Clouds

I

Chapter One Part One

     The full fateful moon shines through the apocalyptic clouds as I hurry across the horizon, my breath rapid and my heart pounding (as if this were my first time sneaking out!) while I run, glancing this way and that as if something from a nightmare will pop out and capture me, and then sentence me to a slow, painful death.  The saddest thing is this nightmare is my life.

     I heave a sigh of relief when I see the small homemade building up ahead, and my wide eyes widen further when I see no sign of any guards or strange activity.  The building stands alone right outside of a forest, exactly where I am panting against a tree.  My loose dark brown hair falls below my shoulders and back against my spine as I take off seconds later, my eyes narrowed against sunglasses that protect my eyes from any human sight that could possibly be watching my weird movements.  As the structure draws closer and closer I momentarily close my eyes, say a quick prayer, and put on an extra burst of speed.

     My right hand quickly grasps the handle on the door while the left searches my pocket for the key, taking much longer than it normally would if not under such pressure.  At last, I fumble around in the lock and jiggle the key until the door labeled Trinkets and Tools swings wide open, and I dash inside, take an extra second to quietly close the door, and then lean against the back of that door, my eyes closed, my body more relaxed.  Finally, I open my frightened eyes and look around, embracing the darkness.

     I slowly grip the edge of my glasses and slide them off, sticking them in my bag as I glance here and there, giving my eyes a long enough time to adjust, although it only takes seconds; running around blindly in the woods during the night has its advantages.  

     Making out a few objects (a counter, antique cash register, tools hanging on the walls with price tags...), I slowly walk around the corner to the smallest room in the building where Colby hangs the buyable hammers.  Passing a few screwdrivers, any nail you could possibly want, and who knows what else, I wind up where I need to be.

     "Colby?" I whisper, looking around.  No reply.  "Awesome?"  Still, there is no reply.  The shadows seem to grow larger as I stand there, eyes wide, looking around frantically for a familiar face among the still, quiet night.  The tools seem even more deadly now: the wrenches glaring, the hammers swearing; even the screwdrivers seemed to be conspiring.  A few creaks along the floor cause me to jump and back up even further against a bare wall, wondering what could have possibly caused the noise.  But, no, nothing was there.  No ghost.  No mouse.  Nothing.

     Suddenly, a hand lands on my shoulder, causing me to jump and nearly knock my head off if I had hit the ceiling.  The grip is firm and I am slowly led down a hallway and into a small room: the weapons room.  I gulp as the grip loosens, the door shuts, and the hand completely leaves my shoulders.  The figure walks to the other side of the room, identity still hidden, and whispers something I can't quite hear, all while my heart pounds and I don't dare to move or scream.  What if it's a guard? 

Still dark, in the most silent of all motions, the room begins to slowly rotate clockwise.  My heart slows and I feel my head become light.  This is not good, not good at all!  What if Colby and Awesome were forced to reveal the secret room?  What if the guards already know about it, and will punish me if I don't give away the location of Colby's workspace?  I begin to pant and tears stream down my eyes as the heart-breaking thoughts overwhelm me.  I don't want to die!  Not when my life and odyssey have not yet begun!

The lights blind me after a few seconds pass and I fall to the ground, my eyes not yet adjusted to the brightness of day.  Am I dead?  Is this what death is like?  How did I die?

            “Happy birthday!”  Loud music booms in my ear.  I groan.

            That’s definitely not music, I think to myself as I roll over and rise to my feet.  I blink open my eyes and realize just how nervous I really am: I mistook Colby for a guard and Awesome’s cruel tricks as real.  I roll my eyes and shake my head.