The commotion in the cafeteria ceases immediately. The march back, to the cells is surprisingly calm organized and frightening.
Within the cell the atmosphere is dense enough to suffocate. Chloe perches, on her bunk hugging her knees against her chest. Sophia sits across from her gazing at the metal door.
"Alright no need to be theatrical Chloe…" Sophia interrupts the quiet.
"I'm not overreacting!" Chloe retorts, even though her hands tremble. She pauses to inhale deeply. "I'm simply… I'm concerned, about my brother."
Sophia agrees with a nod. Her eyes shift downward to the ground. "I'm familiar, with that sensation."
She tugs at a stitch, on her hospital gown. "Sham and I… we were ordinary teens. We were enjoying ourselves. Then this occurred." Sophias tone lowers. "I wish we never gained powers."
Chloe relaxes her tone. "I truly apologize, Sophia. However we must find a way, out of here."
"I have no idea how " Sophia confesses, tears forming in her eyes. "I've been trapped in this place for two weeks. I attempted the method. I tried to sneak around. None of it succeeds."
"Yeah… that's the issue. There's no escape."
Chloe gazes at the metal collar mirrored in the stainless steel toilet bowl. She observes the red light flashing. Flash. Flash.
All a sudden a thought clicks into position.
"Perhaps we should consider turning off or dismantling the gadgets around our necks?"
Sophia reclines on her bed gazing up at the ceiling. "How is that possible? It's military-grade equipment."
"Well it's technology..." Chloe pivots, locking eyes intensely with Sophia.
Sophia appears puzzled.
"Dum-dum " Chloe murmurs, inching nearer. "Water can deactivate technology and gadgets."
Sophia's dark eyes widen. She straightens up. "Absolutely."
That adds up. That clarifies why they received water bottles sealed equipped with sip-straws. No open containers. No showers, sonic cleansing. They dread water coming into contact, with the collars. If moisture enters the circuitry it could cause the dampener to short out.. Activate a failsafe.
"Holy frickin' sheesh. That's actually an idea!" Sophia says, a smile finally breaking through her fear.
"See?" Chloe grins.
"We'll inform Sham and Jonathan tomorrow!"
Chloe moves over to her part of the cell. She gets into bed. The corroded springs creak loudly beneath her weight. She wraps the chilly white blanket, around her shoulders.
She shuts her eyes wishing to fall.
IN THE NEXT CELL.
Sham's thoughts swarm, like bees. He gazes at the ceiling figuring it out. How many guards are there? How dense are the walls?
His eyes land on Jonathan.
THUD.
Jonathan strikes the brick wall.
ZAP.
A spark bursts, from his collar. Jonathan grimaces, clenching his teeth yet retracts his fist more.
THUD.
"We must get away " Jonathan snarls, striking the wall more. He attempts to gather his strength, the light yet each time his energy swells the collar, around his neck inflicts pain.
ZAP.
"We must…" Jonathan pants, grasping his neck.
"Man quit using your abilities. You're only damaging yourself " Sham says, rolling over in bed. "Conserve your strength."
Jonathan halts. Blood covers his knuckles. With a sigh of surrender he sinks down onto his mattress.
He shuts his eyes. Fatigue pulls him down, as if beneath a stifling cover.
THE DREAM.
HEAT.
Not warm. Not muggy. This is scorching. Extremely scorching. As if his skin is dripping, from his skeleton.
Jonathan catches his breath. Abruptly sits upright.
He isn't in his bed anymore.
Dark clouds split overhead spewing red lightning. Streams of molten lava course beneath his feet, like wrathful veins. Jagged, obsidian stones protrude from the earth like fangs.
"Jonathan?" A familiar voice echoes.
He turns around.
Chloe is positioned behind him. She has on the white hospital gown yet her hair is stuck to her forehead from sweat. The warmth coming off the ground is intolerable.
"What, on earth is this place…" Chloe murmurs, her tone shaky.
