《9 Days Before [2nd Draft]》
Prologue
Deafening thunder bifurcated throughout the plain, an anomalistic white lightning pans a large dune.
Its electric body missing its blue-toned outline, almost like staring into a vacant silhouette - where color is an imaginative tale.
Materializing an illuminated portrait onto the sands, pulsating a brighter reflection just before the retreat.
A figure stands at the pique, his blackened gray cowlick hair reaching above his jawline moves with the gentle haunting breeze, creating a finite solace in the everlasting realm before him.
The plain was vast; its golden sands dilated further than the eye could see. Dunes reach high like a soft mountain while smaller dunes impersonate waves flowing with the endless sway of numbing wind, pairing with chanting sands as it unravels with the enigma zephyr.
He looks down with distant eyes, absorbing little ripples of reality¡¯s projected frame onto the iris of his sub-vision, like an invisible flower pulsating with see-through waves of its outlined frame. Finding the occurrence is an oddity in itself. The young man lets himself drift. His eyes shadow with a particular feeling resonating deep inside, hidden underneath his pupils, underneath his physical being - a scar you could never truly see, but knowing quite well it¡¯s there.
His body hazes, with a sense of numbing lugubrious, thinking of his lost origin in which he came from. Was this feeling acquainted with the curtained past he can¡¯t get his eyes to peek through?
Little figments of goose-flesh replace the numbness, prickling within his dermis as he coasts his vision up - looking off into the quiet chorus horizon. His chest tightens with a clouded steam, ready to burst into materialized emotions. Yet he remains soft-faced, channeling a burning frustration in which he can¡¯t convey his feelings like a powerful gaze controlling how you react towards your surroundings. His confliction perched, and a flicker of movement shook his gaze awake.
Within the golden skyline of sand, a foreshadow of accumulating particles accompanying lightning bolts stains the rich gold the sand¡¯s reflect. Brimming an under-body of pale white.
The young man strains his eyes, capturing details of the dense creeping black fog; its movements seem molecular, as opposed to the boundless distances of the realm. However, it remains noticeable nonetheless.
Within captivating curiosity, The figure¡¯s thoughts towards the unknown subdivides with another, creating an appealing pull against his spirit. Circling his growing emotions inside.
Before loosening his discipline, he gazes down the lengthy curvature of the dune. Debating whether to slide down or to take another route with glances from left to right, seeing if there was. Amidst his decision, another peculiarity of the domain wins his attention from his peripherals.
A Faint hue of blues and whites curl upon itself in an endless torrent, formulating a silhouette. Coating his blood with a chill, creating a blizzard where his heart lays as its body twists and turns with its whirled body, turning itself towards him. Their observer.
Its featureless stare absorbs him into a spiral, his head stirs as the chilled blood races towards his head with a sickening whirlpool, prompting him to lower himself onto one knee - tightening his eyes to bear the ill. With a fixed darkness casted from his eyelids, he hears the apparition''s voice, distant as if miles away yet a whisper in his ear.
¡°Save them.¡± its whisper lingers in his ears, a reverberating slow-pitch of melancholy echo. The request is banished by a wandering bolt of lightning cracking overhead branching with retreating recollection of a familiar voice, flashing his eyes open and onto the figure. The apparition''s whirling body stagnates from the piercing vibration of the bolt. Sealing his familiarity with an ache. Intensifying its forthcoming vertigo.
¡°Please¡ Save them.¡± The ghostly visitant pleads. The swirling of the world comes to a calming halt, replenishing its normal projection. Which is the only thing it restores. Having a speck of hope that it would bring back the thought acting as a word on a tip of a tongue.
He looked down at the ground as the ghostly figure spoke with a soothingly woe.
"Before it''s too late.." it said. The word prolongs itself after the young man catches sight of the apparition''s vanishing departure; the Phantasm words resonate within him as it fights for supremacy against the tongued thought. Filling every inch of his mind with the warning while he regains his balance with a sharp inhale. Sensing it was a war meant to be lost. Could the very thought be connected to his lost genesis? He''s not aware - What he is aware of is his mind is being held captive with pleas and warnings.
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He takes another glimpse where the figure used to be, seeing a pile of gold sand in its place.
As if it were a response to his observation, an empty gust adds the pile to ocean sands, guiding it gently to follow its golden relatives, shimmering from a hidden light source.
He watches the wave stop in the direction of the abyssal fog. A spirit of deja vu branches within the pathways of his mind, introducing an uncomfortable conundrum of thoughts that riddles with a numbing migraine - duality on the side of his head as a ballet of lightning performs above, consequently making the feeling more numbingly dull with its course to his nap.
His clothing flutters with momentum as he brings himself to slide down the dune. The sand choiring beneath his moving frame. In a sense.. there was never truly a debate to begin with.
A crashing wave replaces the sand¡¯s quire as he reaches the bottom. He pulls himself up, festering his gaze onto the towering giant that is the fog, making the horizon he saw before an abyssal memory: realizing the dune he slid down on was a titan of its own with a quick pendulum of observation.
The curiosity from before envelopes him like a whale to a shrimp after bringing his glance back towards the wall, its sensation feels almost like a grappling possession; hypnotizing his frame to press forward.
Within curiosity¡¯s grasp, his feet move on their own - making the sand crunch beneath his black shoes; the sand orchestrates as he continues. His chest thumbs from his ecstatic heart, a rough complement of the constriction towards his lungs as he inches closer to the breathing abyss.
As the captivating interest guides him ever so closer to the towering wall of dark fog, an underlying numbing sensation grows within his chest from the restriction, this static feeling expands out to transmute to the back of his head; forming ¡°ominous.¡±
Through his hypnotic walk, reestablishing apparitions accumulate in his surroundings, promoting the same color as to the one he had seen before, while others were shaded in a darker blue with tint of gray outlining. Hearing flooding of cries and pleads as the accumulation proceeds. His heightened heart pumping a thick lead of dullness into the backstage of this ominous presence,
Gradually, the ominous feeling increased, becoming a suffocating density; his breathing became shallow, tasting a repeating bitterness at the back of his throat from every inhale. Would this be how this feeling tastes? A bitterness that sombers with a sharp aftertaste of thick iron at the back of your throat?
He tightens his eyes, escaping into a forceful meditation to sooth his breathing back to normal. His chest relaxes after a moment, however, ominous rivers'' still flow with the graphite dullness in his body. An introducing distorted pit of a feeling greats him from his awakening eyes.
The apparitions had altered into a dark figment static, seeing that the abyss had moved closer to him. Or did he inch closer without noticing?
Their cries were deafening just as the torrential lightning overhead, making him feel like a spec in the abyssal''s riptiding malevolent gaze. Conjuring a lasting feeling which intertwined with the others, The feeling of being mutually watched.
He stands before the abyss, the static figments roaring pleads around him, and the skyquaking lightning above. Beckoning him - calling him like a king to a knight.
The figure¡¯s adam''s apple drops as a forceful gulp passes down, feeling a freezing aura resonating off of the thick sheeted nothingness before him. The wall fluctuates; growing impatient towards its observer.
With a sudden threading snap of a lightning bolt, a materialized tendril made from the fog latches onto him, its possessiveness feels as though sand had grown a physic body. And this body was yanking him into its unforeseen depths to unleash a scowl.
The pull sends a shocking inertia towards his insides, rattling him with a queking, chill wave of goose-flesh from its impractical point. Dragging his body against the screeching gray sand; before he could yell, Before he could even fight for strength to un-grip its clutches, the tendril dissolves - accumulating back into the endless void around him. He stops with an arguing drive.
Inside the flooding abyss, streams of dark particles pass over and around his laying body, bringing him into a moment of engulfing violet light.
He shields his eyes to escape the sudden blinding illumination, the air around him changes to a shrouded numbness, featuring a smothering scent of ionization - forcing him to hold a single breath.
The young man¡¯s hair swirls from the lightning¡¯s turmoil above him, whipping the air with a violent temper. He brings his arm down; his arm hair standing on high end. With his peaking eyes, he witnesses a horrifying display above a metropolis. The terrifying phenomena branches outwards, stealing the sky''s gaze to his naked eye. Seeing nothing but the horrors of the displaying phenomena¡¯s ¡°body.¡±
Attempting to steal the last of his breath, his body stiffens from the severe orchestra of relentless grasping bolts, within a single relieving inhale before it seamlessly robs him of air, the sky falls, featuring dark particles he saw in moments past.
The abyss swallows him whole; bathing his skin in a sandy chilled electric touch. He gasps for air, as his eyes flutter open, simultaneously bringing himself upright in a single motion. Capturing the realm of golden dunes before him. His breath, heavy and shallow. Cold sweat sticking to his skin with the accompaniment of sand.
A distant standalone voice breaks through the traumatic experiences.
¡° Save them.¡±
The First Day
Days came accompanied by storms, high winds, and the occasional summery weather with a refreshing breeze.
This was quite normal for the season. However, recently, the storms¡¯ electrical charges have been abnormally denser, leading to more power outages even in non-severe weather conditions.
These storms were your average variety, featuring a few lightning strikes and heavy rain. Which is why they shouldn¡¯t be causing power failures throughout entire towns or cities; promoting the irregularity.
Although there were abnormalities gripping into the storms, it wouldn¡¯t come close to what¡¯s to come for the citizens of Lyphoen, a megaregion.
Within a section of this largely dense population, a detective wraps his mind around an enigma he had stumbled upon, the view from above encloses itself upon his office, a spec against the city sector; Showing the detective pacing in the middle of his room before detouring to his desk, thinking of the peculiarities.
¡°What¡¯s happening here...?¡± The man slammed papers down onto his desk, his hands resting beside them. His hair was unruly, a reflection of his sleep-deprived state. Groaning, feeling the enigma, he slumped into his office chair and swiveled it toward a nearby window.
He watched the gray clouds rolling into the city from a distance. Gradually, he detached from reality, daydreaming but feeling almost like a distant memory himself, bringing his leads of the storm to a finite reflection.
"Vem," a soft spoken voice broke through, giving the man with the distant gaze a moment of presence. A knock on the door.
"Vem..?" He turned his head towards the door, propping his chin on his fist.
"You''ve been at this for days. You haven''t slept... I''ve come by the office, and you''re still sitting at that desk... Please, Vem...get some sleep." The voice on the other side pleaded, not out of control, but filled with genuine concern.
With his undivided attention at the door, the storm clouds parted, making visible seams, forecasting an analogy of an unworldly hieroglyphics from the perspective of his office window; dictating a warning from an unknown visitant.
A note slid under the door. The soft-spoken voice mumbled something, perhaps too shy to express fully or perhaps obscured by the loud thoughts swirling within.
Vem left the note untouched for a while, contemplating whether to read it or stash it in his desk drawer. Eventually, he picked up the note, held the drawer open, flopped the note on the desk, and sighed.
"Doesn''t seem like a love letter..." he mused, remembering a sense of timid affliction, eyeing the note as if it might sprout legs and walk away.
With a huff, he stowed the note in the drawer and locked it with a small padlock. Not the most secure lock, but it should be enough to fool those in this city.
Not that it says much for the locals, apart from the exceptional ones who wouldn''t steal.
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Vem pushed his office chair back, making his way to a bed, chest, closet, and a small cooking area if he ever decided to "live" in the office.
Notes pinned to his evidence board oscillated when he moved past them.
Exhaustion guided him to stumble onto the bed, and he muttered to himself that he needed some rest.
He heaved a sigh of relief upon landing on the bed and drifted off to sleep, putting his research within the past days a shadow.
As Vem slept, the storm''s light sprinkles tapped gently on the building, creating white noise for the sleep-deprived worker.
Within his doze, the storm worsened, and the warning, gone, making the taps into a collective series.
Paleing the worsening storm, his lights above him blink in an cryptography projection, seemingly trying to convey an unspoken caution as finite, dark disposition particles slowly seep their way inside from his office window.
Vem was jolted awake by a deafening boom of thunder. He jerked upright, swaying for a moment before regaining his balance with grunts and huffs.
The storm''s intense darkness was so profound that it made it appear as though it were dusk, sprinkling light seeping through the clouds.
"Will it happen again?" Vem muttered, rising to his feet and glancing out of the window.
Rain fell, with lightning flashing in the distance within the clouds. It was an incredible sight.
He could watch it for hours, fascinated by its dance. recently, there was a new sensation underlying it.
Ominous, as if something were present with them, observing them.
"A shadow lurking in the background, only to emerge when the time is right," Vem spoke.
Lightning crackled across the skies, converging toward Vem''s office. Along came a bolt of lightning that struck a nearby tree, its resounding crack making Vem''s heart race.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. He had become so absorbed in the lightning that his guard dropped momentarily.
He glimpsed a figure''s reflection in the window, the ominous sensation returns. Swiftly, he spun around, his arms at the ready. His heartbeat had changed its rhythm, and another flash of lightning illuminated the hallway.
There was nothing there besides a painting and a small vase of flowers. With another lightning bolt, the door slammed shut. Vem shouted in surprise, the lights started to blink palely, but was interrupted by a blackout.
The ominous atmosphere gradually increased, cocooning him with a foreboding occupant, a conjunction of mixed sensation tugged at him.
Hurriedly, Vem tugged at the door, only to find it locked from the outside. Panic drove him to rattle the door, and he turned toward the window.
Another flash, resonating rolling thunder.
The gradual negative omen became concentrated, leaving a sense of cleithrophobia
Something inside Vems brain ''goose-bumped'' after the initial perception. The sensation reaches outside. Temperatures drop around the body, and goose-flesh bloom around his head that eventually reverberates down his spine.
Disoriented, staying in the office was no longer an option. He had to escape. The alienated presence that was there was overwhelming. His legs trembled, and his stomach tightened.
"What''s happening?... I need to get out! I need to leave!"
The power was restored.
Instantly, Vem¡¯s senses returned. He was breathing heavily, tears streaking his face from the sudden inertia, the drying of tears haunts his cheeks.
Now that it was over, he felt confused, almost like the encounter never happened. He didn¡¯t understand why he had been so scared... so terrified¡.
He attributed it to his lack of sleep
The First Night
The orphanage teamed with activity on this particular evening. Korith tended to the vegetable garden in the backyard, while Krissy, unaffected by strange dreams, energetically ran a lemonade stand to raise funds for their upcoming trip.
Exciting events filled the day, and it felt wonderful, little do they know it''ll come to an end.
Octavia watched everything unfold, leaning on her practice sword, spying an approaching storm with silent lightning tumbling within, illuminating its interior with a quiet disorder, it''s countenance leaving a tingling numbingness inside her mind.
"Planning to be a guard or something?" A voice broke the silence.
¡°Oh, Korith! I assume you¡¯re finished with the garden?¡± Octavia turned around with a smile, leaving the approaching storm a figment in her mind.
"Yeah, grew a few ''toms,''" Korith replied casually, referring to tomatoes.
"Some ''toms,'' huh?" Octavia playfully emphasized the word, grinning.
"Yup, gotta love them tomatoes," Korith responded, tossing a handful of freshly picked tomatoes.
Octavia caught one, examining it with a squint. "Got any salt?"
"Yes, because I always carry salt in my pockets," Korith retorted. Octavia gave her a puzzled look.
"Well, do you?" Korith tossed a makeshift salt shaker to Octavia.
"Not a word..." She gave her a teasing look and pointed playfully. Octavia grinned and shook her head with a scuffled laugh.
The moment was shattered by a sudden, violent lightning strike hitting Korith, throwing Octavia off her feet.
Her sword flew into the air; spinning before it plummeted to the ground.
Korith lay flat on the ground, her hair static and tangled. Others rushed to her aid.
"What happened?!" the house mother exclaimed.
¡°Korith!, what about Korith?!¡± Octavia shouted, peeking her head over the mothers arm while fighting off the daze. The other kids rushed to Korith¡¯s side, and some to hers.
¡°We don¡¯t have time for your panic. She¡¯ll be fine.¡± the mother figure reassured her in an assertive tone.
Octavia felt perplexed as to why she wasn¡¯t allowed near her. There was no seeable danger, so why this reaction?
¡°Let¡¯s get you inside,¡± the mother guided Octavia by the arm with a firm grip.
An older sibling came out to help, giving the mother a hand, Octavia¡¯s vision was cut off by the caretaker from seeing Korith as they were led into the living room.
"I realize I acted strangely. These situations can be frightening, but everything will be alright." she spoke soothingly, taking Octavia''s hand and placing it on her lap.
"Korith is prone to these occurrences."
"Occurrences like being struck by lightning?!" Octavia retorted.
Outside worsened as the orphanage settled down with heaviness in their hearts about the incident.
Octavia still found that lightning strike peculiar.
Something about today felt odd, although things were going better, there was just an underlining aura slightly plucking at her.
The rain increased while everyone gathered together, either by the fire or with Sue and the older sibling taking care of Korith.
Sue made it clear she wasn¡¯t allowed to be with Korith in her state.
However, an urge tugged at her to sneak a peek and ensure her friend was alright. She just needed reassurance beyond the words she heard being exchanged.
As the storm raged with rolling lightning, Octavia''s stomach grumbled.
All she¡¯d had was the tomato Korith gave her earlier, she got up from her bed, leaving her annoyance at the situation a stain on her comforter, deciding to indulge her stomach¡¯s request..
She quietly slipped downstairs to grab a bite to eat that would tide her over.
By the time she reached downstairs everyone was in their own rooms, settling in for tomorrow¡¯s journey.
Upon opening the fridge its light softly blinked, ignoring it, she grabbed seasoned carrots, savoring the crunch as her teeth sank into them.
After closing the fridge door with a soft kick, her thoughts turned to Korith and the others downstairs.
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The orphanage had a small ''clinical'' room where the mother and older sibling treated the sick, and the injured. Octavia herself had been there a few times, although she never liked it; it gave her the same unsettling vibe as the storm outside.
Creeping downstairs, she waited at the end of the hallway, listening for any conversations before discreetly peeking through the clinic door''s keyhole.
She heard a knock at the front door, causing the residence on the other side to talk amongst themselves.
Footsteps echoed from the other side of the clinic door, causing Octavia to scramble up the stairs quickly.
The knocking persisted at the door, and Mother Sue emerged from the clinic, Octavia leaned against the kitchen walls, pretending not to notice.
The kitchen lights hummed with a cryptographic scintillation, trying to capture their attention.
¡°Who could be knocking during this terrible storm? I hope it¡¯s nothing serious,¡± Sue muttered to herself.
¡°One moment!!¡± She called to the knocker, but the knocking continued.
The lights determined to gather their observation, dilating its blink.
Octavia shared her curiosity, but her mind was also with Korith. The door slammed open before Sue could get to it.
¡°Oh!¡± She gasped, stepping back, cupping her mouth. Octavia also reacted, putting herself on guard, moving herself into the living space.
The lights¡¯ cryptography stuttered, almost in a sense of being controlled by something else, changing into convulsing lights.
The knocking continued on the open door..
"What''s happening?!" the house mother exclaimed. From within the rain-soaked darkness outside, a flash of lightning illuminated a tall figure then vanished with another flash.
"You need to leave!" the mother shouted, prompting Octavia to move closer to her for protection.
Thunder roared as both the front and clinic doors slammed shut. The mother cried out, clutching her stomach and rib cage with a sudden pain possessing it.
She reached out her hand to Octavia, her hand trembling, with concern, she grabbed it, stumbling over her words in panic.
¡°Wha...¡± Octavia grew frustrated as she couldn¡¯t form coherent words, realizing it¡¯s gripped by fear.
Subsequently, an intense sensation clinched her stomach, causing it to climb up her ribcage as if it were chained electricity.
Her bones rattled from an unknown force.
Octavia let out a mix of anger and fear. Everything went dark as the lights electrical current cut.
Krissy¡¯s screams of terror paired with the others echoed from upstairs, joining the altered orchestra was Korith¡¯s agonized screams from the clinic.
Octavia¡¯s fear swirled wondering whom she should comfort first.
She chose Krissy, dashing upstairs and colliding with the wall due to her urgency, hearing the outcries of the others in their room. Krissy¡¯s scream waned, distorted as if choking.
Octavia burst into her room with a powerful kick, causing the handle to give way.
"Krissy?!" Octavia yelled over the continued screams from downstairs. She turned to Krissy, who had fallen silent. Pitch black surrounded them, and Krissy''s voice spoke up again, faintly rattling.
"Please... Octavia... Korith needs your help..."
"I would''ve been okay... I saw it... this happened before, yet... I was still afraid," Krissy''s voice continued. Octavia was baffled by what Krissy was saying.
"Did you have another dream...?" Octavia asked, the lights suddenly flickering back on. Krissy was standing beside her bed, her face bore an expression of sorrow as she looked down.
"I didn''t want to ruin today. I thought if I didn''t say anything, everything would be fine," her voice trembled.
¡°but it did anyway...¡± Her throat was sore from her howls.
"Octavia is gone..." Krissy''s voice spoke again between pauses.
"What do you mean, gone? I''m right here, Krissy," Octavia replied with a mixture of gentleness and firmness.
"No... I mean Octavia, who was also going to have a warm home... it was supposed to be the same day as mine... I didn''t want to spoil the surprise, but now all of that is gone.
You¡¯ll become someone much more,¡± Krissy faintly says before collapsing to the floor.
Octavia rushes to her side, preventing her head from hitting the floor. Krissy¡¯s eyes fluttered as her body started to tremble.
¡°What¡¯s happening today...¡± Octavia mutters to herself while assisting Krissy.
"Sue!?" Octavia calls out, desperately seeking the house mother.
"Sean!?" She yells for the older sibling, her voice filled with concern. Sean, the mother''s son, responds from upstairs.
¡°Everything¡¯s okay down here, I got it!¡± he yells back to Octavia while the others had gathered downstairs to seek his comfort, confirming her initial assumption.
It would have been helpful for her to know that earlier, considering the events unfolding tonight.
Octavia calls out again, informing Sean that she''s with Krissy and that she won''t wake up after the mini seizure.
The mother, now calmer, and her son rush upstairs.
Despite the strain on her face and the makeup running down, the mother is determined to offer a helping hand, and the storm has passed.
In the end, the police arrive, and the ambulance takes Krissy to the hospital for care. They mention that she might be in a coma-like state due to her inability to wake up.
As for Korith, she appears to be physically unharmed, but there''s a remote change in her demeanor.
She''s quieter and withdrawn. Octavia doesn''t blame her - after all, a lightning bolt did strike her.
Surprisingly, she¡¯s even able to interact with the authority figures let alone stand.
"I''ll keep a close eye on her," Octavia vows silently, her gaze fixed on Korith as she takes note of her behavior, health, and how she was "unharmed." Octavia also hopes that Krissy will recover soon and that this incident won''t impact her chances of joining a new family.
"Look, man, I don''t know what you want. I gave you some good stuff earlier, and I can''t provide more," a man argues with a boy who appears to be in his mid-teens, around Octavia and Korith''s age.
"Wait, wait, wait. Okay... I''m sorry if I came across strong... Is there any way to get...more?" The boy''s tone shifts, sounding less confrontational.
"Seriously, they''re doing this when the police are right there?" Octavia gestures toward the commotion, clearly irritated. The boy catches a glimpse of her gesture.
Their eyes meet, and a sense of mutual understanding passes between them. The boy averts his gaze, feeling embarrassed. He pulls up his hood and walks away discreetly, just in time to avoid attracting a form of police attention.
"What was that all about...people can be so foolish," Octavia sighs, leaning her head against her palms.
A sudden sharp pain shoots through her left eye. She does an annoyed grunt, then rubs it.
" must have strained it amidst all the chaos today"
Within the meeting between the Guardsmen and the housemother, the group of guards listened intently, nodding and taking notes.
One splits off from the group, bringing his communication device up towards his mouth, he talks discreetly into the gadget, peering back at the anxious caretaker, seeing Sue rub her wrist. Her eyebrows pulled up together, mirroring her eyelids; conveying concern.
The drifted Guardsmen pulls himself back into the group.
"We have everything we need here mam. Thank you for your time. " the police figure pans his vision aside from Sue - staring at the orphanage behind her, then gazes back at the caretaker and does a faint nod.
Sue strolls to Octavia, who''s peeking closely towards Korith talking to someone in a baseball hat.
"Let''s go inside. "her concern clinches her chords. Octavia gives Sue a glance of recognition, confirming the action to head back inside.
Octavia leaps off the small wall she was poached on. The faint pool of water splashes as it meets the force.
¡°Who¡¯s Korith talking to?¡± Her eyebrows pressing down, seeing the man taking details on a notepad, another guard?, She ponders. However this figure isn¡¯t draped the same way as the retreating authority figures are.
This man has more of a casual appearance towards him, and an unkempt beard.
Before the question arises much further, Korith dips back into the orphanage. Her posture seems afflicted towards the exchange.
Sue and Octavia peer back towards the fleeting figure getting into an older version of a vehicle. Hearing the car purr before it takes off down the road.
Fighting off puzzlement, the two adventure back into their homestead, trying to look past today''s harsh events.
The Second Day
It was a nice summer day, but unfortunately, Kel, a high school freshman, had to spend it in summer school along with a few classmates: Opel, Lin, and a few others who hadn''t received passing grades.
Opel was an outgoing, easy-spoken kid who loved clubs and all sorts of activities, mainly due to the chance to make new friends.
Kel couldn''t comprehend Opel''s desire to befriend every single person he encountered.
Unlike Opel, Kel held certain standards, even though they might not have been the highest. It wasn''t the best of standards, but it was something.
Lin, on the other hand, was more of a people pleaser, though he tended to keep to himself most of the time.
Kel was fairly average - average grades except for math, average height, and average looks (Kel''s reflection appeared on the teacher''s whiteboard).
"Get off your phone, Mr. Clark," the teacher''s voice startled Kel.
With a quick movement, Kel stashed his phone in the cubbyhole of his desk and cleared his throat.
"If I catch you using your phone again, I might just have to photograph the lessons.
Maybe then you''ll take an interest," the teacher warned, turning around to face Kel. Kel glared, then looked away and muttered to himself.
"Perhaps you need to retake English, Mr. Clark. I didn''t quite catch that," the teacher said, causing the class to gasp and murmur.
Kel, now embarrassed, chose to focus on the lesson in front of him.
At the back of the class, Lin shook his head at the situation, suppressing his laughter to spare his friend from further embarrassment.
"We''ll be having a test today, exercising our brains!" the teacher announced, moving on to the next lesson and preparing the students for the test.
Some students groaned while others seemed content. The trio of friends - Kel, Opel, and Lin - were among those who dreaded tests and preferred to avoid them whenever possible.
The teacher began by distributing the test papers, briefly going over the first three questions before allowing the students to complete the rest on their own.
The test consisted of 24 questions, ranging from basic math to challenging ones meant to deter the students. The teacher aimed to strike a balance between difficulty levels, hoping the students would tackle the trickier questions.
Guiding the students through the first three questions, the teacher covered an easy question, followed by a challenging one, and then a medium-difficulty question.
Students handled the first question smoothly and efficiently, all following along.
The second question took more time, with some students understanding it while others struggled, but eventually, they all managed to tackle the first three questions well.
After assisting with the initial questions, the teacher took a break at her desk to attend to paperwork, possibly socialize, and prepare for future lessons.
Mrs. Koi, as flexible and understanding as she could, is known for being a supportive "friend" to her students in times of family or personal turmoil.
As the students focused on their tests, Mrs. Koi reached into her desk drawer, offering gum and stress relief gadgets to help the students concentrate.
The students smiled, some even wanted to fist-bump the teacher, and a newfound respect seemed to develop among them.
"We''ll take a break outside after this test. You''re all doing splendidly. Those who finish can head to break early. The cafeteria has snacks and cold drinks for you. It''s summer, after all," Mrs. Koi announced, inspiring the students to work diligently on the test or simply finish it quickly.
Kel raised an eyebrow and curled his upper lip in an expression of realization, drawing a chuckle from those who noticed.
The students continued with their tests; some immediately headed for the break while others stayed behind to complete their exams.
Mrs. Koi reacted similarly to students who quickly turned in their tests after her announcement.
Lin, seated at his desk with his hands folded at the back of his head, feeling the tactility of the buzzed portion.
He looks at the unfinished test before him and sighs, realizing he hasn''t made much progress.
He glanced around to see the progress of others; some were on the fourth page, others on the second, and most had reached the third page - where Kel and Opel were working.
"Well, I guess I procrastinated a bit too much," Lin mumbled to himself before picking up his pencil and beginning to work.
Half an hour later, Kel and a few others handed in their tests.
Lin and Opel exchanged a glance, a silent agreement to speed up their pace before Kel claimed all the good snacks.
Kel, however, interrupted Lin''s focus by making peace signs followed by a middle finger.
The teacher caught him, and Kel sheepishly apologized before leaving the room.
Lin glared at Kel''s retreating figure, then gave a thumbs-up to the teacher, who nodded in response.
With a nod of determination, Lin turned his attention back to the test.
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Opel faced the final question, surprisingly a challenging one for him. Usually, the end of the test contained medium-level questions, which were difficult yet manageable.
This question, though, proved to be a real challenge, making his brain work overtime.
"Ugh," Opel groaned, raising his hand for assistance. The teacher walked over, and Opel defended himself, "I know we''re supposed to do this on our own, but it''s my last question. I figured it wouldn''t hurt to ask for help."
The teacher reassured him, "Sometimes the final obstacle is the most important one. It may seem impossible, but it''s often achievable." With her guidance, Opel tackled the challenging question.
Lin overheard this exchange and experienced a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu as if he''d heard those words before.
Mrs. Koi''s voice stirred something within Lin.
He felt lost in time as if each minute were stretched into an hour.
The teacher''s concern brought him back to reality, her touch on his shoulder breaking through the haze.
"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, noticing his dazed expression.
"I''m fine," Lin assured her, shaking off the odd sensation and returning his focus to the test. The teacher retreated to her desk, leaving him to work.
Opel finished his test and turned it in, sharing a thumbs-up with Lin for encouragement.
They exchanged a few words about studying, Opel went up to the desk with light-hearted attempts to charm the teacher, which she rejected.
Opel departed for the break, leaving Lin to continue his test.
Leaning back in his chair, Lin gazed out the window at the dark gray clouds, with light reflection of his red dyed hair peering back into the classroom.
The impending rain and thunderstorms seemed to create a sense of tranquility for him.
his mind coasted with the sound of raindrops on glass. The atmosphere changes suddenly as lightning flashes, and the room seems to take on a pitch of surrealism.
Inexplicably, Lin feels a sense of disconnection from reality, as if he''s drifting away.
The room''s lights, windows, and projector start to flicker ominously.
The projector light begins to glow with its golden hue and pulses, Morse code-like signals emanating from it. Lin''s attention is drawn to the projector as it signals something to him.
The quality around him tightens, giving a sense of cinematic surrealism - his consciousness numbing.
The lightning outside and the projector''s odd behavior expands the atmosphere.
Lin hears a voice saying his name but can''t discern its origin. His surroundings distort, and time seems to stretch as he becomes entranced by the unusual events.
Staring at the projector intensely, seeing it speak a language Lin doesn''t quite know how to translate.
Suddenly, Lin is jolted back to reality as Mrs. Koi''s voice reaches his ears.
Confused and disoriented, he struggles to regain his focus, darting his head side-to-side, blinking rapidly.
The classroom shifts towards it''s normal atmosphere, the teacher giving a tinge of perplexity in relation to Lin''s behavior,
"Lin, your test please." she says, keeping the tinge.
Mrs. Koi is trying to collect the tests, and Lin realizes he needs to finish his.
"oh - sorry, I haven''t finished yet. Can I have a few moments?" Lin reasons with the teacher that''s standing over him with other collected papers in hand.
"Yes, you can stay until you finish" She accepted the reasoning.
The classmates leave the room, but Lin''s mind is still reeling from the inexplicable experience.
Lin accompanied Opel and Kel, commenting on the rain''s impending arrival.
"I thought the rain had stopped a while ago," Lin remarked, causing his friends to laugh.
"You''ve got a unique sense of humor," they said, leading him into the cafeteria. Lin, considerably drier than his friends, observed their soaking appearance with bemusement.
"Seems like your powers are showing up, huh?" Kel teased.
"Come on, Kel, there''s no such thing as powers," Lin retorted, his words met with blank stares from both friends and eavesdroppers.
"Just kidding," Lin stammered, recovering his confidence, but the group doesn''t budge, he darts his vision away, escaping the blank stares.
He faces back, seeing everyone eat and communicating with one another like nothing had happened, Kel''s expression formed concern as he noticed that he''s been out of it lately.
Opel asked him what''s wrong, seeing Lin in a haze.
"Are you okay?" Opel inquired, Lin snapped out of it, "Yeah, I''m alright.
"You do seem a bit out of it today. Are you alright?" Opel asked, his concern genuine.
Lin blinks cognitively, trying to make sense of it all, his friends around him keeping the solitude, Kel placing his hand on him, trying to comfort him
"You know, everyone''s been asking me that today," Lin responded, a touch of bewilderment in his voice.
The conversation paused briefly, and the rain continued to pour outside, Kel removing his hand from his shoulder, wanting to convey something when a sudden, flash of lightning struck Lin, causing everyone nearby to rush to his aid.
Everyone except Kel, whose expression was one of sheer terror, seemingly glued to the spot.
"What happened?! What''s going on?" A teacher questioned Opel, who struggled to find his words for the first time.
There was a disconnect, like his thoughts weren''t aligning properly, even though the words were clear in his mind.
The teacher''s patience seemed to wear thin, and he scooped Lin up, carrying him toward the nurse''s office.
Kel remained frozen in place as his friend got carried away, hearing muffled talk as the rain poured onto him, his black hair pasting onto his face, his eyes dilated as if he saw something within that moment, besides Lin being struck violently by the bolt.
Opel, pairing with him, connects with reality, giving Kel an anxious grip on his arm, yet Kel remains detached, mirroring a manikin, swaying from the force of Opel''s touch.
Rain continued to downpour, within the background of his detachment, students across the way were shouting for information, and the teacher holding Lin was yelling to call for help.
Leaving the general atmosphere was one of hysteria.
Yet, anybody that was close to the incident couldn''t articulate a single word.
Having a small collection of students in astonishing horror, as the commotion unfolded, school ended for the day.
The rain persisted, filling the air with a sense of uneasiness, replacing the ambient feel towards it.
Kel looked down with his widened gaze plastered to him, Opel tried to get him to sway, but it resulted in the same mannerisms from his first attempt.
"I gotta - I gotta go Kel," He says stumbling over his words, he places his hand one last time on Kel to see if he''d follow, but his friend was akin to a stain.
Opel walked away, his clothing soaked, looking down as he thought about Lin and the incident, leaving Kel alone with his distressed alienization.
Within his depersonalization, he sees himself standing on the sidewalk, being soaked with the pouring rain.
Within his out-of-body perception the rain generated haze, but it escalated into a thick black fog, establishing a blanket around him.
alienated words assembled around him before he got violently thrashed back into his body.
but when he woke, he was already half way home, a sense of palpable unease hung into the air, giving a sort of numbness to his recollection.
With the sudden shock of being in a different place than he previously thought he was, Kel panicked racing towards his home in hopes to never discuss. Although the unintelligible language dug at his psyche, crawling around in his consciousness, causing his brow to lower, skin drawn tightly around the eyes, and his mouth quivering.
Kel exerted his legs to move faster, feeling his muscles tightening with every pendulum.
trying to leave the sickening dilemma behind.
The Second Night
The relentless rain continued to downpour, soaking the streets and buildings alike.
Mier, a curious and observant teenager, raced through the storm in an attempt to reach the safety of his home.
His footsteps splashed through puddles as he navigated the treacherous path.
Each flash of lightning illuminated his surroundings, casting eerie shadows that seemed to dance in the dark.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck nearby, the deafening crack sending Mier leaping out of his shoes in surprise.
Heart racing as he stumbled forward, narrowly avoiding another lightning strike that hit a pole just a few meters away, its boom tightening his eardrums.
Panic set in as he continued to run down the path. His ears, ringing.
Seeking refuge, Mier darted into a nearby store, his breath ragged and heart pounding.
The store owner, equally startled by the storm''s fury, quickly opened his doors to welcome him in.
Inside, the atmosphere was a mix of awe and apprehension. Each lightning strike outside was like a temporary spotlight, briefly revealing the chaos beyond the store''s windows.
"Mom, my stomach hurts," a young girl tugged at her mother''s sleeve, her voice trembling.
"It''s okay, sweetie. We''ll find you something to settle your tummy," her mother reassured, holding her close.
She turned to the store owner and asked if he had anything to help ease her daughter''s discomfort.
The owner nodded empathetically and offered a soothing remedy, knowing that such gestures would be remembered in times of need.
As Mier observed the scene, a sudden gust of wind pushed the store''s door open.
Entered a tower guard, rain-soaked and determined. His presence seemed out of place in the humble store.
"Why''s a Tower guard down here?" someone muttered from the back, curiosity mingled with suspicion.
The guard''s voice cut through the murmurs. "I''m here to assist. The storm''s escalating, and we''re directing everyone to the Towers for better shelter." His words were met with a mix of relief and doubt.
Outside, the storm''s fury was relentless, the flashes of lightning creating a chaotic display that seemed almost unreal.
As the guard led everyone out of the store, Mier couldn''t help but marvel at the carrier waiting for them.
Its construction material seemed like a secret waiting to be uncovered.
"Are you an engineer?" the guard sees Mier''s appraisal, catching him off guard.
"No, just curious," Mier admitted, the guard adjusting his belt. The guard''s chuckle didn''t exactly answer his question, leaving Mier to ponder the material''s composition and its purpose.
As the carrier reached its destination, the guard''s demeanor shifted from casual to focused. "Okay, everyone out. Form a single file line and follow the guards. Stay safe." Guiding the passengers, beckoning them with a stretched arm.
The citizens quickly paced out of the opening, following the rules set by the guard, forming a single file line.
Lightning trembled in the clouds, illustrating a flowing river of illuminations, concerting a rolling thunder.
Mier gazed up towards the clouds, seeing an arching discharge haunting above, his vision getting dragged back towards the entrance of the Tower, its size an intimidating giant.
The group rushed into a cubby arch way of the Tower, slightly guarding them from the raging storm.
Rumbling pierced their ears as the doors opened with a surprising stride.
A pillar of lightning quaked in the background as the retreating figures made their way in.
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Inside the Tower, Mier thanked the guard for his guidance just as a bolt of lightning struck perilously close.
Startled, the guard''s protective instinct kicked in, and he shielded Mier from the danger.
"What''s going on?" the guard exclaimed, his eyes scanning the area as if searching for answers.
Pushing Mier further inside, the door repeated its rumble as it sealed shut, swiftly as another bolt flew, hitting the wall nearby, taking out pieces of its material.
In the aftermath of the lightning strikes, Mier couldn''t shake the feeling that something inexplicable was unfolding around him.
An unsettling feeling brewed within him as he pondered the strike patterns of Lightning, so unnatural... so precise.
"Almost like it''s stalking a prey... Am I -"
"No.." He cuts the thought mid-process. Pacing back and forth as it brews inside his mind, the storm rages on. The rain picked up, turning from heavy to severe, pounding the Tower''s frame.
"Mom..."
"I know, Hunny, we''ll be okay. The storm will pass over us in due time." The mother says, trying to reassure her daughter.
"It''s okay..." The lady tucked her daughter inwards.
"It''s okay.."
-
Somewhere upstairs.
Amidst the chaos of the storm and the tower''s safety, Clyista, a member of Crew 8, navigated the bustling corridors, checking on various systems to ensure everything was secure.
She had always been methodical, even in the face of unpredictability.
Her fingers danced across the console, monitoring power levels and ensuring the tower''s defense mechanisms were prepared for the worst.
As Clyista worked, her thoughts briefly drifted to the recent incidents that had sparked concern among the crew.
Unusual energy fluctuations and anomalies in the weather patterns - it was all connected, she was sure of it.
Her eyes narrowed, determination replacing her worry as she vowed to uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, Eve, a scientist working within the tower, hunched over a lab table covered with complex equipment.
She was studying the energy signatures left behind by the lightning strikes, her mind racing to make sense of the unusual data while commotion unfolded on the first level.
There was something different about these strikes - a pattern that defied conventional understanding.
Eve''s heart raced as a realization dawned on her. She glanced around the lab, her excitement tempered by caution.
If her suspicions were correct, this could be a groundbreaking discovery, one that might shed light on the mysterious events that had been unfolding.
-
Back outside, the storm continued to rage, its intensity undeterred.
Rin, Lin''s sister, watched from her bedroom window, her expression a mix of awe and trepidation.
The lightning painted the sky with eerie brilliance, illuminating the city in bursts of blinding light. Rin''s fingers traced the glass as if trying to connect with the raw power of the storm.
Resembling a vine on a leaf.
Downstairs, Mier, and the evacuation group settled with sleeping bags spread out on the floor.
"Can''t we even get a room?" grumbled the older gentleman from earlier, eliciting annoyance from the Tower workers. Some shook their heads, while others wore faintly irritated expressions.
"Just be grateful you''re not out there in this nasty storm. I''ve never seen anything like this before," the parent chimed in, addressing the gentleman.
"Well -"
"I hope my store will be okay."
"Mommy, can you ask the guard if they have anything to eat?"
The mother glanced down at her child, endeavoring to make the spot feel more homey. She brushed the sleeping bag to remove any debris or pests that might have crawled in.
"Silea, you''ll have to ask yourself, but I''ll be there every step of the way!" she assured her, her response overtaking the gentleman''s previous mutterings.
He flung his arms in frustration, grabbed his sleeping bag, and stomped away, a Tower guard following closely to prevent any potential problems.
The two siblings held hands as they approached one of the guards, engaged in conversation.
The little girl went ahead, her mother trailing behind.
Mier averted his gaze and shifted to his designated spot, unfolding his sleeping bag.
Static clung to it, prompting a grunt and causing him to drop the bag. He licked his thumb and rubbed it on the fabric.
"Did something bite me?" he wondered aloud, scrutinizing his thumb for any bumps.
Instead of bumps, he discovered a series of tiny, intricate markings akin to keraunographics.
Veins rapidly traced these markings up his thumb, around his wrist, and continued up his arm, leading him to yelp and attempt to flick them off.
The commotion caught the attention of nearby people. Mier apologized, explaining that he thought something had bitten him. They dismissed it and continued with their tasks.
Peering down again, Mier found no markings, no damage, and the slight vibrations he had been experiencing had ceased. He felt puzzled. He continued to examine his thumb and arm, eventually plopping himself down onto his sleeping bag.
"I suppose I just need some sleep... today has been... quite a day," he mumbled as he lay down, using his folded arms as a makeshift pillow against the inflated bag''s pillow.
"Goodnight, Mr...." the little girl commented on Mier''s actions as she returned with snacks.
"Take these, just in case." She dropped snack bags and hurried back to their spot.
Her mother clapped and praised her, then helped her settle back into her sleeping bag, fluffing the makeshift pillow.
"Thank you!" Mier added. The mother looked up, smiled, and nodded. Mier stashed the snacks in the sleeping bag pockets.
"Wow, this thing has everything," he remarked while storing the snacks and then zipping the pocket shut. He gripped the blanket portion, cocooning himself.
The storm''s intensity lessened, transitioning into light sprinkles, bringing back a sense of comfortable weather for the people indoors.
The Third Day
The next morning, Lin awakens to the sound of his alarm, his head feeling cumbersome, his thoughts muddled.
Reluctantly, he gets out of bed, yesterday''s events were indistinctive, yet he vaguely remembers getting struck by lightning.
he looks down, examining himself to see any peculiarities from the strike.
However he''s fine with no distinction, he''s perplexed giving the hazy memory unhinged.
"Shouldn''t I be at a hospital...?" he murmurs, questioning the peculiarities, still captivated by the vague recollection.
He slumps down, his upright half thumping onto the bed - staring off in space towards the ceiling.
Lin wants to stay home, but despite his reservations, he decides to brave another day of school, hoping that it was just his imagination, and that it was a dream.
Arriving at school, Lin is met with curious glances from both students and teachers.
Sensing the weight of everyone''s attention on him. Opel and Kel approach him, their faces etched with concern - Kel''s face shadowing ambivalence.
"Hey, dude are you okay?" Opel inquires, his eyes filled with genuine worry.
Lin musters a weak smile, attempting to downplay the situation. "I''m not entirely sure. It was like... I had this weird episode."
"Episode? Like, what kind of episode?" Kel interjects, his gaze still wide from the shock of the previous day.
Anxiety breaches the initial ambivalence towards the exchange, recalling his own experience from yesterday.
"It''s hard to explain. I had these strange visions or memories, and everything felt distorted. I even heard things that weren''t real," Lin struggles to find the right words. "It''s like my perception was all messed up."
Kel''s thoughts still linger about Lin being struck by lightning, remembering what he saw within that sudden flash, and here he is at school, seemingly just fine.
Accompanying the recollection of the unknown language tugging at him from what Lin had mentioned, he pans his vision in the distance trying to will away the thought. Forcing a nod in response.
Opel furrows his brows, pondering the situation. "Maybe you should consider talking to a counselor or someone. That doesn''t sound normal." Doing his best not to bring up anything about the lightning strike, mirroring Kel''s thoughts of the anomalistic health state.
"You might be onto something," Lin replies with a finger gun point, his uncertainty still lingering. The trio continues walking to class, a palpable unease hanging in the air.
Throughout the day, Lin attempts to focus on his studies, but the feeling that something isn''t quite right persists.
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Snippets of conversations reach his ears as he passes groups of students, his name whispered in hushed tones, with callous laughter following "what a freak" from the silent tones of his classmates.
Opel and Kel, though by his side, can''t entirely shield him from the isolating stares and the underlying tension.
During lunch break, Lin sits alone in a corner of the cafeteria, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of the previous day''s events. Opel and Kel approach him, concern evident in their eyes.
"We were thinking maybe you should take a day off tomorrow," Opel suggests gently, trying to make Lin to stay home, sensing the tension of the atmosphere being directed towards him.
"Just to give yourself a chance to sort things out," Kel adds, his eyes meeting with his, then flinching his sight away, attempting to push down yesterday''s thoughts.
With a sigh, Lin contemplates their suggestion. "Maybe you guys are right. I need to figure out what''s going on."
Opel places a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "We''re here for you, no matter what. Just remember that."
The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. Lin offers his friends a small, appreciative smile and nods. "Thanks, guys. I''ll see you tomorrow."
As the day comes to a close, Lin heads home, his thoughts heavy with unresolved questions. He spends the evening researching dissociation and related psychological phenomena, hoping to gain some clarity about his experiences.
As the sun began its descent, casting a warm, golden hue across the landscape, a sense of anticipation hung in the air.
In the heart of the enigmatic Towers, Clysita of Crew 8 found herself embarking on a mission that held the promise of uncovering long-hidden truths.
The Towers were known for their secrets, and Clysita was determined to navigate their labyrinthine corridors to reveal what lay beneath the surface.
With each step, Clysita''s heart pounded the echo of her footsteps reverberating through the empty halls.
The Towers were vast, their towering walls seemingly infinite, and their shadows concealed mysteries that begged to be unraveled.
The air was charged with palpable energy, a sense that the very walls held secrets waiting to be disclosed.
Clysita had always been a curious soul, drawn to the unknown and unafraid to challenge the status quo.
She was a member of Crew 8, a group of individuals united by their thirst for knowledge and their commitment to unveiling the truths hidden within the Towers.
They operated in the shadows, silently piecing together the puzzle of their existence.
Her first destination was the Tower''s Central Archives, a repository of information guarded fiercely by those who controlled the Towers.
Clysita knew that within its walls lay records, documents, and artifacts that could shatter the illusions that had been carefully crafted.
With unwavering determination, she bypassed the security measures, her nimble fingers dancing across the interface.
The room was bathed in an ethereal light as Clysita accessed the archives'' database. The holographic screens flickered to life, displaying fragments of forgotten history, along with records of individuals she sought were strange.
Her eyes widened with shock as she delved deeper into the files, pieces started to align, forming a narrative that contradicted the version of reality that had been fed to the masses.
In a quiet corner of the Towers, Rin, Lin''s sister, sought solace amidst the verdant gardens that bloomed within the walls.
Rin had always been attuned to nature''s rhythms after she got dismissed from school, it was her hidden pleasure, and on the upscale it was something for the public to have a sense of connection to the Towers.
When she tended to the flowers, she felt a connection to the land that seemed to whisper its secrets, making the call of the garden more impactful.
In the stillness of the garden, she contemplated the events that were unfurling, sensing that destiny was intertwined somehow, giving her belief in the chaotic times.
The Third Night
¡ð- Dark clouds shrouded the moon, casting an ominous shadow over the desolate landscape.
In the abandoned building, three boys-Kel, Opel, and Lin Gathered - their unease palpable as the impending storm grew nearer. They weren''t alone.
Lin gathered them here remembering a dream he had of the house that shadowed him during the rest of the day, connecting towards the strange events from yesterday; from the projector, and his anomaly heath state of being struck by lightning.
After he went home, a sudden pull of curiosity left him to do rough research of Morse code and any information leading towards the possibilities of going unscathed from a lightning strike.
