Power of M

chapter 36

36. I'm going to die in a pipe. So just want to say thank you for your support and may we meet again.

"Charlie." I screamed. Yes I screamed. Sue me and also chill. No one saw me. The black fire sprung out of my palm.

"Hello sunshine."

"Charlie." I almost cried with relief. "I'm about to die."

"Hello darkness then?" he asked. I almost howled. "I'm serious. I'm going to drown. My knife's penetrating the pipe and water's leaking through."

"It's not water." Charlie said.

"What?" I shuddered uncontrollably. Charlie's tone was scary.

"Touch it."

My hand shaking I allowed a drop to fall on my finger. It felt................oily.

"What is that?" my voice was a mere whisper filled with terror.

"Liquid petroleum. Literal meaning. Rock oil. Petra means rock."

"I don't care what it means. How the hell do you even know?"

"Underneath the palace, it's an entire oil well. Fossil fuel. It's how everything in this entire city works. How do you not know that?"

"I didn't call you for a lecture. What should I do?" my voice was barely audible but I think he got the gist of it.

"What you waiting for? Pull the knife out child."

I obediently complied and a torrent of oil came pouring straight into my face making me choke. "Charlie." I spluttered gagging. It tasted awful.

"Sorry caps......minor mistake." His tone was guilty but guilt wasn't going to save me. I was choking. Maybe this was what it was like to die.

As you realize as soon as I removed the knife I started sliding down. Thanks to the oil the slide was a lot easier to slide down.

"Thanks Charlie. I'm about to die. Just remember that my blood is on your hands." I stopped surprised at how rough I sounded. I was going to die thanks to the stupid fire on my hand. I can afford to lose my temper can't I? but I felt bad, even though I was sliding down a pipe where death was waiting for me at the bottom and shivering while oil splashed all over me. (I'm going to die while taking an oil bath. How uncool can it get?)

"Charlie" I gasped as I gulped oil which for your information tasted like rocks and sewage. "I'm sorry bud. We are in this together."

"I'm sorry too." The fire on my hand sizzled out as it came in contact with the oil. Charlie was gone. So much for being in this together. I tried to calm down.

Suddenly the pipe ended and I felt myself falling through outer space.

Splat. I landed hard on my butt and the torrent of oil, liquid petroleum came splashing on me. Great. A shower to celebrate. An oil shower. Just my luck. But it felt good to be alive. And oily. But alive.

At that moment I felt like I didn't understand myself. Another choice. I wasn't sure what my priorities were, maybe things would be better, if I was dead. Suddenly I felt a tugging sensation drawing me to touch my tattoo.

Completely on instinct, I realized that this was to give up hope and for a moment I considered it. Hey you can't blame me. I was alone down here. I felt scared. Freaked out, creeped out and chilled to the bone. So back off people. You don't know what it's like and you will probably never know. Be grateful.

I took a deep breath and calmed myself down. I had to keep it together. Ru Twilight's plan had failed though. That was something. He wanted me dead but there I was, sadly very much alive.

What was this place though? Charlie said that there was fossil fuel underneath the palace but he didn't mention this. It was a basement type of thing. I walked around the place. A trickle of oil was coming into the place because of my knife.

Maybe Ru Twilight's plan had actually worked. Maybe my death was just delayed. The place had no window or exit so obviously it was going to fill up with oil. Maybe I actually am going to drown.

What could I do stuck in a garage?

"Concentrate Alex." I muttered to myself fiercely. I walked around the place. Nothing. It was just an empty blank room where Alex Slogan would make his last stand.