“but at the very least, I can be there for you...”
Still standing firm, Allyson crossed her sword to her left before quickly bringing it down to her right side. Her icy stare at the golden-dressed figure grew clearer. Her left fist sparked electric pulses. She patiently walked to her target.
Click…Click…
The lady’s elbows were bent at an acute angle. Her left gilded heel behind her right heel but was shoulders apart. Eyes were hyper-focused.
“Stop looking at me with those eyes!” She let out a small breath before shouting.
Allyson heard nothing. Her eyelids waned. From her vision, the figure was the only sharply vivid image present.
Julia in the dress hastily released her middle finger and thumb tension at least 15 times. A tall figure with dark violet armor radiating cool flames brandished a long, metallic sword. The soldier, gripping the hilt with both 6-fingered hands, swung diagonally down.
Allyson retaliated with an uppercut strike.
CLANK!!!
She skid back a few meters but squeezed her hands on the hilt like tightly tying a rope.
“Grrrrrgh…” the swordswoman’s teeth were on the verge of shattering while the veins on her neck bulged.
She pressed with her shoulders against her opponent but the warrior was immovable. With one swift force, Allyson flew back. Several entities shoved Jansen forward, approaching closer to him.
“Get down!”
Jansen immediately fell face down while the right side of his face pressed against the floor.
Raising her right arm across from her chest, just a few meters away from the shadows, Allyson swiftly twirled, slicing through the entities with her Jingum, separating their upper bodies from the rest.
They dissipated.
Upon impact with the ground, Allyson rolled a few times before slowly getting up, still hanging onto her sword.
Jansen jumped right up and ran to his friend.
"Are you out of your mind?!"
"You're welcome…"
"Yeah thanks… ok so what's happening right now?!"
"We're getting Julia out of here, that's what!" Her gaze shifted at the soldier. "Get Julia and run out of here. I'll be right behind you."
"How can you be so sure?" He furrowed his brows and stared at her with his dark eyes. "That monster can kill us!"
"Not if I kill it first."
With the sword on her right side, she casually walked toward the soldier. The warrior gripped the long sword with both hands and swung in an upward concave.
Allyson sidestepped to the left, held the hilt with both hands, readied at shoulder level pointing the blade horizontally, and struck through.
She, however, missed as the soldier swung its lanky left leg at Allyson's shoes to which she dropped to the floor on her back. The soldier steadied the long sword. Its tip pointed directly at Allyson’s heart.
Allyson rolled away right as her opponent struck the blade straight down. She pressed her left palm against the floor, propelling herself to stand. Swiftly turning behind to face the warrior, she charged at her foe and slashed with her sword at a lower diagonal angle. The soldier jumped back before leaping at Allyson with a vertical downward slash.
She blocked the weapon by angling her Jingum slightly downward. The silver metallic edges were hovering on the skin of her eyes. Her knees rattled and were gradually pointing inwards. The Jingum was closely coming into contact with her neck.
“Shit…”
With one swift force, Allyson was pushed back and the tip of her sword pinned against the ground. The soldier swung an uppercut slash.
As soon as Allyson raised and brought down her sword to collide with her opponent, the Jingum flew off from her hand.
The soldier raised the long sword above before striking down.
Allyson leaped back and stumbled before continuously stepping backward. While doing so, she raised her left arm up to her chest. The gem glowed a faint gray shade.
“Come on, I need something to fight. I don’t care what it is.”
Left palm facing up, curling her fingertips, and stressing her forearms, nothing happened.
“Augh! Fucking do something!”
The soldier cocked its head, leveled the sword horizontally, and pulled back before thrusting forward.
In a split second, lilac-tinted sparks emerged on the palm of her hand. Shortly after, it repeated itself. Soon, the strings of bolts flowed consistently.
The right side of her lips curled up while her right eye squinted.
After hopping to the right side escaping the longsword, Allyson rowed her left arm back, jumped at the soldier, and planted her left palm on the soldier's chest armor.
“AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!” Clutching her left forearm with her right hand, Allyson unleashed the violent lightning bolts amplifying its voltage.
The immense heat caused the soldier to explode and dissolve thinly into the air.
She turned to the woman in the gold attire. The Jingum lay flat on the floor. Allyson grabbed and abruptly pulled back the blade with her right hand. Staring at her enemy with dilated pupils.
"You're next."
"Uh, uh, er hem," she coughed onto her left fist. "I have more tricks on my sleeve!"
Snapping her fingers, 3 more dark entities appeared in front of her.
"Hey, Julia!" Jansen was blocked by the mirrors surrounding her. He extended his left hand. "Take my hand! Come on!"
Julia's shaking arms contacted his hand. With his right palm pressed against the back of one of the mirrors, he pushed until veins stuck out. With one final tuck, Julia escaped the mirrors.
