• Chapter 3 Nightmare or Reality?
    By: Josh G. (Copy written)

    Good morning Manhattan,It is now 7 AM Monday October 9 and this is John Lilicane reporting. Today's forecast is partly cloudy with a chance of rain later on this afternoon with a high of 83 in the northern area. Traffic is slow as usual so for those who are gonna be la-.

    Stupid radio, I put my feet on the floor and closed the crack of sun light that was screening down on my bedroom floor through my curtains and stood up to shut the window that I heard traffic sounds coming from. Finally some silence. I turned around and headed into the bathroom. Today was going to be no more different than any other week day. School then work then home; nothing new.

    I brushed my teeth and put on a pair of jeans I found in a clothes pile and went to the kitchen to get breakfast. I flipped on the light and there was a half-a-pot of coffee made. My dad must of already left for work. His construction job has always been terrible with hours, never much time off to do anything. I pulled a couple of pop tarts out of the cupboard and got my backpack and shoes. I went back to my bedroom and dug my skateboard out from under a clothes pile and left the apartment, locking the door behind me.

    "Morning Trace." I turned around and saw my neighbor Ms. Kilmory waving at me holding her pet lab on a leash.

    "Morning." I replied in my casual tone smiling a bit walking down stairs. When I reached the bottom of the stairs I tossed my board as I was on the concrete and jumped on it skating down the sidewalk. I pulled out one of the pop tarts from my pocket and opened it skating down a back alley eating as I headed to school. I lived a few blocks from school so I had time to sleep in unlike most of the people who had to wake up earlier.

    I never have been too great in school, a few of every letter grade here and there. There seems fewer and fewer reasons for me to go to school but with my dad working hours like he does and him paying for my education I don't have much of any choice. I threw my wrappers in a dumpster in the back of the school and went around to the main entrance picking up my board walking through the front doors. I went to my History class and sat down in my desk. There was only me and three other students there. I pulled out a pen and my almost-fully-written essay and tried to add to it before the bell rang. When the desks were filled and the bell sounded. I put my essay back in my backpack and waited quietly for the teacher to start the class. Mrs. Winston walked in the room with a cart of text books. Great, more reviewing of the mid-evil kings of the early centuries. I've already went over this only a hundred times. I handed in my homework with the rest of my classmates and sat back down in my seat. I stared down at my book that was passed out to everyone. I already read this so I stared at it pretending I was reading. It pretty much took up the whole class period. The lesson was the usual, the birth dates and death dates, years served, reasons, and what changes they made in history and why of whoever I was reading about.

    "Mr. Russo?" I looked up and Mrs. Winston was looking down at me.

    "Yes Mrs. Winston?"

    "Please pay attention, which great ruler lived from the year 931 to 999 in Europe?" she asked over the giggles and chattering in the background of the classroom. Home school wouldn't sound half bad if I had a decent computer.

    "Saint Adeline of Italy." I answered looking back down to my book.

    "Correct." she said turning around walking back to the front of the room.
    "Class your homework for tonight is to study pages 31-39,tomorrow we will be covering Italian legends.” The bell rang, I got up and walked to my next class. The rest of school day went normal. I walked out of the main entrance and the frustration inside me vanished. There was a girl standing under a tree I was headed towards, my girlfriend Ashley waiting. She stared at me with her baby blue eyes as I walked over to her.

    "Hi Handsome." She greeted me with a smile.

    "Hey beautiful." I said returning her greeting and hugging her. We kept our arms wrapped around each other.

    "Did you find a place for us to eat tonight?" she asked excited, we'd been planning a dinner for a week.

    "Do you mean the two reservations for Le Cirque tonight with our names on them?" I replied smiling. Her eyes gained a sparkle in them that reminded me of two diamonds.

    "How;d you get us into such an expensive restaurant?!" She said happily in her excited tone that I loved.

    "My dad is good friends with the manager and we he hooked us up with a discount." I answered her smiling more than I had all day. "I get off work at 7:30
    how about I pick you up at 8?" I continued.

    "Sure I have to study for a quiz and baby sit for my aunt before 8 so that works. I gotta get going, my aunt is going to kill me if I don't get home before they do."
    "k." I kissed her and she turn around walking away with the sun shining on her brunette hair blowing in the wind. I lost my train of thought then refocus on heading home and to work. I got on my board and rode home. I hurried up the stairs and unlocked the door. There was mud tracks on the floor when I stepped inside. My dad must of came home real quick. I followed the tracks to the kitchen, there was a note on the fridge.