Discovering nothing about going undamaged from a lightning strike, revealing it to be even more bizarre.
While his research on morse-code was a success, finding a series of translations regarding them, he strains his mind, thinking of what the projector had spoken of.
Which strangely made the bridge from dream to occurrence.
He was lucky that his friends complied from the sudden adventure to one of the most disturbing abandoned houses in town, amongst the erratic reasoning to search the house.
Lin was focused on gathering any clues he might find from the projector''s instructions.
as they traveled through the front portion of the house, Lin and the gang pooled near a flight of stairs.
"Let''s check the stairs. We could split up. " Before Opel could finish that sentence, Lin chimed in.
"Let''s not. In every horror film, when the group splits up, something bad always happens," he claimed, gesturing emphatically.
"So we all go upstairs...?" Kel added to the conversation. They all nodded and anxiously made their way upstairs, the thoughts from yesterday''s events were on a tight leash, keeping a good handle on them.
The stairs leading up had some broken steps, which required the group to leap to explore the upper floor.
This was also where Lin had a hunch he might find answers to the mysteries from when the dissociation occurred and the dreams started.
"Here we go," Kel grunted as he leaped across the two platforms. Opel followed, and Lin was last, struggling to get across due to a snagged shoe.
"Shit, my shoe... of course, this would happen to me."
"Should have tied it tighter," Opel chimed, prompting a ''shut up before you lose yours'' look from Kel.
Opel raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and continued up the stairs. The hallway they reached had two doors on the right, illuminated by the moonlight casting a window sill shadow on the walls.
Kel paused momentarily to grab his sandals from his bag, which he had left there after a pool party the previous weekend.
"Here, Lin. I kept forgetting to take these out of my bag from that pool party."
Lin tossed the flip-flops to him, and he caught one while the other dropped to the floor. He raised his hand in gratitude as he put them on.
"I mean... It''s not shoes, but it''s something," Opel added with optimism.
"Right..." Lin responded slowly.
Continuing down the hallway, they discussed which room to search first. Lin had a feeling that what he was looking for might be there.
Lin walked forward, the sound of their flip-flops echoing humorously through the building, lessening the tension slightly.
A sudden sharp noise rattled the group, causing Kel to jump behind Opel.
The amusing sound of flip-flops flopping added an odd element. Another sound followed, the mournful cry of a cat emerging from the shadows.
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"Aw..." Opel muttered softly.
The cat hissed, then froze mid-posture, the sound still possessing the air. The boys moved further back, accidentally pushing Lin closer to the edge of the broken stairs.
"Whoa!" Lin exclaimed, gripping onto anything to regain his balance. The cat''s hiss ceased instantly, but the feline remained frozen in place.
"What the hell...?" Kel voiced aloud, breaking the eerie silence. the thoughts that played with his mind from yesterday surged back, the gibberish language recoiling, fueling him to kneel down in a trance like state, touching the cat.
Suddenly, Kel''s head jerked back, his eyes rolling back, dark veins glimpsing at the far corners of his Sclera, his chords wheezing, begging to gasp for air.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Opel and Lin were shocked, rushing to Kel''s side, his face contorted, his jaw unhinged, his eyes abyssal, emitting a louder whistle.
"What the fuck, Kel!" Lin exclaimed, shooting backward, landing on his rear, glimpsing the flickering lights that hadn''t been on in years.
Kel''s face stretched further, his jaw popping and cracking, bits of blood emerging from the corners of his mouth where his flesh was being torn apart.
The environs discharging a sense of dismay amongst the group.
"Kel!" Opel yelled as Lin remained in shock.
The lights flickered more rapidly, mirroring Kel''s stretched face.
Tapping sounds echoed from all directions, expanding to the stairs behind them, then passing them. The sounds stopped at Kel, and the lights above shattered across the hallway, with some shards embedding in Lin''s shoulder.
"ah!" Lin grunted in pain, feeling the affliction shoot through him as a sizable glass shard pierced his shoulder.
"Ah... ahh," he managed to utter, grimacing in pain. Opel tried to divert Lin''s attention back to Kel.
"Buddy!?" Opel yelled, noticing Lin''s injured shoulder.
"Shit!" Opel exclaimed, returning his focus to Lin.
Kel''s pose resembled that of a shell, his cheeks creating a vibrant red line, his dry skin peeling away. The hallway''s floor appeared aged and marked, as if time had accelerated around Kel''s body.
Opel yanked out the glass shard, using his shirt to wrap Lin''s injured shoulder.
"Kel... but Kel!" Lin tried to rise, but Opel''s strength forced him back down, both to ensure Lin''s safety and to prevent him from seeing the gruesome sight.
"Just don''t look... just don''t look," Opel implored, his terror, sadness, and anxiety held at bay. Though typically the calmest in dire situations, this was unlike anything he had ever encountered.
He was just a teenager who had happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and had befriended the wrong person at the worst moment.
He spiraled into an abyss of helplessness.
"Kel~!?" Lin''s voice choked, searching for an explanation for this nightmare.
"Please, Lin..." Opel said, clutching Lin''s wounded shoulder, his own emotions a tangled ambivalence, his friend compelling a distress as he squeezed his shoulder blade.
Amid the agonizing tension, a break emerged.
A lightning bolt surged through the abandoned building like a message from an unknown force, its echoes reverberating throughout. Kel''s body convulsed, collapsing to the floor like a discarded puppet, the impact creating a sonorous thud.
The two boys'' emotions swung wildly back to terror, inching them closer to the precipice of despair.
"K-Kel...?" Opel and Lin tried to break the silence, clinging to the faint hope that this might somehow be a twisted prank, even if that outcome was just a smudge of hope.
Kel''s body jolted again, his arm crackling as another thunderbolt illuminated the hallway, echoing a colossal crackle.
Strangely, a dark fog seemed to seep from his body, resembling the wisps of heat on a sweltering day.
Lightning struck once more, shattering the window behind Kel''s now lifeless form.
"Whatever''s happening, we need to run, just run-now!" Opel burst out, both of their stomachs twisting into their lungs.
The two seized their belongings in a frantic rush, descending through the hole of the broken stairs. Opel''s bag tore, releasing cigarettes along with a pin from his bag pocket.
There was no time to retrieve them; they fled the building, feeling as though their lives were on the brink of mirroring Kel''s fate.
Opel and Lin left imprints on the grass, Kel''s flip-flop flung off Lin as they spirited away,
Lin''s shirt hung loosely, blood splatters dotting the cold summer asphalt as they raced towards their homes, haunted by Kel and the haunting events that continued to torment their minds.
Car lights illuminated the road ahead, Vem studying the note he got suddenly, it had appeared from under the door like the other one did, but with this one, no one was on the other side.
He places his vision onto his map, the note stuffed between his hand and the steering wheel, the map guiding him to an old two-story abandoned house with three broken windows.
The unappealing yellow house had white trimming matching its picket-fenced yard.
Vem sighed, placing the note on his car''s dashboard. The car lights flickered, drawing his attention to a turn left.
"Gotta fix this thing," he mumbled, stepping out of the car. He folded the map and slid it into his back pocket, adjusting his hat for a snug fit.
He closed the car door with a resounding thud and left the keys on the dashboard next to the note. His footsteps were faint as he ventured into the abandoned building, unaware of what might lie in wait for him inside.
The Fourth Day
¡ð- Dealix, a senior student at Evergiants High School, sighed as he signed the school''s name, finding it cringe-worthy. His buddy next to him chuckled at his expression.
"What a damn school, feels more like a prison every day," his buddy agreed, attempting to continue the conversation. It went nowhere as he realized that Dealix was lost in staring at the clouds rolling in.
- "Hey -"
"Yo~! Dealix, you alright?" he asked. But once again, it fell on deaf ears as a shiver traveled from his buddy''s fingers to his right shoulder blade.
"What the hell...?" The friend shook his wrist as if trying to shake off the strange feeling.
"Yo, Dealix!" His buddy raised his voice, causing other students from the school to glance at them with tilted heads.
"Keep walking, keep walking... You freshmen," the two continued moving forward, but Dealix remained entranced by the sky above.
"Dude, why do you keep staring at the damn sky?" Dealix snapped out of it.
A passing teacher warned them about their language, and his buddy responded with an ''F.U. '' gesture behind the teacher''s back.
"Sorry, what...?" Dealix replied in a soft voice, struggling to return to reality.
"Dude, you''ve been doing that a lot lately. Do you need more sleep or something? I''ve been calling your name for a while."
"Oh? Dang. Maybe I need more sleep, though I thought I''ve been getting my eight hours," he responded.
Dealix and his buddy Xiel reached the locker room hallways. These lockers were sturdy and could endure rain without damage.
The hallways had arches forming them, with a slight ceiling material above to provide shelter from the rain.
¡°Alright, dude, take it easy. I¡¯m heading to the first period... You know, there¡¯s another kid in my class who does the same thing. Maybe you two should be friends or something, think his name is Lin?¡± Xiel said, stealing some breakfast and rushing into the classroom to avoid any conflict.
"Asshole!" The kid who had the breakfast shouted after him, but Xiel just gave him the middle finger and entered the classroom.
Dealix stood there, reflecting on the dreams he''s been having for the past few days - shadowy figures talking to him.
Uncanny resemblances to people at his school and strange alterations to the school itself.
He''d talked to his school counselor about it, but they only nodded, jotted things down, and handed the notes to the principal.
clouds moved closer, casting a shadow over the school, and the seams in the cloud formed a smiley face.
Dealix took it as a sign of good things to come. He grabbed his backpack straps, crossed the bridge, and headed up a small hill.
Raindrops began to sprinkle the cement as Dealix entered his classroom.
"I thought it was supposed to be summer," a girl in his class remarked upon entering.
"Rain?" Dealix asked.
"What do you think...?" She made the same cringe-filled expression he had when looking at the school.
"My bad." He replied. She bit her lip in disgust and took her seat. Another girl sitting beside him rolled her eyes and rummaged inside her bag, looking worried.
Dealix took his seat and noticed a tiny piece of a bong sticking out, something he recognized because he was somewhat of a stoner himself.
He wouldn''t have recognized it otherwise.
"Hey!" She noticed and quickly pulled back her bag, closing it tightly.
In response, he smiled and formed a circle with three fingers. She scoffed, and he placed his finger to his lips, mimicking the "shush" gesture.
"Shh," he lowered his finger, pretending not to notice. He acted as if he were studying as the teacher approached the front of the class. The girl smiled and followed his lead.
"Alright, class, it looks like we''re going to be under a severe thunderstorm watch, so we''ll take it easy and do some creative writing to pass the time.
This period might extend into the next class or two, depending on how rough it gets," the teacher announced.
Handing out a packet of blank striped paper for creative writing.
Some students were excited about tapping into their creative juices, while others wondered if they even possessed a creative side.
"Why can''t we just go home? I mean, it''s summer, and it''s raining. Why can''t we just leave?" The same girl who disliked the rain voiced her frustration.
The teacher engaged with her, discussing the importance of school, but his words fell on many deaf ears, not just Dealix''s.
The class continued as the teacher handed out the packets, eventually reaching Dealix.
He placed the packet down and leaned in.
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"Are you going to write more of those crazy dreams of yours? They make for good writing material."
"What...?" Dealix was taken aback by the teacher''s comment.
"Are you going to continue writing your stories? They''re really good. I hope you keep working on them," Mr. Clark said with a hint of confusion.
"Sorry, I didn''t sleep well last night." The teacher patted him on the shoulder, offering a listening ear if he ever needed to talk.
Dealix looked at the blank striped paper in front of him, contemplating whether he should write his dreams as stories again.
He was hesitant, especially after thinking he heard his teacher mention it.
Dealix wasn''t sure why he was sensitive about the dreams. He pondered it, tapping his pencil on the paper.
Another classmate behind him asked if he could stop the noise since it was distracting him.
While slightly annoyed, he understood how even a small noise could be amplified in the silence.
Dealix started gently bouncing his leg to relieve restlessness.
The stoner girl next to him noticed and tapped her pencil on her paper-she was making progress, unlike him, he thought, as she continued her interaction with the boy behind him.
The boy glared at her, and she responded in kind.
"Yo. Don''t take crap from anyone. You were quiet. He''s just annoyed because I rejected him," Chandra intervened, causing the three of them to fall silent, along with a few other eavesdroppers.
After this exchange, Dealix felt relieved enough to start writing.
Dealix J, Smith
The Snowfall
In a dark, cold room, the wind brushed against the door, allowing snow to trickle in along with a chilly breeze. Goosebumps rose on my skin, starting from my fingers and coursing up my arm to my shoulder blades before converging at the nape of my neck. I shivered and shook it off.
I was alone but had the feeling of being watched and studied from every angle that I didn''t know existed. This triggered brief moments of mania, an intense sensation urging me to wake up, though it was confusing because I couldn''t feel anything in the dream.
yet I was experiencing everything. Panic grew inside me, compelling thoughts of opening the door, but I decided against it. It was too cold outside; I needed a jacket if I was going to venture out there. Despite this, I sensed that staying in the cabin would lead to dire consequences, though I didn''t know why I felt that way. I turned around and opened the closet door, grabbing a coat.
''Might as well listen to these thoughts; they might save me in the future,'' I told myself as I set out on an adventure - ''
Suddenly, Tay, the kid behind him, kicked his chair because of Dealix''s bouncing leg.
Dealix was startled, and a series of imagery played in his mind - the school hallways frozen and buried under snow, light snowflakes gently falling.
A jolt of unease shot from the nape of his neck down his spine.
The desk began to rattle, and he shivered uncontrollably. Amidst the rattling, the teacher peeked up from his book titled ''After'', searching for the source. His gaze fell upon Dealix.
rattling persisted, shaking his desk and those around him. Students raised their hands to signal their concern. Some muttered to themselves.
Mr. Clark, taken aback, tried to comfort Dealix, who let out an eerie, loud screech, startling the teacher.
The rattling continued, shaking his desk, himself, and the neighboring desks. Students stared and whispered, their thoughts a mix of confusion and fear.
Dealix''s head jerked back as the rattling intensified. Another student, Ellie, moved to poke Dealix, but the teacher intervened.
Clark approached the desk as Dealix''s head had stopped moving, and the rattling subsided. Dealix let out a pain-filled scream, shaking his head wildly, his hands gripping the desk with enough force to leave marks.
" What the hell is going on!" The girl from before cried out, stricken with hysteria.
Dealix tossed and turned, his breaths replaced by screams, his eyes returning to normal for a moment, wide and desperate for air. The teacher was stunned, his eyes were moons, struggling to make sense of the situation.
Dealix fell to the ground, flailing as his legs jittered involuntarily.
The teacher urgently instructed students to call for the emergency hotline and the principal on the school phone.
He wrapped his arms around Dealix, protecting his head, but Dealix continued to convulse, briefly surfacing from his disoriented state to gasp for air¡ªhis face fueled with panic.
Foam spewed from his mouth, followed by blood that appeared darker than usual, coating his mouth with metallic.
Though the dark maroon could have been a trick of their minds due to the chaotic scene.
One student screamed as lightning struck the window, hitting Dealix''s desk and igniting it.
Erupting faint ionized gasses from the strike accompanying the fragrance of sulfur from the fire.
A collective shiver ran through the room, causing students to tremble.
"Grab the fire extinguisher!" The teacher yelled while still trying to comfort Dealix, reassuring him that everything will be okay.
Chandra rushed to get the fire extinguisher.
"Point it! Hold-"
"I know how to use this thing!" She exclaimed having past experiences, she pointed the fire extinguisher to the blaze putting it out.
The area around Dealix''s desk was charred and damaged. Students huddled together at the teacher''s back.
Chandra huffed with relief and dropped the extinguisher, glancing between her new found friend, the group, and the teacher.
Dealix''s convulsions ceased, now in an unconscious state.
The distant sound of an approaching ambulance grew louder as it neared the school.
Soon enough, the ambulance arrived, and a makeshift stretcher was prepared. Chandra hurriedly boarded the ambulance.
"Who are you?" The paramedic asked.
"His sister," Chandra said, looking at Dealix, then at the paramedic.
"Adopted," she clarified, gesturing toward Dealix.
The paramedic looked at both of them and allowed her into the ambulance.
The teacher watched this unfold, bewildered.
"What are you doing...?" He asked. Chandra smirked and waved.
"Just give me some homework and let me go with MY brother," she said, urging him to be quiet. Surprisingly, he complied, and she smirked in return. At least Dealix wouldn''t be alone during the ambulance ride, the teacher thought.
Mr. Clark took out his flip phone and dialed Dealix''s parents'' number but received no answer. He tried again, leaving a voicemail about their son''s situation. He snapped the phone shut, entered the classroom, and announced the cancellation of classes for the day.
"Go home. School''s canceled. If anyone needs a ride, call Mr. Buer. He''ll sort things out to get you home." A few students dialed his number to organize carpools.
Others called their parents, while some students left to walk home in the rain, discussing the shocking events of the day.
Inside the ambulance, Chandra watched Dealix closely.
She rummaged through his bag and found crumpled papers that detailed his peculiar stories.
"Something''s happening to you, isn''t it?" she murmured to herself, realizing that she needed to be there for whatever was about to unfold.
He would need someone close by.
She placed the papers back into her bag, deciding to hide them there instead of Dealix''s.
She had a sense that she might need to keep them hidden in the future, especially if they wanted to blame this situation on drugs.
The Fourth Day: P.2
¡ð~ They arrived inside the hospital, Chandra following with. She quickly opens the doors for them, They nod in respect, and she nods back.
The floor makes their shoes mimic mice. The nurses stepped in to block Chandra from going into the procedure room.
She buffs and looks over their shoulders, making sure he arrives in the right rooms. The door opened, showing doctors, more staff, and nurses.
The door flaps shut. Leaving flashes of Dealix being carried away. The rain is still pouring, thudding on the ceiling.
The water flowed down the windows with rolling lightning in the clouds as if stalking prey.
"You can take a seat over here and wait for your friend-" Before the nurse finished, Chandra added the same story she told the carriers.
"He''s my adopted brother."
"Ah", says the nurses with a skeptical undertone while moving over to their desks, one of their fingers twirling on a slow day.
Chandra looks away with a shake of her head and flops down on the chair with a huff.
"Why are you huffing? You ain''t old yet, " a random stranger included. She looks at him and shrugs, then continues to mind her business. The old man chuckles and does the same.
She bounces her leg, waiting for information about her "adopted" brother.
Chandra can technically say that and get away with that. She looks around the hospital and looks at the sleek ceiling.
"I''m sure that was a pretty penny." She mumbles, continuing to observe the hospital room.
Flora arrangements pattern the pillar holding up patient rooms above. The pillar is a sleek white marble, and so is the floor with some high-class carpets.
She doesn''t feel comfortable in hospitals, especially nicer ones like these that are close to the tower.
Bodies will sometimes go missing, along with individuals with mental disorders - continuing bouncing her leg.
-
The skies grew darker as the storm went on. Lightning recoiled closer to the area, thunder shaking the windows periodically.
Chandra looks at the two nurses, both doing other things except their designed roles.
The sky fluttered, lightning snaking across the skies, slithering above the hospital, creating a cascade of thunder.
It crackles. The hospital shakes continuously with rippled lightning strikes, the nurses hold onto their meeting desks, darting around in a cascading panic. Chandra grasps her chair, flipping it over, crawling underneath it.
However trepidation pulled onto her, she bolted to a small coffee table while reinforcing it with the chair. The rumble continued, knocking some wiring loose accompanying some frail pieces of the building.
-
Flickering lights basks Dealix''s patient room.
The windows rumbled, making no sound for the unconscious Vel.
It rumbles again, accompanied by electrical discharges from the lights. The room turns pitched.
"Hello, Dealix." A distorted voice echoed throughout the room. - Dealix awakens.
His eyes fluttered open. His eyes feel dry, itching within the sides. Crawling, printing sclerosis amongst the Sclera and into the iris, crawling its way into the pupil -
It gets interrupted by Chandra busting into the room, her arm damaged, and parts of her skin tissue peeled off, exposing specks of flesh.
She grunts and grabs Dealix, picks him up, and onto her shoulders, adrenaline powering Chandra.
Her epinephrine carries them outside the room. The lightning continues to roar outside the hospital walls, almost as if it were infuriated.
Doctors rushed left and right, panicking while others sparked heroism. Rescuing people.
Hysteria haunted the hospital as the storm flared
A doctor rushes in, hitting the side of the door seal.
"I''m glad I reached you - we have to hurry and get out of here!" The man takes them, and a few other nurses and doctors who had run past the doorway lended out aid wherever they could in the evacuation.
They were reaching the main entrance - a spark flew by capturing the attention of Chandra.
Making her look into another room, the busted electrical wiring repeated its flicker.
"We need to go. The Tower escorts are here to help you evac!"
"Alright!, take him with you. Make sure NOTHING happens to him!" Chandra hands off Dealix in the hopes of protection, just for a moment.
"There''s something that I got to check real quick! It won''t take long. I promise -"
The doctor looks down diagonally, then interrupts her"Just make sure you come back out of here. We''ll have help surrounding the buildings if we need to get you out of here in a jiff. "
The man let her go. She sprints to where she observed.
-
Entering the double doors and into the hallway, rubble littered the ground. Sparks are going off in every direction.
The storm outside continues to roar, lightning strikes a window off in the distance.
A force of curiosity drove Chandra towards the noise, willing to uncover the formalities.
"That sounded like it was coming from down here." She traversed through the rubble, picking things up and kicking things out of her way.
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Lightning strikes again, right above Chandra, causing part of the ceiling to rumble and collapse.
She lunges out of the way, hitting the ground with a thud as it tumbles down. Coincidentally making a way up to the upper floor.
"Can''t waste any more time. I need to hurry out of here, " she mumbles to herself, picking her body up
- Bolting up the makeshift ramp and ascending to the upper floors.
It was quiet. No rumbles, no sparks. It looked perfectly intact other than the hole that had just been created.
Her mind became intrigued by why there were no damages - until a lightning bolt struck again, erasing the anomaly
hitting a window. Shattering it in pieces. Chandra turns around in the direction of the noise, a room down the darkened hallway slowly opens, emerging blues and purple lights.
With an occasional flash to follow it. Chandra leaps over the hole.
Thud, her feet planted on the other side. She landed the leap. Years of skateboarding taught her a few balancing tricks, and this was easy.
Peddle peddle, her footsteps inch closer to the open doors, the flashing of lights become more visible to her, however, she still can''t make out what''s causing it.
Everything around her became a convergence of silence, filling the space around her with an eerie thickness.
The door slowly inches open more. Leaving her heart amplified, the old door creaks open. Showing...
"A Projector...?" Chandra questioned, opening the door for herself to make sure she was understanding everything correctly.
A sharp feeling rushed down her spine and up to the nape of her neck. Leaving "Ghostmarks" behind, an altered version of goosebumps, but they''re not there. - she steps forward.
The projector is now dimly lit, glowing off and on. With even higher voltages between.
"Like talking," she says. Moving in front of it directly. The lights switch to a low hum, making an item visible on the projector itself.
She looks up at the light board, glimpsing a silhouette of a planchette like object.
"I''ve practiced with stuff like this before when I was a kid... even some now. Why this all of a sudden -"
She gets disturbed by a loud crackling sound coming from the dark hallways - disturbing the ominous silence.
The projector flashes matching the rhythm of panic.
Without hesitation, she grabs the stone and leaps out the broken window... How convenient again?"
Awaiting her were some tower escorts and a blanket catch. She flops on the blanket
Lightning rolled within the skies, crackling voltages of arches down the hospital distorted the room she was in.
"That was close! " One of the escorts said.
"How did you know I was going to be in that room!" Chandra yells back.
"We had an anonymous caller!" Leaving Chandra with more questions than answers.
She shocks back up, checking for the stone. It''s there safely tucked into her coat zipper pocket.
"Where''s my brother?" She plays the same key. The escorts lead her to him. Leading her into a carrier - the escorts shutting it behind her as the storm continued.
There, he was sitting alone on the other side of the seats, strangers staring at him concerning his health.
Chandra plops a seat next to him as the carrier sways them forward in motion to the vehicle, taking them to the Tower.
"You okay?" She says, trying to check him for any damages. He waves her off but says that he''s fine. However, she doesn''t care, continuing to check.
"Do you know where our bags are?" She asked him. He points underneath the seats to the other side.
Chandra looks up at the civilians who are staring like a rat with cheese, Very intrigued.
"Excuse me..." she puts her arms out, checking for a latch to open the storage. They found both of their bags along with some of the other civilians'' luggage.
"If you say ANYTHING about this, I''ll throw you out the carrier." She implies grabbing the bong from her bag.
The others shifted in their seats, and one of them peaked over.
"Can I have some..?"
"HARLED!" The other one screeches at the asker. Chandra shrugs as he looks dead in her eyes as she packs the bowl - turning around to Dealix.
"You want some..? Given the certain circumstances taking place right now."
Dealix shrugs and nods. His dirty palms grasped the stim of the bong. Taking the first hit.
"Smoking the greens.." she says as Dealix hits the bong - taking a big coughing fit after he releases the smoke.
Handing the bong over to Chandra, he waved the smoke away. She grabs it and turns to the guy who asks and hands it to him. Giving a stare to the lady.
"You''re hitting this, too."
The lady''s head bolts back and then looks away in silence, while the assumed connection takes a hit but doesn''t cough. Chandra gives him a look, making him ''cough'' while she gives him the thumbs-up for participation.
He hands the bong back after a few more hits with glances from his connection. With that settled, she was going to hand the bong to the lady, but decided she was going to go first rather than have her go.
She puts the tip-off the bong up to her lips, the bong stim, warm from use.
However, she puts the other thoughts into the back while she flips the lighter to create flame, putting the newly born blaze onto the herb, sizzling it with clouds of smoke tunneling down and up the bong as she inhales.
A sense of rush followed with calmness enters her while holding her breath, an odd sensation,
Calmness takes more than a rush. Letting the smoke flow out after a solid minute.
She takes a seat with stoned Dealix on the cold seating of the carrier as they continue to their destination.
A thought came across the lady''s mind.
"Shouldn''t we have gotten to the tower by now.. where are they taking us..? "
Chandra thinks for a moment before answering, having some panic mixing in with the high.
"Well, that''s not good," she tried to say quietly, but the lady overheard.
"What..?"
"Oh, I''m sure they''re taking us to another tower..after all the tower that we thought we were going to might''ve been too close to the destruction..?" She claims, trying to give relief to her.
The woman nods, looking down with a brewing thought in mind, "Names Clincy.." she says, trying to be polite in her way.
Giving thanks for the attempt to make her feel comfortable.
The carrier moved to a destination unknown to them, the sound of the storm outside making its way into the vehicle.
Rumbling the passengers inside. Chandra looked above and around following the roaring passing by.
She sighs deeply, catching herself to show restraint, although the others mind their business - inconsiderate about her will to restrain.
Dealix is now asleep, his head laying on his backpack. Dealix''s Head bobbing as the vehicle continues. Leaving Chandra to herself and with her thoughts on the ride.
The carrier shifts, tweaking them forward and back in place. The doors open.
A wave of lights hit them, making them cover their eyes. Leftover smoke flows out and into the nostrils of a voice behind the light.
"You all will be coming with me. You''re not - " the voice stops to sniff.
"Is that weed..?"
Chandra lit up and gripped her bag giving a ''oh fuck''.
"Well if it is, it''s alright. Especially in this situation, we have now. I would be smoking too if I had the time" The voice gets a face as their eyes ease into the light.
"Hi, my name''s Sameria, Most people call me Sam for short - I''ll tell you this upfront. I''m a doctor at the 4th tower. Welcome to my home."
Sam explains, giving a comfort authority figure, making Chandra ease a little bit by releasing the grip of her bag.
"Who''s he?" She points at sleeping Dealix.
"Oh, that''s my adoption - " before Chandra can finish that key story. She nods it off and shakes it away.
"Okay, but who"
Chandra takes back with the sudden change.
"Dealix.." she answers.
"No last name or -"
"Why does it matter?" Chandra challenges. Sam was taken aback as well. Glaring at her rather than confirming.
"We''ll have to do some tests on him.."
"Alright, well I''m coming with obviously" Chandra tries to bring the point across but fades on the same authority ego that seeped out during the questioning.
"No, you''ll be elsewhere" Sam confirms having one of the guards take all of them in.
Dealix, still surprisingly asleep, gets lifted by a built arms guard.
Walking beside Sam, another guard pulls Chandra with them before they break ways Sam says.
"Don''t worry about her, she''ll definitely protect your friend from any harm."
"Maybe not from you, and he''s my ADOPTED brother." She finally snuck it in.
Sam cuffs her, breaking the two paths as she hints an eye roll from the response.
"I''ll see you again, Dealix!! Just remember that, " Chandra says one last time in hopes his subconscious hears for him in his sleeping ears.
"This way," the guard pulls her into another tower entrance, watching her friend enter another one across the way as the door tightly shuts the sight between them.
The storm fell silent after a final lightning strike hit a rod, catching it before it connected to anything else,
leaving goodbye to the group - with Chandra''s and the guard''s footsteps echoing the corridors.
Invading the ears of a science worker.
The Fourth Night
Eve walked the corridors of the Tower.
Lately, people have been evacuated to this tower instead of the actual tower meant for sheltering.
She had pondered this for a while, checking her notes as she crossed rooms.
A faint squeak of someone''s shoes makes it into her eardrums.
She turns her head to the location, getting a glimpse of someone''s foot as it disappears.
Eve looks down at her shoes and looks up.
Then proceeds to take them off showing her gripped-toe socks she bought recently.
Tip-toeing to the location of the unknown presence.
Having Eve''s full attention, she puts her ordered tasks aside to hunt for this mystery figure - peeking her head around the corner.
Catching a hooded figure peeking through the windows of each room.
She doesn''t speak up. Rather holds a curious observation about what this person is looking for.
Before the hooded figure placed their feet on the ground, Eve hid herself around the corner as well. Giving a little smirk as she does.
She hears the pitter-patter of footsteps echoing to the next room, and she leans her head over this time, catching a glimpse of the figure''s face.
"A boy¡?" She accidentally says aloud. Making the boy dart his head with widened eyes. Their eyes locked together.
"Hi there," she says awkwardly. Causing the boy to run. His footsteps thudded on the floors. She doesn''t chase him.
However, she opens an app on her phone to check surveillance cameras.
Leaning on the wall, she examines her Modded phone. Seeing the boy look over his shoulders dipping through hallways like a jackrabbit.
"He''s quite fast.." she murmurs.
"Whatcha doing Eve!" A familiar voice broke her tunnel vision. She gasps and throws her phone into her pocket while dropping her shoes.
"Oh..uhm - Hi Sam. Nothing I was just -"
"Procrastinating," Sam implies. Eve scratches her head and agrees. Putting on her shoes.
"Can you please check up on the new patient?" Sam hands another list over to Eve.
She grabs the list from Sam while successfully putting on one of her shoes. Sam looks down at her toe socks and then lets out a sigh.
"Toe socks¡?"
"Yes, don''t judge something so Divine." Eve twirls her toes, then starts to put on her shoes, smiling at Sam''s expression.
Sam stares at her while she puts them on.
"Well, I''ll get to it!" She stated while walking past Sam. Brushing her coat.
" Check up on 404 first," Sam implies "It''ll be at the far corridors" she informs her.
Eve speculated from the sudden misdirection, however she agrees and the two parted ways, Sam taking the same route the boy ran to.
Her stomach felt unsettled, feeling like Sam knew about this before she continued on track.
She flips out her phone again, tapping some patterns on the phone, then switches it shut - placing it in her pocket.
Her footsteps continue her ordered tasks. Leading to another part of the tower, where they keep mental patients who have agreed to be studied.
Eve believes that there is something more to this, and the upper ranks didn''t want to leak any information about these patients, besides the obvious factors.
Her key-card swipes the bars.
Giving a singalong to punch her code within a specific rhythm. The door dings again, opening on its own.
Having air jets spew out between the cracks of it.
She enters the airlock room, having the door shut behind her, and repeats the process. Leading into the patient''s room.
"Like that, for example," she thought about the airlock doors.
"Like the airlocks?" The patient continues her thoughts. Eve gets taken back by asking.
"What was that?" Looking at the patient. He shakes his head and shrugs.
"I didn''t say anything."
Eve puzzled for moments before leaving it alone. She grabs a nearby chair and takes a place with the patient, taking out a clipboard.
"Is it okay to ask you some questions..?" Taking a pen out. She swirled it around her fingers in a continued motion.
"I wouldn''t mind that at all," he smiles, fascinated by her pen-twirling skills.
"Do you know why you''re here..?"
"Yes, I got asked for research on a new way of stabilizing mental disorders." He responds, giving a wide grin.
Eve rubs her eyes and looks at him again, but this time, he has a blank facial expression.
Staring off into the distance, as if he never got questioned. Goosebumps rise on the nape of her neck, giving it a little massage to loosen the feeling.
"Okay¡are you ready for another question," She asks, feeling staggered. She waits for the patient''s response, however their gaze is still fixed past eve.
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She turns around to see what they''re looking at, looks at them again, and looks towards the camera confirming her suspicions.
knocking the chair back as she bolts up, walking to the camera, pushing it away from her view.
"How''s that.."
"That''s fine.."
"I didn''t catch your name, by the way," Eve mentioned, turning around after she adjusted the camera to a perfect angle for privacy.
However, no response reaches her. The patient standing - facing the corner silently.
Eve''s goose-flesh comes back, crawling down from the nape down the spine. Leaving her grunting with discomfort with more questions.
"Hello?" She lets out. Managing the goosebumps as she inches forward.
"Are you okay..? Do you need any help?" she persisted, but it fell silent. The patient flails, hitting his arm on the wall -
Eve steps back, avoiding any danger that may come. She took her mind to the camera, starting to believe that this was not a brilliant idea.
She steps back again, the patient reacting, twitching his head violently. His eyes rolled down, showing blood clots that pulled up. Eve stops, frozen in her tracks.
A gulp needs to be pushed down her throat, but she doesn''t let it happen.
Fighting the urge to swallow before the patient, not knowing what could set them off.
The idea of the shoes comes back to her. However, the thought quickly fades as footsteps approach, the sound echoing into the room. Making the patient twitch.
He smashed his head into the wall repeatedly, his arms smacking the wall.
Leaving Eve in shock, not knowing what to do.
The patient''s flailing intensifies as the footsteps get closer.
Blood splatters on the wall and onto the floor, hitting Eve''s shoes.
"Shit..shit, shit, shit," Eve repeats. However, making the patient halt in silence. Blood ran down the walls, a splatter mark was imprinted on the concrete. The footsteps got louder, vibrating Eve''s eardrums and the patients.
A feeling of dread courses through her, causing Eve''s head to swirl, the feeling of sense loosens. She stumbles, trying to grab onto the chair to catch herself. However, she fails, bringing it down with her.
"Oh~...Eve~" The patient finally speaks up, but the voice is gargling with blood that''s been mimicking small rivers down from his head towards his mouth.
Footsteps stop at the door. Her senses come back to her, and she grabs the chair and hoists herself up sluggishly. Staring at the patient. His grin was ever so long, so unnatural.
"I''ll be seeing you.." He says as the door opens. Eve turns towards the open door and then back at him.
"Seeing me where..?!" She responds, but the question goes unanswered as the man violently breaks out a blood-curdling scream, shaking his head.
Gripping his head tightly, hair poking up between his fingers, the first door shuts. Eve looks again.
Quickly jolting to the camera to at least get something on the footage, the man''s screams somehow got louder, making his voice crackle. Eventually he vomits blood from the damages from his throat as the final door creaks open, the man flops on the pile, slashing blood on the walls as if possessed. His clothing being soaked by the second.
Eve snaps to the doorway. Not knowing who might be coming inside. The airlock mechanism depressurizes the room.
Eve''s eardrums pop, causing her to yelp from sudden pain.
The man''s rolled-down eyes widened further, creating an unnatural set of full moons, his veins still agitated, the skin around the sockets cracks and flakes off.
Eve, on the other hand, is on the ground.
Amidst passing out, the man''s eyes pop, blasting black liquids across the room, some splashing onto Eve''s face as she passes out, the airlock mechanism stops.
Leaving the door wide open..the reality around Eve comes to a dark halt.
The last thing he visions is the man standing over her. The patient''s eyes are gone. Leaving an abyss where it should have been.
Sam rushes to the room, the airlock no longer working. Flashing of yellow invades the surrounding area, bathing it with a paced cycle.
She reacts, squeezing into the room, seeing Eve alone in the room unconscious on the floor. Black subsistence ran down the side of her head.
Sam kneels wiping it off, flakes feathered to the floor, while most of it is painted on her fingers.
She takes a vile out of her pocket, takes a slob of it, and places it within. Dipping the vile into her pocket before she wakes Eve up.
"Hey, wake up," shoving her side to attempt.
Sam grabs a water bottle from her other lab coat pocket and empties it onto Eve.
"Still no reaction, huh?" Sam gets up, ordering guards to come carry Eve''s unconscious body into the medial section of the Tower by radio.
Guards gradually enter the room.
"Take good care of her," she says, with no empathy whatsoever. The guards pick her up and carry her to the destination.
Sam halts before leaving the room, taking glances around. Seeing an empty room, wondering why Eve had been in here, and why the door was malfunctioning, she meets with the camera and glares at it while giving Eve the same expression as she watches her being carried away by escorts.
"You did something¡didn''t you? " she asks herself, bringing in another question as to why Eve didn''t go to her assigned room.
She continues walking with the guards out of the room, other guards roll in to survey, two more protect the doorway as Sam and the others leave for the medical center.
Her heels echo throughout the corridors.
Sam, and the guards protecting them pass by a meditating Chandra sitting on her new uncomfortable bed. A single eye opens, looking at the window on the door as the group passes.
She gets up and peaks from the window, seeing an unconscious Eve being carried to who knows where, surely Chandra wouldn''t have known. She got thrown in here after being separated from her friend.
"That''s a scientist they''re holding," she murmurs to herself aloud, causing her bed-mate to poke their head up out of curiosity.
"What''s going on..?" The bed-mate''s voice startles Chandra, and she jumps, turning around to face them.
"Sorry, I was kinda talking amongst myself," she explained to her roommate with gesturing hands.
"Ah,"
"So..what''s your name? might as well get to know each other a little bit." She shuffles to the bedside. looking up at the top bunk.
"Kinda used to sleep on these things," she says. Sliding her hand on the bunk bed rails.
"Names Mier and I''ve slept worse before," he mentioned and carried on the conversation.
"Mier, huh..why do I vaguely recall your name?"
"Go to Evergaints High School?" He tosses over to look at Chandra.
"Ah. Yes, I do. Just came from there after a -"
"Severe thunderstorm? " He interrupts but finishes her sentence.
"Yup, you have it correct." She loosened her grip on the bed railing, making her arm flop down. She looks at the door, then looks back at Mier.
"So how long have you been here?" She comments with curiosity.
"About.. two days ago..?" He recalls, placing his hand on his chin as he brings the date back.
"Pretty much got here the same as you. Thunderstorms hit suddenly and violently. Those lightning strikes were brutal. Like if -"
"Was stalking you..?" She replicated the interruption, her forehead creased with raised eyebrows. However, leaving them both with goosebumps.
"Feel like something is happening we don''t know about." He added, with faint questions about Chandra''s side of the story.
"Yeah..it was a passed out scientist looking girl being carried, by the way." she says, sluggishly pointing at the door, giving an opening for a connection between the two.
"Must be taking her to the medical bay of this tower." His knowledge portrays the contents of the Tower. He slouches over onto his back. Staring at the ceiling.
Leaving them both to question the events that have been happening, trying to connect any dots. Eventually, Chandra brings up her side of the story. Then, he follows after. Converting about the past days.
"Then I jumped out the window, and luckily, the Tower escorts were there with one of those blanket catchers." She somewhat laughs at the occurrence, giving closer to the accident.
"So it was you." He pauses Chandra. She looks him in the eyes with inquirement. Mier summons back the picture that was abruptly given to him, he wanted to pass it off as an apparition, but a perceptible pull led him to tell the guards.
Leaving them questioning how he knew, though Mier hung up the phone before anything escalated -- so he thought
"You''re the unknown caller..that let those guards know I was up there?"
"Aren''t you.." she finishes. Leaving her flabbergasted. Mier tossed over again, pivoting himself up with his hand.
"I somewhat didn''t.." The air felt thick with perplexity.
"What do you mean you didn''t know?"
"Well, exactly how you might think, but if I explain further, you might no -"
"Never know with some people.." she does it again, but with a stern voice.
However, the conversation falls as echoes of slow-paced footsteps reach their ears again.
Chandra looks both at Mier and the door, then pounces off the bed to dart towards the door, peeking out the window to see.
Dealix, sluggishly walking, his eyes covered in haze.
"He''s sleepwalking. " -
The Fourth Night: P.2
Dealix shuffled past the room. Chandra, on the other side of the door, pounded her fist up against the window. However, the banging was unnoticed by the sleepwalking Dealix.
"Dealix! - Dealix!, " Chandra cried out. Meir gets up from the bed to aid her.
"I''ll help you out." he tries to gather Dealix''s attention by pounding on the walls near them, leading to empty rooms, as he slowly shifts away.
Chandra knew she had to act quickly. Something about his movements and the way things have been, makes her feel uneasy.
She goes prone on the floor, sliding her backpack out from under the bed - zips it open, and rummages through it.
Grabbing anything that could potentially help in this situation.
Meir, having to continue as Chandra looks through her belongings, glimpses at Dealix going down a hallway, turning right.
"Better hurry. Your buddy just left our sights. " he points with his thumb out the window in the general location with an alarming expression, sensing that their time is limited.
"Thanks for the heads up." She gets back up, grabbing what she needs from the bag.
"It''s a good thing I stashed this."
"What is that...?"
"Don''t worry about it." Chandra smiles at Meir, then smashes the tool she got from the hospital up against the window, but nothing.
She does it once more - nothing again. She inhales deeply, then gives it everything she''s got.
The window breaks with a crash, pieces of glass shatter to the ground. Causing enough ruckus to startle nearby walkers, the muffling of voices speaks to another unintelligible voice.
They both look at the bedroom wall where the voices can be heard from. Meir reacts quickly -
He took off his shirt and wrapped it around his thin arm, placing it through the window.
"I got the handle!"
Chandra turns around to a shirtless Meir. The pattern on his back resembles that of a moon.
"What''s that..?" She asks, and Meir pulls up on the handle.
Making the door swing open from the weight, Meir tumbles with it, hitting a neighboring room.
Chandra compresses a laugh, knowing it''s not the time. Her goal is to find Dealix. She grabs Meir, yanking him up on his feet.
"Let''s go." She says, running in the direction Meir pointed.
"Down the hall!" He shouts before they miss it.
Their shoes skid, echoing throughout the corridors, faint voices stir in the distance. Chandra and Meir stumble into the wall, and without hesitation, they continue their prowl.
"I think he went this way..-"
"Before you go, we can''t get caught by ~anyone~." Saying it with an emphasis, grabbing Meier''s arm before they both dart into the hallway.
They both nod and continue. They run until Chandra stops, thinking about how much noise they''re causing. It''s drowning out his footsteps, along with drawing people closer to them at the same time.
"What is it..?" Mier asks, as he halts, expressing his concern.
"We''re drowning out his footsteps by running like this..plus we should have caught up to him at this point."
"You''re right, plus..this is all in your head anyways..." Mier''s expression changes to a lifeless gaze, his stance mirroring the mannerisms.
"What?" Leaving Chandra puzzled for a moment before Meir''s skin starts to slowly peel off, floating away like a piece of ash.
Her heart shakes, her stomach is slowly tightening.
"You''re infected too.." Meir''s voice changes from his original to a chappy, distorted, garbled tone.
"What- What do you -" taking steps backward, her tongue tripping on itself, as she hits the wall behind her.
"Chandra!" Meir yells. Pulling Chandra back into focus, reality slingshotting back to her.
Meir, down the hallway, tells her to hurry with exaggerated gestures.
"I''ve found him! it''s not good!"
Chandra feels her legs come back. The moment they do, she bolts to Meir, turns the corner, and Dealix is hitting his head against a patient''s room window.
The faint voices creeping their way towards them.
"Whao, whao, whao!" Chandra repeats, Meir just standing there not knowing what to do in this certain situation.
Chandra hurries to Dealix to stop him, grabbing him with a yank -
"Stop!" She tries to speak quietly. The force of his determination doesn''t go unnoticed by Chandra, barely keeping him from hitting his head against the cracked bloodied window.
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Meir slowly walks over and takes a peek inside the stained glass window, squinting his vision to see what could be the determination to get in.
"Stop~!" She says again, Dealix''s hazed eyes roll back into his head. Chandra pretends not to notice and tries to keep focus on stopping Dealix from making his brain into minced meat.
"Will-you-cut-it-out-...Already!" Chandra snaps, grabs him tight, then trips him. Both of them tumble down, and Meir turns his head from looking at the window.
Squeaking of distant boots breach their eardrums, signaling that they''ll have company in a manner of moments.
"Alrighty then," he simply states, not bothering to help. Then he goes back to looking, and he finally sees something that could potentially be a reason for this.
"Not to bother you from your work there, but we might have company soon." He looks back seeing them wrestle.
"Oh? Well, that''s nice - to know!" She struggles to say while keeping Dealix stationary.
Mier looks back inside the room, placing his hands on the window. "Yeah, there¡¯s a boy in here with a patient, one doesn''t look like a patient, and...it looks like he''s escaping through a makeshift hole they made. Mier tries to say informatively.
"Well shit, that- is good to know - but... Can you help me?!"
"Oh, I thought you were handling it quite well. "
"Gee, thanks." she replies," Mier holds Dealix''s arms and legs, stopping any future struggle from happening. Chandra takes this moment to get on top for more strength, keeping him down.
"Alright, buddy, you need to wake up!" Chandra says, slight urgency piquing her face, charging up a swift slap to the face. It cracks against his face, making it echo through the corridors.
The sound of the echo ringing in Dealix''s ears, waking him up, he jumps up, knocking Chandra onto Mier. Grunting as they hit each other.
"Where am I?!" Dealix panics, looking around. Shifting his legs, noticing some weight.
"Chandra...? - Stranger...?" He says, confused but relieved he''s with someone he knows. They look up from the bundled mess, both relieved as well. While informing him of what happened.
"I smacked my He-?" Before he finishes, he groans, placing his hand on his forehead, flinching his hand away as he touches the damaged area.
"Yeah.. you''re bleeding pretty bad too, let me take care of that," Meir says, shuffling into his bag, quickly grabbing some gauze along with a med kit he magically pulled from his bag.
"Sense when..?" Chandra questions him, and he applies it to Dealix.
"A while ago, when you were daydreaming" he gives a short answer as there is little time to explain, hearing the squeak become gradually louder.
"Well, I wasn''t daydreaming. It was more of a...daymare..?" She tries to explain, but Mier puts his hand up, stopping the explanation, and finishes up the first aid.
"Yeah, okay. You do that, " Chandra snarls at him, pulling herself up to shake off.
"And so I will," he grabs a blade from the kit, Cutting the bandage and putting a clip to neatly finish the task.
Chandra walks over to the window again, feeling the cracks with her fingertips. Examining it further, his blood in a darkened pallet. She rubs it between her finger and thumb, zoning out the approaching guards.
"Almost like earlier today.." Chandra murmurs to herself, the voice''s making her bring up a hand to the handle and giving it a good yank.
"Figures nothing would happen." her voice rippled with urgency.
"Here.. let me do it" Dealix wraps his hand with his shirt. Giving it a few more punches before it finally breaks into the room. He brings his hand back and unwraps it, feeling a pluck of pain.
Mier takes over quickly and puts his thin arm into the window seal, unlocking the door. Then he takes a step back as it creeps open.
A clear echo of stampeding footsteps accompanying shouts shatters the group, leaving them with little room to breathe.
They bolt into the room, Mier shuffling everything back into his bag, as the resounding footsteps gradually get closer, he gets up and meets the two in the hole the boy and the other patient made.
¡°Hey!¡± a shout rifts through the corridor, their pursuers in sight.
Mier enters the room, closing it off with anything he can.
The footsteps are coming closer and more rapidly.
He tussles some more, and then Dealix rushes him, making him give up and continue to run down the makeshift hole.
they enter an opening outside, similar footprints echoed across the opening leading off the Towers facilities.
"This way!" A voice behind them makes it through, bringing an eagerness to get out of there. Following the tracks - Dealix doing his best to cover up what he could to save them time.
He halts his attempts, scurrying to catch up with the others, Dealix catches up with them, they sprint to any type of safety they could manage, losing the previous pair of tracks.
"These guys know - know how to." Chandra gasped for air as they stopped in a denser part of the forest within a few miles from the Tower.
"Yeah -" She stops, using any strength left to pull herself up into a tree to rest. The group does the same, finding spots to hide. Just in case the guards didn''t stop pursuing.
"We- might have to spend the night here.." Dealix speaks up, making the realization hit the group.
"Then we must," Mier says. Lifting his legs, finding a nice cubby hole to sleep in, passing out quickly. Leaving the two alone as they lay awake, their hearts still racing from earlier.
