The Gate Hopper Series

Chapter 4

Fire. All the felt was burning heat. His lungs burned within himself, demanding him to stop and breathe. Lactic acid filled his legs faster than his body could process, weakening them. His hands and arms felt as if every fiber had been pushed to the brink, ready to snap. Sweat dripped into his eyes searing them. Blurry visions came and went. It felt as if an eternity passed before they disappeared in a flash.

He was transported to Elkhorn, back when his father had first taught him how to hold and use a rifle. It weighed heavily on his shoulder pressed firmly in between his cheek and arm. Red and white filled his vision as he peered through iron sights. The two sights aligned perfectly with the targets center. Breath held to steady his aim he ever so gently he squeezed the trigger. Pain and noise filled his mind as the gun kicked back with the force of a mule. Every so slowly he watched as the bullet left the gun and whistled towards the target, now green and tan. It morphed into an Elsine. Recoil pushed him causing him to fall backwards, his vision filled with the blue sky.

Blue was instantly replaced with pitch black. He held his breath while crouching behind a metal barrier of some kind. A wave of light waved over his head, making him crouch down further. The light passed allowing him to crawl forwards. Eternity passed as he cycled between crawling, holding his breath and crouching. Finally, he reached the end, a doorway of light. He felt himself cry for joy as he reached for it. His fingers brushed the light causing it to expand and fill his vision.

Osmet woke with a start. He breathed heavily and was covered in a cold sweat. Images of his dream filled his waking mind causing him confusion. His heart beat violently in his chest, he looked as if he had just run a marathon. Mind and body were filled with phantom pains.

'What the hell was that?!'

It took him some time to finally calm his nerves and understand that what he saw and felt was nothing more than a dream. Sure, he had dreams before, even the occasional nightmare. But this felt so...real. He exhaled and hopped out of his bunk heading towards the bathroom. The copious amount of sweat made him desperately need a shower. He entered the bathroom, disrobed and entered the shower allowing him to collect his thought as the warm water washed over him.

'I guess what that man said yesterday really got to me. Geez, I've never had a dream that felt so real. The feeling even persisted after the dream, I still feel the phantom pain.'

Osmet raised his arm to examine it. The pain was present but quickly fading. At the very least he wasn't exhausted, meaning despite the nightmare he still slept well. Shaking his head he focused on cleaning himself and tried to relax his mind, letting his dream fade away. Once clean Osmet dressed again in matching grey hunting pants and short sleeve shirt. Just having finished dressing he heard a knock on the door.

"Oi Osmet! You almost done in there? Some of us still have to get ready yet, ya?"

"I'll be out in just a second Samuel."

Hurrying his pace, he grabbed his clothes and said a simple hello to Samuel as he passed and was greeted with a grunt. Samuel, it seemed, was not a morning person. Reentering the dorm, he repacked his clothes in his Travel Buddy. Leon copied his actions but seemed somber from the prior day. Osmet shook his head. Those who came here already knew that they could die in the gates, yet they did so anyways. Having such a weak mindset would only hinder one's path forward.

Without any further talk, Osmet headed downstairs and ate a moderate breakfast. There were only one and a half hours until they would be entering the Trial Gate, he didn't want to be throwing up when he entered. The food, much to his dismay, consisted of different colored food bricks with the consistency of saw dust. Thankfully there was plenty of water to go around and the taste was palatable. Still, it didn't make eating breakfast any easier.