Chapter 13: Fear and Courage
1128 Words
Jassem sat next to his wife as she fed the baby. "Don't you think it's growing a bit too fast?" he said. "It has been around four months, but it feels like the baby is nearly one-year-old."
"I don't know." Ahlem shrugged. "Honestly, it has been so long since we are here, and I lost track of time."
He smiled sadly. "It seems like there's no way out…" He scratched his hair. "I'll go look for my brother."
He left the main hall and walked upstairs towards the spot Fahd and Shadi first used to chat. He found Shadi sitting on the windowsill, silently watching the sky. Jassem stood next to him.
"So static." Shadi stared at the blueness of the sky with jaded eyes. "It like we're in a box. So static."
"Aren’t you happy?" Jassem frowned. "We're safe and alive."
Shadi glanced at him. "I am not happy. Safe and alive? Aren't you forgetting our goals, brother? We are here to get out. That huge forest below us is not just for decoration. We have to go down."
"Why are you obsessed with leaving this place? Isn't it comfortable enough for you?!" Jassem seemed disappointed. "Why should you always make things difficult?"
Shadi stared at him and smiled. "You know what? Do whatever you like, Jassem. I will do whatever I want."
"Shadi…" Jassem held his brother close and kissed the top of his head. "Please talk to me. I know you're hiding something. You rarely show up at the food table. You don't sit with us as much as before… What's going on?"
Shadi closed his eyes and shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Shadi…" Jassem anxiously stared at his brother, not knowing what to say. "By the way, Fahd… is still sleeping. I'm sorry, but…"
"I know." Shadi glanced back at the sky and blinked as a white lightning flashed, and crashing thunder echoed in the air before the rain started falling. Shadi stared at it in silence, and Jassem grabbed his collar. "I'm talking to you. Don't ignore me!"
Shadi absently stared at him. "I don't feel well," he whispered.
Jassem raised his eyebrows. A louder thunder roared.
"I want to get out of here. That's all." Shadi smiled weakly. "I don't think I can live here forever. I feel like a caged bird."
"Are you ready for what's waiting for us outside?!" Jassem frowned. "Here, there is everything. We have food, electricity and water, an infinite supply of food and all the clothes someone can wish for. We even found TVs and laptops. An infirmary containing the best equipment. You're an alcoholic, and you found a room filled with all the liquor you want. This place is so much better than an unknown forest. Why can't you see that?"
Shadi nodded. "We have everything in this small world, so we have no reason to seek the unknown."
His lips parted with a small smile as he started laughing uproariously. He fell to his knees, laughing uncontrollably, and Jassem raised his eyebrows. "Brother! Have you lost your mind?!"
"You made me realize something, brother." Shadi sighed and stood up. He patted Jassem's shoulder. "This place is a trap, just like the life we used to live. I understand now."
"What are you… talking about?!"
"Go back to your peaceful life, Jassem." Shadi smiled and started walking away. His smile slowly faded into darkness as he turned his back to his brother. "I see," he whispered. "This is the game. I understand now. At this rate, we will all fail even before it starts."
He stood in front of the room containing the rock and opened the door. His eyes slowly widened, seeing that the green grass had almost changed the room into a jungle. He left the door open and remained at the highest step of the stairs, which was the only one spot that didn't have mousse on it. He gazed down at the rock, attempted to walk down the stairs and gasped as someone grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.
He blinked several times, seeing Fahd. "Y-You're…"
Fahd stared at him thoughtfully. "We need to talk."
Zain watched them from behind and walked into the room with Feyruz and Rahma.
They closed the door and exchanged glances. Fahd closed his eyes and rested his head on Shadi's shoulder. "We must leave this place before it kills us. It's a spider web. Once we're stuck, we can't get out."
"What?!" Shadi frowned.
"I found something." Zain raised his hand, seeming disturbed. "You must see it. It was terrible."
"Wh-What is it?!" Feyruz seemed anxious. "I just don't want to stay here. There's an eerie feeling. It's like… we're being watched."
Rahma nodded. "I feel the same way. We did not come here just to live in absolute happiness and luxury. There's a reason."
"In a way, this place is actually hell, not heaven!" Feyruz complained.
Fahd stared into Shadi's eyes. "You realized it too, didn't you? All five of us realized it, that's why we met here."
Shadi nodded. "I… thought this world is… the real world and the outside is… the unknown."
Fahd smiled. "I think so too. The truth is outside. We must work to reach it."
"Before that, I must show you what I saw." Zain ran a hand into his light brown hair and sighed. "I still can't believe my eyes."
They all glanced at him, curious.
"Come with me. We can come back here later," he urged.
They all left the room and walked behind Zain.
They passed by the main hall and glanced at everyone sitting in joy and bliss. They frowned, realizing that the number of people had increased. There were at least a hundred more people in the main hall, all enjoying life, eating and drinking. Shadi felt dread creeping over his skin as he watched them laugh and have fun. He frowned and hurried past the main hall. Fahd followed him. "Something is off. Where did all these people come from?"
"The other cinema rooms."
They glanced behind and saw Dina, Shahd and Harun.
Dina folded her arms. "They appeared last month. You guys wouldn't know because you hardly stay with us. The total number of people is now seven hundred and seventy-seven."
"So many!" Fahd shouted, but his voice wasn't as loud as the noise coming from the main hall. His surprise quickly disappeared. "No. It should be normal, seeing that this cinema has got dozens of levels."
"D-Dozens of… levels?!" Shadi frowned. "I thought it was only two levels!"
"No. We are not the only ones here." Zain gritted his teeth. "This tree… It's like a giant tower. So many people are here. Thousands."
"But… We were alone at first…" Feyruz said.
"And we should have left back then." Rahma sighed. "Now, reaching the rock is nearly impossible."
They stopped in front of a wall.
"What is this?" Shadi asked.
Zain pushed the wall, and it split in two, revealing a dark staircase heading down.
- Writer
