The World I Know |
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Chapter 5 |
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| I didn’t stop running. The tunnel didn’t end, spiralling on and on until it was a never ending labyrinth. There were no rock formations here; only darkness, and I stumbled mindlessly forwards. Since waking I had been trapped in a reality I was blind in, with no memory that could show me the way. All I could hear now was the steady rhythm of my feet hitting the ground, and the loud symphony of my heartbeat pounding in my ears. Then, the sound changed. Instead of the soft crunching of rock, there was the sharp tapping of tile against my shoes. I could see a dim glow ahead of me, and I no longer needed my hands to guide me on. A yell resonated around me, first a faint echo then a closer drone. It was Blank – or was it Alex? – calling my name. I knew they wouldn’t find me in this abyss, a chasm that went on forever into the earth. A click-click sound ricocheted as I moved, but I could still feel them following. I hit a wall. Groaning in sudden pain, I used my hands to feel the solid structure of a door before me. Groping for the handle, I made contact with its rounded curve. Someone grabbed my shoulder. I couldn’t help letting out a shriek of surprise as I whirled. It was Alex. ‘Cass,’ he looked at me in concern. ‘What happened?’ ‘Go away!’ I demanded, trying to move past him. ‘Leave me alone!’ He held me firmly by the shoulders. The pounding ache intensified in my temples and threatened to explode. I struggled against Alex’s hold as he tried to talk some sense into me. I grabbed for the handle of the door and jiggled it desperately. It turned and we fell backwards as it opened. I landed with a thud some way further down than I expected. Hearing Alex trying to get up, I scrambled away and found that we were not in another room, but down some sort of shaft. My first guess would have been some sort of elevator, but that could not be possible. Could it? I crawled onwards through an opening and into a passageway. A glow lit the end of this new tunnel, and I made my way to its calming aura. I found myself in another room. This time, it was a round chamber enclosing me, the glow being luminous green crystals that adorned the walls and floor. My head was now numbing with pain, and I fell in dizziness. A memory threw itself at me, and I let it take over me completely. But it was not one memory – it was my entire life. It encased me in its presence, and threw my awareness out and around me. I could suddenly sense everything. I might as well have been blind before. The smallest motes of dust had a presence, and my mind enveloped it and examined it. I could hear the sounds of water trickling in the distance – an underground river – the hidden pockets of air beneath the ground no secret to my mind anymore. Then there was Alex. His mind was open, curious to the chamber but overpoweringly concerned for my wellbeing. I entered his mind and projected a sense of calm and security. It washed over him as he realised – I had a talent, as well. Farseeking, it was called. I tested out the word in my mind. Then another slammed into me. Govamen. The people from my memories, the premonition upon meeting Xen – it was all relevant. These were the people who had started the apocalypse; these were the people out to get me. No, I added, us. I opened my eyes. Something tugged at the sides of my awareness. For a moment I ignored it, dwelling in the complete serenity of the environment; then it pulled me in. Kin and Blank ran through a tunnel, tiled and artificial, as if pursued. ‘Quick! This way,’ one of them yelled to the other, and they pressed on. Soon they were in a hallway, several numbered doorways branching off. Locked. Trapped. These feelings resonated in my own chamber, but were of a completely different presence. Kin was ahead, and didn’t see the tall, suited man she ran headlong into. Her shriek of surprise was muffled as his hand flew across her mouth. Blank stopped dead, and could only watch as others approached from both behind and ahead. ‘It’s about time you turned up.’ Xen materialised from the shadows, flanked by others, and advanced upon the pair. ‘Xen – you’re late.’ That voice. It was him – the one from my memory. He stepped forward, his hand still clamped around Kin’s mouth. His blonde hair fell to his shoulders, and he still wore the same navy tailored suit. ‘I brought you the Talents, as promised,’ Xen retorted, examining his nails. ‘There are two more coming.’ Familiar Man nodded. The image blurred and disappeared, transporting me back to myself. I sat up in alarm. Alex was looking at me, astounded. ‘What did you do?’ ‘There’s no time,’ my voice came out with shocking clarity and fear. I got to my feet. ‘They have Kin and Blank.’ I met Alex’s puzzled expression my showing him the events that unfolded in the adjoining passageway. He looked at me in shock. ‘Let’s go.’ |
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