Flicker AE: Shadows Of Leronzo

Chapter 7 | Twilight, Just Another Step Away

Aren blinked, and the darkness around him lifted.

He, to his own shock, was no longer in the corridor with Jo, no longer in the alleyway, not even outside anymore, but back in the strangely comfortable room where he had first entered this twisted game.

The familiar sight of the furniture and the baby blue-tinted walls brought a sense of disorientation. "How... am I back here?"

As he tried to make sense of his surroundings, running a hand through his hair, a soft chime interrupted his thoughts. 

Aren immediately reached into his pocket and pulled out his iPronzo which he had recently found to be foldable, and therefore portable, the screen glowing with a new notification.

His heart raced as he unlocked the device, anxious to see what it was.

V: :RE

Aren stared at the message, his mind racing.

It was a text message from... V? V... Probably Veronica - but, even so, what did she mean by just ":re"? Was it perhaps a short form for something else?

He didn't have time to dwell on it. The fact that he had been moved so abruptly was unsettling enough.

But then, another notification... from the group chat.

---

Jasmine: where are you, aren?! guys, veronica... she found me and aren spying on her! i passed out just after he did.

Reza: aren's seein the messages. he's probably fine. dw. for now we need to search for qasim and mike. they aint under the rubble.

Jordan: this is sooo scaryyyyy~ (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠)

Joshua: Is that how you normally text? Weirdo.

Evelyn: Well, well. Look who decided to show up. We've been searching for you and your little group, you know.

Joshua: I certainly did not ask you to.

Haneen: Stop fighting over such petty things. This isn't the time to be joking around.

---

Aren's entire body felt heavy, and as he tried using his remaining adrenaline to reply back to Jo who desperately, almost frightenedly, asked for Aren's whereabouts, something stopped him.

He didn't know what, but something prevented him from typing what he wanted to say. Something prevented him from feeling shock at Qasim and Mike's sudden, alleged disappearance, prevented him from feeling sick at Joshua's nonchalance.

Instead, he started walking.

It was beyond his control, and completely out of his will, like he was being controlled by a player behind a screen, or being puppetteered like a doll. He couldn't think straight, his mind scattered all throughout; he couldn't come to terms with why he was doing this, nor why he was separated from Jo so abruptly by Veronica.

But then, turning a corner, Aren stopped dead in his tracks.

There, slumped against the wall, was Mason. His face was pale, and his clothes were covered in dust and grime. Mason looked up as Aren approached, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and relief.

"Aren," Mason croaked, his voice weak. "Thank God, you found me."

Aren knelt beside him, quickly assessing his condition. "Mason, you alright? What happened to you?"