First, there was only silence.
Christopher’s head hurt, a persistent throb from the back of his skull. Boom… boom… boom.
Lying on the floor the smell of smoke invaded his nostrils, unwanted. He started coughing.
He winced as what felt like rain hit his face. Raising his hands to protect himself he opened his eyes. The emergency sprinklers stopped working. The shower subdued, small droplets still falling stubbornly on him.
Above, the ceiling was alive as five banners danced in flames. Onyx, Teal, Gold, Olive, and Crimson. A hectic show of colors, lights, and shadows. What’s going on? He thought.
Silence gave way to fire alarms as the sense of sound came back to him, and with it the screams, and shouts. People were fighting. He sat up.
Trying to explore the darkness beyond him emergency lights came on, and the persistent flashes did more to blind him than to reveal his surroundings.
Just as they started, lights stopped flashing. He was trying to stand when something crashed against him, sending him back to the floor. Floating above him was a man, frozen in mid-air.
Dressed all in hunter green, the man appeared trapped, an unseen grip keeping him in place. As he slowly clenched his hands into fists, he looked down at Christopher, and on each index finger a ring came alive in blazing green fire.
Confused, Christopher tied to grab him when the man spoke. “No” he stopped him, “you must flee” he struggled, “go to the displacement chambers.”
“Displacement chambers?” he spoke back.
A reply never came as the man opened his eyes in alarm.
Christopher felt the heat before he saw the flames. He cowered on the floor, when the man above him was engulfed in fire.
He screamed as the flames consumed him, and Christopher could see the light from his rings flicker and fade, as green was swallowed by yellow, and red.
The flames Licked his arms and legs, burning Christopher, and he rolled away, scrambling to flee from the man.
He ran as fast as he could, down a wide hallway. On both sides were white columns, lined as far as he could see. Far ahead, flashes of color came and went. “Help,” he yelled, but no answer came.
A woman leapt from between some columns, pushing him aside, as something sharp flew past him, missing him barely. “Why are you still here?” she yelled at him, angry, “this place is too dangerous for you.
Also dressed in green, she turned her back to him and crossed her hands above her head, as twin suns came alive over her. Her rings, he noticed, just like the man before.
A wall of fire came up in front of her, as a volley of shards went through it.
As they shattered against a wall behind him, and fell on the floor, Christopher noticed them, melting. Ice.
More volleys came. Ice shards, now larger than before. The woman suddenly winced, and the wall of flames flickered, and ceased to exist.
Christopher caught hold of her as she fell to the ground. Laying her on the floor, he saw, one of the shards had found its mark. He used his body to shield her from harm, but no attack came.
“Oh, my god,” he didn’t know what to do, “can you hear me?” he asked as he held her in his arms, and beads of sweat rolled down her pale face, losing themselves in her short, golden hair. She looked scared. “Someone help!” he cried out desperately.
Lightning shot forward, bouncing several times against the walls before exploding against a column nearby. Holding her close, he felt the body in his hands relax, the glow of life gone from the eyes that looked back at him. She was dead.
“Dude!” came a shout from behind him. Christopher turned around, and there stood a stocky young man in front of a side exit, diet pepsi cans shaking in his hands, spilling soda on his worn R.E.M. t-shirt. Above him, a red neon sign flickered Food Court.
Hugo was his name, Christopher now remembered. Hugo Sanchez. He met him an hour ago.
“Hugo” he said, “what’s going on? What’s happening?
Hugo was anxiously looking down each side of the hallway. “Chris” he spoke to him, “she’s dead man, I’m sorry. You have to leave her there. I lost sight of you when it all started. I looked all over… I thought you were gone.” He seemed distraught as he talked.
Chris’ confusion only grew “when what started? What the hell is going on?” he cried out in frustration.
Hugo seemed to focus back on him for a while “Dude, there is no time for questions, lets go,” and then darted down the hallway. Dropped, the Pepsi cans rolled on the floor, forgotten.
“Wait,” Christopher called after him as he tried to catch up, “where are we going? Shouldn’t we hide somewhere?
“Displacement chambers,” Hugo puffed back, “it’s our only chance.” Behind them, they could hear new sounds of fighting, and they seemed to follow them as they ran.
They approached a crossing point where four hallways converged. Several more people in green were directing a group of people further down one of the corridors. A small yellow wisp of light floated above them, barely illuminating the place.
Hugo stopped there for a moment to catch his breath, “Chris…” he could barely breathe, “those chambers are our only way out of here… only apprentices can use them. It will take us to the training grounds.”
Chris was about to ask Hugo something, when a big group of people came fleeing from one of the hallways, making them run for fear of being ran over. As they moved forward, they saw a vaulted doorway far ahead, light coming from the opening.
People arriving, started to go through the entrance when the floor shook violently, and Chris fell, taking Hugo down with him. Getting up as fast as they could, they noticed more people dressed in green approaching them. One of them seemed to be leading the others.
“We will stand our ground here” the man boomed in a commanding voice. “Let’s give the students as much time as possible.”
They’re some kind of security force, thought Chris. And the green clothes must be their uniform. He went through the doorway, Hugo fast behind.
