House of Jars

Chapter 28: House of Jars

 

 

 

 

           

Trevor walked way out past the station room. Bottle in the left hand. The place was unsettlingly quiet. It wasn’t until he met the crossroads where the cells began that he furnished his sight and took a guarded position. No one in either direction. But, they did look like they went to areas of the prison. Namely, to the right and the left. The cells. He didn’t know what to be careful of. But, all instinct pointed to this way. Maintaining alertness, far beyond him to tread this way, he needed to explore this place. All of it. Maybe because he felt more comfortable because the guard station he’d already seen was on the same side. Either way, it may or may not make any difference. So he went. Going to the opening of the barred doors, the cells were large, abnormally so. Not that he’d ever been in a prison. But, like it or not. This was where he was. He needed to get a footing here. No matter what. The first rows were empty. Like painted white cages. As he continued he’d yet to see a solitary animate being inside any one of them. A couple more cells down, he heard a bang on the left side. He looked in and the was a man sitting in it. He gawked. He looked so naked in the bright, white room. Just in there, and this was where he’d been living (or non-living) for who knows how long. Obviously, he didn’t miss a thing because he stared at Trevor in a natural amount of time after he reached his cell. Trevor looking at him and the person’s facial expression muddled, but looking right back. His eyes were pooling and he didn’t know why. But, he broke disarray and said, “What’re you doing in there?” The man stared intently and Trev noticed his eyes were just white balls. Glossy and unwavering. Although, he was looking right at him, he then responded. “I don’t know it’s been quiet around here lately.”

            “yeah, um, I saw most cells are empty.”

            “Are they? Where’d they go?” He asked with a grunt. Trevor didn’t know what to say. He looked at his features. He wasn’t a very old man. Didn’t look but like he was in his late thirties. An ugly mess of light brown hair, white jumpsuit that almost matched the walls, and though slightly discolored, shone in a way. He and Trevor were the only shades of color in this place he’d seen. It was silly in a way. This place was creepy, barren and rigid. “I don’t know. I just got here.” He murmured and stood up and looked back at Trevor. “Who are you, anyway? Are you a guard? Where are the guards?” Trevor stood stiff. He walked a little closer to the bars. Trevor asked the most obvious question he didn’t want to.

            “Are you blind, sir?” The man’s eyes did not move. “No.”

            Trevor got somewhat scared. “Oh, so you can see me?”

            “Of course I can.”

            “HOWW?” was all Trevor could muster. “Well you see…” Trevor started running down the hall. He didn’t know why, it didn’t appear that he knew anything Trevor needed to know. He took off to a door on the end of the hall.  It was steel with a push-button opening and bound with rubber-cement. He was outside the building again. He shoved the door closed and gazed at the door on his right that hadn’t opened or closed. It was painted the same as the mortar on the building. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He pondered the next move he should make. Looking to the wall of whatever this place is, Trevor started making his way around the complex again. Finally reaching the corner and looking to his upper left. The castle, or the ledge it rested upon sat hauntingly immobile. That meant his point was somewhere back left-hand side of the domain. Now, the choice of going to the castle or trying to get back. Well, the castle was in his immediate line of sight. Trevor was still weighing the options. Searching his mind for the answer. He chose. There was no reason not to explore this dimension. He might not be able to get back the way he came anyway. He strolled over to the wall under the cliff and looked up. He had no idea how he’d get up there. At that, he was afraid of heights. Didn’t make things easier at all. Unlike the kinds of heights he usually feared. He had control over whether he made it or not. One problem. There wasn’t much to grab here. Roughly making his way up a step or two, if you could call it that. Taking a glance at the ground, then looking up for a place to put his hands out to the right side. He got his hand leveled up on it and pushed and pulled his weight up and immediately got his right foot in the same place. Seeing a nice chunk to go he shot to the left and ended up much higher. No time to stop. He pressed on. Finding rare pieces to work himself up on.

 

            In fifteen minutes he was halfway to the top. Bleeding sweat, which didn’t help, he decided to let it dry. It’s too bad there was no wind in here. Trevor soon realized trying to make that happen would take forever and losing strength by the minute, he started again. This time with a lighter push, but a harder pull. Easing up after each step and quickly finding the next place to go. Trevor’s worst fear was confirmed at a point not far from the end. He couldn’t find a new spot to climb. There was nothing but mostly flat wall. Unsure of what to do, he looked down. He became delirious. Growing lightheaded and sick. He turned his head back up and staunched himself for a second. Eyes on the end of the climb, he lost the uncontrollable feeling he had. He thought clearly and thoroughly. He knew he could not use his energy to get there. He had expended it when he broke his legs before. “Wait, what if…” Trevor switched on time-stop. He reached up. There was no grounding or leverage. He was sure he would die if he fell. Now, in a place with people who were already dead. But, he didn’t. He didn’t blink. He didn’t flinch. He didn’t move. His footing was still there and he wasn’t going to stop. He let his legs hang, and started laughing. Much more than he should’ve, resuming how his feet were and sought new routes upward. Attempting to tread his way to the wall like a spider or something, he figured out that didn’t work quickly. He only hurt his hand trying to squeeze flat surface. This gave him a new idea though. He braced his thighs and jumped upward. He sprung up and over the ledge, staring down at the sinewy mount he just scaled. Falling right on his side and feet from the edge of the peak, he got up and put his hands down and got up. He had landed pretty hard and could not breathe. His pelvis felt busted and the pain was excruciating. He got up anyway and carried himself near a stone pathway. He turned off time-stop. The pain in his side intensified. He must’ve been feeling it in slow motion. He writhed in agony for several minutes beside the stone path.