Chapter 55: The Trial of the Gods -Final Test
Layton
We walked down the tunnel, red torches lighting our way. It was beautiful and scary all at the same time. The flickering light cast shadows all around as we walked and it felt like we weren't even getting further down the tunnel. The door at the end didn’t seem to be getting any closer, but we were definitely moving. I even glanced back to make sure that the entrance was actually getting further away.
It was.
Confused, I tried to shrug it off, but something still bothered me and I just couldn’t shake it. I slid over to Minya, she had the sharpest eyes of us all. “Do you think that anything is weird?”
She glanced forward, squinted and then glanced behind, much in the same way I had. “Huh, that's odd.”
“Right? What do you think is going on?”
“Probably another test.”
I scoffed. “Well, I assumed that much, but you don’t see anything else that gives us more clues?”
“Hmm.” Minya rubbed her hands together slowly, it was something she did when she was thinking hard about something. “Do the shadows also look strange to you?” She asked finally.
“What?” I looked at the walls watching the shadows dance around on the walls. “Now that you mention it, they do.”
The shadows had concrete shapes, usually with this many torches they would be blurs on the wall. I could see my own shadow, alongside Minyas, but I also saw other shapes. I saw swords, shields, gems, and all sorts of other random items. I even thought I saw another person, but I couldn’t be sure.
Minya watched the walls carefully alongside me. “What in the world? How does any of that make sense?”
Drake looked back at us. “What doesn’t make sense?”
“The shadows on the wall.”
“Huh?” Drake looked at the wall, seeing the shadows. “Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“How in the world does that work?”
“That's what I said!”
Brock slowed down, standing next to us. “What did you say?”
“That the shadows shouldn’t do that.”
“What shadows?”
“The shadows on the wall.”
Brock glanced at the wall. “I don’t see anything.”
“Wait really?” I barged in, looking at Brock questioningly.
“Yeah, all I see is blurry, normal shadows.”
I glanced at the wall again, seeing all of the weird shapes and creatures. “That’s odd. I wonder why we can see it but you can’t.”
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
Kent came over. “What are we talking about?”
“The wall.”
“What wall?”
“The shadows on the wall.” This was getting exasperating.
Kent glanced at them. “What about them?”
“They don’t look weird to you?”
“...No?”
Minya rubbed her hands together again. “This just gets weirder and weirder.”
I nodded. “Yes, yes it does.”
Emily walked up to us. “What-”
We all cut her off before she could go any further. “The shadows on the wall, they look weird.”
Emily jolted, looking at the wall. “I don’t see anything weird.”
I looked closer at the wall. Why could me, Minya and Drake see it, but not the others? It was confusing and also slightly intriguing.
Drake stroked his beard. “The first three people to see it were the only ones to notice it. I don’t think that is a coincidence.”
I realized my bodyguard wasn’t hovering around me like he usually was. “Where is Plikt?” I asked, slightly worried.
“Huh? I saw him right over…” Kent began pointing to the empty space behind my back.
I started to worry. “What happened to him?”
Drake tried to placate me. “It’s okay, we will find him eventually. Just be calm and think about this smartly.”
I blew up. “SMARTLY? THAT ISN’T EVEN A WORD! HOW DARE YOU TELL ME TO STAY CALM!”
Minya interrupted my little shouting spurt. “Guy! Brock isn’t here either!”
“What!?” Kent was the one to yell this time, looking around frantically but not seeing any sign of the big guy. “Where are they all disappearing to?”
Minya shrugged. “Why are you asking us? We are all in the same boat right now.”
Kent sighed, loudly. “Yes, you're right. This situation is just scaring me so badly. I feel like we are being picked off one by one.”
“Yeah I know what you mea-”
I was cut off violently as Emily let out a bloodcurdling scream of terror. Whipping around, I watched as she faded into motes of white light.
My jaw practically hit the floor. “What in the world just happened?”
Drake was equally as shocked. “I have absolutely no idea.”
“No clues at all?”
“Well, I can guess?”
“Go for it.”
Drake stroked his beard. “There is something following us, whenever someone doesn’t do something or stops talking, they are killed. Or it is another reason I am not thinking of.” He said honestly.
I looked at the shadows on the wall again, and they changed to form Kent. That was weird. Kent was too far away to make a shadow…
“Wait! I figured it out! The shadows are the thoughts of whatever is chasing us! It is thinking about Kent right now!”
As I said this Kent collapsed, blood leaking out of a hole in his chest. I recoiled, gasping as his body faded into white motes, just like Emily. I didn’t want to stay here for even a moment longer.
“Run!”
I turned and ran, gunning straight for the door.
This time, when I ran, I was actually getting closer!
Minya and Drake were hot on my heels, actually going slower so as to not leave me in the dust, how considerate of them.
I heard more footsteps join Minya and Drake’s. Forcing myself not to look, I pumped my legs as fast as they could possibly go.
I heard a *shing* and a cry of pain.
Drake ran up beside me. “Minya’s dead.”
“Dang it all!” I said, we were only 20 feet from the end, but even with our superhuman speed, it felt like it was dragging on forever.
With a *bang* Drake shot ahead of me, bursting through the door and creating a hole. He didn’t even bother to try and open it the usual way.
I dove through the hole, feeling something try to grab my leg before Drake pulled me to safety.