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Colossi · InkandNeon | Speculative Fiction Stories

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They call it megalophobia. At barely five foot
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two, the whole world has always seemed too heavy,
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too high, and far too vast. But there is a difference
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between being dwarfed by a skyline and a sickening
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gut -dropping certainty that whatever is towering
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above you is aware you're down there. A dread
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that never leaves, wearing the skin. of my six
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foot seven stepfather he didn't always deserve
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to be feared but a permanent no man's land stretched
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between us in 17 years we only ever embraced
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once and that was an accident rushing past him
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in my swimsuit at my 16th birthday party and
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he had only caught me as an alert new four and
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cracked my head open on the stairs now at nearly
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21 I'm finally leaving home. Leaving my mother
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in her current condition is still something of
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an internal tug of war between my inner selves.
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A struggle not made easy by the various medical
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cocktails I am forced to take. It is my hope
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that studying engineering, smothering myself
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in the cold certainty of steel and the logic
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of math, I can move past my insecurities. The
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depressions and the constant fear that plagues
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me. I only wish Michael could have been here
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to see me off. He would have been proud. He was
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my first and only crush. I hadn't so much as
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kissed anyone since his passing. Unless you count
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the faceless strangers drifting through my restless
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dreams. Nights of fancy inside a turbulent mind.
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Entering my vehicle I gripped the steering wheel
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close. My palms sweating as I both felt elated
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to see my mother, but fearful of what was walking
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out the house and towards me. I still can't believe
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you're leaving in two weeks, my stepfather said,
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his voice booming as he entered. He ducked his
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head and crammed into the passenger seat beside
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me. I reached up and unlatched the jib stranglers
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off top, rolling her back just so he could sit
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without crooking his neck. The frame groaned
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as he lowered himself in, and he wasn't just
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six foot seven. His weight also came closer to
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that of my car than to my own. It's a little
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cramped, he said with a dry chuckle, pulling
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the modified seatbelt across his chest and clicking
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it into the buckle. I couldn't look at him. I
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never could. Not in his face. I bit inside my
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cheek until I tasted copper, my pulse spiking.
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with the irrational panic that he simply might
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snap, toss me like scrap or loom over me with
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eyes and teeth three times the size of my own.
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My palms slipped from the steering wheel while
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my hand clawed blindly for somewhere safe to
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hide. I wanted to run back inside, hide under
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my bed, lock the door and find reason to the
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madness of the noises within me. And just as
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I head about open the car door, the voice of
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Michael caressed my ear. I felt the tough. of
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his hand on mine, guiding it back to the wheel.
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Breathe, Alicia. This calmly word, so perfect
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and clear, as if I had never lost him. I turned
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the key, and as the engine started, I found myself
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breathing alongside its roar. I felt safer within
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this metal box. We can do this, Alicia. I made
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a promise to your mother, whatever it takes.
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My stepfather reached forward and set a small
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hand -carved rook on the dashboard, tapping his
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crinolated top with a blunt thumb, before pulling
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his massive hand back. We can, I muttered, hiding
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the fear in my voice as I touched a wooden rook
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carving. Being in the cabin with him was always
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easier once the tires started rolling, driving
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off in things people normally bragged about.
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Freedom, independence, getting to work on time.
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But I valued the empowerment that came with this
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metal beast. The jeep wasn't a tank, but it was
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an exoskeleton. On foot, any stray bumper could
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smear me into pace against the asphalt, leaving
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some driver annoyed that my black hair had tangled
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in the radiator grille. Behind the wheel though,
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surrounded by stamped metal sheets and rolling
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momentum, I finally felt like I stood a fighting
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chance. If someone hit me, at least I'd take
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them down with me. If my doctors ever had access
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to that particular train of thought, I doubt
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that'd let me keep my license. Or perhaps I already
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knew, judging by the rattling peels in my purse.
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The drive was interrupted as my stepfather spoke.
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But it's unusual, he said, turning down the music
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to a faint low, ruining my time with the Soho
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Dolls. What is? I asked, ensuring my eyes remained
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fixed on an upcoming turn off on the freeway.
