《The Cracks in the Labyrinth》Chapter 12 (Part 1)
Advertisement
The knock, knock on the stall door brought him back to reality.
Where am I? Adam asked himself, trying to piece together his broken memories of the last... Two hours! He stared at the old Nokia in disbelief. How did I get here?
Even with his head hurting, like a beating heart inside his skull, it didn't take him long to realize he was in a public restroom. The pervasive smell of piss and the lewd jokes on the walls left no room for doubt.
What happened on the train?
When he tried to remember, the jolt of pain was so blunt he jerked his head to the side.
"Dude! Hurry."
Through the gap below the stall door, Adam saw the shadow of a man shifting his weight from one foot to another.
"Just a minute."
His throat hurt when he spoke, as if he'd screamed for hours. I can't stop shaking. A part of him wanted to stay in there, hidden.
"I'm shitting my pants!"
Right after Adam stepped outside, the other guy got in the stall so fast his face became a blur. A second later, an explosive farting noise was all the incentive needed to get away from there.
"Dear God," Adam whispered as he encountered his reflection in the stained mirror. Paler than usual, with a trickle of blood coming out of his left ear and wearing a torn sweatshirt, he seemed to belong on an autopsy table more than any other place. "My watches are intact. My promise remains unbroken."
"Don't pass out," said an old man sitting on a wretched plastic chair near the door, a surly expression on his face.
"I'm fine."
"Uh-huh. Right..." he said in a skeptical tone. "At least you are talking now."
Advertisement
"I—"
"You haven't paid."
At a loss as to how to respond to this, he gave him a reluctant nod. A clogged toilet, two broken urinals, small puddles below the sinks, yellowish floor tiles framed by crusted stains... Not even a cockroach would dare to come here after dusk. Adam had dealt with people who charged for using public restrooms before, but he'd never met one so shameless.
"No bowel movement, no cash. That's my policy."
"Then smoke," the old man pointed to some cigarettes next to a few wrinkled bills and a roll of toilet paper near him. "That does the trick for me. I'll give you a discount."
"Wait," Adam washed the blood off his ear. "You said I didn't speak when I came in?"
"Not a peep. You stormed in like a zombie and locked yourself there."
Failing to concentrate, his thoughts jumbled together, Adam gave money to the old man and headed out the door.
So I'm at a gas station.
He knew the area.
"It's near the Paseo Los Ilustres."
As he walked to the Faculty of Medicine, his headache moved to his stomach and made him vomit. After emptying his insides on a sidewalk, the murmur of the passing vehicles became almost pleasant and his mind cleared up.
Once the green areas surrounding the highway were behind him and the three-legged clock tower greeted him by ringing its loud bells, Adam decided it didn't matter how he got there.
I'm here and that's not nothing.
He wanted to sit down, figure out what had happened after the power blackout, but akin to remembering a night of heavy drinking, the missing pieces of the afternoon refused to take shape in his mind.
When Adam arrived on campus, he was glad to find the all too familiar metal sign letters that read "Anatomical Institute". It is weird being back. He'd never considered studying medicine, despite his grandfather's wishes, but this place had been his backyard during the Mission Phidias internship.
Advertisement
"That's the bower where Evi and I used to sit," he said, his face alive with mirth for the first time in days.
Not every corner brought him good memories, however.
As usual, he avoided the Narvaéz macabre ceramic mural depicting an enormous skinned man surrounded by doctors with pointy faces dressed in white.
I can't shake the feeling it follows me with his eyes, Adam thought. As if he's waiting for someone, anyone to save him from those little humanoid figures.
He made a right turn, convinced it would be the shortest route to get to Rafael's office. To his surprise, the long fluorescent corridor led to the exit.
Wait, Adam looked around, puzzled. I'm sure this should be it.
A group of students changed their course to avoid him and he couldn't blame them; he was far from resembling a functional human being. After a few minutes of meandering, Adam could have sworn the insights of the building had twisted somehow.
