Status: First story on here
Etched in Stone
Giant Gaping Hole
Black. Etch floated. Even with his eyes closed he could tell that all around him was black. Everything was black and still. Nothing moved, and even his thoughts came slowly, as though through a barrier.
-where... am I?-
Nothing.
-what is this-
A slight rustle started, movement in Etch's hair, his clothes, his skin, blowing-- no, tugging-- him somewhere. Then came an explosion. All of Etch's senses jerked into overdrive.
-oh-
-that's what this is-
He could feel something sharp digging into his side, and all of his hair stood on end. Something was really hot nearby. Etch's ears rang, and he thought he would throw up if he moved.
-ow-
Carefully, Etch opened his eyes, blinking against the strong light. As he carefully got up into a crouch, falling back multiple times, his head began to clear.
The death sentence. The things. Panic.
-where are the things?!-
Etch looked around, and suddenly wished he hadn't. His room was in ruins, pieces of furniture blasted into the walls, blood and worse splatterpainting everything. The things, or what small pieces remained of them, were scattered around the room. Most of the wall facing the church had been blown out into the street.
Etch groaned, moved to stand, kicked aside the remains of an arm, and stumbled towards the gaping hole, which was still pouring morning light into the room.
-holy shit-
There was something wrong. It was really quiet, but it had taken Etch several seconds to figure out what it meant.
-why is it so quiet-
He backed away from the hole, rubbed his eyes, and ran to the other room. He had to move.
As he ran by his bed, he swiped his phone from its resting place on his cabinet, and his wallet from his desk. From unfortunate past experience, Etch knew that his body and clothes were fine. The energy wave had radiated out and saved him.
-won't be using that again for a while-
Etch paused at the doorway to his apartment. The stone gods, though powerful, needed to regain their strength like anything else. And for that they needed to go to the sleep lands. Which Etch could only do at night.
-I feel so exposed right now-
-I feel naked-
With a sigh, Etch shoved the door into the corridor all the way open, and ran down the stair, skipping every other one.
-why the hell did I decide to live up so high?-
When Etch got down to the main lobby of the building, the first odd thing he noticed was that the girl who worked at the front desk wasn't moving. She was sitting at her post, staring vacantly into the air. She had a pencil in her hand but she wasn't moving it. Etch cautiously walked over and waved his hand in her face. No reaction. Not even an eye twitch. Odd, definitely odd. The next problem was the door. It refused to budge when Etch pushed it at first, but after some persistent dislodging, it grudgingly gave way.
-well, I'm out. now what the hell do I do?-
Etch stood there for a while, then turned his head, stared to the left, then jogged off in that direction.
A silent observer watched from a rooftop, wondering if Etch had discovered his fate, and if he was following it. The answer was much more simple. Etch was getting the hell away from the giant gaping hole in his apartment.
-where... am I?-
Nothing.
-what is this-
A slight rustle started, movement in Etch's hair, his clothes, his skin, blowing-- no, tugging-- him somewhere. Then came an explosion. All of Etch's senses jerked into overdrive.
-oh-
-that's what this is-
He could feel something sharp digging into his side, and all of his hair stood on end. Something was really hot nearby. Etch's ears rang, and he thought he would throw up if he moved.
-ow-
Carefully, Etch opened his eyes, blinking against the strong light. As he carefully got up into a crouch, falling back multiple times, his head began to clear.
The death sentence. The things. Panic.
-where are the things?!-
Etch looked around, and suddenly wished he hadn't. His room was in ruins, pieces of furniture blasted into the walls, blood and worse splatterpainting everything. The things, or what small pieces remained of them, were scattered around the room. Most of the wall facing the church had been blown out into the street.
Etch groaned, moved to stand, kicked aside the remains of an arm, and stumbled towards the gaping hole, which was still pouring morning light into the room.
-holy shit-
There was something wrong. It was really quiet, but it had taken Etch several seconds to figure out what it meant.
-why is it so quiet-
He backed away from the hole, rubbed his eyes, and ran to the other room. He had to move.
As he ran by his bed, he swiped his phone from its resting place on his cabinet, and his wallet from his desk. From unfortunate past experience, Etch knew that his body and clothes were fine. The energy wave had radiated out and saved him.
-won't be using that again for a while-
Etch paused at the doorway to his apartment. The stone gods, though powerful, needed to regain their strength like anything else. And for that they needed to go to the sleep lands. Which Etch could only do at night.
-I feel so exposed right now-
-I feel naked-
With a sigh, Etch shoved the door into the corridor all the way open, and ran down the stair, skipping every other one.
-why the hell did I decide to live up so high?-
When Etch got down to the main lobby of the building, the first odd thing he noticed was that the girl who worked at the front desk wasn't moving. She was sitting at her post, staring vacantly into the air. She had a pencil in her hand but she wasn't moving it. Etch cautiously walked over and waved his hand in her face. No reaction. Not even an eye twitch. Odd, definitely odd. The next problem was the door. It refused to budge when Etch pushed it at first, but after some persistent dislodging, it grudgingly gave way.
-well, I'm out. now what the hell do I do?-
Etch stood there for a while, then turned his head, stared to the left, then jogged off in that direction.
A silent observer watched from a rooftop, wondering if Etch had discovered his fate, and if he was following it. The answer was much more simple. Etch was getting the hell away from the giant gaping hole in his apartment.