Resonance

by Dianne J Wilson

  Too late.

  He thrashed around wildly, thumping his hands onto the walls, the ceiling. The water flashed an intense blue.

  This is my last breath.

  A shift in the current spun him around.

  Again.

  And again.

  He twirled like a ballet dancer. A shaft of light shot up from below his feet, and he spun faster until his head felt detached from his limbs. He moved into the centre of the light and dropped instantly.

  Flushed. He’d been flushed.

  Kai braced himself for impact but the landing never came. He fell into a chamber of clouds. Not real clouds. Those would be wet, and they wouldn’t hold him up. These were like the kind you see in movies, the ones that hold up chubby angels and their harps. Sunlit clouds in shades of blue and purple. He floated weightless. Looking around to get his bearings, he realized that his clothes were gone. The shock of it sent him plummeting.

  The drop was short-lived, and he landed with a dull thud on something cold, hard enough to knock the wind out. Kai lay on his back on the cold hard stone, willing air into his lungs. Through the stars dancing around in Kai’s vision, he thought he saw snowflakes drifting gently down from the roof. They settled on him and into his skin, landing in layers that built up on his skin. The cold metal strip beneath him jerked into motion, and he clung to it as it moved him along like a giant conveyor belt.

  Swish. A breath of fresh air blew in, shifting some of the clouds so he could see. He was being pulled toward the centre of a perfectly round opening. Kai’s limbs felt heavy and useless, and he surrendered to the strange process. The desire to fight it had left him at the same time as he’d discovered his clothes were gone. He was covered, for now at least, in layers of snowflakes. But who was he to argue?

  He passed through the hole and heard it shut behind him. The tube he travelled down seemed lit by a dozen criss-crossing suns that moved in a pattern as if they were weaving light. The rays warmed his skin. The snowflake layers began to melt, but not the way ice does. They melted into each other, forming a single, cohesive layer that covered his body in a seamless garment. The conveyor belt took him through the passage of suns and delivered him through the next hole.

  14

  Zulu led on through the overgrown forest. Evazee lost track of the time as they stumbled over fallen trees, battled lithe branches, and fought off tangled, hanging vines. Her thighs burned with the effort of keeping up with Zulu. Elden himself pushed hard as one possessed. They paused for brief moments while Zulu hunted for the trail, but it didn’t take long, and he was off again. Elden clutched Evazee’s hand, and she didn’t pull away.

  A faint vibration trembled through the ground beneath the feet, causing Zulu to stop and listen, his head tilted to one side like an exotic bald bird. “Not far now.” He grinned at them.

  Evazee grabbed Elden’s arm and hauled him down to her level. “I’m a bit worried about following him blindly. Do you know where he’s going? You must know this area.”

  “Actually, I don’t. But you seemed to like this guy. Why the sudden mistrust?”

  “I discovered some things I didn’t know. Also, his eyes are purple. That can’t be good.”

  “But girls love purple. Don’t they?” Elden’s forehead crumpled and he shrugged.

  “Elden! What are you saying? Not eyes. How is that normal?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve been living in simulations for so long now, it’s all a blur.” He squeezed her arm. “We’d better go. He’s nearly too far ahead. We don’t want to lose him.”

  Evazee waved him on, resisting the urge to kick a tree. She followed as he bolted ahead, her feet feeling heavier with every step. A deep drum beat thrummed through the ground beneath their feet, followed by another and yet another.

  The vibrations rolled up through the soles of her feet and turned her stomach. Each beat seemed to seep deeper into her bones. The music called, it sang her name. The fine hairs on Evazee’s neck rose. This was not possible. Zulu halted. Elden was just a step behind him. They were examining the way ahead, cautious. Curiosity overwhelmed Evazee. She pushed past them both to try and get closer to the music, to whoever was calling her.

  As she passed Zulu, the rhythm changed, picking up speed and growing in complexity. She felt the rhythm all through her body, and it made her happy. She wanted to dance but knew that she wouldn’t have moves good enough for this music. Her heart sank at the thought. Someone was calling her name. With it came delicious warmth in her insides. Memories of sleeping in on school holidays flooded through her as a sense of well-being. Soft duvet, no rush, no demands. Waking up to hot chocolate and her favourite book.

