Allwebco Web Templates · Build your own toolbar · Site Building Articles · Audio, Fonts, Clipart
powered by
bravenet.com
|
|
Todd Vals, Briel Gimei, and Harley Impropio pushed through the cold night air to the student center. They entered the long row of watermelon- colored doors, through the high atrium, along a dismal hall to a narrow door that led to the concrete passage, and down the ladder leading straight down into the tunnels underneath the campus. Reaching the wooden floor below, they walked through one dark passage and another until they reached the same large, open cavern where they had been every night that week. Todd flipped off his flashlight and the area fell into impenetrable darkness.
"Stop doing that. I need a light," Harley shrieked. "I hate this."
"Coming up," Todd responded.
Briel dropped a large cylindrical appliance he was carrying so that the sound echoed loudly throughout the cavern. "Who calls these things portable? I'd like to see them carry this!"
"Careful," Todd warned as a voice speaking out of nowhere. "If it doesn't work you'll have to carry another one down."
"No way, I'd just concede."
Todd's wide smile was revealed as a coconut-sized clear ball he was carrying blew into a fireball that gently floated above them. The entire cavern erupted into light, revealing a rough rock-hewn area about the size of a rounded basketball court with many varied, scattered boulders.
"Are we ready?" Harley asked them both. She wore more appropriate clothing that covered any exposed skin this time, although revealingly tight.
Todd and Briel faced each other between two of the boulders with the ball of white light just above them. Harley, standing to one side of the cavern, reached down to the cylinder Briel had carried and flipped a large illuminated toggle switch. Lights began to flash rapidly across the surface of the upright cylinder.
"Shake hands," Harley said, smiling coyly at Briel.
"Gladly," Todd smiled. He reached out his hand.
Briel grabbed Todd's hand and pulled him to the ground, before he had a chance to react.
"Violation!" Harley squealed with delight. "You can't do that before he's been armed, although I like it."
Todd picked himself from the rocky floor, brushing off ripped jeans and elbows that were bleeding, no longer smiling.
"Let's try this again," Harley said amused. "Shake hands."
Todd and Briel shook hands, Todd warily watching his hairy, agile friend. They both backed up, each towards their respective boulders, and switched devices on their belts. As they did, their figures turned sharply darker in the light of the fiery ball floating just above them.
Todd jumped behind one of the boulders. Seeing that he was vulnerable, Briel dived behind the other, his body responding athletically like an agile monkey.
"You guys going to fight or just play hide- and- seek behind rocks?" Harley said.
Todd's darkened head showed above his rock while a dark arm reached around to one side. Although the device that arm held was a crudely constructed pipe fashioned to a box and a straight pin for a trigger, the blast it emitted must have been beyond what Harley had anticipated, because she screamed high and loud when it knocked the boulder hard against the distant cavern wall. Briel frantically scrambled for other cover, narrowly being missed by the boulder, while Todd jumped out from behind his rock, aimed, and fired again. Harley screamed even louder when she saw a blast of black smoke knock Briel against the cavern wall this time. It was a credit to his athletic ability that he was able to stay on his feet.
Todd faked to run back to the shelter of his boulder, enticing Briel to pick himself off the wall and sprint after him. Easily maneuvering across the rocky ground, Briel raised a similar pipe gun and fired after Todd as he ran.
Todd turned and jumped in the opposite direction just as the boulder crashed against the wall next to him under the force of the black flash. Todd whirled again and fired, catching Briel off guard so that he went down on the cavern floor beneath a thundering cloud of black smoke.
Harley ran to embrace Briel, who was lying on his back on the sharp rocky floor, her scream echoing off the walls of the cavern. Her long blond hair matted to her face, she regained her composure, stood, and looked directly and angrily at Todd. "Briel's down. You're the winner."
Todd's walked over to them, his figure subsequently lightening as he flipped a switch near his belt. "You alright?" he asked smiling and pulling him up from the ground.
"Shields work," Briel responded while he also flipped a switch and turned back to his hairy self. "Shields work good. I'm good."
Harley shut down the cylindrical appliance so that its flashing lights died. As the three began to pack up their equipment, Briel turned to Todd, "Yeah, I guess. You win. You're the one to take on the champion."
Narration provided by Howard Douglas, based on discussions with Harley Impropio.
bravenet.com