Previous Episode 

Next Episode

                “A circular symbol of a snake or dragon devouring its tail, standing for infinity or wholeness.”

Definition of Oroboris, Webster’s Dictionary

                I can feel the day’s heat before I see the light streaming in from the windows along the top of the two-story room. I’m sitting on the table I had been strapped into, the smell of carnage and destruction everywhere.

                “Here.”

                I look up and Slate hands me her canteen. I take it carefully, pushing it against my head. Nothing comes out. I lower it a bit, for the first time realizing how light it feels. I look at her as she considers the room and tilt the thing back as far as I can. A few precious drops of water fall into my parched throat, but then nothing.

                I lean over myself, breathing hard. The air’s heavy. I look around at the room. The walls are shaken and look unsteady. Scientific equipment is strewn all over the place, while sections of the ceiling panels have fallen in. In the far corner, a small hole has been blown in the wall. Not far from it, the door is hanging at its hinges.

                “What happened?” I ask.

                Slate half laughs, standing amongst the rubble listlessly. “Morcean.”

                “Morcean?” I exclaim.

                “It’s an old military maneuver. It’s called a coup de ‘tate. Or a coup.” Slate says with a strange tone of fatalism in her voice. “He tried to take down the guy with more power. We were all here, with them feeding you all this sensory information and stuff. And then the next thing we know, explosions.”

                “But no zombies?” I ask.

                Slate shakes her head. “The scientists said that you were probably picking up the scent of the vampires or something, and that was effecting the sensory information. But I don’t know.” Slate turns away and sits down on some steps, her expression aimless.

                “What happened?” I ask. “I mean, where’s the fighting?”

                “They’re all dead.” Slate says, looking up. “Toren and his men, they started shooting these weapons, I don’t know, kind of like lasers mixed with real guns. And they killed the vampires. But the vampires, of course, you know.”

                “Yeah.” I say. I look around the room some more. The air’s awfully quiet. “How long has it been?” I ask.

                “Two days.” Slate says. She looks up at me, an annoyed, but exhausted look on her face. “I couldn’t get you to wake up. The machine or whatever they had you plugged into was keeping you asleep. I had to break it, but then it didn’t seem to run out of power immediately. I guess it had an internal energy source of something.”

                I nod, looking back at the machine. It doesn’t look all that different from the machines you see in a hospital. “So what do we do now?” I ask.

                “There’s not a lot we can do.” Slate says. “There’s no water or power or anything. I haven’t been able to find much food. And the gates are all shut and locked, so we can’t get out.”

                “We could climb over them.” I offer.

                “And go where?” Slate says. “It occurred to me, while I was waiting for you to take up, that we can’t get out of here. These places are . . .” She stops.

                I’m about to ask her, but then something stops me as well. My head begins to throb in pain. It’s like I hit a brick wall in my mind. I try to shake it off. “Well, we need to do something.”

                “I think something’s wrong with the environment. It’s getting hotter.” Slate offers up. She looks at me, then kind of laughs. “I’m kind of curious, what did you dream about?”

                And again, pain. Something hits my mind.

                “We need to find some food. And some water.” I say, looking around the disaster at my feet.

                “I told you, there isn’t any.” Slate sends back, still sitting on the stairs.

                “Then we need to find some.” I say back to her.

                She stands up, her glaring eyes looming before mine. “There is no food. There is no water. And there is no way out.” She says harshly right into my face.

                And for the first time since the third grade, I yell at a girl. “I don’t care.” I yell, stepping right up into her face. “We need to figure out how to get some then!”

                “Listen you arrogant dick!” She yells back, stepping forward as well, her eyes coming right in front of mine. “I stayed here to make sure you’re okay and now you’re trying to tell me what to do?!” She screams.

                “It doesn’t matter which of us!” I yell. “One of us needs to come up with an idea on how to get us out of here!”

                And then she lunges forward, kissing me.

Next Episode