-
"Do you recall anything?" Chandra speaks up between the ambiance of nature and the awkward silence between them.
"No.."
"Not even when we were on the carrier..?"
"I do remember that.." He chuckles softly.
"How was the weed..?" Chandra says in a joking inquiry.
"It was..okay," he jokes back with her, making a gesture with his hand as if they could see it.
"Okay!?" She says aloud but catches herself. Looking at the sleeping Mier. Stuffed into a cubby hole of a tree.
"I wonder what his story is." Chandra wonders.
"Yeah, he seems like a strange - but nice guy."
"He''s definitely different.." They continue the conversation, subconsciously taking in a whiff of rain.
Dark hidden clouds roll in, floating above them. Ready to pour down on the group.
"What do you remember..?"
"Well. I remember passing out because of the weed.."
"Ahuh..?" She says smirkingly.
"Then waking up in a hospital-like bed...I had these..tubes connected to me," Dealix tries to explain, but the memory is still fuzzy.
"They were doing tests on you.." she speculates, remembering the first conversation she and Sam had.
"Think you might be right about that - I vaguely remember them taking a blood sample with a needle, I don''t like needles very much so I must''ve passed out"
"Neither do I." They make a connection between the conversation. Getting closer to becoming actual friends.
Clouds build up, emerging a larger portion of the skies. However, keeping a stationary watch over the group as it collects into larger clouds. Slowly blocking the moon above.
"Alright. I''m going to head to bed..best you should do the same," Chandra says, switching over to her side, still keeping an eye out. Just in case Dealix "sleepwalks" again. The image of his face flashes within her mind.
Giving Goose-flesh at the nape of the neck, fading as quickly as it came. Having her stomach unsettled, keeping her up while Dealix drifted off to sleep himself. Turning away from Chandra.
Her eyes slowly close as exhaustion catches up to her.
The Fourth Night: P.3
Lin and Opel dashed through the forest, the distant echoes of screams fueling their desperate escape. They assumed those faint voices belonged to the pursuing Guards, hot on their heels.
Suddenly, Opel tripped on an unseen branch, his face hitting the ground with a grunt.
Lin immediately backtracked and helped him up, their momentum halted for a moment, then continued their race.
They leaped over sprawling tree roots and navigated through the tangle of low-hanging branches.
Emerging onto the streets, their feet embracing the asphalt.
Lowering his hood, his wet hair clung to his forehead as he turned to Opel, checking on his friend''s condition.
Engaging in a quick exchange, they shared their satisfaction at successfully evading the Tower''s clutches this time.
Amid their relief, Lin''s mind drifted to the enigmatic lady who had crossed their path.
Unlike the Guards, she hadn''t been chasing them at all.
"I mean, what was that... she even said hello in such a strange way," Lin mused.
Opel''s response was playful, tugging at Lin and teasing, "You met a girl!?"
Lin chuckled, responding, "Well, she just said ''hi... there''."
Their conversation continued, but it was abruptly interrupted by faint voices that seemed to emanate from the forest.
Suspicion filled the air as they instinctively sought cover.
Opel''s voice took on a heavier tone, his heart burdened with the memory of Kel.
"I miss Kel," he admitted with a sigh.
Lin empathized, offering reassurance, "I do too. We''ll figure out what happened back there."
Opel''s frustration flared, though, as he vented about the prospect of being caught and enduring the eerie abandoned building, his emotions surged as he picked up a rock and hurled it across the street.
"I think... It''s time for you to do this on your own, Lenny," Opel finally said, his voice tinged with a mix of resignation and determination.
Surprised by the use of his childhood nickname, Lin''s emotions churned.
He sought to understand Opel''s perspective, and they engaged in a tense exchange, grappling with the pain of the past.
Opel''s words hit hard, an accusation that couldn''t be unsaid.
A heavy silence hung between them before Lin retreated, his hood shielding him from further conversation, as he ran down the street trying to compress on what Opel had said "you''re the one who killed Kel!"
amidst the phrases of him being the one who took the group to the house that night, and that it was his fault that they got caught when they fled the scene, he had escaped but Opel did not, amalgamating his feelings into an ambivalence.
Opel stood there, wrestling with the weight of his words and the potential consequences of his outburst in silence, watching the fleeting figure of Lin, he looks down, his face grimacing as his thoughts drifted to the unforgiving acts that the Tower workers did to him in there, shifting more blame onto Lin.
---
Eve awoke in a padded room, surrounded by her science equipment.
She surveyed her unfamiliar surroundings, a reflection captures her glance, seeing her reflection staring back from the one-way mirror.
Eve adventures closer to the mirror.
She takes in her deprived state, perceiving her untreated bob-cut hair, Eve inches closer to the reflection - her eyes casting a soft dark underline.
An unsettling feeling of being observed tugged at her senses. She scrutinized the ceiling corners, searching for hidden cameras, her mind recalling their miniature, high-tech forms.
Finding none, she was left with stark white walls and her scientific instruments.
As she gingerly placed her weight on her feet, searing pain shot through her legs and spine.
She crumpled to the floor, a sense of helplessness washing over her.
Refusing to succumb, she clung to the edge of the bed and pulled herself up, the sheets unraveling as she fought for stability.
Sitting against the padded wall, she found a modicum of comfort, comparing it to the feeling of lying on another bed.
Reflecting on her surroundings, she murmured, "Surprisingly comfy," her voice echoed softly in the sterile space.
Attempting to trigger her memory, she recalled her last interactions before her captivity. Her thoughts drifted to her office, new patients, and an elusive hooded figure.
A memory of an accident flitted through her mind, fragments of a puzzle she struggled to piece together.
As Eve pondered, she absentmindedly fiddled with a pen she found in her pocket, puzzling over its significance.
Suddenly, the ceiling gave way, releasing a torrent of gas into the room.
Panic gripped Eve as memories of Patient: 520 flooded her mind. Visions of a sinister grin overcame her.
Her chest tightened as she struggled to remain composed.
Haunting voices reached her ears, "Oh... Eve, that was too easy." Memories of the patient''s words flooded back, intertwining with the present.
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A strange force pulled at her memories, revealing unsettling connections.
Tears welled in her eyes as she confronted her inner demons, the weight of her visions almost too much to bear.
The room seemed to shift and distort as Eve''s mind raced, her surroundings transformed into a surreal dreamscape.
Amid the chaos of her mind, she heard a series of voices, each vying for her attention.
The voice of a long-lost friend stood out among them, both familiar and distant.
Senses of longing and sadness tugged at her heartstrings.
"Eve, forever," she whispered to herself, the words a fragile connection to her past.
However, the figure within her mind seemed dissatisfied with her recollections, introducing confusion and disarray.
"Build it!" the voices echoed, demanding her attention. Flashes of inexplicable images surged through her mind, sending her spiraling into uncertainty.
Amid the turmoil, Eve clung to her pen, its familiarity grounding her as the room seemingly collapsed around her.
---
Lin scaled the vines, slipped through his window, and cautiously sealed it shut, as he turned around, his eyes met the gaze of an unfamiliar figure lurking in the shadows near his door.
With shock he turns on his lamp light, seeing that the figure had vanished, then turns it off, eyeing the area - seeing nothing there he moved past it, convincing himself it was a trick of the mind.
Crawling into bed, he pulled the sheets over himself, seeking solace and safety.
With a cheap pair of headphones and his phone, he attempted to drown out the world with music, light from the phone created a soft night light from the outside, he flipped through his playlist landing on a song he knew would comfort him.
The title of his chosen song, "I''m Your Angel," whispered in his thoughts.
Soothing lyrics enveloped him, gradually erasing the figure''s presence from his mind, replacing the thoughts of the events from the previous night, streaming with tonight''s occurrences.
Listening to the music he feels the ambivalence stirring, the song being deafened by the drowning tug of the recollection.
"You ''killed'' him.." his nasolabial folds shift up, having his nose slightly wrinkled, Lin''s brow squishes downwards.
His mind gathers the scene.
"Hey, so this is random - but can you come explore a house with us." he had said to Kel on the phone, his voice echoing in the memory.
"yeah - sure, I could sneak out and meet you guys there." Lin''s heart captures a string of pain, the sensation crossing his chest.
"Kel! -- Kel!" the scene changes, the reverberating voice grasps onto his mind. Lin''s head starts to tighten with pain.
"we need to run, just run-now!" It continues. Lin pulls himself back, tears slowly trickling down his face. his chest pounds.
Lin shifts himself inside his blanket cocoon, laying on his side, the tears reacting - sliding down the changed route.
Flashback forms.
"we need to go back! - we need to-"
"Opel!"
"what!" The two exchanged an intensifying commune. Lin stands there trying to compel himself to go back, his feet blistering from the sprint. Opel paces back-in-forth, his hands clenching his head periodically.
Lin''s feet start to feel the cold embrace of the asphalt.
"We have to.." Opel looks at Lin, he can feel Opel''s emotion emitting through the darkened night.
"We have to go back for him.." Opel repeats, looking down, then over towards the general location of the incident, Opel''s sorrowful emotions clung to the air. Lin fighting the grasping cold on his soles walks up to him, reaching out towards Opel''s shoulder.
Opel looks when he feels Lin''s hand resting on his shoulder blade, seeing Lin silently nodding to confirm the need to go back.
The two scurry their way back towards the yellow house, seeing a person''s car parked across the street.
They peer up into the windows to see a golden-ish hued light traveling inside.
Opel and Lin look at each other with a ghost complexion, lining their thoughts together and if the person inside will see Kel.
A flash recaptured their attention, the pair looked over at the house to see intervals of white sprites.
"Do you think..." Opel murmurs, Lin looks over at him. "Someone is taking pictures?" He adds to the connection, as they regain their focus a man comes out of the house, having an object in hand, they strain their sight seeing the vacancy of a camera.
"Could be his phone..." Opel suggests, Lin looks at him and nods. However on closer inspection the object within the man''s hands resembles a blade.
The ball-cap hatted man examines the knife, twisting it about within his grasp as he strolls to their car.
A clunking sound branches out into the street as the car door opens up, the man slowly shuffles himself inside, having a thud following the door.
The car - an older model hums to life, its headlights shine into the darkened street then begins to drive away.
Lin and Opel believe that the man didn''t witness Kel within the yellow house, if he did they wouldn''t have carried a calming posture.
"He would''ve seen him - if those were pictures being taken up in the hallway...then surely.." Lin added to an inquiry as they gradually compel themselves to go back into the house, Lin following Opel¡¯s lead - Opel leading in silence.
As the two approached the yard of the house, headlights from behind them acted like a spotlight, they swiftly turned around, blinded by the intense light of the Towers carrier.
"Tower guards!?" Opel yelled, having a distant recall of the type of headlights that were used for their carrier.
Lin''s recollection of the night clouded away as he shifted himself over to his other side - facing the bedroom door.
His head throbbing, grimacing in pain as Opel''s words from tonight clung to him.
His chest burning and his mind pounding as he hears his cutting words faintly echo.
The song changes, this time breaking the intensity of the pairing night''s occurrences.
With a struggle, he surrendered to the music, allowing it to carry him away from the unsettling events.
Eventually, his consciousness faded, cold stained tears printed onto his cheeks and the side of his head as he drifted off to slumber.
Outside, drifting away into the night sky, dark particles merged with the rain clouds, their form blending with the gathering darkness.
---
Opel walked along a seemingly endless road, grappling with the remorse of his hurtful words to Lin.
Regrets weighed heavily on him, his past mistakes and harsh judgments haunting his thoughts. Even the name "Lenny," once used in jest, held a deep significance.
Determined to reach the familiarity of home, he pressed on, the tendrils of fog snaking around his legs.
Though the mist seemed to cling to him as he continued his trek.
His mind fixated on the solace of a hot bath and perhaps to sneak a swig of his older brother''s liquor, the pondering thoughts made the nictitating street lights bulbs go unnoticed.
"I deserve some form of solace tonight," he muttered into the thick fog. His coughing intensified as the mist grew denser, almost consuming him entirely.
The fog had thickened to the point where it was almost as if he had become a part of the darkness, and the street lights were vanishing with.
A comforting voice cut through the fog, calling his name, "Opel."
Startled, Opel looked up, his coughing subsiding momentarily.
"Kel?!" he exclaimed, a mix of emotions swirling within him.
"Hey, Opel," Kel repeated, his voice calm and familiar.
As the fog enveloped him, Kel''s face materialized before Opel, he was normal, the past seemingly unaffecting him, however something about Kel sent a shiver down his spine, unease settling in the pit of his stomach.
"Hey, Opel," Kel''s voice shifted, a strange distortion coloring his words.
Opel squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to will him away, Kel¡¯s distorted voice taunted him once more.
"Opel~!" The voice changed entirely, unrecognizable and malevolent.
When he opened them again, a shock-wave of pain radiated through Opel''s body, veins throbbing with a lasting jolt. The sensation climbed his spine, seizing it in a grip of agony.
Goosebumps erupted on his skin, a piercing screech resonating through his neck.
Electric arcs crackled within the fog, each strike intensifying the pain from his wound.
His body convulsed, and black particles from the mist latched onto him, twisting him further.
Kel gazed upon the thrashing form of Opel, his eyes welling with tears that were instantly wiped away by the void.
The Fifth Day: The Last Day of Summer School
Lin awakens with a weight occupying his head, sensing a chill beneath his sheets despite the summer heat. A lingering remnant gloom from nights past followed him as he lifted himself up right, staring intensely into a transparent daydream.
Contemplating skipping school, he recognized that he''ll face consequences during school hours, slightly hoping that Opel wouldn''t show up.
He reached for nearby clothes with a groan.
As he prepared himself for his final school day, he anticipated the freedom that would follow; an escape.
Descending the stairs, he passed his mother as she carried laundry, his mother stopped, but Lin was already exiting the flight, giving her a chance to inquire the night before.
Rin, his sister, seemed to grasp his intentions, letting him go, sensing the gravity of his situation with his weighted expression. She grabbed her bag and left the house swiftly, just moments before their mother entered the kitchen.
"Take care today," Rin said in passing, heading to the gardens.
Lin paused briefly, trying to catch his sister¡¯s words. Though he shakes off the thought, and continues his way to school, choosing shortcuts and side streets.
Avoiding his classmates as he navigated through alleyways, backyards, and playgrounds.
Making the final stretch through a backyard.
Lin arrived at his destination, only needing to cross the bustling street one last time.
Lin couldn''t help but wonder why there were so many failing students this year.
Last year, it had been just a few, and he had been among them. Not exactly a point of pride, but the group had felt like a close-knit family.
Now, he stood alone. His mistakes had driven away even his closest friends, but what he had done with Kel was on a whole different level; taking the blame.
Frustration welled up within Lin, and he kicked a nearby pole while waiting for the street sign to change.
Emotions overwhelmed him, triggering a flood of memories. The signal changed, but he remained lost in his thoughts.
A horn blared, snapping him back to reality. He sprinted across the street and into the school.
With his movements of going into the classroom a sudden tug sent him sprawling backward, his head hitting the pavement with a deafening crack.
Voices became muffled, and he struggled to comprehend what was happening. Figures loomed over him; their faces blurred.
Their shouts were unintelligible - almost haunting like, as if it were spoken in an alienated language the world had never heard of.
Still confused, he managed to get up, only to be knocked down once more.
The shock of the impact made him cough; a series of tingling in his chest, as he tried to get back up, hit the ground again. Emotions swirled within him - confusion, panic, and an ever-growing sense of dread.
Gradually, his vision cleared, and he saw Xiel standing before him, accompanied by a couple of other friends.
¡°What have you done to my friend, Freak!¡± Xiel yelled, pushing Lin with his foot as he struggled to rise once more.
¡°What¡¯s your problem?¡± Lin grabbed his foot, struggling to pry it off.
Xiel climbed on top of Lin, his intentions clear, readying his fist for a blow.
A teacher arrived in the nick of time, intervening Xiels attempts. Students were herded into detention, where tensions ran high.
The teacher threatened to call Xiel''s father, but he appeared unflinching, responding with disrespect before the teacher stormed away.
Lin entered the nurse''s office, pressing a cold pack to his head.
"A fight, huh? Looks pretty serious," the nurse observed as she tended to him.
"Want to head home?"
"No, I need to face some people - more than one person."
The nurse awhed, scanning his injuries as she wrapped another cold sack in paper towels, handing it to him.
"Make sure to take it easy, let''s not get into any more fights." She said softly as Lin grabbed the pack, thanking her with a gentle expression followed by him tucking in his lips as he looked down, contemplating events that could take place.
Lin left the nurse''s office and walked through the corridors. He scanned the area for Xiel, ready for any surprise attacks like before. Not seeing him, he felt safe enough to head to his classroom before the bell rang.
Inadvertently, he bumped into someone.
"Opel-!?" Lin stumbled over his name, his voice trembling as he tried to find words.
"Hey," Opel greeted softly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Discomfort hung in the air between them, and the bell rang, signaling the need to head to class.
"Gotta go!" Lin rushed to his classroom, pushing past Opel. He wanted to escape the uncomfortable situation, the memories of Kel and last night''s dispute flooding his mind.
He was frustrated at himself for showing such emotions at school - it was practically an invitation for harassment, amongst the failed attempt of him wanting to confront his demons.
Opel watched him go, his gaze following Lin as he wiped his eyes with his hoodie sleeve, still wearing the same hoodie from the previous night.
"What even happened anyway..." Opel muttered to himself, trying to piece together his memories from the previous night.
Having the hoodie was like having a missing puzzle piece.
"Hey, buddy," a familiar voice reached his ears, the waves of recognition causing his ears to buzz. Shocked, he looked in the direction of the voice.
"What''s up? You''re acting strange today, Opel."
"How are you even here..." a slight memory sprouted in his mind regarding last night''s events.
"What do you mean?"
"You''ve been missing since -" remembrance of that night remains a statue inside his bank.
"Since what?" The familiarity interrupted Opel, making him stumble over his words and thoughts.
"Let''s go to class," the figure pulled Opel, who desperately hoped that the door wouldn''t open. pressing up against it, emitting a thud due to his panic.
"He can''t see you," Opel finally realized, the recollection colliding, yet a piece remains missing.
"Why not?" A change in tone crept into Opel''s ears. The cold, patterned hand touched the metal handle, and Opel glanced down at it, shaking his head with widened eyes.
"No..." Opel said unnervingly, replaying his cold accusations towards Lin, leaving him feeling remorse.
The hand turned the knob. A twisting sound cut through the air, heads turning in the classroom to look at the door.
"No..." he repeats, the missing pieces trying to convey outwards, but a lingering force deters the memory from arising.
And then it opened.
The detention classroom had a foul odor, and Xiel felt annoyed as he crossed his arms. His leg bounced with frustration, his eyes darting around with anger.
"Almost had that... that -" he stumbled over his words, struggling to find the right term for Lin.
His frustration grew, and he let out a groan while bouncing his leg even faster.
Ripped jeans tearing even more with each repetitive movement.
The teacher, at the back of the room, grew irritated by the disruption he was causing. She snarled at the teenager.
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"Kids, I swear, there are times I wish I didn''t have this job dealing with children like you," she directed her words at Xiel.
The sound invaded his ears, and he groaned again, countering her with a string of ''fine'' words. She stood up abruptly, pushing her chair back with force.
"Get out of my classroom!" she yelled. Xiel groaned once more, calling her another derogatory term for a dog.
This time, she gasped and swiftly moved to his side to usher him out. He allowed her to, and just like that, he was out of detention.
"Easy as that," he muttered with determination. "Time to find that freak of a Vel."
Xiel turned around and stomped toward the classrooms, looking through every window. He didn''t care if he disrupted the buzzing classrooms - he was on a mission.
Dealix shot up from his spot, a sudden noise eliciting awe from him. He woke Chandra as well, who sprang up, her hand swinging defensively.
"Whoa... whoa!" Dealix hurried over to her, nearly tripping over growing roots as he moved.
He reached her and placed his palms next to her, and she turned, smacking him in the face.
"I am so sorry. It was a reflex," she quickly tried to explain, concern evident in her expression as she looked at Dealix''s face, which was now red from the impact.
"Oh -"
"Oh!?"
Chandra takes her gaze off of Dealix''s red imprint and glances at the spot Mier was sleeping at.
"Wait, Where''s Mier...?" Chandra pointed to where he had been sleeping, and Dealix turned his head to the spot.
There was no sign of the mysterious guy who had been curled up like a beetle in a tree.
"Right... Where did he go?" They both scanned the surroundings, but Meir was nowhere to be found.
They wanted to call out to him, but they didn''t want to attract any potential chasers.
"Well, I''m sure he''s fine. I just wanted to thank him," they both agreed before heading out onto the streets. Puzzled and unsure of their destination, they exchanged a glance, a passing vehicle zooming by them.
"Let''s just keep going," they nodded and began walking, allowing their legs to guide them.
"So... are we heading back anywhere?" Dealix asked during their long walk.
Chandra pulled something out of her pocket and held it in her hand, staring at it intently.
"I had a strange dream that this will lead us where we need to go," she said softly, looking up at Dealix.
"And you''re somehow connected , though I''m not sure how." She tossed the stone into the air, and Dealix instinctively caught it. He then tossed it himself.
"With what I experienced in that dream, I have a feeling that you might be onto something," he caught it again.
His expression shifted from confusion to realization. His curiosity was piqued.
Chandra and Dealix continued down the road, engaging in conversation and laughter as they tried to leave the past behind.
"Aarrugh," Mr. Clark paced back and forth in his classroom, disrupting the students who were trying to study.
"Find my son! He''s been missing for two days straight now!" He yelled into his phone, engaged in an argument with the voice on the other end.
More students were drawn to the spectacle. Some were genuinely worried, while others were relishing the drama that had been unfolding for the past week.
"Maybe he just ran away?!" He continued his rant. Some students chuckled softly.
Sharing knowing looks with their friends to avoid drawing the teacher''s ire.
Tay continued to work, undisturbed by the commotion.
He was focused solely on his studies, with no care for anything else. At the same time, Tay could be a bit overwhelming, as Chandra had said to him countless times before.
He looked up from his desk, just taking note that Chandra herself and the seizure kid didn''t come into today.
Today was important, meant for those who failed to ''graduate'' will be getting their diplomas with those who already had.
Tay, feeling restless, got up from his desk, went over to the teacher, and placed the finished work on the hard surface.
"Just, please find my son " The teacher pleads, Tay hearing the individual on the other side. "or I¡¯ll be contacting a Detective"
"Well... that''s strange, Mr. Clark," the teacher glanced at Tay, closing his phone and hanging up on what could''ve been the sheriff.
"Sure is, thanks for turning it in, Tay. You can go." Tay smiles, grabs his stuff from his spot, and walks towards the door.
Stopping, remembering what he was going to say before the teacher dismissed him.
"By the way - Mr. Clark, Kellic came to school today - that''s why I thought - "
"What!?"
"Yes, Mr. Clark. In-room 102, like - "
Before Tay could finish, Clark had already gotten up and was exiting the classroom, for some reason, pulling Tay with him and out the door.
Classmates rushed to the door, having three following them from behind, potentially to engage or witness any drama that may happen, with students peeking out the window to observe.
As she walked through the sandy fields, Eve marveled at her newfound ability to walk.
However, she was also puzzled by the ghostly fragments that kept appearing before her eyes.
While some vanished before she could fully see them, others brought back distant memories she never knew she had.
Seeing herself as a child with a familiar figure that she can''t quite put her nose on, standing by watching her.
Curious, Eve reached out to touch the ghostly images, however before she could touch them, the images dissolved into sand particles that merged with the ground beneath her feet.
A warm voice greeted Eve, making her feel comforted, mirroring the sun on her skin.
She took a deep breath and felt her emotions steady. However, when she turned around, she realized that no one was there. The warmth dissipated, replaced by a chilly ominous breeze.
The voice urged her to "run." as dark fog particles emerged, creeping towards her, pulsating with energy.
Resembling lightning bolts connecting to nearby outlets, with fragments breaking off, attempting to ensnare Eve as she sprints to escape.
Broken pieces from the strike drift onto the golden sand, altering the minerals on impact, casting a gray coloring to the sand.
Flowing the path the fragments took, they gradually constructed a shape in the distance.
The fog halted its approach towards Eve.
"Eve~." a voice beckoned. Instantaneously, the sand began to take shape, forming a structure. "you don''t want to miss this ~Eve~"
However, another voice interjected, "Don''t pay attention - Run"
An otherworldly force captured her before she could escape, with it came an ominous dread sheathing around her, firmly gripping onto Eve.
Her skin starts to react from the coercion causing a cascade of goose-flesh. "You don''t want to miss this either." the voice spoke to the other.
Eve forces her attention away.
"Look!" jerking her neck from the struggle, seeing the structure through a damaged lens.
The sand settled beneath her as a warm voice greeted Eve, painting a vivid picture that spoke to her.
Please don''t be afraid, the presence you are encountering here is--
Dark particles formed lightning within the scene, rolling it about before striking beneath her feet.
Exploding the image into dark sand upon Eve, interrupting its attempt to reassure her. its ear-splitting crack thrashes her.
"Don''t worry, Eve. dying isn''t an option for you just yet. And neither will be for our friend here. You two are cut from the same cloth, both stubborn in your ways."
A bolt of squealing lightning strikes the sand near Eve, causing it to melt onto her, following branches of hissing lightning striking the sand, picking her up.
Granting a stunning view of the tormenting structure.
Ionization pairing with a sulfur-like fragrance enters her sense of smell.
"What do you see?" the distortion echoes in her ear.
Eve''s attention wanders but it quickly gets drawn back by the presence.
Clearing her vision, her eyes widened unnaturally.
Tears burst from her eyes involuntarily, her bones start to freeze, she starts shaking uncontrollably.
The makeshift sand pod seems to give way as if making more room for damage.
She still tries to stop her bones from rattling, but the potency of the shake causes her bones to crack and shatter.
Eve lets out an agonized scream, unable to pull her head back. Forced to stare at that ''thing''.
Eve becomes lost in her thoughts as flashes of imagery rush into her mind too quickly to discern any details.
She feels a sharp pain in her stomach that extends to her lungs. gasping for air as if everything is so cold that it quakes to escape its embrace - bringing her back.
Her dermis, swelling with goosebumps, rushing throughout the body, her veins start to protrude outwards.
Pieces of small screeching violet arches of electricity move through the sands, combing it into a solid mineral spiking towards the sky.
the air strengthens with the ionized aroma
Ripples of electricity spread throughout, doing the same, forming the pod into a coffin.
Another streaking lightning bolt flashes onto Eve''s chest, allowing her body to loosen from the being''s grasp. Her eyes rolling to the back of her skull, a sensation of unimaginable dread worsening the contractions -- her consciousness unplugging at the seams.
Thunderous flashes repeat, the lightning moves through the coffin, creating a more powerful ripple throughout, conjuring connecting arches onto Eve''s veins, splitting them open.
Her blood is about to flow out but it gets blocked by the dark particles flowing within her.
Eve''s body jitters, trying to flail, but is now being restrained into the obsidian-toned coffin.
The dark particles within her close the gaping wounds that the arches made. ''Healing'' her wounds. With a final jolt of Eve''s ''lifeless'' body, it was over,
Eve gasps for air, her body sweating furiously, the torment cycling through her psyche.
Her eyes forward, staring at the ''Fulgurite'' Structure, a series of words enter her mind, the thought forming of dark particles.
"I am you, but not you. - who I am."
"Is Singularity," the dark particles mimicking thoughts explode. Eve''s body jolts again, possessing a dorsum of a figure protruding from within her skin, trying to escape the flesh.
Effort pulls Eve upright, watching the protrusion with wide eyes, the trauma paired with a baleful force brought her eyes back into her skull once more.
Rag-doll arms flow to her side as the figure protruding out of her skin lifts her up from determination to release.
The particles above the structure roll with caterwauling lightning, arches come down skidding across the structure and onto its grounds, creating a complex flower-like ring upon the surface, leaving an opening in the middle.
The figure within her skin becomes more contour, the emission from the lightning produces a silhouette of the figure within her skin.
Eve''s epidermis tears, relieving her body from the now formatted figure. Her body flops into the coffin, her fighting spirit trembles life back into her eyes, she sluggishly looks at the figure.
Trepidation envelops her.
¡°You..-..you''r-..¡± Eve pushes back however she can.
trying to look with intent, the particle figure''s elegant beauty peers into Eve''s very soul.
"You are -"
"Me," the particle-shaped humanoid finishes her sentence, emitting a sequence of distortion as it speaks.
"We''re not the same!" Eve screams at her with every strength that''s remaining within her body. The sand flows back, the warmth returning stronger.
Eve faints as the warmth from before takes on a physical form of its own, pushing into the abyssal figure.
Screeching as the warmth merges with it, turning into a mimic marble of combined colors. Shining an immense light within the golden sandy realm.
Vaporizing the structure along with everything else.
Eve''s eyes snap open. Jolting up, having her being snagged on medical equipment, specialists rush into her padded room as she breathes heavily, cold sweat forming across her face.
The Fifth Day - P.2 Summer school comes to an end.
Fast-moving clouds formed above the school. Students, getting out of their class early, paused in their tracks, fixated on how the clouds were forming. Others went towards their friends or the closest person not observing, pointing at the skies.
"Look at that ''sick'' looking cloud," one gasped.
"Trippy," another said, adding to the brewing pot. Other observers lost interest and went about their day. Finally, I would be free from summer school, they thought as they left.
Dedicated examiners stuck around, wondering if there would be another occurrence like the last storm.
"Do you think it''ll happen?" A student with folded arms nudged someone else.
"Like what?"
"I don¡¯t know," the student shrugged in response, unfolding his arms and putting his hands in his pockets.
"Do you think it could be a severe stor-"
The sirens went off, warning anyone outside to take shelter of the approaching storm.
"Looks like it," The rest of the students went into classrooms or ran to their homes, trying to beat the clouds from dropping gallons.
One of the students watching the storm caught the eyes of Mr. Clark, dragging a boy with him into classroom 102, Mrs. Kois''s room. As he caught interest, he saw the other three tailing behind them.
Doing a pretty bad job of not being noticed by anyone, the student thought but joined the queue as they all went into the classroom.
---
Lin had been busy with his studies before the door swung open, the doorknob hitting the wall, puncturing a hole. He and the rest of the classroom perked towards the door. The shine from outside only showed Opel trying to hide, but the other familiar silhouette nudged him into the classroom.
Lin caught the eye with Opel, and the two had a sudden spark of thought between them. Images of dark fog spewing from the skies entered Lin from Opel.
Lin pushed back in his chair, standing up from his spot. The chair stumbled onto the neighboring desk. The figure entered the room, and the door closed behind them.
"What''s up?"
Lin looked ahead, seeing Kel standing before him, his skin pale, almost casting gray tones.
"A successful one...?" Lin talked to himself, the words holding a different - muddled meaning, as if the words had come from somewhere else - someone else.
"A what?" Kel questioned with a chuckle, his eyebrows raised, his head nodding slightly.
Lin was still shocked at seeing him ''alive''.
"I''m sure you remember that night, Lin. I, on the other hand, can''t get it out of my damn head," he hit his head with his palms, trying to jog the memories out.
"We shouldn''t have left like that," Lin said, looking down at the floor. The classroom bewildered, with some taking out their phones hoping to capture a brawl.
The air raises with tension on the three friends.
"Fight, fight, fight!" One of the classmates antagonized the scenario, trying to pull any strings to record a fight.
Another classmate joined the chant, looking at the leader, flipping their phone out to record another angle.
"There''s not gonna be a fight!"
Mr. Clark, Kel''s father, stepped into the classroom, Tay in hand.
Tay pointed to Kel, "You see, Mr. Clark, I told you I sa-"
"Not now..." He stopped Tay, the other students tailing behind him.
"Where have you been!?" his face tightening as the air changes around them without a response from Kel, and the students gasp off the drama folding in-front of them.
"I''m talking to you, Son!" Mr. Clark grabbed his son''s shoulder, twisting him around for a lecture, but froze as he saw his child''s face for the first time in two days. For him, Kel was standing before him but wasn''t his son anymore. His son reacted towards his touch, making who he was a distant silhouette.
"What''s been going on, Kel?" his father asked with concerned eyes. However, Kel''s eyes seemed to be clouded, staring off to the side of him.
His father gave him a shake on the shoulders, not knowing what to do.
"Son?"
"What is going on with you? Answer me, Kellic," The words fell faint within his ears. His father peered into the clouded eyes, and the concern grew as the teacher, his father, couldn''t break him out of whatever spell he was in.
The students behind him made their way into the classroom. The three students who made the tail observe the commotion, and the other two also saw Kel''s eyes worsen, a clouded vision even noticeable from the students distance.
"...son!?" He gave another shake but to no avail, the students fixated.
"Kel...?" Lin spoke up, his father glanced at him, then gave a long look at both of them before asking Lin about any news. After all, these three (Mr. Clark looked at Opel.) We''re stuck like glue, a little family his son had said.
The other students who entered pondered to see if they could break through his clouded vision, asking Mr.Clark for an attempt.
"What''s happening to my son?" he asked the two, searching for more answers, but they simply shrugged. Kel stood lifeless in his father''s arms.
"We''re gonna take you home and figure all of this out," Clark said, grabbing his son''s wrist - the skies opened up, and the sirens went off.
One warning before, the current for the storm is here.
More kids from outside entered the classroom to escape the sudden heavy downpour, causing a blockade between Clark and Kellic to leave home.
"Excuse me, guys, making our way through here," Clark said, Kellic still in his grasp. The tail and the additional students from earlier tried to make way for him and his boy but got blocked again.
Enter Xiel.
"Oh - hey, Mr. Clark, how''s your son?" He smirked maliciously, pointing at the doll that they called Kellic.
"Didn''t the freak tell you what he did?" looking at Lin with a glare, getting ready to pounce at any moment.
Clark placed his hand on Xiel to stop him, obstructing the chances to cause any problems within the classroom. Sensing a potential unwanted outcome.
"Look, if you have any issues with Lenny, then you two can settle it after school."
"You look, I''m gonna relax because the sky is opening up out there," the teacher halted, having a sense of perspective, yet eyeing the delinquent.
"Don''t do anything; I''ll be the stand-in teacher for now until this storm has passed over, or until your home room teacher gets back." he tried to see Xiel halfway, then eyeing the whole room as he finished his sentence.
The troubled student, Xiel takes a seat in the corner of the classroom, trying to gather an army, so it seems. Leaving Lin and Opel to their thoughts, seeing if he somehow knew something about that night or if it''s solely a personal matter that Xiel is projecting, it wouldn''t be the first time Xiel has harassed Lin or the group.
Kel got dragged by his father, impersonating a robot on autopilot, his father placed him in the teacher''s seat - trying to get his son back to reality.
"Can you hear me, Kel? Come on, Kel," he snapped his fingers above his forehead and tried to jostle him enough to cause any sort of reaction. Mr. Clark even tried to talk to him by his old "superhero nickname" back in preschool, but to no avail.
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Lin tried to help Opel, who, Lin, was trying to avoid him. Opel waved him off, saying, "Don''t help me up - killer." Chemicals raced to Opel''s eyes, and his head jolted from saying such.
"Bullshit," Lin smacked his waving hand. Xiel looked up from the posse he created by ''smooth talking'' as he called it, but Lin disagreed with that statement. It was more manipulation than anything.
The two friends put distance between each other, Opel sitting closer to Mr. Clark, who was still trying to wake Kellic up. Lin sat by the windows, his back facing them, observing any movement that indicated Xiel and his posse closing in on him.
Lightning within the clouds generated, causing consistent turmoil above the school, accompanied with its roar of thunder.
Clark, Opel and those alike look up towards the ceiling following the howls of thunder. Opel gets an abnormal sensation reaching around him, the nap of his neck starts to fizzle as if goosebumps were there. Kels father redirects his gaze back onto his son to continue the effort.
Another outcry of thunder breaches inside the classroom, quality inside the room gradually decreases in temperature.
The dark heavy clouds had spread their fingers across, enveloping the entire school within moments - Kellic began to shiver, his breath becoming noticeable. Clark becomes increasingly impatient, he swiftly flips out his phone to call for emergencies.
"Maybe they can help us." dialing numbers, the little tacs of the buttons speak to the classroom, having some curious gazes latching onto the scene; a nearby student takes his place as Clark eludes for them to take over.
"That can''t be right." his face morphing to puzzlement, being greeted with an automated voice on the other end. "Out of service..?" his muddled voice circulates the classroom.
He tries again, but the automated message returns.
The existing atmosphere within the classroom dilates, having a student reach into his pocket for his phone, taking it out, he dials the same number.
Mr. Clark looks up from his phone, his concern etching on his face, causing the anxiousness of the students to attempt as well.
A cascade of collected tacs reverberates around the classroom.
Within moments an automated voice breaches, the student from before gazes at his phone with disbelief, the other students glance at the student then back towards their phones.
The classroom falls silent, as an automated choir sings throughout the class.
They all look at each other, palpable distress combust the classroom, simultaneously, a torrent of thunder crosses the skies.
Hysteria breaks the classroom, "Everyone! settle down, it''s just a storm and it will pass!" Clark speaks to the students, hiding his own affliction.
Students gradually settle down from Clark''s efforts. Light wearing fits hunched over, trying to fight the cold as they sink into their chairs.
An ice finger formulates on the windows within inches, making slow creep toward Lin, concerting Kel''s seeable breath within the classroom.
Xiel got up, eyeing daggers towards Lin. His posse joined him.
From outside, the clouds were forming a denser field, blocking off any sun rays. Casting a dark shadow over the area, the rain formed to hail.
Xiel moved - lightning struck outside, striking the classroom and crossing the window. Faint screams could be heard from the neighboring ''52'' classroom.
His posse got into a stance, creating a makeshift boxing ring around the two. Clark tried to get engaged in the commotion, but as he let go of Kel, he started to shake violently.
Making him hold onto his son, for some reason, kept his son calmer. He looked at Opel and insisted on him going outside in the hailstorm to grab some blankets and to get the nearest teacher for aid.
"I can''t stop the fight and protect my son at the same time!" he grunted, waving Opel off, but he was too hesitant. He wanted to help, which he had done multiple times for teachers before, but whatever this was, it was keeping him from going. His sight reached for Lin.
Xiel was about to throw a fist, and Lin glanced over at Opel. He was in shock - this was what happened before, and he got caught.
"Shit -"
"Get a move on, boy!" Clark screamed at Opel, who was still frozen.
Xiel threw the first blow as lightning struck, flashing the window with illumination, lighting the classroom up with a purple-blueish hue.
Lin, surprisingly fast for Xiel, dodged the first solid jab. It went nowhere, as Xiel tripped him.
"Get a move on!" Clark continued to yell out to Opel. Opel''s legs shook, his eyes squinting in pain. Unable to move, even if he could, he was trapped there.
Xiel connects, Lin flinches from the punch, Xiel goes for more blows. However, Lin successfully dodged the series. A kick interrupted, sending him back. Xiel smirked, stomping towards him.
He kicked again, this time blocking the kick. Xiel went for an arching jab, however Lin blocked it again, feeling giddy.
The cold embrace now lessened as the build-up of electricity moved throughout the school, turning the hail into slush pellets.
"For fuck''s sake, kid. Get a move on before this continues!"
Kel twitched with each pitch. cringing as he did it, a shock of cold struck the teacher''s hand, making him flinch away. Kel fumbled to the ground, his mouth foaming, and the foam was slowly coated with frost.
The entire classroom slowly got enveloped by the cold touch. The students making the ring halted their chanting, starting to shake themselves, stopping completely as a group struggled to stay warm.
Xiel screamed at them, making them flinch as more huddled together. Some students started to cry, and the cold fingers started to ripple within the tears, freezing them as they came down, making them stick to their faces. Causing more students to be alarmed, the classroom''s hysteria started to return.
Lin was about to take this as an advantage, though it came to a halt as faint screams from neighboring classrooms started to make a chorus.
Lightning swelled within the sky, lunging outwards, connecting to several classrooms, and the neighboring 52 classrooms burst open. The ceiling gave away, rubble from the roof was melded together by the lightning, creating tendrils reaching up toward the storm.
The intense storm grew, surrounding the city, stopping vehicles, sliding them by, citizens on the streets held themselves, blocking the cold embrace from reaching any further.
An umbrella fell to the ground, getting pummeled by the heavy slush, the citizens held their hands up, a nearby building opened up, and another individual rushed them in. Tightly closing the door, lightning struck the pavement in front of the buildings, creating the same reaching grips.
Lin''s mind raced as the chaos unfolded, thinking to himself, ''It''s happening.'' Kellic''s father grabbed any cloth he could to keep him warm, tearing pieces of bags, and other students'' baggy clothes, laying them on Kellic.
The other students whose clothes had been cut in half started to scream at the teacher, although it went unnoticed. His goal was one, and that was to keep his son safe.
Xiel gave up on fixing his makeshift boxing ring to continue fighting Lin.
"Why are you fighting me!" he dodged.
"At a time like this!" He got clocked in the jaw, stumbling backward on the window sill, lightning crackled down, bursting the window open. The shards connected, molding together and reaching for Lin.
This is when Opel finally reacted, closing in on Lin and pushing him aside as the glass tendrils pierced Opel, creating severe cuts exposing it to the cold.
Xiel punched wounded Opel, knocking him to the floor. Lin had had enough of this insane senior student who is way too out of control.
The room got colder, the cold sheet thickening, expanding itself onto desks. The students huddled together and cried out. Lightning hailed above, flailing within the skies, mocking Kellic''s now worsening convulsions.
His skin deteriorated, revealing a blueish-gray-toned skin. His father panicked, holding the spot with his combined hands.
He looked at Opel, getting ready to yell when he noticed him collapsing to the floor, with a wound that was turning the same color with tints of red.
He screamed out in frustration, looking at Xiel now bending over to hurl a fist at Lin.
"Stop this right now!" his voice shaking, lightning that was boiling up above came down within branches, destroying classrooms around them, the ground molding together, reaching above thirty feet in the air, lightning twirling around the newly formed structures'' fingers, getting any leftover material.
The sleet transformed back to heavy rainfall, and the students within the classroom began to sprint to their homes, discharging into the streets, yelling for their parents as the torrential downpour weighed them down with every hit.
Other people aimed them inside, while others were lucky enough to find somewhere safe.
Those who didn''t make it tried to hide from the downpour, lightning silhouettes concealed the terrified face of a tucked-away Velern.
The illumination shone on the structures within those who looked, imprinting on their minds.
They felt turmoil within them, causing their lungs to slowly collapse, bringing them to gasp for air, having the back of their throats meet with an icy burn.
The clouds around the structures illuminated, lightning snaking within the storm''s wrath.
The cold returned, just right for it to.
"Snow," a Sheltered Dealix said to himself, Chandra taking note of this. Seeing it lightly flowing above, seeing it go down with grace. Dealix''s eyes became fixated. His dreams came back to him, and the memory of it all reached out to him like the snowstorm above, cascading over the section of the city.
---
"Please remain indoors. If you live in these areas, we''re seeing a traumatic change in weather conditions. We''ll get more information as it unfolds. However, news outlets can''t make it into the neighborhoods." The buzz of the television glowed in the dark room. Gray light protruded through the cracks of the window blinds.
"It''s starting." The figure perked the blinds open, seeing a thick fog masking the neighborhood that was there.
The figure put on a leather jacket, padded with ''winter-blockers'' the individual ''bought'' from the mall over the black hoodie, lifting the hood over their messy black cow-licked hair.
Looking at themselves in the mirror before taking action.
Dark bags hung below his eyes, not majorly - but just enough to see he hadn''t slept in days. ''Weeks,'' some said to him. The black leather jacket hung comfortably around his shoulders and the old hoodie he had since freshman year complemented it. He took a look at his pants, seeing holes.
"Probably need to patch those up if I''m heading out¡ you know, to the cold, dark, scary place." He said, trying to lift any comfort to the matter. He flopped down on the sofa, quickly doing a bad stitch job to his pants, creating makeshift knee braces of folded cloth.
He dusted himself off over the leftover fur that accompanied cats.
''I''ll be back; you stay safe, you hear?" He talked to his cat, which meowed in response, giving him a wave of his tail.
"Crowley~," a distant voice stretched his name. Coming from the seams of nothingness. He jolted his head, trying to figure out the direction of the voice.
"Leave me alone!" He shouted, grunting towards his bag, gripping his medical case and twisting it open, fumbling out two pills. Popping them both without any hesitation.
"That won''t help you for long¡ we are -" the voice faded as he drank water. Coughing in a fit.
"It''s getting worse." He said to himself, his cat looking at him with worried confusion on why his owner was acting strange lately.
He exited the room, going downstairs and out onto the streets.
---
"It looks like the storm will be getting worse; the Tower guards will -" the TV cut off in flickering static. It popped, startling the cat, and making it run into Crowley''s bedroom. The windows and the glass bong began to freeze slightly. Leaving a small sheet, a ''present'' for when he gets back.
Looking out the window, Crowley looked left and right. Bolting across the street and into a park, his hands in his jacket pocket. Strolling to the entrance into the mesmerizing fog.
His figure slowly emerged into the fog. Visibility became zero as he fully entered.
---
The Fifth Day - P.3: It reaches.
Vem, in his fast-moving vehicle, brushes along the road, slowing down to a halt before getting forcefully detoured to another street.
"This area isn''t safe for civilians!" The worker says, signing Vem to turn around to take a detour if he must cross the town.
"Follow those signs. It''ll lead you in the right direction if you wanna get out of the city!" Vem turns to the point seeing yellow flashing signs leading him to a different path. He nods and continues down that route for a while before stopping near the edge of the foggy wall.
"Sorry, I know you''re doing your job, but someone''s waiting for me in there that needs our help."
"She should be in this area, that''s the last time I saw her," Meir says in the car, holding up notes and information about Clysita and Vems representative, the concerned note bringer from before, Among other notes the detective had gathered were details about a yellow house.
Mier had convinced him to tag along, with the help of information about the whereabouts of one of his leads.
Mier had seen some details while waiting for him in the car and took that as an advantage in hopes to persuade Vem to tail with.
Minding that what he was doing was a rough way to go about following a vision and this wasn''t the first time he appeared before Vem, he had sought him out regarding the storm''s peculiarities and by regulations Vem was already investigating the oddities.
At first Vem was reluctant, but in the end he was successful.
Vem parked his car alongside a sidewalk, leading towards the park, he looked at the window, gauging the thick wall of fog that he''ll have to adventure in.
Vem stepped out of the vehicle, fixing his hat before grabbing his flashlight from the dash, the car door remaining open as he exited, a rush of wet foliage sparks his senses.
"You''re not coming with me?" He turns to Meir. The boy silently shakes his head, flipping through notes, landing back on the intel regarding the two story house, sparking a tugging feeling inside Miers chest, Mier wonders to himself that there might be a sign waiting for him there.
"Can''t, I have to stay ''hidden'' from them," Mier takes his gaze off of the paper, looking up at Vem, who''s hunched over - his hand resting on the top portion of the vehicle.
"There''s that word again," Vem mumbles to himself, thinking that he had said the same thing when he was detailing about his lead. Vem looks up, taking a mental note of the fog''s stature.
"Interesting in how it''s doing that - I''ll meet up with you later, take care of Clancy," the investigator looks back at Meir.
The boy nodded, rolling up his window and locking the doors. Grabbing one of Vem¡¯s knives from the safety hatch within the car. Examining the blade with intrigue.
"Be careful with that thing," Meir looks at Vem as he points towards the knife. He nods in approval once again, going back to his study.
".. got it," Vem mumbles, closing the driver''s door, then takes a stride towards the wall.
Mier sits in the car, watching Vem''s retreating figure go through the thick fog. Leaving him to defend the car alone.
He places the knife down to scan his surroundings, seeing any clues to line with the vivid image, rearranging himself as he does.
Although he wants to vanish, a tugging aura tells him to stay put, nearly making him contemplate the ¡®vision,'' he puts the thought to the back and decides to listen to the pulling sensation.
With more curiosity gravitating to him, he shuffles through the paperwork that Vem had stored up, seeing any additional information.
Vem had told him before that he shouldn''t be digging through his findings, but Vem eventually gave up after Mier hypnotically shuffled between them.
Remembering how he used to be in his early days of investigating, even though it wasn''t real work, but more of a stepping stone towards his detective career.
Vem shambled in the obscure fog, having a guiding light stretched out, the ground beneath him changing as he inches closer to the other side.
Snow inside the board of the fog, slowly reached outside, petaling down on Vem''s car.
{¡ñ}
Crowley walked on guard, his right arm guiding the way and with the left acting as a shield.
Scents of earthy wood linger in the air as he pushes through the snowfall.
Zip-bits or electricity spread throughout, inching closer to him as he pressed on. Snowflakes building onto his clothing
"Surprisingly comfy," muttering as he looks around, feeling some warmth in the air, but cold flutters flourish on his face.
How is that even probable...Crowley reflects on the warm fronts.
Red flashes snake their way near, and an echoing distortion comes from above.
[ "Better hurry, you don''t want it to awaken..do you?"
