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13. Everything in Flames

I don't know what it is, but I've been feeling strange lately. The doctors said that the dive might have effects like that, but I don't think they meant it to last nearly four months. Besides, what am I supposed to tell them? That I have nervous butterflies constantly and cry for no apparent reason?

The diagnosis would probably just be a young man in touch with his emotions and they'd mark me perfectly healthy. But something about the whole thing just feels wrong, like it's different than what it should be. And if any of the others have noticed my change in behavior, they haven't said anything about it.

"Collin, Collin, Collin!" Riley yells, practically jumping up and down in front of me, making me look up from the comic in my hands. "Guess what?!"

"What?" I ask, cautious of an excited Riley; it never means anything good.

"I don't know!" Riley's smile grows like he just said the most intelligent thing in the universe while I just give him the most confused look I've ever had. "Well- I mean- no- that came out wrong, but like- there was this thing and I had this dream and-and- it was so awesome! And you were there and you were a sarcastic brat like a kid and you were adorable!"

I sigh, ignoring Riley bouncing onto the couch. "Who let him have coffee?" I ask, loud enough for Seith and Jax to hear from the bedroom.

I hear the door fly open and Jax comes into the room, stepping back in fear of the smile on Riley's face. "He had coffee?" he asks, "Where did he get coffee?"

"Well," Riley says, "I don't know if it was coffee- it didn't look like coffee- maybe it was coffee, I don't know. It was kinda a soda- but like not a soda, you know- and it was like a demon, a monster and it had green goop and it smelled funny and now I can't breathe cause I'm talking too much! Should I stop talking? I'm gonna stop talking and breathe so I hopefully don't die." Riley finishes, taking a big gulp of air with a crazy smile on his face as he stares up at Jax.

Jax, meanwhile, has a look of utter horror on his face, like an excited Riley is his worst nightmare. Which, considering all the damage Riley can do when energized, he probably is Jax's worst nightmare. Before Jax can say anything though, the lights suddenly shut off, leaving us in darkness.

Within a few seconds, the red emergency lights kick on, making everyone look slightly demonic. We all fall into silence, even Riley, at the sudden power outage. Depending on the circumstances, a power failure could mean potential death: falling into the sun, crashing into the moon, or brain damage for those in Dive. We all wait patiently for any sign of life, but the hallway outside the door remains quiet.

"What do we do?" Riley asks. After a moment of silence, they say, almost solemnly, "Seith is still out there."

I nod my head, hesitating for only a second before I carefully walk to the door. I silently thank whatever being is out there that the door doesn't make a sound as I slowly push it open, peeking my head out to see if anything is there. When I see no one, I step fully out of the room, hearing Jax and Riley walk up behind me.

Making my way down the hall, it's absolutely silent, like the whole station is holding its breath. The quiet only serves to remind me of the emptiness of space around us, as every creak of metal and shift of air becomes ever more apparent. Even Riley and Jax's footsteps behind me sound like bad omens.

As we walk around, checking in rooms, the silence only grows. We have yet to see a single person besides us, and the quiet has begun creeping up my back and sending chills down my spine.

Finally, in the dive room, we find someone just standing there. Their back is turned to us, but their clothes look nothing like the uniforms required for anyone in this room. Their head is bowed, their black hair shining blood red in the glow of the emergency lights. They take a deep breath, whispering something I can't make out, and turn to face us.