Glass Sky

                                                 Glass Skies

         Blind. Like when you wake up in the middle of the night and can't see a thing. The room was virtually pitch black, all except for a small candle illuminating one small corner of what I assumed to be a large, fairly empty room. With the light of the small flame, I could just barely see the outline of a large, rusted chair. The room had no clock, but as I moved closer toward the light, I could see that my watch read 5:30 am. I knew that soon someone in my home would wake up and realize that I'm missing, and then call the police to search for me. I wasn't sure who would be interested in kidnapping me. I was a small time artist struggling to get some sort of luck in New York. The fact that someone was interested enough to go through the trouble of kidnapping me was baffling.
         Or maybe the person was just crazy, picking off the first random passerby that they saw. Though that was probably the case, I was unaware of anyone capable of following me home without me noticing them. I lived far out of town, living alone except for my friend and yellow lab, Beau. Even though I drove home in the dark the night before, I would have seen headlights behind my car if anyone was following me. The only way they could have followed me to take me to this vile place was if they had walked on foot, which would have been impossible unless they sprinted. I heard something in the room stir, and a low, soft groan. I called out asking who was there, and was answered with another groan. I supposed that the person wasn't awake yet, so I grabbed the small candle, which was nearly halfway gone, and explored the room as much as I could. There was a large window that covered nearly the whole side of one wall, and a small TV sitting on a table in front of it. Upon further inspection, I saw several tools such as scalpels, screwdrivers, and drills. Though I had no idea what the tools were for, a cautious chill ran through my body. I pushed away the thought of having to hurt someone and moved around to another wall.
         On the next wall there was a painting of what I assumed was once a beautiful woman. Her face had a large red smile spray painted on it, which would explain the odor of chemicals and paint that had smelled so strong I could practically taste them. Taking a closer look at the painting, I could see it was partially ripped off and taped back into place. I noticed a small lump in the middle of it. My mother had always told me that curiosity killed the cat, but in the current situation, I don't think anyone would blame me when I ripped the painting out of its frame once again and caught a small piece of paper that had been folded up and stuck behind the picture before it floated to the ground. Kneeling down and holding up the letter near the candle to shed a little light on the paper, I read as the letter explained the situation. With the room being so dark, and the candle dimming so quickly, reading the letter was incredibly difficult. Though the light was fading, I could just barely make out the words "RUN" and "DON'T LOOK THROUGH THE WINDOW."
         The content of the letter worried me. Though I wasn't able to read much, what I was able to see sent waves of fear and anxiety through me. Questions raced through my mind at a million miles a minute, so fast that my head started to ache. Though I pushed aside many of the questions, one stayed in my mind, worrying me like a bright red alarm. What was through that window? Something so terrible that we were put in here for our own safety? Or something so wonderful that it needed protection from human contact? I bent down and grabbed the candle, making my way around to the last two walls. They both had phrases painted on them. What they said, I don't know. I leaned against the wall and slipped to the floor, the candle lighting up a small circle that seemed to keep me safe from the suffocating darkness that surrounded me. I screamed inside my head, begging for someone to talk to me, and as if by some strange miracle, the person in the chair gave a long, quiet groan before shifting ever so slightly.
         "Hello? Can you hear me?" The person asked ever so softly. From the voice, I could tell the person was a man, and though I couldn't say what he looked like, he seemed relatively approachable. I forced myself to my feet and grabbed the candle before walking over to him. The light illuminated the both of us, so I was able to get a decent look at the man. He was probably my age, two or three years older at the most. He had dark brown eyes that seemed nearly black, and messy brown hair that stuck up in some spots. Though he looked more like the "quiet and brooding" type, he seemed erratic and terrified. I didn't blame him given the circumstances, and I suppose he especially had a reason since he was tied to a chair.  "Can you tell me where I am?" He asked, his eyes begging for me to give him an answer. Though I didn't have one, I tried to offer him some sort of comfort.
         "I don't know, but it can't be bad since we're both alive, I guess," I explained, my throat tight. I hated lying to this person, even though I didn't know who he was, and I felt guilty that I couldn't give him an answer. "There's a window covering one wall, though we're not supposed to look through it," I told him, trying to describe the room the best I could. "On another wall there was a painting where I found this," I said, holding up the letter so that he could see it, "And then there's writing on the other two walls. I don't see a door." He gave out a choked sob filled with grief and hopelessness and what I assumed was downright agony. He seemed to be in a lot of pain, so I stood up, despite his pleas not to leave him, and went to grab the small surgical knife that had been sitting on the table near the TV. With the cool metallic object in my hand, I began to cut through the ropes that bound his hands and feet together. Once he was free, the television flicked on, showing static for a moment before switching to the image of a dark figure.