They found themselves in a hexagon shaped chamber. The black marble floor reflecting the light coming from a swarm of small spheres floating on the domed roof. In the middle of the chamber, engraved on the floor, was the word “Minaroca.”
Every side of the chamber had a gate that led to a smaller one, and all of them were full of people, but the one right in front of them seemed to have a little space left.
Chris approached the gate, and noticed a screen fixed above it. It was running a video of a woman giving instructions about the chamber, but no sound came from it. Hugo gave no mind to it and pushed himself inside.
As he came last, Chris was barely inside the room, below him, he saw a yellow line passing right under his feet. Engraved in smaller text a few feet ahead, was the word “Arganoc.”
Speakers inside his room suddenly blared “welcome students of Minaroca. In just a few moments, the doors will close in preparation for your displacement process. Please step away from the yellow line for your safety.”
A heavy glass door slid from an opening on his right, brushing against his body as it connected to the other end, leaving Chris trapped inside that room with everybody else. He saw the same thing happening to the other room entrances around the chamber, which was now devoid of people.
Inside the room it quickly got uncomfortably hot, and the noise became unbearable as everyone was crammed inside, and were talking at the same time. Chris could hear Hugo right behind him speak “Chris, its ok now, they can’t follow us to the training grounds, only students can use this chamber,” and after a couple of seconds “man, I could sure use those cans of pepsi right now.”
Chris had a perfect view of the main entrance from behind the glass door, as it started filling with smoke. “please be advised that in just 5 minutes the lights will dim in preparation for your journey,” continued the speakers inside the room, “and remember to follow the code of conduct of the academy at all times throughout your stay.”
Flashes of light lit up the smoke that clouded the entrance, and for some reason, Chris couldn’t hear anything outside the room, “Hugo, I think something is going on outside.”
In through the gate flew a man, landing in the middle of the floor. Chris recognized him, it was the man giving the orders outside.
The smoke at the gates shifted and swirled, giving way to a tall man, dressed in a black, long leather jacket. Behind him came four more people, standing two at each side of him. All dressed in white leather clothes, two were men, two were women. They all had rings.
The man in the middle had a mask covering his face. Pearl colored, with no physical features, and a black swirling liquid that moved around his face, shifting into what seemed like three different expressions, each fighting for dominance and taking over, ever so swiftly. A sinister smile giving way to a ghoulish scream ending in a blank, mindless stare, before starting all over again.
Silence filled the room as everyone inside started noticing what was going on. “Please remain calm, in just two minutes we will send you to your destination, thank you,” sounded the speakers.
One by one the hands of the people around the man in black flared up as their rings ignited, forming a show of colors. Red, Green, Brown, and Yellow. But not the man in front of Chris, he seemed to be staring intently at him, and his face became fixed on the mindless stare.
The man on the floor started to get up, and seemed to be shouting at the man in black, defying him while the others stood their impassively.
Without notice he made a move against the masked man, and a flash of light filled the chamber, blinding Christopher for a moment. As he recovered he saw the man in green lying on the floor, his head burned completely off. Behind him, the five men remained the same, unmoving.
“Oh my god! Hugo…” Chris couldn’t move, “what do we do?” he said nervously, “will this glass protect us?”
One of the men on the left turned to face one of the gates. Without showing emotion, he began moving his hands in a circle, a red ring of light formed in front of him. His hands clenched into fists as sparks jumped from one ring to the other. Streams of energy flowed from ring to ring forming a large sphere of fire. Opening his hands, the sphere shot forward, blasting the entrance to the room.
To his horror, Chris saw as several burned bodies fall through the broken glass. Screams filled his own chamber while one of the women did the same with another gate. A volley of ice arrows shot forward, smashing the glass. “Please remain calm, in just one minute we will send you to your destination, thank you,” continued the speakers.
The man in the middle continued studying Chris as his face remained fixed on him. “Chris… I think we won’t make it,” whimpered Hugo from behind, “I wish so bad I could have my cellphone with me… I love you mom!”
Another gate exploded as lightning flashed forward. “Dear students, we will now begin our countdown for departure, please remain calm, thank you. 30, 29, 28…” Another gate caved in as huge boulder crashed against it. “27, 26, 25…”
People were crying behind Chris as the man in front shifted his stance. Chris sensed recognition in the man as he tilted his head to the side and his face melted into a slow swirl. “24, 23, 22…”
Behind him, Chris could hear Hugo sobbing softly. “21, 20, 19…”
His four partners began to leave the room, and the man’s face changed again, this time into the sinister smile. “18, 17, 16…”
A soft fire formed around the man’s left hand, and grew in strength. On his index finger, a ring shone scarlet bright. “15, 14, 13…” His head tilted the other way as his right hand gained a golden glow, his ring shining yellow.
“12, 11, 10…” shots of energy leapt from left to right as if forming a circuit between the rings, and as he lifted his hands a ball of magma began forming in front of him. “Hugo!” called Chris in despair.
“9, 8, 7…” the mask began shifting again as a huge energy build-up began forming between his hands. “6, 5, 4…”
As he pulled his hands back, his face finally set on the ghoulish scream. Throwing his fists forward, an ever-growing meteor shot straight at Chris. “3, 2, 1.”
Chris fell away from his screams as oblivion embraced him.