Note: See, the chapter title this time around is ironic because I haven't posted anything in over an eon; dohohohoho.
Chapter 10: Delayed Reaction
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When Albert finally awoke, he took in a deep breath upon consciousness. The first thing he was aware of was the quality of the air-deep, damp, and frozen. It rushed down his throat and dug into the walls of his lungs like a horde of wasps. Shaken by waking up, Albert shot upright, perched onto his feet. It was as he squatted down that he became aware that the whole room was like its air-damp and cold. The floor, the walls, and probably the ceiling.
He slid his back against one of the cold walls and breathed the cold air when the next thing occurred to him. The darkness of this room was impenetrable. No matter how long he glared at the black, it never even allowed a dim light. There was not one window and not one door.
The room was about as sealed as it could be, and honestly, it was pretty obvious. The heavy air bared no odor apart from dust and muddy water; certainly, there wasn't any essence of smoke or ash, and not an outside noise could be heard. The silence itself was deafening.
Desperately seeking an exit, Albert stood up to his full height and moved himself forth to run-and fell upon his face. Well, his legs weren't content with properly operating. As he pushed up his face from the floor, he slowly made yet another realization: he had no idea what material this floor was composed of. No grooves, no boards. Not wood. Nor was it tile or any kind of stonework; it was all a large, smooth expanse that seemed to go on forever beyond the wall he slumped against. So, it was some sort of metal...right? It didn't feel hollow. It didn't echo with Albert's footsteps. Every noise was muffled.
It was almost like porcelain.
Albert was currently in a state of growing frustration. He paced the floor aimlessly (well, at least his legs were awake now), beat his head against a wall whenever he reached one, and just muttered curses at nothing. After this turned up nothing, he altered the direction of his wandering and now paced vertically. First down, hit head against the wall, repeat upwards. Odd thing was he never reached a wall that next time. However, he did manage to trip over some barrier before him, causing him to collapse, his teeth smashing against a wooden surface. Albert felt this small area, and, eureka.
Stairs. Now he was getting somewhere.
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She deserved a world record. She would, anyway-no. Two world records-no, three-no, Phineas and Ferb had already done that. Four. Candace was going to deserve four world records for what she was going to do.
To clarify, Candace had happened to collapse at the very front of the Abbeys. Not literal abbeys, mind you; it was the nickname given to a strait of apartment complexes and boarding homes that started just outside of downtown and ended well beyond it.
For Candace, it would be a pretty ideal path.
When she awoke, she found herself in front of one building. Right from the front edge of it overlooking the sidewalk was an old ladder. Coughing, she leapt up and scrambled up the rungs to the top of the apartment. Tears choked her eyes as she stood up, legs shaking-and what a sight to behold. Vibrant red lips of flame leapt up from the Earth, kissing buildings and lighting them up. It was spreading fast.
And she had to move faster.
Taking in a breath as deeply and sharply as she could, Candace teetered a little bit closer to the edge.
"Jump." The voice inside her head told her-and, pleasantly, it wasn't the zebra this time. "It's not that far."
It really wasn't.
"Jump. Jump."
So, she did.