  The forest path opened out on a clearing the size of a soccer field. Lights bobbed and weaved in the trees. She felt a bit tipsy, and the lights danced just for her. There it was again. Her name on the lips of a stranger. It didn’t scare her; it felt right and good.

  The lights blurred and spun, and she found herself twirling. Spinning. Dancing. Doing those moves she didn’t think she could. She closed her eyes and surrendered. The ground tipped below her, every step took her down. Hands reached for her, welcoming, guiding, sweeping her along.

  So many hands.

  ~*~

  Kai sat on the conveyor belt in his new beige clothes. He pulled at his shirt, impressed that it had been made by snowflakes. Pity about the beige. The fabric was unlike anything he’d every worn before. It had the soft coolness of cotton but with a slight stretch to it that made it fit snugger than his clothes normally did. Perfect for such a skinny body. Not.

  The room was tiny. If he turned with his arms stretched out, his fingertips would brush the walls on each side. All four of them looked identical except for the wall he’d come through that had a hole large enough for him. Kai’s belly flipped. There was no door. He stood up to investigate whether he could crawl out on the conveyor belt, but it retracted and the hole in the wall closed up as if it had never been there.

  This was not good.

  At least it wasn’t dark, and the stones still glowed with inner light. Kai breathed deep, trying not to sweat. There had to be a switch that would get him out of this room. He stepped close to the wall in front of him and reached out to run his fingers along each concrete line, each bump, looking for irregularities, anything that might give in to a firm push.

  The moment all Kai’s fingers connected with the wall, the surface changed beneath his fingertips, shifting state from stone to smooth, cold glass. He blinked and found himself on stage with a guitar in his hands. The crowds pressed up against the edge of the platform, calling his name.

  His old friend. The strings felt alive as he tapped out harmonics and tuned the instrument. With each sound he made, the crowd clapped and cheered.

  Ready at last, he allowed himself to look at his audience. The crowd that gathered stretched off into the distance in all directions, a living sea of screaming fans. Kai grinned at the sight before shifting his focus to his instrument, his music. His fingers flew across the strings and frets, drawing out a melody unlike anything he’d ever played before. The crowd went wild.

  The familiar thrill bubbled through him. The distinct sense of rightness at doing what he’d been created for. The song tore from him, pulsing with life. Blood pounded through his temples as he built towards the crescendo.

  A breath away from the high point, everything froze. A voice spoke to him from inside the chamber. Or was it in his head? A woman’s voice, low and soothing.

  “Are you proud of yourself Kai?”

  I don’t understand what you’re asking.

  “It’s a simple question. Just answer yes or no. Are you proud of yourself?”

  Kai ran his hand along the smooth wooden neck of the instrument that felt so much a part of him. He thought back to the times he’d played his guitar and brought peace where people had been agitated, the rooftop and the darKounds when his music had sent them all back where they came from. Thinking of all those thing
s, he was actually proud of himself.

  Yes.

  The voice in his head said nothing, but he felt the twisting weight of displeasure, and it confused him. He glanced across the crowds, hoping for something he couldn’t put a name to. Redemption, validation. He wasn’t sure. They were no longer cheering. Nobody called his name. Their hands came up with pointed fingers, and their faces twisted into scowls.

  I’m sorry.

  He dropped the guitar and backed away, hands raised to block his face from their rising anger. He tripped over his own feet and smacked his back into the opposite chamber wall. The stage melted away leaving the cold stone wall in its place. Kai was stuck. Again.

  He sat for a moment, dazed. This place was messing with his mind. The sooner he found a way out, the better. His head spun, standing was going to be a challenge. He flipped over onto his knees and steadied himself on the wall. Before he could push himself up, the wall rippled, shifted, and he found himself in a bedroom with an orange woollen looped mat on the floor and tie-dyed curtains in autumn shades. Retro.

  A woman sat on the floor, cradling her arm and crying. She looked familiar, but Kai’s attention was drawn to the baby sitting next to her. He sat with his back ironing-board straight. His eyes were fixed on the woman, and his lips quivered as if he wanted to cry with her.

