Between Disreality - Snippet #04

In the shadows of a cold metallic hallway, Kayel returned to his usual self, his form solidifying from shimmering particles of light. The air smelled sterile, tinged with the unmistakable scent of fear and desperation. He could hear boots pounding on metal floors in adjoining corridors, but none came to his location. A slight smirk played on Kayel's lips as he noticed no boots were heading his way. They were still clueless about his location.

Kayel readjusted the tight steel collar around his neck as he glanced around the prison cells, looking for a way out that didn’t lead toward guards. That’s when he saw him.

A Revoir male was strung upside down by straps that covered his entire body; the man had his collar chained to a machine that looked to be draining away his essence. While he didn’t seem to register Kayel’s presence when he stepped up to the cell, Kayel could tell the Revoir man sensed him.

The Lumarian blinked, tilting his head to the side blankly.

“Leave him…he’d slow you down.” the voice in his mind spoke harshly.

Kayel walked away from the cell bars, eyes stuck to the ground. As he looked toward the exit, he noticed a steel bench. It didn’t seem anchored to the ground, and while heavy, it looked uncompromising.

“What are you doing?” the voice echoes loudly, the reverberation hitting him with a pang to his head, making him wince slightly from its intensity. Kayel returns to the cell while carrying the steel bench with ease. He had to be quick if he was going to succeed and still make it out of there.

Situating the bench against the iron hinges, he pushed upwards with all his strength.

POP.

The hinges broke off, and the iron doors swung away and clattered to the ground loudly.

In the distance, Kayel could hear a brief pause in sound before guards started shouting, their thundering boots heading toward the direction of the noise. His palms started to sweat as he pushed the bench away. Moving quickly, Kayel pressed two fingers against the cold metal chain that bound the Revoir. The heat from his touch sizzled through the iron links, causing them to glow a bright orange, before melting away completely. He watched as it fell to the ground in a crumpled heap of molten metal.

“If you want to join me, I suggest you come quickly,” Kayel urged, his voice emotionless, as he stepped back from the contraption.

The young Revoir man dropped to his knees and gasped to catch his breath. “W-Who are you? Why are you here?!”

Kayel resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It’s not like he just saved this man or anything, and he was demanding why he was here. Not waiting for the man to recover, Kayel turned away, leaving down the hall and yelled back to him.

“My name is Kayel, and I have as much information as you do. Now, let’s get going!”

For a moment, Kayel didn’t think the man would follow. But as Kayel reached the doorway, he glanced behind him to see that he had struggled to his feet, limping forward.

“Why did you rescue me? Do I know you?”

“Nope,” he said shortly, ignoring his first question. He glimpsed through the cracked door to see that the way was clear before running through. The two ran through an adjoining hall lined with empty prison cells, strangely not encountering any guards.

Once they reach the end of the hall, they stop, and the Revoir crouches down, winded. “You didn’t answer my first question…but I suppose you’re not going to, are you?”

“Probably not,” Kayel responded casually before shushing him, attempting to listen through the door.

He could hear the buffeting of heavy boots and muttered instructions.

“They’ve got guards set up at the exits,” then Kayel realized something. “What’s your name?”

“Grith,” the Revoir man replied, but before he could try and ask another question, Kayel cut him off, turning back to the door.

“They probably have a mini army. Are you okay enough to fight, Grith?”

“Do I have a choice?” Grith asks seriously, grunting as he stands, pain searing through his nerves. “How do you know where they are?”

Kayel glances at him, annoyed, “How do you not? They’re so loud my ears are ringing.”

Grith frowns, trying to look around, but the blinding colors force him to close his eyes. When he did, he could look past the door and see the silhouettes of the guards.

“There are five of them carrying heavy assault rifles. If we surprise them and get close, we can kill them before they aim at us,” Grith relayed to Kayel.

Deciding not to question his methods, Kayel simply nodded. “Agreed. Let’s move.”

Transforming into the floating dim light again, Kayel waited for Grith to open the door. As the door swung wide, the officers turned their weapons toward them, but Kayel carefully emitted an intense flash that temporarily blinded everyone in the room. Darting behind them, Kayel materialized, slamming two of the guards’ heads together and kicking one in the groin while they were still in their blinded state. When the last two guards began to recover and face Kayel with their rifles raised, Grith kicked each in the back of their knees, forcing them to kneel. Grabbing each by their neck, he snapped them effortlessly.

“Let’s take their weapons!” Grith recommended, and Kayel nodded in agreement. The two pick up a rifle and load their pockets with extra ammo.

Taking a moment to listen, Kayel could hear a hint of wind. “I think there’s a door leading outdoors up ahead.”

Grith looks up from stuffing his pockets, closing his eyes for a second. “Two guards are standing at either side, and I see a motorcycle on the outside we can escape on.”

“Perfect,” taking a deep breath, Kayel starts running down the hall, followed closely by Grith. “I’ll take left, and you take right!”

They turn down the corner where the exit door is, guarded by two soldiers with heavy machine guns. Before they could train their weapons on the runaways, Kayel and Grith expertly took down their intended target in perfect sync.

“Someone definitely heard that. Come on!” The two exit the building and almost immediately find themselves under fire. The two escapees dive behind the cover of some crates, the bullets ricocheting off the metal.

“The bike is out in the open. How are we going to reach it?!” Kayel exclaimed over the sound of suppressive salvos.

“Can you distract them? Draw their fire, and I’ll grab the bike.” Grith offered.

Rolling his shoulders back, Kayel prepares himself. “Alright…but you better not leave me! We’ll call it even for breaking you out if you don't.”

Kayel then rushes out from cover, firing off his rifle into the fray, but the guards don’t let up; as he runs for a large stone boulder, a bullet strikes his leg. Cursing, Kayel lunges himself behind safety, hitting the ground.

As this happens, Grith runs up to the bike, and it won’t start. Mumbling to himself, he messes with it, taking moments before firing it up, just as some guards notice. Starting to fire on him, Grith pulls away full throttle towards the exit.

Kayel watches him leave, his heart sinking with the thought of being left behind. But then Grith makes a sharp turn, running over several guards before riding back toward Kayel. Passing by, Grith extends his arm and connects with Kayel’s outstretched hand, violently pulling him onto the back of the bike.

“Fuck!” Kayel groans as his injured leg smacks into the motorcycle’s side and holds on tightly to his partner in crime. The two keep their heads low as they veer out of the facility, crashing through a security checkpoint before landing on an open dirt road.

As the motorcycle roared down the path, Kayel could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins, the wind whipping sharply against his face. When the sound of pursuit faded behind them, Grith yelled back to Kayel.

“We’re gonna find somewhere to hide; then you’re going to give me some answers!”

Kayel rolls his eyes, still hanging on to Grith’s shirt for dear life. “Fine. I don’t suppose you had any friends in the outside world before getting captured, did you?”

There was silence between them momentarily, the road ahead transitioning from dirt to paved concrete.

“Yeah. I know a place.”