Next

It was hours later before Beta went back to sleep, and it was when he was in that daze that Matrix rose from his bed surrounded by darkness.

Matrix, although still in a daze himself, mustered the brain power to lift the sheets off of himself, using his telekinesis so it was silent. He swung his feet around the bed, watching Beta carefully as he got up and got his clothes. With fresh clothes on, he went over to the door. It was early enough that the door was unlocked, and as soon as Matrix had it open he had it closed.

Hitting the street, Matrix stalked past mansion after mansion, packed full with rooms and chambers, each with enough to fill their own little town. Matrix assumed it was to prevent people from wandering outside for too long, or wandering in general. The Stak only found a few people on the street, a few people he knew well enough. At the end of the long trek far from his own little town, Matrix found himself at the mercy of a shadow, brought on by the one outlier. The large white building was larger than all the rest, and there was a good reason for that.

Power.

The Stak pushed the solid white wooden door open and it opened easily. Inside the vacant lobby—full of clumped and disorganized sofas and loveseats—the only action was found behind the front desk where a familiar Tenti face snored aloud. It was early, Matrix knew that, but he still expected a bit more liveliness.

It was okay though, because Matrix knew once he went upstairs the real talk would begin.

Passing the sharp cut desk, he entered the wide-open elevator awaiting his entrance. While inside, Matrix took the time to stare at himself in the mirrored walls. He looked tired, and that fact didn’t surprise him.

He always looked tired.

It was the anxiousness in his expression that terrified the dead.

The elevator spat him out on the second floor, and he passed the rooms, most of them with a restricted sign plastered on it, with a sense of urgency. Matrix pushed open the door he was looking for, and found himself in a room full of chatting men and women sitting at a round table and laughing.

They stopped when they saw Matrix at the door, and he looked at one particular man drinking from a can of Swedish brand soda. The man had eyes like Matrix’s, and his cockiness matched as well. Matrix jerked his head into the hallway forcefully and the man sighed, kicking back from the table and getting out of his chair. However, when the other Stak got to the doorway he stopped, leaning against the doorframe. “Anything you need to say to me you can say to everyone else surely,” he said, his accent skewing his words. Matrix could never place it.

Beta woke up feeling a sense of urgency, but he wasn’t sure what for. He got up slowly anyway, trudging his way to the bathroom.

“Okay then,” Matrix said. “Why are you such a dick?”

“Woah!” the other man exclaimed. “Down boy!” The crowd of dead laughed.

“Nwoye,” Matrix snapped, baring his teeth. “You know good and well pairing me with the new guy was a bad idea.”

Beta shook off his socks and hopped into the shower, yawning the word on, triggering the shower to release its rain.

“And how so?” Nwoye asked. “You’re the best liar we have, so you’re the best suited to watch him—”

“I can’t get here on time every morning—”

“Well you managed today, didn’t you?” Nwoye smiled, stepping closer to Matrix. The fact that he was thirty years older didn’t help. The others in the room tuned out, probably because they could see that Nwoye was getting serious. “This isn’t why you wanted to see me, is it?” he posed, whispering now. There was a small gasp that escaped his mouth. “You want to know what we’re going to do with this new information you gave us about your little newbie friend.” Matrix broke eye contact, unable to hide the fact that he was worried what they would do about Beta, or to him. Nwoye sighed, seeing his nervousness and raising him mercy. “The answer is nothing. We have no interest in harming a subspecies we know nothing about, especially when it becomes so interesting so quickly. I don’t doubt the ‘incident’ in the dining hall yesterday was just a taste of his power—”

“Don’t touch him,” Matrix said, his tone deepening. “He already knows about the tracker thing in his arm, I don’t think further messing with him would do us any good.”

Nwoye rolled his eyes. “Relax, we know better than to poke the bear.” He pretended to ponder for a second, sticking his bottom lip out as he took a step closer to Matrix. “But what we do want is eyes on our Perna…which I guess is where you come in.”

Beta.

