Jump

"Where are you going?" One of the men shouted, grabbing Issac's sleeves.

The man looked at him with disgust before pushing him off. "You are safe here. These creatures cannot do anything about buildings or solid objects."

"B-but, what if they come in!" Another woman shouted.

"We are not trained professionals," Issac remarked. "There is so much we can do. Especially with the lack of resources we have."

"Bu-"

"What are you being a pussy for?" The man shouted. "Just stay in here and you are safe. As long as you don't kill each other, there is no more danger."

Issac and the man nodded as they opened the windows and stood on the tiny ledge, looking down into the fray of the creatures surrounding the one boy trying to hide in a garbage bin.

"What is your plan?" The man asked as Issac tried to count the numerous creatures surrounding the kid, some turned to look at him too.

There is not much opening. He thought, frowning. I need to get him out of there.

He turned up and looked at the window just above him and then at the creatures surrounding the boy below him.

"Hey! Chester!" he shouted. "Is Orion there?"

"The thin kid?" The man asked, "If so, yes."

"Good." He jumped back inside the room. "We will go up. There is something I need to borrow from him."

"Why do I feel like this is going to end badly?" The man smirked at him. "Well, no better way to go if I do say so myself."

Issac nodded and turned to the people in the room, "If you all are so scared, climb up with us."

Without waiting another second, they ran up the stairs into the room where there were more people and with a little more equipment.

"Issac!" A woman with caramel-coloured hair ran to him and began checking to make sure he is ok. "Are you injured in any way?"

She was the one that found him when he first came here.

"No," he said, awkwardly standing there as she inspected him. "I'm in a bit of a hurry, if you will excuse me."

He pushed past her and ran to a man holding binoculars as he stared down at the increasing number of creatures surrounding the boy.

"Orion!" He shouted at the cloud colour haired man.

"Issac!" The man said, grinning at him. "What brings you here? I am impressed you managed to stay alive this far."

"Not important," he said quickly. "Did you bring your zip line?"

"That is not what it is ca-"

"Did you?"

"I did." The man said as Issac sighed, release washing over him. "I need to borrow it."

"What for?" The man looked at him sceptically.

"I am going to bring that boy back here." He said, pointing to the trash that the creatures were surrounding.

"What?"

"No!" The caramel haired woman, Haiti, shouted. "You will get killed. Don't you see those creatures out there, Issac?"

"I do, that is why I am suggesting we get that boy."

"I am not following," Orion said, tilting his head to the side.

"How much about this place do we know?" He asked and the woman piped in.

"Only that this place is a different dimension and that a wave brings us here at random times. Those creatures are also negative emotions come to life."

"Look at the creatures, they want that boy," he said, pointing outside. "You also noticed that the creatures are much more than they were before. There is something about today and I say that we make the most of this and get that boy here."

"But it is suicide," Orion shouted as the creatures increased in number, piling on top of one another but not merging, for some reason. "We cannot risk the manpower."

"That is why I said that I will go." Issac rolled his eye in annoyance.

"Fine." The man agreed immediately and began setting up the zip line strapped to his body.

"Bu-"

"Will you deny me this glory, Haiti?" Issac asked, smiling at the woman softly.

"Glory?" She asked, looking up at him sadly. "You don't have to do anything to be deserving of 'glory'. But who am I to stop you?"

He smiled at her as Orion shot the harpoon to the wall just above the mountain of creatures trying to get closer to the trash bin.

While the others were hooking on the belt and everything on Issac, Orion was busy explaining everything to him.

"You can either tie the boy with the rope here then to the line and press this button here to send him back up. OR you can tie the can. It is strong enough to hold and I would recommend you do the trash can to prevent the boy from being too injured."

"Ok," Issac said, looking at the rope he pulled out from around his waist. "You are very prepared."

"I believe you would be too, if you saw people dying left and right and you only had to watch," Orion said, strapping the man in.

"I guess that makes sense." Issac shrugged, turning to Haiti who was putting on a brave face for him. "There will be a drawer in my office, the one I use regularly. Open it and tap thrice, you will find something there."

"Your will?" She asked, sucking in a breath. "Ok. I will look."

Oh right … I should have written that, shouldn't I? On well. Too late for that.

Without another look back, Issac pushed himself out of the room and into the crowd of creatures. For some reason, they were completely ignoring him.

Even when he passed through their translucent bodies, they were hardly phased.

He turned to the others and Haiti had this relieved look on her face. If they did not touch him or affected him in any way, he could go back no problem.

This must be the boy I have been looking for. He thought, reaching the boy at last. That means … this is the end of my use.

… Hmmm. I did not think this far.

He bends down as the creatures pressed up against him and knocked on the tin.

"Hey, kid." He said when he heard whimpering. "You are going to be fine. I am here to rescue you. Now, just stay very still, ok?"

"Bu-"

"Don't worry." Issac put on the most enthusiastic voice he could though his face remained dull. "You will be safe."

"T-they … these creatures are from my nightmares." The boy's voice broke as he said this. "Why are they always chasing after me?"

Issac finished tying the tin securely and then attached himself and the garbage tin to the zip line, letting it pull them up again.

"Fears are subjective." He said as they began to rise. His hand wrapped around the garbage tin as tightly as he could. "They are an everyday part of life. It is how you choose to deal with them that will really determine everything."

"Is there something you are afraid of?" The boy asked as Issac observed the creatures pausing from their pushing and took to staring at them pass.

"Yes. I am terribly afraid of heights." He lied, holding the garbage tin with one hand and the other on the hilt of the dagger Chester slipped him before he jumped out the window.

"Are we in a high place now? You sound so calm."

"Because there are more important things at the moment." He said turning the instant the zip line started to shake and bob.

Behind him were the creatures beginning to climb the line.

Damn it.

"W-what is happening?" The boy asked, voice trembling as their speed decreased considerably.

"Nothing," Issac said, looking at the distance still needing to be covered as they slowly began to be pulled back.

"Orion! Strengthen the line!" He heard Haiti shout and felt the line stiffen before moving again.

Chester was pulling at the rope and soon the others joined in as Haiti took out her gun and fired wasted bullets to the creatures.

They did nothing except slow them down a little bit while the others pulled at the line.

Issac turned behind him, judging the speed of the creatures and their weight with the distance needing to be covered once again.

We are not going to make it.

"Issac!" The woman shouted. "The weight-"

"I know!" With a look at Haiti, he pulled out the dagger and cut the ropes on the garbage tin, grabbing the boy just before he fell out.

"What are you doing?" The woman shouted at him as they continued to get dragged down even more.

Issac ignored her and tied the remaining end of the rope from the tin to the boy's waist.

"Are you scared?" he asked the child when he looked back and froze upon seeing the hoard of aggressive creatures trying to grab him from behind and below.

The boy swallowed and shook his head, golden locks flying everywhere.

"Good," Issac said, tightening the rope around him. "Prove it."

"Issac!"

He used the dagger to cut at the little space on the rope between him and the boy. Both sides tugged hard and, in a split second, the tug of war was finished.

___________

Issac gasped when he made an impact with the hard ground, all the air getting knocked out of his lungs as he stared up at the creatures surrounding him.

The wound at his side from the creatures all those years ago tore again as his eye patch felt out, blood pooling out of the two openings while he struggled to catch his breath, unable to move.

This is it, isn't it? Shame, I wanted to ride a Farris wheel at least once. Oh well, maybe in my next life.

They screeched in anger as a smile came on his face. Well, this is a damn good way to go if I do say so myself.

He closed his eye as the ripping pain filled his body and the voices grew ten octaves louder followed by silence.