The Walls Close In

Someone was knocking on my car window.

I jerked awake. Fumbled for my phone. Seven AM.

The knocking continued. I looked up. A guy about my age was standing outside. Expensive jacket. Clean haircut. Backpack that probably cost more than my car.

I cracked the window. "Can I help you?"

"Dex Holloway?" he asked. Too enthusiastic for seven AM.

"Who's asking?"

"Finn Kowalski. I heard you found something incredible. A massive pocket network. Constructed elements. Time dilation. Is that true?"

Shit. How many people knew?

"Where did you hear that?"

"Hunter forums. Everyone's talking about it. The FDA is looking for you. PAS sent an inspector. This is the biggest find in years."

I rubbed my face. Tried to wake up. Tried to figure out how this kid found me.

"How did you know where I was?"

"I didn't. I've been checking parking lots since five AM. You're the seventh car I've knocked on."

He grinned like this was an adventure. Like tracking down a stranger at dawn was fun.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"To help. I'm a hunter too. Well, technically I'm learning to be a hunter. I've got equipment. Resources. I could be your partner on this."

"I don't need a partner."

"Everyone needs a partner. Especially when the FDA is involved. They're looking for you, man. Agent Okonkwo has been calling everyone in the community trying to locate you."

"I know."

"So what's your plan? Run? Hide? Fight?"

"Haven't decided yet."

He pulled a business card from his jacket. Handed it through the window. "That's my number. Call me if you want help. I'm serious. I've got money. Equipment. Whatever you need."

"Why would you help me?"

"Because this is the coolest thing ever. Because pocket hunting is supposed to be an adventure. Because nobody should have to face the FDA alone."

He was naive. Painfully naive. The kind of naive that only came from never having real consequences for your actions.

But he had equipment. And money. And enthusiasm. And I had sixteen hours before the FDA showed up with a warrant.

"You got a car?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Good. Follow me. We need to talk somewhere that's not a parking lot."

We ended up at a diner. Finn insisted on buying breakfast. I didn't argue. I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

He ordered eggs and toast and orange juice. I ordered coffee and pancakes and more coffee.

"So," he said once our food arrived. "Show me what you found."

I pulled out my notebook. Opened to my maps. Pushed it across the table.

He studied them while eating. Eyes getting wider with each page. "This is real? All of this?"

"All of it."

"And it's inside a travel mug?"

"Yeah."

"That's impossible."

"I know."

He kept flipping pages. Stopped at my drawings of the symbols. "What are these?"

"Carvings. Someone built structures inside the pocket. Lived there. Worked there. Left these symbols everywhere."

"Do you know what they mean?"

"No idea."

He pulled out his phone. Started taking photos of my notebook pages. I didn't stop him. What was the point? The FDA would have it all later anyway.

"You went in alone," he said. "Multiple times."

"Yeah."

"That's incredibly dangerous."

"I know."

"But also incredibly brave."

"No. Brave would be following safety protocols. This was just obsessive and stupid."

He grinned. "Obsessive and stupid is how the best discoveries happen."

This kid was going to get himself killed.

"What time is the FDA meeting?" he asked.

"Nine AM. I'm supposed to bring the mug to their field office."

"Are you going to?"

I drank my coffee. Considered my options. All of them bad.

"I don't know," I finally said. "They'll take it. Study it. Lock it away. I'll never see inside again."

"So don't go."

"They have a warrant. They'll find me eventually."

"Not if you hide."

"Where? They'll check everywhere. My storage unit. My old apartment. Anywhere I have connections."

"What about somewhere they wouldn't think to look?" He leaned forward. Excited. Like we were planning a heist instead of federal flight. "I've got a place. Small house I bought for myself through a shell corporation. My parents don't know about it. FDA wouldn't either."

"You want to help me hide from federal agents?"

"I want to help you finish exploring. Document everything properly. Understand what you found before they take it away."

"That's a federal crime. Obstruction. Failure to comply with FDA regulations. You'd be looking at serious charges."

"Only if we get caught." He was smiling. Actually smiling.

This kid had no idea what he was risking. No concept of consequences. No understanding that this wasn't a game.

But he had resources. And I was running out of time.

"Let me think about it," I said.

My phone rang. Unknown number. Probably Agent Okonkwo again.

