Avatars Rising: SILOS I

by David R. Bernstein

  The island is no longer behind me. It isn’t anywhere. My gaze darts across the vast ocean. Have I swum so far off course that my silo is now too far in the distance to see? I can’t believe this is happening.

  I close my eyes and reassess. I have to move forward. It’s my only option.

  The motivation builds in me, even as doubt swirls in my mind. It’s like I’ve switched onto autopilot. The other island calls to me and I leave any thoughts of my silo behind.

  The closer I get to the island, the faster my body moves. At any moment this dot of land might disappear, leaving me stranded with nowhere to go.

  Only a few more minutes pass before I reach the warm white sands of the new island. I crawl up the shore and stand up, not bothering to wipe the sticky sand from my footwear or legs. I wipe wet sand from my hands with my top and twirl my ponytail around my fingers, squeezing the water out of my hair.

  “Hello!” I call out, not wanting to startle anyone who might be here.

  Glancing up at the silo, I discover windows as high up as mine were. If anyone is inside, are they trapped like I once was? My silo was easy enough to slide down; I wonder how easy it would be to climb up and take a look? It isn't as if I have anything better to do, and the thought of finding someone else appeals to me more than getting back into the water and swimming aimlessly.

  I swallow hard and creep toward the base of the structure. Instead of attempting to scale the silo right away, I walk around it, assessing the best way to do so. My legs propel me forward without much thought.

  I circle the silo three times before I stop mid-step.

  Something is off.

  I close my eyes and listen, only hearing the sounds of the waves and my roaring breaths. Even though this doesn’t feel right, my heart stays at a steady rate.

  A light thump alerts me. My eyes spring open. I cock my head to the side. Someone has appeared in front of me. She’s on one knee, and her head is down, as if she just fell from the silo. My muscles tense and my hands clench at my sides.

  The girl stands. She’s a little shorter than me, but not by much. A scowl plays on her lips, and her eyes narrow to slits. Her wavy, raven-colored hair flows down her back and toned arms, nearly touching her small waist. Though a bit darker, her outfit is almost an exact match to mine.

  The hatred in her face confuses me. But not for long. White-hot heat sears my insides and the hairs on my arms stick up.

  She turns to the side and raises her fists at me. I know deep down that she won’t let me leave without a fight. This knowledge doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

  I’m ready for her.

  Every fiber of my being wants to defeat this girl, whoever she is. She’s a threat to me and my life.

  I run toward her, my teeth flashing, ready to take her down.

  CHAPTER 3

  AS IF A STARTER pistol’s been fired off in the air, both of us spring forward to attack. The black-haired girl goes for my throat. In a way, I anticipated her move. The subtle flick of her gaze down to my chest gives her away. She wants me to go down as quick as possible. Crushing my airway would do that.

  If I let her.

  My pulse spikes when I block her attempt by smashing my forearms against hers. Pain explodes in my bones, but I push through the throbbing ache.

  Her low battle cry rips through my head. She crouches and I sidestep, but not fast enough. Her fist bashes into my side. The pain fades quickly. Along with being an expert swimmer, I’m somehow able to adapt to physical pain easier.

  I’m not down. Not even close.

  A new surge of energy flows through me as I amp up to drive my knee into her face while she kneels in front of me. The moment my knee connects with cartilage, a crack reverberates in my leg. Blood pours out of her nose.

  I grin as the crimson liquid flows down her chin. Stretching my arms out wide, I invite her to come at me again. Inside, I’m mortified at what’s happening, but the shame doesn’t stopping me from reveling in this fight.

  She spits and wipes the blood from her chin. A red puddle forms in the sand at her feet. Springing back onto her heels, she raises her fists, ready for more.

  I don’t hesitate.

  I aim for her stomach. As my hand draws back, I know what her next move is, but I’m too late. Her leg shoots out and swipes under mine, connecting with my ankle.

  It’s as if she has a concrete foot. I stand no chance. The world tilts and I crash to the ground.