         "I'm assuming you're both awake by now, so I'm sure you are wondering where you are," The man said, barely moving. "I can assure you that this confinement is only for your safety, so I hope that you don't feel that you are in any danger." The sentence was baffling, since I did feel in danger after being kidnapped and left in a room with a total stranger. "If you have found the letter left for you in the room, I would not be surprised if you found it difficult to read without light. After this video, you will find two doors. The path you take is completely up to you. The two of you can go your separate ways, or you can stay together and solve whatever conflicts you may face as a team. As I said, the choice is up to you. You may also be wondering why you were instructed to avoid the large window behind this screen. The purpose for this is not of importance at this time, for the answer will come to you when it is absolutely necessary. I'm sure your candle is nearly gone by now, so I hope you two aren't afraid of the dark. After all, it's not the dark you need to be afraid of, but whatever is hiding in it."
         With that, the TV flashed once more and shut off, leaving us in near darkness. There was a low rumbling sound, and I could see the walls start to move. Lights above the lettering flashed on, and I could finally read what the walls had said. "SAFETY" read one wall "SACRIFICE" Read the other. Below the words were two black hallways that went to who knows where. I looked to the man, wondering where he would go.  I wanted to say something to him, but nothing would come out of my mouth. Before I turned away, he asked me "I never got your name." I turned to look back at him, confused as to why he would want to know if we were going to part ways.  It only seemed polite to tell him, so I switched the candle into my other hand and held my right one for him to shake. "I'm Ryan," He nodded, taking it and shaking my hand twice.
         With a little tension lifted off of my chest, I gave a small smile and let it drop to my side. "My name is Alex," I told him, a long stab of loneliness running through my gut at the thought of leaving Ryan, but I knew he probably didn't want to go with me. He seemed like the sort of guy that befriended someone and left before the supposed friend got a chance to know the guy's name. I felt as if I was that friend, sitting in this room with this strange man in hopes that he would stay with me. With a pained smile, I nodded to him, still gripping the knife tightly, and backed towards one of the doors. I had no idea what was going to happen, but I felt that I didn't have a lot of time to make my choice. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go now," I said gravely, and though I felt guilty, I was surprised when I saw him take a step towards me.
         "Alex, there's something behind the glass watching us. Run, and don't look through the window." His voice had a low, cautious tone to it, and I could almost smell the terror radiating off of him in waves. I was about to turn when a pounding so hard that the room shook started at the window. I was so tempted to look; eager to redirect my eyes to see what the source of the noise was, though for reasons unknown I was seemingly paralyzed, this strange and potentially dangerous man standing in front of me. I didn't know whether I should go through the door or take my chances with the thing behind the glass and the man in the room. Ryan stared at me, his eyes reflecting the light above the door, and when I looked at him, it felt as if I was staring into oblivion. The cold handle of the scalpel pressed into my skin, somehow feeling an eagerness to attack. Though I wanted to believe that this man was no threat, I was not entirely sure at this point. Looking into his eyes, I could see that they were void of emotion, like looking into the eyes of a predator just before it strikes. The only thing I saw was hunger, an unimaginable desire to hurt me burning inside of his eyes. I couldn't imagine what was inside his mind, and though I had an itching urge to know, I knew I shouldn't ask. In my daze, I had not noticed the large crack that was forming in the glass, some bits already falling out of the window. From across the room, I heard a dark, dangerous moan, like one of an animal that hadn't eaten in weeks.
         "Ryan, I really have to go," I told him, careful to keep my voice no higher than a whisper. I took a few steps back, creating a larger gap that was only closed a moment later as Ryan stepped towards me. A strange feeling ran through my body, like liquid panic running through my veins instead of blood, being spread out to every part of my body by a heart that was beating erratically. "I'm coming with you," Was all he said, grabbing my arm and pulling me through the door. I'll admit that I was terrified of the dark, especially when I was in the dark with a complete stranger that had a murderous look in his eyes only moments ago. It felt like we were walking through the hallway for hours, days even. Images flashed before my eyes that hit me with so much force that I nearly fell to my feet. A picture of me and my father was burned into my mind, stabbing at me like a red hot sword, stinging like salt in an open wound. I felt warm tears fall down my face, a small voice in my head whispering "It's your fault he's dead. You could have saved him, but you didn't'! You ruined your mother's life!" The voice and its words made my stomach churn and flop, nearly strong enough to make me pass out. I had no idea what was wrong with me. It felt as if I was drugged, my head fuzzy and my body numb. I couldn't tell if I was walking, floating, or if Ryan was carrying my cold, possibly dying, body to who knows where.
