Seven Chances In Another World

Chapter 14: Seventy-Six Floors

Everyone watched the stairs curiously.

"Wh-What is this?! Why is there a stair here?"

"I counted seventy-six floors down." Zain glanced at them. "I thought if I go down to the lowest floor, I might find a door that will get me to that forest without relying on the slippery rock. I was wrong."

"Why?" Harun frowned. "Your logic makes sense!"

"The lowest floor is…" Zain closed his eyes. "I don't ever want to go there again, but maybe you guys will give me the strength to go back."

"What are you talking about? You're scaring us!"

"There is more pleasure… in there." Zain smiled. "Gold. Diamond. Mountains of them. The fastest net connection. The most beautiful girls. It is everything someone can dream of…"

He swallowed hard. "It was… terrifying. Are you… sure you want to go down?"

They exchanged glances in silence and nodded, started walking downstairs. They held each other's hands to form a human chain and passed by the floor underneath them. They saw people having fun and partying, and the people didn't seem to notice them as they passed. Soap bubbles, food and wine smell mixed up in the air, and the group of eight rushed down to the floor after it.

Shadi swallowed hard, watching the people from the windows on the left side of the stair. On the other side, he saw nothing but the same bland blue sky and the warm light penetrating through different arched windows. As they walked down, the light became scarce, until complete darkness covered the stairs. Shadi blinked, feeling Fahd crushing his hand. He stopped walking before reaching the twentieth floor. "Let's stop a bit."

"N-No… No need!" Fahd could barely speak.

Zain stopped and glanced at him, having an excellent nocturnal sight. "You're afraid of the dark, aren't you?"

Fahd's face went bright red as he looked away. "I… I… I'm… I…"

His eyes flashed wide as everyone hugged him at once. "We need to stick together, all eight of us. I know we have our differences, but we must support each other. If you're scared, tell us."

Fahd pursed his lips and nodded. "I… Thanks… I'm… I'm fine now. We can go."

"Are you sure?" Shadi asked.

"Yes. Yes." Fahd smiled softly. "Thanks."

Zain nodded and continued leading the way.

"By the way, Zain, why are you no longer that obsessed with bullying Fahd? I hardly heard you two fight recently," Dina remarked, “And why do disappear from time to time?”

Zain didn't answer and continued walking. "We reached the tenth floor."

They frowned as a cloud of smoke filled the air.

"Hold your breath. Drugs!" Zain commanded.

They all did as instructed and rushed to the lower floors.

They stopped on the second floor. "All right." Zain took a deep breath and removed his shirt. "I have water with me. All of you remove an item of your clothes and soak it in water. Wrap it around your nose and mouth. Also, wear those goggles."

"Wh-Why?" Feyruz started getting scared as she removed her cotton shirt. "What's down there?"

"The exit for sure…" Zain's gaze saddened as he lowered his head. "But I'm afraid it's impossible to reach."

They all did what Zain asked them to do and continued walking. The stairs stopped at the first and lowest floor. Zain clenched his fists. "We're here."

He thoughtfully stared at the gate in front of him. Zain closed his eyes and rested a hand against his heart, whispering things the others couldn’t hear. He then pushed the door open, and an incredibly loud sound filled their ears. Harun's eyes widened in surprise, seeing a couple having s*x at the entrance. He took a step backwards. "W-We can't go inside! It's too…"

Zain turned to him. "I understand if you want to go back, but–"

"But we can't do that." Shadi nodded, determined. "We're searching for the unknown. Maybe we can find some truth in it. What we see now is far from what we're seeking. We must move forward and look for the exit, no matter what."

"I agree," Fahd added.

Harun pursed his lips and nodded. "What about you, ladies? What will you do?"

"There's no need to ask." Rahma smiled. "We're in this together. We already came this far. There's no going back now!"

They walked inside, and the smell of wine, drugs and human excrements filled their nostrils. They held on to each other and walked under the colourful flashing lights. Fountains of molten gold ran on their left, and piles of bright diamonds were on their right. The noises got louder, and strong perfumes hit them. As soon as they walked past the "hallway of worldly wealth", they found the main hall of the first floor; a giant dance floor. People would dance until they lose their minds and collapse. Some were making love on the couches, and others were drinking to their fill. Zain narrowed his eyes, trying to see past the crowd. His eyes widened, seeing a gate. He silently pointed at the others to follow him, and they walked through the crowd, careful not to lose each other.

They stopped in front of the gate, a pitch-black door and stared at it in silence. As soon as Zain touched the door handle to open it, they felt themselves falling forward. Their eyes widened, tumbling onto each other, and a cold breeze slapped their faces. They stood up, and they were rendered speechless. Looking up, they saw the giant tree, towering and shading the forest before their eyes. They glanced around, shocked and bewildered. "We're out…"

They gasped and hugged each other. "WE'RE OUT! WE REALLY GOT OUT!"

They stopped, hearing someone slow-clapping and approaching footsteps. Glancing to the side, they saw a white-haired man appearing from behind the thick green trees. His hair reached down to his waist, and his pink eyes shined like the rarest jewels.

"AH!" Shadi pointed at him, eyes round. "You're the man… You're the man who guided us into the cinema room! You also had a purple-eyed with you! I remember well!"

The white-haired's gaze softened as he smiled warmly. "Indeed."

"What's the big idea?" Shadi got angry and walked towards him. "Why are you doing this?! What's your motive?"

"That is for you to discover." The white-haired tilted his head backwards and watched the giant tree. "That tree… It was there for seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven years now."

The others' eyes widened. The white-haired lowered his gaze to the floor, smile weakening. "Each year, seven hundred and seventy-seven people go in and never leave."

"W-Wait! Let me count! Shadi's eyes slowly widened. "M-More than six million people are into that tree?!"

"Nearly eighty thousand per floor, assuming there are seventy-seven floors in total."

"Indeed, that is the number of the floors," the white-haired folded his arms. "Not a single person came out ever since the first year."

"But… wait. Why have eighty thousand people on our floor?" Dina asked, confused.

"You do. You merely chose not to see them, or they chose not to show themselves. Gradually, they will show up."

A small green bird flew around the white-haired and rested on his shoulder, and the white-haired smiled at it, gently caressing its head.

"I don't mean to be rude, but… were you here for… seven thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven years? Just… watching the tree?" Fahd asked.

The white-haired tilted his head to the side. "It is a task among others. Is there a problem with that?"

"O-Old!" Fahd couldn't stop himself from reacting. "How old are you?!"

The white-haired smiled at him. "Much older than the tree for sure."

Fahd's eyes widened. "Y-You're not human?!"