. Suddenly, with a crack, the ancient floorboards gave way and he fell into the stinking yellow mud beneath the decrepit building.In complete darkness, George whimpered as the mud seeped through his clothes. He was going to die here; he knew that for sure. But still George was determined to cheat Death, overdue as he was by sixty years. George slithered on top of the slimy mass and moved slowly, spread-eagled so as to distribute his weight evenly. With a grunt, he slowly crawled across the mud, toward the dimly lit shore and the safety of his car. The voices were louder than ever now, buzzing, cackling, and mocking - he screamed with the pain, as though his head would explode.Suddenly, the voices stopped.George raised his head in disbelief. The sound of silence was as alien to him now as the voices had been when they first started, but quickly the familiarity of normalcy crept back into his mind. He stood and tried to walk through the mud, but his foot seemed to be caught. He reached down to pull it free, but his hands became stuck and his ancient body collapsed into a ludicrous position. Fighting back the rising terror, George desperately thrashed, trying to free himself from his captor. He yelled in terror as something rose from the mud.A hand was rising out of the filth.George's screams were eventually muffled as the hand wrapped around his face, pulling the feebly protesting old man into the mud. As George took his last breath before his face disappeared forever, he felt a strange tranquility descend upon him.Almost like coming home....
