"It was always a nightmare," he says softly. "It was just one you couldn't wake up from." Until they had. By some mercy, they had, so maybe they will again. The alternative is to horrible to contemplate.

Not that that ever really stopped him before.

He hears the water up ahead, sees a thin, grimy shimmer in the darkness. No flashlights, if they even had any. Nothing to call attention to themselves. Even the fire had been a risk.

He swipes a hand down his face. "I still dream about this place."