Shadow Moses [Fransykes]

Chapter 10

By the time I made my way down the stairs my whole body was shaking. My fists clenched and my bottom lip in the firm grip of my teeth, I walked through the pitch black darkness as if I was walking on the edge of a cliff. My heart was roughly pounding in my chest and I struggled to keep my breathing even just for the sake of feeling some sense of control over my alarmed instincts.

My light steps echoed in the piercing silence making me flinch each time I'd dare to move forward. Warm air tickled my skin like someone was breathing by my neck and I tightly crossed my arms on my chest reminding myself I was all alone.

I shook my head. I wasn't afraid. I couldn't be. Fear was for for cowards.

I held out my hand taking another step forward, flinching as my hand landed on a cold, rough surface of a wall. I gathered my shit quickly, leaning my other hand onto the wall as well, walking beside it, letting it lead me through the dark.

My fingers brushed against something convex and before I could pull my hand away, there was a click indicating a switch has been triggered. Bluish lights diluted the darkness around me allowing me to use my eyes again and I almost fell.

I held my breath in as my eyes flew across the room. A rain of shivers quivered down my spine and I bit on my lip harder. I suddenly regretted giving the idea of this discovery a second thought. I wished for darkness, I wished to erase from my mind what my eyes caught.

I drew a shaky breath looking around the room, blinking, hoping it was all in my head.

Shelves. Shelves and stands everywhere. And no, not books this time.

At first, as I refused to acknowledge it as reality, all I was able to see were black stains. Soon my vision sharpened again and there was no denying of the hundreds - maybe even thousands - black pieces of ordnance around me.

In all shapes and sizes they were everywhere. The shelves, stuck to the stands on the walls, in cases lying across the ground...

I closed my eyes as I rubbed my temples. I was a worker for long enough to reach the level of education requiring me to know what these were - and how they disappeared from the world.

They were destroyed for peace, in the name of humanity never turning to self-destruction again. Along with technology, apparently, they were the worst thing that could've happened to the world and that's why the last one was burned the day the realm was established.

Lies. So many lies, because here they were. Standing in front of me in all their glory and deadliness.

Guns. Guns and rifles.

I shook my head. This couldn't be. I knew the government consisted from liars, but I didn't expect them to go this far. What the fuck where they even planing with these? Was it connected to the war Josh and his father were mentioning? Did Matt know about this? 

A loud creak cut the silence and I jumped, turning to the stairs. A ray of bright yellow light diffused across them and I quickly switched the lights off trailing to the other end of the room as fast as I could.

I carefully crouched in the dark hoping I'll be safe from anyone's view between the last shelf and the wall even when the light switches back on.

"Just don't tell anyone I showed you this." Josh's voice almost made me gasp.

He knew?

"You have my word, man." And that was Chris.

"Alright." Josh said and as he turned on the lights I tensed.

At first there was silence and then a cheer of excitement.

"No fucking way!"