by C. S. Harte
The corridors were indistinguishable from one another.
“Left or right?” he asked himself. Victor chose left. After several left turns, he reached another dead end. His ears perked hearing a low hum. Victor turned around to see a force field shimmering behind him. “Great, I’m trapped in.”
The walls in the room began to light up with a ghostly blue light. He approached the nearest wall and placed his palm on it. Small ripples formed as his hand went through a cold, blue liquid. “Liquid walls. This is new.”
A shadow appeared in the murky liquid. Victor jumped backward.
Samurai warriors, made entirely of ice, poured through every wall. Wave after wave they came, surrounding Victor, outnumbering him by dozens.
“I wonder if I could exit through the walls the way they’re coming in.”
The samurais drew their swords, not allowing him to move from the center.
Accepting defeat, Victor let out a sigh. “You win, Masa!” Victor placed his hand on the ground. “Porta. Stage.” He disappeared in a flash, returning to the staging area with the other defeated combatants.
“90 minutes left,” Kayla said. “I wonder how the other team is doing.”
“Not good probably. This is the only simulation we can't beat. Masa is a genius when it comes to training scenarios,” Haley said.
They continued to follow the right-hand wall of the maze, back-tracking whenever they reached a dead end. There hasn’t been any traps or opposition since the ice dragon.
Kayla glanced at Haley. “Somewhere, somehow, you and I got off on the wrong foot. Did I do something to make you hate me?”
Haley shrugged. “I don’t hate you. That would be my sister.” She snickered. “Emily doesn’t get along with most people for whatever reason. If you manage to find a way into her circle, she’ll protect you like she’s your bodyguard.”
“I guess we’ll get to your sister later. If I did something wrong towards you, I’m sorry.”
“I saw you with Masa on the docks the other night on Bonfire Beach. You were holding hands. What was going on there?” Haley raised her eyebrows.
“Ahh. That night we were talking about Kaguya. That’s the girl he was betrothed to.”
Haley pinched in her brow. “He was betrothed to a girl? Actually, never mind. Why were you even talking about her?”
“During our training together, he brought me to his hometown in Kyoto. Kaguya was there, and I asked him about her. You don’t already know all of this?”
Haley sighed. “I’ve known Masa a lot longer than you, and it seems he’s already said more words to you than me. I’ve tried to get him to open up to me. And here you are, in just a few days, his new best friend.”
“It’s not like that with him and me. I have someone from before I came here.” Tommy’s face popped into Kayla’s head.
“Things are complicated here,” Haley said.
“You’re telling me.”
Haley clutched at her arm.
“It doesn't hurt?”
“It’s disabled for the rest of the mission. Just feels weird to not be able to move it. It’ll be OK after we leave.”
“That’s another thing I don’t understand about —“
Haley shushed Kayla. “Do you hear that?”
Kayla strained her ears. “Hear what?”
“The buzzing sounds.”
“The what?” Kayla’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I hear it now. What is that?”
“Please don’t be bees. Please don’t be bees.” Haley held her hands together and prayed.
Kayla turned around. “It’s coming from behind us.”
Haley pointed to a dark cloud. “Over there! It’s some insect swarm.”
“You think it’s bees?”
“I’m not gonna stay here to find out. Run!”
Kayla and Haley bolted forward, deeper into the maze. The insect swarm was in pursuit, gaining ground with each second.
Kayla glanced back while running. “It’s not bees. They’re huge, like wasps!” She shrieked.
“That’s the worst case possibility. I hate bees! Wasps are angrier versions of them!”
“What do we do?”
“Tell me you can control wasps with your Telekinesis.”
“Masa hasn’t covered that in my training. There’s like thousands of them anyway.”
“Then run faster!” Haley sped up, leaving Kayla trailing.
Kayla did her best to keep pace, but Haley’s level of fitness was much higher. She turned a corner and nearly slammed herself into Haley. “What’s wrong? Why did you stop?”