    Huge construction project break through tonight in the underground,
    I have to work through the night. Clean up the mud, I’m sorry I don’t have time to. Enjoy dinner with Ashley. Love dad

    I sat the note on the counter. No way would I be in the mood for pizza when I work at a pizza restaurant. I opened the cupboard and took out the mop and bucket. After I cleaned the floors I went to my room in search for my jacket. I put on a clean plain white T-shirt and my black jacket. I grabbed my bad and headed back out the door. I worked at one of the most popular pizza locations in Manhattan, John's Pizzeria . I walked in the back of the building into the kitchen and sat my board in the back.

    "Order up." I heard a friendly voice call from the register in front. Nick must be working the register today, has to be pretty busy for the manager to be working register. "Trace! there you are, man we got orders coming in from all over town." said Nick walking around a corner from the register sounding drained.

    "I'm on it man." I said reassuringly. I went to the back and on the selves were boxes of pizza. I took one of the pizza order's and headed out the back taking my board with me again. The tag attached to the box read an address and I headed for it. I knew the town like the back of my hand being I lived here all my life. I walked up stairs to an apartment door and knocked. A few seconds later two guys opened the door with a hungered expression on their faces.

    "Pizza's here." one of them said yelling to the back of him. The other guy with spiked hair handed me a 20 and a 5 "Keep the change." he said handing me the money and taking the pizza.

    "Thanks." I replied and he shut the door. Who doesn't love tips? I went back to the pizzeria and picked up two more orders that were close to each ether by address. The rest of the deliveries went smooth and easy. Once I made the last delivery I walked into the back and sat my board down. I looked at the clock, it was 7:16.

    "Man I'd be screwed without you delivering those orders tonight,
    I really thought we were going to get another complaint." Nick said with relief as I walked towards to register. Nick and I have been friends since we were in middle school fighting a school bully, good times.

    "No prob man, I just wanna know whats up with all the damn pizza lovers tonight." Nick and I and a couple of the employees let out a laugh. A couple of the costumers heard our laughs and looked towards the register in curiosity.

    "I don't know but as long as they keep paying its all good with me." Nick added chuckling. I looked at the clock and it was 7:20.I remembered my date with Ashley.

    "Hey man is it cool if I take off early,I got a date with Ash tonight?"

    "No Prob, get outta here." he said laughing.

    "Thank-" The lights went out and it was dark. The shop became silent for a second and then voices started to sound upset.

    "What the hell?....Rico check the breakers, I think the damn fuse broke." Nick said. a few seconds passed.

    "There all working, it looks like the whole block is out." A voice said through the dark. Nick lit a match and walked in front of the counter.

    "Sorry folks, there seems to be a power outage with the block, we have to wai-." The ground started moving and everything was shaking, earthquake.

    "Earthquake!" someone yell as I moved around trying to find an exit falling to the floor. The shaking stopped and I heard sounds of metal falling and the lights flickered on. Something was wrong, I looked around and the kitchen was a mess. I got back on my feet and hurried around to the counter. People were exiting the shop in panic.

    "Please people stay clam." Nick yelled over the crowd’s yelling. What the hell had just happened.

    This just in, there have been reports of power outages and trimmers through out New York- I looked at the television that was left on trying to tune into what was on the news. -The city is not sure of what may be causing these disasters but the mayor asks that everyone remain calm. Specialists are checking what is going on in the underground. Underground. DAD! A pain punched through my chest. I jumped over the counter and got my board and darted out the back door heading near central park where my dad's construction site was. Another trimmer hit and I fell off my board. I looked around and heard car alarms going off. I got back on my feet and picked up my board running. I ran through crowds of panicking people. When I reached the construction site I saw dust and smoke rising in the air. I felt worry and grief as I approached the flashing lights of fire trucks and ambulances. I pushed through a crowd of workers looking for my dad. Everyone was covered in dirt and coughing. Someone bumped into me.

    "Hey watch it-Trace is that you?" It was Carl a friend of my dad's.

    "Yea, I'm looking for my dad, Have you seen him. What happened?"

    "No I haven't seen him sorry, Last time I saw him he was underground and hasn't came out yet, I think hes trapped, they're sending a search party down to-" I pushed through the crowd going towards the underground entrance. I saw a cop trying to push people away to safety, I pushed through and ran inside disappearing through the dust. The tunnels were empty but still looked firm to where they wouldn't collapse. What was I in some movie, I’d lost my mind. Things where quiet as I walked downward. I heard nothing but ground shaking as the sound of people vanished from the surface. I had no idea what was going to happen, was i going to die? My heart felt like it couldn't be any faster.

