The Black Flames
A Short Story for the Dream League Fiction Contest #2
I clutched my sister’s hand and didn’t let go. The world vanished slowly around us. Darkness enveloped us. Carter gripped her hands around my back, not letting go. She dug her face into my chest, not looking around us. I felt tears stream down her face. My eyes, however, were wide open. Swirling around us were strange characters that I couldn’t make out. Suddenly, Carter’s grip tightened. She screamed and soon I felt her body move away from mine, her hands gripping my arms. I snapped back to reality and noticed something pulling Carter by her legs. Black shadows crept up her legs and enveloped them. I could barely see the figure pulling her, but it wasn’t shaped right. It seemed to have an organic shape. Suddenly, she slammed forward, as if the figure had let her go and she smacked her head into my stomach, causing me to fall flat.
I stood up slowly and Carter stood up.. Her hands were black and she had black flame patterns going up her arms. She didn’t seem to notice them, but I sure did. There were tears welling in her blue eyes, but then she stopped suddenly. Around us, the world had reappeared. A figure emerged from the house behind us. It was our mother. She ran to us, but then I noticed that she had the same marking as Carter did. Our father emerged, and he too had the markings. They smiled, but it was a strange, robotic smile. It gave me the chills, and I knew something was wrong. They moved closer to me and I backed up. Carter’s face now held the same, creeping smile as the others. People emerged from the houses around me, and I knew something was wrong.
I ran for it, toward the city line. The people were quick, but were somewhat oblivious to the world around them. I made my way into the city quickly, but it was empty. I ran, making many twists and turns, making sure not to turn into a dead end. I heard cackling from every direction. I soon found myself entrapped in a four-way dead end street. I didn’t put myself there, as the world around me had been completely open, except the buildings. I saw a figure emerge from the corner. It was the same figure who had pulled Carter’s legs.
“You did this!” I shouted.
“No, I did not young Mason, you have done this to yourself. I tried to rescue you, but you and your sister resisted. She has been saved, but you yourself have not been spared of this realm. I have only a few minutes till you will be returned to where you were before I summoned you. Only one is good in this world. Another is horrible,” the figure said.
“What is this place then, tell me?” I demanded.
“This is a parallel universe in which one man has created carbon copies of the humans in your world. The only flaw is their black flames upon their arms. The creator, Michael Rengold, has created that design to be a trademark, so everyone knows who made it, but sadly, those give away the facts that they are carbon copies. The only good in this world can be found at the top of the tower. He holds the key to returning you to realm. But, one touch from a copy will turn you to one of them.” the figure said.
“Carter is truly okay? She has not been changed has she?” I asked.
“No, your sister is okay. The fact that she slammed into your stomach was just an illusion. I had pulled her from the void. Now hurry! Go to the tower, and do not let yourself be touched!” the figure said, then he vanished.
I blinked and I was back where I had been. I turned and noticed the copies coming toward me, arms outstretched. I turned back around and ran. I noticed the tower looming over the street in front of me. I pulled open the door and ran inside. I ran and pressed the elevator button, but it wouldn’t open. The copies pushed the door open and I ran for the stairs. I bolted up the stairs. I had made it up ten flights when I looked down and saw the copies on the third level. Apparently copies don’t handle stairs well. I finally made it to the top, with no breath to spare. I pulled the door open and noticed a man sitting at a desk . He wore a lab coat the covered his arms and sagged down to below his knees. He wore black trousers and experimental gloves. He noticed my hands and handed me a small key. I took it, being careful not to touch his hands, just in case.
He told me to jump from the window and push the key into the air and turn it. The copies slammed on the door and it burst open. Suddenly, they swamped forward and overtook the professor, turning him into a copy. He soon held the zombified look on his face. I became frantic, so I grabbed a fire extinguisher and slammed it on the window. The window shattered and I covered my eyes, to avoid getting glass in them. I climbed on the counter and jumped out the window.
Wind blasted my face and I managed to push the key into the air, while falling. I turned it quickly and suddenly, the world vanished around me. I was back in the void. A pair of hands grabbed my legs and I let it pull me free. I noticed the figure and Carter, the real Carter, pulling me free. I fell to the ground and threw the key back into the void, causing it to close. I sighed and sat down on the floor and my eyes closed, falling asleep.
Two figures loomed over Mason. One was the one who had rescued him. “He is ready now.”
Word Count- 100