Haley froze in an unnatural pose, both arms in the air, one knee above her waist.
“Why are you standing like that?”
Haley mumbled something unintelligible.
Kayla closed the gap. “What?” Her skin itched as the sensation of tiny hairs washed over her face. She tried to scratch her itch, but her arms were bound. In a panic, she tried to step backward, but her entire body was restrained. The strings binding her began to vibrate. Kayla looked up to see eight reflections of herself on the head of her captor, a massive blue spider the size of an elephant. It lifted its fangs and hissed as if taunting Kayla.
A loud ringing sound reverberated throughout the cavern as the clock in the sky hit the 60-minute mark.
Both Haley and Kayla struggled to break free of the web. They were completely defenseless. Panic set in their eyes as they watched the spider inching closer.
Kayla’s mouth was at least free to move, allowing her to talk clearly.
Haley could only grunt in affirmatives.
“Well, this sucks,” Kayla said.
Haley grunted.
45 minutes left.
“Do you have any ideas on how to get out of here?”
Haley did not make a sound.
Kayla sighed.
Without the use of her hands, Haley’s talent was useless in the current situation.
“At least the wasps didn’t follow us in here.”
Haley grunted.
“Probably because they’re too smart to come here.”
Haley grunted.
“I hope the other team is doing better,” Kayla said.
Haley grunted.
30 minutes left.
Kayla began to shiver, fear threatening to drown her with each passing moment. Her breath became shallow and rapid as her heart rate zoomed. Insects had a way of paralyzing Kayla, weakening her resolve. She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid of looking impending death in the eyes.
The spider crawled toward Haley first, rapidly spinning silk out of its abdomen, wrapping her in a tight cocoon.
20 minutes left.
Think Kayla. What can I do?
The beast shifted towards Kayla next. It bared its fangs again. The hissing louder than before. It moved more slowly and cautiously towards Kayla than it did Haley.
Fear had found a home in Kayla, freezing her body, numbing her mind. Kayla had given up.
The spider seemed to understand this and spun its web around Kayla, entombing her.
Kayla felt the soft strands on her face, entangling her hair, tickling her exposed skin. There was no pain. Slowly, every inch of her body disappeared under the white prison. Her face was last. The spider paused, staring at Kayla. She could not open her eyes as complete and utter terror saturated every cell in her body. She tried to scream, but only silence came out. Her consciousness sank into the recesses of her mind.
5 minutes left.
In the darkness, a lone sakura blossom fell from above. It landed on Kayla's outstretched hand.
“Float,” said a whisper in the night.
She made the sakura blossom float in the air. Kayla looked down and saw the ground moving towards her. The darkness rapidly changed to light.
“Earthquake,” another voice said coming from above.
That’s my voice.
Kayla’s mind was back on the banks of the Kamogawa River in Kyoto. She saw Masa on the br
idge with Kaguya.
“Remove all the blossoms,” Masa ordered.
“I couldn’t. I can’t. I tried, and I failed,” Kayla said. Dejection resonated in her voice.
“The only limit is your mind. Remove all the blossoms,” Masa calmly repeated.
Kayla placed both hands on the ground. She closed her eyes, visualizing an earthquake sweeping over the land.
A low rumble rose from below. A few blossoms tumbled to the ground. Then a stronger pulse followed, enough to create ripples in the dirt. The air became littered with falling flowers. Finally, a roar erupted from below, tearing open the earth. Entire sakura trees snapped in half, toppling to the ground.
“Enough Kayla,” Masa screamed, his face turning white.
Kayla’s eyes opened wide with panic. “I can’t stop! I don’t know how.”
The gash in the Earth stretched further apart. The stone bridge collapsed into the abyss, molten lava rising in its place. Fissures appeared around Kayla, encircling her with chaos and destruction.
The Kamogawa River and its surrounding landscape were no more, liquefied into magma.
Kayla heard Masa’s voice calling to her. “Wake up!”
But, I am awake.
