Chapter 69 - Limping Away

In the physical world, Char Char was preparing to leave the theatre. With the help of Sigmund the stage manager, she had successfully arranged the people in the theatre into groups that quickly left towards the safe house. So far, the evacuation had been uneventful. The shared vision that most of the people received of Char Char really gave people hope and courage to brave the danger outside. Char Char had made sure that Ellie, the sister of the girl she had originally come to save, had left in one of the first groups.

As Char Char looked out the door, seeing the backs of the second last group turn the corner she breathed a sigh of relief. She hadn’t heard any screams, and no one had come running back in panic. Char Char assumed that meant that everyone was evacuating safely without any issues.

The entire evacuation from when the crowd had gathered at the stage to this moment had only taken about fifteen minutes. During this time there had been two large ripples of demonic energy that the invigorated the vines around the block causing them to twist and coil up the buildings. Many of the theatre windows on the first floor had shattered and filled with vines. In addition there were several crazed infected people who had charged at the group with vines and eyeballs growing out of their limbs. They had been taken care of swiftly by the stronger men in the crowd, helped by Char Char’s knowledge of how to deal with the threat.

Now it was just her, Sigmund and around thirty others, most of them consisting of helpful people that had volunteered to organize the groups and round up everyone still in the theatre.

“Is that everyone?” Sigmund asked as two boys ran up from the corridor from their search.

“We think so. The building should be empty.” One of them said.

“There are some places we can’t reach anymore because of the vines.” The other added.

“Okay, let’s get going.” Sigmund looked to Char Char, who nodded in approval.

The group had just left the theatre and were walking down the steps when everyone suddenly collapsed on the stairs as a crippling wave of energy blasted across the city. This was the largest one yet. Although they did not know this, it was the final attack of the corrupted officer Walt before she was destroyed by the military outside of the city limits.

Unlike the previous ones, this blast of energy was visible, taking the form of an illusory billowing fog with a greenish tinge. Most of the people only felt incredibly nauseous and buckled over for a few seconds, but several people in their group started screaming as their bodies began mutating, growing thick black fur out of their arms as their limbs twisted in unnatural positions.

The ground beneath Char Char trembled as countless vines as thick as her arms burst from the earth, covered in black, glistening thorns. The way forward was blocked by a growing wall of bramble.

A man beside Char Char collapsed choking and grasping at his throat as fern-like leaves grew out of his arms and neck. At the end of the oscillating fronds eyeballs spontaneously grew, and the spores on the bottom of the leaves opened up and sprayed a thick cloud of black-specked green gas.

“Don’t breathe the gas in!” Char Char called out as she backed away. She suddenly was shoved to the ground by another person who ran past her in a panic, and the shock of the fall caused her to inhale sharply. A thick, burning sensation coated her throat as she began coughing uncontrollably.

Her vision became hazy with tears. She could hear the sound of panicked footsteps and yelling around her.

She lost track of her surroundings as she struggled to breath. She felt as if there were ants crawling around underneath her skin as she struggled to crawl away.

“Ah, this is really bad.” A familiar male voice said with a playful, almost casual tone. A firm hand grasped Char Char’s arm and pulled her up. “She inhaled the spores directly.”

Slender fingers touched Char Char’s forehead, causing the irritation to die down dramatically. Char Char opened her eyes to see a young man with a dark purple vest and spiky hair supporting her. Beside him was a young woman with tanned skin, long black hair and a white dress. She removed her hand from Char Char’s forehead with a frown.

“Firuzeh... Kai...?” Char Char managed to choke out as she recognized the two individuals that she had met in the market earlier in the day. These were the pair that she had originally planned to meet this evening before everything turned to chaos. They looked strangely calm despite the chaotic surroundings. The pale orange light of the gas lamps had a sickly tinge and there were massive vines everywhere around them, but somehow the pocket of space where the three were standing was clear of danger.

“I can’t cure you, but you should be feeling better for the moment.” Firuzeh said, without explaining what she had done.

“Now that we found her, let’s get out of here.” Kai said, looking over the Firuzeh for approval.