         "Alex, stay with me, we're almost out. Don't let go just yet!" Ryan pleaded with me, and for the first time in what felt like eternity, I could feel my own body. I was shaking violently, cold sweat running down my face and back, soaking my shirt. My eyes were wide open, but I could see nothing. Were we still in the hallway? What had happened to me? Why did I pass out and not Ryan? The questions were buzzing through my mind so fast that it made my head hurt, forcing a groan of agony to escape from my throat. It sounded something primal, almost as if it wasn't my own voice. "You're going to be okay, you hear me? I won't let you leave me!" When he said that, it struck me that maybe Ryan really did care, and how much I cared about him. I had just met this man what seemed like days ago, even though it was only a few hours, and I felt as if I would be dead without him. I felt like a stupid teenage girl that had some high school crush. "There's a door, Alex. I'm going to go through it, okay?" He whispered, setting me on what felt like a cold stone floor. "Don't leave..." I begged, my eyes finally adjusting to the dark. There was a faint outline of a door only visible because of the seemingly blinding light hidden on the other side. "I'll only be gone a minute, I promise," He assured me, but I knew something was wrong. He wouldn't be back if he left, and I probably wouldn't see him again.
         "Going with you then," I said, pushing myself up to my feet and lurching to the door. Though he looked concerned, he didn't protest. I searched for a doorknob, running my hand along the wall until I found one. I grabbed it tightly, Ryan standing behind me and looking down while I turned the handle and slowly pulled it open. Light exploded in my face, like walking into a star. I felt blinded once more, my brain frantically trying to find a way to protect my eyes from the burning light. Though it eventually dimmed, Ryan and I both fell to our knees, shaking violently. I had no idea what had happened, but it felt as if my body was shutting down, the flopping feeling returning to my stomach. "What happened?" I asked, looking over to Ryan. His face was pale despite his tan skin, his eyes wide with surprise. I felt panicked since I had no idea what was going on. Turning to where he was staring, I was so shocked I could have jumped out of my skin. Before me was a little girl clutching a dirty yellow bear to her chest. She had short blond hair and eyes so dark they were like space itself. She tilted her head ever so slightly, and spoke. "Mommy, daddy, why were you sleeping in the closet?"
         The little girl watched us with a confused look in her black eyes, her blue and green plaid pajama pants hanging loosely around her hips. I forced myself to my knees, and though the flopping in my stomach had stopped, I still felt incredibly ill.  We were in a large, beautiful bedroom with maroon walls and a bed that looked as if someone had been sleeping in it. Turning back to where Ryan and I had come from, there was a closet with folding doors filled with coats and boxes. At one wall there was a desk with a small green lamp and papers covering it. I closed my eyes for a moment; clips that I assumed were memories flooding into my mind. A wedding, the birth of the young girl in front of us, moving to this new and busy city, and the night I was driving home before I woke up in that stone room. The girl in front of us was named Morgan, I remember. A small smile forced its way onto my lips, and I bent forward and picked up the little girl.          
         "Nothing, hun. Let's put you back to bed, okay?" I said, walking out of what I assumed was my room and working my way around the upper level. I walked into Morgan's room and set her into the bed, pulling her blankets up to her chin, I smiled again. "Try and go back to bed, okay?" I asked, and she nodded, the look of concern leaving her eyes. I gave her a small kiss on her forehead and got up to leave the room. "Mommy?" Morgan asked before I left the room. I turned around and looked at her, and it was my turn to be confused. "What is it?" I asked, walking back towards the bed. She pushed herself up and leaned back against the pillows, clutching the old bear tightly. "Why were you and daddy in the closet?" She asked again, and again, I had no answer. How could I explain the answers to her that I did not have? A headache began to throb in my forehead, and I shrugged softly. I watched her for a moment before smiling and telling her "Once I know, you will too." I left her room and shut the door tightly behind me, working my way back to my own room.
         Ryan was sitting on the bed, a laptop resting just above his knees. Behind a pair of glasses, I could see a thoughtful and interested look in his eyes. The lenses reflected what was being shown on the screen, and I could faintly see an image of a world you would usually see in a sci-fi movie. A sky so red it looked like it had been painted with blood, the sun much closer than possibly safe, and an abandoned, broken down city in what I assumed to be a desert. Only, when I sat down on the bed and moved closer to get a better look, I realized that it was no city in the middle of the desert. It was New York City, burnt down and dilapidated. There was a small caption below the image in italics that read: "Present day New York City, ranked one of the more well-kept cities in the nation. Taken 11/18/13 by Tyler Allen.
