Welcome to Regona City: Phantom. If you haven't read the other 3 Regona books, I suggest reading them first. Though this book happens in a time frame before, I believe it's better read after. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy Terrell's adventure!
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Dusk approached. As the sun began its ritual of slowly disappearing, the last few rays bounced of a round surface. Beneath the bubble, buildings towered into the sky. While various types of hover vehicles once dotted its sky, there were a limited few now. They zipped back and forth, ignoring the lighting that would usually direct the traffic in an orderly manner.
Screams and cries of dismay echoed. Shouts and the sound of things breaking added to the chaos. The smell of smoke began filled the air.
In the midst of it, a boarder cut his way through. He was leaned forward, going at a dangerous speed and lower than any boarder was allowed. No on stopped him. There was no one to care about the rules. Not today.
The boarder was perhaps around the age of fifteen. His messy black hair was mercilessly tossed in the wind. He barely noticed as he leaned even further forward, urging the board to go fast.
A group of men and woman rushed from a building with broken windows, each carrying the results of their pillaging. The young boarder was by them in an instant, turning ever so slightly to avoid a fateful crash with one of the women. He was around the next corner before the group even had time to register that he was there.
He zigzagged his way, moving with the board as though they were one. Then, he leaned forward, grabbed the edge of the board and with a smooth motion pulled it to a sudden stop not many could accomplish from such a speed. He leaped off, running to a tall building next to him. Board forgotten, he sprinted, a target clearly in mind.
The glass doors smoothly slid to the side, allowing access to the front lobby.
A small shiny ball floated over. "Welcome to the Rayford Tower," a soft voice spoke as a hologram of a woman popped up, projected by the ball.
Ignoring her, the boarder went straight for a glass tube. The no hoverboard signs around showed that if he had brought his board it would have been useless. This was a no-fly zone.
"Sir, you are not registered as a current resident. May I ask as to how I may assist you?" The hologram followed him to the glass tube.
"Twelfth floor," the boy replied slightly out of breath.
"I'm sorry, sir. The lift is currently out of service, but perhaps I can forward a call?" Before she was finished the teenager sprinted toward the steps.
The hologram lady watched before disappearing.
Throwing open a door, the boy began the charge up the stairs. He took them two at a time. The thick silver band around his wrist vibrated but he ignored it.
His green eyes were filled with both determination and a hint of something else – fear.
Though running up the stairs was a taxing exercise, he continued at a pace that would put most athletes to shame. On the last few floors he began to slow down, however, he didn't stop once.
The door to the twelfth floor was shoved open and the teen bust through. By the time it shut he was already half way down the hallway. Skidding to a stop in front of a black door he immediately reached for the side. A hand swiped across a smooth surface and as a result a doorbell rung somewhere behind the door.
Gasping for air, the boarder waited all of five seconds before repeating the motion. The bell rung again but there was no response.
Lifting a fist, the boy resorted to pounding it against the door that separated him from his goal.
"Mum?" the words sprung desperately from his mouth.
No reply.
He continued to bang.
"Can you hear me?"
His bracelet vibrated again, more urgently than the first time. Still, he continued to ignore it.
A small buzzing sounded as a small ball floated over. The hologram lady from the first floor shimmered into existence next to him.
"I'm sorry, sir. It seems that the resident is currently not available."
"Go away," the boy growled as the banging continued.
"Sir, if a resident doesn't willingly open the door then..."
The teenager ignored the hologram as he turned to take in the empty hallway.
"It is requested that those visiting return at a more appropriate time," the hologram finished.
She was ignored.
"Shoot." The boy shook his head. Turning, he swiped his hand once again over the flat surface. The bell rang again to no avail.
This time, instead of resorting to banging once again, he tapped the vibrating bracelet twice. The vibrating ceased but instead a screen shot up. The boarder's eyes rapidly ran over it before he began to swipe away once again.
"Sir, I must advise against whatever–"
A hand shot out. It snagged a small flying ball. Without looking up from the screen he was working on, the teen's fingers tightened. There was a crunch and the hologram flickered before disappearing. His palm opened and the cracked ball toppled to the ground.
A few more seconds and the boarder held up his bracelet next to the smooth surface by the door. One last thing was punched. There was a click, a green light, and the door opened.
Before it could fully swing on its own, the door was mercilessly shoved the rest of the way. He was through and in the interior of a spacious apartment. A holo-aquarium floated to one side while the wall was speckled with holo-pictures. The images within moved with a scenario for five seconds before repeating themselves. However, the boy noticed none of this as he tore through the room.
"Mum?" The living room was left behind as he shoved his head into the kitchen. Lights went on automatically wherever he went, turning off as soon as he left.
Finding the rooms empty he paused.
The unmistakable sound of a cough echoed.
The teenager was off. He sprinted into the bedroom, right through it, and on to the bathroom. The door was thrown open and he froze at the scene that greeted him.
In the middle of the floor, next to a bathtub, a woman was curled up. Blood covered the floor around her, some of it caking her black hair. She was shivering uncontrollably.
"Mum!" The boy fell to his knees, reaching for her.
She cringed, scooting away, yet the teen wasn't put off.
He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her chin.
Glazed blood-shot brown eyes stared at him – eyes that were filled with pain. A red rash, scratched until it bled, stretched from the neck till down under the yellow blood stained shirt.
The boy brushed her blood caked hair out of her face. "It's going to be ok." His hand went to her forehead. "You're burning up. We should get you to..."
He was violently shoved away.
"Don't touch me," the lady hissed.
