O2

Too Close to Home

     ~Krystina~

    I was on the verge of tears as smoke filled the air. The flames tore at my skin as I called for Greg, who disappeared when the terrorists came. The gun on my shoulders I carried everywhere was holding me back, but I couldn't stop running. I cared for Greg like he was my brother; I could not let my only friend die. My legs stung and my eyes burned. After calling again, I noticed a figure in the distance. It was Greg.

  "Greg!" I yelled one last time and waited for a response. Nothing. Sprinting closer, I observed that he was lying down, almost like a corpse. No, I thought. It couldn't be. I dashed over to him and leaned over. The fire abated; all that was left was a heavy wind. I could no longer contain my sadness and started to weep. I could tell that it wasn't the fire that murdered him, but rather the awful terrorists. Why would they kill Greg, who was innocent and friendly? Because they have no heart, I thought, and only a black hole that consumes all goodness and love. "I will avenge you, Greg," I said to myself. 

    When I returned to the city that was now made of charcoal, the survivors noticed I had lost a foot. "Yes," I replied, "but I have also lost something much dearer to me. I would be glad to have lost all of my limbs if only my friend could survive."

   The sky was gloomy and full of thunderclouds at his funeral. Nobody would recall the ceremony, though, for I was the only one there. The only one who cared.

  I slowly opened my eyes, which were damp with tears. I lay on the cold metallic floor of the submarine with M sitting nearby, most likely feeling my wrist for a pulse. Napoleon, the vice president of UOASF CO., sat at the control panel, making sure we landed safely. As usual, Lian's mind was on her sketches and Andy was admiring himself in the mirror. Doctor Katil was busy keeping a log of her travels, and Mr. Qiao was playing fetch with Itsname like she was an old friend. A giant squid glided by our ship, and one of its arms seemed to wave about as if it were greeting us. It was a glorious day to be beneath the waves; why would I have such a nightmare?

  Suddenly M noticed I was awake and began to clarify what had gone on. "I had simply announced we were close to our destination, and a glaze fell over your eyes like you were hypnotized. You barely managed to state you were dizzy before you came crashing to the ground. This is the third time this week, Krystina. I can't let you explore the sea floor with us if this condition keeps up." 

  I had only joined this expedition to discover a habitable area at the bottom of Lanadei Trench, to become a hero. I could not let this strange occurrence ruin this opportunity! "I promise I won't let you down, boss!" I exclaimed. "I'll talk to Dr. Katil, maybe she could help me out! Oh please, boss, don't leave me in here to die..." I was serious, yet M only reacted with a hearty laugh.

  "Krys, you know I wouldn't let anything happen to you. Look around: all of these scientists are my family now. You are a very important piece of the puzzle; we cannot do this without you by our side." M pondered for a moment, and said, "Perhaps talking to Dr. Katil would do you some good."

~&~

  "Dr. Katil," I whispered cautiously as I tip-toed towards her. I could not frighten the skittish doctor, for she would either snap and unleash the angry lion inside of her or scamper away to her hiding place; it can take hours to coax her out. Doctor Katil looked back, crouched down like the greedy creature in my great grandmother's favorite fantasy tales. I turned on the overhead light, and she grimaced.

  "Ach! The yellow face in the sky! It burns us!" Then she smiled delightfully and chirped, "Hello, Krys! I didn't see you there. I was just dramatically reading aloud this ancient book from the 20th century and finding the symbolism hidden within. Care to join me?"

  So it was just an act, I thought. "No thanks. Fantasy isn't my absolute favorite genre." As a matter of fact, I never truly learned all the rules of reading and writing, so I struggled to understand words and wrote phonetically. "I prefer nonfiction myself." I noticed that she was rolling her eyes.

  "You aren't very skilled at disguising your lies, are you. Every gesture you just made pointed to dishonesty."

   "I'm ever so sorry, Doctor Katil," I apologized guiltily.

  "Please, call me Quincy. I forgive you; you have obviously come here to talk to me about something that you probably wouldn't confess to many people, some horrible nightmare..." she drifted off to a stop to see my shocked reaction. "Relax, Krystina. These walls are really thin. I could hear everything you were saying to yourself, as well as your entire conversation with M. I can't hear your thoughts. Back to the original subject... what exactly happened in your dream?"

  "It wasn't exactly a dream," I explained. "More of a flashback, really. It was the day the terrorists attacked; the crops burst into flames. Thousands of people died." Quincy nodded and scribbled a quick note on a sheet of lined paper. "My friend and I were standing in the middle of a field, and  we heard gunshots. He zipped away, out of sight, before the bombings began. Without warning, most of the land burst into a mighty blaze. I ran all over the burning field searching for my friend, and found his corpse with seven bullets in the head. Suddenly a strong wind blew away the fire... all that was left was me, Greg, and a few hundred survivors."

  "Why did you have this dream after you blacked out?" Quincy asked, her marionberry eyes glistening with curiosity. She turned the messy page of her notebook to a fresh clean one, ready to write a long analysis of what I had to say. I was in deep thought about her question; I had pondered the same thing this morning! There had to be a connection, a reason why my mind chose to shut down and remind me of my terrible past at such a pleasant moment.

    "Too close to home," I said blankly. "I was too close to home."