《Death Spire》Chapter 8 - White walls
Advertisement
“Are you sure about this?” My father asked, clearly concerned. “You won't have much time for anything else if you decide to go through with this.”
“Relax dad,” I said nonchalantly, “I’m sure he’s just blowing steam about the commitment thing. Besides, even if he goes crazy about it I can just leave the gym,” I sighed, “it’s not like I’m doing anything else at the moment anyway.”I sighed once more. Since the societal focus had shifted towards hunters and academic geniuses it was incredibly difficult for normal folks like me to get a job. My parents were okay though because they had a good amount of tenure where they worked and were well respected there.
“Alright. Just don’t half-ass it. You know how I feel about people that don’t see things through til the end.” He paused, “You never know, you might actually enjoy it.” He smirked.
I had never enjoyed cardio so I guess it was a dig at my chubbiness. But I wanted to at least get a bit more into shape so I would definitely take it seriously for a while at least.
“Fat chance dad.” I chuckled. I imagined this would be something I would hate but have to grit my teeth and bear it for a while.
“Well I’m working tomorrow so I wont be able to make sure you don’t skip,” he teased.
“You’re just happy you don’t have to come here instead,” I argued defensively. I got my general laziness from my dad.
We continued to banter as we continued towards the metro station.
As we were passing through the less populated areas of the city, the wind started to pick up and the area descended into silence. The shadows extended much faster than usual and seemed to block out all light. It appeared somewhat unnatural but I couldn’t process what was happening at the time, all I knew was that my father had suddenly pushed me behind a building and lay down on top of me. My mind was blank and it was struggling to catch up. What just happened?
Advertisement
Then the screaming began. Tens, maybe hundreds of people around us started screaming at the top of their lungs as if possessed by demons. I couldn’t turn my head to look because it was firmly pressed to the ground by my fathers strong arms. I could feel him shaking. I could feel his uneven breaths on the back of my neck. I could hear his muffled whimpers of pain and it terrified me. I had never seen him like this. My father was one of the smartest and experienced people I knew but right now he was whimpering like a child. I shut my eyes tightly and begs for this to end.
It only lasted ten seconds but to me it felt like an hour. The blanket of darkness was suffocating and making the air hard to breathe. When it faded it just disappeared like it was never there and all the screaming people were also gone. I felt the weight on my back lift and I turned back in time to see my father also disappearing bit by bit as a single tear ran down his cheek. “Tell your mother I love her,” he managed to choke out as his existence dissolved into a gentle breeze before vanishing.
I was dumbstruck and lay on the ground where my father had left me for what must've been an hour before my mind caught up with the pain I felt. It was unbearable. The world began spinning faster and tilting on its side, then it faded to black.
I woke up in a white room to a gentle but mechanical beeping sound. High above me was a white popcorn grid ceiling. In an attempt to understand where I was my vision crept slowly down as I rolled my head on the soft white pillow. I was able to see a metal curtain rack with light blue curtains attached to it. Following it with my eyes I realized that it covered my entire bed at a distance of about one meter. As I came to the opposite end of curtain I could see an IV drip about half full of a transparent liquid. I was able to put the pieces together as I traced the tube coming out of the bottom of the bag and ended in a needle which was inserted into my arm which was covered in white bandages. I was in the hospital.
Advertisement
I tried to call out but my voice was hoarse and didn’t come out how I wanted it to. Instead it sounded like someone else was trying to talk as an unintelligible moaning sound was produced. When I heard it I started to panic. My heart started beating wildly and my thoughts spun round and round in my head. What had they done to me? What had happened? I flailed like a crazy person as the mechanical beeping lost its gentle touch and went into overdrive. The last thing I saw was a group of three nurses flocking towards me. Two of them firmly held me down while the last stuck something in my arm and I slowly faded back into unconsciousness. My dreams were pleasant and vivid. They had hit me with some good shit.
The next time I woke, the hospital staff were better prepared as they had a nurse keeping an eye on me. I felt privileged because she was quite pretty. Her strawberry blonde hair fell in waves down either side of her rather thin face and her green eyes seemed to light the room. She walked to the foot of my bed and took a look at a chart that was hanging there.
She then proceeded to my bedside and sat down in the standard issue hospital chair. “Mr. Anderson, it’s best you don’t move too much. You’ve suffered some very severe burns.” She stated seriously, giving me a sympathetic look.
“What happened?” I strained my throat and barely managed to covey my question. Once again, what I heard didn’t match with my memory of my own voice.
She quickly prepared a plastic cup filled with water and brought it to my lips carefully pouring it’s contents down my parched throat. “The burns seem to have affected your throat too,” she quickly explained in a gentle voice. I could tell she was trying to avoid another panic attack but I could feel my heart rate accelerating anyway.
“What about my father? Where is he?” I managed to eek out.
The pretty blonde nurse’s face became confused as she replied, “Father? No one else was with you. Do you want me to call him for you?”
When I heard what she said I stiffened as the memories of our day trip to the city flooded back into my mind. The shadow, the screams, the single tear that ran down his cheek.
I must’ve given the nurse quite a surprise as a tear spilled from my eye and I passed out for the third time that day.