"Mother..." the boarder trailed off. However, he wasn't about to let her win. He scooted closer again. "Let's get you washed up," he reached for the trail of dried blood that started at the woman's delicate nose. "Then we can..."
His hand was slapped away.
"Go away!" the voice cried weakly.
Green eyes filled with pain. "I can't do that." The teen's bracelet vibrated again but just as before he ignored it.
The woman pulled her knees up, hugging herself. "Where's Rayne? Where's my son?"
A moment pause. "He's on his way," the boy by her murmured. "He's coming."
The woman's shivering increased. "It's so hot," her comment came in contrary to her body's reaction.
"You have a fever." The boarder grabbed a towel nearby. He threw it under the facet from which water immediately began to gush. "We have to try bring it down." The drenched towel was grabbed and rung. Excess water dripped all over the floor. Gently, the tennager raised the damp cloth and attempted to press it to the woman's forehead.
"Get that thing away!" His hand was slapped once again.
Ignoring the gesture, the boy fought past and pressed it to the patient's forehead. "Here." He gently took her hand and pressed it against the towel.
The bracelet vibrated violently. For the first time, the teenager shot a glance down at it.
"I'll be right back." Getting to his feet he stepped from the room. He didn't go far. A hand swiped across the bracelet. The ringing immediately stopped. In its place a hologram shot up.
A young man with facial features similar to the boy's, but more mature, appeared.
"Terrell!" Relief flashed across his face.
"Rayne, you have to–" Terrell began.
"Where are you?" the other boy, Rayne, demanded. "Why haven't you been picking up? Do you have any clue how worried...?" He trailed off, eyes narrowing. "Did you go there?"
"You can help her, right?" Terrell shot a look back to the bathroom. The woman sat shivering, one hand grasping the wet towel.
"Get out of there." Rayne's voice snapped Terrell's attention back. "Leave before you get infected."
"Can you help her?" Terrell demanded.
Rayne craned his neck, as though trying to look at something. He pursed his lips. "Listen to me, Terrell." He leaned forward. "You need to leave that place. Leave and don't look back. Come to the university. I'll be..."
"Can you help her!" Terrell yelled, panic clouding his eyes.
Rayne let out a sigh. "Terrell," he began softly. "I need you to leave..."
The hologram disappeared as Terrell's hand slammed onto the bracelet.
As coughs wracked the body of the shivering woman, Terrell turned and rushed to her side.
"Mum, it's alright." He took a hold if her shoulders, barely noticing the towel that she had dropped. "We can fix this."
There wasn't a reply as more coughs followed. Then the gasping began, rasping that told the tale of a patient that was having a hard time inhaling.
"Breathe!" Terrell urged as he held her away. "Breathe!"
His mother's brown eyes bulged as she stared at him, panicking as no air came to her lungs.
"Mum!" Terrell could do nothing but hold her as panic filled every pour. Tears at his own helplessness pooled behind his eyes. "What do I do?" he whispered. "What do I do?" it turned to a yell.
The woman choked. She lifted a bloodstained hand. Terrell froze as it came to his face. A single tear rolled down his cheek. "Mum?"
The woman looked at him tenderly, fingers brushing his cheek. "Rayne," she gasped.
Terrell sat, frozen. The hand dropped, the coughs ceased, and the shoulders he held went limp.
"Mum...?" Blinking, Terrell came out of his daze. "Hey." He shook her shoulders. "Hey!" The shaking became harder. "Wake up." More shaking. "Wake up!"
Even though the teenager knew it was too late, he didn't stop shaking her. "Mum!" Tears flowed freely down his cheeks. His vibrating bracelet was ignored.
Eventually the shaking stopped and he resorted to pulling the woman close. He hugged her, face buried in her shoulder. There was little care shown to the blood that stained him as a result. All care was gone. He sat like this for a while before finally stirring.
Standing, he gently lifted the woman. He carried her to the bedroom. Delicately he lay her on the large bed that hummed as it floated slightly off ground. It barely dropped in altitude with the extra weight.
For a moment Terrell stood, simply staring at the pale face of the woman who would never speak again. His own tears had dried. The vibrating bracelet brought him out of the temporary trance.
He turned and slowly left the room, footsteps heavy. He didn't look around as he made his way back the way he had come. Those green eyes were devoid of all emotion as he made his way down the stairs and through the front lobby.
Once outside the smell of smoke hit his nostrils. Screams and wailing filled his ears. Still, he showed little reaction as he tipped his head back.
A shout escaped his lips. A shout of pain and sorrow. A shout of loss. It was followed by another as his fingers clenched in fists.
Two shouts was all he allowed before he turned his eyes to the bracelet. It was vibrating so much that it almost felt as though it was part of the design. However, he knew better. The caller ID flashed across the screen. It was familiar. It belonged to the person he didn't want to talk to. The person who wouldn't help.
Terrell's eyes traveled down his wrist and to his blood caked hands. He stared a moment longer before lifting them up before him. Behind the hands he saw flames eating a building in the distance and a sky filled with smoke.
Leave and don't look back, the words echoed in his mind.
He reached for the vibrating bracelet. With a smooth motion he tore it from his wrist. There was no hesitation as he snapped it in two. Several sparks were followed by a whine before the device died. The vibrating was gone and Terrell's wrist felt naked. Still, he didn't pause as he tossed the bracelet to the ground. He stepped on it, causing further damage. With a kick, the pieces were scattered to the side. They slid under a bench.
Turning, he walked to his board. Snatching it from the ground, the boy hesitated for but a moment before walking into the burning night - into the city that was falling apart. Not once did he look back.
The WIS virus had claimed another victim, and with it a new era had begun.