Why Fiction? (Short Stories Compilation)

04. Glassy Sky

...

The usual noise of clinking metals and the sound of breaking glass can be heard from Klain's room. She turned to the other side and cover her ears but the sound got worse.

Frustrated, she stood and left her room with silent footsteps. It's been a long time since her sister started locking herself in her room. One time she caught her stealing one of their parent's inventions. Saz wasn't sure yet what she was up to but it got to be something their parents forbid her to do.

Saz peek at the crack on her door and saw her sister sitting on the floor. Her hair was messy and long, it covered the whole of her back. Broken flasks and machine parts almost filled all the space in her room. But, what caught Saz's attention was the purple light swirling on the wall. She stopped herself from screaming out of shock.

"Ah, it's almost d-done. He will be reincarnated. One million, two thousand, six hundred and twenty-two years." Klain quickly flipped the pages on her notebook while glancing at the purple hole from time to time.

'Could it be?'

"I found it!" Klain jumped up and stepped on the mountain of rubbish lying on the floor and stood in front of the purple light with the notebook dangling from her left hand.

She picked up a black box and tapped on it multiple times before stepping into the mysterious hole. Saz's body trembled.

'N-No!'

Klain disappeared leaving behind the black box. Saz ran inside her room, not minding all the shards of glass and machine parts wounding her feet. She stood there in a daze, the purple light reflecting in her eyes.

"Ate Klain?"

She caught sight of the black box and pick it cautiously. The numbers on the screen flickered dangerously. A strong wind came rushing from the hole almost knocking her off her feet. Purple sparks of light crackled on the hole's sides.

Saz's breathing was heavy. The fast beating of her heart made her body feel numb. Her head was pounding and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. Blood left her face as she stared at the growing hole.

'Just one step. I can make i-it. I have to find Ate Klain. Please move!'

"W-Why? I can't move."

Her brain was sending her signals. Telling her to run away. Even her mind can't seem to control her own body. As though it was a broken machine.

Slowly, Saz took a step forward. Her eyes are devoid of life and emotions.

The hole swallowed her at the same time when the numbers in the black box stopped, indicating 1, 002, 642.

---

Saz felt like she was falling deep into the sea. Strong pressure is pressing her downwards.

Her eyes shot open. The first thing she noticed was the picture of the sun that was submerged in clear water. The sky was covered in water, creating a glassy effect.

She lifts her body. "What?"

Reality hit her when she wanders her eyes around the place. Flying cars, skyscrapers, vast plains that seemed to stretch for eternity. What's strange is that she can't see any piece of soil as everything seemed to be covered in concrete. Not even a single tree can be seen standing.

"Leader!"

A person clad in black and wearing a helmet was running towards her.

"Huh?"

"L-Leader, the west part of the inner wall is going to collapse any moment from now." His voice was laced with a sense of urgency.

The man was speaking a different language, but for some reason, Saz can understand him as though he was speaking English.