"Come on, let's get out of here!"
As the two ran back to the stairs leading to the corridor, a rectangular gate enclosed them.
"Nuh uh uh," the other Julia weaved her right index finger. "It’s very rude to interrupt my art show."
“Damn it!” Jansen shook the metallic bars in front of him but nothing was budging.
Julia elevated her shoulders while her arms were tucked to her sides.
Allyson rolled her eyes at all 3 of her opponents. She softly pushed breath out of her mouth at a quick pace, waiting for one of them to provoke an attack.
Then the three entities charged toward the gates.
“Shit!”
The distance between them was not getting closer. All three entities slammed themselves around the cage extending their razor-sharp edges to the short-haired woman. Julia tucked her shoes together, leaned her shoulders inwards, and tugged Jansen’s shirt.
“RAAAUUGGHHH!!!” The Jingum pierced through the first entity. Vanishing thinly into the air.
The second one coming from the right side leaped at Allyson with its scythes. Allyson kneeled down on her left kneecap before jumping up to grab the entity’s neck. The bolts of lightning sent shockwaves before the foe became motionless. Throwing the lifeless body aside, she turned to the cage only to see her friends there.
“Look out behind you!”
It was too late as the sharp edge sliced her right leg.
“AAAAHHHHHH!!”
Falling to the ground face down before rolling over to see the last shadow raising its arms and forming a large scythe above where she fell.
The deadly edge crashed down on her.
“ALLYSON!!” Julia’s neck popped with her veins alongside her crimson face.
“...”
“...”
“...”
“Allyson?” The artist whispered as she reached her left arm out to her roommate.
Eyelids were slowly opening and the tip of the scythe was nowhere to be seen.
The entity’s head was missing.
Emitting from her left palm was a singular dark violet bolt that reached the skies of the building. The front of her hair drenched in sweat and hung on her face. Using her right arm, she reached behind and pulled herself closer to the cage before the last entity plummeted forward. She got up on her shoes and widened her eyes.
“How the fuck did I do that?”
“Hey, we can save that later, we need your help getting us out of here!” Jansen rattled the bars again.
“Then step back if you want to keep your fingers,” she tapped the locking mechanism with the tip of the Jingum, and raised it upward before striking the lock in one fell swoop.
The cage slowly crept open. Allyson reached her left hand.
“Hey, Julia, it’s gonna be okay. I’ll make sure we’re back at the apartment safe and sound.”
As Allyson and Jansen hurriedly ran to the corridor, Julia never lost sight of her roommate with her gaping jaw and wrinkled forehead. Everything around her became dark. Allyson remained the sole image visible to her.
“No, no, no!” The other Julia threw her fists down to her sides. She snapped her fingers and raised her voice on the intercom. “Do not let the intruders get away with my art piece!”
Passing through the hallway and down the stairs, the exit was just beyond the sculptures. The metallic doors remained intact.
If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
“It’s still here. How can we get out of…” right as Jansen attempted to assess the situation, Allyson walked up to the gates and struck it with the tip of her Jingum.
The doors began to produce waves within themselves. On the final wave, the metallic doors dematerialized displaying the thorned gate from afar.
“...here. I can’t believe that actually worked.”
The three followed down the steps and through the carpet, inching in close proximity to the gate. Alarms boomed throughout the facility. Suddenly, the gateway began to move inwards.
“Just a little closer…” Allyson raised her sword with her right palm facing towards the side of her face. Arching her right shoulder blade, she waited and waited until the right moment.
One slingshot throw. The sword darted like shooting a missile from a tank. The velocity of the Jingum was fast approaching the entrance, but the gate was nearly shut.
CLACK!!
The metallic sword locked itself between the thorned gates. The mechanism failed to close.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
From there, Allyson stomped on the left gate with her right shoe, causing it to fly away. She grabbed her Jingum and pierced the glass panel, ceasing the alerts.
"AAAUUURRRRGGGHHHH!!!" The golden-dressed Julia slammed the table in an isolated dark room.
Numerous screens showed different areas from various angles. One of which monitored the three visitors escaping the premises.
"I was so close to creating this work. It was almost perfect!
She started to prolong her exhaled breaths and gazed at one particular woman with her dark eyes.
“That woman…she's full of surprises."
She slid her hands on every part of her dress. "No matter. I will retrieve my stolen work in due time."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Are we in the clear?" Allyson wrapped her right arm around Julia's shoulders.
"Yep, no one in the distance," Jansen confirmed while still using his left hand to hover above his eyelids.
"It's ok, Julia. Everything’s gonna be okay." She pulled the zoned-out Julia closer to her temple.
"How are we supposed to get out of here?"
"No idea. Maybe the same way we entered?"
Her sword began to glow with radiant fuchsia light. Its bright luminescence coerced them to cover their eyes with their forearms.