A labyrinth.
"Are you a student?"
Adam turned around to find a tall man wearing a combat dress uniform carrying a FN FAL assault rifle.
A National Guardsman?
"No. I'm looking for a doctor."
"I bet you are," the soldier eyed him from head to foot with great curiosity.
"I'll be on my way, sir."
"Citizen, your ID."
"What?"
"Show me your ear!"
An icy shiver went down Adam's backbone.
"What did you say?"
The National Guardsman put his hand on his rifle.
"Come with me."
Advertisement
Observation Log Of Miss Miner
After untimely death by protecting her favorite story. Our Mc character wakes up in a brand new world that is full of interesting stories. What will she do to continue her favorite stories and sagas? From Writer: English not my first language so expect grammar errors or missing words. This is best I can.
8 250Pyramid of Dreams
On a planet like no other, there lies a mystery unsolvable through the eons. The Voyager, a being of nigh-omnipotent power, stumbles on to this planet to discover that there is much more in the world that he did not know.Ancient forces asleep since time immemorial begin to awaken as the universe is once more plunged into chaos.Will the Voyager maintain his role of an observer or will he decide to take action, altering the course of all existence?
8 74The Firefly Diary
Written for the Royal Writathon. (Finished). Season two: Wolf hybrids in a fantasy world have gotten over as major heroes for stopping the rampage of the moon goddess Lhyna, but now new family members are coming over, and they're slowly finding out their problems are far from over when they learn their cousin has the ability to make people stop moving. Season One not necessary to read for Season Two, and season one is getting a rewrite. Now participant in two Writathons! Season Two: Participant of the Royal Writathon Challenge for November 2020.
8 185In A Heartbeat - Larry Stylinson [complete]
When Harry meets his new roommates, he is immediately captivated by one of them. But what happens when he discovers Louis' dark, bloody secret? And will Louis be able to handle his blood thirst?
8 325Pink Sugar Apocalypse
In a world where normal people live normal lives, a normal man is brutally murdered by faux-feminists protesting at an indie video game company. Awakening in a dark place, he is greeted by the goddess of fate and given a ridiculously sexy offer. Does he have what it takes to travel to a fantasy world and become the only man who can level-up? Can he handle a reality where women are completely in power after his epic beat down, a world where taking damage in battle means that your armor and clothing explodes in a shower of light and jiggle physics? Come witness the spectacle that is... The Pink Sugar Apocalypse! Warning: This story utilizes a ridiculous form of parody and satire. If you require your stories to make perfect logical sense, the main characters to be murder-douches, and just hate ridiculous goofy humor.... please keep looking for a different story. You won't be happy. However, if you like the idea of badass women fighting for love and glory, while wearing skimpy outfits, then please continue. Note: No faux-feminist ham-beasts were harmed in the making of this story. Real feminists are cool, though. Fight the power or whatever. You got the right to vote, use it to make your dreams come true. Warning: This story is rated ages 18+ for swearing, graphic violence, ridiculous premises, jiggle physics, and softcore porn logic.
8 207A Man and His Greatsword
Michael Adkins is a unique 28-year-old man. Born with above average strength and emerald green eyes, he always wanted to live in a fantasy world. He was very much into fantasy light novels, manga, and anime, especially a certain one that involves a black armored man with a large greatsword. Michael always dreamed of going on an adventure in a fantasy world. On a whim, Michael is summoned by the god of Alorah, one of the fantasy worlds he had always read about! Alorah's God, Eden, gives Michael a choice of three bonuses and a custom class to take with him into Alorah. This is the start of Michael's fantasy adventures. P.S. This is my first novel, I'm writing this since there were little novels I've found with a main character that wields a greatsword. Don't expect anything good. There will be a lot of mistakes, so please help me with that! P.P.S The later chapters will (hopefully) be much less cringy than the early ones. Please give it a shot!
8 58