  My cheek smashes against the warm sand. I blink and try to move, but my body has other ideas. I roll my ankle. It’s not broken. I let out a breath.

  The pounding of her feet on the sand roars like thunder in my head. I twist my body and roll away just as she attempts to slug me while I’m down. Close, but not close enough. Her fist crashes into the sand where my face was just seconds before. That hit could have delivered actual damage to me.

  She charges at me, her punches flying through the air like a swarm of piranha after their prey. I jump to my feet, with hands raised to defend my face. Even though I clobbered her nose pretty hard, the blood isn’t flowing as much as I thought it would. My own blood boils as it rushes through my veins. My knuckles crack as I silently promise to pummel her the next chance I get.

  I bounce on my toes, waiting for her next move. Her gaze moves all over my body, as if she can sense where I’m going next.

  Not likely. My face is blank, unwilling to give her any advantage.

  Finally, she jumps up and kicks when I dart close enough. I drive my feet into the ground and reach out, grabbing her ankle, disengaging her. I twist and she cries out again. Her joints pop in her ankle as I take her down a notch.

  I crank her ankle harder until she loses her balance and falls to the ground. I kick a mound of sand in her face. Rattled, she tries to furiously wipe it from her eyes. I stand above her, gratified by how I have her at a disadvantage. Leaning in close, I deal out another beating.

  She rewards my cockiness with a kick to the face. My head snaps back. Black spots dot the sky above me. Pain explodes in my cheek and blood flows over my tongue and through my mouth. I gag at the coppery taste. My stomach rolls, and it takes all my effort to keep the acid down. The intensity of this sensation expands across my body. A wash of sadness and fear collide as conflict circles my mind.

  She slowly gets up from the ground and stands. She’s unsteady, but the heat in her eyes shows no sign of retreat.

  My chest heaves as I regroup. I guess she’s a good match for me. She plays dirty, and I do, too.

  We circle each other, but keeping enough space between us so neither has a chance of landing a blow. I size her up. She likes to use her feet. I prefer to use my hands. She’s flexible and smart. I calculate how I can use that against her.

  A force, deep inside, propels my legs forward. The feeling of someone else being with me returns with a vengeance, and I strike as quick as a cobra.

  I land a blow to her chest and side before she kicks out again. Dodging her foot, I continue to focus on her chest. Beating against her fuels my rage, and she only hits me a handful of times in return. Each of her blows comes hard, but not hard enough to subdue me.

  I flash my teeth, knowing that I probably look crazy. I still feel the blood in my mouth, and imagine it runs between my teeth. I hope it scares her. She doesn’t know what she started.

  Putting all my effort into a knockout blow, I reach up, but she surprises me again with a kick to the stomach. The impact is hard enough to knock the wind out of me. My lungs burn with the effort of breathing. It’s as if I’m trying to draw air in through a thin straw. Needing a moment to recover, I skitter backward until my heels connect with the silo.

  The girl whips her hair away from her face as she sprints toward me. I use every ounce of strength to move out of her way, but she keeps coming. Her strength returns as quickly as mine. How could that be?

  What are we?

  Her attempted blows miss me every time but, with the last punch, her ha
nd connects, knocking me back into the cement walls of the silo. Droplets of blood trickle down my face.

  I crash into the sand and grab her waist, driving my shoulder into her. Her hands beat on my back, but they don’t take me down. I steel myself against her blows and force her toward the water. Drowning her seems like the easiest option now, and won’t require as much strength from me.

  The weight of her body presses against my back, sinking me into the wet sand. Without warning, her feet and body disappear from view as she flips over my back and lands behind me. I don’t have time to react before her foot bashes into my spine.

  Crying out, I crash to the ground. My hands dig into the sand as pins and needles shoot down my legs. I try to stand, but my legs give out from under me. I groan and slam my fists into the useless limbs, trying to wake them up.

  Instead of attacking me when I’m down, she does another back flip and lands farther away from me. She smirks, fully aware she has the advantage. From the heaviness of her breaths, I know she’s taking time to recover.

