Experiment X

12 | Fire in the Dark

12 | Fire in the Dark

    There’s only darkness. It swallows everything. For a moment, it’s all Emberly can do but keep herself from crumpling, but she must remain strong no matter what. This is not the end. She will not let the darkness take her. She will fight with all that’s left within her. She will not give up so easily. She will be the fire. The fire in the dark.

    Emberly releases a strained sigh—then light. It bursts all around in them in a single, brilliant conflagration, and she gasps.

    It takes a few moments, for her eyes to adjust to the sudden bright light, and they see it. A giant, white wall faces them, towering impossibly above them eventually becoming lost in the drowning whiteness. They realize there are doors straight ahead within the wall. Glass double doors.

    They stand there dumbfounded, well Emberly at least. If she had been expecting anything for the course…It certainly hadn’t been a wall with a set of doors. How odd.

    Her neck hairs rise, as she feels as though they are being watched. Why would she think, or feel such a thing? Well…Maybe they are being watched. Emberly blinks, opens her mouth as if to say something but is cut off by another voice—

    “Hello, and welcome to your P.O.C.,” says the Voice. “You will be entering into your P.O.C. which is a building consisting of five levels, each disigned to increasingly test your specific abilities. Each level will become more difficult, and the objective is to reach the level…alive. You will be taking an elevator between the levels, and be given a short rest period between the levels…Also best to mention: you will be timed. You have exactly three hours to get through the course! Best of luck, and may you be victorious!

    “Go ahead, and walk through the doors.” The Voice silences and the glass doors automatically slide open.

    Emberly and Kel share a quick glance of uncertainty, but nod and continue to walk the unsealed doors. She braces herself for the unknown, and in a single moment they cross from the light and vanish beyond the threshold, the doors closing behind them.

    At first Emberly isn’t sure what to think. They both stand there, blinking, taking everything in all at once. The place they’re in is windowless, and a giant gray space with a steel-plated floor, but above the ceiling is tiled, and suspended metal sprinklers look down upon them. They are standing upon a small black, rectangular space. Before them at the end of the room is a digital clock with fiery, red numbers—the countdown has already started, and it’s going fast.

    Below the clock is another doorway, but its bright cherry red—it’s the elevator. They must reach it in time. The more Emberly stares at the floor, she begins to see red glittering lights embedded with obtruding black orbs. Her brow furrows.

    “What are those things?”

    Kel turns to her, smirking. “I don’t know…But whatever they are…They don’t look friendly.”

    “I doubt they are…”

    “So what are we supposed to do…Just running across this floor…Just doesn’t seem right.”

    Emberly shakes her head. “Yeah…Something about those…Things…They could be…” Her eyes widens as the foreign word comes to her. “They could be bombs…Of some type…”

    “Maybe, I don’t know…All I know is that we need to hurry up and make a decision on what to do.”

    “Let’s not be irrational…That’s how you end up dying,” Emberly says. “Rash, impulsive decisions. It won’t help anything…Let’s try this.” She extends an arm, holding out her hand, pressing her fingers together in a point. She flinches as her palm begins to glow, and  suddenly a blazing bright burst of fire shoots to the ground.