We've been walking for at least ten minutes and I have never been more confused.
Just as the name implies it was nothing but a city, completely and utterly desolate.
Devoid of all life except our own.
None of us had much to say. We were all completely awe struck by the towering behemoths of concrete and metal positioned around us.
I've seen skyscrapers, hell I've been to the top of the Empire State Building, but it pales in comparison to what I'm seeing now.
They seemed to never end just endlessly jetting into the sky above.
"Don't look up." Ronny said breaking the silence. "This place is meant to disorient you, if you look for the peak you will always seek."
"Well that's real poetic of you." I chuckle.
For a split second I felt like maybe I had made a mistake, maybe we shouldn't of come, but I shook the feeling away trying to stay focused.
"Josh do you have idea where we're going." Si'La asked.
"Not really, I mean if there's a door to get in their has to be one to get out, right."
"I salute your enthusiasm man but look around us, there's nothing here absolutely nothing. All the buildings are the same, there's nothing that even resembles a door."
But there was something here. A loud metallic screeching ripped through the silence.
"What's that sound!" Si'La screams.
We look around to try to find the source of the sound but there was nothing.
"Guy's I think I just figured it out, look." Ronny says while pointing ahead of us.
The buildings, every last one of them, were moving. Collapsing into themselves, switching positions, some even disintegrating into nothing only to reform again.
"LINK HANDS. NOW!!" Ronny bellowed. "It's trying to separate us."
We all grab hands. This process last for at least fifteen more seconds before everything stops.It's all different, the skyscrapers were gone and were now replaced with low rises. Cars have appeared along with intersections. A low hum now reverberated through the streets, it sounded almost like a bustling city with the volume dropped way low.
"Okay that was probably the most unpleasant thing I've ever experienced." I say trying to gather my bearings.
"We got to get out of here now. I'm thinking the city does this reconfiguration thing quite frequently, next time we might not be so lucky." stated Ronny.
"Before we go any further I think we need to form some type of plan." added Si'La. "I mean this is a Lower One for all we know it could of signaled the others."
"She's right Josh as ambitious as this was it was incredibly foolish. It's very likely were walking right into a trap."
"Okay okay what do you guys have in mind." I ask apprehensively.
Ronny plops his duffelbag on the ground and pulls out notepad and pencil.
"Okay, The Empty City, just like the name implies is completely empty."
"Yes we know this already." I say being as smug as possible.
"I know that you know I'm just going over everything now let me finish. Like all Fears it's a sentient being, capable of thought which means it knows were here hence the reconfiguration. Now also like all fears it can be hurt."
"How can we hurt a city." questions Si'La.
"Even though Fears are mostly made up of energy they still need a physical body to interact with our world. These buildings, these cars, even the light poles are it's body. We do enough damage to the body it might just release us."
"But this place is huge, there's no way we can do that much damage." Si'La exclaimed.
"You'd be right if it weren't for the fact that I brought these." chuckled Ronny as he reached in the bag and pulled out...
"Grenades." I bellowed only barely hiding my excitement.
"Yup, we toss a few these bad boys, and it'll practically throw us out. It's not the most detailed plan but it's something."
A large grin grew on my face, I've always wanted to blow some shit up.
He handed us two each while keeping two himself. I looked to see Si'La staring at them in utter confusion. I had forgotten that she wasn't from here, she doesn't know what the hell a grenade is.
"Si'La." I whisper inching closer to her. "All you do is pull the pin and throw it as far as you can."
"Ok I think I understand." she smiled.
"All right lets do this."
We all nodded and pulled our pins almost simultaneously. With all my strength I tossed it at least a block and half before it landed next to a red station wagon, Ronny and Si'la's landed not that far from mine.
"Cover your ears."
We jammed our fist into our ears. The grenades exploded, but to our shock they did absolutely no damage. There were no burn marks, no smoke no anything.
"Son of a bitch." screamed Ronny walking away in a huff.
"What happened why didn't it work." Si'La questioned.
But neither of us had time to answer. That familiar screech started again, the buildings were moving again. It was reconfiguring. I snatched Si'La's hand tightly while signaling Ronny with my other. This time the buildings shifted even quicker, moving at a blur. It knew what we were trying to do, and it was pissed. The buildings and cars lifted in the sky, floating up into oblivion. My stomach began to turn, I looked down to try and recover. Small blades of grass began slowly growing from the concrete. Trees began sprouting also, growing high above us. I felt something wet in my shoe. A puddle, no a pond, no an entire lake started to form around us. I throw my gaze toward Ronny only to see him ripped away by a massive current. I was still holding onto Si'La's hand, but my grip was slipping.
For a split moment we locked eyes. She was scared, and confused. She should of never came with me. I should of never left the safehouse. I should of been taken instead of Sam.
Why I am I such a fucking idiot.
