The Parallel Shift

☯ Chapter 8: Deep down the rabbit hole

For what felt like an eternity, Craig just stood there without moving. Frozen like a statue, his facial muscles were as hard as cement.

Chris held his breath, waiting for Craig to make his move. Suddenly, a strange but familiar feeling hit him. Wait! It’s happening again. That’s when he realized. Time began to slow down.

Gradually, the air surrounding the gun’s muzzle ignited, expanding to a ball of flame. A plume of grey smoke slowly rose from the barrel. Little by little, a lone bullet pierced through the center of the fiery blob. The bullet flew towards him at a sluggish pace. After hovering a few meters, it came to a complete stop. And so did everything else. Everybody in the café stood motionless.

An eerie silence took over. It became so silent that Chris started to hear that faint high pitched sound in his head. At that moment, it happened again. Time stopped.

Snapping out of his transfixed state, Chris darted out of the bullet’s trajectory. As soon as he did, the realization hit him like a freight train. He turned around and saw Kerrigan. Kerri! He gasped. By moving out of the way, he placed her directly within the line of fire.

He ran towards Kerrigan and gave her a quick push. She swayed to the other side without falling down. Her body leaned on nothing but air, aslant from the floor. She still had that panic stricken face. Her lips were still contoured to the last word that she said.

Chris resisted the urge to stay with Kerrigan. Come and find me, Kerri. We need to talk, he thought, feeling hopeful. He knew this blip in time would be his last chance to escape. He rushed towards the door and out to the street.

What he saw took his breath away. People were frozen in their strides with one foot yet to touch the ground. The expression on their faces were as stiff as the wax figures inside Madame Tussaud’s museum. Their breaths, chilled to a mist like tranquil clouds, floated in front of their faces. The people on the sidewalk, cars on the street, and everything else stood still.

He walked a few steps towards a pigeon that had just taken flight. Slowly, he reached out to touch it. As soon as he did, the sound of a single gunshot echoed from the café as the bird flapped its wings and flew away from him. Instantly, a wave of panic broke through the silence as the people gasped and shouted. Several people ducked to the ground, covering their heads.

He spun around towards the glass walls of the café, looking at same area they were before he left. A chill run up his spine as he saw the empty space behind the table. C’mon, Kerri. Stand up. He balled his hands into fists as he held his breath. After a couple of seconds, Kerrigan stood up, shock written all over her face. She smoothened her blouse and slumped down into the chair.

Chris expelled his breath in a whoosh, feeling relieved to see Kerrigan alive. The feeling proved to be short-lived however, as Craig turned around and locked eyes with him. The moment Craig held up the two-way radio to his face, Chris knew it. He had to run. Fast.

With feet pounding the wet concrete, he ran as fast as he could.  I’ve got to lose them, he thought. He knew he would be an easy target in an open space. His best chances were to hide somewhere narrow or crowded.

There! His shoes skidded as he rounded the corner towards an alley. Shit! He took a step back. Several meters away were two NSA agents.

“I have a visual. Corner of Fifth and Congress,” announced one of the agents over the radio. They both started running towards him.

He turned around and ran to the opposite direction. The sound of the police siren blared through the distance. As he was about to turn to the main road, a police car came to a rolling stop in front of him.

“Freeze!” the officer shouted.

Chris looked around for a way out.

The subway! He dashed towards the subway. Reaching the entrance, he ran down the stairs. Each step came with an apology, as he pushed through the crowd. From the commotion ensuing behind him, he could tell agents were fast gaining upon him.

The receiving area of the subway was crowded with people going in and out of the trains. Perfect, he thought.

He took a sudden turn to the left, knowing he will be out of sight for a moment. He slowed to a walk as he crouched down low for a second, blending in with the crowd. He took off his coat and continued on walking, occasionally stealing glances over his shoulders. He saw several uniformed men, craning their necks through the crowd. It seemed like he lost them. For now.

Beep - Beep - Beep.

His mobile phone sounded off. Crap! He lowered his head as he quickly pressed the decline button. Unknown number, it read. He stole a glance at the far end of the platform and noticed a man in a grey suit, eyeing him suspiciously.

Beep - Beep - Beep.

It sounded again. He raised a hand to cover his face while he answered the call. “Look, this isn’t the best-”

“Do you trust me?” a female voice on the other line asked.

“Huh? Who’s this? How’d you-”

“Follow the white rabbit. See how deep the rabbit hole goes,” she said. Click. The line went dead.

“Hey man, watch it!” a man shouted from a distance.

He lifted his head and saw the same guy he noticed earlier, pushing and shoving people along his way. The guy continued to walk towards him, pressing his left ear while mouthing some words. The moment their eyes met, he knew. The guy was after him.

Looking around, he saw several NSA agents running towards him in all directions.

Now what? He broke out in a cold sweat.

Suddenly, something at the corner of his eye caught his attention.

At his far left, standing near the exit, was a young girl staring at him. There was something about her that was very different from her surroundings. Like a cropped picture on top of another picture, it felt like she doesn’t belong there. However, what he saw next blew his mind. She was wearing a white fluffy animal hat. A white rabbit hat!

Do you trust me? The voice echoed in his mind as he remembered the call he received earlier. Unlike before, time was not on his side anymore. Any second now, the agents would be there.

Taking a leap of faith, he ran towards the girl. As he got closer, the girl turned around and walked away slowly. Looking above, he saw the sign at the door – Exit to Park Street.

In that instant, a bright light enveloped everything around him. He felt an intense feeling like the floor under him shifted down an inch as he felt weightless for a moment. He stopped running as he lost his sense of direction. He couldn’t tell where to go as everything turned as white as a freshly painted wall.

Gently, the ground he was standing on turned to snow. One by one, objects started appearing. Trees, benches, and a children's playground. Then he started picking up sounds.

“Mariel, sweetheart! Come over here.”

The girl with the rabbit hat slowly walked towards her mother as soon as she heard her name.

Chris stood rooted to his spot, his mouth agape as he found himself in the middle of a park.

~*~

Ooh, who's the mystery caller? i'm excited to introduce this new character! Watch out as she makes her debut in the coming chapters...  :)

please feel free to comment, i would love to hear from you.

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