I declined it. Thirty seconds later it rang again. Same number.

I declined it again.

"You should probably answer that," Finn said.

"Probably."

It rang a third time. I answered.

"Mr. Holloway?" Professional voice. Female. The agent from yesterday.

"Yeah."

"This is Agent Paz Okonkwo. I've been trying to reach you. We had a meeting scheduled for nine AM today."

"I know."

"Are you planning to attend?"

I looked at Finn. At my notebook full of maps. At the travel mug in my backpack.

"I'm not sure yet."

"Mr. Holloway, this isn't optional. You've discovered an unauthenticated pocket dimension with potential safety hazards. We need to assess it immediately."

"What if I'm not ready to hand it over?"

"Then we'll obtain a warrant and seize it. And you'll face federal charges for obstruction. Is that really what you want?"

No. But I also didn't want to lose my discovery. Didn't want to hand over everything I'd found. Didn't want to admit this was over.

"What happens if I come in?" I asked. "What happens to the pocket?"

"We conduct a safety assessment. Determine if it's stable. If it is, it goes through standard authentication procedures. If it's not, we contain it for public safety."

"And I get what? Fair compensation?"

"You get whatever the assessment determines is appropriate."

"Which means nothing if you decide it's too dangerous."

"Mr. Holloway, I understand you're frustrated. But pocket dimensions aren't toys. They're serious safety hazards. We have regulations for a reason."

"People have died. I know. Everyone loves reminding me people have died."

"Because they have. The school bus incident. The hotel collapse. Hundreds of individual accidents. We're trying to prevent more deaths."

She wasn't wrong. I knew she wasn't wrong. But knowing that didn't make it easier to give up.

"What time is the meeting?" I asked.

"Nine AM. FDA field office on Alameda. If you're not there by nine-thirty, I'm filing for a warrant."

"I'll be there."

"With the pocket object?"

"With the pocket object."

"Good. I look forward to meeting you, Mr. Holloway."

She hung up.

I set down my phone. Looked at Finn. "I'm meeting her at nine."

"Why?"

"Because she's right. Running won't help. They'll find me eventually. Might as well cooperate now."

"But you'll lose it."

"I'm going to lose it anyway. At least this way I don't catch federal charges."

He was quiet for a minute. Pushing eggs around his plate. Thinking.

"What if we explored it one more time?" he finally said. "Before you hand it over. One final trip. Get complete documentation. Then you cooperate. Two hours is plenty of time."

"Actually it would be six hours. Time moves three times faster inside."

"Really?! We could cover a lot of ground in six hours with proper equipment."

He had a point. Six hours was enough for a comprehensive survey. Enough to map the sections I hadn't reached. Enough to prove what I'd found.

"You have surveying equipment?" I asked.

"In my car. Professional grade. My dad bought it for me. I barely know how to use it but we could figure it out."

This was stupid. This was the kind of stupid that turned cooperating with the FDA into obstructing their investigation.

But Finn was right. Six hours inside would be enough. Enough to finish what I'd started. Enough to understand what I'd discovered.

Enough to prove it mattered.

"Okay," I said. "One trip. We go in, map everything, come back out. Then I meet Agent Okonkwo and hand it over."

Finn's face lit up. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. But we do this properly. Safety protocols. Tethers. Communication gear. All the stuff Yuki kept telling me to use."

"Who's Yuki?"

"Someone who tried to help me and I fucked it up." I finished my coffee. "Come on. We've got two hours."

Finn's equipment was impressive. Professional surveying tablet. High-end sensors. Safety harnesses. Climbing rope. Emergency beacon. First aid kit. Everything I should have been using from the start.

"My dad got me all this for Christmas," he explained, loading it into my car. "He thinks pocket hunting is a phase. Figured if he bought me expensive equipment I'd get bored and move on to something else."

"Did it work?"

"Not even a little."

We drove to a different parking lot. One with no security cameras. I was getting paranoid about documentation. About being tracked.

"So how does this work?" Finn asked, looking at the travel mug. "I just reach inside?"

"The transition is weird. Your body compresses. Like pushing through thick air. It's uncomfortable but not painful."

"And we're going into a massive cave network."

"Yeah."

"That was inside this travel mug the whole time."

"Yeah."

"That's so cool."

His enthusiasm was infectious. Made me remember why I'd started hunting in the first place. That feeling of discovering the impossible.