When the light dimmed into nothingness, Allyson's phone lay exactly where her Jingum was last placed. She picked it up and saw the yellow sphere icon.
Do you wish to return to where you once were… over to the other side? The Soul of this individual is still lost in balance.
"Uh…what the fuck is this?" Her eyebrows furrowed and moved her phone away from her face.
Jansen kneeled next to Allyson and saw the message on the screen. He, too, had the same expression.
"What did it mean 'the other side'?"
"That doesn't matter now. We need to leave this place and get back to the campus!"
Disconnecting to the Artificial Gallery. Returning to the original point of entry.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The world of the Artificial Gallery began to pixelate. Once everything became blurry the area melted, carrying the colors, and coursing through the floor until it found itself a drain at the center.
Once it was cleared, the three students found themselves on the first floor of the Art-Sociology building. The real campus building.
None of them were standing. Allyson had her left kneecap on the cold concrete while her right shoe was planted firmly. Jansen squatted right to where Allyson’s height was. Julia sat with her hunched back.
“I think we’re back home.”
“Hmm, the floor was empty before we entered into that other world. It's still the same now. How long were we in there for?”
“...” Julia remained speechless.
“Never mind that, Julia needs some rest. Where should we take her? Health Center or Hospital?” Allyson’s head turned to Jansen’s voice.
“No.” She looked away when answering. “We’re taking her back to our apartment.”
“That’s risky, Allyson.” His icy stare darted at his friend. “We don’t know what happened to Julia before we found her there. Her condition could be a lot worse than she looks. And you were hurt during the fight, weren’t you?”
“It’s just a scratch. Not a big deal.”
“I don’t think screaming ‘aaaaaggggghhhhh’ is just a scratch,” his expression remained unchanged.
“Pff, whatever,” Allyson locked her right arm beneath Julia’s right shoulder, lifting both of them to their feet. “I’m taking her home. It feels like the right thing to do.”
Jansen shut his eyes and curled the left side of his lips. He then met with Allyson’s eyes.
“Alright, let’s take her home. My car is in Lot 1b. Pretty close by so let’s go.”
Parkside Apartment - Unit 606
Julia sat on the sky-blue couch, connecting to a wall where behind it was Allyson’s bedroom. Legs tightly together, shoulders tucked inwards, hands covering opposite arms.
Allyson went into her room to grab a slightly fuzzy blanket and wrapped it around her roommate. She then sat next to her but kept her distance. Jansen got a cup from one of the shelves and poured room-temperature filtered water. He placed it on the black table in front of Julia.
Neither Allyson nor Jansen opened their mouths. They looked at each other but gestured what to do. Julia’s eyes pointed at the mug but paid no attention to it.
“Hey, Julia, um, how are you feeling?”
“...”
To the artist, everything was muffled.
"It'll be alright," Jansen intertwined his fingertips. "It's a lot to take in from what had transpired. Just know that we'll be here for you."
"..."
The warm air circulated the dry living room. The tiniest pin drop could be heard outside the apartment unit.
Allyson opened a gap in her mouth but gradually balled her right hand into a fist. Her lips soon were sealed shut.
"I'm… going to get… some sleep." Julia finally spoke in short intervals.
She took one quick sip of her water, stood still for a few seconds, and walked in minuscule steps to her room. The artist then tucked herself into her blankets, turned her body toward the wall, and went into a deep slumber.
Allyson furtively turned the door handle and slowly closed the door. No sounds made.
The remaining two students were now across from each other on the couch.
"What do we do now?" Allyson bit a few strands of her hair. "Can we tell the police that we found her?"
"I'm not sure." Jansen clawed the side of his head with his right hand. “They might get suspicious if you said you found her. You already are on their bad side so doing this won’t help your case.”
“God damn it!” she squeezed the bridge between her eyes and nose. “I don’t have any other ideas.”
“I’ll take care of this.” Allyson cocked her head at Jansen’s calm response. “I can talk to Detective Vargas and let him know that Julia is safe. It’s our best chance of keeping ourselves safe from being targets.”
“Can he be trusted?”
“Well, he is the one who let you go.” He pierced his lips and shrugged his shoulders. “Besides, I trust my uncle on this.”
“Wait, he’s your uncle?!” She dropped her head and left a gap in her mouth. Allyson raised her head and rotated her neck once. “Well, that’s cool and all. Would’ve liked to have known that earlier.”
“Eh heh,” Jansen let out a small chuckle. Taking several steps to the door before turning to his friend. “Just make sure Julia is alright while you’re here. I’ll take care of everything at the station.”
"Uh well, I have to head home tomorrow. I can't really back out like that…"
"When will you be back?"
"Sunday sometime in the afternoon."
"In that case, I can watch over Julia then. I'll prolly need to steal your keys for this."
