Pentagram

First Encounter

                 “Akaya, get up!” JJ was shaking me.

                My eyes opened slowly, my vision blurred and distorted. JJ’s voice sounded distant, like something in a dream. Eventually my vision cleared, and I sat upright. My camera was still on, but the screen on it kept going fuzzy and making crackling sounds. I brought it up to record JJ.

                JJ was squatting beside me, a hand on my shoulder.

                I bolted upright, “What happened?”

                “No idea. I heard a loud bang and passed out.” The gamer motioned to the room around us, “Check this place out.”

                The room we were sitting in was dark. Dust billowed up in clouds every time we moved. Sunlight filtered through black windows. Cobwebs littered the room. A pair of old staircases led to an indoor balcony, with two doors on each side of the room. We were in the center of a large pentagram.

                “We’re inside the summoning room.” I realized.

                “I don’t think so.” JJ said, standing up. “I mean, the summoning room was nowhere near this old. Check out the floorboards and the dust – this place should have been torn down ages ago.”

                I put down my camera and ran my hand along the floor. The wood was splintered and rough, instead of smooth like the summoning room. “But it looks nearly identical despite its age.”

                “Dude, look at how much dust is on the ground.” JJ slammed his foot down. The dust spread out, rippling across the room in billowing clouds. The cobwebs in the corners waved slightly.

                 “This place doesn’t have much of an air flow.” I coughed, and picked up my camera “What a mess.”

                “You’re telling me.” JJ replied while putting a finger in the dust on the ground, “The stuff’s at least an inch thick.”

                “JJ, the dust is probably the least of our worries…” I stood up, “We don’t even know where we are.”

                JJ frowned, folding his arms, “Maybe we should check to see if the rest of the place is identical.”

                “Starting with outside?” I suggested.

                JJ turned to face the door, and visibly blanched. “Akaya, there’s not even a door.”

                I turned in the direction he was facing. A door was painted into the wood, but it was very much two-dimensional. There was no way out. My eyes went to each of the four doors at the top of the stairs. Then, I brought my camera to the door behind us. “They’re all paintings!”

                “Is this someone’s idea of a joke?” JJ muttered, “You wanna try something with your magic?”

                I gave him my Camera. “I’ll try.”

                Slowly, I extended my hand and let my emotions flow. My fingers started tingling slowly, but nothing happened. “I…I can’t.”

                He gave me the camera back. “I thought you said you’d mastered your magic!”

                “I thought I had.” I muttered. Somehow I felt at fault, first I had gone unconscious and now my magic wasn’t working. I hated feeling helpless.