A woman in her 40s leaned against a light pole next to a bus bench. A metal scriber twirled between her sun-spotted fingers. The object left its symbolic markings embedded in her thin skin. She breathed in, filling her lungs beyond the normal capacity.
Sulfur...
She released the pressure through her teeth, inflating her cheeks. "How many times are we going to do this?"
The overhead light blinked at her, slowly returning to its full humming brightness. With each flash, a figure began appearing on the bench. A fine red and black suit came into focus. It sat on the bench with one leg crossed. Smoke crept from the collar and sleeves. Through the smoke, hands appeared resting on its knee. "You're the one who keeps resisting. You know, if you want to be rid of me, all you have to do is hand over the scriber."
"And you know that's not going to happen." She continued twirling the scriber between her fingers.
"After, what, almost twenty years, you still want this dance of ours to continue... You know it's not going to last forever. You're getting older, slower, more fragile." The figure tilted its smoking collar, as if to look up toward her. "You could end all of this right now, Jocelyn."
"So you say... every time." She stopped twirling the scriber, straightening upright. "Can we get on with this? My ride is going to be here soon."
"I guess there's no point in delaying. Our conversations are becoming repetitive lately." She moved to the bench and took a seat beside the suit. He raised one hand near its collar.
Snap
The edges of her vision darkened. Blackness swirled in, overtaking the whites of her eyes. The wood panels of the bench dug into her back as her consciousness faded and slumped down in her seat.
Her eyes opened to complete darkness. "Same old, same old..."
She took the scriber between her thumb and middle finger, flicking it up into the air. "Flit". A few of the symbols on the scriber lit up. It slowed its descent and hung in the air next to her. "Bolide". Again, some of the symbols lit up and it began spinning end-over-end, forming into an orb of light as it sped up. Its radiance comforted her with its warm embrace before bursting into flecks showering over the area. "Intercept". The flecks froze in the air giving a nighttime sky authentic against the black background.
Hm... The bus bench? He must be getting tired of this too. Not like him to put so little effort in trying to kill me. Well, lets see what he's cooked up now.
The heels of her boots thumped against the concrete as she moved away. She followed the trail for a minute, then coming to a stop. Before her was the bench under the lamppost.
She looked back, a suffocating darkness swallowed the sidewalk. "A loop? Alright old man." She faced towards the light. "Keeping it simple this time, huh?"
She crossed under the light and took a seat. She examined the interior of the shell around her. Nothing but plexiglass and green metal tubing. She leaned forward to peer up at the light.
"Converge". Three of the light flecks streaked towards the lamp. They pierced through the cover destroying the head.
"Was that really necessary?" The suit appeared with its back turned, as if sitting on another bench behind her.
"What the?!" She leaped from the bench, fists clutched, scriber poised.
"Do you have to kill everything you come across?"
"Just you... once." Every muscle clenched in Jocelyn. "This is a first. You never come into your own illusion. Aren't you worried you might not make it back out? Or are you getting desperate?"
"That's an amusing thought. Why would someone who now has infinite time feel desperate? Perhaps it's merely a projection of yourself in me?" The suit continued to sit, unmoving.
"I don't care to play your mind games. Converge." 10 more flecks beamed toward the suit. They collided with the bench, exploding it into splinters.
His voice crawled up the back of her neck. "See?"
"Obstruct!" Every fiber of her being clinched, trying to removing her from his proximity. The scriber positioned itself in front of her. Several more flecks were summoned before it, suspended in the air. The back of her leg was sore from the strain. But, he wasn't there anymore. "What kind of game are you playing at, old man?"
The destroyed overhead light was renewed and it flickered on. He now stood under it, arms behind his back. "You know I always hated when you called me that. Should I bend you over my knee for old time's sake?"
A smile cracked the corner of her lips. "Remember what happened the last time you tried?"
"I'm sure that is a happy thought for you, dear daughter. Rest assured, the taste will be much sweeter for me once I've pried that scriber from your lifeless hands." His hands swung out to his sides. With both hands, Snap.
The ground opened up, a maw devouring its dinner. She fell for a few seconds before smashing into the ground again. "Tink, Tink, Tink..." the metal stick bounced across the concrete.
"What the?" She scrambled towards it but it lay lifeless on the ground. Why did it break command? What did he do?
She looked around. Again, the bus bench. The setting had been reset. She flicked the metal stick into the air again, "Flit". It obeyed command. She couldn't afford to dwell on it and instead re-established her light flecks.
What the hell was that?
Her shoulders burned. Not once had she let her guard down nor was she going to. She squinted her eyes, examining every detail. Still, nothing stood out, nothing to understand.
From the darkness, footsteps stirred. A lot of footsteps. "Finally making your move?" She used the bench as a stepping stone to jump up and climb onto the shelter. She watched and listened from the elevated position.
Mm... I need to calm down. She twisted her neck to the side and up and a rapid series of cracks ran up her spine. Then pulled her shoulders forward as hard as she could subduing the burning sensation.
Small voices began emanating from just beyond the lamp's reach. They moved from one ear to the next, and back. She couldn't focus on a single point.
From behind her, a hand slapped the ground, crawling in from the darkness. The appendage was accompanied by 6 others. All were attached to a bald, dog sized, ant-like body. Its head swayed and rotated like it was on a swivel with drool leaking from its mouth.
"Ugh... Him and his creepy crawlies." She glanced over at the life line floating next to her. "Obstruct. Engage."
A dozen light flecks positioned themselves in front of her. A thirteenth shot towards the creature, piercing it's body. It flipped over onto its back, writhing in agony. Its horrific scream riled the rest of the creatures hiding in the dark. One by one, they began rushing in towards her.