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If I missed it, it would take 40 minutes just
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to double back. Low, black clouds. See? In the
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south. He pointed. His long, outstretched arm,
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looking as if he could just grab the sky. They
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are. They're just clouds. I replied, turning
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my indicator on. Not thinking much of it. They
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might be. But such levels of preservation are
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not common during the middle of summer. I wonder
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what's happened. His voice carried on the wind
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to my earlobe, leaving me anxious to reply. Maybe
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it's Duck and McFly. I turned off the freeway
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and towards the destination. Hey, Alicia, do
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you mind if I make a call? My stepfather said
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as he slid my earbuds towards me. Sure, yeah,
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no problem. I slowed down just a bit to slide
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the earbuds in and immediately blast by the familiar
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comforting music as my father called someone
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on his mobile. This was a common occurrence between
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us. Ever since mum fell unwell, my stepfather
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would work mostly from home. Though living on
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base isn't exactly from home, but it's close
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enough. He spoke often about what I assumed was
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important topics I wouldn't know. All I knew
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was he was some big deal in the Air Force and
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that his buddies would call him Colossus. The
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trust between us was what had always held my
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curiosity at bay. When he had important calls,
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when he needed to have one at home or a meeting,
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I would put my runners on and close my PC and
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go for a run until he sent a thumbs up emoji
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to me. Yeah, there was something heavy in his
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words when he spoke about the clouds. piquing
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my curiosity above our level of trust. And so
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I lowered the volume just enough to hear what
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he was saying. Unusual pattern. Long black. He
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gave some numbers with what I assumed would latitude
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and longitude with a rather cold, careful tone.
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I felt that I had heard enough, and all he was
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doing was informing the base of what he was looking
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at. Can't believe Komoke Council never voted
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and the name would change, my stepfather said.
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But I was so transfixed on the long gothic wrought
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iron gates, flanked by the weary moss -ridden
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marble before us, that I had forgot he even said
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anything. It blew air towards me to get my attention,
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and smelt of today's tuna -melting rice. I winced
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and shook my head, removing a bud. Sorry. I asked
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my eyes, looking towards the gate booth. I didn't
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say anything, the gatekeeper said. Although I
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chuckled that the old man would have been better
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suited as a crypt keeper His shaking hands and
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gone appearance all but needed a black robe to
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perfect the set The iron gates opened and the
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sign labeled in bold ancient print hid behind
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a blanket of gnarled dead wood Hermes's asylum
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for the clinically insane I drove slowly up the
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cobblestone driveway It was a labyrinthian -like
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road that barely made much sense. We visited
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here many occasions, but each time felt like
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the first and would always take our time driving
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the steeps. My stepfather had concluded that
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the road was built in such a way that the patients
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within the hospital would get lost, making it
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easier for the orderlies to find and collect
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them. I had agreed with him that it was more
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ethical for a patient to be cold and afraid and
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to meet with the full force of the modern -day
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industrial complex in the shape of a headlong
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car from the freeway. The hospital itself was
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almost ethereal. I barely felt its presence whilst
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inside the comfort of the Jeep, parking my car
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under its long pale shadow at the furthest point
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of the driveway. There was one of only two cars
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in that sinister lot. Exiting the vehicle, I
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Looked up towards the towering behemoth of a
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building, I stretched far above the tree canopy,
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hanging like a killer ape from the waning bark
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of an old mountain. My feet turned to jelly and
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I latched my arm through the side mirror to prevent
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myself falling to my knees. Alicia, you alright?
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My stepfather asked when they were to approach.
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His arms ready to wrestle me to the ground with
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the same gusto as though I was a fire. I am fine.
