Please note that I will using British English.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
There was a smell of popcorn and other familiar smells. My eyelids were still heavy from sleep. There was background noise... music, I think. I knew what it was, but it was hard to pin down. Was it arcade music? My head was pounding.
Before I could open my eyes, I knew I wasn't at home. My eyes opened slowly, my sight still clouded by sleep and untrustworthy. I quickly realised that I was looking at laminated flooring with blue, grey, yellow, and red checks.
Where am I? How did I get here?
I was sitting in a red leather chair.
My brain, reacting to the rush of adrenaline, commanded my body to stand, but my heavy limbs refused to obey.
I noticed I was in a cinema. It was huge.
To the far left of the room, a section of the wall read 'Theatre 1-120'. To the right of the room, an arcade was visible with various games and attractions. The symphony of the arcade paid homage to childhood, with brightly coloured lights and sounds that brought back memories for many. A large red information kiosk stood at the centre of the two.
Slowly, I rose from my seat and went to the red information kiosk.
I licked my tight, cracked lips and tried to swallow.
"Hello? Hello? Is anybody here?"
The blue door behind the kiosk opened, revealing a man in his 20s. His hair was a massive red bush which surrounded two wide green eyes. Freckles faintly dotted his cheeks. His long, lanky body and large hair made him look like a big red lollipop. His nametag on his blue movie jacket read "Fred".
He smiled a toothy grin. "Hello there, how can I help?"
His cheerful disposition was in stark contrast to my own.
I placed my hands on the counter, noticing they were shaking. I clenched my fists to stop them from shaking.
"I don't know what's going on," I said, my voice shaky.
"I don't know where I am or what happened to me, but I think I may have been drugged or something."
"You are at the Belfort Cinema," he answered matter-of-factly.
That just leaves me with more questions.
I placed my clammy hands on my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.
"I can't remember coming in here, did I come in with anyone?"
He shrugged, uninterested.
"You paid for a ticket. If you came in with anyone, they may be already in there. It's starting now."
"A ticket?" I asked dumbly. I couldn't remember being given one.
He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, frustration clear in his voice. "Just go to Theatre 1."
He turned and walked through the back door, grumbling about how newbies are always annoying.
If I had come in with someone, maybe they would know what happened to me. It was worth a shot.
I found the theatre easily. I dried my sweaty hands on my jeans and grabbed the handle of the theatre door.
I hope someone can tell me what happened to me.
I pulled the door open.
–
Suddenly, it was night. A black-to-navy gradient was the backdrop of a full moon; the moon's surface shone a yellowish white. It illuminated everything with its bright light. There was a cool autumn breeze. I shivered and took in my surroundings. I was halfway down a street. On either side of me, terraced houses stood as barriers, protecting their residents from the harsh elements.
I am getting sick of not knowing where I am.
In the distance, I saw four faces finely carved onto a mountainside
That looks familiar. Where have I seen that before?
Before I realised why the monument was so familiar, I felt the earth shake fiercely. I fell to my knees, unable to keep my balance.
ROAR!
As I looked up, I saw an enormous orange fox with nine tails.
The menacing aura of the beast paralysed me. The hatred and wrath of the beast were almost palpable. It was like a living force that threatened to swallow everything whole.
The Nine-Tails lifted his paw and dropped it onto buildings, destroying them with ease. The fires that followed the demolition quickly grew in number and size, eventually culminating in a demonic fire that only enhanced the image of this fearsome monster.
The embers drifted through the air, dancing like dandelions in the wind. They landed here and there, igniting more fires.
I felt the colour drain from my face rapidly. I was not frightened, nor was I afraid. What I felt was beyond such mere nouns, it was primal. I wanted to run so badly, but my feet wouldn't allow it.
As citizens gathered to inspect the situation, fear spread over their faces as they saw the thick smoke and numerous fires billowing from various places. Within moments, terror replaced fear as they saw the colossal Nine-Tails, towering above everything else and causing utter chaos around it.
ROAR!
