5 Doors

Preface



Nisha sat on the bench by a large bank of windows, observing the monstrous storm cell. Rotating and turning the clouds hung ominously over the school. She saw her friends talking quietly in the lounge area while her sister rested in a chair off to the other side, deep into a book. The long grasses on the mountain side thrashed violently as the storm brewed. Tornados were not known to hit the top of the mountain where Ardara resided, but anything could happen.

The sky still bothered her but she turned to her friends and listened silently.

"Don't you just love storms? I mean, they're just like so creepy and exciting. It’s like being in our own horror film!" Elaine said excitedly. Nisha had to laugh. Sometimes she wondered how all of her friends could be so weird.

"You would be the one to say that," Serenity commented sitting sideways in the chair; legs hanging over the armrest.

"Well, she's right." Katrina added, also a big fan of the horror genre.

Nisha cast another glance out the windows as her friends continued to discuss the reality of various films. Earlier she had noticed a patch of tightly spinning clouds, ready to drop a tornado any minute. This hadn't worried her too much because storms that had formed a funnel in the past had always followed the land down, not even coming close to the school complex. By this time however a large twister had formed and was sitting on the horizon.

Just as she turned to her friends again, someone on the other side of the room screamed, "Tornado!" Debris was already flying outside and everyone started to panic and leave the room. Soon enough it was only the five of them left and they watched the funnel's movements very closely. They all knew that tornados were highly unpredictable and could change direction any time. At the moment it looked as if it would just skirt the school grounds and head south down the mountain into the Forest of Alder.

"Maybe it'll stay over there," Natalya said calmly walking over. As if on cue the whirlwind hesitated and made a b-line for the library.

Nisha cast a fleeting glance at her twin, "Or maybe not."

"Let's get out of here!" Elaine shouted over the gale force winds. Off to their left a window virtually exploded with the impact of a rock; sending shards everywhere.

"I heartily concur," Serenity said. Books flew off shelves as more and more windows broke. By the time they had made it half way to the door they had been engulfed in a paper blizzard. With an extra strong gust of wind one of the huge wooden bookcases fell, blocking the only direct way out. Nisha turned and saw the tornado coming up the hill. "Everybody on the ground!" she yelled but they could barely hear her.

She was the last one to fall, covering all of her friends' heads. The last thing she remembered seeing was a large book flying at her as the tornado turned again and roped away from Ardara.


Chapter One



Slowly she opened her eyes and was net with five blurry faces squatting around her.

"Are you ok?” Katrina asked.

"Nish? How many fingers am I holding up?” her sister asked.

“You know I hate that nickname! And three.”

“Yep, she’s fine,” Serenity said standing up. The four of them had carried Nisha up to Mr. Tate’s room after the book had slammed into her and the tornado disappeared. She was now propped up against the wall.

“Alright, let’s give her some breathing space.” Nisha opened her eyes fully and saw a man’s face with a thin white chin beard.

“Really, I’m fine.”

“Yea and that totally explains why you’ve been ‘sleeping’ for the past four hours,” Natalya said using sarcastic air quotes.

Nisha’s hand rose to her pounding head. She hadn’t been aware that she had been out that long. Hesitantly she tried to stand up but slipped and fell back against the wall. Mr. Tate extended a hand and helped her to her feet.

“Well look who decided to wake up. Did you have a good little nappy?” Rhys strutted over; a sickening sweet smile across his face.

“Oh shove off Rhys,” Natalya said. There was bad blood between the two.

“Guys…” Nisha said softly. Neither one on them heard her.

“I was just being polite.”

“Polite my…”

“Guys!” Nisha yelled almost collapsing with the pain in her head. Katrina caught her and cast a dirty look in Rhys’s direction. Elaine at this point jumped up and pulled Natalya away from the would-be fight.

“Rhys, leave her alone.” Mr. Tate stepped in. Then he turned to Nisha and said, “Let’s get you something for that headache before we have to open the…” Abruptly he stopped and cast nervous glances at the dark windows and doorway and started to walk to his desk without finishing his sentence.

Two white capsules slid down her throat easily s she gulped down a glass of water. She was surprised that she felt relief almost immediately and went to her desk with her friends. After a moment Mr. Tate stepped up and took control of the class, raising his authoritative voice. “The school right now is under a code red lock down. No one will leave this room! Someone needs to guard the door. Only let the students in.”

“I will,” Nisha said getting to her feet.

“Good. Make sure you still listen to what I have to say,” he turned back to the class as he stood behind his large wooden desk. “Has anyone heard the legend of Balestrom?”

“Wasn’t he the founder of Ardara?” one of the students asked.

“Yes, Adrian Balestrom was the main founder of the school and helped build part of it, until there was an… accident… and he was killed. Five days before the, accident, he finished writing a book. Thus the legend of Balestrom was born.” Mr. Tate had everyone’s undivided attention.