The flecks rained down. A new star falling for each monstrosity exposed to the light. Each pierced, like the one before but they were getting closer. It took only seconds for the creatures to begin trying to get up the shelter. The only thing nearby was the lamp post. 41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdImbw7pbwZ
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwREQK8wvyE
Clink. Clink. Clink... Three steps and she leaped for the neck. Her hands wrapped the top and her body continued halfway around. The creatures leaped too. The weight of the impact pushed the post over and she came crashing down.
Obstruct starting firing flecks at the ones that got too close by rushing her. They were replaced by new flecks from the space. She crawled to her feet into a full sprint, rushing into the mob. She jumped on to the first creature, her touch firing a fleck into it and propelling her to the next.
The swarm grew blanketing the ground, turning into a literal wave of giant biting humanoid ants. She bounced and climbed over the wave.41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuSOz9tew0I
41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjcGrEvNQDZ
When did he get this strong? Has he really been toying with me this whole time? She bound from one to the next, treading over the sea of monsters. Her flecks were having trouble keeping up, reloading Obstruct. Engage streaked through the air overhead but it too wasn't enough to keep them at bay. Her breath was becoming ragged. I can't keep this up.
Lightning shot up her leg, her ankle rolled off of a back. She splashed into the tide being immediately consumed. The creatures pulled at her limbs and hair. Their teeth gnashing at her flesh, leaving bruised marks across her body.
"Converge!" A flash of blinding light beamed down and erased the landscape. With the creatures gone, she spiraled towards the ground.
Snap.
Another maw opened in the ground and swallowed her whole. She thudded on the asphalt again, collapsing her lungs. Panic overtook her, thrashing about gasping for air. She rolled up to one knee, pulling hard to draw in air. She scanned over the scenery while her breath stabilized. It was silent. Attempting to stand, her weight was too taxing and her whole body collapsed this time onto her hands. She noticed the scriber laid on the ground a few feet away from her.
"Is that it already? Thought it would take more than that to put you down." Heels clomped along the sidewalk. The suit emerged from the darkness, slow, measured. "Perhaps I underestimated just how worn out you are. Or, the scriber is more taxing on you than I thought?"
Jocelyn strained to lift her body off the ground. Her pants scraped against the asphalt pulling her knees under her. Small rocks embedded into her palms as she pushed herself upright.
"Do you not have the energy for one of your smartass remarks?" Old man's pace continued.
"What did you do? How are you able to interfere with it?" Her breath still strained.
"Nothing at all. I noticed it takes a considerable amount of energy for you to use the scriber. Then I realized, I didn't need to take you head on. If I could drop you into several new illusions, you would tire yourself out eventually." He stepped next to the scriber, and picked it up. "Looks like you're not strong enough to resist me anymore."
He pivoted on his heels to face her. His smoky hands held the scriber between their forefingers and thumbs. Snap
Her body slumped with a sharp exhale. He tossed the two pieces, bouncing and rolling towards her. She stared, unblinkingly at them.
"This was easier than I thought it would be. Daddy is very disappointed in you."
A sharp laugh escaped Jocelyn's lips. "Yeah... He was a piece of work, just like you. But you're not him. I buried him. You're just an imposter. And, you're after a power you don't even understand. Like all those before you."
"That's big talk coming from someone who can hardly move. But I'll entertain you. Please, enlighten me on what it is I don't understand."
She reached down and picked up the pieces. She examined them for a second before twirling one of them in her hand, and then the other. "I guess I have no choice now but to let you in on the secret." She raised both hands up near her face, still twirling. She looked over her fingers, inspecting the symbol's indentions. "Since you wanted to do this forever... Let's do it."
The suit took a step back. It hesitated, frozen in place.
"Event." All of the symbols on her left hand lit up. "Horizon." The ones on her right followed suit. The light spread through her arms to the rest of her body. She became the gravity of the space with everything being pulled into her. The smoke from the suit fought to hold its ground but was losing. Its tether grew longer and longer.
The light from her body arched out from her to encompass the surrounding area. The ring of light spun faster and faster. Creating friction with space itself, heating up the air.
A long trail of smoke tailed out of the collar. A single smoky hand anchored tight to it.
The ring started to contract being pulled in by the gravity. The creatures from before were hidden in the dark. They poured over each other trying to escape the light but also being pulled towards Jocelyn. Tighter and tighter, the gravity increased, the heat grew, creatures sizzled in it.
The surrounding horde began breaking off, piece by piece, pulled into Jocelyn. Progressing into a full wave, the suit was knocked off balance and pulled into the center. The ring of light soon followed with the rest caught in its net. The light collided causing an explosion, breaking the illusion. A small flash of light and, "Tink... Tink.. Tink." A scriber bounced across the concrete and rolled in front of a bus bench.
The city transit pulled up to the spot. A woman stepped off the bus and looked around as it pulled off. "Alright, I can hear you now. Jocelyn was supposed to meet me here, right?"
The voice in her earbud replied, "Yeah. She's probably just running a few minutes behind, like me."
"Yeah, probably." She noticed something shining on the ground and moved to investigate. "Hey, I think this is Jocelyn's." She picked up the scriber and looked it over. "No, its not the same. The symbols are different."
"Isn't that the thing she's always fiddling with?"
"Yeah, but..." She started twirling it, to her own surprise. "Its weird. I feel like I'm supposed to have this."
"Well, ask her about it when you see her."
The woman looked around. The street was empty. "I don't think she's coming... I'm on my way to meet you over there."
"Alright. Be safe out there. Never know what kind of creeps are hiding in the dark."41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dVVduvEhY
and then Add to home screen.