The Tower

Chapter 4

     In the left-hand corner of the room, there was a capsule, it was completely out of place and made no sense why it was there.

 "Rose... did we just wander into one of the newcomer's rooms?" 

"No... it can't be... your room didn't have an exit, nor did it even look that nice. You told me about it... it would make no sense why it's different. It doesn't even matter. I don't think anyone's in it anyway" A feeling of fear and pressure both filled them, but Rose was too tired to think about fear and pressure, and she just collapsed on the bed, and out cold. Stephen, on the other hand, couldn't manage to fall asleep at all. All the lights were out and everyone was asleep, except Stephen.

     Darkness filled the room and all that lit it was Stephen's bright blue eyes, then out of nowhere, two green orbs appeared where the capsule was. Fear filled Stephen's entire body. The green orbs spoke, the voice was that of a girl. 

"I am a hologram. I cannot hurt you, I have no reason to. Please, don't go to The Tower... I don't think you know the full consequences of what happens when you reach The Tower." 

Stephen had to whisper so he wouldn't risk waking Rose up.

 "What's gonna happen if I reached The Tower?" 

"You'll find out soon enough... I am just like you, I woke up here many years ago, and met my only friend. She asked me about The Tower and I agreed to go to it.".

 Her voice was filled with emptiness and sorrow. 

Stephen thought to himself, "The Tower... I want to stop thinking of that damn stupid thing... people keep mentioning it. I will get to The Tower."

  "I don't know who you are, but please understand my hope that I want so desperately to get home, to see my parents, my friends, live life normally. I don't believe you're wrong in what you're saying, but please hear me out- I love this place, but I can't manage two lives without taking one. I've already decided I'm going to The Tower and it's too late to convince me otherwise and even if you were to convince me not to go, I would have to anyways because two people are already here and I'm not about to disappoint them."

 "Please, take my advice. You don't know what you're going to lose and when it hits you, you'll feel more guilt than disappointing your friends!"

 Stephen was still unconvinced. He was determined to reach The Tower at this point, he had to!

  The eyes stayed silent, and soon enough Stephen fell asleep.

     That night, Stephen had a dream. He was in Betiko, but not the form he had taken as a dark blue cloak, but it was as if he was one of the people that had always lived there. At first, he was just walking around a city. This was probably the 'big city' Rose was talking about. What was the big city even called? That's beside the point, he was wandering as an inhabitant of Betiko, wandering the city, and suddenly, the sky turned a bloody red, the clouds turned a fiery orange and the ground below him cracked and opened up. It was a complete disaster. It was this dying planet's end, but why? There were several apartment windows, but nobody was in the apartments themselves. When this person looked up, he saw The Tower, and that was when Stephen woke up from the dream.

     The hologram appeared again. "I don't wanna go... please, stop it. Don't go. Don't leave me, Stephen, don't leave me. We can live here for the rest of eternity in this room... I love you, I miss you, I care for you. To have me disappear and forget I ever existed on Earth hurts me. The realization that you wouldn't even know who I am stressed me out, but now, we can live together. Look into my eyes, then maybe you'll remember who I am." Stephen couldn't process this at all. But Stephen stared her dead in the eyes. He gave a long, hard stare hoping something would jog his memory, but all he remembered was him, and his parents. Maybe it was his best friend, or maybe a girlfriend, but whoever it was, he had no clue.

  "I... I'm sorry! I don't know who you are and what role you played in my life! I'm genuinely sorry... I wish I knew who you are-" She cut him off. "Linda... Linda was my name." Linda... Linda Linda Linda... Stephen searched his memories as if searching through files and records in a library of shelves organized in his head. It had all the information, but no Linda... wait a minute... there's a shelf with a lock on it. Stephen put his hand on the lock, but that did nothing. There was no key to unlock it. He had to find that key

     It seems like Rose and Salutem are getting up now, it was time for them to go. Before they went, Linda spoke to Stephen one last time. "Go, go to The Tower! Go with your friends, and don't be afraid of The Tower! I believe that you can do this, and so will everyone else that sees you, they can sense that you can end the war. There will be true peace, a happy ending to this weak planet, and everyone sent here can leave as if nothing happened. It'll make me happy, it'll make all of us happy." Then the hologram returned to their place, inside the capsule in the corner, and faded. Rose and Salutem woke up, and it was time for them to go. The lights turned on and the trio packed up and left this place. Stephen didn't want to leave Linda, but he knew he had no choice. Stephen wanted to make Linda happy, and everyone else. "Next stop, Last Light! It's what I've been referring to as the big city, and the only city left on the planet!"

END OF CHAPTER 4