Up in the Air

Chapter 3

"All thirteens, raise your pods in the air!" the leader says. With shaking fingers, I hold my pod up and towards him. He comes around the circle, and touches each pod with some sort of device in his hand. It begins to grow back to full size, glowing faintly. I let go of it, but it floats just above the ground.

Once it is back to full size, it stops glowing, and the door opens with a hissing sound that it never made before. It is filled with thick, white, swirling mist, and some of it spills out. It brushes against my leg, and it feels cool and refreshing. Looking around, I see that the other thirteens' pods have done the same thing.

"You may enter." the leader says.

I step towards my pod, first hesitantly, then, my confidence growing , faster. Then, I put my foot into the pod. The mist feels wonderful against my skin. I step fully inside. The pod wobbles slightly, but stays aloft. The hissing sound comes again, and the pod door closes.

As I stand in my pod, I realize that it isn't entirely dark. Some light still comes in through the walls, but is dimmed further by the mist. 

I notice that, as I am breathing in the misty air, it feels heavier in my lungs. There are beads of liquid on my arms. 

Bending over as far as I can, I find a pool of water on the floor of the pod. It is up to my ankles, and it feels warm and pleasant. 

The water (or whatever it is) keeps rising. Soon, it's up to my chest. Will I be able to breathe?

It's up to my neck now. It creeps up my face. I draw a deep breath.

Then, it fills the entire pod. There is no air. My lungs begin to burn for lack of oxygen.

Out of pure instinct, I suck in a breath. 

It comes back out again. This must be something other than water, some liquid that humans can breathe. 

I can feel a tingling in my back. 

The feeling fades, and I rest.