Chereads / Neo 2020 / Chapter 3 - Volume 1 Chapter 2: The Underworld: Challenger’s Road

Chapter 3 - Volume 1 Chapter 2: The Underworld: Challenger’s Road

As I slept my consciousness slipped into a world full of chaos, the right side of my head splitting in pain as though I had been hit hard enough that it should be open, and a beautiful house filled with pictures along a wall I was facing consumed by fiery dancing flames.

"Alt…" I stared blankly at the sea of photos.

"Alt," I could hear a hoarse voice plead for me in panic somewhere behind me 'Where are you?

Pain once again struck me, but this time from my left eye. With every passing second the pain grew until I could contain it no longer and cried out from the shearing pain. For the first time since this dream had started I realized I could no longer see out of my left eye. Panic followed my new realization, however like clockwork or an ordinal my remaining eye was glued to the sea of pictures now slowly being consumed by the flames until it rested on an unusual photo.

"Alt please---," The voice coughed, I could now clearly tell it was a man's voice "We have to get out of here!"

The photos immediately burst into flames leaving me to scramble back frenzied as my numb body was slowly reacting to the shock of what was going on. My eye still glued to the only photo that wasn't burning. I could clearly see it was a photo of me but something was off. Flames finally consumed the picture as the throbbing from what should have been my left eye intensified. I brought the hand that was covering it until now to the right side of my face. Panic once again froze me in place in this hellish scene. Blood, blood was dripping from my hand as though I had a fatal wound, dripping down from the socket that had, had its precious eye stolen from. I could no longer cry in panic, I cried in fear.

"Help….me….." I cried aloud fearfully with as much strength as I had left.

"Alt." The voice was much closer this time, and I could hear the footsteps of a large man walk up behind me. "There you are."

I turned my head, finally able to for the first time since this monstrosity had started and looking down at me was what made the photo I had stared at for what seemed like eternity seem so bizarre. A man whose face I couldn't recognize a blank face devoid of all features except a gentle smile. In this torturous scene the only thing that made sense was that he was looking for me and there was a peace about the fact that he had found me.

The man began to squat to my level pulling my fearfully frozen, almost lifeless body toward him. Clutching me as he stood up he whispered to me attempting to soothe me.

"It's okay now, I'm sorry you had to endure so much. Let me fix it."

My vision faded to a blur of red

I shuddered as the freezing cold woke me up. I immediately clutched my left eye and scoured my head for any scars. I sighed in relief. It was just a nightmare. Just a common nightmare. So bizarre though…I didn't know my dad.

I shivered again as the wind started to pick up outside blowing through small cut outs used for windows. I sighed. I had really angered one of "those" people and they weren't going to let me off for good behavior, that I knew for certain. I looked out the window, it was pitch black with the only exception being the distant stars in the sky.