  I grit my teeth, the heat of embarrassment flowing through me. She won’t get me again.

  I stand up once more, and I’m able to stay upright for just a moment before my legs wobble. I rush at her, not wanting her to see my weakness.

  She lunges first. I duck, then throw myself at her. We fall to the ground together, but I fight to stay on top. My fists connect every single time. Her legs kick out, trying to buck me off, but she’s not strong enough.

  It isn’t until she grabs one of my hands and twists that I cry out. She bashes me against the side of the head with her stiff elbow and I lose my balance. She rolls out from under me and darts toward the silo.

  She won’t get away that easily. There’s a burning in me to finish this. My body is determined, even as my mind becomes conflicted.

  I sprint after her and catch up before she rounds the side of the silo, grabbing her hair, twisting it, and dragging her to the ground. She screeches like a wild animal. Her legs kick out, and she uses the building to shove all of her strength into me. Expecting this, I push back. She grabs at her hair and pulls. A chunk of it rips from her head, and she hisses a sharp breath through her teeth.

  I drop the hair from my hand and the black strands float to the ground.

  She snarls.

  I glance at the silo. Without a second’s hesitation, I sprint over to it and jump up, driving my feet into the surface. Once I connect, I front flip, crashing my heel down against her head.

  Her chin drops to her chest as she falls to the ground. When she tries to stand, stumbles backward, and crashes into the waves. Blood and sand mask her entire face.

  I strut toward her, knowing that she’s down for the count. She throws her fist up at me, but her punches are weak, more like a swat, as if annoying fly that won’t go away.

  A rush of adrenaline grips my pulse and my heart pounds against my chest. I grab the girl by the throat and lift her to her feet. She leans forward, her weight crashing into me. She tries to grab onto me, but her fingers slip off my body as she fights to take a breath.

  Her eyes roll backward in her head as I crush her windpipe. Gagging sounds gurgle out of her mouth as my hands tighten. A flickering sense to stop washes over my thoughts, but the desire to eliminate her wipes it away.

  Several seconds tick by, and she weakens in my grasp. Eventually, she stops fighting me. One of her eyes slams shut while the other is barely open at all as her face swells with puffy, purple bruises. I stand in front of her with my chin raised.

  Her lower lip trembles. A low moan falls from her mouth.

  A slow grin curls my lips. She’s done.

  Finished.

  Her head lolls back and her eyes stare, unfocused. Her legs give out completely when I drop her from my grip. Her body lands in the water like a heavy plank.

  I stand there, peering at her body. Her other eye closes, and the water gives the illusion of movement, but I know the truth. There isn’t an ounce left of life in her.

  She’s dead.

  I kick her side to shove her out to sea, allowing the vast ocean to swallow her up. She floats away from the island, moving with the steady waves lapping against the shore.

  As I catch my breath, I’m unsure of what to do next. A sonic boom of energy courses through me, warming my soul.

  I won. There isn’t a better feeling in the world.

  Before I can enjoy the victory a moment longer, the triumph fades to nothingness. The relief I felt at the girl’s defeat is replaced with the cold, dark dread pooling in my stomach. I exhale, the air draining from my chest. What have I done?

  I step into the water, walking out toward the girl’s body until I’m up to my knees. She floats farther and farther away from me until she’s a speck in the distance. My trembling hands clasp over my mouth.

  I killed a person. I didn’t even know her name. Why that matters, I have no idea. I’m really not sure of anything anymore.

  My teeth chatter as I stumble onto the sand. I’m alone again. Why hadn’t I talked to the girl? I wonder if she’s a part of the past I can’t remember. Even then, couldn’t we have spoken about the predicament we were both in? If so, maybe we could have worked together instead of fighting each other. I had nothing except the clothes on my body. She couldn’t have taken anything from me.

  Except for my life. She wanted to hurt me, and I wanted to hurt her. We were both at fault, and now one of us is dead.

  I glance out at the water again. The girl’s body is far enough away that I can’t see it anymore.

