"You're the klunk, shuck-face."
"Dude, it smells like feet down there!"
"Hope you enjoyed the one-way trip, Greenie."
"Ain't no ticket back, bro."
Thomas was hit with a wave of confusion, blistered with panic. The voices were odd, tinged with
echo; some of the words were completely foreign - others felt familiar. He willed his eyes to adjust
as he squinted towards the light and those speaking. At first he could see only shifting shadows,
but they soon turned into the shapes of bodies - people bending over the hole in the ceiling,
looking down at him, pointing.
And then, as if the lens of a camera had sharpened its focus, the faces cleared. They were boys, all
of them - some young, some older. Thomas didn't know what he'd expected, but seeing those faces
puzzled him. They were just teenagers. Kids. Some of his fear melted away, but not enough to calm
his racing heart. Someone lowered a rope from above, the end of it tied into a big loop. Thomas
hesitated, then stepped into it with his right foot and clutched the rope as he was yanked towards
the sky. Hands reached down, lots of hands, grabbing him by his clothes, pulling him up.