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Just a minute. I took my glasses out and placed
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them over my eyes. The dark lenses helped cast
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a shadow on everything aside from what was directly
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in front of me. Adjusting my composure, I pulled
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straight my skirt and fixed up my shirt and hair
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before walking towards the hospital beside my
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stepfather. My eyes looking anywhere but towards
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his face. The four -hour feet found purchase
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on the hospital stairway. The only other vehicle
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with a lot had caught my eye. At first I thought
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it was my perplexing imagination that had envisioned
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a car from the early 1900s, but now seated closer
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I thought that perhaps a horse and cart might
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have been a more efficient vehicle. Are you sure
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this is the best place for mother? I asked, my
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attention turning back to the thick glass doors
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of the hospital. If there was a better place,
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in a heart's beat, she would be there. I could
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tell my stepfather meant it. but a long, confident
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tone in his voice followed with sincerity, I
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know. I admitted the defeat of my pestilent anxieties
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and moved my black heels up the stairs. The hospital
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opened up like a whale shark's maw as we stepped
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through. Millions of teeth were a place of polished
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marble and well -kept steel. Patients could be
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heard all through the admissions, singing, running,
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and very faintly. Screaming. I see. Mr. and Miss
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Hart, how nice of you to stop by. The woman at
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the front desk was dressed in a nun's outfit,
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a smile radiating though warm, was dreadfully
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unfamiliar. I did not know the cloister participated
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in the care of this hospital. That's how father
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said as I began to encircle the room. Don't fret,
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Mr. Hart. We are only assisting in helping with
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the logistical side of things, while the staff
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take a break. Anon smiled happily and comfortably
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as she clacked away at the computer. I paused,
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looking at the strangely polished wall. It was
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different from the others, like how one could
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tell an animation that something is going to
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move or get interacted with due to the slightly
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brighter colour. A mural. A creeping voice said
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his words like spindly hairy legs of a spider
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crawling down my neck. I turned the face of the
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speaker. It was the lanky glass -eyed silhouette
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of a man long past his prime. His shoulders clung
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to the gown like a rusted clothes hanger. His
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fingers that tapped the clipboard in his palm
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like dried out gas station sausages. Mero? I
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asked cautiously, as uncertain as the man looked.
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I felt unafraid of him. I didn't doubt I could
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run from his reach and break through whatever
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hold he might have. Limbo. Separation from God.
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But not evilly spirited, he said, as his hand
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calmly and gently caressed the wall. As in, from
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Dante's Inferno? Isn't that a little sacrilegious?
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It's not canon. Right? I said, quoting the bunny
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ears. My family has run this place of care since
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the inception of our kind upon the soil. Our
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hands toiled and carved the stone from the very
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mountain beside us. The man's head turned towards
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me with all the grace of a rusted axel. So you're
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a hermit, she then? I posed. Curiously, I ain't
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up the lich -like man. Yes. In the flesh. His
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teeth chattered and he extended his hand towards
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mine. I felt like I had been nothing but rude
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to the man. I turned to see the back of my stepfather,
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talking happily with the nun, a smile on her
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face and even a rosy blush. Nice to meet you
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then. I turned to the hermit she doctor, my hand
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touching his. His palms did not feel like the
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chalk wrapped in wet tissues as I first thought
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they would. Instead, they felt lean, strong,
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not powerful, but precise and purposeful. You
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have. He sucked in air and I cringed, bracing
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for what weird words he would spout. Cold hands.
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He smiled, a toothy smile. Every one of his teeth
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perfect, not veneers, but eerily naturally perfect.
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I pulled my hand back. Swiftly, not jarringly
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as to cause offence, but politely. Ladylike.
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To say that was enough. Why limbo? I asked as
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I continued to envision the burning, PCP induced
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hellscape from the Divine Comedy. The doctor
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took a deep breath. I braced, feeling like I
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had just about walked into my own inferno. And
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here'd be my Virgil. And I felt the shadow of
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my stepfather over me, cast by the fluorescent
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tube gliding. Come, militia. Your mother awaits."
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He seemed eager that I left Dr. Hermes's side.
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Though I was hesitant, my heart bounced at the
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thought of seeing my mother again. It had been
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far too long. Leaving the doctor's side, his
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eyes like orbs rolled from my rear as I looked
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back towards him, and his attention turned to
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the potentiality of that blank wall. I waited
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until we were down the hall before I opened my
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mouth, hugging the corners of the hallway. Why
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are the nuns here? I whispered. Seems like a
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lot of the staff are sick and the hospital is
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short staff. So the cloister graciously offered
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their aid. I knew little about my stepfather
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personally. We had been family for more years
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than we hadn't and never once did we attend church.
