Blackout

By Rich Cole

Ava Brown, a newly employed security guard at Rooger, a Tech company, is doing the rounds when a deafening sound hits her and she falls in tremor. Alongside her colleague, Richard, they decide to investigate the source together. They take the elevator to the first floor, but it comes to an abrupt halt on the third, as a blackout occurred.

After hours of futile waiting, the co-workers decide to climb up the shaft and what they see outside the building makes their blood run cold. Ava goes on the move to find her daughter, with Christopher tagging along.

They navigate through the chilly darkness, encountering petrified people and creatures of all kinds, including a terrifying, glowing oval-shaped creature. Resistance is futile and communication is impossible.

Misfortune strikes again, and Ava loses her companion. Alone and haunted by terrifying darkness, would she be valiant enough to succeed on her mission?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Seagull Editions
• Release date: May 18, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223392187

Book preview

blackout

© 2021 Seagull Editions s.r.l.

www.seagulleditions.com

Chapter One

A ton of people would use the quote It's better to die trying than to live without doing if it were to be a bright sunny day, with people going about their daily businesses, all dressed up and in different moods. A bright day where only a handful would look up to the sky and admire its beauty and cower slightly at the sun's fierceness.

Sometimes we just want to shut the world out and be in the peace of Silence's abode, but what happens when Silence eventually sucks us in, and we try to communicate, but there's nothing. We hear ourselves speak, yet no one is listening. She'd bring along with her an unnerving within our spirits and we fear our darkest hour is upon us, yet it is in these darkest hours that we know our true selves.

Ava Brown stood in the heart of the personnel department and looked around aimlessly. She usually found it quite interesting to patrol, but today, it was quiet and without life. She sighed tiredly. It was midnight and every worker had gone to their various homes.

Her hazel eyes kept scanning through the room and she placed her hands on her duty belt which housed a flashlight, a pistol, and a cellphone, as she sauntered through the room. Ava stopped by a desk to pick up a photo frame that encased a picture of a woman and her kid. In the picture, the blonde-haired woman wrapped her arms around the kid who looked six, and they radiated happiness from within.

The happiness was contagious as Ava didn't realize when she began smiling. As she looked on, the picture evoked memories she shared with her only child, Riley, when she was a kid. Riley was now a teen in her eighth grade and would be turning fourteen in a week. Time truly does fly. Ava thought to herself, remembering the times she would pick Riley up and throw her up high, giggling along with the little girl as they let themselves get caught up in their little world. Then, Riley was an outgoing kid who had this charm that attracted everyone to her.

Riley had grown up to be reserved and quick-witted and just as much as this endeared her to the rest of the family, her reticent behavior worried Ava.

Ava had recently finished her training which lasted for forty-eight hours since she resumed work as a security guard in Rooger, a tech company. So far, she loved the job because it was the only job she could find that paid well for her qualification. She couldn't reject it even though she had to be on night shifts and usually felt sad about not getting to spend quality time with her daughter as it had been before. Ava's mother, Linda, was a street away from where she lived, and usually watched over Riley to the relief of Ava.

Ava shook herself out of memory lane and decided to patrol another department. She placed the photo frame back and moved two steps when time seemed to slow down, and following it was a sound beyond deafening. It was by far the loudest sound Ava had ever heard, and she found herself quaking and falling to the floor in tremor, with her hands pressed tightly against her ears. The sound did not last up to a minute but Ava could not know this because her ears were ringing as well as her whole head. She sat still and waited to recover.

Before she could fully recover, Ava took quick steps out of the room and moved towards the surveillance department where Christopher, her colleague was stationed.

Chris! She called out as she walked, but the only replies she got were her echoes.

It was as quiet as a graveyard and everything seemed without life. Fear slowly crept its way into her mind and thoughts about what had just happened, shot at her from various directions.

Chris! She called out again, intending to subdue her fears by saying something. She adjusted her plain black tie as she walked down the passageway, her eyes fixed to the last door which was his office. Almost there, Ava heard something fall from one of the rooms she had passed, and she paused suspiciously.

Veering off course, she turned back to check out what had fallen. Ava counted her steps, adding more anxiety to the already tensed atmosphere and light on her feet with each step to avoid being heard. She unconsciously breathed a little louder than she normally would have.

Getting to the door, she inputted the code and when it opened, moved with the swiftness of a deer into the room with her pistol in her hand. She scanned the left side of the conference room with her hand to the trigger and checked the right side almost immediately.

Ava kept looking through squinted eyes in the darkness. Relief slowly surged through her being and washed the fears away as she bent down to pick up a pile of papers that she suspected had made the noise. She let herself relax as she placed her hands on a black leather swivel chair.

The window of the conference room was open and she moved to close it. It was very windy and the sky was pitch-black, with no moon or stars. She overlooked it because she had a little knowledge about moonless nights. After closing the windows, she stretched her hands to close the curtains when she heard the door open slowly but heard no sound after that.

Ava swallowed as her body quickly reacted to the fear that had gripped her tight. She grabbed her gun which was now hanging loosely on her belt, placed her hand on the trigger, and waited. The room had become hot for her and she was all sweaty. She chided herself for choosing to watch a horror movie at that time, but she had to be brave.

Who's there? She asked, feeling the intensity of the person's stare. There was no reply, so she turned to the person, quickly pointing her pistol at him, her face filled with fright.

It's just you. She breathed, securing her pistol when she saw Christopher. He had a confused expression on his face as to why she was scared stiff. He raised his eyebrows, quizzically.

Christopher had beautiful blue eyes that could suck one into them and his smile was a boyish smile that would make one's insides melt as well. He appeared in his early thirties.

I've been looking over the place for you. I even called out your name. She added quietly, ignoring his expression.

Oh, I was listening to cool jams with headphones. You know how boring work gets at times. Christopher said and unconsciously furrowed his eyebrows. He did not understand her behavior tonight. He wished she could just drop the bomb and save him the stress of asking.

What have you been up to? He added as he moved to spin on a swivel chair.

Well, the usual patrolling. Didn't you hear that deafening sound? Her eyebrows were raised and she looked on.

What? Her colleague didn't seem to care, and sometimes she wished she was like him, usually unbothered and relatively calm. She was an overthinker and a serious one.

The sound. It lasted for maybe three minutes, I can't tell. But it was terrible, like the sound of an explosion. She became agitated again.

It's probably just your imagination. Christopher said, brushing off her misgivings and went out the room, with Ava following behind.

I'm serious. I know what I heard. He turned around and she stood before him, petite and small. Chris was 5'9 ft tall, five inches taller than her, and had muscles with tats running from his left breast down his arm. His blonde hair was usually well combed and styled occasionally.

Alright, we'll check it out. He said with a sober face and they headed to the elevator which would take them to the first floor and out of the building.

Where's Mark? Ava asked about the whereabouts of their co-worker as they approached the elevator.

He called in sick, Christopher said, giving Ava a knowing look and they burst out laughing.

We all know Mark likes to have fun with the ladies every Friday. Ava winked and pressed the open button, getting in, with Christopher doing the same.

If there's no cause for alarm, you're going to be on watch alone tonight. He narrowed his eyes and her mouth hung open.

That's not fair at all. Ava frowned and made to rest her back on the wall panel as the elevator started moving.

Life isn't fair. He said and let his eyes linger on the exit door as they waited for the elevator to stop on the first floor.

The elevator moved smoothly through the sixth floor. Ava and Christopher had both traveled to their worlds but were soon jolted back to reality when the elevator