“We can’t- Everyone else...” Char Char looked around meekly, but could only hear yelling from beyond the dim light of the street lamps. She couldn’t tell how many people had died or how many were still fleeing for their lives.

“There’s nothing we can do for them.” Firuzeh said. “Let’s go.”

Char Char felt her heart sink as Firuzeh’s words rang in her mind. There was a persuasiveness to Firuzeh’s words that Char Char found herself agreeing with and she didn’t object.

She nodded bitterly as she followed Kai and Firuzeh away from the wall of vines.

~

“Open the door.”

In the pit at the bottom of the white world, Yuzu was unable to resist against the immense power that compelled her body into action. Even as she struggled to control her body, it stepped forward towards the giant metal door filled with engravings.

Yuzu’s hands raised involuntarily up and she felt an immense flow of energy channeling - no, siphoning - out of her into the giant metal door. She was helpless to resist, but as she raised her hands the ornate chest slipped from her fingers and dropped out of her grasp. At the moment it left contact Yuzu felt a violent yank on her spirit as her connection to the white world suddenly ended. She disappeared immediately as the evil entity lost its control over her body.

The giant metal door wrapped in chains fell silent as the entity behind it observed the ornate chest, which rested in an upright position directly in front of the door.

An enormous bang resounded out as a massive force shook the door, jangling the chains violently. Again and again, the entity tried to break through the door, but was unable to make a dent. The ground trembled as it roared furiously, unable to affect the chest.

The clashing sound of metal chains and otherworldly roars echoed in Yuzu’s ears as she rematerialized in the physical world. Her body and clothes regained their colour and her hair returned to black. She collapsed to her hands and knees, her mind still reeling from the terror of being subjugated by that immensely powerful being. She felt weak and nauseous as she trembled from the after effects of the evil entity’s influence over her. The ornate chest was no longer with her, it had remained in the white world where she dropped it.

Yuzu’s surroundings were dark, silent and unfamiliar. She was outside somewhere in the city, though she couldn’t tell exactly where in the pitch black of the night. She heard the sound of flowing water nearby, and from the glow of lanterns she could see the outline of a bridge not too far away. This meant that she was somewhere near the river that bisected the city.

After some time and with great effort she stood up and staggered towards the nearest light. Golden threads lingered in her vision, lighting a path for her in the darkness of the night.

“This isn’t too far from the import shop…” Yuzu muttered as she reached the street. She was only a few blocks away from the edge of the market. She felt like she was on the verge of breaking down as her legs propelled her forwards in spite of her confusion.

The streets were quiet, but they weren’t empty. Many people were walking in small groups with cautious, alert expressions. There was a tension in the air from the events that had only just quieted down. Yuzu tried to reach out to observe the golden strings, but when she did she felt a tightness grow in her chest, like a piece of fabric that was being stretched too thin and was ready to tear.

Before long she reached the worn down door inset between the tea shop and grocery store with the sign ‘Chen’s Import’ hung above it. She leaned against the door frame as she knocked on it several times.

There was no response.

Yuzu groaned as she rested her head on her arm, bracing against the wall. There were no threads entering or leaving the import shop. After several minutes without a response she gave up on making contact with Argus. She didn’t even have the energy to wonder why he wasn’t answering, or why she had instinctively come back to find him. She slumped down onto the ground as she felt like her legs were too weak to support her weight. Her head was swimming.

“Miss, are you okay?” A voice called to her.

She didn’t respond, but she looked up to see a police man approaching her. The man knelt down, looking at her carefully. He was concerned for her well-being, but he was also making sure that she wasn’t showing signs of infection.

“I’m just feeling weak.” Yuzu said.

“Are you hurt?” The man asked, “Do you feel sick?”

Yuzu shook her head. The officer frowned, “Let me take you somewhere safe. It’s too dangerous out here tonight.”

“Okay.” Yuzu said.

The officer helped her stand up as he escorted her away from the market, “There is a police station not far from here. When we get there, I’ll help you find a way home if you’re still feeling weak.”