  I walk the line of the sand and ocean around the silo, staring out into the distance. I’m not sure why I want to see her dead body again. I suppose it made the situation real for me. Now, I’m back to the same predicament as when I arrived at the island.

  As I stroll around the silo, I replay the fight in my mind. Unlike now, I had felt strong and capable of anything. I open my hands in front of me. They seem normal, but they carry an indescribable strength—enough to take down another person. The girl put up a good fight. If we faced an enemy together, we could have succeeded. She may have been my one chance at fnding out why I’m here, too. Instead, I took her down without so much as a word.

  Heat warms my cheeks as I mourn for the loss I brought upon myself.

  I promise myself that I’ll think it through next time.

  I hope there is a next time.

  I flop down in the sand, drawing my knees to my chest. I pray that the silo behind me doesn’t disappear into the ocean like mine had. What would I do then? There are no other silos in the distance to swim to.

  I glance at my arms and press my fingers against my muscles. A dull ache replies to the pressure but, other than that, there’s no physical indication that I was even in a fight.

  Strange.

  I tongue the cut in my mouth. It appears as if the wound has closed on its own. Do I possess quick healing abilities? Did the girl? That might have been why she didn’t bleed as much as I thought she would.

  A bloodcurdling scream rips through the air.

  I leap up from the ground and scan the ocean. Was the girl alive? She could have been unconscious when she fell into the water.

  The scream comes again. This time I know it's not from the ocean. I glance up at the silo. There’s someone else trapped inside.

  I run to the structure and press my hands against the surface. The windows of this silo are situated lower than mine, but are still too high to see from the ground. If there’s any way I can get up there, I’m going to find it.

  Halfway around the building, I spot divots in the concrete. Digging my hand into one of them, I realize they’re deep enough for me to get a foothold.

  Glancing up, the divots span the height of the silo. My eyebrow arches at what I see. So, this is how the girl got down from her window.

  My silo had bars on the windows; this one has open spaces. There was no hatch for the dead girl.

  Lucky.

  I wi
nce. She isn’t lucky at all now.

  I start my ascent to the window. My breathing is steady as I climb, carefully placing my feet and hands into each divot.

  “Hold on!” I call out, hoping the person stuck inside the silo didn’t see me murder the first girl.

  There’s no answer, not even another scream. As I climb the last few feet, my chest tightens. I glance down at the ground. I’m not afraid to fall, but if this person wants to attack me, I’m at a disadvantage.

  I swallow and wish I had never spoke out to her. Though, I do wonder why she hasn’t spotted me out her window yet. Unless that scream is because she’s in danger.

  If that’s the case, there’s no reason for me to wait.

  I push off my foothold and make it to the edge of the window. Inching up, I peer inside. I don’t see her right away, but I notice the set-up is similar to that of my own silo. The cot is the only piece of furniture.

  “Don’t come any closer,” a girl’s voice commands.

  My footing slips as my head snaps in the direction of the voice. Sliding down a bit, my foot catches a divot. I pull myself back up.

  My lips part.

  No… it can’t be.

  I lock my gaze onto a familiar pair of eyes.

  My fingers grip the edge of the window as my heart thrums in my chest. My mouth dries up, the faint taste of blood sticks to my tongue.

  She looks exactly the same as the girl I just murdered, the very one I watched float out to sea. Are they twins? If I killed her twin, I bet this girl won’t want anything to do with me.

  “Stay right there,” she says, pressing herself against the far wall. Her wavy, raven-colored hair spills over her face, but she doesn’t bother to move it. Her eyes are wide and wild and, for a moment, I wonder what I must look like to her.

  This couldn’t be the same girl. It’s impossible.

  She shakes her head, fiercely. “Don’t hurt me again. Please!”

  CHAPTER 4

  THE GIRL’S PLEAS echo in my mind and the instinct to attack doesn’t return. I move away from the window, not wanting to see her terrified expression anymore. I peer out at the ocean, now void of any other silos in the distance. This island is all I have.