Cyber Chronicles 1: Crimson's Effect

Chapter 3 : Lincoln (Past)

He didn't feel frightened. Instead, he felt a strong sense of confidence, as if he knew exactly what he was doing while suspended in midair. 

Surrounding him were glowing red particles of light, and he was fully aware of his actions. However, another part of him couldn't understand what was going on. His body moved on its own, yet deep down, he knew he had complete control over this energy. 

His mind kept repeating the word "energy," as it argued with itself, with one side understanding and the other completely clueless.

Yet this energy, these crimson particles enveloping him, beckoned to him with a purpose. It was as if they yearned for him to channel their power into something. 

Suddenly, a disturbing vision flashed before him—a glimpse of taking lives. Was that the intended use of this energy? To continue killing? 

"Our savior!" echoed a distant voice. 

Savior? What did they mean by that?

A sudden weight settled upon his shoulders, burdening him with the gravity of countless lives.

The energy particles merged with an instinct to protect, transforming into numerous crimson-sparkling spikes. They hung in the air momentarily before swiftly darting forward, slicing through the atmosphere. 

The sickening sound of flesh being pierced reached his ears, followed by agonizing screams and the dreadful flow of blood. Some splattered onto his face, yet he remained unfazed, showing no hint of recoil at the gruesome spectacle.

Lincoln woke up with a gasp, his heart pounded in his chest as sweat dripped from his brow.

With a groan, he exerted effort to rise, utilizing the sizable rocks as aid. He forced his eyes open, gradually adapting to the dimness surrounding him. 

Where was he? 

Surveying his environment, he deduced that he was inside a cave, although he had no recollection of ever venturing here. Noticing a glimmer of light emanating from the cave's entrance, he approached it and cast his gaze upward. The night sky greeted him, shrouded in darkness. The depth of the hole he had fallen into made climbing out seem impossible.

Lincoln squinted at the opening, watching small bits of snowfall from it. That's when his memory returned. The hike, the small opening Dexter had discovered, and, most importantly, their fall. Lincoln checked his watch, but it was broken from the impact. Frustrated, he groaned and walked around, trying to figure out what to do. Then, he suddenly remembered that Dexter had fallen in with him.

"Oh no..." Lincoln whispered. "Dex?!" He called out to every direction of the cave. "Dex?!" He repeated. 

There was a moment of silence before Dexter replied. "Lin! It's about time you woke up! Over here!" Dexter's voice echoed and Lincoln turned to the direction he thought heard it come from. He walked briskly in that direction, but he ended up bumping into a wall. 

"Do you have a torch?!" Lincoln asked, with a groan and he rubbed his forehead. "Yeah, I do. But it's dim, and my watch is done for." Dexter replied. Lincoln sighed, "Just keep talking I'll try finding you with your voice." Lincoln said. "Good idea," Dexter replied, and Lincoln started walking away from the moonlight.

Darkness wrapped around Lincoln and his senses were on high alert. This is an unknown territory; anything could come from any direction. "Our backpacks fell with us," Dexter stated.

"Yeah, they did, I saw them when I woke up," Lincoln replied, walking towards the voice.

"You should've brought them..." Dexter replied. "You could've waited for me; why did you go in the darkness?" Lincoln asked as Dexter's voice became louder. "I remembered before I fell in, there was this red light shining from the inside of the cave, I wanted to go look for it, so I got a torch from one of our bags and started looking," Dexter replied. "You could've woken me up," Lincoln replied with a frown. "Look I wasn't in the right mind at the time, come quick I think I found something cool," Dexter said.