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But he always prayed at night. I heard him when
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I was just a girl and it frightened me. I thought
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it was some kind of devil speak. as I had never
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heard someone pray in Latin before. That's nice
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of them. I shrugged. As my words began to slur,
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the hallway started to constrict and contract
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as we walked. I lowered my head to limit my vision
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further, but the movement of my own bare knees
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and the tapping of my heels only caused more
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nausea. I heard the screams above the laughter
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and... I heard the screams above the laughter
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and talking of the halls. Louder and louder they
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grew to the growls to the air of the Banshees
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of Revenance, their twisted words pounding against
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my own heartbeat. Hands drifting for anything
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to brace against the wall, my ribs felt likely
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to explode my heart, barely the size of a horse
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as I found something to stabilize myself. It
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moved as I put all 50 kilograms of weight onto
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it, and I nearly doubled over. I stumbled through
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a doorway, my knees seizing and bucking. but
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released like lubricated joints as I smelt the
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familiar scent of freshly dried clothes and warm
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cinnamon. Mum! I called out. All pain, fear and
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anxiety left me and I felt the grey walls burst
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back of colour. My mother stood up from the side
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of her bed, her long dirty blonde hair waving
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in the air, her skin nearly bronze and beautiful
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and as smooth as she had ever been. I wrapped
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my arms around her and pulled her in tightly.
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Alicia, my dearest snowflower. Her voice was
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a cathartic wave across me. I squeezed her with
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every syllable. It might have been too much,
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by the thought of my mum going a day without
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knowing how much she meant to me. Peeled layers
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from my heart. I missed you so much, I said,
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pulling away her nose against mine. Oh, my dear.
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It's only been a week. She smiled her resplendent
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smile, and I etched it into my mind to keep forever
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like a diamond sculpture. I'm sorry. It's a bit
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much. I don't mean to. I flailed, gently wiping
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my face as to not smudge my mascara by giving
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up halfway. Don't be sorry, Alicia. Mum let me
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go after she gave me a kiss on the forehead.
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Looking towards my stepfather, she held my hand
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gently. Ian. I'm glad you were here too. Your
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car is fixed? Mum asked in such a tone that nearly
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tricked me into thinking we were at home. Sitting
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at the dining table, I half expected her to tut
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at me and sigh for leaving my car lights on again
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all night. Not yet. Alicia drove me all the way
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here, by herself. Ian sat on the other side of
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the bed, buzzing it to groan. I turned my head
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away from my mother's face as to not meet my
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step -fathers, but I squeezed her hand tightly
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in my lap. Is this true? Mum took her hand and
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placed it against my cheek as she moved, blocking
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my sight from Ian's as she looked closer. Yeah,
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I mean, his car isn't available, right? Makes
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logical sense, right? If he had asked to borrow
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a car, it would have been weird, and people would
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ask, why not get a leash to take you? And then
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it would just draw more attention. Hush. Mum
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placed her finger on my lips and smiled. I'm
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proud of you. Her hand gripped tighter. Mum?
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I looked into her pearly green eyes. The question
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already asked in a visual exchange, and tears
21:00
welled in between us. Soon, my dear. Soon. Mum
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answered. I just... We just want you back, please.
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I can't go. I can't go knowing you're still here.
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I... Mum pulled me in close, tucking my head
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into her chest as she wrapped her arms around
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me. Don't be afraid to live your life, with or
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without me, okay? Mum said softly into my ear.
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But I can't. Selfish Mum. I can't do this alone.
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I need you. I held back the tears as best I could.
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Not from pride, but to try to... but to try my
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best to remain coherent so that these precious
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moments meant as much as possible. You'll never
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be alone, no matter what. I promise you that.
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We will always be there for you, Alicia," my
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staff father said, his slight movements rocking
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the bed. Stammering, I wiped my face off my shirt,
22:02
smudging my makeup further in frustration. I
22:06
will give you two a minute. I sniffled, reluctantly
22:09
letting go of her hand and leaving the room.
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The hallway transitioned like the vacuum -packed
22:17
neatness of an airplane into a humid, cold bog.
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Instantly feeling the cold, sterile air -conditioned
22:25
against my skin, like a million bugs licking
22:28
and dibbling on me. I folded my skirt and sat
22:31
on a nearby chair. I was just about to put my
22:35
music back in. My thumb scrolling through the
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playlists when I had mom and stepfather talking
22:42
over the sounds and scurrying about the hospital.
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How is she again? Better? Mom said her voice
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soft and muffled by the door. Amazing, Annalise.
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Great marks across the board. The universities
23:00
were basically a blood brawl trying to get to
23:02
her. My stepfather's word brought an unexpected
23:05
smile across my face. Don't worry. Then she decides
23:10
to stay. For whatever reason, I have friends,
23:14
connections. She loves you so much, darling.