Crowley stiffens, and a scene plays within his mind. The school, the structure, then somebody¡ªthe visions stop, and the distortion continues.
"Don''t want to spoil that part." ]
Crowley stumbles forward, his face meeting the ground after a trip. The snow build-up floats from the impact. He gets up quickly to brush himself off to continue down the road.
[ "What are you going to do when everything aligns?" Its distorted voice spreads within a circle above him.
Leave me alone,'' he thought. His mind gets intruded with secondary visions. He shakes them off as he picks up the pace. bolting for the school.
"You''re heading the wrong way," the distortion echoes in the muffled snow. Following the pattern of sparks within the flowing snow crystals, connecting with them as it moves. Hissing by him repeating the words. ]
Crowley tones out the hissing voices, trying to lead him astray. He bolts across streets and snow ramps, sliding down them as he vaults them. Catching more speed to slide on the sleet-wrapped concrete.
"Whaoo" relieving built-up joy. He slowly loses his balance to make his arms flail to regain it.
The charged arches roll throughout, zapping a cluster of snow, making the Crystals evaporate rapidly to explode them with tinier branches reaching their fingers towards the exposed water vapor, the cold freezing it perfectly. Shaping a baseball-sized crystal.
Crowley finches from the vapor, blinding his vision, tripping and trembling down an alleyway, hitting a loose piece of house trimming. Knocking him out.
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The snow gently piled on top of him.
{¡ñ}
Dense fog settles at the orphanage, the yard is a white vacant portrait.
Everyone is indoors by the fireplace as the house Hen tells a comforting story to dwindle any discomfort about the news. One of the children has turned off the radio for getting stomach cramps from hearing such a storm.
"Hey, it''s okay." She kneels to the one who silenced the radio.
"It''ll all be okay. Guards are going to protect those caught in that scary storm. " Octavia held out her arm, touching the frightened child. Giving it a firm grip of empathy.
"Plus, there''s Korith and I. I''m training to be those very guards that''ll for sure rescue any civilians that need help." The reinsurance stuck.
Sue calls for them both. "Time for another story! This one''s about an ''ancient'' story passed down. Surprisingly, it lasted this long" Sue looks down at the book, dusting off any particles that were sheeting the book.
Sprouting curiosity among the hooked listeners. Octavia comfortably guides the child into the living space. She takes a plop on Sue''s lap, Her son next to them, sitting by the fire - kindling it.
Sue begins the story, "Long ago~" she looks down at the book, then reverting her gaze to the audience, however she had changed the beginning section of the story to make it more memorizing for the young audience.
"In the distant past, the world was a stranger to the present" Sue continued, reading a small section before peering back up, guiding her hand in an arch, catching the eyes of an eager listener.
"People had abnormal mannerisms, those - being that out of fictional books and comics you''ve all read" Sue points towards the crowd during her last sentence, she looks at the listener, their eyes sparkled as their imagination takes ahold of them.
"Although, having these abnormalities, people like..." Sue pauses, seeing the name, she looks up, seeing the crowd waiting.
Octavia peers over the hallway entrance, seeing Korith standing by the window - her right hand placed within the square window frame. Her pose was stiff as a statue, mystified by the dancing fog outside the yard. Egging her on to explore outside, blurry lettering formulated within it.
[ "Find him." ]
Korith takes a deep inhale. Her exhale coagulates on the glass, the lingering heat from the fireplace making it fold water droplets - Korith while deep in a trance rubs the glass, making a smiley face on the window.
Octavia''s interest peaks as she sees her friend robotically moving her arm, then flopping it down when she''s done.
" Doodling, I guess?" She mumbled, Sue, pausing the story, seeing if everything was alright with her. She nods, and the house mother continues the storytelling, having Octavia listening in this time.
"A heroine, assembling a group from those she deemed strong enough" Sue looks over at Octavia, then back towards the intense listeners.
"They fought endlessly, day and night, trying to bring the person they once knew back into light."
Korith''s attention gets absorbed by the fog outside, shaping and melding into letters she can''t describe. Other than the occasional few that she does get - it''s like a far-off memory, slowly transforming the letters into intelligible words for her to understand.
[ "Help him. "
"We''ll help you,"
"With what?" She questions it within her mind. The fog shaped again. This time, a floating half-figure takes the letter''s place. ]
It beckons.
A surge moves through her veins - leading up to the nape.
[ "Find him." The figure communicated through a series of light vibrations, simultaneously Korith''s nape of the neck twitches.
"I know you want to catch up with her.." ]
Faint voices gathered at the fireplace, Korith is out in sea to have the voices intelligible.
It beckons once more, Korith''s hand slowly reaching the handle of the window. The clouded figure grows more in shape, this time with nearly an entire leg.
Another one forms next to the tomato garden, snow covering it.
The blush red is barely visible - reaching for it, plucking it on the spot, snow flows down as it does, and then it looks up at Korith.
[ "If you find him, you could go back to growing your "toms" - isn''t that what you called them?" The other shape says, forming an entire body. concert another into existence - plucking into reality.
"We can show you where to go,"
"Follow us."
"We''ll give you the strength you desire. Wouldn''t you want..fire?" To Korith''s surprise, the fog entity summons a fireball, Will-o-wipsing within its mimicking hands.
"Or maybe -" ]
"Korith!" Octavia yells for her. Breaking the spell, she jerks her head towards Octavia''s direction. Seeing her peek through the hallway, she makes a gesture of ''Come join the family'' while giving her the stare down.
The humanoids disperse into the layer of fog, vanishing any traces of them.
"Where''d you get that tomato from?"
Korith looks at her hands, noticing the freshly plucked tomato that the figure picked themselves in her palms.
"Guess I like Tom''s so much, I naturally have one in my hands." Korith jokes with Octavia. They both slightly chuckle at it, but Korith has an underlying tone in mind. She stores it away and joins her knit-pick family.
The moisture from the window drips down, spelling out.
''The Queen will rise once more - we have found you.'' The hallway door closes, leaving the letters to themselves, waiting for anyone to stumble upon it.
{¡ñ}
The school is boarded by a wall of fog, hidden from any unwanted observers, and those who played witness were engulfed by the horrifying pitches the monolith creates when lightning tumbles around the fingers of the structure.
Wrapping around and flailing to another outlet in the middle.
The smell of electrified materials swept over the other classrooms.
Lin, inhaling the thick Ionized air, begins to cough with each inhale. Unable to get the appropriate amount of breathable air into his lungs. Xiel tries to fight it - lightning strikes near, and the wave of the sound rattles them.
Snow piles up in the air and falls with each strike. Covering the ground at a faster pace.
The school corridors were filled with pulled snow, and lockers were unable to be seen.
Arches of the hallway form an extra width to it as the snow falls.
Lightning convulsing in the middle, colliding with the cemented ground. The ground spikes up, getting frozen with electrification.
Creating arching fingers circulating the middle and off to the edges, the surrounding tinier versions shaped a complex hexagonal pattern with circles intertwined.
Kel shakes. His dad was fully unconscious, unable to rescue him. Kellic''s body twitched within intervals of rolling thunder.
Opel replicates - his unconscious body swings up, convulsing with the rhythm. His eyelids shot open, eyes rolled back, displaying thriving dark veins thrashing about.
The rolling lightning releases, snapping towards the classroom, opening it up from the roof. The rubble flies, scattering electricity catches falling debris, molding it into the ground, forming sharp edges.
Booming thunder reanimates unconscious students within classrooms. The students within 102 thrash, their ghoulish bodies attempting to stand. Knocking into desks and each other, bringing them back down to repeat the process.
Lin is trying to take notice, but his vision is nearly out - he doesn''t want to go under in fear of what will happen, slowly losing his conscious vision.
Xiel tries to hold down one of the students, but getting tossed himself, the bodies around him react. Crawling to Xiel in a surprisingly fast motion, resembling possession. He lets out a yelp as they crawl on top of him. Throwing fists to get them off,
Lin''s struggle envelopes him.
Xiel looks around the classroom for any weapons, but the only thing he can find is leftover pieces of bags. Grabbing a lone strap, trying to do a choke hold. It goes nowhere as more pile on top of him, their hands clawing his skin.. scratching pieces of him off. Another gripping his face, pulling it down to the floor. His garbled screams fall silently from the lifeless surroundings.
Kel begins to float into the air, continuing to convulse, his bones pop from pressure, and his stomach sinks into his rib-cage, showing bone.
Opel followed closely behind. His coated eyes spewed dark tendrils¡ªmouth opening wide letting out distorted pillars of particles.
His veins fracturing, pieces of the dark fragments, transported blood along with, getting swallowed into the abyssal cloud forming into thundersnow clouds.
Citizens around the school were yanked from their hiding spots. Their arms and legs pulled from an unknown force, their bodies forming around the structure¡ªsuspending above it. Kel''s body rapidly convulsed, his eyeballs and eyelids shudder, matching the lightning''s turmoil.
Opel''s body plummets to the ground, crackling of bones answers the air, meeting the ground in front of Lin.
The floating bodies hung there like apparitions being shocked continuously. Bodies that couldn''t handle the torment follow Opel''s example. Figures that remained, opened up from an unknown force, manifesting their bones.
Lightning converges on the failing bodies, molding them with the now-materialized fangs aligning with the middle. Pieces of bone still noticeable within the ''Fulgurite'' serrations.
Kellic''s body gets slightly tugged by another force, pushing him towards the very middle. Lightning spiders across the darkened background, as he gets closer to the middle, Kel''s sclera veins erupt dark particles, congealing together, coating his sockets.
the congealment created tendrils out of chasm branches, reaching for the skies out-of abyssal sockets.
The skies orchestrated a screech.
The Fifth Day - P.4 At Dusk it falls
Within the outer fog, the echoes of screeching reached Vem, startling him as he watched the skies, unable to discern where the sound was originating from.
"That ain''t good," he muttered, shining his heavy-duty flashlight through the thick fog.
However, the higher wattage beam could barely make a dent in the dense mist.
He steadied himself after the occurrence, determinedly making his way to his representative''s last known location after they got cut off before the news started blaring alerts about the weather.
As soon as that happened, Vem instinctively got into his car.
When he had entered, ''The strange boy'' was already in his vehicle, awaiting his arrival, he told him to scurry on home, but the boy wouldn''t listen, just as Vem had enough, the boy, formally known as Mier began giving information, even sharing some details that spoke out to him regarding oddities.
"Now we''re in this mess," Vem said, trudging through the layered snow. The beam of light sliced through the flowing flakes as he scanned the surroundings, searching for any sign of life he might stumble across.
{¡ñ}
Crowley remained unconscious on the cold snowy comforter, his hand twitching occasionally, a sign that he was still trying to fight to wake up. The snow piled on top of him, creating a thick layer of blanket weighing him down, escalating the probability of him losing the battle against the cold.
A figure''s silhouette emerged from the dense fog, bravely venturing towards him. The barrier between them dissipated as the figure entered the alleyway, their eyes meeting Crowley''s sleeping body.
"Rescue him," a faint buzz passed through the figure''s dangling hair.
.....
{¡ñ}
"Leave me be, Octavia!"
"You were the only one by that window!"
The chase continued through the snowy fog; Octavia''s tracking skills were paying off from her lessons. She could even pick up on the faint echoes of Korith dragging along the cold fog.
"She''s getting better," an electrical vibration crossed Korith''s path.
Leave me alone, she thought, but the persistent buzz intruded, giving her directions to dip and dodge, although Octavia was still on her heels.
"You''re getting better at avoiding things, Korith!"
Korith then dived through a broken window, and Octavia followed right after.
Octavia gripped the side of the broken window, swinging herself around. She slid on the ice perfectly, maneuvering around the corner at a higher speed.
"Why are you even running from me? I simply asked who-" Korith began to bolt as Octavia interrogated her. She left no room for Octavia to close the gap. Octavia knew Korith''s moves, but how well did she know her?
Octavia, being a guard trainee, had traversed these streets countless times, and bad weather couldn¡¯t hinder her skills.
She darted through the alleyway, seeing Korith going the opposite way again, trying to outmaneuver her.
Octavia slid into an abandoned car, the sirens blaring muffled sounds in the snow.
{¡ñ}
Meir hunkered down in the frozen silence. His breath, visible in the chilly air. His fingers, numbed by the cold, fumbled through Vem''s glove box, finding solace in the odd-looking knife.
His eyes scanned the surroundings, attempting to pierce the thick walls of fog and snow that enveloped him.
Suddenly, the muffled screeches from earlier reached his ears, sending a jolt of fear down his spine. His head jerked back, inadvertently hitting the car window.
He rubbed the back of his head, trying to soothe the pain. With interest, he peeked out the car window, eyeing the skies.
Another wave of screeches stretched throughout the skies, a sudden mysterious force quickly pinning him down, the knife falling down in the crevice.
The force squeezed his chest and sent icy tendrils snaking down his arms. Tremors wracked his body, his muscles contracting involuntarily as he fought against the unseen foe.
Summoning all his strength, Meir managed to grasp the knife, his fingers tracing its cold surface in a desperate search for the rumored "special button" the visions had mentioned.
Each moment felt like an eternity as he struggled against the intensifying cold, his progress hindered.
His stomach tightened in fear, and his knees began to tremble, his vision blurring as the invisible force pressed down on him. With sheer determination, he forced his arm to move, hitting the car chair with a sickening crack that signaled his wrist''s painful demise.
Suppressing a scream, he clenched his teeth and willed his other hand to find the elusive button.
His fingers, now guided by adrenaline, located the button. With trembling hands, he pressed it.
In an instant, the knife surged with power, emitting an intense burst of heat that enveloped the entire car. The cold grip that had held him captive dissipated, and Meir gasped for breath as warmth returned to his veins. Jolting upright, he manipulated the knife''s controls, creating controlled waves of heat.
Eyes fixated on the intricate details of the knife, Meir marveled at the technology. His fingers traced a small carving on the hilt - a letter "V." The revelation sent shivers down his spine, and he realized he was now in possession of something extraordinary, something that could mean the difference between survival and succumbing to the unknown forces.
{¡ñ}
Lin wandered through his dream, the familiar summer camp spot of his childhood now cast in an eerie light. The atmosphere was heavy with anticipation as storms loomed, and a faint gray cloud hung in the air.
Raindrops began to fall, gently pelting his outstretched hand as he tried to escape into the memory of better days.
Amid his reverie, other campers arrived, their figures blending into the misty surroundings. Among them, Lin spotted Opel''s and Kel''s faces, expressions of shock mirroring his surprise.
"They go camping here?" Lin whispered to himself, a faint unease settling in his chest as he watched the group disappear into the depths of the campsite. The dream world seemed to blur the lines between reality and imagination, leaving him with a lingering sense of disquiet.
{¡ñ}
Kel found himself trapped in a surreal dreamscape, a dense abyss stretching infinitely. He attempted to reach out, but his words echoed back to him, unheard by anyone but himself.
In his mind, he replayed memories of carefree summer breaks spent with Lin and Opel, days filled with what he affectionately called "stupid shit" - the kind of moments that made him feel truly alive.
Suddenly, the abyss transformed into a blank nothingness, and Kel felt himself being transported into a vehicle with unfamiliar faces. A voice, eerily similar to Opel''s, broke the silence.
"Why are you here?" it questioned, its tone laden with an unspoken significance.
"Opel?" Kellic turned, his eyes locking onto his friend, who sat beside him, bags, and a trail bag surrounding him.
"That''s me, but answer the question," Opel responded cryptically.
Perplexed, Kel searched for an explanation in the darkening sky outside. "Rain clouds are rolling in," he observed, pointing to the ominous clouds gathering on the horizon. Opel, however, remained silent, his gaze fixed on something beyond Kel''s sight.
"It''s getting to Kel. It''s already too late for me," Opel''s voice resonated, carrying an air of resignation. "I was supposed to be the fighter in the group, but you''re the one hanging on the most, Kel."
The car came to a sudden stop, jolting Kellic back to the present. Opel stepped out of the vehicle, his eyes scanning the surroundings for a safe spot. A sense of foreboding hung in the air as he turned back to Kellic, his expression grave.
"Don''t come with us," Opel warned, his voice low and serious. "You shouldn''t, anyways."
With those ominous words, the car door closed, and the lush greenery faded back into the dark fog, leaving Kellic stranded with his thoughts, lost in the enigmatic depths of his subconscious.
This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.
{¡ñ}
Rin exerted all her strength to drag the unconscious boy to safety, pushing him through a broken door window before crawling in after him.
"I''m sorry..." she whispered as he hit the floor with a thud, surprisingly not waking up from the fall. She dragged him to a cozier part of the house where a group of survivors had taken refuge.
"Who''s this?" demanded an authority figure with torn clothing, eyeing the newcomer suspiciously.
"He was buried under a blanket of snow. He could have died out there. I was just helping," Rin defended, shooting a glare at one of the guard members who doubted her intentions.
"He might be one of those...things," added another guard, voicing the fears that haunted them all.
"No, those things looked like they were invisible!" The leader of the group settled the argument.
"Almost like...visible -"
"Static," the boy suddenly woke up, perking himself up, the snow gently falling off of him.
The group jumped back, some instinctively reaching for weapons - blades pulled from the fireplace, glowing with a fiery intensity.
"A heater..?" Rin said with a gesture of confusion, trying to make sense of the situation, then shrugged it off. "Sorry for the fright. Did I say something wrong?" The snow-covered hooded teenager got up, placing his hand on his knee to lift himself. He rubbed his head as he fully stood up, inspecting his hands for any signs of injury.
"So, going to tell us your name?" the leader pointed the knife threateningly, exuding an intimidating aura.
"Apologies again. Name''s Crowley," The snow finally melted off him as he stepped closer.
"Yeah, okay... names Clysita," she greeted with a mixture of intrigue and suspicion, recalling a list of names that had appeared on the classified screens.
She extended a warming hand, but Crowley declined, a faint voice echoing in his head telling him not to let her touch him. He stepped back into the colder section of the room, his hand instinctively going to his neck.
"Sorry," he said again, his eyes flickering with an unspoken fear. He noticed a slight shift in the air, and goosebumps rippled down his spine. Suddenly, he leaped backward into the warmth, grabbing onto the rim. Clysita, acting quickly, readied her knife again, sensing the same unease in the atmosphere.
The sky screeched, shaking the house with an unsettling vibration. Snow floated in the air, carried by static fields. The screeches grew louder, trembling down the spines of everyone stuck within the storm''s presence.
The group covered their ears, trying in vain to block out the deafening noise, but it seeped into the finite crevices of their hands, shaking their bodies uncontrollably.
Lightning thrashed, and the snow that floated dropped, accompanied by another six inches of snow each time the bolt snapped repeatedly in the distance. The thunder shook the house, resonating with the skies'' agony, the screeches sounding like a mourning family member.
In an instant, it became silent, the eerie noise vanishing as swiftly as it had come. The survivors were left in stunned silence, their senses heightened, waiting for the next unpredictable move of the relentless storm.
{¡ñ}
Vem was sluggishly sprinting in the snow, trying to find a lead to where the representative might be. As he hurried, a car alarm suddenly blared, accompanied by a young woman''s grunt echoing through the snowy air.
"Isabel?!" Vem stopped in his tracks, questioning the source of the grunt.
"Korith~! Come back here right now!" The voice grew louder, more urgent. The car alarm abruptly ceased, replaced by a loud bang. Vem moved toward the commotion, worrying about his co-worker''s safety.
He caught sight of dyed hair. "Nope, not her," he muttered to himself, continuing toward the noise, determined to resolve the situation and bring them to safety.
"Stop running, Korith!" The lady collided with Vem, sending both of them sprawling to the ground. Korith seized the opportunity and dashed into an alleyway, leaving them both on the ground, massaging their heads from the impact.
Quickly, Korith covered their tracks, leading potential pursuers in the wrong direction. She blended into the distance, guided by the persistent buzz echoing in her mind: Find Him.
¡°Are you okay?¡± Octavia was the first to speak, getting up to help Vem to his feet, as his face becomes noticeable, a feeling like she¡¯s seen him before festers.
"Yup," Vem grunted as he was lifted.
¡°Names Vem, I¡¯m a private investigator.¡± He firmly places his hat back on, her thoughts from eight days ago rises, believing she¡¯s seen someone wearing this exact hat as they talked to Korith.
"Oh, not yet - but I''m going to," she smirked, rubbing her wrists to warm them.
"Names Vem, I''m a private investigator."
"Ah - Names Octavia," they greeted. Vem began discussing the chase he had just witnessed but was abruptly cut off by the sharp, piercing noise of the screeching. As it intensified, they both struggled to maintain their footing, their spines tingling with fear as goosebumps rippled down their skin. They clutched their ears, trying to block out the unbearable sound.
A series of lightning flashes cut through the darkness, accompanied by deafening thunder.
Their bodies froze in the cold, muscles giving way from the struggle. Octavia fought through the pain, adrenaline surging as she mustered her strength. With a sudden burst of energy, she heaved Vem inside a nearby building, grunting and shouting with pain as her muscles protested the effort.
Epinephrine took over, her pain disappearing beneath the rush. She ripped sleeves and extra cloth, tying them tightly around both of their heads. Placing her hands firmly over her ears and Vem''s, they huddled together, instinctively driven by the need to protect themselves from the relentless assault of sound.
{¡ñ}
The structure''s fingers stretched, reaching almost to Kellic''s height. His body twitched in spasms, his facial muscles contracting involuntarily.
The skies screeched, lightning tendrils trembled around the structures, arms reaching down, zapping the fangs. violet electricity danced down the ridges, connecting to the stones on the ground, forming a web of pulsating energy. The electric buzz created an eerie orchestra that echoed through the abandoned school, its walls now rubble remains.
A symphony of horrific screeches and crackles troubled Lin''s sleeping face. He twitched and tightened with each thunderous shake, the disturbance evident even in his dreams.
A small harmonic buzz passed within Lin, comforting the unsettling disturbance.
The lightning strobed throughout the school, flashes of light so intense they seemed to flicker the very fabric of reality, the image distorted as thunder roared in the distance.
{¡ñ}
The sudden silence that followed the intense screeching was deafening. The group in the room exchanged bewildered glances, their ears still ringing from the echoes of the sound. Clysita lowered her knife, her gaze flickering between her companions and the hooded teenager, Crowley.
"What the hell was that?" one of the guards whispered, his voice barely audible amidst the lingering quiet.
"I don''t know," Clysita replied, her eyes fixed on Crowley, searching for any hint of an explanation in his demeanor. "But I have a feeling it''s connected to all this chaos."
Crowley, his hand still pressed against his neck, nodded in agreement. "I''ve heard that sound before... back in the fog. It''s like something''s tearing at reality itself."
Rin, her grip on her makeshift weapon tightening, spoke up. "We can''t stay here. We need to find a way out, away from whatever the hell is happening outside."
The others nodded in agreement, their fear now replaced with determination. They gathered their belongings and cautiously made their way toward the exit, keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of danger.
"We have another place, stay close." Clysita looked at the group.
As they stepped outside, they were greeted by a surreal sight. The snow-covered landscape stretched out before them, the sky above a swirling maelstrom of dark clouds and crackling energy. The air was charged with an otherworldly static, making the hair on their arms stand on end.
"We need to keep moving," Clysita said, her voice firm despite the unease in her eyes.
{¡ñ}
Kellic''s abyssal dreams faded, replaced by the sensation of gripping a car handle. With a firm press, the door swung open, allowing a rush of summer breeze and the scent of fresh air to flood his senses. The dream shifted into vivid reality as he retrieved his bags from the car, dashing toward Opel and the others.
"Wait up!" he called out, his hand waving enthusiastically as he hurried to catch up with his friends, effortlessly managing his luggage.
A distant mumble caught Kel''s ears. They camp here? he wondered briefly but dismissed the thought, focusing on catching up to Opel, who had turned around.
"So you followed, after all. I guess it''s not too late - we just need to hur-" Opel''s words were interrupted by Kellic''s dismissive retort.
"Oh, shut up. Stop trying to sound all deep and spooky. We''re just going camping," Kellic teased, memories unfolding into words.
"Okay, okay - but I''m telling you, the mosquitoes are horrible over here, I''m telling you," Opel responded, their conversation flowing as they continued down the path toward another opening. Kellic''s recollection sharpened. This is the first time we met Lin/Lenny here...
{¡ñ}
Kel''s body flailed and convulsed, contorting in the worsening flickering reality. Lightning devoured the skies above, tormenting thunder echoed across the field, and the world seemed to slowly asunder. The snow lifted, wil-o-wisping between frames in a surreal dance.
Abruptly, everything ceased its violent motion. The skies cleared in the middle, the fog dissipating to reveal the twilight beauty above. Kellic''s body plummeted, falling so rapidly that his arms and legs fluttered helplessly.
An unknown presence made itself known, a bright, foggy figure with tendril-cloud wings that attached to the skies, formulated.
With effortless grace, the ethereal caught Kellic''s falling body, lessening the tension of his descent.
Gently, the "angelic" foggednoid placed Kellic''s body on the ground next to Lin, both battered from the trauma they had endured. The entity hovered above the field, raising their arms. A gust of warm, tendril-filled breeze flowed throughout the school, healing everything in its path and somehow restoring time itself.
The angelic entity surveyed the fog-covered area. The neighboring districts remained oblivious to the unfolding events. Taking this as a sign, the presence executed her final task, even though it meant dissolving into the air. Despite the consequences, she acted without hesitation.
Bringing her hands together, she formed a complex gesture with clouded fingers and tendrils. Her plan came to fruition, and "reality" flashed, twilight transforming into night.
Everyone remaining in the area fell into a deep slumber.
A platoon of neighboring tower guards rushed in, swiftly taking care of any lingering matters before any unwanted information could leak. They blocked the perimeter, barricading it and forming a solid formation to prevent any unauthorized access.
Meanwhile, Sam and a few other towers ''captains'' patrolled the city, manipulating the situation by planting and removing objects and orchestrating a cover-up that would unfold in the public domain.
{¡ñ}
Lin assisted his parents in setting up the campsite, where the large tent felt like a miniature home. Soon, Kellic, Opel, and their friends approached, their laughter and excitement filling the air. Kellic and Opel introduced themselves, with a bit of teasing and playful wrestling.
"Hey, nice to meet you guys - I''m Kellic, and this is Opel," Kellic struggled to recall the other names, which were a blur in his mind.
"These are Areom and Dean, my brothers," Opel chimed in, nudging Kellic and engaging in friendly banter.
The two groups joined forces, combining their camping gear into a makeshift village.
As night fell, they gathered around a shared campfire, sharing cheesy ghost stories and recounting their "life experiences," mimicking adult conversations.
The campfire flickered, casting a warm glow on their faces.
The trio of friends, sitting close together, discussed their plans after the camping trip and how they should hang out more often. The conversation flowed seamlessly beneath the twinkling stars, marking the passage of time.
"Hey, I''m going to sleep. Are you guys joining us in the tent?" Lin inquired, sensing a slight unease and loneliness.
"No, sorry... we''re going to stay here," Kellic replied. "Just going to stay up a bit longer."
"Alright, have a good night, guys. See you in the morning!" Lin bid them farewell, but a strange feeling settled within him. He turned back, contemplating his new friends before heading to the tent.
"I''ll be joining you soon, man!" Kellic whispered back to Lin, his words carrying a deeper meaning.
The dream gently transitioned into a warm, comforting haze, enveloping them all.
Lin embraced the sensation as the dream shifted, becoming more surreal and dreamlike, allowing his memories to flow along the gentle path.
The Fifth Night
The Tower''s equipment arrived within seconds, constructing amidst the rubble-strewn district.
Tower''s construction workers start laying down their equipment, eyeing the fanged fulgurite pieces with concern, shivers running down their spine, sensing an otherworldly presence at hand.
Other members on the team stroll in, gradually becoming conscious of a draping, chilling, numbing sensation.
"Just look at this thing" one of the members had gauged the structure, the worker got closer to it, attempting to touch its complexion.
"Don''t touch that. " The team leader noticed their actions, "We were told under strict orders just to build around it." They glared at the recruit, they backed off and apologized, going about their set up in a timely manner.
In the surrounding area, bodyguards escorted tower workers, while others arranged the landscape in recently constructed lookout points.
Sam gave orders to clear any living civilians who had survived the event, rushing guards into the locked-down district to pick them up.
The citizens they found were stored safely in vehicles, their sleeping bodies placed in cryo-like containers for later examination - Keeping them under.
Thrumming pierced the working ambiance, the airflow around the helipad gusted, blowing noticeable streams around the aircraft.
Upon its successful landing, guards carried positioning individuals from a specialized list inside accompanying personnel.
Once everyone was on board, the craft took off, heading toward the main tower located in the heart of the branching districts.
Sam watched them depart, shading her eyes from the bright lights. She lowered her hand when they disappeared from view, then waved to other workers and guards, beckoning them closer for further instructions.
"We need solid evidence to support our cover. For now, we can continue building over the monolith. It could become a new Tower - something to occupy their thoughts while we downplay the weather phenomenon," Sam panned her vision with authority amongst the small crowd in front of her.
"We could claim it was a test of new technology, something that aligns with the new Tower, of course," suggested one.
Three more nodded in agreement, following the idea. Sam made a gesture, and they all engaged in a discussion, making the story more believable, however the story might change depending on what the group decides on.
A guard intruded on their conversation. "Excuse me, Mrs., but what is "''blanking''?"
Sam halted, examining every detail of the guard before responding. "You''re about to find out." She looked up and over the Guardsmen, knowing her workers never asked about the procedure.
Someone behind him nodded, and the guard was swiftly injected with a serum.
Within seconds, he was unconscious on the ground, then carried away. Sam nods and continues the walk, hidden ''guards'' following their path to spot any others lurking within the crowd.
Sam issued a final command: evacuate everyone within a 30-mile radius of the outer district.
Ensuring no one knew what had happened. With the command came a series of injections to confirm no potential "virus" infections, telling the public a lie for the injections.
The crowds wondered why they needed the shot. Some accepted without question, while most were coerced. This caused confusion, but the serum they injected dispelled worries. Carrying tons to an unknown destination, they ensured no one would reveal their secret.
{¡ñ}
Vivid hues. The room buzzes with a muted energy as the robotic arms move swiftly, injecting a misty white liquid into the bodies of the unconscious passengers.
Meanwhile, Chandra and Dealix hurried through the darkened streets, their steps synchronized with the rhythm of their pounding hearts. Mier, the tricky fish, followed stealthily on the far left, prioritizing a sunken feeling about their well being, his movements silent and calculated.
They made their way towards distant buildings, their goal shrouded in uncertainty but driven by the instinct to survive.
In the Tower, the craft had landed, and the atmosphere hummed with tension. Escorts rushed to the sleeping passengers, guiding them into rooms for the mysterious process known as "Blanking."
High clinical beds awaited, and the passengers were carefully placed on them.
Wraps secured them, injecting a serum, ensuring they remained asleep throughout the procedure, while thin robotic arms emerged, each carrying syringes filled with the misty white liquid.
Within the liquid, biological organisms swirled, designed to attach themselves to blood cells. Once inside the body, these organisms would target the neural network of the brain.
Delicate threads of themselves infiltrated the neural pathways, collecting data and memories for deletion.
The leader of the operation issued commands, controlling the process by manipulating the unconscious mind. Dreams were simulated, and events outside the unconscious were mimicked, all aimed at persuading the mind to let go of specific memories.
"Delete the entire week from their mind if it connects to ''them''," the leader ordered, his voice firm. The workers focused on their tasks, their concentration unwavering.
"Sir, this one..." A worker hesitated, prompting the leader to investigate.
"What''s that?"
Examining the data, the leader made a decisive choice. "Delete everything."
"Yes, sir."
The signal was sent, and the unconscious mind of the Vel was wiped clean of the entire year. The tower shook momentarily, thunder echoing in the distance, but the disturbance faded as quickly as it came.
"And the others, sir?" another worker inquired, her voice barely audible, carrying an air of secrecy. The leader nodded, signaling to erase the week and the connection. The room continued its work, the team moving with precision and focus.
In the dimly lit room, the doctor and the two workers diligently performed their tasks. Robotic arms descended to other beds, repeating the process with the remaining passengers.
The syringes pressed gently, releasing the serum into their veins. The liquid snaked through their bodies, turning their veins into pulsating pathways, a surreal transformation under the sterile glow of the room''s lights.
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
{¡ñ}
Chandra, Dealix, and Mier, silently followed their trail, eventually finding refuge in an abandoned village of ancient, crumbling buildings.
The windows were empty, leaving nothing but eerie darkness and the remnants of a time long gone.
Carefully, they entered a building that appeared relatively intact, although shards of broken glass crunched beneath their shoes.
"Be careful. I once stepped on a wedged glass piece that pierced my foot pretty badly," Dealix cautioned, his voice a reminder of the lurking dangers. Chandra squinted, trying to banish the mental image, refusing to let herself "feel" the pain.
Chandra pointed to a relatively sturdy room, its door still attached with minor damages. They entered, greeted by a cold, hard ground that looked surprisingly inviting, and a torn-down closet awaited them.
"How fancy can you get?" Chandra shrugged, turning to face Dealix.
"Oh, very fancy~" he chimed in.
"I guess we''ll be needing these." Mier emerged from the shadows, carrying sleeping bags, canned foods, and camping cooking utensils.
"Oh!" Dealix jumped, startling Chandra, who instinctively pulled out her newly found knife.
"Wait-wait-wait! It''s me, Mier!"
Chandra, her adrenaline still pumping, blitzed him, knocking him to the floor.
"And where did you run off to? You left us back there!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and confusion from the events that had taken their toll on her.
"I know... I know! I just had to be somewhere important. I should have told you guys... I just needed to do that task by myself," Mier started to explain, while Dealix, still shocked to see him, wondered how he even knew where they were.
"Did you follow us?" he questioned. Mier nodded in response, confirming it afterward.
"Anyone else?" He reached inside his hoodie pockets, gripping a new knife he and Chandra had both found, conveniently stowed away.
"Can you... please get off of me?" he asked, cringing, concerned about the question at hand.
"Oh¡ª" Chandra got off him, helping him up in the process.
"And this is for you." He handed her the blade Vem had left in his car, stored away. A slight shiver branches down his back, thinking that Vem is out there wondering where his knife had ''ran'' off too.
"Thinking this would be more handy in your¡ªyou know... hands," he tried to make a joke, but no one laughed.
He continued, walking to the edge of the room and setting up his sleeping bag in the corner.
Chandra thought, always the tight spaces.
She and Dealix followed his example, setting up their sleeping bags closer to him to be aware of his movements.
Mier looked at the two of them with a blank expression, scooting his sleeping bag a little bit over to create a small gap between them.
"O.C.D thing," he said. The two nodded in response, understanding his need for order and space.
Mier stepped over the sleeping bags, setting up a small, fancy-looking fireplace in the broken-down closet.
He grabbed more equipment, funneling any excess smoke into a chamber. Confusion was evident on Dealix and Chandra''s faces as Mier transformed their shelter into what seemed like a makeshift lab.
Mier had grabbed these in his own little hideout to aid the two.
"And this is camping equipment..?" Chandra asked, her voice laced with disbelief.
"Yup!" Mier continued his setup. Once he was done, he moved to the fireplace again, rummaging through his pockets. He pulled out a handy dandy lighter and lit a blaze. The fireplace hummed with flame, ready for cooking.
Dealix went over to the canned food, picking out "cowboy food" and handing Mier the can. Chandra did the same and grabbed some canned peaches.
"I''ll just take this for now," she said, plopping next to the fireplace, poking Mier to ask if he had any silverware. He nodded and provided them with some plastic sporks.
"Wow, it''s like middle school all over again," Dealix commented, examining the spork closely with a sense of humor. Chandra nodded, too busy trying to open the can to reply. Mier noticed her struggle, grabbing a can opener from his bag to help her.
"You are so prepared..." Dealix marveled.
"Gotta be in these situations," Mier looked over at Dealix, the can opener being taken from Chandra.
Chandra peeled the can open, then handed the tool to Mier, who used it to open Dealix''s cowboy food. The can lid peeled back, revealing clumps of meat, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots ¨C a mishmash of ingredients stuffed into one dish, which made it "cowboy" food according to Dealix and his parents.
Mier grabbed a pan from his bag, placing it on two little thin bars, the clanking of metal meeting metal.
After pouring some baking soda onto the pan, the sizzling of liquid began as he dished the cold food onto it.
Accidentally, hot liquid splashed onto his hand, and he yelped, tucking his hand away and placing the can to his side, tending to his burnt hand; he already hurt one of his hands, and now the other one is being burnt.
Dealix got up and headed to his aid, taking the half-filled can to finish the process Mier had started. "I got this, just relax ¨C thank you for... well, all this," he gestured to the camp set up. It felt almost like home.
"Happy to help," Mier grunted, examining his swelling hand where the liquid had burnt most.
"Here, take this. We found extras on our journey we had without you," Chandra setting her half-eaten peaches on the cold concrete and getting up to toss some makeshift bandages.
Mier sluggishly caught them, but they rolled on the ground. Chandra''s reaction was a tad awkward, either due to the miss throw or just his bad catching. He thanked her and continued to wrap his wound.
Dealix stirred the food around, mixing it up, ensuring all the cold pieces were cooked.
"Don''t stir it too long, it''ll burn," Mier warned, pointing to the pan. Dealix nodded and then taste-tested the food.
"I''m sure it''ll be fine; this stuff can cook for a while."
"Yeah, I was too hungry to wait that long," Chandra added.
"That''s why I chose nice refreshing peaches, plus it has the juice ¨C best part, I mind you," Chandra getting ready to gulp down her finished can. Chugging the juices down, she placed her hand on her hip, then gasped at the refreshing liquid.
"Good stuff," she exclaimed, throwing the can to the other room, where it clunked as it landed.
"Yeah, but this stuff is more filling anyway," Dealix said, sticking his tongue out. Chandra jokingly threatened to chop his tongue out, but this only made him tease her more.
Mier muttered something to himself, going unnoticed by the two, then chuckled over their commotion. He couldn''t help but notice how these two were slowly starting to feel like family to each other.
Within the tower, the "blanked" subjects were escorted into their designated locations, most of them returning to their homes, which had been thoroughly muddled with to erase any signs of what had happened.
Data on computers, phones, and other devices related to the particular event were wiped clean.
The individual who had lost a year of memories was stowed away in a similar facility to Eve''s, but more discreet, even from the most observant eyes.
Wrapped in cloth resembling a straight jacket, his face concealed by an additional cloth like a long hood, kept hidden from prying eyes.
Samples of blood and other chemicals stained within the serum were sealed in a glass vial, stored inside a cold case on frozen carts to prevent spills.
After a moment, lab coats arrived and picked up the vial, carrying it into secrecy. It was locked behind a windowless room, its walls ten inches thick of concrete. Nothing was getting in, and nothing was getting out.
A reverberated hum filled the stowed away room.
{¡ñ}
One of the blanked testees wakes up surrounded by individuals, their silhouettes color washed with the blinding light behind him. A voice beckoned him "it''s okay-it''s okay"
"You''ll be okay."
His vision slowly comes back to him in a daze, sitting up. Feeling like someone else.
"Hey, it''s okay - you just had an episode, but you''re alright now."
"The doctors took care of you and knew exactly what to do."
The daze leaves, bringing clarity in his eyes. He sees everyone that he knows, including three doctors that rushed to the side to help. The one waves it off, telling the rest ¡°everything¡¯s under control, thank you for helping¡±
One of his ''siblings'' brings him up, escorting his fragile body to the vehicle.
"You''ll get the feeling back in your legs shortly. "
"I''m going drop you off at your house, make sure to take this medication to ease any pains that may arrive - the doctors were telling me of ''side effects'' and these would help that." He goes on explaining the plan laid out before him.
The drive seemed long and out of place, multiple turns and stops. Used to be countable, but now it''s not. They arrived at the front of the building, steps seemed like hallways and the door was this impossible quest to get to it. This feeling stops after he gets escorted out and into his apartment.
"There''s food in the fridge, and don''t forget to take those pills." The voice says before disappearing, the door closing tightly behind it.
There''s a few notes laying about, One is placed on his glass bong. He goes over to it and rips it off.
" look underneath me. " His eyebrows raise. Intrigued he listens to the note taking a look underneath the bong. He drops it in shock, shattering on the floor.
His memories flood back to him, overwhelming him on the spot.
"Welcome back." The distorted current flared out in hushed tones.
"Crowley.."
The Fifth Night: P.2
The endless night sky dazzled between the translucent fog, revealing the remnants of the dark fog Crowley vaguely remembered as it dissipated into the vast expanse of space; Shooting stars captured his attention, drawing it toward a figure standing nearby.
This person had long, straight hair, shaved sides, and spiked-up back.
The spikes triggered a memory of the monolithic structure he had seen in his dreams. However, the memories, fleeting as they came, vanished along with the figure who waved a silent farewell.
With the last trace of the man, represented by an eye, a voice echoed in Crowley''s mind. "I won''t be gone for long."
After the eye disintegrated into dark particles, the endless night sky released rain, showering the entire plain.
Lightning illuminated the sky, revealing a crackled galaxy branching out like the lightning itself.
Reality shifted, swirling and vibrating into static, forming the faces of millions.
Their eyes mirrored the night sky, projecting dark fog tendrils, and their jaws detached in a way that stretched into emptiness, an unsettling sight that felt like staring into the void.
Crowley pulled back with the shift, the images scribbling away, dispersing into white particles.
{¡ñ}
Lin hurried to his tent, and as he opened it, the fabric vanished into finite particles, seamlessly transitioning him into an entirely different dream.
From his perspective, the shift felt natural, and upon entering the room, it transformed into a studio apartment, viewed from above.
Lin felt momentarily confused, but memories of this particular place flooded back to him.
He believed that he had lived there once-when he was much younger.
The memory was faint, almost like a stone-colored picture in his mind, but he was sure this was the place.
He shifted his gaze to his old bedroom, where he saw someone else lying there.
Their arms were folded behind their head, tapping their feet to the rhythm playing in their headphones.
Lin''s perspective blended with that of the individual lying there. The beat resonated, and the foot bounced in perfect synchrony.
Dark particles formed lightly within the apartment, creating iridescent static that seemed to obscure the surroundings.
They collected together, creating an illusion of darkness, almost like a misty black hole. Unaware, Velern continued to move to the beat, the dark particles lashing at him, infiltrating his nostrils and mouth.
The man had assumed they were tiny invisible insects, attempting to swipe them away, but failing in their efforts.
The music shifted to a different tune, an orchestral composition.
They swayed to the rhythm, and a newfound clarity washed over him. His surroundings became vibrant and clear, and even his breathing felt sharper.
His attention was drawn to a figure, glimpsed briefly behind a standalone cooler.
Another figure appeared, catching his eye, but as he looked, it hid itself behind the machinery. Fear coursed through him, yet he let it pass.
The figure became clearer-faceless, with barely a mouth visible. Their eyes were sunken in, forming a band around their heads; Where the eyes once were.
Their skin appeared cracked and dry, ready to fall off by a single fragile touch.
The body...
pitch black, with hints of purple lining the cracks and flesh causing the illusion of vast emptiness.
He called out, and one of the creatures advanced. Reality cracked from its very fabric as its fingers burst through, spreading dark fog that seeped into the walls, floors, and even behind it. As the arms breached through, a dark fog emerged, filling the room.
{¡ñ}
Lin''s perspective suddenly shifted back to his original dream. He found himself back in the tent, waiting for his friends to join him so he could share "scary stories," completely unaware of the unsettling experience he had just witnessed.
"Not just yet," a voice came from beside him. Lin jerked back, seeing Kellic.
"Kellic!"
"Not ready for scary stories just yet, Lenny..."
"Are we waiting for Opel?"
"If he even shows up..."
Lin looked down, awaiting the arrival of his third "best friend."
{¡ñ}
Octavia nearly escaped, but did Vem? She wondered.
The shock of what happened was unbearable; her ears bled from the thunder, and when the sky screeched, the very sound of it rattled her bones - still aching from the shake She was still wearing bandages of ripped fabric around her head, softening any amount she could from the piercing sound.
She regretted not saving Vem; if things had aligned perfectly with her plan, it all could have worked out.
"What went wrong..." she pondered as she continued to shuffle towards any sort of safety, coming across an abandoned "village."
"I hope the orphanage is fine."
"I hope Krissy is doing okay too.." remembering her final days at the orphanage.
She tightened her grip. "I can''t think of negative influences. I need to think positive."
"They''re just fine! - they could handle everything...totally," she tried to convince herself.
"Ah, forget it..." Octavia turned around, heading back to the district, straight for the "put-together home."
Her worry drove her back into the chaos.
{¡ñ}
Octavia entered through an alleyway, sprinting across, doing her best to keep her footsteps light.
She heard other guards knocking on doors. "What are they doing on the outside? They''ve been moving through the whole district.."
She stopped on the side of the wall, pressing herself against it, observing the guards'' next moves. Looking closer, she saw them barging into the home after countless knocks; they had grown tired of waiting.
Octavia''s face marked concern due to the guards'' behavior - this wasn''t the normal routine if an individual didn''t answer a guard''s call.
"Sorry, guys...I''m going to have to put you on the side for now," she muttered to herself, thinking about the orphanage, Vem, and Korith.
With her last thought of Korith, she took a plunge after the guards, entering within a moment - a mixture of speed and silence.
{¡ñ}
Vem barely managed to escape the chaos and the guards that were swarming after a warm embrace. His hands reached for the cloth the girl had given him.
"Octavia...was it?" His face crinkled as his mind wandered, hands fully grasping the cloth, then tossing it onto the hard cement with a grunt. He leaned his head against the wall he was leaning on.
"I can''t rest until I find her," he murmured, looking up towards the ceiling in desperation.
"And I''m sure that strange, quiet child is off doing his own thing already," he thought, recalling Meir, who had a habit of appearing and disappearing mysteriously.
"Hope he found that weapon I found at that house, alright. I''m sure he''s putting it to good use... I hope he''s smart enough to... right?"
When Mier first came to him, he was spewing something about markings, the storms stalking him, and some sort of ''vision,'' he was skeptical at first, but due to him already investigating anomalies within the phenomena, he opened his mind to the possibilities.
In the silence that followed, a faint static emanated from another room within the abandoned building.
[ "He*distortion*lo?"
"Ca-"
"Do you copy?" ]
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Vem looked in the direction of the sound, making out the last structured words.
"A radio?" He determined, with a slight doubt about his recall.
[ "Can any-"
"Please -" ]
He nodded.
"Gotta be."
The detective shuffled, managing to pull himself up, and then proceeded towards the static radio.
Rubble scattered across the cement got booted across the room from Vem''s shuffle, hitting the trim of the door from which the static feedback loop emanated.
The radio stopped with a beep as a knob turned.
[ "What was that..."
"I don''t know...a mouse?"
"Right, because a mouse will be out in this freezing weather."
"Well..." ]
Vem sat there in silence, listening to the tiny argument unfolding within the room. It brought a little less tension to the situation he was in. He thought about the best way to stabilize a potentially tense encounter with these unknown individuals.
[ "Do you want me to check it out to make you feel better?" ]
His eyes widened.
[ "No, who knows, it could be one of those...'' things.'' Can''t be too safe." ]
Things...? The detective made a quick connection to a flashback.
"You''re right. There''s no such thing as too safe. - Turn on the heater to blast and point it at the door. I''ll make a small fireplace with the junk that''s lying around."
Vem''s eyes squinted with intrigue.
The footsteps from the other door grew closer, accompanied by some metal scratches against the flooring. The sound of a ticking knob, then the sheer power of the heater''s motor kicked in.
After that, there was nothing but silence, albeit more muted than before.
The detective slouched down, contemplating how he went unnoticed by these two individuals in another room when he came inside.
"Maybe the screeching affected something?" He thought aloud, tilting his head up in a panic at his own words, hoping the two strangers didn''t notice.
The sound of the heater brought him back down from his momentary attack.
"Right." He got back up, feeling healthier than before, besides his ears, which stung slightly if touched.
Vem made a quick decision, leading him into another neighboring room. Untouched by dwellers, the kitchen seemed cozy enough for Vem''s stomach to growl. He shrugged his shoulders and looked for any type of "snack" food he could grab and get away with.
He opened a cupboard, finding some rectangular chips and another small bag of food next to it.
"Of course."
"But before I start digging in..." He looked around, noticing another heater, debating whether to create white noise or not.
He decided against it, proceeding to grab the chips and head out another door and into the cold, snowy night, thoughts of his coworker in his mind.
The lights from the guards caught his attention, leading him closer to the edge of the district, where he heard banging on a door with a guard''s rough voice following closely behind it.
They''re really searching this entire section, he thought. He saw an unmarked path and took it.
"I''ll find you, you should be in this area... You could''ve moved, however..."
Vem entered what his best judgment described as a newly built house.
He searched around for the key to unlock the doors; usually, houses like these had a key hidden somewhere nearby in case workers needed to get in.
His hand found a rail, feeling inside it and grabbing the key. He unlocked the door.
Vem looked at the door behind him, then around seeing that the house was furnished: a TV clung to the walls, couch, and a few end pieces with a cushioned chair.¡°Nice home...seems cozy,¡±
He took his gaze elsewhere, seeing a stair piece, deciding to take them. He found a room he could use, his hand reaching into his pockets and grabbing a lighter.