         I don't know if it was so much the photo that shocked me, but the fact that it was considered one of the more well-kept cities in the entire United States, or who exactly took it. Tyler was my brother, who had gone off into the military after graduating college. After coming home one night and telling us some of the most top-secret experiments that were being worked on in the military, we never saw or heard from him again. My mother and I both thought that he was killed in action and his body had been lost, but a twisting feeling in my gut made me think it was something so much more horrific. I looked out the window of the bedroom, and in the light of the rising sun, I could just barely see the grass glittering with an overnight dew shiver in the breeze. A confused haze clouded my mind, making me feel like I was going to be sick. If this wasn't the real world, then what was it? What exactly happened when we were in that room, and where did those doors take us? I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder, and I noticed Ryan was watching me with a concerned look plaguing his face. I got the feeling that he knew the image upset me, so he closed the laptop and moved so that we were laying side by side, watching each other carefully. For a long while there was no sound except for the soft echo of our breathing, and I was fine with that. We stayed like that, holding each other tightly, until an earth shattering scream pierced the morning air. It had come from just outside the house, and it sounded like a young woman panicking. Ryan and I pushed off of the bed and stumbled down the stairs, lurching for the door. Outside there was a woman around 25 was standing just down the road, watching the sky. It was a beautiful pink and blue haze, so I didn't see why she was screaming. At least, I didn't see what was wrong until I saw that the sky was falling.
         Huge chunks of the sky were falling like glass, revealing a burning sun behind it. More bits of it fell, landing much closer than comfortable. Through the gap came a huge rush of hot air that nearly knocked me off my feet. Ryan caught me and held me close, and even though I knew he was trying to look strong, I could feel him shaking like he was standing in the snow. Now, the sky wasn't just crumbling above us, bits of it actually started to burn, leaving nothing but the burning smell of plastic. Now I completely understood why the woman was panicking. The world was literally crumbling around us. I felt a scream crawling up my throat and though I wanted to howl and yell like a young child, I was only able to manage a horrified gasp. The earth below our feet began to shake, moving so violently that the houses around us began to fall.  After only a few moments, I could hear our own house begin to creak and waver. I remembered Morgan, sleeping soundly inside her bed. I sucked in a long breath, pulling away from Ryan and sprinting into the house. Bits of the ceiling were already starting to fall, clouds of dust exploding in front of my eyes. After what seemed like eternity I finally found the stairs, pulling myself up despite my aching leg muscles. With burning lungs inhaling nearly nothing but dust, I forced my way into Morgan's room and saw her huddling in a corner far from the windows that broke from a result of the shaking earth. I quickly picked her up, careful to not forget her bear, and ran out of the room, down the stairs, and out of the house. Ryan was trying to calm the woman next door, her voice no longer a scream, but a rasp of despair. Her house was completely destroyed, a large bit of the glassy sky crushing the once beautiful home. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small bit of movement. I turned quickly, seeing an older man, about the same age as the woman out in front. The old man was crawling, pulling his way towards who I assumed was his wife. I set Morgan down and gave her the bear before rushing to the older man and kneeling down in front of him. I could see that there was a large cut in his middle, which was letting out an extreme amount of blood. I pulled off the sweatshirt that I was wearing and tied it around the wound in hopes of stopping the blood from escaping his body. I tried to pull him to his feet, but he forced me away. He explained that he did not want his wife to see him like this, and though I didn't want to, he insisted that I left him there. It hurt, but I slowly backed away, tears welling in my eyes. Ryan had retreated back to our yard, and he walked over and put his arms around my body, knowing that I would probably run back to the old man. I knew he wanted to do the same thing, but he couldn't. Our feet were frozen to the ground, and even when the glass started falling closer and closer to us, we held each other close, our daughter by my side.
The once blue sky was gone now, replaced with a burning orange haze. Off in the distance were buildings of a city once so great. I felt a sharp pain in my side, though I knew it was nothing physical. Agony burned in my gut, making me want to collapse to the ground. I heard a loud sob, and at first I thought that it was me, but Ryan's whole body was shaking against mine, and I realized it was him. Turning around, I wrapped my arms around his waist and held him closer, muttering small, meaningless reassurances that, though they would not fix the situation, hopefully gave him a sense of hope. The houses that once made up an old neighborhood started to fade into dust, and along with it, our daughter. That is the part that broke me. Her body was evaporating into dust, her black eyes the last to fade. A sob exploded from my own mouth, shaking my entire being to the core. I don't know what I was saying, but I thought that it was something to try and push away the pain. The world we knew for only a short bit of time had started to feel like home, and now it was gone. It had faded around us like ice melts in warm water. I tried to steel myself, struggling to block out the desperation and pain that resided within my withered body. The tears stopped then, and I felt my breathing steady and my body freeze. Soon, Ryan steadied himself the same way, and we pulled apart and looked at each other for just a moment.
Then, I turned to the city, and started to walk.