The Macrocosm: Centauri

Unforgiving

Zinner ran through the mutilated and ravaged buildings, weaving in and out of the alleyways. The scream had stopped, but he vaguely remembered where the shrill noise came from. Who made it, he was unsure. Yet it sounded feminine...could it have been Jamie?

As he continued on through the desolate city, the air grew colder. It bit and nipped at his skin, but he tried to disregard this. The glass and transparent buildings made it hard to navigate the narrow and compact streets.

But then, nothing. There was no sound. There was nothing but the beat of his heart and his feet hitting the ground. As the silence stretched on, doubt crept into his mind. Had he really heard something? His coffee-colored eyes swept the ravaged buildings as he moved, but a subtle sound made him freeze.

"Click."

"Click."

"Click."

A deep chill settled into his body, and he froze in the middle of the street. The noise was mechanical, but... wrong. It was almost like the cicadas he had learned about when he was just a kid, yet sounded slower. That noise still haunted him, even now. He broke into a cold sweat and found himself running again. He no longer cared about the scream. All he could think about was surviving.

"Click."

"Click."

"Click."

His heart skipped a beat. The sound was so close, like it was following him. He realized it wasn't purely mechanical - it seemed... animalistic. He felt panic tighten his throat as he frantically tried to remember the way out. This city seemed endless.

"Click."

"Click."

"Click."

An open door in the nearest building caught his eye. He darted through the opening, hearing the incessant clicking grow louder behind him. Then he saw it. The blood drained from his face as he hid behind the door, his breath quickening. It was large, about the height of two grown men. Where the face should have been, there was nothing but a mouth with inhumanly pointed teeth. Its reddish skin gave a torn and bloody look to its emaciated body. It crept down the street, its large tail thrashing behind as it moved. It snarled as it passed Zinner's shelter, clearly frustrated. His breath caught as it paused just past him, a forked tongue darting out as if to taste the air. His heartbeat sounded louder than a war drum and he wondered if it would be loud enough for the creature to hear. A moment later, it continued its slow patrol down the street, away from Zinner. He slumped against the wall in relief. As his breathing steadied, he began to look around. For what he could see, the building was exactly like the last building. Every detail, every crack - exactly the same.

He turned his head suddenly, hearing a noise to the left. He blinked, and when his eyes opened, the room was pitch black. His heart skipped another beat as his hands flew to where the door had been. It was just... gone. In its place was a solid wall which felt as smooth as glass, or maybe a hard stone, whichever it was, however, he could not tell.

Zinner collapsed against the wall, trying to slow his breathing and control his heart rate. This place had quickly become a nightmare, devouring hope and sanity. This place, that creature... things like this just shouldn't exist.

He stood up, groping blindly in the darkness that surrounded him. There was absolutely no light, only an endless void that seemed to seep through his eyes and fill his mind with a numbing darkness. He shook himself and stepped boldly away from the wall. But as he felt around, the wall that had been mere meters from him was now gone.