“Wake up!” This time it was Helen’s voice.
“Kayla! Wake up!”
Jaime? Did I fall asleep again? I need to wake up.
Kayla’s eyes opened. Everything was white and blinding. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes.
How long have I been asleep?
Medical equipment. Wires connected to her arm. Hospital food. Am I back home?
“Tommy?” Kayla said meekly.
“No Kayla, it’s Masa.”
Kayla blinked rapidly. A whirlwind of competing memories stirred in her mind. She placed a hand on her forehead to temper the migraine.
“Take it easy, Kayla.”
“We were in the Ice Fortress. Did someone take the flag?”
“That doesn't matter. You had a surge. You’ve been asleep for three days.”
“A surge? Three days?” Kayla’s migraine proved overwhelming. She fainted, falling back into a deep sleep.
30
Kayla wakes to the sound of a barking dog. “Charlie is that you?”
Charlie jumps onto the chair next to Kayla’s hospital bed and then onto her. He licks her liberally, his body shaking with excitement.
She laughs as he tickles her. “Stop it, Charlie. I miss you too!” Kayla gives him a crushing hug.
Charlie barks, tail wagging excitedly.
“How did you get here? Wait, where am I?” She scans the room. This looks like the Wolf Creek Hospital. But how? She shakes her head. “Masa?”
Charlie barks.
She removes the sensors attached to her chest and head. Her limbs are stiff as they struggle to respond to her intentions. “If you’re here, where’s Tommy and Izzy?” Kayla looks for clothes but finds none.
The hospital is eerily quiet. No nurses doing their rounds, no sounds of machines or equipment.
Kayla peeks out of her room. “Hello?”
No response.
“HELLO?” she yells. Her eyebrows raise as she looks at Charlie. “OK, this is freaky.”
Charlie barks and runs away.
“Wait! Come back!” Kayla chases after Charlie.
He stops in front of a closet door and barks twice.
“What’s in there boy?”
He barks.
“You want me to go inside?”
He barks again.
Kayla knocks on the door.
Silence from the other side.
She opens the door and enters into a changing room. “Hello? Everyone decent?” She waits for a reply. “I guess we’re alone.”
Charlie barks at a pile of clothes.
Kayla picks up a pair of blue jeans and a popular Austin nightclub t-shirt. “This looks like it’ll fit. I hope the owner doesn’t mind.” Kayla pats Charlie’s head. “Good boy!”
Charlie barks twice.
The door behind them slams shut.
Kayla’s heart skips a beat. She twirls around. “I’m sorry for being in here!” She examines the room. “Hello? Anyone here?” She opens the door leading back into the hallway.
It connects to the foyer of Izzy's home.
Kayla looks back to see the hospital changing room. She blinks rapidly and looks forward. “That’s definitely Izzy’s house. Do you know what’s going on Charlie?”
Charlie tilts his head and gives a faint whine.
“Only way this is possible is if I’m at Eden House.” She puts a hand on the nearest wall. “Porta. Bedroom.”
She braces herself for a room change, but the current setting remains.
Charlie circles Kayla and lays down.
“This is freaky. Stay close to me Charlie.”
He barks.
Kayla walks through the door and into Izzy’s house. “Izzy? Mrs. Sanders?” She gently bites her lip. “Tommy?” She hears distant voices.
Charlie runs towards the backyard.
Kayla chases after him and sees Tommy and Izzy talking.
“TOMMY!”
“Izzy!”
“Oh my God, I’M BACK!”
She races to them. Her eyes light up, arms stretch out for an embrace. Tommy moves to the center of her focus.
Tommy and Izzy ignore her, seemingly lost in conversation.
Kayla’s arms pass through Izzy as if she was just an illusion.
“Izzy? Tommy?”
Is this a dream?
She looks at Charlie. “Are you seeing this?”
Charlie drops his head and whines.
“I’m right here Tommy. I’m right here… I’ve been trying to get back to you.” Kayla’s legs give way. She falls to her knees and cries into her hands. “I don’t understand what’s going on Why can’t you see me?”
