The Mark of the Infinite

A large house? A mansion? A castle? It seemed so with the tall white pillars, the extravagant and rich items that decorated it with wealth. The items there were surely of a king, one of an enormous power, an empire in his reign. Steps echoed across these particular halls, little boots stepping hurriedly. A little girl seemed to be running from something, but there was a grand smile on her face. Was she playing a game? She held a sort of weapon in her hands, but he couldn’t see well what it was. Why was a little girl doing with such a dangerous thing?

“Ash! Ash!” another figure entered, much taller and demeaning compared to the girl. He seemed rough, madden about something, surely it had to do with the weapon.

“Give it back!”

“Not until you promise that you will take me out tomorrow.” The taller male figure only rolled his eyes, continuing to run behind her as he tried to catch her.

The girl could only run faster, her laughter continuing for the extension of this game. The male didn’t have that much patience to deal with this, he had things to do and he couldn’t spend it chasing down the girl. He quickened his pace, wanting to catch up with the girl. The girl had noticed, trying to rush further, but she knew she couldn’t keep up with him, but she still tried to give it her all, not wanting her guard to catch her just then. Laughter returned to her face, once she noticed she had advanced him. The taller groaned, seeming just ready to give up, until he noticed a flight of stairs which the girl didn’t seem to notice, ready to trip into them.

“Ash!” he called once again.

“What?” too late, she had turned just then, missing already the first step and just about to fly off to the ground or stumble down them.

The guard was quick enough, and had grabbed the girl into his arms, taking the force of the steps himself. It was nothing, his body was trained to take such things, just some bruises he could heal later. He landed with a loud thud on the ground, the girl simply sitting up in his chest, perfectly okay, no sign of distress in her as she looked down to the male.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

The guard sat up, cringing if only slightly, before a smile came. Ash had been distracted, and so, he took the weapon, showing it off to her. She tried to grab it back, but he held it high, laughing off as Ash tried jumping on his legs to get it.

“Stop, stop, stop, stop!” He held her by wrapping an arm around her tiny waist, managing to hold her down, despite the angry pout she put up.

“Do you really have to do this just to get me go outside?” she nodded eagerly.

“It was the only way I could convince you to. Father told you that he didn’t want me outside today, but the day looks so pretty I just had to find my way.” And there she went, her eyes widening with plead, as a last resort for the guard to take.

He glared at her, not taking it yet, but Ash only continued to intensify it, until the guard could only laugh, giving up.

“I’ll call the rest then, but only because I know you’ll keep insisting until I accept. Also, don’t tell anything to anyone except the guards, all right?” She smiled achievingly, clapping her hands in excitement as she jumped over to the floor, helping the guard to stand and find everyone else.

He couldn’t see anymore, the two figures walked on, not giving him more to see. The castle darkened and darkened, until only a white spot remained in the abyss. Two white pillars stood at either side of it, a black curtain dripping divided over it. It seemed like an entrance to another hall of the castle, but it was still as dark as everything else. Laughter then continued, nothing like the little girl’s or the guard’s, this one was of an older woman, seductive yet maniacal. The dreamer trembled at it, his hands clutching, standing afraid in the middle of it all as the laughter went on. From the entranced, he noticed long female legs, a dark dress covering the rest, as well as the curtains covering half her face. He could only notice her smile, and her hair, darkened as everything.

“Doesn’t it look so nice?” she mocked, meaning to the scene presented to him before.

The dreamer didn’t do anything, but tremble, nodding slightly at the figure which he couldn’t distinguish yet.

“It’s not.” She said simply.

He found himself walking closer to her, the other not minding at all, if anything it made her smile grow larger.

“I’m eager to tell someone.” She stood straight then, face to face to the dreamer, and yet it was too dark for him to see her.

“I hope you listen well…” she extended her arms toward him, presenting her palms, white as the very pillars that stood yet.

“My songs know what they did in the dark,” and she began to sing, melodious, but it gave him shivers, the song seeming to echo across all parts of the darkness.

“But…” something began to bubble in her hands, red and fearsome.

“Going to need a spark to ignite.”

Fire blew, burning him in the explosion.

-o-

Along with a honk, it was enough to wake him, giving a shout and a sudden jolt of his body. He held tightly to the wheel, holding him from whatever precipice he believed there was suddenly in the car. The car? Oh yeah the car. He looked up, other cars finally moving ahead, so he continued along with the few spaces he was granted as traffic moved along.

Well that was an odd dream to have. He never had one as particular as this, with unknown faces, a weird voice calling on to him like it had done and an awakening as this. Usually his dream involved riding lizards into the distance after saving a small town in the middle of the dessert, and usually he knew what was going on from the start. This one…he made no sense. Who was the little girl? And the male? The dark figure that sang to him? That place even. He had never been to such a place in his life or even recognized it from somewhere. All he knew in his life were the city and the suburbs where he lived, not extravagant castles with fine marble and wool.

He should really focus on the road, traffic was finally moving and his car had even gained speed, finally after hours of just standing in the same place while whatever accident was being dealt upon. At least he managed to get the sleep he needed, he had left home around two in the morning and it had been the open road since then. All he had was his mind and the tunes he put to play for himself. It had been boring, his ass hurt a lot, and he wasted a great amount of the money he had on gas. But Cynthia would be well worth it in the end.