Before it became obsession. Before it cost me everything.

"Ready?" I asked.

He nodded. Grinning. Excited. Completely unaware this could go wrong in a thousand ways.

I tilted the mug. Felt that familiar resistance. "On three. One. Two. Three."

We pushed through together.

The entry chamber welcomed us. Cool air. Stone walls. That impossible ambient light.

Finn stumbled slightly coming through. Caught himself. Looked around with wide eyes.

"Holy shit," he breathed. "This is real. This is actually real."

"Yeah."

"And it's bigger than it looks?"

"Much bigger. Come on. I'll show you."

I led him through the entry passage to the three-way chamber. Then to the stream chamber. His equipment beeped and chirped as we walked. Taking readings. Mapping dimensions. Documenting everything.

"The space measurements don't make sense," he said, staring at his tablet. "According to this, we're in a space roughly fifty meters across. But that's impossible. The mug can't contain this much volume."

"I know."

"This violates everything I learned about pocket dimensions."

"I know."

We followed the stream to the lake chamber. Finn stopped at the edge. Stared at the perfectly still water. "Where does it come from?"

"No idea. It flows from one wall into another. No source. No drain."

He knelt by the water. Tested the temperature. Took a sample. His hands were shaking slightly. "This is the most incredible thing I've ever seen."

"Wait until you see the constructed sections."

I took him through the crystal chamber. Then to the constructed wall. Then to the doorway with the symbols.

He documented everything. Photos. Measurements. Detailed notes. Professional and thorough despite his inexperience.

"Someone built this," he said, running his hand along the carved doorframe. "Someone understood pocket dimensions well enough to modify them. To build inside them."

"Yeah."

"Do you know who?"

"No. But I found evidence they lived here. For years maybe."

I led him deeper. Showed him the workshop. The living quarters. The library with its carved map.

Then to the chamber with the humming structure.

Finn approached it carefully. Examined it from all angles. His equipment went haywire. Error messages scrolling across his tablet.

"What is this?" he asked.

"I think it's the core. The thing that makes the pocket work."

"Can I touch it?"

"I did yesterday. It hums when you touch it."

He reached out slowly. Placed his palm on the smooth surface. The structure hummed in response.

"It's warm," he said. "And it's vibrating. Like it's active."

"Yeah."

He pulled out different sensors. Tried taking readings. Getting more confused with each result. "This is generating energy. But I don't understand the source. It shouldn't be possible."

"Nothing about this is possible."

We spent the next four hours exploring. Mapping every chamber. Documenting every symbol. Finding sections I hadn't reached before. Spaces even larger than I'd thought.

Finn was systematic. Professional. Everything I wasn't. He marked routes clearly. Made detailed maps. Took comprehensive measurements.

By the time we headed back to the entrance, we had a complete survey. Proof of everything I'd found. Evidence that would change pocket research forever.

When we emerged into my car, it was eight forty-seven AM.

Thirteen minutes to get to the FDA field office. Impossible to make it on time.

I pulled out my phone. Three missed calls from Agent Okonkwo. One voicemail.

I played it.

"Mr. Holloway, it's eight-thirty. Our meeting is in thirty minutes. If you're not here by nine-thirty, I'm filing for that warrant. I hope you're planning to cooperate."

I looked at Finn. At his tablet full of data. At my backpack containing the mug.

"We're late," I said.

"Does that matter?"

"Yeah. It matters."

"But we got everything. Complete documentation. Proof of what you found."

"Which the FDA will seize along with the mug."

"Not if we don't give it to them."

"Finn."

"I'm serious. We have all the data. We know what's in there. Why do they need the actual mug?"

"Because it's a federal investigation into an unauthenticated pocket dimension. They don't need a reason. They have authority."

"But it's yours. You found it."

"And today they'll take it anyway. With or without my cooperation."

He was quiet for a minute. Looking at his tablet. At all the incredible data we'd collected. "This is really it? We just hand it over and walk away?"

"Yeah."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"It's not. But it's reality."

I started my car. The check engine light glowed. Everything in my life was breaking down and I'd done it to myself.

"Where's the FDA office?" Finn asked.

"Alameda. About twenty minutes from here."

"So we'll be at least twenty minutes late."

"At least."

"Will she wait?"

