© 2023 Richard Taylor
The room is mirrored on two walls. I have been here 15 minutes, in the dark, with the music, surrounded by people, and I've only just noticed. Not good. It's not the edge of a very large room. It's the middle of a much smaller space. I am surrounded.
Get a grip. Don't panic. Get a grip. Breathe slowly.
Where did the girl go? She has been gone a few minutes now... Not that long. She'll be back soon. Have a drink. A sip. A pretend sip. Wet the lips. Can't get drunk here. Not in a strange place. Not surrounded by strangers.
This music seems familiar. Not this track, I don't know who this is. Is it sampling something? Something older. Different. Just about familiar. From my early teens, probably.
Oh, here she comes. Nice smile. But? She's not smiling at me. Where's she going? To that guy? Is it not her? What did she look like? I can't remember.
Don't panic. Breathe. Get a grip.
Not over there. Or there. Can't really see that side. Too dark. Too loud. Damn mirrors. Most of these people look the same. Hang on: where are the doors? That's where I came in. The big black metal door with rivets set all the way round and a bar floor to ceiling for a handle. Nice. That's what, ten metres away? But where are the other doors? I can't see any.
So where did the girl go?
Let's check my phone. No signal. It's nearly 2am. Aria. That was her name. Now I remember her. A bit. She was dark, with blue eyes. Very blue eyes. And she had a soft, kind, voice.
Still can't spot her. No-one even like her. Hang on: where's the girl I just mistakenly smiled at? No sign of her either. This is wrong. I've been watching the big door for the last 10 minutes. It hasn't opened once. No-one in, no-one out. So where did the smiling girl go?
Isn't this the same music that was playing earlier? It is. Isn't it? Yes. Exactly the same, or maybe another mix? And? So what? Oh. The ceiling is completely black here... except for those small red lights. What are they for?
Maybe I should go find her. Aria. She must be outside the big door. Close my eyes for a second. Open. OK, try and move slowly towards the door.
This is like moving through treacle. None of these people want to move. Are people actually moving into my way? I don't really want to push. Stop for a second. The door is still ten metres away. Um. Why is everyone between me and the door facing this way? That's odd. Feels empty behind me. Ah. Because it is. Everyone is backing towards the walls. That's worrying.
And now I'm in the middle of the room on my own. OK. This is definitely wrong. The music has stopped. Who is this guy?
"Aria brought you here."
That's not a question. What is he after?
"You are Emil." he added.
Emil nodded slightly.
Three more men stepped out towards him. One he saw, two he heard.
The big door opened and the crowd filed out silently. When it closed again there were only the five of them remaining...
Stay calm. Breathe slowly.
"What do you want?"
"Be quiet." said one of the men behind him.
Do not turn. Breathe.
The man who had spoken first drew a length of metal pipe from an inner pocket.
"You really don't..." started Emil, but a man behind him struck.
There was a bluish white flash as the metal melted about a millimetre from Emil's skin.
No. Relax. Be calm. Breathe.
The three other men all struck at the same time. Screaming as they attacked. But the result was the same. Almost. They didn't get within ten millimetres of Emil's body.
Calm. Breathe. Calm.
Dropping the stumps of their first weapons the men reached into their jackets and pulled out a variety of knives. Without hesitation they all struck again. One lunged for Emil's neck, one tried for his heart, another for his stomach and the last for his kidneys.
All were skilled with a blade. All had killed many times. They had been told to expect the unexpected. That Emil might be... a tricky customer.
None got close. Their knives felt, to them, like they were penetrating skin. But their eyes saw the blades crumbling to dust as they advanced.
One of them took a step back, to evaluate from a better angle. Then all four of them were thrown back against the walls.
No. Relax.
Emil's eyes were closed. He was trying to breathe slowly. But his heart was racing. He was trying to conjure the image of a tree by a river... a nice calm river. But instead he heard the cries of the men.
They were held against the wall by an invisible force. The room was hot.
The two men against the mirrored walls heard glass cracking. One had an arm folded across his chest and his elbow was jabbing into his ribs. The other had a throwing star in his pocket that was just about penetrating skin.
Emil felt constrained. The walls, the floor, the ceiling. They were strong. He was pushing hard against them. But they held firm. He was fine here. In the centre.
OK. Calm. No threat.
It was quiet now. His mind was clear. He could stay here. It would pass. Everything had gone a bit crazy. But it was cooling down. He was still hot, but not too much.
Minutes passed. Then the "leader" shouted something. One by one the others responded. Emil felt a coordinated ripple of resistance. It was nothing. Then a little more. A tickle. Then more. A scratch.
They can't do anything. Chill. It's OK.
Suddenly the assailants thrust out from their walls. The furthest one from Emil made it almost a metre before the air in his lungs was knocked out of him, again. He tried to push forward still, as did the others. Tried with everything they had. Everything. Their everything that was pitifully little.
No. Stop. Make them stop. I can... they can't hurt me.
But who else is waiting outside? Is this a stalking party? Did they trap him here to wear him down? Is the real attack still to come? How many? What else? Why only send four? How many? What next? This is the big battle. It's coming. Isn't it?
There was a chaotic orchestra of sound as mirrors, walls and bodies fractured. The men didn't so much scream as have their voices crushed out of their mouths. The lights went out. The entire door frame left the building.
Pressures were unbalanced now. Emil felt the floor pushing back reassuringly. The ceiling too was firm. But all four walls were weak. They were breaking. A couple of strong points on each side resisted a little more. But not enough. He was unbound now. Let go. Destroy the place and get out.
Gone. They're gone now.
If there were more outside then they could be gone too. Or he would just run away again. Always running. Why? Why had this happened to him? It was all so confusing again. It was just getting clear. He should never have come here with Aria. Yes, Aria. She had such a kind voice.
As the walls continued to crumble Emil felt more pressure from above. To be expected. But it was more. A lot more. How big was this building? Why was the ceiling not breaking?
In the instant that all four walls failed, time slowed to a crawl. Emil became still again. He knew this was the real attack. He was standing between two strong flat surfaces with a massive weight on top. Massive. More than he could hold. More than he could deflect. Too much, even for him.
He had no control. Only instinct. The picture in his mind changed. He had been standing in a box. Now he was standing in a narrow cone. Point up. A very strong base and a very sharp point. So sharp. The sharpest ever.
The ceiling plunged towards him. Emil closed his eyes.