Prelude – Initial Excursion: The World Became Clear (Solo)

[How I Loathe Thee]

Large ever rippling puddles had formed in the depressions of the concrete. Rain drummed down on the city streets falling so quickly the drops melded together into din. Veils of water so thick they blotted out the street lamps and soaked every passerby through any clothing and to the skin. Gutters ran like rivers carrying with them the discarded trash.

Daith ran through the downpour, splashing carelessly as his feet hit the water. The cold rain soaked his skin and weighed down his clothes, he hoped in the back of his mind that his cell would stay dry enough to not be ruined, his job as a research assistant barely carried him through from pay to pay, and the extra money he had earned from his participation in a experiment as a test subject only managed to cover the overdraft on his credit card.

Lights changed colour as Daith darted into the street, with luck on his side he managed to avoid being run over by a slow moving transport with the words “Farm Fresh” painted on the side in bring green lettering, only to be jarring against its orange background. Running up onto the sidewalk one of his feet caught the cement curb, tripping he felling into a man wearing a black suit and holding a black umbrella. Wiping his brown hair from his eyes he muttered apologise and continued towards his apartment at a run.

Daith shoved the door to the lobby open, cold air rushed out of the building and out into the rainy streets, it carried with it the smell of a peach scented air freshener and only served to make the man shiver as he made his way towards the elevators. All numbers showed higher floors as he looked at the screens above the metal doors. Pressing the call button he looked up and down the hallways to see if any of the elevators were progressing downwards. Impatient tapping followed as the wait progressed into minuets, his damp clothes began to warm from the body heat he was throwing off, this only added to the discomfort of waiting someone while being soaked to the skin.

Ding!

A door at the end of the hall opened as Daith ran to catch the elevator, the doors began to close as he stuck his hand through the small slot that was left just barely in time to stop it from taking off without him. An empty ride awaited him as he pushed the 14th floor button and the doors slowly rolled together.

[How I Loathe Thee]

Jolting into motion the elevator began its climb upward, a steady sound of the air flowing down the shaft was the only noise besides that of his breath, the two seemed almost indistinguishable. Reaching into his pocket, Daith pulled out his black cell phone its casing slickly wet still with the dampness from the storm. Tapping the end call button its black screen sprung to life in a flurry of colours signifying the end of its sleep mode. Breathing a relieved sigh to the still functioning phone took note of the lack of signal, typical this was an elevator. It did not bother Daith to test out an urban legend from time to time, even though someone had once told him that cell phones were dangerous to use in here he also remembered that same person opting for the stairs and generally being the over cautious type.

The numbers on the display slowly began to light up as it climbed.
5...6...7...8
Nine was obviously burnt out.
10...11...
The same fate had befallen twelve. Triskaidekaphobia skipped the thirteenth and finally the elevator arrived at his floor. The man smiled a bit to himself, he had always liked to tell new acquaintances that he lived on the thirteenth floor and then laugh when they arrived at his apartment with a frustrated look on their faces. It was not a cruel joke and most if not all of them had begun to laugh with him between shaking their heads in dismay.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened and this time he was greeted the flickering light of a bulb on the edge of burning out.

[How I Loathe Thee]

Stepping out of the elevator the man’s feet moved from metal to carpet leaving dark wet patches with every footfall as he made his way down the hall to the right. Repeated flickering echoed his shadow on the walls in front of him, a strange shadow puppet caught in slow motion as it jumped from one position to another.

1450...1452...1454...

He wondered if this was a sign of obsessive compulsive disorder.

1456...1458

Daith rounded another corner as his cell phone sprang to life, it vibrated in his pocket before letting out a ring. Picking it out of his still damp pocket and placing the phone to his ear the man pressed the talk button and answered the call.

“Hello.”

A pause on the other side only to be followed by a nervous, answer “Hi,” answered the voice finally. It was familiar, a man he could tell that much, though he could not pick it out.

“Hi, I am sorry but who is this?” He questioned the man.

“Daith, is this Daith?” The voice retorted, seeming to ignore any attempt at a question.

Suddenly the name came to him, Richard had been his research partner last semester, and was working for the same lab Daith had become a test subject for. They saw each other in passing at work, and talked more regularly in school but it had been over a week since he had heard anything from the man.

“Rich, hey sorry I think I still have water in my ears from the storm, what can I do for you?”

The voice paused again.

Daith stood there just around the corner from the flickering lights playing out on the wall, his shadow pulsed in time with the light, unmoving but never seeming to be in the same spot twice. He listened as the silence continued, only to be broken by his breath and the occasional whirl of the elevator at a distance, forcing air up or down the shaft.


“Uhh there was an accident at the lab today,” his ears perked up as his eyes widened from the shock Richard continued. “Three researchers died, one was critically injured and another only minor injuries. Myself I knocked my head pretty good but other than bleeding I am fine.”

[How I Loathe Thee]

Chills ran down his spine as Daith juggled the phone from one hand to the other while slowly making his way towards his door. The words poured over him, turning in his mind.

“Daith... Hey you still there?” Richard called at him over his phone.
Snapping back to reality the man replied.

“Ya I am still here sorry, what happened? Is everything alright? Did some of the equipment malfunction?”

“Woah Daith one at a time ok. I called because something exploded in the lab, probably something to do with the electron mic, but that isn’t all of it. They were using a high powered microscope on blood samples...” Rich trailed off sounding worried.

“Wierd.” Daith commented in a confused voice.

“BZZZZZZT” The static on the line increased cutting out the beginning of what Rich tried to say. “for you.” His voice was followed by a few quick beeps as the call was dropped.

“Damn bad service.” Daith continued on through the hallway while clicking through his cell phones address book. “Rich, hmmm, Richard, there you are.” He pressed dial.

“1...2...” He counted the rings on the phone, before the other end picked up.
The voice on the other end crackled a bit before it was understandable. “...ello, Hey Daith?”

“Rich, yeah sorry, I don’t know why but my signal is really cutting out right now, do you mind if I call you back when I get home?”

“Wait, I think the police are looking for you, and I know that the Prof wants to see you. I am not sure why but they are looking for anyone who had a blood sample that was taken during the last testing period. Maybe they want to figure out if it was tampering, but I am not sure they figured out that yours was the one being examined and...” Rich spat out before he was interrupted.

The man cut him off. “Okay, okay calm down, you said you got knocked out? You probably have a concussion from it.” He rounded the corner to face his door. “I am home now and if anyone wants to find me that is okay, but as for you, go to the hospital, it isn’t like you to freak out over something that seems so standard.”