Page 36 of Can you take it?

After a few more tense moments, he finally released my throat and turned away, raking fingers through his hair, shouting out his frustrations. I held my tongue, choosing not to apologize again.

Several more minutes of this passed until, unexpectedly, he softened. “In a twisted way, I guess I’m grateful. I love Eletha and, no matter how often she lashes out, I will continue to love her. I’m glad I came here I guess, because it gives me more time to win her over.”

I nodded.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

“It’s okay,” I reassured him as relief washed over me. “I don’t feel like myself,” he admitted.

I understood completely. “Don’t worry, it’s probably this place and that irritating gnome. Did you ever see Bexley?”

“No, not at all,” he replied, something unspoken still lingering on his face.

“You sure you’re okay?” I asked again. He nodded.

“You want to go back for the girls, don’t you?”

He pushed his tongue against his cheek and then nodded. “Yeah, me too,” I replied. We turned around and headed back toward the door. I recounted my argument with Cal to Walter.

“So what will you do about the pendant? Will you give it to Anna?” Walter inquired.

“I’m not sure,” I confessed. “I can’t shake the feeling that handing it over could cause something worse and I hate that I’m tied to it. I don’t want it to hurt any more than it will if I have to leave it behind.”

“Well, she’s probably going to kill you, so there’s that,” he remarked.

“I’m already dead,” I reminded him. “You know what I mean,” he countered.

“I don’t think she would wipe my memento,” I reasoned. “No,” he agreed.

The bushes shifted ahead of us, interrupting our conversation. A man emerged from the brush and collided with both Walter and me.

It was Bexley.

“Dude, what’s going on? Where have you been?” Walter yelled.

Bexley stammered incoherently.

“Did you get lost?” I inquired. He glanced around and nodded. I exchanged a doubtful look with Walter. “Has this happened to you before?” I pressed. He met my gaze, turned pale, and nodded slowly. “Can you guide us out of here?”

“I don’t know. Usually, something appears, like a door or portal, and you just leave. I really don’t know.” He looked like he had seen some things here that I hadn’t.

“We’re going back to find the girls,” Walter declared.

I paused, realizing something. “Hang on a second.” I examined the familiar bush and the same pile of uprooted mushrooms. “We’re still stuck in the loop.”

“No, we’re heading in the opposite direction,” Walter insisted.

“Look, it’s the same bush.” I pointed to the thorny shrubbery. We were trapped, and our tempers flared, fueled by frustration. However, Walter’s concern for Eletha magnified his annoyance as he turned and ripped the bark off a nearby tree. “Okay, let’s just calm down,” I urged. “Fighting won’t help us.”

As we continued to move, the surroundings began to shift and brighten. Fallen trees adorned with mushrooms and lichen appeared, unfamiliar to us.

“The scenery’s shifting,” I noted. “The gnome told me we only stay on the level if our sins from that tier persist.”

“What do you mean?” Bexley asked.

“You’ve been here before.” I regretted snapping as soon as he fell silent. Approaching the light, we discovered a small shedlike cottage in the heart of the forest. The glow emanated from the windows of its paint-chipped exterior. We exchanged glances.

“Go inside,” Walter urged.