Flicking it once, twice, and then on the third time, the room glowed with a red-yellowish flame. Warmth reached his hands, the sensation bringing him a sigh of relief.
{¡ñ}
Kellic''s mind raced, attempting to evade the dark tendrils forming storms within his memories.
He found himself ensconced within the outer barriers of dreams and memories, cells within cells of movie-like scenarios of the past, and fantastical dreams.
The sight of the dark fog wrapping its tendrils around a memory cell sent shock-waves through his mind, triggering migraines that followed a path of abyssal veins scattering across his temples and into his forehead.
He clutched his head, hoping to ease the pain, but it persisted, the darkened veins curdling within the center of his mind. A scream tore through him as the intense flow of dark blood pulsed relentlessly.
Finally, it burst, spewing the blood like vomit across the foggy floor.
The blood convulsed and spread upwards before violently plummeting back into the foggy ground beneath him, staining parts of the white fog with its abyssal color.
Panic surged, but the overwhelming desire to faint overpowered him.
Kellic struggled against it, but the nightmarish fog lunged a tendril, curling around his leg with a grip so tight it paralyzed him. With a snap of a finger, the tendril brought him down.
The darkness, once contained, now spread further throughout Kellic''s mind, transforming everything it touched-the ground, the air, the dreams, and any memories in its path.
Amid a congregation of memories, a collective of emotional responses still fought on Kellic''s side.
These emotional memories constructed a barrier between the encroaching darkness and themselves.
Within this barrier, versions of him began to form a consciousness of their own, creating a vessel for what was and what could be. One took the form of the original, weaving a thin fabric of a bridge between it, Kellic, and the depths pulling him in.
{¡ñ}
Opel''s consciousness hovered on the edge of despair as the relentless cold closed in around them, threatening to snuff out the last flicker of life. "Opel~" The rapid, flowing static stretched their name, a haunting reminder of their desperate situation.
"You won''t die if you merge with -" the voice began, its tone laced with an eerie calmness.
"No!" Opel''s defiance cut through the static, sharp, and resolute. "I''d rather die than become -"
"Oh? But your friend Kellic is sure to be lost," the voice chimed in, taunting and cruel.
"Don''t you dare..." Opel''s voice quivered with anger and fear.
"Aw, you can''t do anything...if you accept it, you can," the voice persisted, its words like venom.
"Shut up!" Opel flung their hands towards the encroaching cold, their eyes widening in horror. There, lying in the grip of the darkness, was Kellic, his skin ashen gray with dark veins snaking across his body.
"Is that..." Opel''s voice trailed off, the realization hitting them hard.
"Of course, it is...take the hand and become what you truly are," the voice hissed its words, a sinister whisper in Opel''s mind.
Opel screamed in frustration, torn between saving Kellic and succumbing to the fate the voice offered. The very essence of who they were hung in the balance.
"Go save him... just take the hand," the voice coaxed, its temptation powerful and seductive.
Opel looked down and to the left, their gaze falling on the outstretched hand that would change them forever. It represented a version of themselves that resembled those "Fallen" entities, a reminder of the horrors they had witnessed.
"I...can''t. I just can''t do that," Opel whispered, their voice barely audible. With newfound determination, they turned away, showing their back to the sinister temptation and the alternative version of Kellic. At that moment, the mind space opened up, the dead end collapsing like a crumbling facade.
Opel looked up, their eyes locking onto a strong, vibrant memory. A giant gap lay before them, awaiting their descent. The memory exuded a warm, yellowish glow, a beacon of hope in the darkness. The static voice slithered away, defeated, as the alternative versions of Opel and Kellic dissipated into tiny dark molecules, following the retreating cold.
"Come," a voice within echoed, and without hesitation, Opel took a faithful step. To their surprise, they didn''t fall into endless depths; instead, they walked on air.
A warmth enveloped them, and the feeling of a hand pressed gently against their body, guiding them toward the distant memory.
"You''ll be safe in here, but you''re running out of time," the voice warned, its words heavy with urgency.
The warmth kept Opel calm as they traversed the path. Finally, they reached the memory, the very campsite where they had met Lin.
"Where I met Lin..." Opel murmured, their voice filled with a mixture of nostalgia and determination.
"Go," the warmth urged, pushing Opel forward. With a tumble and a fall, Opel descended into the warm daze, the fog gently guiding them into a car.
Their perspective shifted, and they found themselves in the back seat, sitting beside Kellic, who remained untouched by the creeping abyss.
Hope and determination filled their hearts as they prepared to face whatever challenges lay ahead, determined to save Kellic and themselves from the encroaching darkness.
{¡ñ}
In the carrier, the "blanked" subject tossed and turned, her body drenched in sweat. The guards glanced at her uneasily; one of them elbowed the other.
"You think she''s alright in there?" the first guard whispered.
"You know better than to ask. Stop before they blank you," the second guard warned.
"Oh, come on, they wouldn''t do that."
The driver overheard. "Yes, they would."
"I''m one of their best. I don''t think-"
"Exactly. You don''t think. Focus on your job and avoid digging yourself into a deeper hole."
The guard gazed down at the girl and then back at the driver''s seat, thoughts racing through his mind. What have I gotten myself into? I need more information for Clyista, but if that means potentially losing all my memories, I don''t know if I can do this.
"Hey, lighten up. Learn from your mistakes and move forward, understand?" the driver said, snapping the undercover crew member out of his thoughts.
He nodded in silence, and the driver gave him an approving look.
The girl''s hand shot out, grabbing onto the guard''s pant leg, her screams echoing through the carrier, a manifestation of her inner terror.
"She shouldn''t be like this. This is the first time for blank subjects..." the passenger riding shotgun remarked to the driver.
"I think we should give her another dose," the doctor suggested.
"No, doctor - administering another injection might turn her into a-"
"Vegetable?" the guard who had spoken up earlier suggested. A heavy silence hung in the air, accentuated by the girl''s agonized cries.
The carrier continued to bump and rattle along the road, heading toward the girl''s house.
I shouldn''t have said that... The guard thought, his fellow guard giving him a blank look - a silent, "You''ve done it now" expression.
"No!! Don''t... no!" the girl yelled, her grip released, her arm flailing and smacking hard against the interior, leaving a bruise on the unconscious Vel.
The remainder of the drive was torturous for the undercover guard, listening to the girl''s screams and thrashing while everyone else sat idly by, doing nothing to help her.
"Don''t touch her," the passenger said, his voice cold, not giving the guard any response to his internal turmoil.
The doctor signaled, and the carrier came to a stop, its suspension settling under the weight of the occupants.
"We''re here," the driver announced, stepping out of the vehicle. The doctor followed suit, but the guards remained seated.
The undercover guard felt a prickle of anxiety as his fabricated guard companion continued to stare at him with a blank expression, analyzing his every move.
"You seem tense," his fellow guard finally spoke after what felt like an eternity.
"Yeah, just the child screaming in pain before us."
"It''s something you''ll have to get used to."
Get used to?!
"Yeah, you''re right."
"Follow orders, and you''ll be fine. You won''t end up as a ''vegetable,''" the other guard concluded, intertwining his last statement with the guard''s own.
The agent nodded. The girl shrieked again, her eyes snapping open. Both guards jumped in their seats.
"Now there''s something to worry about!" the skeptical teammate exclaimed, swiftly pulling out his radio. Static crackled to life as he turned it on.
The click of the radio was a balm to the girl''s "sleeping" ears. The agent leaned over to examine the rigid girl, her pupils clouded, the color in her irises fading into a gray-toned milky white.
The driver and the medicalist, standing beside the carrier, debated whether to enter the building, fully aware of what awaited them inside.
"Don''t be-"
The radio cut off the doctor''s attempt to encourage the driver to open the door.
"We have a serious problem, Code 1.1.2. I repeat, Code 1.1.2," the guards'' panic seeped through the transmission.
The medicalist signaled to the driver, who hesitated before opening the door.
It opens unleashing a wave of heat.
"I''m on the way," the talkie beeped, ending the transmission. The girl stirred, her cloudy eyes fixating on the radio.
"Hurry," the Guardsmen reiterated, his breath forming mist in the cold carrier.
"It''s getting rapidly cold," he reported back. The door creaked open, and the doctor swiftly injected a serum into the girl''s neck. She screamed, grasping the syringe.
"Don''t do it!"
"Get him outside!"
"I''ll handle the girl!"
Chaos ensued inside the carrier: shouts, cries, and the clanging of metal against metal.
The undercover agent was forcibly ejected from the vehicle, snow cascading onto him as he tumbled.
His sword flew out of reach, clattering in the distance.
feet planted firmly on the ground. Snow kicked up as it did - the other guard.
"I knew something was off with you!" the guard yelled into the freezing darkness.
The Fifth Night: P.3
The snowy mist hangs over the landscape, the muffled pitter-patter of trenching snow follows Dealix and Chandra through the night. Being led to a destination
"unknown". Dealix had answered Chandra as they sprint through the thick sleeted snow.
"Are we getting close at all!?"
"Not yet!, I''ll know for sure once it happens!"
Muffled voices trying to skewer the density.
{¡ñ}
Vem, tucked away into a house, sits in the corner, making shift draperies covering the windows, obscuring the vision of the fire he put together from paper left over from the rubble. Hands hovering the flame to bite off the cold.
"Going to stay here for the night." Mutters to himself.
we''ve been told to believe in these things he thought. Staring at the open flame. The breeze hits the window, whistling through its frame and passing through the makeshift curtain then into Vem''s ears.
they''ll find you soon, you need to run, a faint inner voice tells him.
With a sudden impulse Vem shoots up, the fire flickering.
stay there.. another voice pleads for concern.
Vem''s legs goose-bumped, he takes a look outside seeing guards patrolling the streets. He closes the blinds. Looking at the fire and smothering it, however, keeping items he warmed up to help him stay a little comfortable in case he needs to go outside.
He then shuffles towards the windowed wall, pressing his ear firmly against it. Giving himself space between the peering window.
Muffle voices start.
"One of our ''men'' saw an individual over here.."
"Think they made it into these houses?"
Vem''s heart started to race.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
"Think we should search the house?"
"We did get those orders¡"
"Yeah, but we''ve been searching for a long time and haven''t found anything in these newly builts."
"Yeah, we should follow the orders given to us. This is the last house - not to mention the anonymous Tipper. "
Vem''s heart drops.
someone''s been watching¡
unless if its a ploy
"I''ll take the front, you take the back."
Shit. Vem lifts his head up from the wall. Swiftly making his way towards an attic in the upstairs hallway. The faint voices of the soldiers approach both sides of the building.
Once they arrive at their positions they pattern the knocks. Giving signals to each other that they''re ready.
With quick movement and years of getting into messes, Vem reached for the attic latch, pulling both the hatch and stairs with one swoop.
The knocking continues throughout the bottom section of the house, as the loudest thud reaches the living room. Vem''s foot stops the ladder from blooming, however it still makes a slight sound along with the stinging pain of the drop.
A series of knocks, a pattern of what could be boots hitting the floor. Meeting each other on the stairs leading to the second floor.
Silence.
Then footsteps slowly inching up, Vems ears correlate, noticing only one pair.
Where''s the other? he thought. Climbing up the ladder, the footsteps sluggishly reaching its point.
The guard''s helmet glimpses at the stair rail.
Vem grabs the ladder and yanks it up, just in unison of the guards head that peaked across the stair rail. Their torso becomes visible, the patroller reaches the railing for stability and the attic hatch tightly closes.
{¡ñ}
Octavia slides into cover within the house that the guards bashed into for ''investigation''.
what are they up to..? sliding into another part of the house, skillfully maneuvering around the guards'' commotions.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in.."
Octavia''s body jumped, her heart dropped. ah, shit she thought.
The guards'' sword swooshes down with an arc - Octavia''s'' practice at play, she dodges it.
Thud. The sword hits the counter top, It wedges into the fine material.
Octavia brings her stretched palm to the soldier''s equipped grasped hand. The guardsmen yelps as he cradles his wrist, within this moment. She puts all her force into one kick - with her surprise the man flies backward hitting the wall.
The thud of the wall was the final sound that brought another guard rushing over. Octavia does a quick glance. Yanking the splintered sword out from the counter-top, gripping it tightly.
feels like the one back home.
Screams seep from up the top floor, aching her ears from the tone. Octavia''s face morphed to a worsening scowl.
"What the Aiel are you doing to these people-" she spouted as the second guard blitzed.
Swords clashed. - more screams can be heard up top.
"You guys are sure to resign after this!" She gives a spark of humor with another clang.
The guard laying on the floor shuffles up, regaining their balance.
Another scream for help reaches Octavia.
shit.
She dashes to the guard struggling to get up having the other follow suit, Octavia dips down and to the side as the partner guard pierces forward.
His sword connects to their partners back. With a holler and the guardsmen''s failed swing, she takes advantage. Kicking the mans'' rib-cage with a grunt, it breaks.
Screaming proceeds, but this time its the guards''. The guard that got stabbed in the back is pinned to the floor, yet is still pulling himself up with an intense struggle.
"Damn¡" Octavia admires the dedication, yet a thought lingers on how?
She snaps out of it and takes this time to haul ass up stairs, shaving off time by running up the flight of stairs by quick movements and agility. Implanting her feet and leaping towards the railing, grabbing onto the top.
Screaming persists. Octavia worries grow, but hustles up the rails finding the door to the source of the blood curdles.
She rushes towards the door hearing panic muffled voices beyond it.
Octavia tightens her leg muscles and gives the door a tight kick.
The door flies open, the screaming halts.
Octavia''s eyes only see a dark shadowed room... with curiosity she steps in, her guard still in motion.
{¡ñ}
The muffled voices within the snowy field burst out of the mist.
"Here!"
"Where?!"
Dealix grips Chandra''s hand, leading her towards the direction that has been flashed within his mind.
"Over this way!"
The cold snowy mist acts like needles to the two sprinting, the snow weighing heavily upon the twos'' feet. Working every fiber of their muscles.
I''m getting tired, but we can''t stop now. We''re so close, Dealix thought.
Suddenly the weight and working of their muscles relaxes.
They look at each other with bewilderment and stoicism. "Are you having the same feeling as I''m getting?" Chandra questions.
"Yeah.." he confirms
"Would this be a possible time to assume that we''re getting close to our destination?"
"Well, those flashes didn''t exactly tell me of this, over this way"
The discussion continues as they do a sharp turn, their legs feeling of slight vibrations. Overcoming the senses of pain as quickly as it arrived.
"How well do you know this area?!"
"Not at all!"
"Well that''s reassuring, now isn''t it!"
Dealix lets go of Chandra''s hand, giving her a signal to ''dip and slide''. They pass underneath a large fallen tree, sliding down some rough patches. Lix (Dealix) does his best to avoid the tree debris and uproots. Chandra swiftly avoids them with ease, yet slows down to match Lix.
With a turn of the head to confirm that Chandra is doing well, Dealix''s foot snags on a piece, tumbling down the hill into the snowy blanketed night.
"Dealix!" Chandra yells out, pausing in her tracks getting one final glimpse of Dealix tumbling before vanishing.
{¡ñ}
The undercover guard zips across the snowy field, luckily he had training requirements in this sort of environment along with a set of other guards that accompanied him during the training process.
Stolen story; please report.
With the cover of trees on his side, he had the advantage. Although keeping in mind not to over or underestimate his opponents.
"I heard your sword clank off in the distance, think you''re gonna be able to fight me with nothing but your hands?!" He mused with a slight tint of taunting seeing if the "U.C" (under cover.) Agent will fall for the passive.
Silence.
"Come on, then!?" He tries again, but another wave of silence follows right after. The guard trenching through the snow, Digging and scavenging through the blanketed white to locate the agent''s sword.
He wont find that sword the agent wishfully thought.
U.C.A moved once more, dodging patches of snow that could announce his location to the other. With an alienated flash of a "memory" he gets an idea to ball some snow and chuck it at a tree near the hill.
The other guard snaps his neck towards the sound, his grip tightens on the sword. Yet skeptical of closing any distance.
come on.. he throws another snowball up in the air than another near the same spot. Causing a ripple of noises.
Splosh, splosh.
"You think you''re clever?!" Getting flustered by the sudden noises back to back.
The guard inches closer to the spot. His grip is getting tighter and tighter on the handle. This wouldn''t be so bad if it were day time..
Just a little more.. the feeling of time slows dramatically as he picks up a rock then chucks it.
His heart beats. Thinking that this is all or nothing for whatever flash of thought that occurred.
Thud, the rock makes contact with the tree, the branches dance with excitement and shiver down snow flopping down below.
"Got you.." the other guard believes. He follows the trail, taking a moment to look back at the carrier to see if they''ve moved the girl or not.
Nothing, so he continues to pursue the U.C.A as he reaches the tree. Rapid crunching sounds of snow catches him off pairing with grunts and screams of both kinds. The sound of another person catches both the U.C.A and the guard to a shock.
Here comes the boy tumbling down, knocking into a tree then onto the guard. Laying him flat on the ground, his armor weighing him even more so, the snow filling in empty spaces of armor and into his helmet.
He scuffs and grunts. Trying to yell at the now unconscious person. The trained U.C.A reacts, moving through the snow, taking the guards sword as his own now. Then yanking the person off the guard.
"It''s a good thing you''re asleep for this." He speaks to the sleeping boy, stabbing the guard''s sword into the corrupted soldier. Muffled pains of yelps and grunts could slightly be heard from within the carrier.
The doctor perks their head up, eyeing the iron door. Squinting their eyes, debating whether or not to drift from the plan or to check on their soldier. He looks down at
"The gate.. or.." looking at the iron door. Takes a moment and follows the orders given to him by Sam.
U.C.A picks up the sleeping boy and hauls off with him, sword in hand. Having premonitions with the flashing "memory" in thought.
"Was it you that did that..?" He murmurs to himself.
"A gate?" He questioned what he overheard. Dashing into the dark snow, with another thought lingering about the events that unfolded piecing together what could or could not be.
{¡ñ}
Chandra dashing down the hill after Dealix, hoping to see him still breathing.
"He''s a tough cookie when he can be. You better be fine¡Dealix" Quietly speaking to herself, huffing within every pause. She spots blood going down the hill. this isn''t good..
She sees more, then some ripped fabric. Making her believe that they went the wrong direction, however another thought invades her mind. Picturing a hazy figure laying on the ground next to two others..
This again? she pushes through the thought right in time to dodge the same fate of tumbling down the hill.
She slides finishing the hill, getting up with the other leg and leaps towards a nearby tree, stopping her momentum. Snow truffles down, coating her jacket, and head.
She leans over, making sure she doesn''t fall flat. She uses the tree as support. Her eyes met a shiny figure, Their armor glistened with the moon light. With shimmering red laid across the thick blanketed snow.
what the hell¡
Crunch. The snow goes as she steps out from the tree, a cloudless sky dances with the shimmering armor and red. Then came an intruding light, she jolted her glance toward it.
one of those carriers. she goes back into hiding, crouching behind the tree to avoid any contact. While still eyeing the door. Seeing an individual carrying another.. a flash of idea, her vision narrows seeing details she couldn''t before. Like a magnifying glass piece.
" A Girl?" She slipped, but luckily the individual did not notice her sprouting words.
"So you failed." They said seeing the dead guard laying on the floor. "This causes many problems for us.." with a sigh she turns to the house and heads in, the door opening what it seemed like by itself, but an arm comes into view.
She squints more, seeing a tiny marking on the wrist, barely noticeable in fact Chandra would have missed it if she didn''t have whatever this was.
The two talk for a bit, the one holder looking down at the dangling individual within segments of discussion.
"Where''s the other one?"
"Inside the room, they''ve been hitting peaks.."
"Must be her."
"Or both." The one inside shook his head. "Well, let''s get to it."
Chandra waits until the door has closed behind them and dashes towards the body. Seeing this armor reminds her of the other guards, but this one is different. a bit more advanced..
She scuffs snow off the armor plating seeing engravings that she never saw before. With the thought about the marking she saw on the wrist. She yanks the dead guard''s arm. Sorry.. She thinks about the weight of the situation.
I can''t believe this shit is happening, She bewildered the events and her actions. Uncuffing the man''s gauntlet, twisting his arm. It releases steam as she slowly takes it off.
Seeing puncture wounds as the gauntlet uncovers the arm. She gasps, her breath leaving her lungs, getting the sense of it all, she pushes through it.
"There it is¡ The marking" she places her palm against her mouth. Tightening her eyes, doing her best to let go of the feelings at hand. "There''s no time for that."
"Not in this situation, I need to find Dealix, wherever he might be now. At least I hope he didn''t share the same outcome as this guard." She gets up, eyeing the iron doors of the carrier. I wonder what''s in there..that''s pushing my luck a bit.. I''ll have to wait.
Chandra does a quick turn around seeing snow prints leading off in the opposite direction.
Before she makes the move of following the tracks, she turns to the guard, turns to the house, and then looks at her feet. This will cause a problem for future me, I''m great when it comes to tracking, but covering my own..
"I''ll have to at least try." She begins her plan.
{¡ñ}
Within the house, unaware of Chandra''s presence.
The medicalist and the driver lay down the milky eyed girl, pairing to another individual who has the same eyes.
"Now, you two are going to be doing something for us. We can call it a game if it helps you get into space." The doctor says, turning on heaters facing away from them. Towards the door, the walls, and even the windows, Making a circle around the four.
"What I want you two to do.." she turns to the driver and nods. The driver reacts by grabbing pieces of different material walls, placing them at the heaters, matching the circle.
However the padding on the material is facing towards them instead of outwards like the heaters.
"Grab each other''s hands, and lay down. -"The girl is reluctant and so is the other individual. "I need you two to work for me here. This is very important." They continue to ignore the medicalist. She turns to his partner again and gives him a hand gesture.
They grab appliances that were stashed on the floor. An extra pair of those syringes with different toned liquid.
Driver goes over to the both of them, the individual tries to shoo him off, but their body is sluggish. The girl tries to stop them as well, but her weight is TONS as well.
Please.. she thought to herself. Finally a thought formed other than nothing, the medicialist injected her with the serum. Anything, anyone! her thoughts become more tense. The feeling in her chest tightens. Wanting to lash out, but can''t.
The driver injects the boy. He wants to scream, but can''t; it''s like he''s in a thousand different dazes.
She reacts, her milky eyes roll back, the surrounding area jolts with a sudden snap of cold. "It''s happening!" The doctor yells, the heaters buzz rise within fluctuations of cold fronts. Getting louder as her eyes start to rapidly shake, with sudden freezes
"Get the pen and paper! New information is being given to us!" She hurries the driver, but he''s stuck. He also starts to shake. "What are you waiting for!" He doesn''t notice her partner has been ''latched.''
The girl''s arms start to rise up, her legs unfolding as her body begins to lift as well.
Accompanying the two, the sleeping boy begins to rise up as well. However their eyes aren''t shaking. The girl''s pose changes drastically her back arches, making her head look up to the ceiling. "I said get the pen and pap-er¡"
"Alzen?"
¡.
"Alzen!?" He goes over to the driver and places his hand on the shoulder, twisting him around. She shocks and falls on her ass. Seeing Alzens eyes change from a milky white to a dark clouded mist.
"No¡"
"How is this possible, we have everything all set up and correct, but how!"
The boy hangs in the air, the driver turns to them both.
Her head snaps to the driver "don''t you dare!" She says in a completely new voice. A mixture of warmth yet anger. Alzen reacts by vomiting thick black goo at their feet. Hissing at the girl, the black goo starts to vibrate, turning into steam.
"This..this is a new breakthrough '''' the doctor reacts, scrambling around for the notes in desperation.
However Alzen grins..his gums are leaking tar like goo. He spits in her face, the tar etches onto the doctor''s skin, she yells as it digs in.
The younger woman reacts, a warm front pushes the driver into the blockade and into the heaters piling it on top of them. The medicalist is still screaming, doing their best to rip the tar off, but it gets stuck onto her hands and morphs onto it.
"This is why.." the girl says, pointing both hands towards the boy and the man who''s being enclosed by the warm front.
However she couldn''t finish. She flops to the ground, fighting the instant of falling to sleep. She raises her hand once more. Odd sensations cover the room, the boy falls, going into a mock-coma that the serum causes.
The warmth from the heaters swells up around the room, plants materialize before the non sleeping eyes.
Tar like goo screeches peeling off of the doctor, leaving irritations upon her skin. Her eyes widened, a face of mixture.
Rin, the nature gate. Seeing the plants grow lashing onto the driver, the boy, and her.
she falls under a sleeping ''spell''.
Around the plants: the cold, the tar, and Alzens eyes begin to change back to normal..although the boy isn''t phased. It didn''t get to him¡that''s good. She inner monologue before passing out.
while the plant life is still covering them, protecting them.
With the boy under the sleeping spell that the serum has caused, he starts to spasm and shifts around. Getting back up, their eyes a deeper milky gray.
White veins accumulate surrounding his eyes. When the veins reach the temple of the head, it tenses up.
Releasing what it could best describe as a ''shock-wave''. This shock-wave disperses the cloudy gray within, clearing the eyes.
However, changing them slightly, Making a glimmer of one eye a ''safe.'' He leans down, examining the plant life that Rin had created.
"Not there yet, but soon you will be." Touching the materialized plants. Its touch, soothing, warm, and of actual medicinal.
His vision, sharper than before, body weightless and healthy, thoughts quick and clear. He feels new, but almost the same as before.
The serum that infected him pours out from his pores, dripping onto the floor. It moves on command with his thoughts. Going into the doctor and the damaged driver.
Lifting up Rin''s head. Forcing her eyes open¡seeing the cloudiness still in effect. Then gently close them.
"Good..they''ll always be there when you need them..you just have to let them in..it''s difficult, but you won''t lose on who you are.." he explains to the unconscious Rin. "However this could very well be how yours is¡"
{¡ñ}
Chandra on the move, following the tracks that she hopes is Dealix. Sprinting through the inches of snow. Not slowing down, her legs still having the sensation to keep her going. "I''m getting close to you, the tracks¡it''s like they''re speaking to me."
[This way] it''s saying.
[Were here..over here.] She skids to the left. Seeing a man holding what she assumes is Dealix,. Chandra slips to the corner eyeing the man. He lifts a board up and crouches under, entering the abandoned building. After a moment she follows, doing the same actions.
The rubble hallway seemed long, but Chandra was dedicated. Shuffling, squiring, and ducking around debris. Hearing faint footsteps of the man.
It got to a stopping point. Crossroads more or less, hearing the man knocking on the door like a code, it opens and another voice rises. A woman?
He mentioned what Chandra wanted answers for. "I found this boy, strangely he helped me escape by falling down a hill..sounds bad, but it did the job." Yep definitely Dealix, she responded with thought.
"You got lucky, twice now! - for you and for him. He looks badly damaged. We can take him in and fix him right up."
"Thank you, Clystia¡I owe you¨C"
"Yeah, you owe me for lots of things. Just get in here. Having the sense of daja-vu right now and it''s unsettling with all these events that have been going on" she yanks the man in, gently closing the door before looking both ways.
Missing Chandra''s glare as she does. Good thing I''m wearing dark clothing, or she might''ve spotted me..maybe that would have been a good thing though..?
She gently steps over a fallen rack, making sure she doesn''t hit her toes to create sound. Stepping on broken glass in return however, but out of the years of exploring she stepped on them without making a peep.
Her left arm reached for a craving in the wall to bring her up and over a larger piece of debris. how did this man get through here so quickly while carrying him¡
She shook it off, continuing down the hall. Reaching the destination of where she saw the two, seeing no door. Just a plain looking wall with a rather hideous sculpture, however the one who put it there had a different taste than Chandra of course.
Then one of those flashing ''memories'' played within her mind showing her to push and rearrange the piece.
It was brilliant, changing something so tasteless of a piece to something heartwarming. Changing her taste on the piece of art. Yet still has a clinging disgust of the first form of it.
She follows what the flash gave her, rearranging pieces. To her surprise it works, making the piece of art into a beautiful sculpted art.
I wish it could stay like that instead of the first section¡ she sighs, but the piece of art gives her inspiration to move forward. The wall transforms into a door, popping it open by giving it a slight push.
"I think I heard the door just prop open just now." ¡. Says
"That would mean someone figured out the piece." Another says
"Did you have someone following you?"
"None that I know of." The same familiar voice assured them.
Do I make myself known to these people, should I hide; I mean Dealix is in here somewhere. Chandra stands there for a moment¡Hearing faint footsteps come near her; still trying to debate if she should come out of the shadows
or to stay in.
The Fifth Night: P.4
Vem, inside the attic can hear the ghost of lingering footsteps down below. Its echo entices him to push himself further into the darkest corner of this dimly lit space.
The small window casting rays on the hard wooden floor plasters a vibrant screen, having nearby shadows of branches puppeteering within its small frame.
Tap tap tap.
Vem hears them again, following along the silent conversation down below. He can hear a lot up here like a megaphone: Every sound intensifies, having the faintest of sounds being rearranged to the highest of tones.
Thud thud. The other guard responds to his partner''s tapping.
The other partners'' response seems to be on the lower level still, right at the edge of the stairs it sounds like. he pieces it together inside his head, visualizing it.
Thud ¡ª Another singular foot placement.
The shadow of the tree shivers, making a rumbling static outside the walls. Its movement brings Vems'' gaze to the window.
There''s a moment of weakness, a moment where he sees a silhouette of a figure standing on a large branch staring right back at him.
An ominous fatigue settles on the back of his neck, This feels off¡ªway off in fact that it''s bringing him back to the very first day, with what he saw before his door got violently slammed shut.
Movement within the house dropped silent, not even the guards'' pitter patter of communication can be heard.
Faint goosebumps polka-dotted across his cheeks making the edging of his beard stand tall, then it moved around the surface of his eyelids forming up and over them, with the feeling meeting between his eyebrows.
Having the Silhouette still standing on the branch, motionless in a gaze.
Within the motionless time, Vem gives in and tears his gaze away, trying to hear or sense the presence of the guards down below. However it might make him reconsider as his vision looks at the window, the frozen frame of the glass spells out a language unknown. Although it''s unknown to Vem, his heart begins to race.
The spelling on the window vanishes with the cold breeze of the wind, vanquishing it away with frozen fingers of frost.
His senses begin to dull ¡ª Sight begins to fade within his peripherals. The dusted light beaming from the window tinges with a different hue. It''s a ray of thick sheeted nothingness, yet with the little vision he has left he could still see that this beam is still emitting shadows within its body.
These shadows were the reflection of ''real-time'' lighting, the same color/ the same realistic tone of staring into an open flame. It''s as if the shadow and objects switch places with one another.
With the only realistic reflection of the world being the moonlit screen on the attic floor.
[I don''t see anyone up here¡] a faint voice echoed into existence.
[Didn''t you say you heard movement up here?] It occurred again. The voices are in the attic, but it sounds like it''s coming from outside the house.
An echo of footsteps stops on Vems'' location.
[I feel the creeps just being up here..]
A ghastly noise ricocheted inside the attic with a slight humming co-existing with it. Vems'' neck hair sparks. The familiar gooseflesh appeared, confirming to the one he felt that rainy day.
[What was that just now¡?]
[ I didn''t hear anything, might just be your senses toying with you. ]
Vem glimpses at the windows glowing reflection plastered on the floor, seeing within it. He takes the gaze and turns it into a dedicated focus, seeing something being written on the window. He peers up and sees nothing.
He looks at the reflection again and the writing halts. "Look up" it says and the writing vanishes again to only begin once more.
[Are you seeing this!?] The guards echos persisted, trying to get their partner''s reaction to the writing being formulated on the cold glass.
Vems'' curiosity reeled him into the printed writing, and looked up, seeing the two guardsmen.
[I''m not seeing anything]
[You don''t see the writing?]
[No, all I see is frost.]
The two argue above Vem, seemingly lost in transmission to get one another to see that is, or that is not.
Before they could reiterate one another, tapping begins on the lower level.
[Did you hear that or was it just me again?] The guard with the brown-ish uniform had said.
The partner agrees, looking at each other. [Did you call in for reinforcements?]
[No.]
[Do you think it''s the corporate? ] as the guard finished his sentence the tapping became rattling, sizzling up the stairs. The walls began to creak with the tension of sudden wind.
[Do you feel that?] Guard A had spoken, bubbled skin formulating across his back, making him shiver.
[Yeah¡] The other guard responds slowly.
[We better go-] they get cut-off by the echoing rattle within the lower floor of the attic; In the shadowed space where the detective lies, he sees the two guards flail their swords out from their sheath in panic.
The uneasy feeling happens again, his stomach twists in knots.
[Turn the gauge on----] interruption seeps in again and everything goes silent.
The mirrored flooring where Vem could see the two turns dark, yet still seeing their silhouette of kind readying into stances, having their backs pressing up against each other.
The sizzling crouches up the steps, within each step it becomes a mockery of individuals tapping against a hollow wall.
Each motion captures the guardsman''s attention, making their grip seemingly impossible to tear off from their handles. Sweat formulating on their palms, creating the tension between hand and handle to loosen.
Droplet of sweat races to the floor, freezing in mid fall¡ªshattering upon impact. Vem sees the shattering happen, formulating a broken / Tilted circle. Simulating a vessel that he once saw in a blueprint that he dug through during his investigations.
With the shattered remains of the droplet, the echo room above Vem, turns to abyss, an engulfing darkness that the silhouettes can''t escape.
Leaving him all alone with the moonlit screen of the window, shadowing the real world within the frame.
The sound in this place is a deafening one, a type of silence where he could hear his own heartbeat drumming, and his blood flowing through his very veins.
A silence where it''ll make anyone in this circumstance go mad; pulling one''s hair out and dropping into a beetle position, but he doesn''t bow into one, nor does he give into it.
Vem sits there, awaiting for anything to occur.
He replaces the maddening sounds with thoughts.
Thinking of different ways this investigation could have gone, Allowing himself to have a glimpse of relaxation; maybe he could have taken a different route, rather than going into this house to escape the cold.
Relaxation drifts as he ponders on his recent activities during the investigation, it all started with storms and power outages, now, it''s a full on out-of-your-mind experience.
Such as the house he entered and saw horrific outcomes in, if he was in his right mind he would have stopped this entire investigation, but he didn''t---- curiosity in the unknown is what drove him.
Now he seems trapped in an endless void with a figment as company.
With these thoughts, he still believes that this job, being a private investigator, is right for him.
Who would have known that this job would''ve taken him here amongst all places, places where he couldn''t even dream of, but that has changed.
When he first started this job he was chasing all kinds of works, from blackmail to thievery.
None of those jobs measured to this one, not by a long shot, by any shot in that manner. This one isn''t even being paid for, he''s just doing this one out of his own fruition; it is being paid for in other ways, however.
It''s being paid out of knowledge, not any type of knowledge either, a type of knowledge one couldn''t get out of college, or just by working a new job that you''re getting ready to deep dive into.
This knowledge would be like finding gold, or even oil in your backyard, however it wouldn''t pay the bills like gold or oil would; he''s convinced that maybe after the fact it would.
Vem shifts his weight towards the luminous frame, still seeing branches dance within it. Bringing him more questions he wishes the answers for.
Forwarding the thoughts to the figure he saw, was it the tipper, no, it couldn''t be.
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It was something far more serious than the anonymous tipper that led the tower''s guards to him.
The fact that the silhouette was nothing but a shadow, or the fact that it brought the unwary familiar goose-flesh he felt that night; it was that¡thing, just a thing? Is that all he could best describe it with, a thing? No, it''s a person rather than a ''thi''
Would a person bring that much terror?
The attic''s wooden floor speaks with a creek.
"Hello, Vem¡"
¡¡.
{¡ñ}
Octavia''s vision is slurred by the vacancy of light within the room, her ears buzzing from the lack of noise, she heard blood-curdling screams a moment ago, but nothing now.
She takes a step forward, feeling the room around her by using the tip of her toe. Guiding her way through the darkness.
Her foot makes a thud as it gets met with an unstoppable object, sounds bounce within the room and enters her eardrums, ringing it with a squish.
Octavia''s heart drops, imagining the outcome her foot had made, taking in images of a dead body.
Her blind eyes darted around her skull, taking in imaginary images, wondering what''s the next move.
Remembering training, she does a slow inhale, bringing the scent of blood to fill her nostrils. With the scent, flashes of imagery of what she imagined about a dead body formulates to the front of her vortex.
"Shit" she whispers to herself, Octavia turns herself around, seeing no ambient light inside the hallway. The empty light surrounded her, she did another big inhale to her lungs.
This time she can feel the taste of iron that blood gives, laid out onto her tongue like a steak being flattened on a plate.
Her guiding foot inches in another direction, making it halt on another foreign object. "Shit" she flailed out as she sprawls backwards, tripping and falling right on her rear¡ªthe sword clinking onto the floor from the fall.
Inside the emptiness, she feels an unknown presence¨Clike if something is off, senses on how an individual can tell if someone new enters a space.
The smell around her changes into a dry-mold.
Clanking of metal and wood signals her movement within the vacant space, an urge swallows up to her throat, letting it out she croaks "hello..?" Following a thought. Why did I just say that¡
A broad silence follows throughout the room before it gets abruptly replaced with a sound of a cold voice. "Hello, Octavia¡" the cold voice rings a familiar tone.
Octavia''s gaze tries to narrow down where the voice is originating, before her eyes meet with the source, it''s guided by a born open flame.
The faint glow wisping to life, its vibrant warm light basking a face that Octavia wishes she hadn''t seen.
It was herself. She backed away into the endless dark, clanking of the sword disturbs their eardrums as she crawls back.
Getting up, she fights the urge of confused-fear.
"What''s the matter, Octavia?" Herself had said, it''s cold sharp drawing daggers within her name. "Don''t use my name¡Don''t use my face" She managed to make out, her grip tightening on the sword. "You''re not me!" Yelling out into the darkness after the candle wick slices out.
"What''s the matter, Octavia" they say repeatedly, its voice beginning to tear into her accompanied with goose-flesh crawling over her ears, she could feel it going down into the eardrums.
She lets out a yelp as the goosebumps hits them, an unfamiliar sense of feeling blankets them, making the sound of her own being silenced.
Flame being opened once more---it''s not her own that she sees this time, it''s a shadowed face. Their facial features being hidden with a sheet of darkness, the born flame doing nothing to uncover the veil.
The goose-flesh exits her ears, traveling down the earlobes and onto her cheeks as the figure approaches.
With odd vibrations that she could feel from the goose-flesh, translating to series of words that is unintelligible for Octavia, yet imagery flashes behind her closed eyelids, showing her a clip of jagged teeth protruding out from torn charcoal flesh, its darkened blood drawing rivers on its enamel.
She kicks the figure''s chest, pushing it onto the floor, grabbing her sword that fell from lack of strength during the fright and drives it through its chest, the figure seems to be unphased by the puncture.
With a shift of movement, the blade yanks out---black blood spews onto the floor.
Light returns into the room and Octavia is standing in the room, alone with her blade that''s tightened fast in her hand.
Her expression is stale, then turns into anger as she sweeps the floor with her gaze seeing just a plain empty room, with a sudden phrase shadowing her mind.
She shakes the phrase away, not knowing why those words echoed her mind, she turns towards the door seeing how she had left it and exits the room, going down the stairs seeing the guards she had defeated.
Octavia leaves the house with a new sense of feeling and a new sword, hurling away towards the orphanage, having Korith and Vem in mind as she cycles around the blocks before she checks up on her loved ones.
{¡ñ}
Korith makes her way through the snow, following the buzzing that''s guiding the way towards the person who she needs to see.
[Over here] it beacons towards a building, following another buzz of the guide, Korith enters the building.
Its layout looks more abandoned than the building''s frame outside, she crouches down a fallen obstacle, then hurls herself up, placing one hand on a little place where the guiding light buzzed.
After the hurl, she darts towards the guiding lights direction and sees a statue piece. "What do I do" she had asked the static lights advice, upon request¨Cthe light dims and flashes boil inside her mind. Telling her to rearrange the pieces she sees within.
The first statue piece is a horrid looking sculpture that rearranges into something beautiful.
Leaving her a new sense of taste in art, she does the final touches and the piece clicks.
A hidden wall opens up and she steps inside, the hum circles around her and darts further into the room.
{¡ñ}
Clysita weaves a sigh as two more strangers make her way into their mist, first it was a young-lady that dragged in a suspicious teenage-boy into their first hide-out, who, after they looked after got caught by Towers guards from escaping ''The Screech'' going from hide-out-A to hide-out-B.
If they didn''t know any better, they would have been caught with the rest of them. Clysita isn''t one to help stragglers, the only one on her team that would''ve helped was off doing undercover work, Aelive.
Which he''s now, bringing in an injured boy, while a girl tagged along with.
It''s lucky for him that the girl had protested to them that she was with the boy, bringing a sense of da-ja-vu with the other two.
"Don''t think for a second that we''ll drop you if you struggle to keep with us." Clysita peered at Chandra, then eyeing the resting Dealix. "Hold on a minute" chimed Ael. Clysita pointed a finger at Aelive "not another word" her facial expression makes him shiver.
He shrugs after and waves her off, she faces Chandra again with a firm index finger, then huffs bringing it down sluggishly.
The corner of her eye catches a glimpse of a shadow, reactively, she grabs her knife¨Creading it on the spot. Aelive reacts as well, looking at Chandra.
"Did you have a shadow?" Clysita looks at the two, Ael''s face grows blue, having not only Chandra following, but another.
Having his mind flow with these thoughts he thinks of other similar outcomes while Clysita stares into the dark.
Entering into the light a young Asian woman with long black hair with evenly cut bangs flowing past and onto her shoulders.
It''s Korith, she had followed the humming light here, her facial expression shifts, having thoughts with ''the hum.''
"Where''s the boy?" Her flat tone spreads throughout the group; Clysita''s knife raising.
With newfound growing strength Korith looks at Clysita with a sense of unamusement.
Chandra looks at Dealix hopefully not after you, she threads a thought.
Ael gets up from his arrangement and tries to slow everything down, "hey now, we can talk about this, Clysita '''' he looks at the two of them, raising his arm to Clysita.
"Black hair, has a leather jacket?" Korith had said, glossing over her own set of hair, thinking about the flashes of imagery that''s deciphering the description to her.
Clysita''s response is a tell of wonderment, having her eyes go towards the upper right of her sockets.
Aelive looks at Clysita''s change of expression, lowering his arms down further, questioning brews within his mind to her wondering look.
The other comrades turn the corner, seeing Clysita arming a knife, Ael in-between, and a girl who they haven''t seen before besides Chandra.
They hurried along to their leader''s aid, arming their own weapons, however Korith remained like iron between the three armed individuals.
Her gaze shifts up at the hum, taking note that they can''t see it, from peering down she looks at the crowd before her. "Where''s the boy, it seems like you know something."
Having the question that''s still being asked, Chandra gets in-between her and Dealix, Korith looks at Chandra and shakes her head.
The feeling of power strengthens, "but your leader here knows" she points at the leader, having Clysita''s guard flinch as Chandra side-glances at her and back at the girl.
Clysita feels something off with this girl, the air around her feels like it''s shrinking, but no one else is sensing this aura that''s surrounding the young-woman.
"Who wants to know" she tries to bring her nose upward, to come across as threatening.
"Drop the act, lady" Korith feels another sense rising, the hum that''s guiding her gets louder, Chandra starts to feel the aura as well and begins to search around for a weapon.
"Tell me" she orders, Clysita isn''t having it. "What''s so important that you find this boy?" Her suspicion from early about the boy raises.
The humming light gets brighter and amplified in Koriths view and her auditory perception.
"What''s so important that you try to hide this from me" her stance changes.
Chandra sees a weapon, as she''s about to grab it, Dealix floods his eyes open and gasps.
"Korith" he yells out, his fatigue still wearing him down, unaware that he had said her name as his vision darts around the room.
Chandra looks at Dealix''s frantic darts then hones her own to the woman wearing a black-n-red get up. Koriths'' stare is like solid ice, seeing past her¡ªeyeing Dealix.
"Korith, huh." Clysita looks at the both of them, then readies her stance once more¡ªher guard coming back to her.
With information that she pirated from the Towers'' system, she has everything from birth date to her medical information: such as being struck by that lightning bolt.
Her knife blade shines from the lighting of a fire-pit. She begins her lunge, striking towards the tendinitis of her shoulder blade.
Her reaction time throws off Clysita, as she twists the knife away, giving her a firm jab at the back of her neck.
With the sudden pressure on the back, she flops down. Her muscles turn against her, unveiling her to move freely.
Just like that¡ªthe leader of the pack drops like a fly being swatted.
Chandra eyes widened, almost wanting to drop her mouth by the shock on how easy it was for Korith to drop her.
Aelive does a quick dive towards his weapon, turning around to expect his opponent to be at arms with Clysita''s knife, yet she remains unguarded.
Silently waiting for an answer for either him or anyone else in the room.
With Aels sudden pause, the two other armed members sprint to attack Korith, swinging wide to any point of her body.
The hum above Korith does a heightened pitch and the two drop¡ªtheir weapons clank onto the floor, sliding from the momentum past her feet. She looks at the hum and then down at her two unarmed opponents, Aelive still clutching his ear, he hasn''t had this problem since his training against their boss.
He''s in his head, thinking of possible scenarios that will aid him and the two others.
Chandra doesn''t realize the impact of the situation, hanging her body low as she bolts for the weapon.
The hum reacts again, but this time it''s not effective towards her. Korith squints her eyes at her enemy, seeing that she didn''t drop like loose clothing on a hanger.
The girl rolls and grabs the nearest weapon she can get ahold of, being one of the members weapons to the very right of her.
Chandra looks down at the soldier and quickly checks his pulse, sensing that it''s still beating.
Koriths mind flashes with imagery of escape, the hum with her impulses sending a wave to her and darts for the exit.
She wants to finish the fight, however she listens and follows the flowing pictures within.
Chandra looks up, seeing Korith take a bomb rush towards the exit. She wants to leave, but Chandra wont give her a chance.
She''s ready to fight, ready to kick her ass for the sake of protecting her given comrades.
Ael yells at the now jolted Chandra, barking an order to stay back¡ªshe doesn''t listen, bringing him to rush to her. Catching up with her before the entrance collapses before her eyes.
Aelive had pushed her with him, nearly body slamming her down to the floor.
Chandra thinks to herself about the sudden notice, Before she could yell at him about anything, he responded.
"The smell changed, it smelt off----something was off when she rushed. It didn''t seem like a normal retreat." He recalls his training, to the moments where the air changed around them when an explosion had happened.
Leaving two more questions in mind: How did it happen, and how do they get out?
The Sixth Day
The way to school felt like a daydream that never ended. In the back seat of the car, Lin sits back.
Groaning due to another day of school, however he''s out of sorts: like he''s missing something¡ªsomething important.
It wasn''t notebooks, pencils, or any appliances, but something major he can''t quite put his finger on.
He recalls this morning, listing everything that had happened: He didn''t forget to eat, didn''t forget to brush his teeth, he also didn''t forget his homework.
Nothing that he listed seemed major enough to fit this puzzle.
The question lies on his mind, as his mother looks back at him in the rear view mirror, "whats up, Hun?" She darts her vision between the road and him.
He snaps back out of it, "nothing." He simply replies and looks at the window, seeing foliage and structures fly by.
She nods and gives a slight acknowledgement towards his decision to not answer firmly, giving a few glances here and there before she mains her focus onto the road ahead.
Placing his head onto his fist as he peers at the window, the rummaging of thoughts formulates again.
Making his mind melt as he tries to figure out what''s going on, Lin''s on his way to school and his mom is taking him, maybe that''s what''s off, he normally gets on the bus.
His thought bubble pictures this outcome as a piece to the puzzle,"Hey mom, why is it today that you''re taking me to school?" Her mother perks her eyes up to the rear-view, "I''ve always taken you to school" leaving them both feeling like the puzzle at hand.
"Sorry, I must be tired." He says, shrugging it off doing a big inhale, getting a whiff of car freshener, then letting it out.
The rest of the drive felt dull and long as the two of them remained silent.
~¡ð¡ñ~
~¡ð¡ñ~
Vehicles start to pull up to the school, doing a gentle turn, following the parking rules.
Lin''s mom pulls up, keeping the car to a low buzz. Its engine does a slight massage to its riders, "have a good day at school, here" she says, giving Lin a paper bag filled with lunch goodies.
He accepts the food, making a crumbling sound as he grabs the bottom half. "Thanks, mom." Lin responds to the gesture, placing the goodies into his backpack.
Questions arise: his mother drives him to school instead of taking the bus and she makes him lunch, for some reason to Lin, it doesn''t feel right.
Like he just won a reward and his mother is giving him treatment for it.
Lin weaves a goodbye to his mother as she waves and smiles back at him, he pushes the car door making a slight thud to its closer, turning around to see the school ahead of him.
Something about it feels different, which piles onto the other question he has, Lin shrugs it off taking a sigh as he lets go of the unfamiliarity.
Continuing ahead to finish another school day, he makes his way through the arches of the entrance.