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I can't fault her if she wants to. My stepfather
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said further, Thank you, Ian. I'm sorry. I'm
23:25
sorry for what I did. I just... Like a reflex,
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I jumped to my feet. One of the orderlies backed
23:31
away from me, taking a second glance, making
23:33
sure I wasn't impatient. As I wanted to rush
23:36
to my mother's sobbing, my hand held out. Against
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the handle as my ears listen further. There wasn't
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anything I could do for mom I didn't have connections
23:47
or friends or wealth to afford her treatment
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It wasn't for my stepfather. She'd be in a padded
23:54
cell alongside my biological father I retracted
24:00
my hand and went back to the chair Tucking my
24:02
knees to my chest. I stared at a reflection of
24:06
myself on an upturned silver plate. I looked
24:09
like a sad miserable mime. Maybe that's what
24:13
I should be. I often speak too much. I decided
24:18
to find a listen of music to drown out my mother's
24:21
confession. I didn't even hear again what she
24:23
did, what she accidentally did. One mistake and
24:26
it wasn't even her fault, not really. And shouldn't,
24:30
should her whole life be ruined just because
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of that? I opened my phone and scrolled to find
24:36
the picture of Michael to make my mind a nicer
24:39
place. My favorite was One we took together on
24:43
a beach. The warm sands were terrific. I had
24:47
gotten a tan on that little holiday. Went from
24:50
resembling an embalmed corpse to an actual human.
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Pausing on my own thought I remembered Michael's
24:58
corpse. Drowning left his body perfectly preserved,
25:03
but a single scratch on him. I had looked down
25:07
inside that comfortable coffin and wondered if
25:10
I ever should have just joined him. He would
25:14
tell me not to blame myself, but it wasn't my
25:16
fault. I gripped my knees tighter with my pathetic
25:20
weak arms Weak and worthless. They weren't strong
25:25
enough to drag him out of the water quick enough
25:27
Not strong enough to ensure the CPR repetitions
25:30
weak. I yelled uncontrollably I smothered my
25:33
mouth with my hands and heard the door open behind
25:36
me Alicia you alright? My stepfather asked sorry.
25:43
Yeah It's just a song, my bad, got carried away.
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I lied, far too naturally, keeping my head towards
25:52
the phone. Oh, sorry, sorry for bothering you.
25:56
My stepfather disappeared back into the room.
26:00
He and mum would be a while, and with hours left
26:03
still on visitation, I decided it would be undercoming
26:07
if I remained so utterly miserable looking. Hi,
26:12
um, miss? I asked a young nun walking by. My
26:16
words caught her attention, even if her eyes
26:18
valued me with scorn. How can I help you, child?
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Her words rolled from her tongue in the righteous
26:26
arrogance of somebody who thought they were better
26:28
than me. And get me wrong, assholes existed everywhere.
26:33
Believing in God doesn't make you immune to that.
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I was wondering if there was a room. One I could
26:41
fix myself up in. Adjusted towards my face and
26:44
smudged black jacket. The nun didn't hesitate.
26:48
There was a mocking agreement that hastened her
26:51
unclipping a key and handing it to me, as if
26:53
I was a leper. Room 9 is free. Enjoy your stay.
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She cocked her head, smiling. The inks? I took
27:01
one last look at the nun as I unlocked the door.
27:05
A small tattoo of a sword on her heel as she
27:07
walked up the staircase. Odd, I thought. I didn't
27:12
know nuns got ink. I shrugged. Perhaps she was
27:16
something before she was a nun. Laser surgery
27:19
is expensive. I opened the door and locked it
27:23
behind me. It was a room, nearly identical to
27:28
my mother's. A bit less homey and much colder,
27:32
but it would suit the need. I entered the bathroom
27:35
and began adjusting my makeup. Her clean tasks,
27:38
since I didn't have all the tools with me. I
27:42
couldn't just remove everything and start again.
27:44
Especially since the wood was so frigid, I swear
27:47
it turned to ice as it fell down the drain. The
27:51
therapeutic brush strokes calmed my nerves. My
27:55
heart rate stayed low, and my smile lingered
27:58
on my face as I applied the lipstick. There,
28:02
much more presentable, lady. I mocked and bowed
28:06
at my reflection. Huh? I turned, hearing some
28:11
kind of rattling from someplace far behind me.
