Playing With Fire : Andy Strucker

fiRE aNd ice

I was in a forest clearing, there was nothing within sight but the plain tall trees. The sun rays were shining through the gaps in the leaves and gave a warm feeling.

I wonder why was I dreaming about this. There was no one at all and for a moment I thought I was all alone.

My senses heightened when I heard rustling and I could feel my actual heartbeat quickening even while I was dreaming. It felt ominous.

My body instinctively turned back as I was met with the sight of a man in his late twenties to thirties. He had a familiar face but I was not able to make a link to where I have seen it before.

He looked haggard with a deep bags under his eyes. His clothes were similar to that of a patient's, his hair reached his shoulders and he had a full beard that looked like it was not shaven in a long time.

I tried calling out to him to see if he would respond but he did not hear anything. He was weary of his surroundings as his head moved back and forth vigorously, as if to make sure no one was following him.

Continuing to follow him, I could see that he was trying his best to run away. My heart raced in fear, feeling for him.

My attention was once more diverted to something else when I heard the rushed footsteps of many people. There was a sudden onset of talking voices. I could see the panic rising in the man's eyes.

The man suddenly tripped over a root of a tree and suddenly men in tactical gear entered the scene.

The whole situation was silent. One of the armed men made a signal that had the rest taking slow steps to encircle the haggard man.

Said man quickly scrambled to his feet and had his fists outstretched before energy flames engulfed them. They were a clear, almost crystallizing orange.

That's when it occurred to me. This is my great grandfather. I never ever seen a picture of him before. This was truly the first time I ever met him, albeit in a dream state.

The tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I realized what the situation was. This was my great grandfather's escape from the horrible facility that experimented on him.

I wished I could help but I only knew I was just an onlooker in this dream. My eyes focused on his hands and I took note of the same ring that I have presently.

My great grandfather started to project the energy flames like missiles to throw the armed men off. They tried to start shooting at him but he threw up his hand in a fist. The ring started glowing and his energy flames became a shield to absorb the incoming bullets.

He let out an impactful blast once more, knowing everyone off their feet. Before they could recover, my great grandfather took a firm stance. He brought up both his hands and placed them side by side to form an triangular shape.

The burning energy flames were flickering in his hands. They looked soft but it felt like something was building up.

The armed men looked afraid at the sight in front of them. My great grandfather closed his eyes and took a breather. I held my breath at the anticipation of what's to come.

He reopened his eyes and in a bright flash light, I couldn't make out the entire scene. When the light faded, I was shocked at the aftermath.

All of the armed men were frozen in ice all the way up to their necks. The sun ray reflected off the surface, giving it a sparkle like a diamond.

While the men could not move their bodies and struggled to move their head, they were still frantically moving their eyes- as if they were mortified at the situation they were in.