“Oh yea!” Nisha exclaimed from the door way. “I’ve read about that. Supposedly after the accident his attackers were imprisoned in the book and people think that if the book would open again monsters would come out and try to complete their work, destroying the school and over running the world.”

“No stupid story book monster can scare me, even if they were real!” Rhys said from the back.

Mr. Tate laughed, “We’ll see if you say that when a 7 foot half wolf half ape creature stares you down.” There was no sign of the nervous Mr. Tate they had seen just a few moments earlier.

“You act like that story is real. I don’t believe it for a minute.”

“Well, let’s put it this way. The book is missing from its case, the school is out of power, and there is howling in the stairwells. Believe it yet?”

“Pssh…No!” Rhys insisted.

“Right…” he turned back to the class but didn’t say anymore. Some of the more sensitive students cast worried glances out the door. Nervous conversations burst our everywhere but were silenced at a wolf growl.

"Nisha?" Mr. Tate asked.

"Nothing yet."

"Hmm...Close the door." Just as it latched in the threshold someone... or something... started to bang on the door.

"Help!" it screamed from outside.

"Let them in," he said almost casually. She opened the door and three more students scrambled inside. One of them was Aideen; another one of Nisha's close friends.

"I'm so glad you’re safe," she whispered as she embraced her.

"It was so scary out there," Aideen replied. Quietly she turned and went to go sit with Katrina. Before closing the solid wood door again Nisha risked another glance down the hall. What she saw caused her blood to freeze.'

There, appearing up the stairs, were tall hairy creatures that reminded her of her favorite Wookie from Star Wars. These slow hulking figures had a more wolf-like snout and bright yellow eyes compared to the native species of Kashyyyk and they were a bit shorter. She failed to see how many there were due to the low lighting the backup generator gave to the halls, but it sounded like a good dozen or two. The lead monster took his claws and raked them over the ceiling, sending a waterfall of sparks down in front of him; singeing his fur but causing it little other visible dammage.

Ardara had a single set of backup generators that could barely power the halls, because of their age. With the power cables now dangling dangerously from the hall's ceiling the dusty circuits had to reroute the power. This exertion was too much for the ancient system and the generators exploded outside. Instantly the other halls lost power and the entire school was plunged into darkness. The Creatures let out another howl and slowly made their way up the hall trying to push doors open.

"What was that?" Mr. Tate asked as the generators blew.

Nisha stepped inside and slammed the door, "They're coming! And they've cut our power lines."

"Step away," he got up from his seat and urgently made his way towards where she had been moments before. Placing a palm to the door he closed his eyes in concentration. Around his hand the door began to glow. The amber disk, about the size of a dinner plate, expanded and grew until the entire door was enveloped in its luminescence. He stepped away, "Nobody touch that door." Moving to stand once again behind his desk, Mr. Tate lit a few more candles and motioned Nisha to close the curtains over the window. Looking out quickly she could see two or three other candle-lit rooms across the court yard. They were all directly on top of each other in a neat column and across from their class.

The long black curtains were heavy and took a second yank to pull them into place. "No one knows what exactly is inside the book because the school has kept it under lock and key for over a century. Anyone whom Balestrom might have shown part of it to would be dead. Stand up please, everyone." As the students done as they were told he motioned them to the edges of the room. He started to push the desks out of the way, clearing a large space while speaking more about their situation. "As far as anyone knows these are Kaltarken, a species not seen since the elimination of Nackz. They are particularly incompetent and don’t usually know how to open doors. With their body design they naturally can’t swim; however they do learn. Once one of them discovers something all the others pick it up rather quickly. It's not all too dissimilar from a hive-mind."

Once all the obstructions were out to the side Mr. Tate gathered the students into a circle and placed 5 lit candles in the center of the room. His lips moved with silent words as he stood in the center of the human ring. The white candle was northern most and the black one was south. East and west were represented by blue and green respectively. In the very center of everything was the thick stalk of a red candle burning brighter than all the others.

It happened so quickly in the blink of an eye you would miss it. With some unseen signal a thin yellow-golden line encircled each candle and connected each one with the others; spreading from north to south. And just as quickly they disappeared in that same faction; north to south.

Mr. Tate stood from his kneeling position by the north candle with a haunted look on his face. "These are tough time for our school. Everything has changed in a short period of time and the future lies within each and every one of you." he paced around the circle nervously and his students were enthralled in his speech. "From now on you will have to think for yourselves; act on your own; basically be adults." he glanced at Rhys for a moment before moving on. "This room acts as a portal, a gateway if you will, to other dimensions. A safe heaven that is unbreachable other than this way. There you will stay and educate yourselves to find a way to destroy the monsters, find the book, and make your way back. I know this is a lot to ask but you must do it, to secure the fate of our own realm."