Straws

Chapter 4

For a split second, the world turns black. The world feels frozen and I feel unable to move. Is this death? Am I dying? I am slowly able to move my hand to feel a patch of the wall behind me that I've been shoved into due to all the commotion. It looks like I'm still alive. For now.

The black room suddenly has light once again. There are regular colors surrounding us. Greens, blue, yellows, and the white and black are still there but they are not the only colors present. There is no feeling of a void or some soft of hole that we are about to all get sucked into. I look down. It looks like I may have spoken too soon about the void hole. There is a train that sits on a platform. Underneath, lies the abyss and the unknown. As if, we take a wrong step onto the train platform or somehow slip over, we fall to our doomed void hole fate. There are a few poles that resemble street lights, shining light towards the train. That is when I realize we are in some dome room of some sort. There is a blue sky above us and green grass on the sides of us, but then there is just a big black hole in the center with a platform hovering above it. There is a little ramp that leads to the train doors that skips over the hole. One wrong step, and down, down we go. A sudden chill goes through my body. The mix between daylight and the out of place train and the portal that lies underneath, makes me uneasy. This whole thing is making me uneasy, but the scanry that everyone is taking in right now is extra unsettling.

Everyone looks around at our surroundings and at each other. We are at the top of paved stairs that lead down to the train platform. We are huddled, trying not to plummet down the steps. I am all safe from that fate with the way I am squashed against the wall behind me by some tall guy. I take back anything bad I said about being shoved into the wall. I rather be here than on the edge of those stairs. Who knows what other insane things they might have instore for us. After what we're all taking in and witnessing, those stairs could collapse at any moment and we might start sliding towards the abyss hole underneath the train platform. No one says a word as the train doors slide open and speaker projects.

"It is time to Enter,"The voice declares.

"What if we don't?"The tall guy in front of me shouts up to the top of the dome.

"I don't think you want to find out,"A less animated tone shoots through the dome. No, I don't think i want to find it so I would appreciate it if this guy in front of me would shut up. If I need to give him a little kick to the back of the leg, so be it. The guy, not satisfied with the answer, pryes once more.

"What if we don't?"He repeats. The girl next to him shoves him and everyone glares. This guy is acting pretty tough considering the situation we are currently in right now. He does see the abyss hole beneath us, right? If not, we can all glady show him it if he wants to put us all in danger. Instantly, the ramp leading to the train disappears and there is suddenly a large gap between the ground and the hole.

"Speak again and the stairs will disappear too,"The voice laughs.

"So help me, I will push you down these stairs,"Another guy steps towards him from the front and everyone makes a path. He grabs the guy's red shirt in his fists. Dakari stands closely behind the guy, almost as if to break apart a fist fight if he needs to,"Such a tough guy. For what?"He releases his shirt and the guy looks a little stunned. I remain behind the bolder and reach up to tap his shoulder.

"Go ahead and try,"The guy matches up.

"Boys,"Dakari's deep voice booms.

"No. He wants a fight,"The guy who grabbed the shirt challenges with his eyes.

"I wanted an answer,"He shrugs.

"Well, happy now? You got one!"He points to the abyss.

"Very,"He speaks through gritted teeth.