Heroic Acts

Thirty Six

As the boys concentrated more, they grew quieter, getting more and more lost in the maze. Seth turned down more hallways and tried to figure out exactly where in the building he was. Suddenly, Darien's voice could be heard again.

"Uh, Seth?" Darien asked.

"Yeah, babe?" He replied.

"I.. I think I'm stuck."

"What do you mean you're stuck?"

"I'm stuck. It's like the mirror closed behind me. I'm surrounded, there's no way out," Darien said.

"Shit," Seth said. "The house might have some mechanics that we didn't know about."

"Oh, that's just wonderful!" Darien said, slowly starting to panic.

"Hey, relax. I'm gonna come find you, okay?"

"Okay."

Seth turned around and began to go back the way he came, every so often asking Darien to speak so he could follow his voice. His fingers lightly grazed the mirrors as he walked, and his eyes locked on his feet as he focused.

The air suddenly grew heavy, and suffocating. Darien found himself reaching for his chest and throat as he nearly gasped for air. Seth felt it too, but it wasn't as severe as what Darien was going through.

"Hang in there," Seth huffed out. "I'm coming."

"Seth!!" Darien screamed. The box he was in began to fill with a black, cloudy mist. It was nothing like he had ever seen before. Black sludge began to manifest and drip from the mirrors and onto the floor below.

"I'm coming!" Seth said, beginning to run. Darien screamed louder, backing himself off into a corner. The mist got darker and heavier, and it smelled of sulfur and burnt hair. It was almost too repulsive.

Darien began slamming on the mirror behind him, hoping to move it, or break it, or do just about anything to get him out of his situation.

"If Seth weren't here, I could use my fucking powers," Darien thought to himself.

"Get me out of here! What the fuck is this stuff?!" Darien shouted, pounding away.

Seth finally saw the moving mirror, shaking violently due to Darien's banging on the other side. He could see the sludge and mist from the other side, and he ran up to start banging on the mirror too.

"I'm right here! I'm right here!" Seth shouted.

"Please help me! It's, it's suffocating me!" Darien screamed.

Seth slammed his entire body into the mirror numerous times. He punched it, kicked it, shook it; he did everything he could. It wouldn't budge. Not even a little bit.

Slowly, the banging on the other side stopped. The screaming ceased as well. Seth felt his heart sink into his stomach, and his whole body began to shake.

"Darien??" He asked quietly. No response. He backed away from the mirror, staring up at the sludgy stuff.

Slowly, the mirror opened itself back up to reveal Darien laying on the floor, unresponsive. Seth rushed to his side and laid his head on his chest, and he listened.

He was filled with some relief when he heard Darien's heart beat still going like it was supposed to. He picked up his unconscious boyfriend and used his telekinesis to get them out of the mirror maze, and out onto the ground outside. Seth didn't know what else to do but begin CPR, and hope.

***

A voice echoed throughout the shower room. It was soft and kind and gentle, carrying graceful tunes. Each musical note bounced off the wall and beamed with sound.