Breakout

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Four solid walls are around me. The only chance of escaping this room is the exit right in front. I run for it without asking any question or to ponder that it leads me to another room, exactly like the one I came from.

Once I step exactly in the center the walls between my right and left start moving closer for me. I don't take the time to panic, but wait for the moment for the chance to climb them both and reach for the top. So far I'm doing okay. I do come up with one concept for now though by able to touch the walls. Some of these things that set in this maze could be real. Not a computer program. Not a hologram able to trick my mind. I'm guessing this third task is supposed to test my sharp survival skills. Use my head clearly, more than ever.

Another concept pops into my head.

I don't really have any sharp, survival skills that I'm able to use. Back home, Bandi has taught me defensive moves in a way to control my House. And effective was he to help me control them too. Sometimes I really think he has trained me to become a Safeguard.

At the top of the block, I look down and find Plato. He's not paying attention, just doodling on his pad as usual. So I continue ahead.

I crawl through a tunnel that drops me ten feet into another room.

Talk about a wakeup call because I'm finding it difficult to breathe. All the air dispels from my lungs and I'm gaping for a breath. I recover by coughing after wheezing heavily from the struggle.

Where am I now? I think.

It's another room, this time with five door frames to choose from; each one which has some strange symbol, below the entrance. But which way should I choose? Which way is right? Not wanting to spend more time as I spin around, I take the door with the figure of an unconnected square on the ground.

I run through not looking back, until I hear the grinding sound of the door. If I had a second opinion to return, I choose a different door. Too late now. The door is completely shut, sealed and from it a block of boulder transform out of it.

"Not this again," I say. This one looks real as the last. I'm definitely not going to find out if so or not I completely run down a chamber and into a square-shaped cul-de-sac. I'm trapped in the perfect fit for the boulder to fit in space, and for my misfortunate death. Plato's voice doesn't go off in my head until after I try throwing a bolt of lightning straight ahead. One more thing . . . No power allowed. That's why! The red blinking orbs around the maze arena.

Those were Blockers.

I've heard about them, but never seen one before. From what I hear about the device, it can come in any shape as long as it can do what it's created for. It suppresses powers through the pressure of air. The higher an altitude is the better an aviant's power is greater. At lower altitudes we're known to become weaker. Almost human even. But it's not some kind of cure to alleviate our houses completely.

Plato did say there would be a few puzzles to solve from in order to escape matters like this one. So I guess there's a secret door I have to activate. But I'm already thinking too soon when I see one open on the left. Don't know how it happens or where this will lead me, it's the only chance I have, and I take it wisely.

The tunnel of this chamber is pitch dark, which I can't see where I'm going as I'm scurrying around. About midway out, the ground shakes beneath me knocking me off my feet and slams me into a wall. The wall shifts open and I stumble into another room, so spacious and pitch black I don't know what to expect. So I quickly try jumping back on my feet and wait for the worst. A spark of electricity runs through my hands in an act of defense; though I won't need it when the ground shifts again.