Jonathan moves closer to her. He clasps her shoulders to confirm she is tangible. She feels firm. "Chloe? What are we doing here?" He glances around the wasteland. "Is this, for real?"
"I'm not sure " she hesitates.
RUMBLE.
The earth trembles fiercely almost causing them to lose their balance. A deafening shriek pierces the atmosphere resonating within their torsos.
Chloe becomes frantic clutching Jonathan's wrist tightly. "Say it was you."
"That wasn't me " Jonathan replies, eyes wide open.
From the brink of a rock ledge a colossal figure ascends. Eight blazing arms grip the stone scorching it where they touch. Molten rock drips, from its jaws. Giant luminous eyes fixate on them.
"What's that?!" Chloe yells.
"That's a SPIDER composed of lava or something!" Jonathan shouts.
A MAGMA SPIDER.
It surpasses the size of a two story home. The warmth radiating from it is intense enough to cause the air to bend and ripple.
"No way. NOPE. NOPE. NOPE " Jonathan yells, pushing Chloe away.
The spider screeches and lunges.
"RUN!" shouts Chloe.
They dash over the stones. The earth. Breaks apart, under their naked soles. Lava jets surge upward like fountains flanking the route.
The spider pursues them its limbs piercing the stone every movement trembling through the blazing realm. It moves swiftly. Much too swiftly.
"Don't turn around!" Jonathan whispers sharply.
"You believe I CHOOSE to reflect?!" Chloe shouts, swinging her arms.
A mass of rock bursts nearby. Chloe falters. Jonathan pulls her up by her dress preventing her from collapsing.
The spider springs forward. Its enormous shadow engulfs them entirely.
"Jonathan, ASSIST!" Chloe shouts.
One of the spider's fiery legs hooks around her waist, ripping her from the ground.
"CHLOE!" Jonathan yells. He rushes forward seizing her arms.
SIZZLE.
The spider's leg blazes, like a flame. Chloe screams, thrashing her legs uncontrollably. Her hospital gown starts to smolder and burn where the spider grips her.
Jonathan tugs with force yet the warmth scorches his skin.
"Damn! Chloe, hold on!" he shouts, tears vanishing from his cheeks.
The Magma Spider parts its jaws. Molten saliva oozes from its teeth dripping onto the stone inches away from Jonathan's feet. It brings Chloe closer, to the gaping mouth.
"Jonathan, PLEASE!"
Jonathan gazes at her. The terror disappears, substituted by unfiltered fury.
He shouts—a raging noise that rips through his throat.
A flash of dazzling crimson light shoots forth from his eyes. A shockwave radiates from his body more intense, than anything he has experienced previously.
BOOM!
The force crashes against the spider pushing it backward. The dream realm breaks open, in a blazing white glow.
REALITY.
GASP.
Chloe stirs awake in her bed gasping suddenly. Her heart pounds fiercely against her chest, like a drum. Her skin is soaked in sweat.
She grasps her neck anticipating the sting, from the lava spider.
She experiences no emotion.
She senses… skin.
She places her hand on her neck.
The collar has disappeared.
Her gaze falls on the mattress. Beside her pillow lie fragments of white plastic and burnt metal circuits. The collar didn't vanish it blew apart.
"Sophia!"
Sophia suddenly wakes up in her bed on the side of the room. She. Rubs her eyes adjusting to the faint light. Then she notices Chloe.
"Oh my goodness!" Sophia shouts. She directs a trembling finger. "How did you… Where's your collar?"
"I'm not sure…" Chloe murmurs, feeling the skin, beneath where the metal once lay. "I was caught in a nightmare."
Sophia hurries, across perching on the corner of Chloe's bed. She gazes at the fragments of the device. "What type of dream?"
"My dream involved Jonathan…"
As Chloe confides in Sophia in the cell the harshness of reality becomes more intense.
Jonathan jolts awake struggling to breathe. He stumbles ahead in terror and crashes his forehead into the metal wall.
CLANG.
"Fuck!" he yells, clutching his head, the image of the burning spider still seared into his eyes