    "Dad!" I yelled through the tunnels and heard my voice echoing. There was no reply. I walked into a huge cavern and there was a Giant glass gem in the middle of the room. It had a clear color and looked hard as diamond and smooth as glass. Wow, that must be the big break through with the underground. They could buy another Manhattan with that. I continued through the room with the giant jewel into another tunnel.

    "Help!" I heard a cry for help down in the distance echoing. I run towards it

    "Hello?" I said to check where it was coming from.

    "Over here." I heard echoing. I turn around and took a left.

    "Keep talking so I can find you." I yelled running toward the voice. I turned a corner and there was a wall of laying on top of a man trapped under the rocks.

    "Hurry, get me the hell outta here. b-before those things come b-back." Things? I hurried over and started to move rocks out of the way.

    "What things?"

    "I-I-I don't know kid, whatever they are they aren't h-h-human. j-j-just hurry u-up." Had this guy been hit with a boulder on his head too hard or something.

    "I'll get you out of here, are there any others trapped down here?"
    "There's more d-d-own here but m-most are-are dead-who's left. Don't let me die, please."

    "You're not gonna die, We'll get o-" A shriek echoed through the tunnels...What in the world was that.

    "Its c-coming back! We h-have to go n-now, hurry!" The man yelled in panic, his voice was on the edge of breaking. What was coming. I did as he said and hurried moving the rocks so he could free his legs. The ground and walls shook, another trimmer. Rocks fell harshly on the ground hitting me and the guy half covered in rubble like giant hail. It hurt to stand. "H-Help! The rocks are
    caving in on me!" the man cried. The rocks were sliding on top of him. I picked up
    rocks as fast as I could but it seemed to be doing no good. Another terrifying shriek echoed through the tunnels.

    "What the hell is that?" I asked with fear.

    "Its a monster! Don't let it kill me!" The guy started to break down crying. My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest. The trimmer ciesed, I continued moving rocks fast.

    "Were going to get outta here man." I said trying to calm the weeping man down but it didn't seem to help.

    "I-I-I-its com-m-m-ing." he said with a hopeless tone scared.

    "What is this mons-" the rocks started moving and then a huge force sent me flying back with a bunch of rubble. I heard the man let out a scream as I hit the ground. I got back up brushing the rubble off of me quickly. The rubble was cleared at the top of what used to be the blocked wall. What had cleared that. The man had disappeared underneath the rubble. A cold feeling ran through me. I hurried to where the man was and started to move rocks out of the way quickly as possible. "Are you s-still there, can you hear me?" I said shoving rocks out of the way. A saw skin under some rubble, it was the mans head. His head was wounded from rocks. It remained motionless as I cleared rubble around him till I realized it was too late. This is a nightmare. It became harder to see in the tunnels. Dust filled the air, I checked again. It wasn't dust in the air. It was too cold to be dust, fog? underground? how is there fog 200 ft below the surface. The temperature became cold like a winter night. I turned around and started to run trying to find my way out. There was still a chance my dad could of made it out alive and made it out already. I kept running not knowing where I was going.
    I heard another shriek that sounded close. My heart stopped. I picked my pace up into a sprint. I kept running down the tunnel and then something hit me, it felt like ice. I was sent to the ground, I got to my feet and continued to run, was I going to die. I tried to keep the thought away. I ran until I came to the cavern with the giant jewel, the gem looked like it was glowing. I couldn't see anything else. There was a shriek from above me, I looked up seeing faint black figures moving in the fog. Giant bats? I felt something grab my shirt, I was lifted off my feet to quick to react. I looked down staring at a skeleton hand that was holding me in the air. It quickly threw me to the ground. My back was killing me enough. I struggled back to my feet as the caverns shook again from a trimmer. More shrieks filled the cavern. I looked up again, I was facing the shinning rock face to face. It didn't seem clear anymore, just white like a giant light bulb. What was it. I reached for the illuminating jewel. It felt warm and everything started to shake, like the stone was the source of the earthquakes. It felt so strange to be so close to the source of an earthquake. I tried to remove my hand from the rock but it wouldn't budge away. I let out a scream and shrieks were returned. Rocks started to tumble with shrieks from all around. My palm remained on the rock, The last big of light in this hell I was in. I felt more rocks tumble and smash to the ground, the place was collapsing. It felt like the end, was I going to die? Everything went black.