Epics of Noche 3, Limbo

EON CH 22

GUTS AND SHARKS.

 1774, NOVEMBER 28th, MONDAY1:05 pm.

It was effortless for Noche to push the double giant, Viking doors open. There was a time she would struggle with moving one thousand pounds; that time had long passed. She entered the dark library and attempted to summon her Omni-Oar. Noche frowned when it would not appear in her hand.

Books drifted around in the current. Floating from bookshelf to bookshelf as if being moved by invisible hands. One approached Noche and she caught it out of reflex. Her eyes drifted towards the cover which said Precious Memories. She opened it to a random page.

"The sensation of sunlight on my face as I smell the ocean's salty breeze, the sound of waves lapping against the shore, and the soft sand under my feet," she read. "The crackling of thunder, the pitter-patter of rain on glass, and the smell of petrichor the morning after. The first time I held a lover."

Noche paused. The last one was a little embarrassing to admit, but it was something that was a precious memory to her. She decided to flip to the first page.

"Every perfect moment Noche has ever had is recorded in this leather-bound tome, long untouched, but never forgotten."

The blonde blinked. Her name was in the book. Were these supposed to be her memories? She continued reading and to her surprise, it seemed they were. These were all times that left a lasting impression on her. Unfortunately, all of them seemed to be after she escaped DeathTech.

She flipped further ahead, but the rest of the pages were blank. In fact, nearly the whole book was. Noche clenched her jaw as she took in how few entries there were. None of them held a clue about her childhood.

She resisted the urge to throw the book, opting to let go of it instead; the tome drifted away. Noche sighed and turned to walk away. It was mere moments before she found herself standing before her old bedroom door. It creaked open to a familiar room and the creature that lurked within it.

A giant shark floated motionless a few feet from Noche's face. Her eyes widen as solid black orbs stared back at her. She moved to close the door when it lunged towards her — she dodged, but not fast enough. Both legs were ripped off and a cloud of blood filled the water around her.

Darkness encroached on her vision as her eyes fluttered shut. The world went cold and still. Then Noche's eyes snapped open and she vomited. She heaved and gasped as she sat up in her bed. For a moment she thought she had been sleeping. That moment passed when bubbles escaped her lips; she was still underwater.

Calming her nerves she exited her old room and took the hall opposite to the library. Her objective being one of the doors that lead outside to the track field. As she was halfway towards the VR room the giant shark turned the corner ahead.

Noche took a sharp right and ran towards Rust's classroom — a giant shark behind her giving chase. A maw bigger than Noche's torso chomped behind her with enough force to crush steel. Luckily the creature was so big that it took up most of the hall. So it wouldn't fit through the doorframe if she could make it.

Razor sharp teeth were snapping inches away from Noche's body — she kicked down the door like she did on the last day of class. The wall exploded a split second later as the shark demolished everything in its path.