His observations speak to him as he notices the school''s sign when passing it. "Still looks the same'''' with a small sigh, almost encasing it with relief.
Lin strides towards the section on where his locker is, "Yo!" He hears from behind him, a familiar voice.
Here comes Opel, with the sight of him, a memory flashes yet it''s dark and blurry, barely making anything out of it; a shiver courses through his spine. "It sucks having to spend summer at this school, huh?" Opel snaps him out of it, Lin''s dark memory fades as his friend asks another question. "Are you excited for your birthday that''s coming up?"
"Huh? ¡ª, oh, yeah. Maybe get the new box-station." Recalling his birth date, he had snuck a wink of what his birthday might include. "Isn''t it at the end of the week here, the¡30th?" Opel tries to think of his birth date, making an effort to confirm his remembrance.
Lin nods in agreement as the two walk to class together, getting ready for their math teacher''s lesson.
They take a seat at their desks, Lin shuffles through his bag, gently pressing his lunch to the side, taking out his notebook and pencil. His bag feels a bit wonky as well, remembering damages he''s done to his book throughout the school year, and now it''s seemingly a brand new book.
Lin might''ve remembered things wrong or maybe his mother has gotten him a new book to ease through the rest of summer school.
The classroom door opens up, sparking the sun''s rays onto the floor and the wall ahead of it, in comes a student with a small note, passing it along to the teacher in front.
She grabs the note, having the student wave and takes their exit. Their teacher reads it before her classroom, poking up from the note Mrs Koi glances at Lin and passes the note to him.
"You''ll be going to class E5" a room where the school''s counselor takes students to talk to them regarding their school work, amongst other conversations such as: The new school year, birthdays, class grades, and more. "Okay¡" he says with an inflation towards the end, shuffling the math textbook back into his bag, its zipper crackling as Lin closes it.
Picking it up as he takes his leave.
Lin waltzes to the instructions notes, seeking the room to talk with the school''s counselor.
Thinking to himself that it could be about his birthday coming up, looking down and up from the note to check the rooms numbers, seeing only the main classrooms.
He changes directions seeing the numbers changing into letters, pacing himself as he checks.
He scans the classrooms, having another white flash towards his memory, the hallways change into ruined remains then it flashes back to its normal scene.
In Front of him is the designated E5 room the teacher and the note had said, a cold sweat races across Lin''s body as he''s about to enter.
By any means, this should be normal, to be handled like any other situation, but it has Lin sweating bullets.
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Twisting its metal doorknob, the machinery rattles inside it, the door opens with a gentle squeak and he steps inside.
Lights flicker as he takes his first.
The counselor looks sideways from his computer, their glasses reflecting its shimmer. "Come, take a seat" he gets up and points with all of his fingers at the chair in front of their desk. "Thanks" Lin says back to him, his legs feeling like bricks as he sludge''s towards the seat.
Bulbs flicker, as he inches closer to the seat. The strobe of the light sparks curiosity from its room owner as he looks up, "might need to get new ones" Mr. Buer makes the observation while Lin takes his seat.
They sit there quietly as the clock slowly ticks, Mr. Buer folds his hands and stares blankly towards Lin, almost waiting for a certain response from the student.
"Am I in trouble?" The silence breaks between them and Mr. Buer exhales, "To say the least, we had an incident with a certain student".
"A certain student?" Lin''s mind is throwing blanks onto what happened, he doesn''t remember anything bad happening, he just made a guess as to why he''s here. "Yes, you should know him." A slight memory rings, yet he''s still uncertain about the person.
"Is it Opel?" He responds, showing effort to remember. Mr Buer sits there throwing empty looks as he waits for another answer, leaving only one other person he would agree to his statement. "It''s Kellic, isn''t it?" Then the counselor nods.
"Yes, you two had a falling out I heard" he unfolds his hands and pushes an inch from his desk, the clock ticks filling in the empty spaces of their conversation.
That you''ve heard? he tries to think back to any events that he and his friend had a ''falling out''
Mr Buer pauses for a moment before he starts again, "you two had a fight at school, don''t you remember?" He says, peering at Lin''s confused glance.
The two remain silent as Lin ponders recent encounters with Kellic and remembers that he hasn''t seen him today, or even for a few days now.
His memory of the week still remains a blur, however there is a faint recall of him and Kellic shouting at each other but that''s about it.
"I do, but it was only a shouting match" his eyes darted down at the counselor''s desk giving it a stare-down.
"A shouting match!?" He raises his voice a pitch, making Lin glance up at him. His face showed a shocked expression towards Lin''s response, "you had a full on fight, fist to fist."
The memory of the occurrence flashes and he could recall a fist flying towards his face, but the person who did it was a silhouette at best, only their knuckles are clear to him. "I¡I can say that I remember that." Lin says looking down at his own, examining it for any details.
"Good"
Good?
Mr Buer clears his throat and looks at the clock seeing its past the time limit for Lin''s visit "I''m glad that you remembered, I called you in-behalf to see if you suffered from any issues regarding a fight with a fellow student who you share a bond with" he interlocks his hands together as he says the word, he looks down at a sheet of paper, lifting it up and passes it to Lin.
"I''d like you to fill this out when you go home for today, you''ll be taking a leave of absence, just like your friend did for fighting at school." Lin takes the sheet with a bitter expression like he had just bitten into a sour candy.
Lin looks at the sheet with his sour complexion worsening "what about the rest of my summer classes?" He says tilting the sheet to scan Mr. Buer''s reaction.
The Counselor leans in, "we''ll be sending some work home with you and your parents can drop it off once you''re done."
Lin fixes his posture plumbing the sheet with, he grabs his bag and tosses it in. "Alright." He simply says.
With Lin throwing an attitude, the bulbs flicker. "You do need to have the janitor to look at the problem" he points up to the light fixture and heads towards the door.
"I''ll make sure I''ll do that¡ªoh and before you go¡" Lin turns to face him.
His vocal cords are silent as his lips move, a scene in Lin''s memory sprouts to the very top, seeing: A student being surrounded by other classmates, the classroom covered in ice with snow droplets feathering down, and Mr Clark, Kels dad shaking his son.
"Are you listening¡?" He gets placed back, the area around him is pieced together normally, Lin looks outside and sees the sun shining down like it was.
"I said have a great day." Mr Buer says, nearly having a cold jab to his words.
"Thank you Mr Buer¡you as well" Lin murmurs to himself as he takes his leave.
{¡ñ}
Opel sits in the classroom, feeling like a Ton weight as Mrs Koi continues her lecture, normally he would be paying attention, but everything around him slurs.
Cracking his blurred attention, the door speaks¨Copening to let the sun''s vision into the classroom, along with it came Lin asking for only the teacher and him up, their words sounded gibberish as the two talked.
He''s been feeling like this all day, since the moment he woke up from his bed, everything around him was a mess and peoples voices felt like a different language he never heard of.
The only time where things felt normal was when he greeted Lin at their school-hangout spot near the lockers, and after they stepped foot into this classroom everything went back to an alienated frame.
Opel tries to think of other situations besides getting out of bed, but he can''t. It''s like it''s his only memory that''s working with him today other than the greet.
He turns to face his friend again, seeing him wave and he puts his hand up sluggishly and does the same, Lin exits the classroom along with the memory of the greeting fading as he goes.
Seeing the memory transform into white shades of nothing.
With the final piece empty, he shrugs and turns back to Mrs Koi, seeing her lips move, but the words unfitting.
A whirl goes by and he slams his head onto the desk, unable to lift it back up, drool begins to foam out of his mouth as the world around him becomes the same pure white as the memory.
Drifting off into an endless white.
The students around him get up in a soldier fashion facing Mrs Koi with blank expressions. "You may take your leave" a woman from behind them orders.
They turn to face the lead woman, and do a salute, it''s Sam.
Mrs Koi, grips her hair, yanking it off revealing its a wig, showing her short hair underneath. "Mam, what are your orders?" She stiffens up, doing the same salute. "Place the clone into the original bedroom." She tosses the order. The soldier lifts the body up with a device and hauls them out of the classroom, having Sam follow along with.
{¡ñ}
A shrouded figure sits on a royal chair, their whole body covered in head to toe with gray and black fabric, not even a speck of skin showcasing its completion to a giant spotlight acting like the sun underneath layers of ground.
Their body, strapped into the fine seat, matching the criss-crossed arms, the figure moves its head to the giant spotlight, trying to see any detail from the thick fabric.
Tilting their head back and downwards from the failed attempt, peering into darkness as they make an effort to do any function, a sound alerts the character.
Perking the head upright to face the general direction of its location, it''s a classical theme playing smoothly, its echo reaching around the room. Playing from every angle possible, however leaving room for peace of mind, the instruments play with grace as the figure places their head downwards once more in no solid tale of emotion.
Within another room the classical music is barely a whisper to the workers, "no sign of clear emotion¡onto the next test" the rough voice says to the other member, they turn and press a few key buttons on a large desk.
{¡ñ}
Octavia sits by the fireplace knowing everyone is safe, although the question still remains: where is Korith, her non-blooded sister. She searched everywhere that she might''ve gone, but there''s no sign of where she might be.
"Big sister¡" One of the other orphans walks up to her, placing a hand on Octavia''s forearm. It''s hot to the touch.
"Where''s big sis Korith." They say with a squeak.
"Don''t worry, I''ll find her and bring her home." Octavia looks at them with a gentle smile, knowing she can''t break structure or things might go a lot worse than they already are.
With a resurgence response the other scampers off leaving her alone by the fireplace, her legs being baked by the open flame. It''s still cold in the orphanage, however outside is a perfect day for practice, but she can''t bring herself to do it.
Her sword that she got from the guards is still stuck inside the ground outside, awaiting for Octavia to wield it.
She looks up, placing her hands into a fold, leaning on them for support¡ªlooking at a portrait of all the orphanage''s children, Krissy standing at the far right of them, and the two in the very middle with the house mother and her kid, Sean.
"I''ll get you back here I swear¡" she says to the open space, Octavia gets up from her seat and walks outside, forcing the urge to train higher on the ladder.
The house mother walks up from the medical room, seeing her exit out the back door, she sighs¡ªwanting to talk to Octavia, but there''s no opening to do so, aside from Avia from locking her out and her hands being tied there wasn''t any room for discussion.
Even with Korith''s disappearance and the whole charade the two of them had caused.
She looks down, her hand still dripping on the railing and goes into the kitchen, still lingering on the scene where Korith got hit by lightning and to the figure in the doorway, thinking that she might have to come to terms with it¨Cto tell Octavia about something she has kept hidden from them.
The Sixth Night
Crowley sat there, alone and tormented by the hushed, distorted tones of the current.
The smell of faint skunk hung in the building that he resides in, a cold whisp snuck through cracks of windows and doors seeping its way to the beetle that is Crowley: Hunched over, thighs to his chest, and his head arched onto his knees.
He curls his toes as the night''s breeze gets in-between, Crowley wants to get up and race towards the warmest spot to beat the low temperatures of summer, but he''s entangled with the couch.
"You''ll never....ever-" Distortion depths into his ears, making it rattle with every flair. Crowley grunts, wisping his hand out, trying to catch it¡ªfurthermore making the sprite dissipate, curling outwards between his fingers, forming on the other side-Laughing at his expense.
"Shut up!" He swats it again, making him move from his spot, the warmth escapes the comforter, the hum boils over his closed tightened hand that was expelled outwards. Moving away from him in response, poltergeists on the spot, observing Crowley from a distance within silence.
He''s peering down at the cold wooden flooring, brushing his dangling hair with his fingers, its silky touch races across Crowley''s endings.
Letting out a deep sigh that''s been clogged within him since the writing had refreshed his memory, seeing everything all at once: mocking a picture book that''s being flipped at full speed but knowing what it holds.
Crowley hangs his hands on his head, losing a ripple of reality as he dissociates.
The Hum glides closer to him from being immobilized being inches away from his earlobe, it whispers to him having his eyes swell from the response, a flip of the picture-book escapes the right envisioning a pair of individuals, he can''t make anything out besides that its gloomily lit by a small flame.
Sprite flows a few inches away going back to its patient pose, Crowley droops his hands--covering his face, escaping the sight of the distortion. Replying to his movements it swings to the other side of him, leaning towards his ear again for another whisper.
{¡ñ}
Octavia spirals down into her thoughts as she swings her sword-hitting a slash onto a built-together dummy.
Thinking about Korith, Krissy, and the unfolding occurrences.
Thud between wood and metal twists out into the lot, she tightens her grip and swings again with a thought of Korith: still wondering where of all places that she could be hiding from her, it wouldn''t be hiding if it were easy for her¡ªshe makes the same mark elongated after another slash to its chest-piece showing her skill in accuracy, causing another clunk to ring.
Avias'' thoughts linger on the past events, still trying to make sense of it all. She loses focus, missing the third strike she''s known to hit, making her wielded piece swoosh into open air. She stops for a moment, her blade drooping down with relaxed hands, looking upwards into the distance seeing clouds tumbling down bringing her thoughts onto that night: What Krissy explained to her, and what she said - missing her final days at the orphanage --
A scent of laundry opens to the field, she slightly shakes the thought out and turns to face the back door seeing it open, Sue stepping out with a load of clothes having clips clamped onto the baskets sides for later use.
Sue places the basket into one arm, gripping it tightly so, while using her other free hand to flop the pieces over a line that''s connected from the lots tree and to the house, she looks over to her left seeing Octavia watching her do her routine, she does a faint wave to see if there will be any reaction: and there isn''t. Avia looks away with a quick snap, trying to focus on her training manikin, however she''s still locked inside her head.
Before it gets too dark, mother Sue gently walks over to her, even if Octavia doesn''t want to interact she still wants to break some sort of ice with her¡ªSuch as her little to no reaction to the bolt of lightning or even the figure. One of the two, something had to be said and by now Sue surely thinks that Octavia has a few ideas rummaging around in that brain of hers.
She looks at Sue striding towards her from the edge of her vision. Octavia darts a glance seeing her slowly come up, she focuses on her sword then onto the manikin, with a swift skid of her feet-she lunges, stabbing into it, making the blade penetrate through the solid frame.
"You''re getting awfully good at that." The caretaker had mentioned, reaching the final steps within her vicinity, giving a point at the hole when she had sleek the blade out.
Octavia glances at her again; she doesn''t have a sheath so she slams the sword into the ground for a place holder. "Yeah, been training and exercising whenever possible" Sue feels a slight tension, yet she remains stubborn on her feet, willing to break the ice she senses around them.
"You''ve been working on being a Tower guard since you were little¡ªwhen you first came about to our doorstep. You had that dream for so long..." she gathers the words up, there''s a slight pause before sentences as she looks up, seeing Octavia''s eyes peering right back at hers, then she looks down. "I remember when you first spoke up about it." She does a sliver of a chuckle having the memory inside her vision.
Octavia recalls the day as well, leaning on her guard''s sword. "You even called me by mommy back then too" Sue says with a sprinkle of gratitude, her right eyelid a half moon. Avia catches a small smile, bobbing her head to form nods.
"Mommy, sue¡ªI wanna be the best guard there is, So I can protect the whole Orphanage!" Sue recalls the lines, her eyes becoming more glossy.
"That''s when I surprised you with that practice sword¡ªit was on your birthday." Octavia closes her eyes, seeing the buzz of the memory on the back of her eyelids.
"Yeah, I remember that." She spoke softly at her, crouching down to sit on the ground, having one knee facing up and the other to the side. The house mother looks at her like a parent looking at their child, "you were so happy, filled with glee about your first sword that you ran right outside" she says with her hand doing a zip to mimic young Octavia''s pace.
She lets out a chuckle seeing it replay, Sue does a soft smile to her laughter, knowing that the ice is melting, knowing that she doesn''t want to ruin the moment with the next conversation they''ll have. Hoping that she doesn''t need to let her know about Korith''s accident, it''s a touchy subject for Octavia¡ªthey''ve gotten so close over the years and the talk might ruin it and even the relationship that they share.
{¡ñ}
Eve lays on the square padded flooring, trapped in the comforter room by her co-workers, from the people who she ought to help with the impending doom that might or might not arrive, whatever happens she wants to be ready for it.
The bloom of a speaker pops its volume on the far facing corner of the room, a recent change." Begin testing." Then another blerp signifies that the speaker had finished, only a couple of words and she knew what they meant.
Her medical equipment was waiting for her, this time there was more from the last occurrence having the team rush into the padded cubicle from her extreme vivid dream that caused her physical and mental pain.
That visit, the structure, it all led her into having these sprouting thoughts of an oddity, an oddity she shouldn''t even dwell on.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
There''s a staining thought beside it, a life-form seeming to be female in form with white-ish gold tendrils flowing from the back, their face-scanning to be a helmet in form, whenever she spares the thought on it, a sinking feeling reaches into her.
She pulls herself up, with the thought in mind and the dream she had, slowly inching towards her tools-the speaker ignites.
"Use your time wisely...apprentice."
Eve tears her vision from the equipment and aims it at the mesh box, she remembers that saying when she first worked at this station.
Aiding the towers medical/advanced department system was a heritage passed down to a mother who she hasn''t met, although she believes that there was some interaction between each other when she was only an infant.
Her eyes focus back to the lab equipment, seeing it all come-together inside the mind: exact measurements, the tools needed, and other appliances she needs.
Eve places her left hand on her forearm, surveying the table-realizing that there''s a piece missing to complete the project.
She looks at the camera and waves her arms to gather attention from the other side, the light below it blinks telling her that there''s someone watching, "I''m missing a valuable asset to complete it" bringing her arms down after giving the heads up.
The camera lights blink again and soon after a team budge''s through the hidden door, following them is a co-worker from her section bringing in a fluid, they back her up and the team member places the liquid onto the silver table.
Eve, being pushed back against the other wall from the two body-guards stares at them with confusion, ever since that night she''s been getting harsh treatment like one of the highest priority patients, yet worse it seems¡ªthen again she never did see what happens behind the walls of those patients¡ªshe has only seen a partial percent of the procedure.
They keep her back until everyone has left her room, staring at the vial that holds a pale-milky liquid.
{¡ñ}
Mier left Dealix and Chandra back at the vacant homestead, slipping and avoiding the glass shards that were scattered across¡ªit was a good blanketed mess to alert them if anyone had stepped in, however if anyone had the skill to maneuver around places like he did, they wouldn''t have known an outsider had breached their quarters.
He didn''t know what their exact plans were, although he could make an educated guess on what, Mier was fast awake-hearing Dealix talk in his sleep, something about reaching a location.
Maybe it was the same destination that was up on his list, seeing that there were people he needed to help; People that had their hands tied behind their back and their necks being penetrated by a needle amongst visions of Vem.
Mier thinks that him and Dealix share the same sense, he could be wrong in that element: there have been times where he had talked about familiar scenarios that Mier relatively knew of in his sleep-like he had done before Mier left.
The location he''s heading now is a large lot, it could be the same vicinity as the images had told him; where Vem had vanished from his ''sight''.
Mier lost connection with him after he entered the fog¡ªVem never came back. He''s grateful that he had left his friend''s bladed gadget with him or else he could''ve been dead, maybe something worse.
Whatever those things were, he didn''t know¡ªwhat he did know was that he needed to vanquish them. Unfortunately for the other two, Mier took back the knife, he''ll need it on where he''s going; it was a stomach feeling, an underlying tone.
Hearing birds melody to one another, his nose reefed in wet grass, and a crystal clear aroma of coated trees: sharp and distinct.
Mier sponged through the soaked blanket of ground from the fast melted snow¡ªhe stuffed his extra pant length into his shoes, slightly keeping the moosh from getting at his socks.
Footprints being imprinted as he makes his way, passing a hill-side-moving onward to a closer of buildings that was led by an entwined road.
"Was this...?" Mier says out loud, scanning the face of clustered buildings, comparing the visuals of the vision.
{¡ñ}
"Mier..." Dealix said, Chandra twists her head towards him, remembering that once again he had ditched them, "what about him." She grumbled, giving a stink eye at Dealix.
"Nothing." He says looking from a downwards angle, "it''s gotta be more than nothing." Chandra picks up a large debris that Kroith had caused, giving a grunt in-between words.
"Just..." Dealix tries to place the right words, continuing the work the crew is focused on, walking away from Chandra as he fits the remains onto another area of their hide-out.
Chandra pauses, giving the rubble an intense focus as she thinks about Mier, she shouldn''t feel the need to hate him, they''ve barely just gotten to know him with what little they know, he''s an odd character: Mier is often kept to himself, randomly shows up to support, keeps things organized, and speaks in off beats.
If he could only stick by them, or at least tell them where he''s headed then maybe she wouldn''t feel this way. Chandra does a huff, Clyista catching her¡ªstepping up beside her taking Dealix''s place, hauling the pieces with her.
"Why did he blurt that girl''s name out, any ties to her?" Clyista prods.
"Not a one" Chandra gives her a good stare before Dealix strolls to their side, Clyista side-eyes them both taking a hefty size and carrying it off with her.
He looks at Chandra with a clueless expression, "what did she want?" He points with his thumb back at them, her other crew members checking valves and meters on equipment that they transported from another section.
One of the members gestures to call over Ael from a walk-n-talk with their team lead. Ael looks down as he fast-walks to them, peering back at the collapse as he reaches halfway.
He scoots into their bubble and they proceed to chat amongst each other, pointing at the canisters, Ael places his hands on his waist then folds them in mid conversation, nodding in response to their intel.
His facial expression looks grim as he narrows his vision to Clyista then points his eyes towards Dealix and Chandra, the gaze follows Dealix as he waddles with overcoming debris.
Ael does a two finger call to Clystia and she heads over there with an upfront waltz.
Quiet hushes trigger between the group, she folds her arms and looks rather grimacing about their discussion.
On the other side, Chandra kneels down and collapses, sweat that''s been congealing droops down, she scans the group staring her and Dealix down, then back at one another looking at the pair of tubes.
Dealix slumps on the pile, losing his breath from the big haul, regaining it relatively slowly. Chandra puts two and two together: from the huddle they made, Dealix shortens breath strokes, her lack of engagement to pull herself up, their focus honing to the canisters, and their expressions as a whole¡ªthey''re losing oxygen.
{¡ñ}
Crowley shifts his movement from one end of the apartment to the other, occasionally swiping away at the distortion. The lingering scent of splattered bong water still hurls in the air: he hasn''t cleaned the mess up.
His lack of ability to care is grasped by the hum¡ªkeeping him from nearly everything as it follows him with haunting dialogues. Trying to cease his functions to a limited percentage.
He tosses again, pacing towards his room, the creek of the floorboards sings out into the hallway making the hum''s communion a silent one, Crowley reaches his room¡ªslamming the door on the distortional wave behind him.
There was another moment of peace as he rummaged around his room looking for an item: Swinging blankets off his bed, throwing pillows up, and rummaging through dirty laundry¡ªyet the item cannot be found.
Peace evaporated as the hum shimmered through the door.
"Trying to find the pill bottle?" It rattles, Crowley turns around giving his unwanted guest a scowl of resistance, he strides past it, turning right at his bed frame, opening the nightstands drawers.
The bottle of pills cluster with its tiny contents hitting at the sides as it rolls in front, he looks back at the hum, giving it a final stare down as he takes a few pills, placing it inside his mouth¡ªclenching it with his teeth, making an effort to grab a glass of water, pacing through the distortion again.
Taking a big gulp of water as he ignores the hum''s request to halt, the clear, iron-like taste of water races down his throat with the pills.
He thuds the glass onto the kitchen counter, "does this satisfy your needs...?" The hum twists its echoed cords, diminishing into the air.
Crowley huffs, storming across the kitchen towards a closet, he reaches inside grabbing a mop, a broom, and a dustpan to get rid of the stench he caused.
The scratching of glass bounces within the cubical of a kitchen, sweeping it onto the pan, before he could finish, jolts of imagery clips to his vision.
Breathing turns into tremors, feeling a pull. Crowley flashed up words, scattering the pieces onto the floor as his attention locked onto what he saw, he raced into his room pulling socks and shoes over his feet.
Bolting at the front door, the inertia pulls his hair back, feeling the wind brush against him, his leg muscles tightening as he pushes himself to go faster than before and without a blizzard in the way he''s sure to make it.
Impact of his shoes make out the vacant night block as he peddles his feet towards the destination, leaving the houses behind him.
He meets a stop sign leading towards off-roads, Crowley dances by the stop sign as he thinks before he takes another bolt to the left, skidding across an open field and down a hill.
Taking a possible shortcut through thick woodlands, hoping to reach the desired location faster believing if he makes it out, it''ll cut the time that''s very limited already.
Flapping of wings pinches the air between the trees as he makes his way past the first layer of patch, the silhouette of the birds glances at the top, darting their way into a new route.
Crowley controls his breathing, keeping the urge to want a break.
It''s difficult to handle such a task¡ªrunning at full speeds through a forest you barely know with the only guidance being a distant memory of a map.
Scatter of wild animals rallies away from his storming presence, breaking branches coming fast under foot as he delves deeper into the forest, vaulting over a fallen tree, bypassing a marker that was carved into the trunk. His patter of footsteps leaves it vastly behind.
The Seventh Day
Chandra, Dealix, and Crew 8 are losing their supply of oxygen from the devastating blow Korith had made from her escape.
The group talked to their two ''guests'' about a potential outcome that''ll happen if they don''t find a way out and fast, "if we all continue on the collapse we could make it out of here" one member had said.
"Wouldn''t that waste more of our supply?" Dealix inquires, pointing at the valves. Chandra looks at the valves, watching it tick down within a rough pace, she takes her glance and looks at the collapse seeing a pattern.
"If we take it down just right, we could minimize the effort."
Chandra looks at Ael, then at Clysita and the rest, she gestures for them to follow her. Aelive raises a confirmation, though there''s another thought brewing inside his head.
Clysita wants to huff, but she''s watching herself, she needs to be calmer than these high-school students are.
Right now they''re showing them how much support they can give out, in this situation most people would panic, however these two probably know that panic isn''t going to set the circumstances right.
She follows Chandra''s lead after Dealix steps in first, she looks behind seeing the other two members slumped over watching the meter slowly go down, seeing them look up at her in worried expressions.
"Keep the breathing slow, maybe we can save on oxygen." She looks at Ael''s approval, yet he''s deep in thought¡ªmore likely thinking of a smoother scenario to get them out of here.
They reach the collapse, Chandra begins her estimate of where to begin and what rubble they should pick up and to move aside. Clysita watches Chandra''s plan unfold, seeing a gap being created with less effort. Whenever Chandra points, Dealix moves a piece over towards the side. "Maybe this way, we can make a tunnel" she thinks on what debris to move next.
Ael is still sitting by the rest, believing that Chandra''s plan might not work as he takes a glance at the valve, they should''ve thought of other ways of escape before they started with the project.
He wants to show support too her idea, but he still thinks that there''s another way to get out of here with even less effort than before: remembering that there''s the extra room in the back, how slow the valve is moving, and potentially breaking the other room''s wall down to get to the other section.
Erasing the idea of taking the time to figure out what pieces to move so it doesn''t all crumble down upon them.
He delves deeper into his idea, getting up from his spot and finagling his way towards the extra space.
He''ll attempt to locate a hollow pocket in the wall to bust through, however Ael has to be careful with their supply.
{¡ñ}
Mier had walked through the neighborhood, panning his head from side-to-side, taking in the deserted element that grasped the area around him: House''s doors had been busted through, and some buildings'' windows had been shattered.
He takes a step into a building that''s familiar to the one he saw, seeing pieces of the door still clutching onto its hinges.
Mier steps over the corner of it, making a crunch under his feet with other broken off pieces, "could the guards have done this..? " he tries to seek answers from the quiet air around him.
His inhale was rough, spiked with the scent of iron mixed together with an after-tone of stench that squishes his nose and eyes.
It''s strong, a bit too strong for his liking. Taking a piece of his jacket and pulling it over his nose for defense.
Continuing onward with a hunched over posture, he reaches the living space of the house, Mier scans the room seeing the place an utter mess.
The couch is ripped apart with its stuffing spewed out, their television on the ground suffering major damages, chairs have been broken with their pads torn like paper, and pieces of what used to be end tables are caved in and smeared at the front of the couch.
Mier tears his vision from the mess, taking it to the staircase in front of him.
Adventuring towards the brim of the stairs he takes in the details of its decals, he stares in silence as his eyes follow the steps up to the second floor.
He found where the lingering iron was coming from, a trail of red flows on the side, "Guards couldn''t have done this."His voice tinged with a brewing fear.
Even with the emotion taking a rise from his gut to his chest¡ªhe braves the first step up. Creaking of the stair-piece echoes throughout the vacant house causing him to halt slightly before taking the second step, its sounding groans making a sense of eyes being planted onto his back.
The sense of being watched.
{¡ñ}
Sameria, arcs over her desk, her face bathes in ethereal light watching a computer screen, seeing the plan that she laid out coming into work.
Having cameras to keep a close visual on the main section of the city where the phenomenon had happened, displaying the inhabited zone.
Her eyes dart to another square screen, seeing a mouse of a movement, the camera''s ray shows ghastly streets and a bag being carried by a gust.
She sits back in her chair, folding her hands in her lap looking up at the ceiling taking her thoughts to other manners, such as Eve and the works that she''ll be doing for a patient that impresses symptoms to a case connected to the series of phenomena.
Sam reels her thoughts back, regaining the focus on her surroundings, she taps on a keyboard switching to another set of camera angles seeing civilians outside the barrier and other head figures explaining the reasoning on the rehabilitation to another section.
Padding on her keyboard again, the vision shifts inside the area leading to another large portion where the workers are beginning their instructions, buzzing up and down the eye of the camera carrying heavy loads.
Having the construction set out to be another tower, covering up any damages that were done, those who had experienced the harsh events and those who witnessed the structure were sent to be ''Blanked''.
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Placing the blanked civilians in similar looking towns and homes to take an extra precaution to bury the hatchet.
Sam looks down from the screen, skimming a list of individuals who have a special treatment of ''blank'', she lifts up the piece of paper giving another sheet a quick glance before dropping the first page.
With her free hand she grabs the cold plastic of a nearby radio, bringing it up to her lips to state an order for the recipient as her empty stare sees an individual swiping across.
{¡ñ}
Aelive pounds on the walls, breaking through to the first layer with a sizable hole for them to get out of, the other group still working on making a tunnel through the rubble unaware of his puncturing.
The two other members hear the faint thudding of Aelives'' work, perking their heads up like prairie dogs having one getting up on their feet to check on the noise.
The other member stares at them as they leave, he looks down seeing the valve twitch to a higher number ¡ª raising a brow from the sudden flicker.
Chandra crouches down, leaning on the indentation they had created poking her head slightly inwards scanning a piece to jenga out.
Dealix folds his hands as he waits for her to pick a piece for him with Clysita doing the same, although she''s looking behind them seeing her team members missing, she looks at the two, placing her hand on Dealix''s shoulder blade, "I''ll be right back, keep up the hard work." She praises the dedication of getting them out of here. With a slide of her hand off his shoulder she paces towards the canisters before she heads to the extra room.
"You think they''re up to something?" Dealix suspicioned.
"Maybe, it doesn''t seem like they''re hiding anything besides obvious factors." Chandra answers Dealix''s suspicion, eyeing a piece that''ll slide out without troubles.
"You''re right, just that everyone is gone and we''re the only two out here."
She looks behind Dealix''s folded poster seeing Clysita and the rest of her crew had vanished out of sight.
"I see where you''re getting at." She brings back the question.
"Let''s see what''s going on, shall we?" Giving Dealix a look filled with foundry. He nods to confirm, unfolding his hands as the two check.
{¡ñ}
Mier''s feeling of being watched doesn''t falter as he creeks up the stairs at a snail''s pace, his legs unwilling to move faster as the feeling grows, giving his leg muscles a tight grip.
The senses of eyes at the back of his head pairing with a staggering tremor causes a tone that he''s doing something ungodly wrong, seeing the red trail thickening as he reaches the top.
"This has to be¡" he can barely finish the sentence seeing splotches of clumps tied in with the staining red, having the dark maroon sheeting across from where the trail connects to the other end of the upstairs hallway.
Stretching his upper body to scan, he tries to keep a level headed, but his eyes became full moons.
"It''s like¡" he gulps. "If someone had painted¡the space.." he takes his wrist to cover his mouth and half of his nose, shaking the horrific thought out, but being replaced by what in the world could have done this, and if Vem was okay.
Thinking back if the images had the location right, although it was never wrong before, seeing this gore hopes that it was.
The rotting stench strengthens through his cover, his jacket nor his wrist can repel the scent that''s being flooded through, it was like if a meat factory had decided to abandon their stock¡ªstrong enough where he almost couldn''t bear it any longer.
However Mier has to push onward to uncover the whereabouts of Vem and sadly, this was the house.
{¡ñ}
"They didn''t tell us¡" Dealix says while placing his hand on the opening, looking through the hole that Ael had made, they didn''t hear his blows to the structure while they were working on helping them find a way out.
"Seems like they found their own way" she adds.
"And it seems like they didn''t want us to join either." Chandra places a hand on Dealix''s shoulder, looking through the hole with him.
"Explains why it was a bit easier to breathe.." he looks back at her, then to the opening again.
"Even left some equipment, I guess they didn''t care much about it since they just bailed with whatever they had on them." Chandra gives Dealix a look, a look that gives him a feeling that she wants to make the leftover equipment their own.
"By your expression, I''m assuming you wanna see what we could take?" His brow lifts up, seeing a quiver of a change to her demeanor.
"It''s not a bad idea." She says with a mischievous smirk.
Moving away from the hole, they step out of the room, Dealix takes a refreshing inhale before the two scurry through Crews 8''s abandoned equipment.
He grabs a blade sitting next to the canisters, feeling its sleek touch with a gentle polish of his fingers, Dealix takes the knife and sheaths it at his pant hoops.
Chandra sees the weapon that she was about to impale Korith with until Ael stepped in, she''s surprised that they didn''t bring this with them, she grabs hold of it, having the metal scraping the ground as she picks it up and places it out of view.
The both of them look at the collapse as they finish ransacking their gear, thoughts still linger on how the explosion had happened, remembering a slight off balance in her senses when the girl was standing ahead of them, giving orders about a boy who she thought was Dealix, Chandra still tries to describe that feeling.
With another aching thought she wants is that why did Dealix say her name like that, she wants to pass it off as one of Dealix''s occurrences similar to his writings from class.
Having these thoughts in mind, the two settle on their equipment they took having most of it being placed within their bags, being thankful that they still have their belongings, she was smart enough to hang onto both of them, Dealix would have lost his from the tumble he had faced if she didn''t.
With everything ready they head towards the gap.
"Let''s get out of here. "
"Agreed" they say as they duck their heads and arch their body forward, placing one foot in-front of the other as they squeeze through the opening.
Meeting them outside is another hallway where Chandra tailed Ael at, they look both ways, and Dealix looks down at the flooring seeing residue of the crew''s footprints. "I''m sure these will lead us out of here." He points to the patterns, they nod and follow the trail out, going around some debris.
Faint light seeps into cracks nearby telling them that they''re close to leaving this vacant ruined building, the light rays capture tiny freckles of dust making the beams more visible from their position.
The two of them entered the light bathed room, seeing a window that the crew had taken. They carefully vault out of the window, having Chandra aiding Dealix out the window and before she helps herself she takes a scan around the room, grabbing a distinct feeling that she has seen this room before.
"Come on, I''ll take your hand" he says leading one to her, she snaps out of the pondering stare and takes it while placing the other hand on the frame, leaping out the window.
They take a giant inhale, letting it go with relief that they''ve finally made it out, having the two of them being thankful for breathing fresher air and having contact with nature.
"Where to next." Dealix raises the question, turning his head to Chandra for the answer.
{¡ñ}
Mier''s leg muscles keep spazzing with the feeling of his stomach clenching from seeing a full picture of the upstairs hallway.
Embracing the downpour of fear, he manages to push forward.
The splatter and squish of blood reverberates through the hall, with every step causing the heart wrenching sound, his mind can''t help to imagine what has caused this and if somewhere in this pool was Vem, yet he pushes the thought back.
It''s hard for him to breathe with the thickening of iron and rot, his face wrinkles as he stops in his tracks right under the attic door, a tap can be felt on his shoulder and his body quivers, he looks at his shoulder, seeing a splatter of blood.
Mier looks up, his gaze meets the attic hatch, seeing the cracks painted in maroon, another droplet is freed from the cracks and plops on his face, wiping it away with disgust.
His face is turning cold, having a sense of nausea. His poster changes bringing him to put his hands on his thighs to carry his weight. Another invading imagery paints behind his closed eyes.
"Vem¡?" Mier manages to say, fighting off the sickening feeling. Bringing him to pull the hatch string.
A bucket of red pours, he manages to dodge the mass as it splashes onto the floor with an overwhelming scent that follows.
Mier grunts and huffs, having thousands of thoughts mangling inside his mind, twisting his head away to escape.
"Damn it¡" he whiffs, looking at the opening to the attic that''s darker in complexion.
He groans just thinking that he has to go up into the dark abyss of the attic, with a raised foot he takes the ladder, a creek and squish erupts, his palms being covered by the cold slope of maroon.
"Can''t believe I''m doing this¡" he groans again, with a cringe to his face as he makes his way up the ladder, taking his arms to pull the rest of himself up into the attic, he can''t vision anything around him¡ªits pitched, the only light visible being the opened hatch.
His eyes settle to the dark seeing another source of light coming from the far end of the attic, it''s a tinted red light, with a squint he spots a golden hue, realizing that the source is a window and that the sun is trying to peer in.
The sun droops down, making rays through the stained window having its beam colored in red with a few strains of warm gold that makes out lettering, importing them onto the red floor.
''Look up'' it makes out.
Mier instinctively does, seeing an outline, straining his eyes to further detail the silhouettes and he regrets it.
The drench feeling comes back, his stomach hardens causing him to puke onto the attic floor, light from the hatch pans to the top making the silhouettes more vivid.
Piles of corpses have been stitched onto the ceiling, the bodies jaws are absent along with their eyes, leaving empty sockets and their flesh resembling burns, he can''t reason with what his gaze had captured, unable to make out the cause of the horror.
With his body moving on its own, he falls down to the hallway landing on his hands and knees, blood seeping onto his clothing.
Mier races downstairs, puking onto the destroyed chair, then leaning against it as he drifts down towards the floor with heavy breathing.
{¡ñ}
Crowley stands motionless in an opening of the forest, surrounding him like a perfect circle, his eyes are closed but the convexity of the cornea rapidly moves behind the eyelids.
The sunlight turns into sunset, casting warm beams between the trees, birds caw around him as light fades from a coverage of clouds, blanketing the opening in shade.
The Seventh Night
Lin rustles downstairs from being called for dinner, meeting him is his mother setting down plates¡ªsteam rising off of the delicious meal, the smell brings Lin a welcoming warm flame inside his chest¡ªits scent sizzled with a pull of smooth natural elements.
He inhales deeply trying to pictate the meal, "what''s for dinner?" He says giving up the guess.
"Glazed Steak with some smashed potatoes that have corn mixed into it." His mother says while serving his plate on the table, Lin sits down¡ªstoked about the meal that lays ahead of him, the lifting steam of the food warms his face.
Lin''s Mother leans over the table to switch on a portable radio to play soothing music while they eat, they pick up their silver forks¡ªLin stabs into the cut steak pieces, its glazed coat gleams on the overheard light. His taste buds burst as he brought it towards his mouth, "wow, this is really good mom." he muffles, tasting rich goodness as he chows down on the piece of steak.
His mother smiles, "I''m glad you like it." She places her fork into her piece and begins eating as well. As Lin chews, he takes a look around the table while tapping his foot to the gentle beat of the radio.
"Hey, mom."
"Hey what?" She says looking up at Lin¡ªstill chewing on her piece, a small set of flowers sits in-between them.
"Where''s Rin?" He jabs his fork into another piece as he stares at the spot where Rin would be sitting at the dinner table. "She''s staying at a friend''s house for a few days." The radio cuts out for a split second, his mother chewing on a new piece as she stares at Lin.
He does a simple nod, pressing his upper lip up and they go back to enjoying their meal together.
Lin thinks about what his mother told him, trying to picture what friend of Rins'' is she staying at¡ªmaybe a friend that has yet to be introduced?
His mother, capturing Lin staring at the kitchen table as he ponders the question, "what''s up?" She pokes at another piece of meat, taking a glance up at him for an answer.
"Nothing, just daydreaming." He doesn''t want to bring up the friend, believing that they''ve already been introduced to them and he just forgot, evolving it so he doesn''t look like a jerk for not remembering¡ªwith the same feeling of yesterday raises, making him burrow his brow.
Radio gets interrupted then goes back.
Lin does a soft sigh and focuses on finishing his meal, carrying onto the mash potatoes.
The two sit silently listening to the radio as they eat their meal, his mother occasionally leaning on her elbow¡ªlooking up at the ceiling deep in her own thoughts about work.
Lin quickly polishes off his mashed potatoes, grabbing his plate, "thank you for making us dinner mom." He shifts up out of his chair to carry the dish to the sink to clean it off, "finished already?" His mother looked at the back of him, seeing him clean his plate and silver-wear.
"Yep, it was delicious!" He responds, finishing his cleaning¡ªplacing the cleaned dishes onto a drying mat and he takes off upstairs and into his room.
His mother sits there alone, finishing her own meal¡ªafter a moment she blankly looks at the radio as it starts to erupt a jitter of static noise.
Upstairs, Lin flops onto his bed after turning on his gaming station and television. He grabs the controller that''s laying next to him where he had left it¡ªa faint static line floats up the T.V screen causing him to get up from his bed to give it a bump on the side having the line disperse.
He turns back to the bed to crawl back into it, seeing his phone light up with the phone logo teeter-tottering back-n-forth.
"Kel?" He looks at the screen with a faint burn to his chest, debating whether to answer or leave it ringing.
{¡ñ}
Kel rests in an examination room, his chest slowly pressing the sheets up then it gently inflates¡ªa Ventilator''s whisper hums in the silent room, faint lights from the machines softly illuminate the cubical.
Kellic''s breathing keeps its feathered rhythm of motion as life around him continues to sprawl: Nurses, doctors, and other workers patter through the hallways outside his room.
The tapping of feet follows a medicalist with a clipboard, a list of information about the patient''s treatment, alongside the notes are a list of names¡ªKellic being one of many on the piece of paper.
On the nurses waist hangs a radio, they had received orders to check on another patient four rooms ahead of his.
Inside Kellics room, the continuing whispers of the Ventilator reverberate around the room, behind his shut eyelids the eyes move from left to right, repeating the movement like reading words on a page.
Blaring sounds of an alarm race towards his room, a stampede of boots rush to aid¡ªKel''s eyes begin to rapidly move from side-to-side. An echo of screams breach the hallways¡ªhis eyes jitters faster, the light panels above the bed begin to shutter.
Series of footsteps speeds down the hallways following distant shouting.
Shuttering becomes an elongated beam, its shine lights up the entire room and the equipment next to the bed begins to frit, other neighboring rooms face the same dilemma having alarms being triggered.
With the commotion that came, it abruptly ended in a snap. Sirens had turned off, the lights above had died, the only noise accompanying silence was the hushed hums of the Ventilator.
Kellic''s eyes jolted open with his chest arcing towards the ceiling, flopping back down on the bed, he lay there with heavy eyelids.
Kel''s arm moves without a reaction from his body, the hand grips the tube and does a curve angle¡ªyanking it with a thinner tube stringing out of Kellic''s mouth.
His upper body lifts up from laying down. Kel''s eyes spelled with a haze, he stiffly gets up from the bed. Beams of passing lights spew from the blinds pairing with thumping of shoes against the glossy flooring.
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Eerie silences clings inside the building after the patter of footsteps.
Kellics lifeless tone moves throughout the room, bumping into a shelf with appliances and items that have been found inside his clothing, his hand raises with a ghostly shift¡ªit slides towards his phone that was placed next to his folded clothing, picks it up and dials a familiar number having it ring out under the name ''Lin''.
Kel''s lifeless gaze stares at the dimly lit wall from the ethereal light of his phone¡ªit continues to ring for some time before it eventually ends without an answer prompting a voicemail. His grip on the cell becomes limp, dropping the phone onto the ground with a plastic thunk.
He stands there emotionless, the pale light bathes onto his legs with a more fainter glow skimming Kel''s face, then he begins to sluggishly move out of the room and into the dark hallways, shuffling his bare feet across the hospital floor, echoes of dragging vibrate the corridors as he presses onward of the silent building.
Kellics emotionless body makes its way into the E.R, the space was a ghost of a room¡ªnot a single soul to aid him back into his room, the hospital gown says with every drag as he passes empty chairs.
The lights where the front desk is located strobes, making a flickering ambiance across the wooden desk, then the lights he passes begin to stutter, following the faltering of lights, the main entrance sign begins to mimic the others.
Automatic doors part ways for Kellic to exit the ghastly hospital, he turns towards his right and shambles his way into an entrance of a forest, his fading body is soon lost with the density of the foliage as breaking of twigs and branches becomes the only sign of him.
{¡ñ}
Kel''s Father sits on a recliner in a darkened room with the only light being the illumination of the T.V screen, he shifts through channels trying to find something to watch while pondering the events at the school¡ªhaving his son and one of Kellics best friends engaged in a fight has left him drained of energy.
This was new for the two of them, they''ve never fought like that before¡ªthe only fights that sprung were due to competition, never any fists flying at one another.
Clark looks at the paperwork given to him by Kel''s school peers, holding a nice thick stack to last him for a while, Luckily for Kel¡ªhe''d gotten off a bit easy having him do the rest of his classes with the packet to pass him to the next grade.
He sighs, flopping the packet onto the end piece, Clark gives it one more glance while taking a swig off of a chilled drink and places it down to resume watching television.
Clark takes a deep inhale, smelling the staleness of the room following an explosive scent of rain, he sniffs the air some more to confirm that he''s smelling the sweet-iron of rain.
"Better go close the windows then." He mutters to himself, grunting as he gets up from the recliner, he strolls to one of the kitchen windows, he looks off in the distance seeing the forest he used to go hunting with his son in, scanning the night he spots the incoming rain cloud¡ªa darker smudge across the landscape, stretching towards the forest.
"Hopefully it won''t be as bad," Clark says, closing the kitchen window, then waltzing to the other window and doing the same.
After closing the windows so that the rainfall doesn''t puddle in, he goes over to the fridge grabbing another flavored drink, closing it with a quiet thud so that he doesn''t disturb his son sleeping in the other room.
He walks back to his chair, his socks dragging onto the cold kitchen tile then onto the carpet. Seeing the Television casting thin dark lines, "not this again." He groans going over to the electronics giving it a smack to the side, the screen flickers¡ªgiving it another go it does the same this time going back to its normal display.
"Just like that" he places his left hand on his waist, his posture filled with a sense of pride. Clark takes his drink, cracking it open with the carbonation hissing.
He watches the television for a few moments before he back-steps into his chair, flopping his rear on the comforter¡ªletting out a sigh of relief.
While watching the show, the lights dance in the dark doing a series of different tones of light.
Somewhere in the other room he hears his son still awake, the sudden noise triggers a concern he''s been having sense Kels been home¡ªhe''s been acting strange lately, almost like it''s not the same son that he had raised alone out of all these years.
Something about him is off and he isn''t sure if its due to the fight between the two¡ªjust something about his son doesn''t scream that it''s him.
{¡ñ}
Sam hunches over her desk, questions brewing in her mind as to why she hasn''t received word about her orders to check up on a patient within the hospital, she grabs the radio off of her desk gripping it tightly as she firmly presses the button on the side.
"Cerina, do you copy?" She releases pressure, static rumbles as she waits for a response from the agent she had put there as a nurse.
With what little patience she has, she presses the button again. "Cerina, do.you.copy" she repeats again giving a harsh tone to her voice.
However there is no response, only the static of the radio is what''s welcoming her.
Sam groans, tossing the radio on the desk placing her fingers on her lip as she thinks about what''s happening over at the hospital.
Dwindling on the current events with these storms and the freakish occurrences.
It doesn''t sit right with her, she places her hand down on the office chair handle¡ªher face etched with temper.
She quickly gets up, pushing the office chair with the motion, Sameria gathers thoughts as she paces around her cubicle.
"I could¡ªno, I already have enough men stationed elsewhere" she half bakes, continuing to go side-to-side.
Sameria groans in frustration, picking up the radio again to call in any available agents to scout the hospital, within a few moments there''s a response on the other end confirming her request.
She exhales, letting the tension go, the camera screens flicker yet it doesn''t capture her attention. Sameria exits her room to check on other projects, one of them being Eve.
{¡ñ}
Eve concocted the serum with a variety of ingredients, her sweat pouring down from the working heat she had created, she took her forearm and swipes her head. Eve''s eyes squint, lifting up the vile to examine it.
She gently places it down on a holder, the microphone blurts congratulating her on a job well done.
Eve takes a look at it in response, then back down to the serum¡ªit looks different from the normal liquid they''ve made before: thicker of color with weaves of waves sprawling inside it.
Eve does a big inhale getting any fresh air she can then does a huff right after, she''s curious as to what this serum will be used for.