28:15
The window I originally thought was white had
28:18
now become pitch blank and the room began to
28:21
smell of wet earth. It must be about to rain.
28:24
I thought, remembering my stepfather's observation
28:27
about the clouds, suddenly there was a loud crack
28:31
thunder. So loud was the single rumble that I
28:35
felt in the roots of my teeth, in my bones. And
28:38
if it was just a decibel higher, it would have
28:40
burst my eardrums rather than just causing intense
28:44
pain. As I winced, rain began to fall. For a
28:47
few seconds it was just a trickle. But then before
28:50
I even got back to sort, so high was the pressure
28:53
of the rain that it beat against a window I genuinely
28:56
believed the glass would crack. I yelled fright,
28:59
scooping my things into my bag and racing out
29:02
of the room. I didn't even bother locking the
29:04
door behind me as I flew back to room four of
29:06
my mother. The room had lost a scent of comfort
29:10
as out on the balcony stood my stepfather, a
29:13
satellite phone in hand. Rain lapping against
29:16
him despite his torrential and impossibly heavy
29:19
weight He stood straight against it like a tower
29:25
Mom, what the fuck? I asked rather begged her
29:29
for some kind of answer Hun, I don't know Never
29:33
seen it come so suddenly before or rain like
29:36
this on the middle of summer. It is summer, right?
29:42
My mom pulled out a journal from a dresser and
29:44
began to flick through it It's definitely summer
29:47
mum, unless time itself has just goofed us. I
29:51
looked down at my mum's journals, a handwriting.
29:53
Oh, it's so neat. Straight, no flare and you
29:56
could swear it was just printed. Nothing. I watched
30:02
the sky just for as a hobby for months. This
30:05
shouldn't be here. Mum pulled out the radio from
30:08
the side and began to cycle the channels, but
30:11
there was nothing but static. Maybe the storms
30:16
blocking it? I shouted as the balcony door opened,
30:20
bringing with it the full extent of the absolute
30:22
monsoon before us. Ian! Mum turned to him, as
30:26
I planted my face into a radio, adjusting the
30:29
dials. Impossible. I fell through to Hammerhead,
30:32
but they had just as in the dark. This is going
30:35
through to all the specialists, something's not
30:37
right. I stepped farther, took my mum into her
30:40
hands, stood at the radio hiss. Dammit! I grind,
30:44
removing a few pins from my pouch. Sorry. I whispered.
30:49
Signals are all dead, but if we can just sit.
30:53
I held the radio up in a eureka moment, and I
30:56
was short -lived in its pride as I huddled against
30:58
it. Stations worldwide are reporting strange
31:02
snow in the Simpson desert, darkness in Nevada.
31:05
The radio then crackled and fizzled its power
31:08
supply, burst and choked a dying cough. What
31:12
do we do? I asked my mum, as we held each other
31:17
tightly. You two stay here. No news means good
31:20
news. If it's bad, I will send someone from Amberhead
31:23
to pick you up. Copy? The stepfather had said,
31:26
already making for the door. What? Why? Can't
31:31
we all just go now? I barked. I must run down
31:34
the road. The path is going to have almost flooded
31:37
by now, and it's too dangerous. I won't risk
31:40
your lives. I wanted to argue, to protest, to
31:43
look him in the eyes and say we are leaving.
31:45
But I couldn't. For one, he was right. I could
31:49
hear the water running like a river already.
31:52
Don't forget to bug bag the new Jeep, Alicia.
31:55
It will come in handy. Just be careful and keep
31:58
this door secure, alright? My stepfather slid
32:01
out the door with no more words and I walked
32:03
towards it, putting the chair against it as he
32:06
left. Alicia, come sit with me. Mum padded on
32:12
the bedsheets, but my thoughts were miles away
32:14
from the warm, cosy comfort she was offering.