Advertisement
- In Serial67 Chapters
Suddenly, I Can Duplicate Money
Yun Hao was a star athlete. Destined for greatness, but alas, he was only human– It meant nothing in a world where people could destroy a building with their finger.
8 2392 - In Serial207 Chapters
The God in the Grove
The village of Roads End, lying on the outskirts of man’s territory near the Deep Forest, knew nothing about the rising tensions among the nearby countries. They lived in peace, receiving the occasional trader while being largely avoided by the strange beasts that roamed the wood. Though most didn’t believe in the forgotten god whose shrine resided just within the forest, they appreciated the quiet village and the cures and tonics the local temple provided. Maria, a young priestess serving the nameless god, lived happily with her Grandmother in the small temple. Even she wasn’t sure about truth behind the small shrine within the mysterious grove. But when tragedy comes to her home, Maria will be forced to rely on… The God in the Grove… New chapter every Sunday and Wednesday night!
8 1740 - In Serial40 Chapters
Outlands
Ryou, a relentlessly repressed accountant, accidentally slips between dimensions, right into the middle of a fight between a stranger and a couple of outlandish creatures. Since he's not a complete idiot, Ryou quickly retraces his steps and flees backs to the normal world , but he brings the stranger along with him. Now his life is going to take a sharp turn away from "repressed" to very strange places indeed: into a warped image of the past and into a very uncertain future, through war and violence to the very edges of reality and beyond.
8 180 - In Serial48 Chapters
HAVEN (OLD VERSION)
Sophie's future is planned out for her. Having just outgrown her studies and Job Placement in a few months, her path is straight and clear. But when her best friend is captured and taken over the wall that protects them from a wild, primitive people, Sophie makes the most uncharacteristic and dangerous decision of her life: follow her into the Outlands and face every fear she's ever known.Once in the Outlands, she realizes that things are not what they seem. There is a force even more sinister lurking on the outside, bigger than anyone had ever imagined. Seeking the help of seemingly one of the most savage Outlanders, with his handsome, brooding demeanor-not to mention his scary-accurate talent with a bow-they go on a mission that will challenge not just their survival, but that of the entire human race. As the two grow closer, Sophie realizes that no one is safe, and the scariest monsters are the ones inside of us. 🏆 Highest rank : #6 in ROMANCE#72 in Adventure #1 in Dystopia #1 in Science#1 in Utopia• 1st place : Adventure in The Magical Awards• 3rd place : Action/Adventure in The Rebel Wars• People's Choice Award for Adventure in The Phoenix Awards**THIS OLD VERSION IS UNEDITED** To read the most updated story version of HAVEN, please go to my other book! xoxo
8 69 - In Serial372 Chapters
Cascadia
Corvayne, a warrior exiled from his desert village, ends up in the backwater colony city Cascadia. He meets a strange girl, jumps through a portal to another world, and starts a journey to protect her and discover the secrets and treasures waiting in the mysterious rifts they call 'Towers'. Follow Corvayne as he fights throngs of monsters and explores totally-not-Seattle with Wick, his foul mouthed girlfriend. Along the way Corvayne will accumulate a rotating party of friends and misfits, journey into through dungeons full of dangers and loot, and learn to use a bevy of strange powers as he faces threats inside the mysterious 'Towers' and through the city of Cascadia, which hosts secrets of it's own, all while trying to unravel his tangled past. Updates: Mondays + Whenever I feel like it. ****************** This story features: -A cast who are mostly good friends and mostly good people, despite exploring weird and dangerous worlds. -A mix of dungeons, dragons, and exploring the pine scented city of Cascadia. -Very light LitRPG elements that slowly seep into the story. Learning the system is a challenge that takes the characters a long time. -A strange universe with a mix of both standard magic and powers that twist reality itself. Some wizards know how to cast fireball, but a few can curse someone to be lost for eons. -No explicit sex scenes. Warning is for implied sex scenes and some nudity. -Lots of blood, mostly monster blood. -A long planned story and long character arcs. I have the ending in mind as I write. -Single character PoV, with plans to add bonus chapters for other characters. [A winner of the Royal Road Writathon challenge.]
8 239 - In Serial14 Chapters
Cinder Roots (Undergoing a Rewrite)
This novel is currently undergoing a major rewrite, as I noticed several plot points that needed to be revamped. I'll leave the chapters I've posted here to anyone curious to see how everything started, but I'll be posting the rewritten story as a new novel in the future. The characters will be the same, but the journey will be more understandable and hopefully, a lot more fun to read. -------- First, everything was fire, it killed, it consumed, and it gave him life. He was just a tree, born in the biggest forest that remained in the world, full of dryads, naiads, elves and treants, but he was alone. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t talk. Curiosity plagued him. He dreamed of wandering the land, but could only wonder what stood outside the reach of his roots. The tree was tired of waiting. He decided to not just dream, but to act. How could he survive against a invading empire, a grand conspiracy that threatened to shake the foundations of the world, and the raw danger that lies within these woods? With pure determination. Warning - There are quite a few POV changes in the first chapters, but that'll change after the introduction is done, as I'll be focusing on the MC perspective only.
8 101