the opposite direction to which the sound had originated. Astrid stood up, senses alert, eyes and ears straining as she looked into the darkness. Then she turned and ran, following the rats, her steel toed boots clacking against the cracked concrete of the pipes, breathing raggedly as she plummeted away from the depths of the earth, followed by silence and a deep feeling of dread. The luminescent moss glowed a feeble blue-green, barely lighting the pipes ceiling; but it was enough. Astrid's lamp clattered as it bumped against her leg, its flame dancing frantically, the oil sloshing about.
The pipe ended without warning. First its cracked grey walls bathed in blue-green light, its dirty, sloping floor, there under your feet, then gone the next. The rats were gone now. Astrid stood at the end of the pipe, facing the vast darkness before her. The immense silence almost hurt her ears and her eyes stared blindly into the blackness, almost as if they were not open at all. She blinked several times. The darkness stayed. It felt as if it would swallow her up and crush her. Her breathing came shallow and fast. And scared.
A pinprick of light appeared. At first she thought she was imagining it. Astrid shook her head as if to ward it off, her shoulder-length, ratty blonde hair flying every which-way. Then the light grew, and grew, so bright Astrid's eyes watered. She stood there, like a deer caught in headlights as the light expanded. Then it was gone. Astrid again, blinked, trying to rid herself of the neon coloured imprint the light had left behind. A soft mechanical whirring filled the black cavern, followed by various sharp clicks and finally a short, high pitched whistle. Astrid took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stepped forward into nothingness.
The feeling of falling is unpleasant to say the least. Nothing to support you, your stomach somewhere above your head, your heart beating its way out of your chest, every muscle tightening, bracing yourself for the worst. The worst thing is you never quite get used to it, Astrid found. Even the adults still felt their guts lurch, or found their hearts racing or a sliver of fear somewhere in their brain. This thought stayed with her until she finally it the water. It came upon her like a great hammer, knocking the breath from her lungs, seeming to crush her body, its heavy darkness steeling into her chest and pounding on her skull.
Then it was over. She floundered for a second, kicking and waving her arms in a haphazard fashion, bringing herself to the surface, where she gasped for air like a fish out of water. She clutched at the lamp as it bobbed beside her, before it could sink to the bottom of the tank. There was a faint metallic clanking and a splash to her left. Astrid swam blindly until her fingers connected with the familiar rusty metal of the ladder. She hauled herself up, her standard issue black jumpsuit clinging to her skin while her wet hair was plastered her face and neck, all letting down a cascade of water droplets. As she climbed, there was a faint gurgle as a spout of water lazily trickled to join its kind, replenishing the pool so it contained a consistent amount of water. She reached the top of the ladder and proceeded through a narrow doorway, hearing the grate of metal and a click as the door slid down behind her.
Dim lights flickered above her head as she walked the length of the damp corridor. Its black walls and black carpeted floor smelt of wetness and grime. The lights steadily got brighter, and her eyes soon adjusted. Finally the hallway ended and she opened the door, and entered a brightly lit room. The white-clad nurse smiled at her briefly as she walked past, carrying a clipboard. In the corner a white-clad cleaner soaped and scrubbed the floor and his companion dried it.
A small smile crept across Astrids face. Although she was no fan of medical facilities, privately, she was glad she made it home.