Discordiae - Jackson's Story

Chapter 10 - Seeing Red

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Arkadia - June 4th

"Just this way..." Dr. Rizniak said guiding Jackson down the long hallway.

"Doc, this isn't going to be like when you took me to where Sandra is resting is it?" Jackson huffed. It felt like he had been walking for ages. "Because that was really far..."

"You'll be fine, lad. Just keep walking."

Jackson hadn't noticed before since he was so worried about Sandy, but the most of the hallway was constructed of a shiny black material that was oddly non-reflective.

As they started towards what seemed like a new opening in the path, Jackson thought he heard voices outside of the usual. Some were lightly dancing, some were talking professionally, a few were angry and threatening, but one voice was different than all the rest; It was seemed to be an endless expanse of hunger.

 He tried to shift his focus away from it, but the voice was bestial, primal, it wanted to be noticed. The growing terror clawed at him, but what held Jackson's attention was the seething emptiness that it seemed to hold. A void that beckoned outwards wishing only to consume. He hoped he didn't have to meet whatever that was.

"Oof..." Jackson exhaled as he banged into something solid. After shaking himself, he realized that something was Dr. Rizniak. <Well, that was disturbing...> he thought.

"Mind your step, lad." Dr. Rizniak said, as he blocked Jackson's path. 

"Sorry, Riz... wait..." Jackson said after walking into Dr. Rizniak. As he was guided into the new path, he suddenly noticed that the room had grown substantially from where they were and that he had in very real terms almost fallen off a mountain. "What the hell?! Doc, where are we?"

"This?" Dr. Rizniak asked in his usual nonchalant manner. "Nothing special. Just a holding area, some offices, security. Nothing too exciting."

Jackson continued to gawk around the area. This holding area, as the Riz had claimed it to be, was the largest thing he had ever seen. He couldn't even see where the walls ended.

"A holding area? But Doc, I uh... this place... How--" Jackson asked. 

"Pádraig needed his own location for the change," Dr. Rizniak interrupted, changing the subject. "but he started asking about you and Ms. Morganstern shortly after his parents left so I came to get you."

"Oh? Ok. That's nice. I'll be glad to see him, but that still doesn't answer my questions..."

"Yes... won't that be nice." The doctor stated blankly.

They arrived at a greyish door that Jackson could've have sworn was a piece of the wall, until the Riz pushed it open. The room appeared to be dark, but amber lighting slowly lit up the room. The source of the light, however, was a mystery.

"Pádraig, I've brought you a friend. You said you wanted to see Jackson." the doctor said in his typical kooky way.

"Jackson? Oh... Good... This will be fun." Pádraig said darkly. His lips began to part as though he were smiling, but there was no warmth in it.

"Hey, buddy. Looks like you had them dye your hair. Can I call you 'Red', now?" Jackson said happily, moments before he realized Pádraig was wearing dark heavy chains. "Uh... What's with the chains, Riz?"