Lord of the flotsam

day 4 entry 2

After hours of trudging through the endless expanse of refuse, I came upon a new and unsettling discovery: a massive chasm, its edges jagged and treacherous. The chasm seemed to split the ground itself, a dark void that stretched deep into the earth. Strange, echoing sounds emanated from within, a haunting symphony of groans and mechanical whirs.

Curiosity and the hope of finding something useful compelled me to investigate further. I peered over the edge, my eyes straining to see into the darkness below. It was impenetrable, a void that swallowed the meager light of this place. But the sounds suggested life—or something akin to it—lurking in the depths.

I decided to descend. I secured my rope to a sturdy piece of metal jutting from the ground and began my cautious climb down the jagged walls of the chasm. The descent was slow and perilous, each step taken with utmost care. The deeper I went, the darker it became, until I could barely see my own hands in front of me.

At the bottom, the darkness was near complete, broken only by the faintest glimmer of light reflecting off something metallic. I reached out and found it: a small gas tank, half-buried in the debris. It was an unexpected stroke of luck. The tank had a wide nozzle, almost resembling an Olympic torch.

With a flick of my flint, I ignited the gas. The torch roared to life, casting a warm, flickering light that illuminated my surroundings. The chasm's floor was a chaotic mess of twisted metal and decomposing matter, but it was navigable.

The light revealed more than just the terrain. Shadows danced on the walls, and the sounds became clearer. Somewhere in this abyss, answers might lie hidden perhaps even a way out of this dimension. I tightened my grip on the axe, every sense on high alert, and moved forward into the unknown.