The Door

Chapter 12

Everett and Rowan stumbled through the bustling street, exhaustion biting at their heels. Birds were cawing, people were yelling. Just a normal day for Pelac.

A small child's piercing shriek squealed throughout the city. Everyone stopped. Everett turned around. A small child of about six, was pointing in horror to something about a hundred feet away. People scattered, leaving the only people in the street Everett, Rowan, and the boy. He didn't stop screaming. A teetering truck the size of a building rammed through the street. The horn was blaring, but the boy was plastered in terror to the ground. Everett careened towards the child, and yanked him of his feet, shielding him from view only a few seconds before his inevitable death.

The power rushed through him more freely this time... it was becoming more natural. The truck's motor shut off, just inches away from them. Something came flying at Everett at light speed, knocking him off his feet and rolling to the side of the street. Rubble and sparks flew everywhere. Everett clutched the shaking child, and watched the truck ram into a building, sending the whole thing crumbling to the ground. People screamed and ran for cover. The building burst into flames.

Rowan ran to them, helping to shield the boy from the blast. "Are you ok?"

The boy crunched up into a ball crying, but nodded. The floor swayed under them. Ash flew everywhere. People were screaming and crying, staring at the building which their dead loved ones laid.

"Where are your parents?" A small voice said.

The boy pointed to the building, shaking in terror. Everett looked at the building in horror. Then he looked in front of him. A boy was kneeling in the rubble in front of the child. He looked to Everett.

"You were so brave protecting him," He nodded in respect and stood up. Everett stared at him, confused.

"Did you knock me out of the way?"

The boy nodded humbly. "It was the least I could do." He looked down to the child. "I'm so very sorry," He picked the child up and stared into his eyes. He closed them, and bit back tears. "You are so hopeless, but chin up. Life may seem worthless now, but trust me. You have to have midnight to see the sunrise." He clutched the child, and stroke his hair out of his face. Everett and Rowan glanced at each other.

"Who are you?" Rowan said.

The boy suddenly stiffened up. "I think we had better get him to the mayor,"

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Burning. Endless burning. Bloodcurdling screams were just background noise. Cracking, crackling, cackling. Someone was laughing. In the midst of all the horror, were the joys of laughter. Singed socks lay before a doorstep. An ashy, ratty teddy bear lie peacefully in a flame ridden bed. Children screamed for their parents.

The world spun around him, never ceasing to slow, never ceasing to stop. Then, the world shifted. He became enveloped in a new reality: The Asylum is waking. Those words marched around his head. In dirty gritty cells, people suddenly sat up. Everyone, all at once, simultaneously sat up in the moonlight. The same hollow eyes everywhere. And one sound... laughing.