Rick pov

Rick did not feel himself fall.

One moment, he stood on solid ground with his mother screaming his name behind him. And then, there was no ground at all. There was no sky either. There was only awareness pressing in from every direction.

He blinked.

The place around him was neither dark nor bright. It simply existed. He could feel it watching him without eyes. He could feel it listening without ears.

“Hello?” Rick asked, his voice small but steady.

The sound did not echo. It was ...