She doesn''t know everything about the serum, they''ve done a decent job of keeping its contents a secret¡ªdecent enough to make Eve try to dig through files leading her to finding the anomalies of the storms that now has a sense of dread behind it.
The loud speaker booms, ordering her to step aside from the vile, doing the routine from last time she waltzes over towards the wall and placing her hands up.
Series of sounds gather at the hidden entrance, before it opens she had been ordered to turn around to face the padded wall.
Clanking comes from behind her, singling that the door had been opened with stomping of boots¡ªletting her know that guards had entered the room, alongside the sounds of the guards boots came a tapping of another pair of shoes.
She squinted, her eyes looking towards her right; thinking on who was accompanying the guards, with the last pair it sounded like boots, but these sound like a lighter haul to them.
The tapping travels towards Eve''s work table, she hears the vial glass clinking on the holder she had placed it on then the tapping reaches the door with it thumping off its closure.
With a moment of silence, she holds her pose facing the wall.
What may seem like hours, the silence had erupted with the speaker relieving her of the position, she turned to her table with the confirmation that the vile had been taken.
Eve folds her arms to her chest and paces around the room, wondering what the situation is, what may be in-stored for her in the future, and what the outside world is like.
Fatigue grasped her, believing that it could be night¡ªsleeping with these lights on among the blaring white of the room makes it difficult.
Although she still tries, taking her pace towards her bed and sitting criss-cross applesauce on it, the covers being rippled from disturbance. Even if she''s stuck in here she''ll still keep up with her routine of making her bed.
She looks up at the camera seeing the light under it green¡ªshe''s being watched this very second.
The lights around the room fade into a dim source, it''s like her wishes about the lighting were heard somehow, that or they just rewarded her for creating the liquid early.
She''s slightly aggravated at the thought: being rewarded something that should be a common thing for patients but it''s not.
Eve flomps her head on the pillow, her right side hitting the soft cloud. Thoughts storm, bouncing around in her head as it leads to the outside world amongst any sort of treatment she''ll face.
Her legs slowly relax from them being crossed, now lying fully on the bed, the chaotic thoughts are somewhat a tool to get her tired enough to pass out within a few moments.
Outside Eve''s room, the group that took the vile strides towards another room within the facility, giving it to workers in lab coats to have them deliver the serum, they rapidly pace towards an elevator bringing them down into the underground floors.
With machinery clicking the doors open and the lab worker continues their fast-walk down the corridors, they turn a corner towards a room that''s locked by a high-class security system, having them do a series of steps to enter the doors.
As the worker enters they can hear the humming of classical music played on a violin and pianos.
"Here''s the¡ª-" they say before being cut off with a hand covering their mouth, another person in a different, sleeker looking lab coat takes the vial and silently gives it to a guard that''s in an early stage of a high-class armor.
The medicalist that carried the vial inches closer to a large glass window, it looks down on the figure in the middle that''s locked in place.
Its shrouded appearance gives the observer a shiver down their spine, having the higher up medicalist look back at them, getting up from their seat to escort the doctor out of the room¡ªclosing the door tightly shut in front of them.
The Eighth Day
Chandra and Dealix journey through the forest, stepping over debris of vegetation.
"We''ve been traveling for a while" Dealix grips a half crescent branch, lifting himself up top of a fallen tree, he takes his hand out for Chandra to grasp it¡ªaiding her up.
"Seems about a full day.." she responds with a grunt by being pulled up, they hop down the foliage debris crunch underneath their feet.
"I''m pretty sure this is the correct way to head towards the other section¡" Chandra mutters to herself, but Dealix overhears her murmur and thinks to himself about the first portion of Chandra''s'' sentence, having her being ''pretty sure'' isn''t being one-hundred percent sure of where they''re going.
She strides towards a tree that''s further ahead¡ªseeing moss slightly reaching around it.
Chandra places her right hand on the trunk and leans to get a better view of the moss, taking in that the moss is growing north, she makes a mental note that they''re heading the right way to another city section of Lypheon.
"Come on, let''s continue heading this way" Chandra beacons Dealix to push onward, having her wary sense of direction turning more of a solidified one.
Dealix does a single nod, tailing right behind her as they continue into the wilderness, she closely eyes the moss to make sure they don''t falter in the wrong direction.
Dealix slumps his head down¡ªzoning out within their walk towards the location.
The walk turns into a hypnotic waltz for Dealix, his steps feeling numb and his breathing feeling like it needs a consistent guide, Dealix''s vision becomes a blur having the littered ground becoming a mass junction of streaming colors.
Chandra continues to take mental notes of their direction, She becomes cautious, having her face wrinkle with concern as the surrounding area becomes a cascade of silence.
She darts her view from left to right, even taking a pause to strain her ear, trying to listen for any animals scurrying about within the forest¡ªHearing nothing within the vicinity.
"Do you hear that¡?" Chandra asks Dealix, who is wobbling back and forth, making an effort to keep himself going.
The only answer she hears from him is the only sound that cracks the silence, the sound of his body thumping to the ground.
She turns around to see Dealix laying on the ground, she calls out his name as she rushes over to him¡ªplacing both of her hands onto his body.
"Dealix!" She says again, but there''s no response, she moves her head, scanning any safe area to make camp.
Deciding the best spot is in-between a group of trees, she reacts quickly, getting a lengthy stick nearby and digs it into the ground to mark where Dealix is laying.
Chandra plans to gather sturdy branches or sticks to hold them up above the ground to keep any wildlife at arms length as they rest.
Chandra seeks out pieces to make a flooring for their camping spot, worrying to herself about Dealix''s sudden collapse, though she places the worry on a halt¡ªit''s not the time to worry or to panic in a time like this.
She grabs a stick, feeling the weight and thickness with her hands. Chandra does a bob to confirm that this will do. Looking up and scanning any other pieces that may be as sturdy as the one she''s holding.
Walking towards a few others she spots from her scan.
Chandra hauls a few pieces that are stuffed between her folded arms and drops them down next to the grouped trees, taking a moment to see Dealix still laying down at the marker.
She glances back at the pile of branches then at the grouped trees as she takes her blade out she got from the scavenge. Chandra takes the blade and starts to carve a cubby-hole to put the ends of the sticks into.
Grabbing one of them to test her craftsmanship, she bends the other end to fit it into the gap of the tree, she does this to the rest of the piled sticks making a dent to the haul.
Chandra tests the sturdiness of her crafted floor by grabbing the end of it¡ªlifting herself up words and sits on it. Doing little bobs to see if it''ll break under this circumstance.
Towards her delight, it doesn''t, she takes her gaze to check up on Dealix.
"Alright." Chandra hops down and waltzes over to Dealix, dragging his body across the forest floor, having his bag collecting leaves as she hauls him over to the camp, she looks up seeing a little trail from the action.
She inhales, smelling the scent of rain, "shit." She says, doing another quick scan to check if there''s any branches with extra leaves on them to shield from the rain, Chandra does a quick stride and grabs a branch she deems worthy for the sake of shelter.
Chandra hauls Dealix up and onto the crafted flooring with a series of grunts, he lays peacefully flat on the floor as she gathers more branches.
Deciding to do a quick climb to cut down limbs of trees that have the right amount of growth, making another thought about trimming the branches to conjure a makeshift rope out of them, even grabbing thinner¨Chealthier branches that does a good bend.
She feels a light sprinkle peck on her hand, realizing that time is running out before the rain starts pouring onto them.
She takes what she can and does a job on finishing the shelter, taking her shoe laces as rope and tying the foliage together.
Chandra hops up-top placing what she had around them, making a decently dense roof over their heads as the rain starts to fall, seeing the drop pummel down the dry leaves that are blanketed across the forest floor.
Doing another big inhale smelling the wet foliage and taking in a job well done, she lays back to wait out the downpour.
The cold spots from the rain cling onto her face as she watches the rain, she looks over at Dealix having his eyes slowly move from side-to-side.
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She tears the gaze and slides him at the end of the shelter, making room to start a fire from smaller sticks she had picked up in case they had planned to set up camp at night.
For Chandra it was the perfect time, the rain casting chills, they were in a nice shelter, and if she didn''t they''ll have to face the repercussions of staying in the cold.
She does a sigh realizing she might need to adventure into the rain to grab a slab to safely start the fire in their makeshift home.
With the thought, she takes a look into her bag, scrambling around to grab a coat that she stuffed in there from their scavenge from the crew''s little hideout.
Still dwelling on the events that took place, even believing that they were lucky enough to escape, even if the Crew didn''t tell them about the hole they made.
They could have had other plans¡ªplans that didn''t involve having the two of them tailing them the rest of the way.
She unfolds the coat and puts it on, thinking that''ll have to do with the rain she''s about to be in.
Chandra takes a big inhale and hops into the rain¡ªthe rain vastly peddling onto the coat, tapping onto its fabric.
She quickly scans to see if there''s any slabs that she can place the fire on, without seeing any she continues to another part where her vision had ended and recycles the routine.
Seeing a healthy slab that''ll make its due, she picks it up, hauling it to the side of her and rushes back towards the camp.
Chandra leaps back onto the flooring and scoots into the shelter, seeing Dealix''s eyes still sluggishly darting from side-to-side.
She takes the slab and places it in a comfortable distance inside the shelter, placing the smaller sticks and piling them onto the wet slab. She digs through her bag finding her lighter.
"Sweet¡" she smirks, looking at the lighter and flicking it to create a flame, she hovers the small flame at the sticks and the debris starts to slowly burn.
The fire turns into a medium sized flame keeping shielding them from the cold wisps of the rain, keeping them warm.
Cracking of the fire relaxes Chandra, she places her hands near the open flame, embracing the warmth from it, she drifts her gaze to check up on Dealix again¡ªseeing that his eyes went from a slug pace to a more solid dart.
His eyes going faster from the last time she had seen them, wondering what he might be going through inside his head, she wrinkles her face in concern, imagining what he may be seeing.
She squints her left eye, focusing back to the fire, trying her best to keep the brewing to a minimum.
Her eyes dart at the falling rain, then back at the fire.
Finding the smallest comfort from this situation that they''re in.
Feeling of being lost in a forest takes a toll on the both of them, she believes that the stress got to Dealix and that''s why he had collapsed. Although she doesn''t want to dedicate the belief solely on that.
With Dealix sleeping, Chandra was alone with her thoughts and the rain made an excellent ambiance to emerged with her thoughts.
Staring at the open flame with a distant gaze she ponders on days where she was at home, without a mother, or even a father to look after her.
She did everything she can to aid herself to make the best of it¡ªalthough finding herself in tough situations by acting out.
Remembering how she got a skateboard last year that somehow landed on her front porch: someone had ringed her doorbell and to her surprise no one was there but the skateboard. Who ding-dong-ditches a skateboard, recalling it with a chuckle.
Her mile-long gaze comes back with the chuckle, shuffling herself to another position. Her thoughts quickly came to the scene of Chandra taking it to school, even going through areas that didn''t allow skateboards.
Finding crowds that did the similar things, riding with them, doing tricks, and eventually hanging out with them which led her to smoking.
After that she did all kinds of things like pulling pranks on guards, on teachers, and even breaking into abandoned places like the ones her, Dealix, and Mier had slept in.
Her thoughts drift to Mier, still having a curious yet annoyed tone to his disappearing acts, but she comes to terms with it¡ªChandra was sure that there were things he had to do, things that didn''t involve them, much like what Crew Eight did, and much like her past friends had done when they abandoned her at the worst moment.
Chandra looks down, the fire casting a warm red glow onto her face.
Those friends were her own Crew of sorts, doing everything together until one day they did something that caught the attention of authority guards, nearly the same type of guards at the tower.
Abandoning her when she got caught, though she did what she could and bailed, almost like the time the three of them were stuck inside the tower, however that was different.
Chandra still remembers them, remembering the details of their backs fleeing from her without a second glance.
Her chest begins to burn.
She sighs, taking herself out of that moment and looks at Dealix and smiles, he hasn''t done that yet.
Chandra is grateful for him, even if the two of them have only known each other for not even a week. Though she remembers that he always did stories in class, writing them down like he was in some sort of trance. He always loved writing and she could tell that in some way.
He was the first one done when they had a free session of writing, she snaps back again.
Dealix''s breathing is fluent.
The rain slowly starts to die down, but where things are headed they might need to stay here for tonight.
Chandra hopes that Dealix wakes up soon so they can find a place to have this all behind them, she reaches for her bag and gently lays her head onto it, making it a pillow.
Her thoughts spiral onto other memories as the rain casts a relaxing moment, the fire turning into a small flame.
As she takes a rest of her own, Dealix''s fluent breathing steers into a slightly more rapid session, his eyes darting faster.
{¡ñ}
Dealix runs in an endless abyss that he can''t escape from, running aimlessly to avoid an eerie feeling.
He takes it in, realizing that he''s in a dream of some kind, but can''t wake up from it.
Pinching himself , he lets out a small yelp from the prick, he knows it''s a dream because the last place he remembers was walking with Chandra in the forest.
That''s when everything turned into a spiral, his hearing became a void, and his senses started to sway.
After that he was in this endless darkness, smelling nothing, seeing nothing, hearing only the vibrations of his blood flowing through his veins.
He crouched downwards, placing his hands over his ears in hopes to block the sounds of rushing rivers. Although the action didn''t help, his panic started to show.
Feeling somewhat of a pulse throughout his body, the feeling of uncontrollable breathing breached along with the urge to look around.
He feels his skin starting to bubble, the sense of goose-flesh that starts from the nape of his neck, then crawls towards the ends of his hands.
Dealix perks up, without thought he begins to race in any direction to escape from it.
He learned that if he stands still the sensation will occur again, learning by an attempt to catch his breath, the goose-flesh had rippled from the last spot down towards the half of his back.
Dealix''s lungs start to inflame from the constant sprinting, however he does his best to prevail onward trying to keep the pace to avoid it. Whenever it occurs it''s like his body starts to act on its own.
He reaches a point where underneath his feet starts feeling like treading through waters, bringing the sound of water being impacted with. Having a sort of relief to him from only hearing his own blood.
His legs start to weigh heavily, pushing onward into ankle high, dark waters. The straining of muscles making his knees buckle, tripping on himself and plummeting into the waters.
Dealix''s body is drenched from head to toe, he does a series of quick inhales and exhales as his eyes dart from side-to-side, trying to look around in the blinding abyss.
He wants to get up, but his legs won''t let him. The goose-flesh comes, spreading through his entire back, making him stretch his hand to his back in an attempt to stop it, letting out a yell into the void.
Goosebumps travel towards his cheeks as he clenches his eyes closed, goose-flesh strides towards his eyes, the feeling of a cold numbness bursts Dealix''s eyes open.
His head shivering as it travels to the rest of his body.
{¡ñ}
Within the shelter that Chandra had made, Dealix''s eyes spasms behind his eyelids, his breathing becoming a rapid stroke, halting within a split moment before it continues again.
The fire''s life cycle is reaching its end and the rain is kept to a slight drizzle, pattering up on-top of the leaves.
Dealix''s movements turn into a halt, bringing it back to normal, Chandra had placed her hand on his, tightly gripping it telling him that everything is okay, it will soon pass. His eyes changed its rhythm into a soft pace.
She leans over him, her eyes heavy, her head thumping from the sudden wake up call.
"You''re okay" she whispers to him, as she leans back, taking a moment to breathe while confirming that this was no ordinary dream.
Chandra lays her other on her chest, taking a deep breath¡ªrealizing that tonight will be tough on the both of them.
She gets up, slowly slipping her hand off of him to gather more sticks to dry for tonight.
Chandra will attempt to keep watch in case it happens again.
Hopping off of the shelter, the ground squishes underneath her feet.
The water pileup reaches inside her shoes, doing an unpleasant expression as it soaks in, she pushes it off to search the area for more twigs and sticks.
The forage doesn''t take long as plenty are scattered across the forest floor, after she gathers enough to last them for tonight she gets back up into the shelter and begins to lay them out to dry.
"Hang in there." She murmurs to him, his posture keeping a healthy state as she begins to ready herself for night fall
The Eighth Night
Within the frame of the ceiling window, the sunlight''s purplish-orange hue vanishes from the marble room, coating the large cubicle layout in a dark palette.
Within a moment the dark-gray shadows changed into a pale cascade by a single flip of a switch, a Tower worker waltzes into the room, their fragile shoes tapping onto the marble.
A reflection on the wall glimpses the figure, displaying their long brunette hair draping down to their upper back, following along their black silk dress as they walk by.
She stops in her tracks, inhaling a fresh lemon-lime scent of the room''s fragrance.
The woman appears to be examining metallic gray rods plumping out of the walls grasping onto a large tube, she looks down on an electronic board, carrying it gently with one arm, tapping into the glass screen.
With the reaction to rhythmic dancing on her fingers, the rods move down with a mechanical purr, dropping the tube onto the floor.
Her gaze looks at the tube and then up-around it, seeing several of them clinging onto the wall by the metal arms.
She looks within the tube, it''s filled with a hazy dense liquid with ribbons of darker colored waves spiraling against its enclosure.
Her gaze drifts down onto the pad and does a pattern, tapping on the screen, then she does a solid tap and swipes her finger down, leaving smudges against the glass.
Collection of sounds speak about the liquid being drained from its container, it drools down¡ªrevealing a body drooping down into the tube.
Thinner wires connecting to the body leave it hanging like a puppet on its strings.
Her brittle fingers waltz across the screen again, sounds of steam spew out into the room, being muffled by the canister it''s coming from.
She steps forward as an opening had been created to release the body¡ªcatching the figure before it plummets to the marble.
Her cumbered arms drag the body, their bare feet skimming the floor as she hustles the body to a padded bed, the comforter lifts up with hydraulic legs.
The woman looks down at her electronic device and does a final marking of her work.
She places the pad into a pocket on the side of the bed and begins to push, rolling the bed out of the marble room¡ªflipping the switch as she heads into the corridors.
Rolling of wheels fester within the hallways, her flowing dress bouncing as she hauls the cargo into a different location.
Skidding of the wheels squeak as she turns a corner, gripping the handles tightly to pull the weight.
Passing other rooms down the empty corridors, she looks at a number that''s carved up-top of the headpiece of the bed, then checks the room numbers, passing several rooms before she reaches the correct entrance.
Halting her movement as she swipes three cards to get the green light to enter the designated room, the doors sizzle as it opens, the woman walks backwards into the room¡ªpulling the bed with.
The figure lies unphased by the movements their carrier does.
"Here it is!" She says doing a robust salute, the other worker thanks her for the delivery and relieves her work, the woman bows and grabs her tablet from the side pocket of the bed before she exits the room.
The man lifts up a clipboard of his work amongst the unconscious figure''s details.
Stating: homunculus 326, Ready for injection, area for drop off, time and date of its creation, and what type of injection the body will take.
He flips the pages, confirming any other details with a grunt then places the clipboard down onto his desk and begins his work on the body.
Grabbing a syringe that holds a densely milky serum, injecting it into the vessel, pressing the top with firm pressure.
The liquid floods into the veins spreading through the body, the frame jolts causing him to flinch momentarily, he twists his chair over to his computer doing a series of keystrokes and the body''s chest jumps as if being shocked.
He lifts up the clipboard and checks off his work with a pen, the man picks up the radio.
"She''s ready for delivery at 9151" the radio clicks off as he places it back onto the desk, a group of guardsmen enter the room escorting the body out of the room, they haul the figure into another room for dressing the body in specific clothing before they take off.
After another group had finished dressing the body with the information that had been given, the guards haul the homunculus into the carrier, buckling it down tightly for the travel ahead.
The roads were slightly bumpy disturbing the sleeping figure, with a few turns and lights they were at their destination, they hauled the figure out of the back.
One of the guards pulls out a pen¡ªlifting up the piece of clothing and injects a clear liquid into the body.
They scurry back into the carrier and speed off into the night, leaving the body laying on the front porch of the house.
With another jolt, they awake. Darting their vision around them to get a sense of where they are, breathing heavily like they had just ran, they place their hand on their knee as they get up.
Remembering the house in front of them as their home.
With faint memories trickling into a picture, they knock on the door, lights turn on and the front door opens.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
"Welcome home sweety, how was your time over at your friends house?" Their mother welcomes them into the home.
"Lin missed you," their mother teased as the door shut, closing the living room lights and their silhouettes from the outside world.
{¡ñ}
Rin and the boy that accompanied her through the doctor''s test, stayed in refuge in a fairly comfortable building¡ªthe hosts bringing in anyone that''d been evacuated by the Towers sudden construction around the premise.
Leaving most residents in speculation of their assembly, although most are suspicious of their acts, they still have a sense of difference towards their departure: having memories that they''re re-establishing them for the sole purpose of a new Tower, summoning anger towards those who believe that it''s ''bullshit'' to have their homes taken for such a project and those who are compliant see it as a new era.
However this isn''t the real case that Rin and the boy know¡ªthey''ve experienced the horrors, witnessing what the lightning had created, along with the horrible nightmares.
Everything passed that was a void, besides some warry memories¡ªwaking up in a different place to where they originally fainted during Rin''s travel with the group and the boys collapse gazing upon the structure.
There are some rugged memories about the boy being transplanted into the Towers hospital-like housing then a rough memory of a person in a lab-coat.
With Rins'' foggy recalls, she was following along the crew to a different location with the boy who she saved, when they reached a certain distance, there was an elapse¡ªguiding to the other memory of a needle being sunken into her neck by a person wearing white.
With these vague memories they didn''t take any chances of being noticed¡ªdying their hair and wearing other fashion choices to blend with the refugees.
They''re still not sure if these hosts are connected to the Tower or not, unwilling to test their luck to find out.
Rin felt a dash of homesickness towards the situation, wishing she could crawl in her own bed to forget that this had ever happened.
She lays down a sleeping bag next to the boys, giving it a brush to swipe off any dirt that may be littered on it, crawling into the opening¨Csliding her frame into the sleeping bag, she leans over to the boy and whispers "I don''t think I ever got your name."
He scoots himself closer to Rin, putting his hand up to his mouth to block the response. " Mivel '''' his dark curled chestnut hair sways from him darting his gaze to a sudden commotion.
Rin focuses towards the communion as well, both hearing and seeing a person screaming, hollering, their feet making bumps inside the sleeping bag as they fling their arms and legs to escape a nightmare they''re having.
Another person besides them panics, looking around the room¡ªcatching a gaze with Mivel for a second then looks up to people calling them to assist, placing their hands onto the terrified civilian.
With the only gap visible of the commotion being blocked by another supporter, Rin looks at Mivel who''s staring back at her with a vigorous worry, drifting their focus back onto the crowd.
Hearing the person recuperating after being woken up, muffling unintelligible sentences and a shortness of breath.
Part of the crowd disperses back to their spots, talking amongst each other about the occurrence, others stay around trying to comfort them, giving them water in hopes that it''ll relax them.
The individual with them thanks the group who stayed around, they place their hand gently on the disturbed giving their back a gentle rub.
Within moments the rest of the crowd leave them to themselves trying to keep the sudden fright to themselves instead of making it a conversation point like the others.
Rin and Mivel lay stiffly in their sleeping bags, having a sense of stress towards their own night-terrors that they had encountered during the events they remembered vividly.
Mivel turns to Rin, daring the question with a whisper¡ªnudging close to her to ask. "Have you¡ª-have you ever had a night terror" he gulps. "Like that?" She turns to him, unwilling to answer the question as she''s currently remembering the experience.
He turns away, his stare facing the ceiling lights as the others dim around them except for the lights above the person who had the fright and a few others including their own.
In an elongated moment, he shifts around into a scrunched up position, facing the right.
Rin is still in lock with their light above them, she blinks rapidly before she does the same, turning towards the opposite side.
"To answer your question¡yes¡ª-I have." She responds with tension tugging at her voice, unknowing if the conversation will carry as silence stirs between them.
Rin lays her head flat onto the sleeping bag''s built-in pillow, her gaze blankly observing others unwinding down for tonight''s rest with murmured conversations of their own.
Mivel speaks, vanishing the silence between them while his vision is firmly on the person from earlier who seemingly stared right back at him with widened eyes.
"I''m sorry that has happened to you." He breaks the uncomfortable eye consistent with the individual, turning to face the back of Rins head.
Pressure is forming at the back of his own head¡ªfeeling that the person is still watching him.
"If you ever want to talk about it, I''m open ears." He suggests, hoping his intentions are clear that he wants to help, however she doesn''t respond, Mivel is okay with this as it could be a touchy subject for her.
The overhead lights turn into a softer orange having the area to be possible for sleep, Rin turns to face him, looking downwards with sorrow as she thinks about her night-terror, debating to air her experience out in hopes that''ll soften the weight it''s putting on her shoulders.
He sees this, "its okay¡ªonly when you''re ready."
Rin does a weak smile and looks up at him, staring into his hazel eyes having a thought that this is the first time actually seeing his eyes up close like this.
"It started¡" she gulps, tearing her gaze from his eyes to gather her courage.
Mivel pays close attention to her words as she struggles, wanting to say that she doesn''t have to force herself.
"The day before I found this boy..." She darts her eyes around seeing that people are occupied with their own business, unwilling to have anyone overhear their conversation so she softens her voice to a peep.
"It started with a dream about¡" Rin clenches her eyes, pulling out her hands from the sleeping bag, making a gesture with her hands like she''s holding a small ball.
"This person.." She says, showing a bit of frustration, Rin pauses lifting up her head to scan the room again and continues.
"It was going normally like if we were having a normal conversation" she points to herself and then Mivel, he nods captivated to where it''ll go.
Rin takes a deep breath, sighing it out. "I don''t remember what the conversation was about, but I know that it felt heavy. " She faces forward, flopping her hands down, making a pat on the sleeping bag, trying to seek words to convey what it relates to.
Mivel glances at Rin, going to her nose, going to her arms that flopped down, and then back to the side of her eyes.
"Almost like if you''re having a heart-to-heart with a family member¡ªsomething in that sort of way" Rin turns to face Mivel, who''s intently paying attention, his hand prompting his head up as he listens.
"Then it was like we said our goodbyes" she closes her eyes, her brows pressing down as she gets to the part of the terror, seeing it behind her closed eyelids.
"That''s when¡ªthat''s where things changed. The area around us became thick with this¡ªwith this fog, this dark fog that¡ "Her voice trembles as she recalls what happens next, Mivel leans in closer, readying himself.
"He got engulfed in it, he reached out a hand, but I couldn''t grab onto it¡ªit felt numb just trying to reach out to him, after he got swallowed by the dark fog. It¡ªit swallowed me. " her hands start to shake, Mivel jolts, wanting to grab it to comfort her.
"I heard screaming, shouting, then a flash happened. I saw this¡ªthis thing." She tightens her eyes, a single tear escapes and Mivel is left feeling like he shouldn''t have asked about the terror, but she continues.
"It had no eyes, no mouths¡ªuntil it started to morph, it was as if their skin melted to cover their mouths." She looks at Mivel, his eyes widening as he slowly shifts up.
"Their jaws stretched and stretched¡ªI tried to look away, I tried to even run, but I couldn''t. Its skin tore revealing inside of their mouths showing jagged teeth¡." Rin pauses for a moment, looking away bringing her fist to her mouth, recoiling. She looks back at him, her eyes glossy, having a film of tears pilling up.
"I felt¡ªeverything." Mivel leans in closer holding her hands, telling her that she can stop but she shakes her head. Needing to vent this feeling that''s been festering inside her.
"It pounced on me," Rin sniffles. " Then after"¡ªShe pauses. "I started to float up, seeing a bunch of people frozen¡ªlike if they were statues, even seeing myself frozen in time." Mivel goes in for a hug, trying to comfort the shaken Rin.
After for a moment she calms down, the feeling lifting off of her chest and shoulders, Mivel slips out of his sleeping bag.
"I''ll go get us some water, I''ll be right back." He softly says placing his hand on her shoulder, she softly nods and he goes off.
Rin wipes her eyes and cheeks, feeling dried up tears.
Her gaze drifted from looking down from her hands, seeing around her that more people were asleep, some eyes darted towards her, but nothing screamed like they overheard the conversation.
She hones her vision to the right of her, seeing the person from earlier staring blankly back at her with widened eyes such as what they had done with Mivel, Rin gets an aching feeling in her stomach as there''s no motion to the individual¡ªtearing her gaze away from it.
Mivel comes back with a group of water bottles, two for her and two for him, placing them down between them in dividation.
Rin shakes the gaze off and takes one of her water bottles, taking a good swig off of it, Mivel does one as well and they both place down their water bottles.
She looks over at him, thanking him for listening and comforting her.
He apologizes for bringing it up, but she stares into his eyes saying it''s okay¡ªit''s what she needed to gather the courage to move on.
They bring their sleeping bags closer to one another, moving their waters up towards the pillows to make room.
The two go on talking about other subjects, moving on from the previous conversation to keep them relaxed enough to drift off to sleep.
The Ninth Day
Mivel shuffles his legs within the sleeping bag from the lack of space, he sluggishly opens his eyes¡ªwaking up.
Residue of grogginess shadows him as he sits up, scanning the room around him.
Mivel notices an absence in presences¡ªseeing empty sleeping bags littered across the floor with everyone''s appliances within their spaces next to them; not a single individual within the building.
Leaving Mivel with a confused daze as he lifts further out of his sleeping bag, he turns to face Rin, feeling slight relief that she''s still sleeping comfortably next to him.
Mivel rests his hand on Rin''s shoulder-blade, giving it a gentle shake in order to wake her up, she doesn''t budge¡ªstill sleeping soundly, he takes another look around and attempts again.
Rin wakes up muffling some-kind of gibberish language, she darts her head around with weighted eyes.
"Wake up, I think something is going on." Mivel whispers to her, giving her another shake.
Rin slurs her speech, prompting herself up right with one hand.
"What¡what''s the matter?" She looks at Mivel, her eyes fully focusing.
"Everyone''s gone." He showcases the vacant building, leading Rin to notice that they''re the only two present inside the building.
Rin scuffles, setting herself upright, peering at the devoid space¡ªshe looks at him, then looks in-front of them again, shifting her body to look behind them: confirming that everyone had seemingly vanished while they were asleep.
"Where did everybody go¡?" Rin steps out of her bag, standing up to peer a glimpse around a corner, lifting her foot as she leans for the inspection.
"Maybe they''re all outside doing something?" Mivel says to himself, thinking that it''s unlikely, but still made the suggestion to speculate about the sudden abandonment.
"Maybe¡? The hosts could''ve done something to lighten the tension¡ªlike a Barbecue " She does her best to bring the answer into a stand point.
"But then, why didn''t they wake us up, plus I think we could''ve at least heard commotion happening around us." He takes a few steps forward, bringing his arms up to indicate the odds.
Rin folds her arms, looking down at her feet as she goes through possibilities inside her head, her vision tunneling; meanwhile Mivel takes a stride towards the bar where he got the waters from.
She looks up, her arms still folded in disbelief¡ªstaring at Mivel as he leans over the bar, his head skimming from left-to-right, he turns around. "Everything is still here!!" He places one hand to cuff the side of his mouth like a megaphone, and with the other pointing behind him with his thumb.
Rin softly squints in bewilderment, adding what Mivel says to the pile of oddities: No refugees, no hosts, everyone''s belongings are still organized, and the host''s valuables along with their appliances are stranded here.
"So where did everyone go" She murmurs to herself, taking her glance down again, her stomach turning in knots remembering the eerie stare that the person was giving them after their night terror.
"Why that now?" She murmurs again, questioning the thought.
Mivel makes his way back to their spot, standing next to Rin as he scratches his head, debating if they should explore the building to get a fair estimate.
"I think we should take a look around, maybe they''re in a different part of the building or something" Mivel suggests, trying to convince himself.
Rin looks up, the feeling in her stomach weighs heavily as she can''t get the person''s anguishing stare out of her mind, "yeah¡ªwe can take a look around." She says stuffing down the thought that''s causing turmoil to build as she bites down on her lower lip in distress.
Mivel takes his glance from the stairs leading towards the upper-section of the building and adverts it to Rin, she puts her arms down and seizes the lip biting¡ªher distress still echoing on her face as she moves past him.
"Where do you wanna start?" She turns around to face him, asking the question, her glance shifts over to the location of the person''s sleeping bag, having the thought to arise, winning her attention.
Mivel looks to where her vision is pointing, seeing the ruffled, scrunched up sleeping bag where the commotion from last night had started. "I was thinking of taking a look up stairs" he says, pointing to the flight.
She nods and heads towards the stairs, Mivel tightly follows behind her, catching up to her to walk by her side.
They pass several disorderly sleeping bags, having Mivel looking at the direction of the person''s sleeping bag, remembering the screaming that they were giving off and then the unnerving gaze moments after.
The two turn the corner and walk up the flight of stairs, their shoes tapping against the marble finish.
Mivel and Rin turn to the second flight, noticing that the lights are still off. When they reach the second floor, Mivel finds the switch and flips it on.
The lights flicker before they steadily cast a monotone white across the floor, having the two already confirming that there''s no sign of life to be found.
Regardless, they tread lightly down the hallway, scanning the rooms as they go by¡ªseeing unmade beds, luggage pressed up against the walls and left over food unfinished.
Rins disturbance worsens, ramping the thought from earlier, dragging her down as they prevail forward.
Something about the individuals ghastly leer and their screams brings the belief that something is unnatural at play here, however she does her best to think logically even with the consideration of the things they both saw.
Rin wants to remain loyal to the thought that this could be easily explainable as the air around them thickens.
With their progression they noticed a pattern of people''s food being barely touched, their luggage either being to the side or being ready to put into drawers.
This behavior breaks as they reach the end seeing clothes being scattered across the room, drawers fully opened with pieces of clothing hanging on the sides of them.
Mivel''s gaze drifts around the room as Rin stays back, hunching herself forward bringing her arms to a fold as her brewing thoughts tug at her.
He firmly places a hand on the door seal, leaning into the room; Rin glancing behind them and into rooms towards their left.
Her glance explored inside a dark room, the glass door tightly shut, the light from the hallways only making a thick line visible having the bed that''s pressed up against the glass being painted with a soft gray.
The light from inside flickers, giving her a glimpse of a kid''s drawings being pinned to the walls, taking in what she thought she saw a circle with a bunch of stick figures surrounding it.
Rin leans her head over to Mivel, still eyeing the darkened room.
"Hey, I think¡" Before she could finish, Mivel adds that he might have found something inside the room.
She tears her fixated gaze away and enters the room that Mivel had taken the opportunity to dig in, he picks up a dairy under the name Samantha.
"Come on, don''t read someone''s diary." Rin says, distress still lingers inside her chords. The light behind them flickers again, capturing the attention of Mivel, but he quickly goes back to the diary, opening it up halfway.
Rin does a defeated sigh, looking back at the room she was previously scanning, leaving the same thought pulling at her mind even more.
"Log: 121, My adopted sister has been having these strange night-terrors since we got her, it''s kinda decreasing the general vibe, I asked her about it and she refuses to tell me." Mivel humphs, scanning his finger to the next section.
"Hey, do you think¡that maybe" Rin looks at the dairy, then back at the other room, her same thought escalating as she ties in a connection between the four things she finds eerily similar: her night terror, this dairy, the rough drawing, and the individual who had a terror downstairs.
Mivel doesn''t notice her attempt to convey and continues reading. "Log: 124: She''s at it again, my little sister woke me up, screaming about a person named Korith, thankfully my mom and dad rushed into her room to comfort her; she seemed pretty shaken up about it. "
"Mivel, Do you think that maybe that person''s night terror could have something to do with this?" She says a bit louder, with more haste to her tone as she squeezes her stomach, he looks at her¡ª getting ready to tell her something, but his attention gets locked behind them.
"What the¡." Mivel''s jaw drops, seeing that the light is steadily on, displaying the mediocre drawings.
Rin turns around seeing them, the picture with the stick figures surrounding a circle wasn''t her imagination, her eyes drift to the other drawings.
Mivel drops the dairy, walking out of the room¡ªstaring at the art that''s littered across the wall. His head moved from picture to picture.
Rin sees that the art gets more detailed the closer it gets to the floor, her eyes widen, covering her mouth¡ªwanting to puke.
Mivel sits there in silence as his vision meets the drawing Rin had seen, she races off, her panic thumping echoes out the hall, leaving him seeing an exact replica of what Rin had described in her night terror.
With a mummified expression, he steps away ripping his gaze from the pinned art and chases after Rin.
He darts down the flights of stairs, catching a glimpse of her bolting out the twin doors, the air around him stiffens as the void within the room encloses around him.
Mivel races forward, bolting out the doors¡ªleaving the unsettling vacancy behind, seeing Rin sitting down on her legs on the padded grass, the grass scent rushes to him as he gets closer to her.
"About your dream¡" He inches closer, seeing that she has her face in her palms and noticing a fresh pile of puke in-front.
Mivel takes his hand, laying it gently onto her shoulder, "I''ve had one too¡" he looks up to the surrounding buildings, noticing a silence around them.
Rin is motionless, recalling the night terror, the portrait, the commotion from last night, and now¡ªevents that she experienced.
He feels an eerie, dead silence: hearing no dogs, hearing the devoid of children playing, and hearing the absence of bird chirping. Mivel takes a large inhale¡ªstill smelling the grass underfoot and approaching rain.
"Come on, lets get inside before the rain starts to pour down on us¡ªwe can board up the windows and doors" Mivel hoists Rin up, placing each hand under her armpits, erupting her post.
Rin continues to look down in a distant haze, he takes her hand and begins to head back into the building.
Wind picks up, blowing the Merry go-round across the street, its squeak tinges into the open field, swing-sets start to rattle, having its metals scraping against each other making a screech following the squall.
They shut the doors behind them, Mivel aids Rin to their sleeping bags and starts to pile others surrounding them¡ªmaking a nest out of them.
He strolls behind the bar, grabbing several water bottles, snacks, and other appliances and brings them over to their spot.
Rin looks up, eyeing the door then to Mivel. She quickly paces towards the back end of the building grabbing some equipment.
Mivel sees her stride of determination, her face spelled with an iron focus as she goes towards the door with wooden boards, rope, a drill, and some screws.
She grabs the rope, tying loops around the metal bars then gives it a firm knot to finish the process. Rin holds it¡ªtightening it as she moves against the wall, finding a sturdy pipe to tie the other end, sealing the door.
Mivel takes large appliances around them, sliding it to the door to barricade it for good measure.
He does a swift glance at her, shifting it to where the back section is located, then the stairs. Mivel jugs to the backroom, scanning the area¡ªwalking down aisles to find the item he''s looking for.
While Mivel is searching for the item, Rin takes the boards and drill gun to board up any windows she sees.
He finds what he''s looking for at the far end, grabbing a bucket of paint and a few brushes he saw next to it.
Mivel paces out¡ªgoing to the flight of stairs, taking them to the second floor.
Rin looks back at him from drilling, seeing his figure vanish as he goes to the higher floor, wondering what he might be up to, but the attention cuts back to her project.
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Mivel continues his fast-walk towards the room where the drawings lay, taking a moment to decide if he wants to unpin them from the walls and stuff them into the dairy he found in the room behind him.
He decides the attempt, laying down the paint bucket, but to avail the door is tightly locked¡ªunwilling to break the glass to get the drawings.
Mivel changes his mind, peeling open the paint can, seeing sky blue. He takes the brush and does a big scoop of paint, some of the blue dripping down onto the floor as he swipes the brush on the glass.
Rin finishes her first few windows, scanning the room for any more, seeing a small window at the very top of the wall she''s gazing at.
"Going to need a ladder for that.." she speaks to herself. Going to the backroom in search of the ladder.
Mivel takes a step back, seeing the entire glass door and wall painted with the sky blue, his pants and shoes patterning with the paint as well. He puts down the brush into the bucket, taking his leave.
Rin sluggishly steps out of the back rooms with the ladder, placing it against the wall where the small window is at.
"Hey Mivel, I''m going to need your help for this!!" She hollers at the ceiling, but soon sees Mivel walking down the flight of stairs, covered in paint.
Rin looks at him with a raised eyebrow as he walks towards her.
"Do I even want to know?" She says looking at the smeared paint, then back up towards the window.
"Probably not." Mivel goes over to the ladder, positioning himself to secure it.
"Okay." Rin climbs up the ladder with the drill in hand¡ªscrews in her other pocket.
"Can you hand me that board" She points to the plank sitting beside him, he grabs it¡ªclimbing the first few steps to hand the board. Mivel takes his steps down and repeats the security.
The drill guns purr echoes through the building as she screws into the wood framing the window.
"Alight, that should do it." She steps down, jumping off of the ladder as she reaches the few remaining steps.
The two take in their work, scanning the room. They head over to their nest of sleeping bags, plopping down onto them.
Rin grabs a bag of chips that Mivel stocks beside them, digging into the delicious treats, Mivel does the same taking a snack of his own.
While they''re enjoying their snacks, rain starts to peddle onto the building, hitting the front boarded windows.
The two look at each other for a moment, then they go back to enjoy their treats, trying their best to ignore their inner thoughts about the events.
{¡ñ}
Strings of rain wakes up the sleeping Chandra, she gets up taking a look outside¡ªthe fireplace having remains of burnt sticks as she gazes out of the shelter.
Her vision drifts to Dealix, only to realize he isn''t there, she bolts up, her thumping heart taking Chandra to fully wake up.
With a quick shuffle, she bulldozes out of the shelter¡ªstepping into the rain to scan her surrounding area, Dealix isn''t anywhere to be seen.
She races back into the shelter, her thoughts wondering if he had ditched her like Mier and her past friends had done, but taking a glance within the shelter she notes that all of his belongings are still here.
Her curious, yet panicked expression pans to outside, scanning the trees within tunnel vision from the shelter, Chandra grabs her bag, putting her arms through the straps and takes her momentum outside.
"Dealix!!" She yells for him, making her way deeper into the forest, eyeing any disturbance made from his travels.
Nothing pokes out to her as she continues north, hoping that he would at-least prevail in this direction.
"Where did you take off too?" Chandra mutters to herself, gripping onto the backpacks straps, looking down as she detaches herself from reality, feeling the pain she once felt from her past friend''s abandonment.
"I don''t think he would do that¡" continuing to speak to herself as she spots a departure of twigs¡ªbroken from what she would imagine someone''s foot had caused. With speculation she looks down, seeing a slight sliver of a shoe print.
She moves a few pieces of debris from bushes¡ªglimpsing another portion of the print being framed on fallen, yellow-ish toned leaves. In-belief that it''s luck, she straightens herself pushing onward in the direction on where the print was pointing, going diagonal to north.
Chandra hones her focus for other leads for tracks, seeing another clearing of foliage debris, she paces towards it with another crouch on arrival, the rain pelting her coat hoodie causing an ambient static to her inspection.
She places her hand within the patch, seeing what''s left of the print by the rain smudging its details. Chandra looks forward, scanning the ground, spotting a trend of footprints stretching on-words.
Since she knows what to look out for, spotting the tracks will be less of a hassle during the rainfall, she gets back up treading the path of tracks who she''s certain is coming from Dealix.
With a dedicated focus, she carefully makes sure she doesn''t lose attention to the tracks, every few steps marking a footprint, as the rain intensifies the tracks become harder to distinguish from splotches and tracks.
"Such as my luck" she says straining her eyes to tell the difference, she takes a pause at the latest track she finds¡ªstudying it as water starts to puddle within them, Chandra looks back seeing the progress she has made, unable to see their shelter¡ªunable to go back.
She continues to follow the harsh estimates of the tracks to a small opening where the prints vanish from her sight, not even its small pillow up from the ground can be seen throughout. Having that as the only clue.
With the opening Chandra comes across, she gets another idea to look out for any broken branches that he may have snapped during his traversal through the forest, Chandra takes a step into the opening¡ªthe rain''s sound has stopped.
Everything around her becomes a dead silence, leaving the air with an unnerving thickness to it.
She could still feel the weight of the rain coming down on her, along with seeing the splashes of droplets happening around her, yet the sound is null-in-void.
Chandra stands in the opening, engulfed in the eerie silence as the air becomes increasingly dense, having a tinge of paranoia brewing inside of her¡ªthe feeling of being watched surrounds her.
Without a second thought, she bolts ahead to where the moss is growing, aiming her back into going north.
Sprinting to escape the sensation she eventually broke out of the forest and into a street¡ªhaving the sign of life brought back into her eyes. The sound devoid follows her out, yet the dense thickness has been reduced¡ªstill echoing the unnerving of it all.
Chandra begins her jog across the street and strides into the small town.
Going through the town, it seems to follow the guide of silence, she darts her vision from window to window, noticing that the buildings lack the presence of people.
Chandra''s questions about the absence, wondering if this is an abandoned town or that the folk here share the same underlying tone as Dealix''s disappearance, considering that the unnerving feeling had followed her here.
She takes a moment to breathe it out, trying to lead to other possible scenarios other than the two she thought of on the tip of the iceberg.
Chandra resumes her tour of the town, coming across a set of buildings she believes would make a great place to rest, she travels through the parameter, placing her hands on the twined doors of one of the buildings, giving it a firm push but the door doesn''t move.
"Is it locked?" She mutters, taking a step towards the windows to scan inside, however to her attempt she sees that the windows have been boarded up.
With a thought in mind, she goes around the building in search of another way into the building, her luck seems to come around after finding a door at the back.
As Chandra is exploring the building she hears muffling of people talking, she goes towards the commotion giving the muffling of the conversation a louder tone, realizing that the words spoken belong to a couple of kids.
Curious, she takes the opportunity to let herself known, thinking that it''s only two kids that are in a ghost town.
They get startled with the sudden appearance of Chandra, the boy in front of her stretches out his hand between her and a girl.
Chandra raises her hands, "I mean no harm, I''m only seeking shelter when I heard you two talking to one another" she pauses scanning the room, seeing a big pile of sleeping bags, and other people''s belongings pressed up against a wall, she pans her vision to the door seeing it barricaded.
"Explains why I couldn''t get in." She murmurs, the girl brings her protector''s hand down, she looks at the boy.
"Have you maybe seen another boy this high? " Chandra brings one of her hands down to estimate the height, she''s doubtful of the two seeing Dealix, but she figures it''s worth the effort.
"Wait¡I''ve seen you before, at my brother''s school." She says, her eyes meeting with Chandra''s.
Chandra lifts up a brow, still having her arms raised, her question goes unanswered, but maybe the girl knows who she''s talking about. "Evergaints?" She simply says in response, the girl nods.
"Do you perhaps know about a boy with brown straight hair, who wears graphic T shirts?" Chandra brings the question up again, but the girl shakes her head, to Chandra it was at least acceptable to try.
"Names Chandra, is it alright if I know yours and your friends there?" She places her hand to her chest, then points to the two of them.
"I''m Rin, and this is Mivel" Rin introduces them to her, Chandra nods and thanks them for telling her their names. With comfortably she lowers her hands, taking a moment to scan the room again seeing the flight of stairs.
"Do you know what happened to the people here by chance?" She looks at the two, the both of them settling down from being startled, Mivel notices that Chandra was staring at the flight, having thoughts linger about the room he painted up stairs.
"No, we were left here when we woke up this morning." Rin replies, nearly flinching about the remembrance of their findings and about their own theories as to why everyone had vanished.
Chandra pins to her other thoughts from earlier, starting to believe that Dealix''s vanishing act is connected with the disappearance of the town as well.
She takes her glance from the two, tacking it back to the flight of stairs. "What''s up there?"
"Just a bunch of rooms." Mivel answers her, having his expression morphed with concern.
"I see¡ªI could make that area mine, so the two of you can have it downstairs." Chandra looks at them, noticing that Mivel''s expression had changed, wondering what may be up there besides rooms.
"I''d like it if we all stayed together." Rin mentions, her expression had changed as well¡ªgiving a squeamish tone to it. Chandra complies, "fair enough" taking her stride towards the nest, with a closer approach, she sees that these two hold tons of goodies laying next to them.
"Quiet the stash you got here." She points to the pile, at first Mivel is a little wary that she might take off with their food, thinking that Chandra was only acting friendly to get closer to them, however this slightly gets diminished as she plops onto the layer of sleeping bags, bringing out her own stash from another bag and adding it to theirs.
"Now we have more." Chandra says, having a tinge of silence between them as Mivel stares at the pile becoming larger.
Rin says her thank yous, pushing Mivel to say it as well. Chandra says it''s not a problem and that they should be good on food for a while.
Rin and Mivel take their set across from Chandra, Rin taking another bag of chips and tosses it to her, then grabs extra to give it to Mivel while grabbing her own.
"Thank you." Chandra replies to Rins generosity, she opens the bag and begins to chow down thinking on where Dealix could be and where to find him.
{¡ñ}
Lin rests his head on his folded raised arms, giving the ceiling a distant gaze as he thinks about Rin''s return from her friends house, and ever since her return his little sister seems off in a way, which he''s starting to notice in his mom.
Talking to her doesn''t feel the same as previous days before he got back from school, having those thoughts that everything felt off in some sort of way return¡ªevery-time he puts the thought away, something happens bringing it back up into his frontal lobe.
He shifts up, placing his hands on his thighs as he sits in a lazy criss-cross.
