The Nibiru Effect

Memory 8

I'm not brave. It's not that I don't want to be; it's just that every time I try to be courageous, I freeze up. By the time I decide to take action, it's too late, and all I can do is flee.

This time is no different. I watch, frozen, as Salt 'n' Pepper—that's what I decide to call the grey-haired soldier—drops to one knee and takes careful aim.

Time is running out. Within seconds, Scar Lady—that's what I call the woman with the hourglass symbol on her wrist—and Angry Dude—her scowling partner—will be shot.

"Watch out!" someone yells.

It takes a moment before I realize the warning came from my lips. By then, it's too late to swallow back the warning.

Scar Lady and Angry Dude dive behind a stone bench just as Salt 'n' Pepper pulls the trigger. The gun bucks, but no shot rings out. There's a faint whistling, followed by an explosion. Stone fragments fill the air as the corner of the bench behind which Scar Lady and Angry Dude hide is blown to pieces.

I can't believe it. I saved someone's life. But the feeling of pride evaporates when Salt 'n' Pepper glares at me. His eyes are ablaze with hatred, and I immediately regret getting involved.

I expect the grey-haired soldier to aim his gun at me, but he merely glares at me. Moments later, he ducks behind a nearby bench, followed closely by his beautiful partner—I decide to refer to her as Barbie due to her blond hair and flawless figure.

I don't understand their desire for protection until Scar Lady and Angry Dude emerge from cover, guns in hand. What happens next is so unexpected I just stand there, frozen in shock.

Scar Lady and Angry Dude start shooting, their odd-looking weapons bucking as whistling sounds fill the air. There are no bullets, yet the bench behind which Salt 'n' Pepper and Barbie have just taken cover comes alive with tiny explosions. Within seconds, the air is heavy with dust and shrapnel.

It's not until one of the invisible bullets whistles past my ear that I realize I'm still standing. I drop, but that does little to increase my odds of survival. One stray bullet and I'm dead.

I scan my surroundings. The closest bench stands a few metres away. It may not sound like much, but given the fact that the air is alive with invisible bullets, it may as well be a kilometre. Not to mention the fact that approaching Salt 'n' Pepper is probably not the best move. That leaves two options.

Option one: The train track. Option two: The staircase.

Option one is closer but riskier. Option two is farther but safer. I'm debating which of the two to select when another bullet whizzes past my head.

I start crawling toward the staircase.

The journey takes forever. I put one arm in front of the other and drag myself along. Projectiles fly by overhead, their infernal whistling filling my ears. Every once in a while one of them slams into the ground next to me, lifting a cloud of dust. By the time I finally reach the staircase, I'm covered in dust and shrapnel.

Now comes the hardest part. In order to reach the cover of the stairwell, I must stand, which means that, for a brief moment, I will be an easy target for any stray bullets.

You can do this, I tell myself. I don't believe it, but I don't let that stop me. I take a deep breath and jump up. In the second it takes me to dive behind cover, I catch a glimpse of the firefight.

Scar Lady and Angry Dude are still shooting. Salt 'n' Pepper also sprays his invisible bullets. Only Barbie remains hidden, though I suspect she does it out of cautiousness, not cowardice. Then the wall obscures my vision, and I'm safe.

I land hard, but a few bruises are nothing compared to being hit by one of those whistling bullets. I glance around, looking for a way out. Unfortunately, escaping the subway station means crossing the overpass, and given the dozens of bullet holes that riddle it, I can tell crossing it would be tantamount to suicide.

It takes me a moment to grasp the implications of my discovery.

I'm trapped.