The War In His Mind

Chapter 6

He hid around the corner until the airship came closer. When it docked, he walked stoically up to it, pretending to be the officer in question. There were no attendees, just a voice saying "welcome 845." Abraham nodded and boarded the ship. Inside, it was as lavish as every other building in the city. It was rather large, having space for approximately 20 people. Abraham was the only passenger at the moment, which he was thankful for. He was already worried that the incident back on top of the roof would cause a big scene. As far as he could tell, nobody had yet sounded an alarm. But it was coming.

The airship started to move higher into the sky. It Passed over the buildings below. Abraham was astounded to see all of the detail in the city below. The streetlights were bright and brilliant, the grass placed inside was vibrant, and all of the buildings had a special sparkle to them. The kind that only comes with intense maintenance. The courthouse, to his right, was a large pyramid style building. It had a red and white columns, and a large dome at the top. He could see inside of that down and noticed a tree inside of it. It was the most beautiful tree he had ever seen. He thought about what it would be like to sit underneath an apple someone he loved. He wanted to be in love and experience it for the first time. He wanted to kiss a girl and feel her tender lips up against his. He imagined that that tree was outside, underneath the sign, and he was there with somebody, never to be alone again.

His daydream was interrupted by a sudden siren. It was a screeching sound that pierced through his ears. He instantly knew that the siren was because somebody found the body. It was inevitable.

The airship came to a stop. He was floating in midair. He didn't know what was happening, or why. All he knew was that he needed to get moving again. He thought of all his options at once. The jump to ship and try to make it to the top of the down. However, that might kill him. He decided the best course of action would be to try to take control of the ship. At the front near the control center, a single guard stood in his way.

"What is your business here?" The guard said with his pistol drawn.

"It's my responsibility to make sure the pilots are okay," Abraham responded. He did the best he could to keep a calm demeanor. If he could have the persona of the guard, he might be able to fool them, he thought.

"Under my guard, he's more than okay," the guard said, raising his pistol.

Abraham rushed the guard, grabbing the hand that was holding the pistol. The guard's face turned pale white. He froze in the middle of his action. Abraham, confused, let go. He watched as the guard shook violently for a second. It made Abraham think of what it happened to him back at the corporate tower.

"What is happening to me?" the guard asked. His voice was weak.

"I... I... Don't know," Abraham said. He placed his fingers on his neck to get a pulse. His heart rate rose at a level that frightened Abraham.

The guard vomited with the all of the power in his upper body working together to cleanse his stomach of blood and bile.

"I feel... Strange. Nervous... Afraid."

Those words sent sheer shock through Abraham. He felt his own heartbeat rise. His palms got sweaty. His knees felt weak. Here is another man who suddenly felt emotion. A man like himself.

"You can feel emotion?" Abraham said, half talking to him out of sheer surprise. He reached down and touched the guard's face. The guard grabbed Abraham's hand as if it were one of his loved ones.

The guard's clammy looking face shook violently. "...I'm afraid of you."

Compassion came over Abraham. He knew that feeling of terror intimately well. It lingered within him, desperately searching for understanding. Though he knew nothing of this man, he felt an immediate connection with him. Here was a being with fear, just like him.

"No... No... Don't ever be afraid of me. You're my friend." Abraham hugged him. It was the first time he had ever hugged anybody. It felt good, he thought. There was a warm sensation rising up inside of him. This man was a brother. A friend. An ally.

"I don't know what's happening to me," the guard said.

"You're becoming the closest thing to human that you will ever know."

A bright light came in through the windows. Abraham looked up to see another airship right next to them, guns raised. It was much larger than the airship that they were in. He looked back to the guard, who was regaining composure. "We need to get out of here," Abraham whispered. He took the guard's gun, and shot twice at the window closest to the courthouse.

Abraham saw the courthouse below and saw a balcony that extended from its dome. It was a reasonable distance, and he told himself that he would surely survive if he were to land on it.

"We have to jump." Abraham said. There was a shiver in his voice. He was nervous. He thought to himself that brave men always feel nervous, always feel scared, but what makes them brave is the fact that they're able to push through it.

"Don't kill us!" The guard said.

"We're dead if we don't try." Abraham jumped out of the window. He soared through the sky and saw the enemy airship firing upon his. He hit the ground with a thud and rolled over to his side.

"Jump!" he shouted to the guard. He was afraid- terrified to do it. Abraham could see it in his eyes.

"There's a better future, I promise! But you have to trust me!"

"How do you know that's true?" the guard asked.

"Just do it!"

A missile hit the side of the airship. The balloon ruptured and the air drained from it. The hull, gradually catching fire, began the long descent down to the streets at the bottom of the city. In a desperate attempt to survive, the guard jumped out of the window. He landed down on the roof- relatively unharmed.

Abraham raised his pistol and shot twice at the glass dome. The bullets didn't shatter it, but made it weak. Abraham kicked the impact zone and made a sizable opening for the two men. Weapons raised, both men retreated inside, relatively unharmed.