"Yeah, I'll hand them to you tomorrow before I head home."
"Alright, just send me a text." Jansen snapped his fingers before pulling out his phone. "You mind if I got your number by the way? It'll be better to message each other directly like this instead of on the turtle app. Can’t have other people look at what we are sending."
"Oh yeah, good point. Here’s my number."
Both parties exchanged their cell numbers and saved them as their contacts.
“Thanks, Jansen, for helping me out with all of this."
“I think I’m the one who should be thanking you. If you hadn’t done what you did back there, Julia wouldn’t be here. Neither would I. Thanks, Allyson, for saving me and Julia.”
Allyson’s face sparked a slight redness while massaging the back of her neck with her left hand. “Uh… yeah, yeah. I’m just glad we made it out alive.”
“I’ll see you around.” He winked his right eye and clicked his tongue before leaving the apartment.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
During that night, Jansen was on evening duty. He pulled out his phone and went to his messages.
Jansen: Hey uncle, need to talk to you about something. Meet at the auxiliary?
Uncle Vargas: Sure. Be there in a few
After letting his uncle know that he and Allyson found Julia at the Art-Sociology building, he grimaced at the thought. He also was informed that Julia hardly spoke when she was found.
“It still doesn’t make sense to me.” 277 combed his hair all the way to the back of his head with his right hand. “She was missing for almost an entire week and she somehow was found in a campus building?”
“It sounds really far-fetched, but that’s how we found her.”
“It’s fine. I trust what you’re saying. What matters is that she's safe. What bothers me though is why Julia is in the state that she is. She’s not speaking much. It sounds like something happened to her and it’s taking a heavy toll on her. But what?”
Jansen shook his head.
“Thanks, Jansen, for giving me this information. It helps a bit, but it feels like we haven’t moved a single damn inch.”
“You’re telling me. I just hope Julia’s ok.”
September 24 - 9:00am
Allyson packed up her luggage and carried her backpack. She brought her luggage to the front door before stopping. Pulling out her phone, she navigated to her messages.
Allyson: Mom! I’m coming home now!
Two minutes later
Mom: Ok~~ See you home soon 😀
A door opened but it was not the front door.
“Hey, Julia.”
“Hey.” The artist had her eyes slightly opened but cast a warm smile. “Where are you going?”
“I’m heading home for the weekend. I’ll be back tomorrow, but Jansen will be here to watch over you."
“Ah ok, thanks for letting me know,” she softly spoke. “I hope you enjoy your weekend.”
“Thanks!” Allyson curled her lips upward before grabbing the door handle.
“Allyson?”
She refrained from pulling the front door. Returning the handle to its neutral position, she turned to her roommate. Julia’s stare was empty. Her lips curved slightly downward.
“Why?”
“I’m not sure I follow.” She wrinkled her forehead.
“Why did you save me?”
“...”
Allyson silently swallowed her own saliva. She wiped the palms of her hand on the waist of her brown pants. Clouds brewed inside her mind as the words became lost while trying to deliver to her voice.
She finally opened her lips.
“Um. …well, it’s because you’re not that different from me.”
“I… don’t know what that means.”
“In that strange world…I was asking myself the same thing. Seeing everything that happened to you in the past two years, looking into your thoughts and memories, it, uh, made me realize that you were by yourself when no one was there for you.”
Allyson quietly whispered. “Alone…alone.”
“I made you feel unwelcome here and even said terrible things about you.” The artist pressed her thumbs in her fists.
“It still hurts to hear that coming from you. But still, uh, it also made me realize that you were going through a battle on your own. So maybe by saving you, reaching my hand one more time, I can answer your call for help.”
Julia's pupils dilated as large as the moon. Her entire body tensed up so much that she froze in place like a statue. Her heart skipped beats at every interval.
"No one has ever said that to me before." She then thought to herself, "How did she know that just from one look at that strange world? My gallery?"
"I know we may not get along now, but at the very least, I can be there for you. I mean, we do live together so there's that."
"Hahaha!" The artist closed her eyes and wiped a droplet from her left eye with her sleeve. "I'll make sure to let you know all of my problems right in this apartment of ours."
"Make sure you draw them so I can understand them better."
"Will do!"
"I'll see you tomorrow!"
"See you then!"
As soon as the door was shut, Julia's eyes became slightly pink. A frowned expression painted her face. She covered the back of her neck with her hands.
"No, no, no! How can she even think that?! Why did she really save me?! Did she really mean it? Is she just making me feel better? Is she hiding something else?!”
Julia breathed through her nose at quick intervals. She clawed against the back of her neck before crawling through the front of her neck. Finally, she let her hands hang low. Closing her eyes, tears flowed down her face again.
“Despite all that… Allyson… thank you…for understanding me."