I slowly walked in the direction I'd seen Alice's mom go in.   I had no real plan at this point other than keep moving.  It was already getting chilly and I imagined it would only get worse after dark.  To distract myself from the agony shooting up my arm I tried thinking about other things.  Those fun nights of gaming with my friends.  Stupid jokes that wouldn't make sense to those who didn't know us.   The random silliness of the day.  Keeping my eyes focused on the ground in front of me I could at least for awhile pretend that everything was normal and that it wasn't taking me an hour to cross a tiny portion of someone's yard.  

Coming to the edge of the house I wasn't really surprised to see a massive wall barring my way.  Above I could see the door but even if there was a crack I could fit under, there was no way up.  It wasn't even the tiny ledge back at Samantha's bathroom.  It was like a fortress wall rising far above me.  I continued walking alongside the wall to see if there was another way in.  A crack or something.  I eventually reached a gate.  While I couldn't see the top of it, the bottom was far above me that I could have been ten times my size and wandered under it.  And further confirmed my current trapped state as I stared at a ledge that at normal size would've been a small step but under the circumstances was probably a fatal fall.   I could see a fence rising in the distance across from the house, presumably into a neighbor's yard but I was already getting farther and farther from people and places I knew.  I needed to get back into the house and get Alice or her mom's attention.  Then they could get me to Samantha and then from there back to my home and family.  

But first I needed to get through tonight.  And that was going to be more difficult.  It was starting to get dark.  I needed some sort of shelter.  Seeing no choice I started heading back towards where the trash cans were.  It almost felt like a waste of time but staying here meant I'd be out in the open all night which gave me the shivers to think about.  As I headed back I realized the flaw in my plan.  Humans aren't really equipped to see in the dark.  And with all the clouds there was no moon or stars to help see by.  By them time I got to where I had fallen I could barely see in front of my nose.  I could see rectangular objects of immense size rising far above me.  Presumably the cans from before.  I walked over to the nearest one and using it as a guide started going around it, keeping an eye out for anything that might be of use.  

I heard a faint sound in the distance.  Like something tapping against the cement.  As I continued moving the sound started getting more frequent.  And I could hear it coming from various directions.  I had trouble figuring out what it was until something came down knocking me to the ground.  Something cold and wet.  Pulling myself up I started moving faster.  It was sprinkling and if I remembered correctly it was supposed to rain fairly hard tonight.  I had to get out of the open.  I saw an opening to my left and moving throuh it I realized I was between the wheel and the main barrel of the can.  I continued further in before sitting down as I listened to the light sprinking increase to a more steady drumming of water.  

I sat there shivering in the cold for an indeterminate amount of time as water pounded against my current abode.  A terrifying torrent that I could only imagine what would've happened if I'd been out there.  Time lost meaning as I continued to shiver until I felt another chill coming from my side.  Reaching down to feel it I realized that water was starting roll in from the outside world and I retreated further in.  

Each time I found a new spot to stop and rest it seemed I only got to rest a few minutes before the water seeped in further.   I think maybe an hour passed of this before my next attempt to flee further in found me stepping in water instead.   The water had been coming from all directions and I hadn't even realized it.  Now I found myself standing in it.   I stood there for a little bit, undecided on what I should do.  Until I realized it was rising.  At first it'd been like stepping in a rather large puddle.  I realized that it was starting to soak through my shoes and that meant I needed to get somewhere else or eventually I'd be swimming.  And with my arm hurting like it was that probably wouldn't last long.  

I already knew there was nothing back the way I'd came so I continued forward, hoping that I'd find something.   The water continued rising and within an hour I was soaked as it was waste high to me. I was in total darkness and only by feeling the plastic edge of the wall beside me could I be sure I was going in the right direction. 

 
A loud rumbling crack roared across the ground and I saw a brief flash of light before being enclosed in darkness once more.  A loud howling began and I heard a loud sound coming from behind me that I quickly realized was water.  Lots of water.  I only had a few seconds to brace myself before a torrent of liquid came pouring over me, dragging me out of the cavern I was in and out into the open.  I was dragged under as I came out I kicked as hard as I could to bring myself up, grabbing breaths where I could.  My arm felt like it was going to come off as I forced myself to use it to keep my face above water.

As I tried to stay afloat I saw a large object also caught in the rush of water heading towards me as another bright flash illuminated it briefly, letting me see my life line was a leaf.  Reaching desperately I grasped onto it, holding on for dear life.  Being able to focus soley on holding onto something while still difficult was easier than actually having to swim.  It also let me take stock of my situation.  And wonder what that loud roar I heard was and why it was getting louder.  Looking I realized I could see another dark object rising above me in the distance.  It seemed familiar and I realized I was looking at the gate from before.  And I realized then what I was hearing.

I held on for dear life as the object I was riding went under the gate...and over the waterfall on it's far side.  Crashing into the roaring river below I felt myself spinning wildly before losing my hold on the leaf and once again being dragged under the water.   I continued to struggle but knew my energy was going to give out soon.  As I was thinking I had reached the end I slammed into something.  I couldn't see what it was but I grabbed onto it and slowly pulled myself up and out of the water.  It seemed to sway and as I continued to pull myself higher up I felt what seemed to be an opening.  It was surprisingly small, in fact I had to squeeze myself through it.  On the other side I found myself sliding a short distance until I landed somewhere cold, but at least it was dry.  Being utterly soaked I took off my clothes and wrung them out as best I could.  I then walked a short distance until I my hand brushed against something else, something with a different texture than what I'd initially bumped into.  

At this point I was totally exhausted.  Something was keeping the rain and water out and I figured it was about as good as it was going to get.  They say if you're tired enough you can sleep anywhere.  I learned at this moment that was true.  After putting my clothes down besides me so they'd dry and I curled up as tightly as I could and soon dozed off, forgetting about the water that surrounded me.