The Phantom Riser

“I’m drowning. I was seated in my chair moments ago, but I’m sure of it. I’m drowning, waiting to hit the bottom. Or am I falling? I can’t really say. I’m starting to lose grip of reality now. Is this what death feels like? Is this the journey to the afterlife?” Kiro said. He was losing himself to the river that surrounded him. The river was deep, deeper than he expected. He looked to his side, only to see his reflection staring back at him. His expression was desolate, like all the light within him had been sucked away, completely devoid of any happiness. “Is this how I look like? That’s depressing,” he scoffed. A mirthless smile followed his chuckle. A smile of despair. And in that moment, he hit the bottom. An electrifying feeling surged through his body. It wasn’t from the impact; it was more than that. The pain intensified till he passed out, only to awake on his bed. A bed that should no longer have existed. He could hear some chatter but couldn’t quite discern the words. He looked around his messy room. Clothes hung from anywhere clothes could hang all around the room. And even places where clothes shouldn’t. Like a shoe rack. “Hello, earth to Kiro,” Karenia, the girl beside him beckoned, snapping Kiro out of his reverie. She was pretty. Her long dark hair ran all the way to her back. But she was never the type to let it loose. Her hair was always packed into a ponytail. She was about the same age with Kiro. “Are you okay? You’ve been out of it lately,” Victor said from across the room. He had brown full hair with a tint of black. “What is this!” Kiro fretted, storming out of his bed like a mad man. He stared at his room in utter disbelieve. Not because of how messy it was. Hell no. It was almost like he didn’t expect to be where he was. The world around him felt strange. He clenched his fist a few times, as if expecting for something to happen. “An utter mess is what it is. You said you’d clean up before we got here,” Victor retorted but Kiro paid no heed to him. Karenia noticed that his distress was real. “What’s wrong? Bad dream?” she asked, holding Kiro by his shoulder to keep him from moving about. Eventually, he calmed down. He flung himself to his bed with the least of caution. “A bad dream I guess,” he responded after letting off a deep sigh. “And here I was, thinking you were actually listening,” Victor said as he got up from Kiro’s chair. “You know what you need? A timeout. You’ve been cooped up in this room for way too long.” Kiro didn’t seem too convinced but had a relieved look on him. Karenia pulled him up to get dressed and in a few minutes, they were out. While it seemed like they were having fun, Kiro was mostly spaced out. He couldn’t put a needle on it, but something was off. Like he wasn’t supposed to be there. *** They were at that usual spot, at their usual restaurant, right at the corner beside the window. “Could it be girl trouble though? I’ve never seen you worried about anything for so long?” Karenia teased. “Girl trouble? Kiro? Please. He has more luck at getting superpowers than getting a girl,” Victor goaded. Kiro chuckled at that thought. Not because of the obvious truth that had been said, but that he didn’t mind the thought of getting superpowers. “Come on, don’t tease him like that. You’d hurt his feelings,” Karenia cried with a strong whiff of sarcasm. She was glad however that his mood seemed a lot lighter. “I mean, he even had a nightmare.” “Nightmare during the day? I didn’t even know that was possible. I thought you needed darkness for that,” Victor said as he stared through the window. It was darker than you’d expect it to be, considering that it was just barely noon. “Or is that why everywhere is getting darker?” Kiro and Karenia take notice of it too. “An eclipse, maybe?” Karenia suggested. Kiro was aghast at the sight like he had seen a ghost. He ran his fingers through his dark hair in despair. He knew what it was and an eclipse was far from it. His memories started to piece themselves together and a vague memory hit him. “That’s not an eclipse,” Kiro blurted out, much to the surprise of Victor and Karenia. The power in the restaurant suddenly went out. But it wasn’t just the restaurant. The entire city’s power went out too. Unease began to creep into the city and the silent whispers of a panic began to echo. Moments later, the TVs, radios and phones came on. Basically, anything with an electronic screen. And the face that popped on it was anything but friendly. He was human alright, but only his face said so. The aura that emanated from him was anything but human. He had green eyes and a dark fro to match. Not to mention his menacing smile. “Hello, residents of 207. My name is Azak, a representative of Blaze, a member of the Eight. I would like to announce to you that our time of harvest is upon us. This might come as a shock to you, but a lot of things are about to change. First, all souls belong to the Eight now. But as a sign of their kindness, you shall get a chance to earn it back. You’ll get more details later as time passes. For now, enjoy what remains of your illusionary life. You might be scared, rightfully so. Humans fear what they do not understand, but for the first time, you’re right,” Azak said, before disappearing from the screens. Moments after, power was restored. No one had the faintest idea of what was going on or what to do. No one except Kiro. He had a strong conviction in his eyes and any doubt or fear had disappeared. “So, I was brought back to before the apocalypse. This is ridiculous really,” he sighed. “What do you mean?” Victor asked. Most people had been unable to utter even a single word since the shocking broadcast and it was only a matter of time before the whole city broke into a panic. The expression on Kiro’s face however, made it more than obvious that he had a fair idea of what was going on. And he did. “It’s the apocalypse. The beginning of the new world and the birth of the risers,” Kiro said.