"Probably. But she won't be happy about it."

I drove toward the field office. Traffic was light. We'd be there by nine-fifteen if nothing went wrong.

My phone rang. Agent Okonkwo again.

I answered. "I'm on my way. Traffic was bad."

"It's nine AM, Mr. Holloway. You were supposed to be here already."

"I know. I'm sorry. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"With the pocket object?"

"With the pocket object."

"Because if you're not, I'm filing that warrant right now."

"I'll be there. I promise."

She hung up.

Finn looked at me. "You're really doing this."

"I'm really doing this."

"What if we just didn't? What if we drove past the office and kept going? I've got that house. We could hide there. Finish studying the pocket properly."

"That's a terrible idea."

"Why?"

"Because they'd find us. Because we'd catch federal charges. Because running never works."

"But you'd keep the pocket."

"For a few days maybe. Then I'd lose it anyway plus I'd be a federal fugitive. Not worth it."

He slumped in his seat. Disappointed. Like a kid who'd just been told Christmas was cancelled.

We drove in silence for a few minutes. Getting closer to the field office. Closer to the end of this.

"I'm sorry," Finn finally said.

"For what?"

"That you're losing this. It's not fair. You found something incredible and they're just taking it away."

"Yeah. But that's how it works."

"Doesn't make it right."

He wasn't wrong. But right and wrong didn't matter when you were dealing with federal regulations and safety protocols and government authority.

We pulled into the FDA parking lot at nine-seventeen. Thirteen minutes before Agent Okonkwo's deadline.

The building was standard government construction. Beige. Boring. Built to last and impress nobody.

"You want me to come in with you?" Finn asked.

"Better if you don't. No point in both of us being on their radar."

"What do I do with the equipment?"

"Keep it. You paid for it."

"What about your notebook? All your maps?"

I looked at my notebook. Nine months of hunting. Terrible theories. Failed tests. And three days of incredible discoveries that were about to be seized by federal agents.

"They'll probably want that too," I said.

"That sucks."

"Yeah."

I grabbed my backpack. The travel mug was inside. Heavy with impossibility.

I got out of the car. Stood there in the parking lot looking at the building. Trying to prepare myself for what came next.

Losing my discovery. Losing proof I'd found something that mattered. Losing the only thing that made me feel like my life had purpose.

"Dex," Finn called through the window. "For what it's worth? This was the coolest thing I've ever done. Thank you for letting me see it."

At least someone appreciated it. At least I'd shared it with someone before it was gone.

"Thanks for the help," I said. "And Finn? Don't hunt alone. Use protocols. Don't be like me."

"Why not? You found something incredible."

"And I'm about to lose everything because I couldn't stop being reckless."

I walked toward the building before he could respond. Before I could change my mind. Before I could do something even stupider than I'd already done.

The lobby was sterile. White walls. Hard chairs. A receptionist behind bulletproof glass.

"I'm here to see Agent Okonkwo," I said.

"Name?"

"Dex Holloway."

She checked her computer. Picked up a phone. Spoke quietly. Hung up.

"She'll be right down. Have a seat."

I sat in one of the hard chairs. Backpack on my lap. Travel mug inside. My entire discovery reduced to two pounds of dented stainless steel.

The elevator dinged. A woman emerged. Mid-thirties. Professional suit. Tired eyes that said she dealt with idiots like me every day.

"Mr. Holloway?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"I'm Agent Paz Okonkwo. Thank you for coming in." She didn't sound thankful. She sounded annoyed. "Follow me please."

I followed her to the elevator. Up to the third floor. Down a hallway. Into a small conference room with a table and chairs and nothing else.

"Have a seat," she said.

I sat. Set my backpack on the table.

"Is that the pocket object?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"May I see it?"

I pulled out the travel mug. Set it on the table between us.

She picked it up. Examined it. Unscrewed the lid. Looked inside. Screwed it back on.

"This is it? This is what all the fuss is about?"

"Yeah."

"Doesn't look like much."

"It's not about what it looks like."

"I understand you've been exploring it. Multiple times. Without proper safety protocols or authentication."

"Yeah."

"That's incredibly dangerous, Mr. Holloway. You could have been killed."

"I know."

"Do you? Because your actions suggest you don't care about your own safety. Or regulations. Or the consequences of unauthorized pocket exploration."

