Read Online Endurance by T. J. Blake - Free Book Online Page B

toward
the open hatch. The heat hit him quickly; it became hotter by the
second. As he dove, he reached as far as he could, and hoped his
reach was long enough. The hatch looked like a mirage, as it
shimmered from the heat. The flames reached his toes and began to
crawl up his body. He screamed. His throat became numb from his
shrieks and he ran out of air. His skin peeled from his
muscles.
    His burned
body fell closer. He was close enough to see what was down there.
It was either an emergency exit or an underground
tunnel.
    The flames
overtook him and the building was blown to smithereens. The
building collapsed and became part of the destruction around it.
Smoke, ash and flames floated into the atmosphere; the soaked skies
became darker, filled with smoke and ash creating a dust cloud over
London.
    Silence
echoed throughout the city.
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     

Part
2
     
     
     
     
     
    10
     
    I attempt to
open my eyes. My upper eye lid is stuck to the lower. I force them
shut; then force them open. They become unstuck, but my lashes
stick to my cheek. I use my index finger and thumb to pull my upper
eye lid away from my eye, which allows the lashes to return to
their natural position.
    I try to
focus, my sight is blurry. I’m welcomed to an uncomfortable burning
sensation.
    My sight
regains some of its clarity. As I continue to stare straight up
from my position, I identify a fierce ball of light, burning my
eyes. I remember, the hover craft shooting at me, chasing me,
trying to kill me… It killed Anna!

    Tom screamed
in fear. He reached to his right and grabbed the nearest object. A
pint glass of water sat on the table beside him. He clutched the
glass, using his stomach muscles to sit on his knees with the heels
of his feet on his backside to balance him, which allowed him to
throw the glass up at the light. As the glass smashed on the
ceiling, the light disappeared and water flicked onto his
face.
    Tom looked up
to the ceiling and saw the remains of a light bulb.
    Confused and
disoriented, he looked down to his clothing; he wore a white suit,
an all in one paper suit. He looked at his surroundings, staying
still on the bed he was on.
    The walls and
all the objects were white. The walls were plain; the bedside table
had a vase and a dead plant. The leaves from the plant were
scattered on the top of the table. They were brown and looked like
ash. The stem in the glass was a lifeless green and
yellow.
    In
frustration, Tom wiped the water off his face, but as he did, he
stopped himself. He felt his face, it felt different. He used his
fingertips to stroke the side of his head, from his forehead down
his cheek to his chin. It felt lumpy and uneven. Tom jumped out of
the bed and looked at his arms. He had severe burns. As he felt his
burns, he had a flashback of killing his father. He saw his father
squirming on the floor in desperation, scissors poking out of his
neck, blood running out like a river. His father’s death left his
mind and a smouldering inferno entered, it destroyed the walls
around him, it blasted toward him, the heat was
excruciating.
    He jolted
from the memory. He felt his face again, feeling the right side and
then the left. The right felt lumpy, whereas the left didn’t. He
felt his nose, which was nonexistent on the right side with some
remains on the left. Tom let out a cry of resentment.
    ‘ What the
fuck? What the fuck is this? Where am I?’ Tom shouted and continued
to scream.
    He moved
toward the corner of the room to his left and leaned against it
with his shoulder, facing the corner. There was a thunderous knock
on the door.
    ‘ Mr.
Williams, are you okay?’ asked a female voice behind the
door.
    Shaking, he
lifted his right trouser leg; there were some brown burn marks and
no leg hair. He lifted his left side up, it was a mess. Although
his leg felt normal, it wasn’t. Holding his prosthetic leg in
disbelief, he used his muscles to tense the leg that no