32:17
Come on, my stepfather, it was up to me to look
32:19
after her. Look after us both. I wanted nothing
32:24
more than to curl up beside her and pretend we
32:26
were safe But safe was a luxury we couldn't afford
32:31
yet. I needed to get those bug -out bags Sorry,
32:35
mum. I have to get it. I should have just gone
32:38
with him in the first place I kissed her forehead
32:42
and slipped out her grip before she could talk
32:44
me out of it I burst into the hallway in nearly
32:48
the exact same stride Ian had taken almost as
32:51
if to prove how in sync we were. At the far end
32:55
of the corridor, the dark hem of his jacket flooded
32:58
briefly around the corner or disappearing into
33:01
the stairwell. Ran down the hall, outpacing my
33:06
own anxieties, flooding my mind with the singular
33:09
rhythm of the mission, get the bags, get back
33:12
inside, keep mom safe. That was all that mattered.
33:16
My legs worked on pure instinct and even When
33:18
my stocking feet skid on water that had somehow
33:22
pulled along the interior floorboards, the momentum
33:25
only drove me faster off toward the entrance.
33:30
Absolute panic had gripped the ward. Terrified
33:32
shrieks and frantic shouts collided in a chaotic
33:36
and coffin -y against -the -hollow laughter of
33:38
the inmates. Yet the closer of nuns seemed entirely
33:42
unfazed. They moved through the madness with
33:45
the same calm. Deliberate purpose as before,
33:49
almost happier now, their eyes glazed with quiet
33:53
anticipation. Reaching the main foyer, I kicked
33:56
off my heels. Through the plate glass, I could
33:58
barely make out my stepfather's tarrowing silhouette,
34:01
dissolving into the driving sheet of black rain.
34:06
No more heroes. A voice sneered behind me. I
34:09
whipped around, my wet hair lashing across the
34:11
young nun's nose. She stepped back, her thin
34:16
lips curling into an expression of cold disgust.
34:20
Getting my bags, and I'll be back. I spat, desperate
34:24
to brush past her without needing to explain
34:26
myself to a stranger. Doors are locked, you cannot
34:30
pass. A flat, mocking smile crept across her
34:34
features. Open it, now! I demanded, trying to
34:39
force steel into my voice, but the shout - cracked
34:42
in my throat, coming out as a desperate childish
34:45
squeak. No, she answered plainly, let me out.
34:50
I slammed my hands against the heavy glass, peering
34:54
out into the torrential gloom. The dark green
34:57
roof of my Wrangler was barely visible beneath
35:00
the deluge, which seemed to thicken every second.
35:04
I drew back a fist to hammer on the pain again,
35:07
mimicking the desperate temper of the patients
35:09
screaming far behind me. Magnetic seal abruptly
35:13
disengaged, the door yielded beneath my weight.
35:17
Bouncing back over my shoulder, I saw Dr. Hermish
35:20
slowly retracting his skeletal hand from the
35:23
front desk buzzer. His other hand, he gave a
35:28
sharp frantic wave, silently urging me to move.
35:33
I vaulted over the stone balustrade and plunged
35:36
into the courtyard garden. Dense wet shrubbery
35:39
tore at my skirt as I splashed through the ankle
35:42
-deep runoff, revolting the retaining wall to
35:46
the lower parking lot. My feet hit the asphalt,
35:49
and then the bottom completely fell out from
35:52
beneath me. In a split second, I wasn't wading
35:57
through a parking bay. I was plummeting into
36:00
a freezing, lightless abyss. Immense hydraulic
36:04
pressure crushed inward against my skull and
36:09
ribs. from every direction. Panic seized my limbs.
36:14
How could there be so much water in a driveway?
36:17
I kicked furiously, clawing outward for the rim
36:20
of the storm drain or a broken manhole, while
36:24
my fingers found nothing but endless, freezing
36:27
void. I thrashed upwards, lungs burning, when
36:33
my mouth gasped open to forcibly draw in air
36:36
against my command. I found myself breathing
36:39
into liquid. It was a thick and smooth puree.
36:43
I tasted of ash and it caused a deep pain within
36:47
me, but I was not content to continue to inhale
36:51
this slurry. I believed that in my drowning state,
36:54
my mind was trying to soften the blow of death.
36:58
So with one last ounce of adrenaline left in
37:00
my veins, I thrust one arm towards the surface.
37:04
My fingers clotted with cold stamped sheet metal.