She wasn't wrong. But hearing it laid out like that still stung.

"I was careful," I said.

"You were reckless. You went in alone. Multiple times. Into an unmapped, unauthenticated pocket dimension. That's the definition of reckless."

"I found something incredible."

"And you could have died finding it. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

She set down the mug. Pulled out a tablet. Started taking notes. "Tell me what you found inside. Everything."

So I did. Described the cave system. The passages. The chambers. The stream. The crystal formations. The constructed sections. The workshop. The symbols. The humming structure.

She took notes while I talked. Asked questions. Wanted details about time dilation. About the construction. About anything that seemed unusual.

When I finished, she was quiet for a long time. Reviewing her notes. Thinking.

"This is unprecedented," she finally said. "If your descriptions are accurate, this pocket violates several understood principles of dimensional physics."

"I know."

"We'll need to conduct a full assessment. Dimensional surveys. Safety protocols. Proper authentication."

"How long will that take?"

"Weeks. Maybe months. Depends on what we find."

"And I can't go back in during that time."

"Absolutely not. The pocket is under FDA jurisdiction now. Unauthorized access is a federal crime."

There it was. The end. Everything I'd found was gone. Locked away. Studied by people who hadn't discovered it. Hadn't earned it. Hadn't sacrificed everything for it.

"What happens to me?" I asked.

"Depends. You cooperated eventually. That counts for something. But you also conducted multiple unauthorized explorations. Ignored safety regulations. Failed to report your discovery immediately."

"So I'm in trouble."

"You're looking at fines. Possibly probation. Depends on what my supervisor decides."

Great. Broke and in legal trouble. My life kept getting better.

"Can I at least get my notebook back?" I asked. "It has months of research."

"We'll need to review it first. If there's information about other pockets or ongoing investigations, it becomes evidence."

Of course it did. Of course they'd take that too.

She stood up. Extended her hand. "Thank you for cooperating, Mr. Holloway. An investigator will contact you in the next few days regarding next steps."

I shook her hand. Looked at the travel mug on the table. My discovery. My proof. My everything.

Gone.

I walked out of the building in a daze. Got back to my car. Finn was waiting. Looked up hopefully when I opened the door.

"How'd it go?" he asked.

"They took it."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"What happens now?"

"They study it. I wait. Probably catch some fines and legal trouble. Standard procedure for idiots who can't follow regulations."

He didn't say anything. Just started his car. Sat there processing.

"I'm sorry," he finally said.

"Yeah. Me too."

"For what it's worth? You found something incredible. Nobody can take that away from you."

"They just did."

"No. They took the mug. They can't take the experience. The discovery. The knowledge. That's yours forever."

He was trying to make me feel better. It wasn't working. But I appreciated the effort.

"Thanks for helping today," I said. "The equipment. The exploration. All of it."

"Anytime. Seriously. If you need anything, call me."

After getting back to his car he drove off. Left me sitting in the shopping plaza parking lot. Alone. Broke. Without my discovery.

Without anything.

I sat there for maybe twenty minutes. Trying to figure out what to do next. Where to go. How to move forward.

My phone buzzed. Text from an unknown number.

"Heard you handed it over. That was stupid. You should have sold it to me. - Roux"

Then another text. Different number.

"Shame about the FDA seizure. Let me know if you find anything else. I pay better than government compensation. - BC"

Even Bellamy was rubbing it in.

I put my phone away. Started my car. Listened to the grinding noise that meant I needed repairs I couldn't afford.

Drove away from the abandoned store without a destination. Without a plan.

Just away.

Away from the place that had taken everything.

Away from the end of my biggest discovery.

Away from the proof that I'd found something that mattered.

I'd done the right thing. Cooperated. Handed over the pocket. Followed the rules.

And I'd lost everything anyway.

That was the lesson. That was what happened when you tried to do things the right way.

You lost.

I drove aimlessly for an hour. Burned gas I couldn't afford. Watched the check engine light glow.

Eventually ended up at a parking lot. Different one. Always a different parking lot.

Pulled out my phone. Looked at my contacts. Thought about calling Yuki. Apologizing. Telling her she was right about everything.

Didn't have the courage.

Instead I just sat there. In my car. In another parking lot. Alone.

This was my life. This was what obsession had earned me.

Nothing.