The Lucid Effect

Chapter Four

Alice pinched herself. When she didn't wake up, she pinched harder.

Then she became angry.

"You—"

"Not right now. Yell at me later."

More rems had appeared. There seemed to be dozens, maybe even hundreds, and they have materialized almost instantly before them.

"You've been marked," Arin hissed.

"Marked?" Alice asked.

Arin nodded, his hands already outstretched and glowing threateningly. The ones nearest to them stepped back. "Because they touched you, they can find you immediately."

He blasted the ones in front of them, but they were quickly replaced. Alice couldn't see anything past the shifting sinister shapes. They were walled in, and Alice was starting to panic. She didn't want to get touched by one of those things ever again. Hiding was out of the question now, and Alice doubted she could run all night. She also had reason to believe Arin couldn't keep blasting the danger away; each blast was dimmer than the last. If only they had light.

"Arin—can you blast us a pathway?"

"I can try, but they'll just keep following us!"

"I have an idea— but we need to run a few blocks. Think you can manage for a few minutes?"

"Well I don't have a choice—" Arin evaporated another few dozen rems. "On the count of three, I'll light these bastards up and we run."

"Got it."

"Stick close. One."

Arin wasn't firing anymore, and the rems were closing in on them.

"Two."

His hands were glowing brighter than Alice had seen before. A rem was reaching out to touch her. She pressed into Arin, praying that her plan would work.

"Three."

It was like an explosion erupted from Arin's hands, but Alice managed to close her eyes to avoided getting blinded by the onslaught. She started running blindly in the direction she needed, Arin close behind.

He had taken a large amount of shadow creatures out, but they were still appearing. Arin was doing what he can, but after that large emission, he didn't have much left in him.

"It's up ahead!" Alice could see the old building a few yards ahead.

"A hotel?" Arin questioned, doubt coloring his tone.

"Trust me!" The hotel was boarded up and derelict, the sign that once read "QUALITY INN" missing a few letters so it read "AY INN." Alice kicked in one of the rotten boards that barred the exit and ducked inside, Arin close behind.

It was dark inside, but Alice knew the way. Arin lit his palms up for light.

"This is terrible. This is a breeding ground for rems."

Sure enough, dozens of the monsters appeared. Wasting no time, Alice grabbed Arin and shoved him into a small space.

"What are you doing! Now we're trapped!"

"Light your hands!" Alice demanded fervently.

"I don't have enough energy left to blast them all away," he argued.

"That's not what I'm asking—light up your hands dammit!"

Arin obliged. His palms glowed little, his power having been spent. Arin was able to see that Alice hadn't trapped them in a small room, but rather, an elevator. Every surface of the cramped space was covered in mirrors.