Lin stares at the window, seeing a vast dark gray cloud spewing rain down upon the horizon, he shifts his weight, his legs dangle off the bed as he stares at the carpeted floor.
The sense that all this is unsettling to him doesn''t fade, even with him trying to think of other topics to eradicate it.
His blank gaze drifts towards his T.V, where the character on the game stands in an idle pose doing their animation when the player is A.F.K.
Lin twists his body to look out the window again, seeing the downpour happening gives him a slight comfort¡ªwanting to grab a nice beverage and to continue gaming.
The thought of it erupted as slow movement from the clouds inched their way closer to their neighborhood. He watches the clouds slowly roll towards their direction, seeing nearby trees being swayed from the wind.
He tears his gaze from the fixation of the weather, deciding that now is the best time to grab his beverage, prompting himself off of the bed and taking a waltz downstairs to get his drink.
Coming from upstairs, his mother and his little sister stare blankly at an unpowered television screen, he casts an upwards brow¡ªleaving him feeling rather uncomfortable about their doll-like expressions as he walks towards their refrigerator.
Lin doesn''t say a peep, rather he takes his beverage out of the fridge, turning around to see that they''re still emotionless, gazing at the television screen without a single blink to be counted for.
"Okay." He quietly says to himself, his skin becoming itchy from the uneasiness.
With a quiet stroll, he moves past them and up the stairs, changing the lingering sensation of everything being off to a definite eeriness.
As he closes his bedroom door, he takes a loom outside seeing that the clouds have made a fast progression, the darkness from them bathing his room causing him to flip on the light switch¡ª blanketing his room with a warm yellow-ish tone.
Lin flops down on his bed, trying to think that what he saw was just some sort of prank they''re doing to him, yet the eeriness of it pairing with his speculations of them acting strange keeps the thought to a minimum.
Escaping to his game, he grabs the remote¡ªpushing the thumb-stick forward to make his character move throughout the map.
However his hands become numb as he can''t get the mental image of them out of his head, the feeling progressively worsening as he dwells on the thought. Lin''s face squeamish, bearing his teeth from fighting it off.
Dark clouds accumulate in the sky, letting its build up of rain to be released onto the neighborhood, tapping of rain dances on their house, Lins'' window becomes a portrait of rivers as the rain pours.
His face unravels for a moment as the prevailing thoughts and senses halt as he hears the pitter patter of rain.
The moment breaks as an eerie silence enters his room, causing the thoughts to twirl inside his head with a rage.
Crackling of static thunder erupts the silence, lightning strikes nearby¡ªbasking his window with its sudden flash of light.
With the bolt striking, memories from a forgotten time spew out, reliving to the moment where he was in the classroom, reliving the moments where everything had turned to the worse: the unbarring cold, the lightning, shattering of school classrooms, and students yelling.
Remembering the fist that flew at his face was Xiels, recalling to what he saw during Mr. Buer''s conversation, Xiel being surrounded by the same students he made a boxing ring out of.
All of it circling back into his mind, crying out in pain as he scrunches up into the beetle position on his bed.
{¡ñ}
Eve awakens in her room, staring at the bedroom wall as she lifts up from her slumber, seeing that the date was cycled back to previous weeks right before the work binge had started, before the anomalies had piqued her interest.
She lays the covers off of her, slipping out of the bed and onto her feet.
Eves'' mind constructs curiosity, remembering that she was just lying in the padded room previous from falling asleep, with the most possible explanation: she considers herself dreaming.
She knows that dreams could conjure oddities, but why her old bedroom? Eve had wondered¡ªpicking up a picture frame of herself leaning on her boyfriend, forming a soft smile on her face as she reminisces about their first dates.
They had gone out into a nice section of the woods, a vast opening filled with remarkable flowers¡ªa meadow that was considered to be a hidden Gem by her boyfriend''s standards, and even to hers after the date.
Putting up a picnic table that he had hiked over there the day before their date, they sat there alone together with a relaxing breeze, gazing at the flowers and the descending sun.
Casting a hypnotic spell of one the most beautiful sunsets Eve has seen: mixtures of golden tones bathing lower clouds, splashing against a dark-purple hue basking together, a mystical Orange spreading throughout the sky like branches of a tree.
The two lean against each other, experiencing the beauty ahead of them, Eve brings one of the flowers from the meadow to her nose, taking a whiff of a sweet honey like fragrance with an after tone of wine.
She places the flower down inside a jar that her boyfriend had given her for the occasion, the scenery changes back into the bedroom, seeing the flower within the jar, welting of old age.
"We''ll have to get a new one sometime soon" Eve says with a reminiscing smile while putting down the picture, it clunks, meeting the drawer as it gently get placed upright.
Eve walks to the end of the bedroom, turning the knob to her door, awaiting to see him in the living room¡ªthis was the day that he visited.
Back then it was a regular occurrence, but now it seemed like it''s been so long since the last time she saw him and Eve was giddy for it.
With a series of creeks, the door opened gently from her push, she stepped out, seeing the small hallway decorated with paintings and a vase accompanying a larger piece.
Walking through the hallway she could hear the water faucet running, with an inflation of pitches¡ªtelling her that he''s doing the dishes, alongside a punch of fresh brewing coffee.
As she got closer she could hear the coffee maker sputter, "that smells good, babe." Eve says with a warm smile, meeting a small bar opening in the kitchen wall, he continues to do the dishes¡ªignoring her appraisal.
Eve takes it as him being focused on cleaning duty, and that he will talk to her after he''s done.
She sits on the chair, tucking herself into the small round table she got from a donation shop, folding her hands on the sleek complexion of the table.
Sitting there in an ambiance of running water and flustering of him cleaning dishes, she turns her head to gaze outside expecting a nice view of scenery of the city, but it''s covered in a thick, dense blanket of fog from her window.
Eve starts to feel a gradual sense of shadowy wariness, avoiding it, she turns to him.
"I hope you didn''t come across any accidents on the way here." She says, looking at the back of his brown slightly curled hair, no response was given as he continued to do the dishes.
Feeling the tinge of a sharp pain racing across her chest. Wariness graduates from being a shadow to a presence, the coffee maker stops casting an awkward silence between him and Eve, she looks down diagonal to left, wondering why it''s portraying the scene the way that it is.
Eve would consider that this wasn''t a dream if the date wasn''t pushed back to now and that she had fallen asleep inside the Tower, yet her senses want to make her believe that it is real, wanting to convince her.
She gets up, making the wooden chair croak against the floor.
Eve gently strides to her boyfriend, lending out a hand to touch his shoulder, "hey, I love you." She says trying to turn him around, Eve hasn''t gotten the chance to say it since she''s been at work, even if this was a dream, she still wanted to say it.
From the gentle tug, he turns around, the feeling from before quickly evaporating into sheer shock¡ªher eyes widen, taking a step back as she sees that his face is to an extreme pale, his veins popping out with a dark purple.
"You have to make it" he says, his veins start to move like snakes around his head, then burst like popcorn, spewing black fog towards her face, she blocks the initial eruption¡ªher vision blurred from the fog.
"You have to make it, Eve!" Her boyfriend lunges at her through the thickness of the dark fog, pinning her to the floor, her face grimacing, struggling to twist away.
Croaking begins to seep out of his throat, his blood vessels from his eyes start to spew out the same black particle mist, slowly inching its way down towards Eve''s face. "Make it¡" he says while his voice creaks in distortion.
He lifts her up, slamming her down onto the floor, but the floor vanishes and so does he, seeing the dark fog slowly levitating upwards, seeing her kitchen emerging into the fog.
She looks down, realizing that somehow she''s standing up right in inches of black shimmering water.
Eve moves her toes, having a confused stare that she doesn''t feel water beneath her feet¡ªtaking her gaze up, she sees the table that was in the padded room, shimmering with an unknown light source, with closer inspection, she sees a petri dish.
She blinks and the petri-dish changes into a vial with a small flesh-like biomass held inside of it, being swallowed by liquid, somewhat beige in color. Eve''s face is in skeptical bewilderment as she examines the little glass vial, picking it up with tugging curiosity.
Eve twists it around, scanning it¡ªthe biomass jolts, sprouting thin like tendrils around itself¡ªdocile in manner, squirming and twisting around like an octopus inspecting their surroundings.
"Make it" faint whispering voices nip at her ears, she places it back down onto the silver table.
Before she could respond, a series of flashing imagery exploded into her mind with the blueprints needed to make the organism within the vial.
With seeing the ending image, she flushes her eyes open, gasping for air¡ªlooking around in a panic state.
Eve is back inside the padded room, the lights flickering around her, she pans her vision to the camera seeing it offline.
Her glance shifts towards the table, seeing ingredients to make the serum she concocted before¡ªthe same serum that will be created to aid her in the direction to conjure the living organism inside her dream.
The lights flickering steadily stops, restoring the light back into a solid beam.
~¡ð¡ñ~
~¡ð¡ñ~
~¡ð¡ñ~
The Ninth Night
The cityscape bustled with shimmering lights, threads of rain pattering on the structure from their impact.
Vehicles of all types swarm the city streets, waving pools of water onto the sidewalks, flowering up on walking pedestrians holding up their umbrellas, while others hold up suit-cases for a sense of shelter as they scatter into buildings.
Construction workers buzz with efficiency as the rain combusts on their yellow safety helmets.
Within neighboring buildings, civilians hum with life, going about their nightly routine: playing games, reading books, watching television, or settling down for bed.
In a particularly large apartment building, the resident shifts through channels, landing on the news advising the storm''s category, without much interest¡ªthey switch the channel; playing a movie.
They flop on their couch, getting comfortable as the rain pelts their large glass window towards the left of them, making a series of lines as the raindrops skid down.
Outside; the Tower sits in silence with the ambient pattering of rain, surrounding it with a veil of mystery, any individual peering at its silhouette could concur.
Within the tower, Eve works diligently on the project that her fever dream had instructed, hypnotically fixated with it, being detached from reality around her.
Deeper into the Tower, patients alike sit in an eerie silence engulfed by darkness¡ªtheir eyes peeled open as they stare catatonically in the open darkness, seemingly lost within distant thoughts.
Panning outside, the storm shapes; intracloud lightning sheets the city with its illumination. The buildings shimmer, sparkling a rough reflection of the bolts, muffled thunder within the clouds stretches towards the landscape after the rolling lightning tails its end and another begins.
Cloud-to-cloud lightning swells, emitting a thunderbolt crashing down towards a rod on a building''s rooftop, bursting with a loud crackle.
Rain accumulates to a rough downpour, the city sidewalks become bare, having citizens sheltering in their homes or supportive residences.
In the construction zone, workers are tagged to continue their business despite the growing storm, leaving a sense of frustration in their chest, accompanying grim expressions.
One of them stops to peer at the glowing clouds rippling with illumination, admiring one of nature''s brutal beauties.
The worker squints their eyes, having a sort of haze to them¡ªfeeling a small lingering dread around them, they shake it off as one of their co-workers tugs at their shoulder bringing them back to work.
"It''s annoying that we have to work in this weather!" The other man yells over the roar of rain.
"Just gotta suck it up new guy!" A crossing co-worker comes with more equipment, bringing its contents to a lift.
The new-comer sighs and keeps the rest of his complaints to himself, carrying on with their work.
Behind the flowing crew, a collection of intracloud lightning reverberates through the darkened sky, its colliding light displays distant trees of the forest.
Illumination frames a worsening concealment over the foliage with its thinner sheeted clouds spiriting over the city.
The trembling intracloud lightning priests, with flickers of bolts grasping onto the horizon.
Within the forest, there''s a sickening pressure of lightning causing the surrounding area to be blanketed with its light, mimicking the portrait of sunlight.
Bolts hit the ground, projecting dirt particles into the air, the strike''s crackle vibrates through the trees.
Moments of silence struck the area, yet lightning continues to turmoil above¡ªnot even the echoes of raindrops can be heard.
Away from the forest, sits an aggravated Sameria; Shifting through paperwork, eyeing glimmering television screens detailing information about the current storm, and aggressively barking orders through her communication devices.
The tension gets torn by an erupting power outage, expanding throughout the city; Sameria and others around continue to be solidified into the dark while parts of the city flicker back on.
Sameria and the others around her pursue the plan to get their power rolling again.
Inside the facility deep underground, the electronic equipment within the watching post observing over the shrouded figure pulsates¡ªreflecting the power outages that are happening on ground level.
The mimicking sun flooding into the room puts up a fight to stay on, causing the covered individual to turn their head towards the flickering spot light, the lights pitches staining the engulfing fabric over their face.
From a co-worker''s panic, they race out of the room to the generator room that has a collection pressed up against the walls.
Turning the closest one on, he looks up seeing the lights and equipment start to hum with life, letting out a sigh of relief as he strolls back into the project room.
Once inside the room, he sees his partner taking notes of the figures'' reaction towards the occurrence.
Back on ground level, the city''s newscast updates civilians about the power outages, predicting that there will be more to come as the storm''s lifespan rages on.
Citizens within their homes lay out candles to prepare; meanwhile the working crew has dwindled to half of its members, having them being issued to take their leave, while those who stayed being rewarded with extra pay as they continue their labor with a generator to keep the flow at a steady pace.
Nearby neighbors without backup generators proceed to place candles for the next power-cut to emerge.
With one of the neighboring homes sanctuarying a family, wondering if this storm will last all night as the news stations keep information about the storm mildly; only covering the circus of power outages and the category - everything else remains up in the air.
The father of the family considers the floating information to be rather peculiar, having the experience of other storms logistics being more fomented than this current one; as he thinks about this in motion of gently laying down candles in their kitchen, a phantom memory lapse with his current divergence.
Flooding of information about a particular storm, placed at the seams between four days ago; a harsh violent storm stagnated life within it as well around it.
Before the father could emerge himself into the memory, a root of lightning came crackling down, hitting nearby, it''s deafening boom caused him to jump, startling him from his daze, dwelling about the figmented memory.
He had fumbled a candle, knocking it to the ground from the sudden fright, the quaking crackle bringing him back, dispelling the memory no more than a fictional scene off of a T.V show as he resumes his task.
Lightning outside swells within the skies, substituting the city''s light source with blues and purples, with parts of flashes intertwining the two colors, accompanying a balance of white to its canvas that is the city.
The family''s power struggles to stay on, as the dancing lights waltz within their house, painting the interior with its brush, expanding the lightning''s portrait into the safety of the family''s home; watching them in silence.
Their children convert into the living room with the mother, having the oldest amongst them gravitating towards the father; he watches his father pan his vision around the room, following the awe of dark pastel illumination from the lightning to outside.
He approaches his father cautiously, observing his movements; pinching the kitchen blinds open, "take a look at this¡" His father, William; perks his head slightly upward to get a better view before he pitches his vision towards his son, Vermil; beckoning him with a casual gesture.
Vermil treads lightly towards him, lifting himself up onto the counter; William allows this to be the only time he can ''counter surf'' so he can get a better picture of the lightning''s orchestra.
Vermil expands the blinds, fitting his vision perfectly between them, Vermil''s gaze pans the deserted neighborhood as his eyes dazzle with the reflection of the lightning''s expeditious choreography.
"You see that?" Williams'' astonishment brings his son to peek up at the clouds, seeing the master of the illumination''s puppet strings, his dad awestruck as the both of them watch the body of lightning puppeteering the ballet underneath.
Vermil shares the breathtaking performance with his father, the two are glued to the spot.
From the side of them; outside the small cut out section that leads to the living room, William''s wife, Millie, gently strolls into the kitchen with their daughter Hailey that''s clinging onto her knitted sweater.
"I guess we don''t need the candles¡" Millie''s soft spoken voice whispers into the silent kitchen, William drifts his attention onto his wife, his expression still stricken with awe. "I guess not" his mouth morphing into a gentle smile, Millie embraces a comforting warmness, sharing a smile with her husband.
"Hey¡ªdo we still have that old recorder still laying around?" William keeps the smile, mixing it with an idea to record the storm, casually giving Millie a soft finger gun point.
"Yeah, I believe it''s still upstairs in our closet" she says with a whispering conformation, the smell of ionization drifts into the kitchen, Vermil and Hailey also take notice of the clutching ionized air.
"Hey dad, what''s that smell?" Vermil raises the question, Hailey looking up at her mother with the same bewildering question.
Millie looks down at her with a mothers smile and lifts her up off of her feet, carrying her with supporting arms.
"That, I believe is the air being ionized by the lightning" William answers the question, looking at his wife for approval, she nods her head, confirming he has gotten it right¡ªfor the most part.
"Did we close the bedroom window, Hun?" He says with a speculating glance, Millie darts her eyes to the upper left then towards the upper right.
"I don''t think we did, I''ll go check right now¡ªand while we''re at it we can get the recorder from the closet." Millie widens her eyes, thinking that the rain had spelled its way inside, then changing her expression to a lighter manner, looking at Hailey as she continues onto the previous question with a change of tone towards her voice.
"I''ll get some extra blankets from storage so we can cuddle up in the living room" William and Millie exchange an expression Vermil has only seen when the two of them are brewing up something exciting¡ªsuch as the time they went on a trip to one of the most popular amusement parks.
He thinks to himself that they could be building some kind of blanket fortress to lighten the tension of the storm outside, no matter how astonishing it was¡ªit was still cradling an ominous tone.
Millie adventures upstairs, holding Hailey as she goes.
She reaches the upstairs master bedroom, seeing the window that''s next to their fine established bed basking in the lightning disposition, its sheets and blankets comfortably made.
Millie slowly strolls towards the open window, getting a good whiff of the ionized gasses outside; to her vision, she sees tiny dark specks spewing inside. When she reaches the window to close it, the particles dissipate, making her question what she saw.
With the strong odor of ionization, she closes the window, blocking the dense gasses from getting inside.
"Momma, did you see those dark dots?!" Hailey had asked, pointing her vision around to capture more within her sight.
"I think it was just the lights playing tricks on our eyes" Millie answers the question, smiling at Hailey as she turns around to grab the recorder from the closet.
Reaching the closet door, she slides it with her open hand. Creating a tumbling of noises as the door connects to the other end, skidding her hand on the closest wall of the closet¡ªfinding the light switch with a gentle reach.
The closet lights flicker, illustrating the contents inside with a warm hue.
"At least it''s working." she mutters to herself, Hailey perking her head towards her mother from looking around, attempting to understand what she said.
Millie squats down, gently laying Hailey onto her feet to begin foraging for the recorder. Hailey does a soft stride away from her mother to curiously examine the lightning exhibition, watching it with sparked eyes of awestruck.
The mother lifts up some boxes, scourging inside of the ones she had placed beside her, moving objects while pulling out others to get better insight if the recorder is within.
However her search is uneventful¡ªunable to find the electronics, she perks up from kneeling down, taking her scrummage towards the shelf above.
With out-reached panning hands, her right searching hand bumps into a box, with a gasp of excitement, she picks the box up, stabilizing herself by her tippy-toes, bringing it down with a small grunt.
The box sat comfortably in her hands after Millie skidded her fingertips across them, gently exercising it.
She huddles towards their bed, placing the box on the nicely fitted sheets.
Portrait from the lightning grasps her vision, bringing her to glimpse towards the window ¡ª seeing her daughter struck with a paralyzing posture, her head peering upwards, observing the lightning''s pictorial coil with dedication, unseen from Millie''s perspective.
"Sweaty?" She silkily says, panning her vision downward to open the box for a moment before taking it towards Hailey once more, Millie forms concern, her forehead creasing. "Hun?" Her captivating worry lifts her from the box, making her step softly towards her immobilized daughter.
The air within the room thickens with a sense of otherworldly eeriness, mystifying the sudden tension. "Hey" Millie says sweatenedly, touching Hailey''s shoulder, the unobserving lights from the closet softly mimic fluctuating morse-code, bathing a surreal pale at the entrance.
Millie inched her perception closer towards her daughter''s face, trying to gather Hailey''s attention, but she continued to stare deeply at the lightning''s ''atilogwu'', her astonished eyes reflecting its complicated dance.
"Hailey, sweaty.." Her mothers concerned voice was singing with a speck of fear, giving her a soft jerk.
Lightning''s illuminations varnish their complexion.
The mimicry of morse code moderately changes into a different oscillate, forming a new structure of cryptography, taking on an aura of wanting to communicate. Although the mother is occupied with bring her daughter back to reality.
With a ghastly movement, Hailey turns her head slowly towards Millie¡ªkeeping the doll-like expression.
"Mom¡they''re trying to talk to me." She says calmly . Millie furled her brow in response, "Who is." Saying inquisitively
Hailey breaks her emotionless gaze, trying to recollect on the experience, wanting to tell her mother but she can''t convey the communication of an unknown language, with flustering emotions, she starts crying.
Millie picks Hailey up with a mothers worry, patting her daughter''s back, perplexity took hold of her, cycling through the unnerving experience; her daughter facing the pitching hue of the closet light.
Seeing it, her cries softened, curiosity replaced the emotion, her mother doing a series of gentle bounces, trying to comfort her.
Having thoughts boiling, Millie looked up¨Ctrying to see what her daughter was freakishly memorized about; her eye caught a swelling of collected lightning bolts known as ''spider lightning'', reverberating in a singular spot.
Ghostmarks ripple her skin, putting her patting motion on Hailey to a halt, she feels the nap of her neck with a freed hand, feeling no disturbance that goosebumps cause; A numbing atmosphere sheathes her.
The soft beating light from the closet, echoes a conjunction of characteristics. It''s fluctuations seemingly knowing that Hailey is observing, she sees a change towards it pitched into a desperate state.
Hailey stops biting her fingernails, "Momma"
"Momma.." She repeats softly.
"Yes dear?" Millie stops the gentle bounces again, having an ear on her daughter''s words, "lights." She simply states, pointing towards the transmitting bulbs.
Millie glances over her shoulder, observing her daughter''s arm lifting up; she pivots around to face the cryptographic lights. Her daughter twists herself around, accompanying her mothers inspection.
The bulbs halt their tone, shifting back into gentle cryptography.
She gently strolls towards the closet, seeing its fluctuating dance through the gaps of the door; bathing their carpeted floor with a soft warmth.
Upon getting closer to the opening, she leans to peak at the bulbs.
Millie scoots herself towards the bed, looking down to avoid the cluttered mess from her search, she gazes back up; the speaking lights captivate her intrigued mind.
Hailey and her mother both drift off, a faint voice can be heard within the distant background of their psyche.
Her intrigue brings her closer to the lights, the voice pinches its volume, but it''s still unintelligible.
"Hun!?" Millie flinches in concert with Williams voice breaking their sirens dazed; looking over towards the hallway - "Did you find the recorder!?" His alluring voice, booming towards their bedroom.
Millie looks over at the bed, seeing the box with the tape recorder - "yeah, I''m bringing it downstairs right now!" Her daze, faintly shadowing behind her.
Millie takes a moment to glance back at the lights, bemused, seeing them cast a solid warm ray.
She double blinks, escaping the event in the belief that it was just her, but her daughter is still focused on the lights, Millie treads to the recorder, picking it up from within its container and heads towards downstairs.
"What about the lights?" Hailey was still curious, "Don''t mind the lights, sweaty." Her mother responds, taking their stride down the flight of stairs.
"It was probably just the storm." She finishes, the two continue their wobble down the flight.
"Ah, thanks Hun." William comes up to them, seeing Hailey''s invested gaze looking up the stairs; Millie hands him the tape recorder.
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"Something up?" He ponders, pointing towards their daughter''s fascination.
"Oh, she''s just curious about the lights circuiting" she waves off their experience, William darts his vision to the both of them before strolling towards the blanket fortress.
"Hey, what do you say about joining your brother and father?" She leads Hailey towards the fortress.
After losing connection to the upstairs, Hailey looks over at the blanket fortress and gasps.
"Yeah, why don''t you, go in there and enjoy what your dad set up for you two." Millie places Hailey on her feet, tucking her left bang in-between her ear; Hailey nods, then giggles as she strolls off into the fortress''s entrance.
Millie smiles as she watches her daughter enter the fortress, leaving the incident behind them; she walks over to the living room mirror, seeing her husband recording the sky.
"Just look at this." He whispers, having a sixth sense that Millie is behind him; she gently places both hands on his shoulder, giving it a gentle massage.
"I''ve never seen anything like this before." He astonishes, taking a glance at his wife; his delight showing on his face.
"Gotta see it." His finger tapped on the glass, pointing towards the sky.
Millie inches closer to him, then hunches forward, seeing the brilliant performance; although it is astonishing, she can''t get over the feeling like their being watched in every angle imaginable - a swathe of gazes.
In the same motion of her tearing her gaze from the sight, thunder centipedes across the skies.
"What is that, the second time we heard thunder throughout this storm?" He questions, placing the recorder onto a furniture piece - keeping its gaze towards the skies.
Millie''s dermis trembles, causing her to shrug her shoulders; crawling goose-flesh slowly travels its way up her spine, creeping up towards the middle section of her nap.
William stops his excitement, worried about Millie''s sudden motions.
"Are you having an episode - do I need to go get the medication?" Before he could comfort her, his wife took a step back, hunching over with her arms folded.
"No¡no, I''ll be okay - just.." she closes her eyes, trying to find order. "I just think, " she looks at her husband''s eyes, who''s detailing every bit of her ¨C trying to see a resolve.
"I''m sorry - I''m going to go sit on the sofa, cuddle up a bit." Millie laces over the issue, passing her worried husband.
"Alright, just let me know if you need anything - I''ll come straight away." William looks at her passing figure, seeing her lightly treading towards the sofa.
William sighs, his face still yearns with worry.
He goes over to the recorder; inspecting the time lapse, seeing it within a healthy frame-rate, it brings him a tinge of joy into his concerns.
Taking another glance at the skies ¨C the lightning''s concert is still at high, his captivation still proceeds, wondering if he''s recording a record breaking storm.
Over at the sofa, Millie''s ears muffle their children''s voices, locking her into another daze, she instinctively bites at her finger nails, feeling the goose-flesh twitching at the nap.
With hypnotic eyes, she halts her habits to feel her neck, in correlation to her touch, the dusk living room begins to fill with the same pitched particles Hailey and her have seen upstairs.
Millie jolts up, but everything around her emerged with the particles, casting dark fog.
Her head quivers, feeling the goosebumps quake towards her checks; her breath deepens, resembling cold shock.
Millie''s muscles expand, her fingers stretching - locking into position.
Faint footsteps from the upstairs escalate down, with every patter the volume rises. In moments the taps of feet spot behind her frozen frame - the cold shock reintroduces itself.
Sirens begin to howl down the street.
Millie gasps for air, frantically looking around the living room, she''s back to sitting down on the sofa, she pans her vision around again, seeing everything back to normal; the muffled voices of her children become clear.
Her breath steadily relaxes as she twists herself around towards the entrance of the flight of stairs, seeing its darkened complexion.
{¡ñ}
Chandra escaped upstairs, her curiosity driving her to explore the building; leaving the huddled pair downstairs on their nest of sleeping bags.
Adventuring the hallway, she notices the rooms closer to the stairs had been abandoned in a rush, scanning them with detailed eyes.
She lingers over towards the room wrapped in paint, scanning it top to bottom; completely polished.
Chandra folds her brow, giving the illustrated room a curious gaze. " this explains why," she says aloud, gently touching the glass, recalling Mivel''s pants printing splotches of paint.
She does an attempt to peak her inquisitive gaze into the room, trying to see why he had obstructed the view.
In moments of nearly getting a peak-able viewpoint, a scream jolts through the empty building, making its way upstairs. Chandra snaps her view towards the stairs, a faint echo of Mivel reaches her beyond the shadowed flight.
Chandra tears her curiosity from the painted room, making her way through the upstairs corridor to enter downstairs.
Another frantic scream reverberates into her ears, following a yell from Mivel saying her name.
She forms her pace into a jog.
Reaching the stairs the voices of the two voices become crystal; Chandra scales downstairs.
"Rin! - Rin!" Mivel says repetitively, "Rin - wake up!" Chandra reaches the nest, seeing Mivel shaking Rin as he repeats her name.
Chandra places her feet onto the clumped sleeping bags; creating lines of indentations, Mivel takes his frantic posture and beams it towards Chandra, "I don''t know what to do - she won''t wake up!" His eyes convey urgency.
She gets within arms length of the two, Rins breathing is heavy - her complexion sweating feverishly.
"She just wanted to get some sleep!" His chords quaking, his recollection drifting towards the nightmare she had told him about.
Chandra puts up her palm, stopping Mivel "it''s okay, we''ll figure this out."
Her gaze scans Rin''s fever, seeing her closed eyes tightening, Rin''s head shakes, "No!, No!" Chandra takes her posture back, simultaneously, Rin''s hand flings towards hers; gripping it tightly.
Chandra can feel the clamminess of her tightening hand around her wrist, "it''s okay" she says softly, attempting to place her free hand on Rin.
Rin jolts up, her eyes flinging up; she frantically looks around the room - her hand still clutching onto Chandra''s wrist.
"Rin!" Mivel shouts, wanting to comfort her but Chandra steps in - giving him another opened palm.
Mivel looks at Chandra with discern, "let her come back." She simply states to him.
Rin''s breathing steadies, she takes a moment to look at them both; her epidermis pale as the moon, her eyes widened with fear.
Her gaze drifts down towards the sleeping bag.
Lightning drums across the ceiling, snapping Rin''s view up in a frantic state.
"What''s going on?" Chandra says softly, almost sounding like their school counselor.
Rin takes her gaze, peering it into Chandra''s eyes. "I had another one¡" she looks over at Mivel, whose eyes widen in response.
"Another, what?" Chandra inquires, keeping the therapist''s tone.
Mivel brings his recollection into words, "Another night terror." He points his gaze up towards Chandra; intensity marking his face.
"It was different this time, but - " Rin chokes up, releasing her grip on Chandra''s wrist to swipe away, forming tears. Chandra lightly places her hand on her thigh.
Rin brings her hands down; her vision to a distant haze. "There was snow, lots of snow¡people were shoulder-to-shoulder." Her vision formed into the terror she experienced.
Chandra''s left eye squints, recalling something familiar with Dealix, who she still wants to find.
"There were these large gray structures" Rin shakes her head, closing her eyes from the image, but the imagery persists.
Her eyes reopening, staring at Chandra "it was so - so¡.cold - but, my - but I, just stood there" She struggles with the words - her eyes drifts down into haze "I heard cries of pains, but - I just couldn''t do anything¡it was this sort of, numbness."
Lightning bursts outside, its deafening crack elongated in the empty room; in reaction, Rin starts to shiver, Chandra scans her trembling body, taking off her coat, she wraps it around her quaking frame.
"When I was able to - able to gather strength, I saw¡everyone gathered in a circled formation; cradled by the structure¡and when I heard the cries repeat that''s when I heard - saw lightning arching off of these domed walls..." She motions the curvature with a hypnotic spell.
Chandra darts her vision towards the lower right, recalling the details; it was Dealix''s story he had written for a class creative writing assignment, dating a few weeks back before all this had happened.
"Was there a person in the very middle¡" her recollection slipping out within soft hushes, Rin''s distant gaze shifts towards Chandra.
"Yes¡ " Rin observes the other piece to the experience, "that''s where the cries were coming from¡" She looks down, " it was the boy¡¡± trying to find the name, but it¡¯s lost within a dark clouded section of her mind.
Her face crunched in effort to remember.
Chandra looks to the side, her inner eye reading Dealix''s story, then shifts towards the incident with Korith, wondering if it all connects, wondering if it''s the same boy.
{¡ñ}
Clysita, and the rest of the crew vagabonded back towards their objective, dropping their two guests along with half of their equipment behind for the remainder of the mission, it was imperative for them.
Their objective; classified archives holding up in a different Tower.
Ael pushes forward towards Clysita, who''s guiding the rest of the way. "How far are we?" He muffles to the side of her, side eyeing the device.
"three kilometers, if we stay on this route." She tears her gaze from the device, looking up at the silhouettes of buildings, the storm above painting clarity of the frontal horizon.
Aelive nods, taking his gaze up towards the orchestrated clouds above, "you think we''ll make it before the rain drops down on us again?" He scans the rave above him, leading his vision towards the marker.
Lightning spiders on the underside of the clouds, connecting a bolt towards an outlet. "It''s rather quiet¡" he makes the remark, feeling the itch of ominous residue.
"If we keep the pace we''re going we''ll be caught, but if we hurry, I think we could make it." Clyista arranging her focus between Ael and the device.
Aelive pivots to the rest of the group, giving them a gesture to speed up their pace, the members remove their sluggish walk, gradually catching up with the two.
"Once we get there, we''ll split up, if it''s like the others, the corridors will be big." Her pace going faster, the little display of numbers inching down on the device''s tiny screen.
Aelive does a confirming nod, picking up his pace as well, "have you noticed the streets are empty?" His voice oscillated from the momentum.
"Probably from the storm, they issued an alert for it - so I wouldn''t be surprised." Clysita darts her vision towards her device from looking ahead, she does a series of taps on the smooth screen.
"Okay, but what about the guards?" Aelive scanning the streets, seeing the lack of presence. Clysita pans her view back and around, noting that he''s right - there does seem to be an absence of tower guards roaming the streets compared to earlier.
Tower guards are known to stick through patrol even during alerts.
"I can see how that can be a concern, but right now it''s helping us." Clysita reaches in her pocket, pulling out another device. "Here, use this once we get there." She hands the device to Ael, he looks at it. " trackers?" Clysita nods.
"It''ll help us mark escape routes," she pauses, turning down an alley way. "What I want you and the rest, is to go along the sides, place the trackers on any route you deem as an escape." She says gesturing.
"Why can''t I go in there with you?" He debates, Clysita stops, having him back track to face her, "because I can trust you to lead the others while I''m gone." She points towards the tail, "and plus I wouldn''t know what to do if we got caught" Aelive, shifts his stances, looking at the upper left.
"We''ll do what we always do." He says looking back towards her, his face in a deep inquiry.
"This is different." Without letting Aelive to discuss further, she enters her pace again, Aelive looks down at the wet cement, his eyes squinting of annoyance. With an exhale he follows right behind her.
"Why does she always have to do this alone?" He mutters to himself, catching up with her.
With a few turns and twists, they''ve made it back onto the streets. Having a straight shot towards the Tower, Clysita readies herself, doing a few hand exercises as they walk.
Aelive stays quiet, noticing the tinge of her nervousness, he wants to speak up, but he''s sure Clysita won''t listen.
She has made up her mind, and once she''s done that, good luck getting through to her, even if it could possibly help her out in the long run, but that could only be inside his head.
Aelive dips his gaze towards the trackers, having an idea that comes to mind. He takes one of them; popping them out from their little nooks, he takes out his own device and sets a corresponding signal to one another, then sneakily plants it on Clysita.
Just in case¡ His concern for her reaches out, planning against any unfavorable odds that''ll come.
As they walk the sidewalk, the silhouette of the Tower becomes larger, entailing that they''re getting closer by the minute.
Aelive brings the case holding the trackers to his back pocket, firmly placing them inside.
He does a swift jog, catching up with Clyista, reaching the tower that was imminent for them. The Tower grows larger than before, just within 2 kilometers and they''ll reach the sky scraping Tower.
Its resounding size creates a thick atmosphere on their objective.
Clysita has worked undercover inside one of the Towers, but the vague feeling of being swallowed by something far greater than her was still present within her mind, she lets out a deep accumulated exhale.
Aelive sighs inside, wishing that he could accompany her within the Tower, maybe then she would feel less stressed, however she doesn''t want anything bad happening to him, but that''s impractical - given the fact he just went undercover to investigate their process towards patients; what he now understands are "blanked" projects.
He would have gotten closer to finding out more information, but seeing the lifeless treatment had his skin boiling.
He darts a look at Clysita, her focus strong on her plans within her mind''s eye as she watches the expanding silhouette of the Tower.
Maybe there''s something else; something other than them being caught while digging through their archives - an unknown article that she''s keeping from him, or maybe he''s digging at a substance that isn''t there.
One of the team members behind them, Siol catches up with the two. "You, Aelive, and Dimer will set trackers along any deeming escape routes while I''m in there." Clysita looks at Siol, then pans her gaze back towards the Tower.
"Then what." Siol does a slight shake of his head, closing his eyes softly to picture the scene.
"After that, you''ll impersonate a guard - try to figure out where they went." Aelive, does a quiver of a glare; Siol confirms his order with a nod.
"Aelive, you can accompany him. Radio me with any details you can scavenge" Ael does a rough nod, "I''m not sure I''m right for the job - they already know my face." Clysita peers her eyes to the upper right, thinking about the valid point.
Clysita''s device shivers in her pocket, she takes it out - 1 meter, is displayed within the ethereal screen. She does a series of tacs on the screen, communicating with it; within the silent conversation the device hums bringing detailed blueprints of the Tower, along with any other information that might be useful.
"See, you don''t need us to put trackers" Clysita looks over at Siol, seeing him give a slight smirk. "Its better to be over prepared" She simply states back to him.
"Plus, eyes on the ground can see details the other cannot" Clysita raises the device up and gives it a little shake; displaying the screen.
Aelive looks over at Siol, who''s smirk had turned into a frown of some kind. Siol shrugs and agrees with what she said, "Ael, hand me my set" he opens his palm towards him.
Ael reaches for his back pocket; pulling out the trackers, Siol notices that one is missing, but dismisses it immediately. His palm gets filled with his set of trackers, gently covers them; putting them inside his jacket pocket.
Dimer catches up with the group, Clysita informs him of the plan while Aelive hands him his trackers.
The Tower''s frame reflects the cryptography of the lightning''s illumination overhead; the group looks up at the darkened Giant, preparing themselves for the plan. Clysita does a recap, having everyone listening intently.
After the recap, the group nods and goes their designated route. Before Aelive does the same, he places his hand on Clysita''s shoulder, she turns around - his eyes steadily gazing into her eyes.
"Be careful - if anything happens, bring yourself first." He lays his hand off of her shoulder, continuing down his path before Clysita can make another remark on how she''ll be fine and that she''s done this before.
Clysita takes a deep breath, letting it out as she enters the Tower from a panel.
Lightning batters off to the side, recoiling like a giant serpent within the ocean; watching the crew unfold within observable silence.
Clysita breaches the other end with a kick towards the panel, entering a corridor within the Towers body.
Her hands grip the entrance, pulling herself forward; her head poking out from within the shadows. Clysita darts her vision left-to-right before exiting the small opening.
Her feet echoing through the dusked, empty corridors.
She does a final look around before crouch walking to her marked location, she grips the side of the wall, removing herself from view.
Pressed up against the wall, she takes her device out - its surreal gaze basking her with a blue tinted glow. The map swivels towards the route she needs to make, marking it with a red pin-dot, removing the previous one in response towards her progression.
Clysita takes the device and buries it within her jacket pocket as she maneuvers the corridors like she''s playing hide and seek.
She brings her hand towards the branching turn, prompting her head outwards to get a peek if any guards are patrolling; having her peaked head lower to the ground to increase the chances of going unseen.
"It''s quiet." She mutters to herself, bringing her body around the turn.
"Where''s all the guards?" She repeats within hush tones, swiftly moving towards a close door; taking a glance through the window, seeing the absences.
With a smooth motion, she slips out another gadget within her pockets; putting the thin strip between the door.
Click.
She presses a button on the lower half, with a muffled clank the door opens; prompting her to go inside, bringing the gadget to her pockets; it folds with collective clicks.
Clysita silently closes the door behind her, turning around to climb the stairs, her feet silently pressing upwards.
With a few turns, she''s made it to the upper floor, she digs in her pocket to bring out the map, repeating the communicative tacs to signal the next pin-drop, following a scuffle to seal the device away.
Clysita makes her way through the upper levels, seeing a repeating pattern of vacancy.
Her suspicions rise as she ventures the corridors, "shouldn''t I have come across a guard or two by now?" She mutters to the open space; she dips to the right, going into another section. Her device hums signalling that she''s close to the room occupied with thousands - if not, billions of stored information.
"Where are they?" She slides a snaking hand; opening a door into a vast bridge.
As she walks the bridge leading towards the main entrance holding billions of archives, the blue ethereal lights fluctuate, creating a booming echo throughout the expanded space.
She pans her vision around, following the echo; a shiver races across her vertebra, within the dimly lit background an unknown force watches her.
With her focus regaining on the objective, she darts herself towards the entrance, her boots speaking to the air; opening the sealed door with her flatted device. Shoving it between the frame and the door itself, she skims it along the tight thin spaces; making a series of clicks as she repeats the process.
Clysita brings her hands out, rays of blues and whites seep out between the cracks as she pushes the large door into the room.
Her breath loosens as a sense of astonishment races through her chest; Clysita''s body being painted with a surreal occupant from the hues, her eyes scanning the vast matrix of mechanical lights.
The Tower she went undercover in doesn''t compare against the celestial simulacrum, that she''s being enveloped in.
Stepping into the stellar garden, Clysita walks with a calming demeanor; the door suddenly closes behind her, interrupting her composer.
She twists her body to scan the closed door; her eyes tighten with a squint, seeing nothing out of the unordinary besides the lingering component she felt back on the bridge.
Clysita proceeds with caution; feeling eyes blanketing her back, causing her to glance over her shoulders as she strides towards a small obelisk that caught her attention.
The silhouette of eyes accompanying her.
Upon closer inspection, the machinery resembling an obelisks lights up, emitting a screen on its complexion.
She scans the screen with an ambivalence of bewilderment and astonishment, the technology before her doesn''t match anything she has ever saw.
"What else are you keeping from us..?" She wonders out-loud, her epidermis sprinkled with goose-flesh as she touches the screen.
The obelisk reacts towards her touch, almost as if it''s welcoming her. "Can''t be that easy - can it?"
Whispering of an unknown language plucks into her ear; imagery races within her mind - resembling instructions.
Clysita makes an observation that it''s not coming from in front of her, but seemingly behind her, resembling a foreign pressure; wanting her to delve into the secrets that the obelisk contains.
Her nap of the neck trembles, having her cradle it with her left hand.
"How is this even possible¡" She questions the unknown.
With a few swipes of her hand, she opens electronic structures, listing ancient myths she once read as a child.
With intrigue, she touches the title with her finger pointer; the screen changes - birthing a holographic screen; her eyes dart, panning the screen before her as she reads.
The story before her is familiar, but the overall portrayal is different; when she had read this as a child, it was no more than some fairy tale - no more than a story to tell children to fuel their creative minds about "mannerisms", to get lost in an aspect of magic, or even comic book powers.
However, this acts more as a detailed description of a history lesson.
"The story¡" Clysita looks down, her eyes displaying skepticism.
"The story I''ve read must have been a formulated plan - a plan to feed to the masses." She darts her vision back to the story, scanning the dark silhouettes of words.
As she scrolls, she hits a familiar name. "Eve¡?" Her recollection takes her back to the science worker within the Tower.
Skimming the sentence, she stops on the word "mother."
Before she could read any further, the voices screech into her ears; her head throbs, she clutches her ears, crouching down to escape, but the screech pierce the comfort, bringing a resemblance to screech she heard that day.
Series of memories flood her psyche; picturing the boy known as Crowley; the scene where he first got introduced, the quality around him was different at the time; a gesture gets highlighted within her mind, seeing him sheltering his neck.
The scene resumes, his vision darts upwards. Peering daggers at her, at the moment she thought it was just an awkward glance of a teen just trying to tell them about the screech, but as the recollection folds towards his eyes - the atmosphere around him becomes foreign.
Within a subtle moment, the screeching halts - leaving an image stained into her mind''s eye, the image being.
"His eyes.." She looks at the image, her eyes in a distant fog.
She snaps out of it, simultaneously a resounding quake spreads throughout the Tower, matching muffled howls of sirens from outside.
Clysita feverishly darts her vision around, wondering if guards will come into the room at any moment.
She does a quick maneuver, bringing her map out, panning it outward to capture the markers her team has left; to her demise, the expected blinking red dots are nowhere to be found within the map.
With an exasperated grunt, she dips the device in her pocket, hauling out the door - to her surprise there''s not a guard in sight.
{¡ñ}
"Mommy, what''s happening!?" Hailey yells over the sirens, bolting towards her mother, whose eyes are wide; staring outside.
William looks at the window, startled by the sudden cries of the sirens - his vision darts to a house across the street, seeing their neighbors stepping out onto the street; looking up at the skies.
The sirens stop.
"Dad!" Vermil comes rushing towards him, he grabs his son, bringing him close. "What''s going on dad?" He looks up at him, seeing his dad fixated on their neighbors slowly coming out of their houses, accompanying the first family on the streets.
"Dad!" Vermil shakes him. William tosses his gaze towards his son, "I don''t know." His balefulness, still expressing.
"Mommy!" Hailey tugs at Millie''s sweater, trying to grab her attention, but she''s still frozen in place.
A rapid wave of thunder reverberates through the streets, causing William and his children to flinch.
"Holy shit!" He lets out, he peers back into the streets, their neighbors still eyeing the sky; their jaws dropping, their eyes resembling moons.
With a growing intrigue, he paces out the door. "Dad?!" Vermil tries to capture him, but the pull is too strong - leading him to bolt after his father.
William steps onto the street with the others, "What''s going on?!" He attempted to gather answers, but the neighbor simply pointed towards the sky.
Vermil''s eyes fold; curious - he looks to where he''s pointing, matching his father, "Dad¡" he says nervously. His father stuck within a series of thoughts; staring at the same violent dance as his son.
Back inside the house, Hailey pleads for her mother to look at her; with a final tug on her sweater, she snaps out of it.
Her face tensioned with determination, reality coming back to her; picking up Hailey with an adrenaline strength, cradling her with a single arm as she rushes outside.
"Get your ass in the house right now!" She yells to the two, "we need to seek shelter imminently!" She follows up with her demand.
Thunder continuously convulses; shivering sounds cultivate it''s audience''s ears, bringing them to shelter their eardrums - almost as if it''s responding to Millie''s demands.
Vermil, tries to call for his dad, but it''s lost, the yells of their neighbors and all other sounds seemingly vanish within the cacophony.
Birds flutter to escape, animals race across the streets running in terror as the unyielding turmoil.
The scent of ionized gasses came suddenly and abruptly into the city, light posts outside and lights alike emit halos around their bulbs from the density of ionization.
Inside, Vermil''s compass spins feverishly on his bedroom drawer, Williams recorder short circuits, power starts to fluctuate within intense bursts accompanying shivering halos, eventually conjuring a blackout across the city, basking his compass into darkness.
Outside, the streets bathe in a strobe of electric blue-purple illumination from the relentless lightning.
Houses start to sway, trees start to rattle, and the ground itself begins to quiver- knocking citizens onto their knees; reality''s frame starts to shudder within their perspective.
In their surroundings, a faint dark static appears, almost taking on a silhouette of a body.
The convulsion becomes a screech, almost as though reality is howling in a manner of intense pain.
Citizens within the city begin to lose their breath, the ionization replacing breathable air by seconds.
Vermil struggles to breath, sluggishly grasping at his father for aid.
The skies screeches becomes unbearable, locking people in a statue like fashion, their skin erupting with goose-flesh, their hairs in an perpetual stand, while others froze in posture of gripping at their ears, while others that were paralyzed were forced to stare at the forming lightning; the streets of Lypheon become thick with an eerie, ominous atmosphere.
Lightning congeals into a giant immortal sprite, resembling that of an aurora; above the immortal lightning sprite, a darkened aurora shapes, creating the illusion of reality tearing in half - the atmosphere changing into an undying malevolency.
Sand, pieces of "earth", and anything loose get tugged by it''s magnetic field, suspending them into the air; poltergeisting in the immortal sprite''s gaze.
As the lightning aurora rages on, dark branches emerge from the surrounding black aura, crackling across the skies.
Bolts from the immortal convulses outward, connecting to the suspended debris, transforming it into a larger fulgurite finger, reaching up towards the immortal sprite.
Paralyzed velern''s lungs collapse, releasing dark particles into the air - thousands of thin dark pillars can be seen from the outskirts of the city, the screech forms into a bloodcurdling roar as citizens begin to float into air, their paralyzed state suspends by an unseen force; letting them convulse.
Lightning fails; striking the quivering bodies, repeating the process of that day at the school. Failing bodies plummet to the ground, resembling lifeless shells.
Another shivering strike lashes out to the suspended debris, having the large formulated fulgurite merging with the floating bodies: arms reaching out, legs sticking outward, heads with abyssal sockets framed within the fulgurite finger.
At the construction site, the type 5 fulgurite monolith resonates with life, having a hypnotic audience circling its body, casting a surreal ominous quality within the air.
Branches of converging lightning ripple down, finishing the large malevolent fulgurite structure, taking on the same appearance as Eve''s night terror.
The dark fractures expand, opening a torrential tsunami of abyssal fog; the dark tidal engulfs the family and the rest of the Velerns on the street, the wave quickly envelops the city into total darkness.
Underground, the facility starts to flood with abyssal fog; panic arises, workers quickly seal off the shrouded figure from harm¡¯s way. Swirls of grasping fog tendrils curl on itself as it gets blocked from the tightly sealed door.
Faint distorted shrieking echoes throughout the engulfing city.
(For a special surprise) Haunted by screams - Myuu
https://youtu.be/uSxM2IIABRg?si=dm1e2Q5AA4Wvoceu