37:07
I clamped down on the steel bumper, hauling my
37:10
upper body out of the depths with a desperate,
37:12
ragged fury. I crashed onto my hands and knees
37:16
on the wet tarmac, spewing forth a mixture of
37:19
gritty sand and brackish fluid, gasping for air.
37:23
I blinked the stinging water from my eyes and
37:26
the Jeep stood directly in front of me, parked
37:28
in mere inches of churning surface runoff. Trembling
37:31
violently, I fished the key fob from my jacket.
37:35
I hit the unlocked toggle and and I dragged myself
37:38
inside like a drowned rat crawling out of a sewer
37:41
drain. I collapsed across the leather bucket
37:44
seat for a long second, slamming the door against
37:48
the deafening roar outside, but the sanctuary
37:51
was elusive. Beneath me, the chassis groaned
37:55
and shifted, tires slipping on the asphalt under
37:58
the crushing hydraulic weight bearing down. Scrambling
38:02
over the console into the back, I reached beneath
38:05
the rear bench. and hold both tactical bug -out
38:08
bags from their mounts. I yanked the zippers
38:11
open to quickly verify they were filled with
38:14
supplies. With a dull pang of frustration, we
38:19
had all but forgotten fresh clothes. My hand
38:22
plunged deeper into the bottom of the black bag,
38:26
and my fingers wrapped around cold, unmistakable
38:29
checkering. I hold it out under the amber dome
38:32
like, thank God. I breathed. clutching the map
38:37
like Smith and Wesson's shield to my chest. I
38:40
clipped the kydex holster into my waistband,
38:43
smoothing my sodden blouse over the grip and
38:46
an immediate, quiet focus washed over me. I had
38:49
spent many weekends at the range honing my skill
38:53
and my familiarity with guns. They were, after
38:57
all, one of the most impactful feats of human
39:01
engineering. Even my stepfather was proud that
39:04
I had taken the time. to learn arms. Going so
39:08
far as to say that even a man his size could
39:10
be felled by a neatly packed American -made 9mm.
39:17
Drawing courage from the cold iron at my hip,
39:20
I slung one pack across my chest and wasted the
39:23
other over my shoulders. I felt ridiculous, kitted
39:28
out like a doomsday prepper over a summer rainstorm,
39:32
and I banished the doubt immediately. My stepfather
39:35
wouldn't have abandoned his post on foot. if
39:38
this was just bad weather. I kicked the door
39:42
open and dropped back into the churning current.
39:46
The hospital above was almost entirely obscured,
39:49
a massive waterfall cascading off the edge of
39:52
its sloped gothic roof. This time I moved with
39:57
calculated caution, planting each step firmly,
40:00
eyes scanning the tarmac. The rain beat down
40:04
so violently it has stripped every trace of makeup
40:08
from my skin. My last false eyelash washed down
40:12
my cheek and entered a flood. My head through
40:16
the watery blur. The stone steps materialized.
40:20
A waist -high current tugged hard at my skirt.
40:23
While my boots found purchase on the lower riser,
40:27
hauling myself out of the suction of the water,
40:29
I'd take it up to the final flight and hit the
40:33
glass doors with my full weight. The latch gave
40:36
way and I slipped inside, sinking against the
40:39
glass. catch my breath. Sweat stung my eyes,
40:43
mixed with rain and exhaustion. My thighs trembled
40:47
from the climb, but the gear was secure. Dr.
40:51
Homish began from across the foyer, stepping
40:53
forward, but his words died instantly. A suffocating
40:57
dead silence fell over the room. The silence
41:01
was unnaturally so, that even every light in
41:05
the room obeyed it. A long resounding call filled
41:09
my bones, swimming through my marrow, then rising
41:13
up through each and every part of me, a chorus
41:19
of feelable sound. I did not have the means to
41:26
interpret whatever language this was, but it
41:30
filled me with such dread that I dared not look
41:32
towards what had made that sound behind me through
41:37
the frosted glass of the entrance. An immense
41:41
shadow fell across the lot, and then what sounded
41:45
like rapids ensued. The rapids turned to purposeful
41:49
splashing. Something was now swimming in the
41:53
water outside. I dared not turn to see what I
41:58
had narrowly missed. My mind had not yet come
42:02
to grips with the reality of what just happened,
42:08
but a singular, grounded, mundane thought rose
42:11
above the rest. Why was there no wind? End of
42:18
part one.