Yes, why was he on the rode driving miles and miles away from his hometown in Texas to California? To meet up with the girl of his dreams of course. What other reason did you have to steal your parent’s car and runaway without so much as a little note? He had been waiting for this moment for years now and he wasn’t going to let anything stop him now. The traffic soon dispersed and Gensel could really drive on without a worry of stopping again.

The road belonged to him, no other in sight but the occasional farm he passed or exit to restaurants and gas stations. He could forget about the dream now, raising the volume to his music, singing along all he wanted for there was no one to see his embarrassing solos. He banged at his wheel, being a little rebellious at times and driving on the opposite road.

“And you're just the girl all the boys want to dance with, and I'm just the boy who's had too many chances.” Be basically screamed the lyrics in the air, windows down, only the setting sun as his witness.

He should really be thinking of a place to stay for the night, but he still wanted to get rid of miles, so surely some more wouldn’t hurt, he still had plenty of gas to waste.

“I don't blame you for being you, but you can't blame me for hating it, so say what are you waiting for? Kiss her, kis-” his voice began to die down once he noticed a figure in the distance.

He turned the volume down just slightly, his eyes wanting to focus on this figure. Why was somebody out there in the middle of the night? As he drove closer, he noticed that the man was holding a carpool sign, uncaring and tired. How many cars have already passed and ignored his request? Well he wasn’t going to be like the others, so he stopped his car right beside him, giving him a trusting smile in hopes not to scare him or think he was a creep. It was too late for that, since Suriel had though exactly that at this random…kind stranger that decided to stop for him.

He sigh, for this was usually where he lost people, “Los Angeles?” he was expecting a negative, and he didn’t dare show the slightest of excitement knowing how it was going to end.

He held tightly to his bags, which seemed heavy to Gensel, but there was no tiresome expression on him either, that’s when he noticed the muscle the boy had. He felt slightly envious, but yet continued with his kind and friendly smile, hoping they could get along.

“Los Angeles? Well, you’re in luck, I so happen to be heading there too!” Suriel was surprised, even more that he unlocked his door for him to get in.

He wasted no more time and got in, settling his bags in the back, making himself comfortable, and buckling up. Once Gensel saw he was well seated, he drove along the road, just for it to become night and the road to become dark. It was time to turn the headlights on and probably start a conversation with the stranger he picked up.

“Gensel.” He introduced himself.

The car had been in momentary silence, and Suriel was expecting it to remain like that for the rest of the…three states drive. The sudden name had caught him slightly by surprise, but the least he could do was introduce himself nicely and have a nice conversation with the kind man who had decided to drive him to Los Angeles.

“Suriel.” He smiled, then turning his head to look out the window, too dark to really notice anything.

“I assume you’re from New Mexico, where from?”

“Texas actually. El Paso.”

“El Paso? Isn’t that like…a long way from here?”

“I’ve been carpooling around, but most can’t take me all the way to California, but they do leave me a certain stops, this is the furthest I could go, I fully intended on walking the whole way if I could.” Gensel looked at him skeptically.

Did he know that the road from now on was mostly dessert or the dangerous criminals that could be lurking around?

“May I ask why are you going to Los Angeles?” Suriel didn’t answer, his stare remaining to the outside.

For a second there Gensel though that he hadn’t heard him, but the car was small, their distance as well, and the music was at low volume, everything they said to each other would be heard clearly.

“Why are you?” Suriel instead asked, looking back to him, menacing almost.

That’s when Gensel learned that he shouldn’t maybe ask Suriel that and just take him there.

“I assume by that sticker,” he pointed to one that his parents had placed in the front of the car that basically read very obviously ‘Houston’, “You’re from Houston, I don’t know but I consider that a pretty long distance, further than mine.”.

He was right on that, but should he trust him with that? Most would laugh at what he was doing, but most didn’t understand. Suriel seemed young, as young as he was, maybe he could.

“Ah, I’m meeting someone.”

“Family member? Friend?”

“No, uh, a girl…I’ve been crushing on for three years now.” Now it was Suriel’s turn to look skeptically at him.

He chuckled then, it wasn’t in his place to judge, when he had his own crazy reason to go to Los Angeles.

“Why is she over there?” he then asked, the outside now looking dull since it remained the same, maybe this story could give him some sort of entertainment.

“She just recently moved.”

“Ah,” poor fellow.

“We were good friends and all back at our school in Houston, but I kept my feelings hidden the entire time, I finally grew the balls to tell her just when she was leaving.”

“You waited that long?”

“She was leaving! I didn’t think she would have something for me, less to invite me to Los Angeles for a date.”

“So that’s why you’re going?” he smirked, trying to hold back the occasional chuckle that seemed to resurface.

“Ye-yeah.” Now he was embarrassed, red as he focused his sight on the road, maybe he should be thinking of a place to rest for the night.

He had traveled a good distance across New Mexico, the rest could wait for tomorrow.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You’re doing something rather courageous for a girl. I wish I had someone to drive across four states just to see me.” He smiled then at him, resting himself on the seat as he leaned it down.

Well that was reassuring. Gensel really appreciated it, not bothering Suriel any longer and letting him rest. He didn’t know what he had gone through, if he actually walked a long distance and this was his first sort of rest. He looked over to him, resting comfortably, reminding him of the image of a child. Well it was nice to be able to spend this trip with someone. Hopefully Suriel will open up to him as the trip continued and they had a chance to become good friends.