When Forever Ends (Part 1: A Game of Chess)

VII

~{§}~

S e v e n

It turned out that the darker spot was a kilometer wide section of scorched sand. It wasn't completely black; some of the sand had turned into a tannish glass as if an intense heat had caused this variation from the uniform flatness of sand.

Rising up from the center of the area was a tall metal structure, charred by the same force that formed the glass. It was made of many thick beams welded into a skinny pyramid shape with an open column ten meters wide straight down the middle. It also had a narrow staircase leading up to a platform at the top that ringed the empty area.

Maya bent and picked up a handful of the blackened sand, letting it trickle through her fingers.

"I wonder what happened here?" she mused.

"Whatever it was must've been man made," Will replied. "This structure looks like it was built to withstand heat this powerful."

"Hmm," I said, mostly to myself.

"Hey!" Sofie shouted. We looked around to find that she had scaled the steps to the platform and was looking down at us, gesturing wildly. "You guys might wanna take a look at this!"

I went over to the tower and climbed up to join her followed closely by Maya and Will.

"What is it?" I asked.

Sofie gestured at the ground.

I looked down and gasped. "Woah!"

The blast, it seemed, had originated from the base of the tower. The scorch marks in the sand radiated out from the ground directly below us.

"This is really strange."

"Tell me about it," Will was looking out at the horizon. In a perfectly straight line stretching off into the distance, there were several more towers, each with its own circle of charred sand at its base and each a couple of kilometers from the next.

"Hmm," I said again.

"Whoa!" a shout from behind me caused me to turn around just as Will tripped on a metal bar laying on the platform and fell over the edge, into the empty space at the center of the pyramid!

He hit the ground below with a metallic Thud! and a sickening crunch.

"I'm okay!" he coughed.

The bar he had tripped over rolled off the edge of the platform. Klunk! It hit him square in the chest.

Will groaned, "Less okay."

We all hurried down the stairs and helped him up, pulling the bar off of him and heaving it aside.

Sofie stood at his side, supporting him. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine," he shrugged off her concern. "It wasn't that far of a fall, though that bar sure didn't help."

"Okay, if you say so," she reluctantly stood and let him stand without her assistance.

"Aah!" he cringed and doubled over. "My back!"

Sofie was at his side again in an instant. "Why did I listen to you?" she shook her head in exasperation.

"Huh," I crouched where Will had landed after making sure he was okay for the moment and rapped my knuckles against the ground. There was a muted Bong! Intrigued, I dug into the sand as swiftly as I could until my fingers hit smooth metal. Interesting... "Guys!" I said. "There's metal under the sand!"

Everyone ignored me.

"Guys?"

Still silence.

I sat up and looked around. My friends were nowhere in sight.

"If this is supposed to be a joke, It's not funny!" I shouted.

No one revealed themselves.

I smashed my fist against the metal in frustration. There was a short sucking noise followed by a jolt, like I had awakened suddenly.

"Whoa! That was weird," I said.

"Huh?" Will's voice made me look up. My friends were sitting on one of the metal beams, staring at me strangely.

"Why are you staring at me?" I was confused.

Sofie replied, "You disappeared for a couple of seconds! One moment you were digging in the sand, the next you weren't!"

"I wasn't gone, you were!" I protested. "I looked up and I was the only one here! Come on, guys!" I looked to Maya for support.

"I don't know what happened," Maya began uncertainly, "but I think we should forget it for the moment and check out the other towers. Do you think you can walk, Will?" she changed the topic.

Will stood and grimaced. "Maybe, with assistance."

"I'll help you," Sofie volunteered, jumping down from the beam.

"Thanks," he said gratefully.