  The baby bum-shuffled closer to the woman, reached for her arm but missed. She was crying too much to notice, and Kai could see a burn mark down the soft flesh of the inside of her arm. The baby’s face pulled tight in concentration, and he made another grab for the lady’s arm. This time he caught it and held on. His tiny six-month-old fingers dug into the flesh of her burned arm and she cried out in pain. In a second, she gasped and pulled her arm away from him. She stared at it in wonder, cheeks still wet with tears. The burn was gone.

  A man came running in. His voice was high and angry. “What did he do?”

  “It’s a miracle! Roland, look! My arm is better. It’s a miracle.”

  “I’m sorry, TrissTessa. This is not right or holy. God doesn’t work through babies. I’m going to take him and find out what’s wrong with him.”

  “But, Roland, he did good. You can’t take him.”

  “It’s not safe to be around this boy. He could be possessed for all we know. Until we can figure this out, it’s not safe to be around him. It’s for his own good, too. He can’t live like this. Please don’t fight me. I love you too much. I’m taking him. I’m going to find someone who can fix him, and then we’ll come home. I promise.”

  The man called Roland picked up the baby as if he were picking up a loaded gun, turned quickly, and left. The one called TrissTessa sat on the floor of her bedroom, tears streaming down her face, too shocked to move.

  15

  Kai felt the cold floor on his cheek.

  He was dimly aware of being back in the small room. The walls were moving, growing taller. No wait. The floor of the chamber was dropping. It came to rest with a jolt.

  One of the walls was gone. He blinked against the brightness of the light that flooded the room from the missing wall. Part of him wanted nothing more than to just stay on the floor. But if the floor moved and trapped him again...

  He couldn’t chance it. The cold sweat beaded his forehead and made up his mind. Move while the doorway was an option.

  He walked out into an open stone courtyard under a dome of pale blue sky and found Zap, sniffing his armpits. He was dressed in the same beige jumpsuit contraption that Kai wore, but he also had slip-on sandals, whereas Kai was barefoot once again.

  “Hey, man. How weird was that?” Zap wouldn’t meet his eyes.

  Kai felt a surge of anger at what he’d been through, followed fast by an overwhelming sense of shame. He shoved it all deep. “I like your clothes.”

  “Shut up.” Zap laughed. The tension eased. “You look pretty good yourself. It’s just so you, darling.”

  “Shut up yourself. Have you seen Ruaan?”

  Zap turned and pointed. The wall behind them stretched off in both directions, fitting in ten doorways identical to the ones they’d stepped out of. Only one of the doors remained shut.

  Could it be the one holding Ruaan?

  “Do you think he’s OK?”

  Kai shrugged. “We can hope.”

  “Why are there no people?”

  “Maybe they’ve been eaten, and we’re next.”

  “Um, what?”

  “I’m just kidding. Listen. There’s something that’s been bothering me. Why aren’t you freaked out by all this? You and Ruaan seem to be taking it all so well. I’m used to it from my accident, but you guys?”

  Zap seemed relieved not to be on some big creature’s menu. “Affinity training. We lived in simulations all the time. This is completely normal. I mean, each simulation was different, some weirder than this even. I suppose it’s all just what you’re used to.”

  “I guess so.” Kai walked to the door. He hoped Ruaan was somewhere behind it. Sitting down, he faced the door.

  Zap paced, restless. “So, what now?”

  “We wait for Ruaan, and then we decide what.”

  “Do you think they’ve fed him?”

  “Probably not.” Kai couldn’t shake the shame from what he’d seen in the chamber. It had sunk into his bones, written itself into his DNA. Where are you, Tau? He hauled out the bottle of light from around his neck, grateful it hadn’t been incinerated with his clothes. Even though the courtyard was lit from the stones, the pendant pulsed with light. Kai folded his hands around it, wishing he could see Tau one more time. Until Runt found a way to stop the dark Affinity enhancer being pumped throughout the OS, who knew how long they’d be cut off from all things good.

  Ruaan’s floor landed without warning. He stormed out, looking as though he’d swallowed a thundercloud, and it had given him indigestion. “Whose stupid idea was it to come to this place?” He towered over Kai with his fists lifted and ready.

  Zap stepped in and grabbed his wrists. “Calm down, man. It sucked for me, too.”

  Ruaan’s nostrils flared. “What are you talking about? You know nothing.”

  “Gentlemen, please join us for replenishing.” As quiet as a spider, a girl their age had padded in on silent feet and stood waiting for their attention. She was dressed in the same beige outfit as they were, and her red hair was drawn back in ponytail. Her features were plain, but her skin was pale and flawless, even though she wasn’t wearing a scrap of makeup.

  Kai got to his feet, keeping a wary eye on Ruaan.

  Ruaan faced the girl with his fists still waving.

  The girl handed Kai a pair of shoes.

  Zap stepped between Ruaan and the girl. “Excuse me, but what is replenishing, and does it involve food?”

  The girl laughed and instantly looked prettier. “It does, indeed. Follow me, please.”

  Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

  16

  The drumbeat stopped, and Evazee collapsed as if someone had sucked out her spine. The fog that had clouded her mind hovered in and around her brain, and she blinked, trying to make sense of her surroundings. The ceiling arched above her like bleached whale bones, pock-marked and holey.

  Evazee ran her fingers along the floor beneath her. The same holey, crusty rock. It felt as if she was in a cave. She rolled onto her side. She wasn’t alone. Kids her age slouched along the curved walls, talking to each other. Some sat propped up with their arms looped around their legs. She wasn’t the only one on the floor either. The brunette next to her lay flat on her back, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands as if trying to wake up from a bad dream. A crimson birthmark in the shape of Africa marred the skin down the left side of her neck.

  A boy on the other side lay curled in a foetal position with his eyes wide open, unblinking. His eyes flickered but didn’t shut. Evazee rolled away from him with a shudder. Why had she left the guys? Where were they?

  A deep boom shuddered through the rock beneath her.
Liquid heaviness ran through her muscles and her mind grew light. The next drum beat vibrated through her. Drum beats like a drug, slowing her heart, churning through her veins like thick mud. The rhythm picked up, beating in time with her heart. One with her heart. Her mind melted into fuzz. The beat sped up, and her heart soared with it. She rolled over and clambered to her feet. The brunette was on her feet, giggling. She tripped on the holey floor and grabbed onto Evazee to break her fall.

  Zee caught her and started laughing, too. Until she spun around and caught sight of the boy still on the floor, still curled up, still staring. Her blood ran cold and she detangled herself from the clutches of the giggling girl.

  The rhythm swept them along, deeper into the cave. Evazee no longer felt the giddy elation that the others did. She kept seeing the boy’s vacant and lifeless face in her mind. The rhythm drew her deeper in, though all she felt was numb. She bumped into the girl next to her and turned to apologize. The girl didn’t seem to have noticed her, but her eyes flickered left and right as if she were reading from an invisible screen. The whites were tinged purple.

  ~*~

  Redhead kept up a running commentary as they walked. Her voice had a musical quality about it, and Kai had to force himself to focus on what she was saying.

  “This city is ancient. It existed long before the records we have in our history books. There is order here and peace because of it. We live according to guidelines that keep us safe. Once you are a part of the city, it is best never to leave. Nobody would want to anyway. Safety is within these walls. Don’t go outside them, and you’ll be just fine. We run patrols into the surrounding areas to pick up anyone who is ready for a new way of life or those who are sick or injured. We bring them here for healing and cleansing. Ah, we are here. Follow me, gentlemen.”

  Kai, Ruaan, and Zap followed the redhead up a flight of stairs that took them up to the next floor. The replenishing room was long and skinny with a table running the length of it. The way in was through a simple stone arch that stretched high over their heads in clean lines, uncluttered by embellishments. Warm air drifted toward them, carrying aromas that made their mouths water. Many city dwellers sat along the edges of the tables, talking quietly, while those serving food bustled in and out through side doors dotted at regular intervals along the walls. They carried covered plates and tall jugs of liquid.