Kjay
CONFIDENCE CAN BE DECEIVING
SAMPLE – CHAPTER 1:
Beyond Our Shadows
CHAPTER 1 – CONFIDENCE CAN BE DECEIVING
“Shut it down. Now!”
His voice intensified by the second, fear coiling each word that escaped his lips. Terrified was a mere understatement to express his state of mind. Why had his curiosity decided to reach its peak at the most perilous of times? Had he no self – control? He scowled upon his imprudent decisions, there was no one else to take his blame, he knew he was at fault, and only he could succumb to his defeat.
“SYSTEM FAILURE.”
“ALERT! ALERT!”
The beaming, bright red sign flashed before his eyes, very nearly convincing him he had gone blind. It seemed immensely unrealistic for matters to become worse. Everything was heading the wrong way, the speck of hope he once had keeping him reassured was now flickering. An unwanted feeling grew within the pit of his stomach, but now was not the time to panic. He had to act fast, although there was not much he could act upon.
There it was. A crack in reality. Something that would be considered only part of the imagination. How long could someone really hold on if all their fears came crashing down at once? They would have to slip eventually, would they not? It was not dark, as most would assume for it to be an evident blackhole that must be avoided at all times because if it sucked you in, you most definitely should not expect people to wait for your arrival. In fact, this was the complete opposite, quite exquisite actually, but not everything is what it appears to be. It had various colours whirling around at such magnificent speed one would be left appalled at just the bare sight of it. He knew its ghastly intentions. Not a single doubt made itself present in his mind. Yet even he himself couldn’t help but feel drawn to it.
His years of bizarre research led him to know all that seemed to be conceivable. However, never once did he expect it to lead to such drastic events.
There was only one solution left to consider. Jump in. He shuddered at the thought. Unfortunately, the state of the situation at hand proved it was crystal clear that he could not consider this, it was a must, or else the consequences would be dire. Maybe he would be fortunate enough for them to find him. It was highly unlikely, but he had to be risky and rely on them even if it was something as crucial as this. He knew his work should never be seen, even if it was just a glimpse. His fate rested on their shoulders.
His level of discomfort almost made him rethink his decision. Almost. He took a deep breath, struggling to keep it steady as terror and anxiousness coursed through him. He was shaking, trembling, not ready to face the fright that awaited him. He plunged forward into the opening, a scream barely escaping his lips. The gateway slammed shut, a peculiar noise and heavy echo following after.
Three days later…
“Do you even know what you’re doing?”
“Yes. Of course, I do.” He said sternly, his voice in a low whisper, as he cautiously scanned his surroundings. “Just make sure to keep a lookout. We can’t risk getting caught!”
“Maybe we should re-think this, Karlo did say he was working on something of ‘great significance,’ and Alejandro clearly seems to be insistent on taking his time with picking that lock.”
“I don’t see you trying to help out Nadim, now stop pestering me and let me focus!” He snapped as pure frustration grew within him! Honestly, how irritating could these guys get? It was the only thing he could question at the moment.
“Cat got your tongue, Liam?” Nadim asked, curiosity clear in his tone.
He scoffed. “No, I’m just worried about Karlo that’s all, no one knows what could’ve happened to him, the possibilities are endless!”
A deep sigh escapes his lips. “I’m sure he just got carried away with one of his silly experiments again, don’t worry everything will be fi- “
Click!
“Yes, I did it! I actually managed to unlock it!” His grin, so wide it could put a Cheshire cat to shame.
“You mean to tell me, this entire time you didn’t know what you were doing?” Liam scolded.
He only got a piercing glare in return.
The door crept open and they carefully stepped in, the floorboards creaking beneath them. As they headed inside, they were greeted with multiple, peculiar sketches on the walls, scattered across the floor. What had Karlo been up to that was so important that cleanliness was disregarded? Surprisingly, everything seemed to be quite clean if you dismiss the scattered papers that is. It was almost as if everything was untouched and if you looked closely, gathers of dust could be spotted on the mahogany shelves across the hall and the snow-white marble counters in the kitchen.
“Maybe he joined an art competition!” Suggested Liam.
“Seriously, you think he’s not been answering our calls because he was busy playing with crayons?” Alejandro commented, the sarcasm in his voice not gone unnoticed.
Nadim rolled his eyes at their immaturity. “All these sketches are really unusual.” He glanced around, a specific one catching his eye that seemed to stand out. “This one here doesn’t even make sense, it’s just a massive rainbow blob!” He grumbled, placing the drawing in the pocket of his light blue jeans. Maybe he could ask Karlo about it once they found him.
“Karlo! Karlo, you there?” Liam shouted.
Silence…
They exchanged glances as all three of them felt their nerves creep up. Maybe the possibilities really were endless.
“Let’s just head downstairs to the lab, maybe he’s too engulfed in something to realise we’re here.” Alejandro said.
Warily, they all headed downstairs as if something could plunge out of the darkness and attack them at any moment. They were getting more worried by the second. If they considered the downstairs messy, then this could be referred to as catastrophic. The lab did not just have unusual sketches this time, all the equipment that would be handled with the utmost delicacy was either in pieces across the floor or had somehow been blown off almost every desk. The large screen Karlo had a daily use for was now shattered, its glass remains glistening on the floorboards. They stood so still it would almost seem they were petrified; dozens of questions flew through their heads as they thought of the worst.