Charlie rests his head on Kayla’s lap.
Izzy stands up and walks forward.
Kayla’s mouth opens as Izzy nears. She opens her arms ready for an embrace.
Izzy passes through her and stops in front of Tommy. She places her hands on his shoulders.
Kayla gets up and approaches her friends.
What is Izzy doing with him?
She sees Izzy’s hand roaming down his chest.
Their lips are moving, but Kayla can’t hear the words.
Tommy’s hands are on Izzy’s hips, exploring her body.
Kayla covers her mouth as she gasps.
Izzy looks back at Kayla as if she heard.
Kayla releases a primal scream.
Charlie barks and runs away from Kayla.
Kayla swings her fist at Izzy, her arm passing harmlessly through her. “NO! WHY? You were supposed to be my best friend. MY SISTER!” She turns her rage towards Tommy. “AND YOU. You said you would never hurt me! That you would always protect me!”
Her stomach begins to harden, tightness confining her throat as she stares at her best friend and her boyfriend together, touching, feeling, wanting each other. A witness to her own betrayal. Pain floods every nerve, building in magnitude, each second a new wound traveling deeper — a thousand stabs to her soul. She closes her eyes. Her fists coil in rage. In her mind, she sees Kyoto all over again.
“No. You must stop,” a disembodied voice said.
Kayla opens her eyes.
Izzy’s house disappears as darkness sinks in.
“Who’s there?” Kayla asks.
A spotlight shines on her. She’s inside a cage. Metal bars on all four sides.
“I’m sorry. This is for your own good,” the disembodied voice said.
“Wait! Who are you? What are you doing?”
A large black serpent enters the cage through the metal bars. It slithers its way towards Kayla.
Kayla’s jaw drops. “No! Please!”
A second serpent enters the cage.
Kayla tries to use her Telekinesis to push them away.
They conti
nue their crawl towards her.
Shield! Shield! A blue aura envelopes her creating a small dome inside the prison with Kayla standing in the middle.
The vipers stop at the edge of the shield.
Kayla breathes a sigh of relief.
The closest snake stands high enough to look Kayla directly in the eyes, its forked-tongue dancing in and out of its mouth.
The dome provides only a foot of separation between Kayla and her worst fears.
“Please let me go,” Kayla begs.
The standing snake bares its fangs.
“What do you want from me?”
It hisses softly as it sways on its hind quarters.
Kayla raises her arms up in defense.
In an instant, both serpents strike at Kayla.
Her shield provides only an illusion of safety.
The standing snake bites Kayla’s forearm.
The other, Kayla’s leg.
Kayla collapses to the ground and writhes in pain. The sting on her arm and leg feel like molten iron on her skin. Her muscles seize. Each breath becomes harder to take.
Both serpents slither away — back into the darkness from whence they came.
The wounds around the bite turn black. The poison courses quickly throughout her body, eating away at her organs.
“Just kill me,” Kayla cries, her pain long past the threshold of agony.
In minutes, she endures the most crushing emotional damage of her life from Tommy and Izzy’s betrayal and the most physically painful sensation of her life from two poisonous vipers.
Kayla slips into unconsciousness, a small mercy for her torment.
“You’re finally awake.” Masa smiled.
Kayla’s eyes opened, blinking rapidly, the room light too harsh. “How long have I been asleep?”
“About ten days.”
Kayla squealed. “How? What happened to me?”
Masa ignored the question. “How’s your headache? Gone?”
“I feel fine now. No pain.”
“You were talking in your sleep. Who are Tommy and Izzy?”
“Friends from my previous life.”
Masa nodded, not looking at Kayla. “They seemed important to you. I saw that you were crying.”
Her face blushed. “I had a horrible dream that Izzy stole Tommy from me.”
He rubbed his chin. “That’s interesting. Would you say the dream felt real? Like you were there as a witness only and could not interact with anything?”