All the sounds were muffled. Number IV got up as best as he could; his body had been roughed up by the two earthquakes and he was feeling all sore. IV's bright, ginger hair was coated in dust and had turned a dull red color. He had a few scrapes and scratches, but other than that he looked fine.
He coughed. "Anyone there?" His voice sounded muffled in his head. Apparently his eardrums hadn't recovered yet. He moved aimlessly in the dim light. It took only a few steps before he was back on the ground again. This time, however, he had tripped.
A leg stuck out from under the rock almost on purpose as if waiting for someone to trip. He would've laughed at the irony, but somehow thinking about whoever had been smashed by the ceiling piece made the joke of it all go away.
Getting up on his feet again, he tried to shove the massive boulder aside, but it proved fruitless. He swallowed, already preparing for what was about to come. The idea that he had to know who had been crushed was already in his head, and the only way to do it was to peer under the rock and watch a wreaked body. He would rather leave it at that but, people were going to be missing and someone was bound to ask.
He slowly started to kneel, the small gap between the floor and the boulder creeping closer. Despite the dim light, he could see the silhouette of an arm. He kept kneeling. Now he started to lower his head, slowly. He took a deep breath.
"It's number I" Declared a voice from behind, taking IV by surprise and making him jump like a scared cat.
"What the...?" IV took a few moments before being able to compose himself, his heart racing fast at the unintended scare. Standing atop another boulder almost casually, V was resting.
"You scared me!" Cried IV. "And how do you know? Did you look? Is she alive?"
"She's dead," curtly explained V.
"Oh..." IV contemplated the dual meaning of "looking" and how it applied to her. "Did you see anyone else?"
"I heard someone fall down the crevice. I'm not sure who," replied V calmly.
IV was agitated. "What do you mean you "don't know who"? I thought you could see everything!"
"Yes, and no," replied V. "I see a lot you don't see, but due to my power outburst before, and probably the recent events I'm not getting a clear picture of my surroundings."
IV once again noticed the gap between the two of them, and how their senses differed. "Can you, well... see anything at all now?"
"Only in close proximity. And it's not stable. It's blurring in and out. Hence my staying here," she explained. "Hasn't your power awakened yet?"
IV shook his head. "No. Maybe I'm just a regular person?"
"So you mean to say a regular person would be resting in a sleeping capsule next to other beings with power for no apparent reason?" She made a pause. IV made no reply. "No. There's something going on. Something that none of us is able to grasp just yet. This facility, the collective loss of memory, the zombies... no, I don't believe this to be a mere coincidence."
IV nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure there's an explanation but... I just want to get out right now. This place, the zombies, the massive attack just now... it gives me the creeps. Let's all... get to safety then think about it, ok?"
"When I had the outburst of my power I got a clear layout of most of the facility. Right now we are on the second floor." V got up. "Good. My field of vision is slowly returning to normal." V turned around and slowly moved towards the dark hallway.
"Where are you going?" Asked IV.
"There's someone I need to get to in the first floor," declared V not stopping her pace.
"What about the rest?" Questioned IV concerned.
V stopped, but didn't face him. She didn't need to. "What about them?"
The red-haired youth frowned. "Aren't we going to help them?! Should we, like, be looking for them?"
"I don't know them. They are not my concern." V resumed her pace.
"You don't really know that," countered an angered IV. "We lost our memory!"
"Right," acknowledged V. "I don't know. But neither do you." With those words, she vanished into the dark hallway.
----
Number III climbed the stairs towards the second floor. She had fallen down the crevice, but she had summoned a gigantic anaconda and stopped the fall before it would've been too late. She breathed heavily and was in intense pain; the massive energy beam had cut off one of her arms. She had already lost plenty of blood, and she was feeling light-headed. Struggling not to lose her consciousness, she reached the second floor, only to find the stairs on this side further up were blocked by several boulders.
She walked with two purposes in mind: either find help, or find another set of stairs to get out of this place. While the facility was very big and had several connecting hallways, the recent energy outburst had reduced the possible paths.
III was already starting to faint. She leaned against the wall, and moved even slower. Just when she thought she would pass out the hallway came to an end, and a room different from the rest appeared. It oddly resembled the room they woke up in, but this one was slightly different.
The door laid partially opened, and the narrow viewing windows were cracked due to the recent tremors. She tried to push the door open, but it was solidly stuck. With her small frame, however, she managed to squeeze through.
Inside, the room was exactly like the one she had woken in. There were a bunch of capsules, and people sleeping inside. There were a several buttons on the control pad of the capsules, but one bigger than the others. She pressed it, and cold vapor came from the chamber, revealing a figure. Just before the features were about to be revealed, the room morphed into a lush jungle.
"What the...?" Before she could even think about what was going on, she finally passed out, hitting her head on the side of the capsule, then falling to the ground.
[Hyzenthlay, Lowlf, this is where you come in. Hyzenthlay, as you requested the character that found you experienced your power.]
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks