The Ascent

Chapter 3

After the stressful phone call, Jasmine decided to get her mind off things and, more importantly, avoid her roommate, who was bound to be on her parents' side. Thus, she withdrew to her room, hoping that she could just put her headphones on and shut the world out like she usually did when it all got a bit too much for her, which was often enough.

People frequently called her too sensitive. They repeatedly said that she was overreacting and that all she needed to do was toughen up, and for the longest time, she believed them.

That was until she finally realized that everyone was different, with diverse needs and feelings. She was just an introvert and needed more time away from the world.

And even though her family often made it seem like that was a bad thing, Jasmine finally knew better. She decided to listen to what her mind told her, that she needed a break. That was why she turned on her computer, eager to listen to her favorite music or watch videos, whichever came up first.

However, as usually was the case when one was in a hurry to do something, the computer took its sweet time to turn itself on. Then the first thing that came up was news articles jumping up from the bottom of the screen.

Generally, she avoided the news as much as possible, as they were depressive. But she couldn't stop a few titles from reaching her conscious mind.

Scientists spot puzzling, unusually perfect holes on the ocean floor

Scientists find 30 potential new species at bottom of ocean

Video: Mysterious "Triangle UFO" Spotted Over Islamabad

"The world sure has gone bonkers," Jasmine mumbled, feeling like the news reports sensationalized every little thing.

She was sure the holes in the ocean were made by people. The new species discovered weren't new but unknown to men because of how little actual exploration was done when it came to the oceans. As for the UFO sightings, it always turned out to be something as simple as a new tech people were unfamiliar with, a weather balloon, or something as equally random as that. Basically, they made a huge deal out of things that were just insignificant. That's how the news in general, felt to Jasmine.

Ignoring the bombardment of random information about natural disasters, wars, death, and mayhem, she quickly navigated to YouTube, playing some of her favorite music. Finally, she let out a sigh of relief and got lost in the rhythm of the music.

In fact, Jasmine was so immersed in it that she didn't even hear when Theodora left the apartment. Jasmine only discovered she was alone when she went to the kitchen to get some water. It was better that way. Solitude and music were the best cures she knew against the world, which was less than understanding to her.

Seeing the time, Jasmine decided to do some shopping and prepare food as it was much easier to do so when she was alone. It was better when she wasn't under Theodora's close scrutiny because the girl thought she knew everything better. It was a beautiful day, and a short walk to the store could only bring her some joy.

Once outside, Jasmine breathed in deeply the fresh air feeling the sunshine warm her skin, improving her mood. A few more things as simple as that were bound to refill her batteries and prepare her for further communication with people, even annoying ones.

Because she was so busy enjoying the nice weather, it took Jasmine a bit longer to figure out something was wrong. Her instincts were usually spot on, but she was too lost in the natural beauties to register the goosebumps forming on her skin the moment she stepped outside.

Furthermore, even though the weather was perfect for a walk, there were no happy people around taking advantage of the comfortable temperature. The silence hung over the area, which made it terrifying as everything was too still. No people could be heard talking, no children laughing, not even the ever-present sounds of nature.

Jasmine started carefully looking around, searching for clues about what had happened in the two or three hours she had spent deaf to the outside world. Yet, she didn't see any indications that would have explained what had happened. There was just the absence of life and heaviness blanketing the city that made her gasp for air.

Nearby she saw a car whose trunk was opened wide, filled with what she assumed to be handyman equipment, and yet there were no handymen in sight. It made no sense that anyone would leave anything unguarded as people in her neighborhood constantly worried about having their things stolen or damaged by accident.

"What in the world is going on?" Jasmine wondered, jumping at the sound of her own voice as it was the only thing that managed to cut through the air.

Then it was like her voice had stirred something hidden, and a cold gust of wind swept through her. At that moment, she saw them again coming towards her from a great distance.

The bald men.

Her first reaction was a wave of indescribable joy. People were coming toward her. People who will help her make sense of what was going on. She was no longer alone.

However, it soon struck her that they didn't seem like the helpful sort. All the scary movies about the basest of human natures came rushing to her mind, making her fear them more for their assumed humanity than anything else. After all, weren't humans the most dangerous animals when cornered? And it did seem like something huge happened that managed to corner the human race, or at least those specimens that lived in Jasmine's area.

"Human identified," a strange voice that reminded Jasmine of someone gargling water and trying to speak simultaneously said. "Initiating probing protocol."

Jasmine had no idea what they were on about, but she felt like her legs were cut off by the sword of fear as she could tell that there was more to the group than their uniform strangeness, so much more. That was becoming clear by how they moved, in a weird and unsteady way that reminded her of animals learning to walk for the first time. At one point, it didn't even feel like they were walking but sliding over the smooth ground.

Even though Jasmine had no idea who they were, one thing became clear. They were dangerous.

So, using her advanced knowledge of her surroundings, she made a run for it.

She sprinted to the corner of the building, where she took a quick right turn making it seem as if she had gone around the building from their line of sight. And what she actually did was climb on top of the small garage a few of her neighbors decided to build outside of the main building parking lot. They resembled tiny houses with flat roofs, only they were not housing people but cars.

From her vantage point, Jasmine could see the men take the turn they assumed she had taken, and even as she flattened herself against the roof, she could still see that they had taken the bait. She managed to buy herself some time as there were at least two streets she could have gone into, and if they were as thorough as they seemed, they were likely to check both.

Thus, the moment she could no longer see them, Jasmine climbed down to the hood of the car she used to clamber to the low roof in the first place and slid down. After that, she started running in the opposite direction of the strange men. Jasmine had no idea where she was going, but she knew she couldn't stay there.

She ran for quite a while before allowing herself to stop, breathing heavily, to give herself the time to recuperate. Jasmine needed a break from the strenuous activity she was unused to as well as from the terror that made her heart beat so fast that Jasmine worried that she might get a heart attack, which was the last thing she needed in the dire situation she was in.

Still, even though she stopped running, she didn't plan on being careless. So, her rest was carried out in thick bushes that were part of the nearby building greenery effort.

As her breathing evened out and some of her wits started coming back to her, she realized that the first thing she needed to do was figure out what was happening. The best way to face any danger, perceived or real, was to understand it. She knew that better than anyone as she had often considered many dangerous scenarios and what the best course of action would have been.

However, she never expected to have to put her theories into practice, and it was far more challenging to do so with terror still singing through her veins. Nevertheless, Jasmine forced herself to do the crucial thing to survive.

Think.