Beta jumped when he heard the familiar voice in his head, slipping on the shower floor and nearly collapsing. “Who’s there!?” Beta exclaimed.

Nwoye’s smirk washed away like a storm brewing on a summer day. “Don’t take your eyes off of him. If you do…I’ll kill you, and not in the fun way.”

Matrix nodded in a way that didn’t seem remotely sincere, but much more sarcastic. He leaned in even more, whispering as well. “Or maybe, I just let him Molotov you assholes and spare me because, well, I shared my Cheetos with him on the first day of death sch—” Nwoye grabbed Matrix by the collar and slammed him back into the doorframe right as the alarms went off. Nwoye let him go and stepped away as people came out of their PRIVATE labeled rooms and into the hallway. Nwoye, Matrix, and everyone else in their room stormed toward the staircase following the crowd. Matrix pushed his way to the front and Nwoye followed suit. Reaching the main level, Matrix stood in awe at the broken light fixtures and broken bodies, watching people hidden behind desks or laid down on the floor. The Tenti once asleep was now wide awake and terrified. That same white wooden door was torn off its hinges. Matrix ran outside and watched as the four sickly-looking Staks half ran half stumbled toward the mansion.

His mansion.

Hershey’s mansion.

Beta’s mansion.

Matrix turned to Nwoye just as he was coming out. “Sound the alarm in building 689. Hopefully it’ll startle them into hiding. In that time, we’ll get everyone out and prepare to breach.” Nwoye hesitated, not sure how he felt about being handed orders. “Today Nwoye!” Nwoye nodded and called it in.

Beta got out of the shower quickly, shaking his wet head. “No no no, how are you doing that?” Beta asked, drying off.

That’s not important right now. You’re in danger.

Beta scoffed, grabbing his toothbrush and wetting it. “Yeah okay, I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The alarms went off.

Seeing it yet?

Beta put his mouth under the faucet and let the water run in, sloshing it around and spitting it out. Although he was still shocked in his head, Beta acted quickly. “Definitely hearing it. How’d you know that was going to happen?” Beta paused at his closet. “Are you here? In Plato?”

No, but I have other methods to get information.

Beta grabbed boxers.

Beta.

Beta grabbed a T-shirt.

Beta.

Beta grabbed a pair of sweatpants, the variable of comfort infecting into his mind.

Beta!

“What!?” the Perna yelled out loud, putting on his heap of clothes.

It stopped.

Beta stood, frozen, listening to nothing but the fading shouts of terror and his own panic. He talked as the rest of his clothes went on. “That’s impossible, everyone couldn’t have left the building that fast.”

Plato has many hidden exits for situations as these which, as you might have guessed, happen a lot.

Beta went to the door. “How often can stuff like this really ha—?” Beta paused; confusion struck. He pulled at the door handle again, but it wouldn’t open. Beta tugged again and again, putting force into it.

What’s wrong.

Beta pulled again. “They forgot to unlock my bloody door.”

Then use your powers.

“They don’t work under stress very well, I don’t know why.” Beta banged on the door. “Hey!” he yelled, banging again. “Hey! I’m locked in!”

Shut up!

Beta went silent, stopping himself from banging again.

They’re all gone, everyone. It’s just you and the threat now. Honestly, I think this locked door is the best thing going for you right now.

Beta backed away from the door, his body shaking. “And, what exactly is the threat?” he asked. His mother, or in this case the voice, was surprisingly silent.

I don’t know, they didn’t say.

Matrix, in the midst of chaos, spotted Hershey coming in with the last batch of people, squinting at the bright morning light. Matrix ran to him, pushing others out of the way. The Nat turned just as he was approaching. “Matrix—” Matrix forced him into a hug, taking Hershey by surprise. “Oh, uh, good morning,” he said in reaction.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Matrix said, letting him go.

“Why, what’s going on?” he asked. “Where’s Beta?”

Matrix looked up and around, turning to faces in the crowd. “I…” He looked again and again, but Beta was nowhere to be found.

“I don’t know.”