The village was filled with the sound of screams, each louder and more terrifying than the last. People were running in panic, trying to collect their children and loved ones and escape to safety. However, no one knew where the safest place was.
My heart was pounding so hard in my ears that I couldn't scream. I tried to get someone's attention, but I could only make muffled noises. I needed help to get away from this scene, but people were acting on their base instincts and it was just everyone for themselves.
Terrified out of my mind. I clamped my hands over my ears and squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could disappear. I could no longer control my hands. They were shaking in an odd trembling rhythm. Where they shook, they let in the symphony of carnage.
ROAR!
The Kyuubi slammed its many tails against the ground with such force that a deafening crash followed. The torrent of wind coated the village with such violent force that windows shattered, roofs buckled and houses crumbled on top of fleeing people.
Carnage was not the appropriate adjective to describe such things. I doubt one existed.
I saw the wind sweeping across the road. The dust and debris were flying around, making it visible. I knew that I wouldn't be able to avoid it, so I lifted my hands to my face and prepared myself for the impact.
I collided with something, a streetlight maybe? Whatever it was, the collision caused my back to hit it hard. The impact sent shockwaves through my spine, causing me to gasp for air. I tried to steady my breath.
I felt like a flimsy piece of plastic that had been blown down the street in the wind.
I stared at a leg that was grotesquely twisted at an unnatural angle, bone sticking out at the bottom. My mind refused to comprehend what it was seeing, but I finally made the connection and broke into a cold sweat. I looked at it dumbly not connecting the pieces. Wait. That was my leg!
I was in unbearable pain. My leg was bleeding profusely, like a newly formed river. I screamed an inhuman scream. Each wave of pain was amplified by the next. Tears streamed down my face. The pain made me unable to think straight. I tried to twist my leg to the correct position, but the waves quickly became a tsunami, washing away any rational thought I had. I screamed again and some hair entered my mouth. I brushed some of my long tangled brown hair away from my mouth, but it just stuck to my cheek.
I gazed upon the beast in the distance, a black ball of dark energy forming in his mouth. I shuddered. I was powerless. I was vulnerable. This was it.
A blinding light enveloped the beast. As quickly as the beast appeared, it was gone.
My vision started to become blurry and I felt a tingling sensation in my leg. I looked up at the sky, which was still covered in smoke. I closed my eyes and let myself succumb to the nothingness.
—
The sound of arcade music was a calming and soothing sound to my weary mind. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was in the lobby again. A glass of water sat on the table as I was sitting in a red armchair. I stretched out and grabbed it gratefully. The water spilled in my shaking hands.
I steadied my hands and took a sip of the refreshing liquid.
"Was that real?" I whimpered.
I gasped and grabbed my right leg with both hands, crying in relief. After seeing the state of my leg before, I was ecstatic that my leg had completely healed.
My heart was throbbing in my ears, loud and irregular, but I barely heard it, for my mind was unable to comprehend what I had just witnessed.
My mind tried to wrestle with impossibilities, refusing to accept what I had witnessed. The monster. The beast with glowing red eyes and nine tails. Somehow, it was familiar to me.
Memories flooded into my brain like an empty glass of water. Some were still murky and others were crystal clear. I remembered my childhood. The days before TV recordings when I used to run home to watch Naruto.
That creature was the Kyuubi from the anime series "Naruto". That was just fiction, right? It couldn't possibly be real, could it?
I wrapped my arms around my knees, bringing them closer. Unconsciously, I started biting the skin of my thumb in a futile attempt to comfort myself. I was unable to comprehend the weight of what I had just witnessed.
The Kyuubi was a creature of fiction. But even though I refused to believe it, I knew it was real. I had felt the atmospheric rage and power of the beast. My hands started to shake again. I interlaced my fingers, locking my knees to my chest.
As I was sitting in my chair, I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up, and to my horror, I saw Fred walking towards me. His eyes darkened and his face twisted into a menacing grin, like he was enjoying my terror.
"So Alice, did you enjoy the movie?".