Static Reflections: Book 1 of The Mortal Guard Series

Chapter 58 - Nick and Richard: Dim the Lights

Chapter 58 - Nick and Richard: "Dim the Lights"

"It's kinda weird being in here when no one's here . . ." Nick commented, looking around as Richard walked up the steps to the next row, walking the space and checking under each seat.

"We're lucky we didn't have to do this when it was open," Richard commented. "Otherwise, we'd be having a lot more trouble."

"What sucks is that we don't know what we're even looking for," the hyena grumbled, ascending all of the steps to the top row. "Let's split up the work and meet up in the middle."

After about a minute, the two met in the very center of the theater. "Nothing . . ." Nick frowned. "Everything looks completely normal. No runes or magic traps or anything."

Richard nodded, then turned, pointing at the exit. "I saw a door over there I want to inspect behind. Do you know where it leads?"

Nick nodded. "Oh, yeah. It goes to the back of the screen and storage. There might be something back there."

The two made their way to the theater's hallway, and Richard walked to the light gray door, entering the cluttered space full of boxes, decorations, and cardboard standees for the theater. The raccoon turned to the right and walked behind the screen. Nick began rummaging through all of the things back there, trying to find anything unusual.

After a good while of searching, they deemed there was nothing there either, so they left the back area, shutting the door behind them. "Alright," Nick said, sighing. "So nothing back there. Onto the next theater?"

"Yes," Richard nodded. They traveled back out into the main hallway and into the next auditorium, the black corridor very similar here, only the space was entered on the left side at the end. Richard looked at the light door. "We'll cover more ground if we do two things at once. You search the public space, and I'll search back there, then you can join me."

"Sounds good," Nick smiled, and they split off, Nick entering the larger auditorium than the last one. The ceiling was so tall this time that he felt intimidated just looking at it. The hyena began exploring the rows and seats, humming to himself.

Richard was in the white-walled space in the back with the cement floor, on his own little investigation directly behind the screen when a bright light illuminated the masking, and images began flashing rapidly, seeming flipped from where he was standing. The raccoon gasped and began rushing out of the backspace. Please don't, please don't, please don't . . .

When he sprinted out of the gray door and into the grand theater, his breath caught as he found Nick staring at the images, completely frozen in place. Richard sprinted over and grabbed his shoulders. "Nick! Nick, wake up! Nick, snap out of it!" he cried. "Nick!"

Nick stood still, the color of the flashing images filling the reflections of his eyes. ". . ."

Richard felt panic rise within. "Nick! Look away!" He put a hand over the other male's eyes, hoping to be his aegis from the visual terror on the silver screen. "Nick!!!"

Suddenly, the lights around them completely dimmed and went out as they did when a show began. Richard looked around, panting gently as he avoided looking at the screen. "Nick! Can you hear me?! I'm going to take you to Dmitri and Adrian! Come on!" He grabbed his wrist and tugged him, but Nick yanked his hand away violently. "Hey!"

Nick brought his hand back and then launched it into Richard's chest, causing a coughing fit from his partner. The hyena turned and began running toward and up a flat black part of the wall.

"Nick? Nick, what are you doing?!" Richard shouted, his chest aching.

The hyena just continued walking slowly with his head staring at the screen. Richard walked further into the theater, standing between the third and second row and looking up at his partner. "Hey! Nick!"