Rise

Chapter Fourteen: The Mind's Maze

"No more will we remain on the side lines. No more will we wage our war from the shadows. No more will we let the Ascendancy win. We will bring the war to their homes. We will give them the same pain they have given us. We will be victorious!" Kestrel said, raising a fist in the air. Matt noted the way he scanned the crowd, clearly watching for their reactions. 

Kestrel was a skilled speaker, to Matt, that was apparent. He could clearly see the way his people  eagerly awaited his next words, the way they cheered and raised their fists with him. They were a rippling sea of hands, pumping with anger and pride, the buzzing energy tangible. It wasn't long before Matt raised his fist along with them. He looked over at Emma, who bore a skeptical look as she watched Kestrel, her arms folded over her chest. Why did she come with? Matt wondered to himself, doubting it was the right time to ask. 

"I would ask every man and strong lad, able to bear arms, to join me in this fight, if you have not done so already. To sustain such a dedicated war effort, we will need more men, maybe even everyone here in Foundation," Kestrel paused, gazing over the crowd. There were a few murmurs of malcontent. "It is not conscription, oh no. Come by choice my friends. War is a dangerous place, and I only want those with a stout heart,"

Matt couldn't help but smile at Kestrel's last statement. It was clever, to say the least. He knew no man of pride would turn down that open challenge, as subtle as it was. Kestrel's ranks would skyrocket by the day's end.  

"So think long and hard my brothers and sisters. Basic Training begins tomorrow," Kestrel concluded as he strode off, taking one last look down the long rows of graves, quickly dug and filled the hours before. The crowd didn't linger long, each person quickly dispersing and returning to their respective duties. All except for Matt, Emma and Flint. 

Once the last citizen was gone, Matt ventured into the graveyard, heading for a spot he had already committed to memory. On the way, he picked up a few small pebbles, clutching them in his fist. A lump grew in his throat as the simple grey headstone came into view; the final reminder of Rose's existence. 

Placing each pebble carefully on top of the stone slab, Matt stared down at the simple rock, still unable to come to grips with the fact that his sister was dead. With his finger, he traced the hurried engraving, mouthing the name as he went. 

After a couple minutes of silence, Matt sighed heavily, before rising. He took a few reluctant steps back, before turning around and walking back through the sea of headstones. His breath grew short and his body warm. Feeling as if the air was trying to constrict him, Matt began to jog, hoping escape from the graveyard would ease the wieght pressing down upon his chest. 

Matt's heart began to beat alarmingly fast as he increased his pace, his footfalls loud smacks against the cracked earth. His vision began to blur so he blinked hard, trying to clear his vision. When his eyes reopened, he could not believe what he saw. 

The ground beneath his feet was no longer desert, but thick jungle undergrowth with vines and ferns wrapping around his ankles. Lifting his knees high with every pump of his legs, Matt sprinted through the jungle rising around him, thick trees sprouting and growing into mature old-growths in mere seconds. The air buzzed around him, full of the wing beats of insects added to the hiss of snakes and the flutter of the thick leaves above. 

Darkness quickly enveloped the jungle as the canopy closed above Matt, only thin rays of sunlight poking through. He stopped running, afraid of losing his footing, or stumbling into the lair of some terrible creature. For a time, he remained in place, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the shadows. He didn't even realize he was shivering. 

Matt froze as he heard a rustle in the foliage to his right. He jerked to his side, squinting his eyes in a feeble attempt to see the unknown source. Reeling back as something gripped his arm, Matt resumed his sprint, crashing into the dense underbrush. 

Feeling branches and leaves tear at his face and his exposed arms, Matt slowed slightly, trying to keep his face safe from harm. With his hands held before his face as he ran, Matt continued on, hearing whatever had grabbed him crashing through the brush to his rear. 

Against his better judgment, Matt decided to peek behind him, hoping to see the monster that was after him. Before he could even lay eyes on the thing he felt something hard hit his shins, tripping him up. The ground was quickly level with his face, and as he made impact, the jungle around him shattered, instantly replaced by the familiar cracked earth and high metal buildings of Foundation. 

Slightly stunned, Matt rolled onto his back, holding his hands in front of his eyes. There were no scratches, no signs of the jungle he had just ran through. There wasn't any pressure either. His breathing had returned to normal, his sight was clear, and his heart was at its normal pace.

"What in the hell?" he muttered, squinting in the sunlight. 

"MATT! Matt, you okay?" a voice asked from beyond Matt's vision. Emma, he remembered as her face came into view. She bore a look of fear and bewilderment, with her hands on her hips. 

"Yeah, yeah, I think I'm fine," Matt replied as he tried to sit up. 

As he did so, the world spun, causing his head to throb and ache. His vision blurred once again and he let himself fall back to the earth. There were the sounds of a girl frantically calling for help and a dog barking as Matt's world faded to black.