Manifest (The Darkening Trilogy) by Jonathan R. Stanley Page A
Authors: Jonathan R. Stanley
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think. There is a tense, silent moment as we all look around the desolate garage. Rush hour is long over and while full of cars, the only other life within the cold concrete structure is a cyncurity officer roaming one level below and a janitor eating breakfast in a booth with the gateman. Roger exhales some smoke while humming a horror movie tune to break the tension.
“Who’s capable of this?” Corbin asks.
We’re still avoiding the obvious answer. “If there is a plot against the sentiners, we need to warn the others.”
Corbin is eager to jump on the denial wagon. “What, you mean a reckoning? This soon? The council would shit itself, pissed,” he chuckles.
“Well I’m not gonna wait around till something stronger comes my way.” No sooner do I speak the words then we all sense a surge of foul kharma. Even Roger can sense it and he back hands my arm angrily. “Are you trying to kill us with that shit? Corbin, did you hear what he just said? He’s trying to kill us.”
But I’m already looking for the exit. Unfortunately, that means the elevator. Most buildings in Neo Square don’t even have stairs. There has simply never been that first catastrophe where unneeded scores died, and in the aftermath of public outcries, architects were forced to waste salable retail space to comply with worker safety.
Behind us, over the horizon of the ramp leading below, comes the loan Cyncurity officer. He is fully uniformed in black pants, boots, and a jacket with a gold badge, yellow shirt, and yellow stripes around the shoulder and left breast. An assault pistol is clutched in his hands as he runs for his life. Before he sees us we’re already in the elevator. He screams in desperation, yelling “Hey!” over and over again.
The fear suddenly starts to surface. But it’s different now, more like a pain in my chest. Corbin and I make eye contact as we both lean on the hand rails for support. I catch a glimpse of shifting and morphing shadows coming up the ramp but can’t make out the true form of whatever casts them. Pulses of kharma are surging through the whole building. The Cyncurity officer is just too damn far away to make it in time. The doors close between us.
He’ll buy us a precious second in his death, or be ignored completely and live. Better odds than following us into this death trap. With a ding and the elevator descends. In the sudden silence, only the soft humming of the elevator motor can be heard. But the moment ends as the display dings five . The guard above us screams and trips, writhing on the ground for a moment. He is surrounded by dark, entropic kharma. Then, as if nothing has happened he stops screaming, stands up, and walks over to the doors. Four. He pulls out a ring of keys, puts one in the fire panel and then pries the doors open.
Three . The elevator comes to a shuddering stop, then the motor reverses and we start heading upwards.
“What the fuck is going on?” Roger asks. “What are we fighting?”
Corbin looks at me. “The guard ?”
“He’s possessed by something,” I say hitting the emergency stop button to no avail.
Roger opens his coat and from an inside pocket retrieves, what we all refer to lovingly as his “sack of rocks,” a black velvet pouch. It’s filled with artifacts, previously imbued rune stones that allow Roger to perform quick and simple crafts like explosions or telekinetics.
Back to four.
“He’s jumping.” I say as the guard holds his hands out to his side and leans over the edge. He falls straight down, his body rigid. Corbin puts his hand on the back of Roger’s head and folds him over as the body lands on top of the elevator and knocks all the lights out of the ceiling in a spray of sparks and glass. We’re enveloped in darkness. I look up at the body which is broken and bleeding, but still struggling to move towards the hatch. With a dying effort,
“Who’s capable of this?” Corbin asks.
We’re still avoiding the obvious answer. “If there is a plot against the sentiners, we need to warn the others.”
Corbin is eager to jump on the denial wagon. “What, you mean a reckoning? This soon? The council would shit itself, pissed,” he chuckles.
“Well I’m not gonna wait around till something stronger comes my way.” No sooner do I speak the words then we all sense a surge of foul kharma. Even Roger can sense it and he back hands my arm angrily. “Are you trying to kill us with that shit? Corbin, did you hear what he just said? He’s trying to kill us.”
But I’m already looking for the exit. Unfortunately, that means the elevator. Most buildings in Neo Square don’t even have stairs. There has simply never been that first catastrophe where unneeded scores died, and in the aftermath of public outcries, architects were forced to waste salable retail space to comply with worker safety.
Behind us, over the horizon of the ramp leading below, comes the loan Cyncurity officer. He is fully uniformed in black pants, boots, and a jacket with a gold badge, yellow shirt, and yellow stripes around the shoulder and left breast. An assault pistol is clutched in his hands as he runs for his life. Before he sees us we’re already in the elevator. He screams in desperation, yelling “Hey!” over and over again.
The fear suddenly starts to surface. But it’s different now, more like a pain in my chest. Corbin and I make eye contact as we both lean on the hand rails for support. I catch a glimpse of shifting and morphing shadows coming up the ramp but can’t make out the true form of whatever casts them. Pulses of kharma are surging through the whole building. The Cyncurity officer is just too damn far away to make it in time. The doors close between us.
He’ll buy us a precious second in his death, or be ignored completely and live. Better odds than following us into this death trap. With a ding and the elevator descends. In the sudden silence, only the soft humming of the elevator motor can be heard. But the moment ends as the display dings five . The guard above us screams and trips, writhing on the ground for a moment. He is surrounded by dark, entropic kharma. Then, as if nothing has happened he stops screaming, stands up, and walks over to the doors. Four. He pulls out a ring of keys, puts one in the fire panel and then pries the doors open.
Three . The elevator comes to a shuddering stop, then the motor reverses and we start heading upwards.
“What the fuck is going on?” Roger asks. “What are we fighting?”
Corbin looks at me. “The guard ?”
“He’s possessed by something,” I say hitting the emergency stop button to no avail.
Roger opens his coat and from an inside pocket retrieves, what we all refer to lovingly as his “sack of rocks,” a black velvet pouch. It’s filled with artifacts, previously imbued rune stones that allow Roger to perform quick and simple crafts like explosions or telekinetics.
Back to four.
“He’s jumping.” I say as the guard holds his hands out to his side and leans over the edge. He falls straight down, his body rigid. Corbin puts his hand on the back of Roger’s head and folds him over as the body lands on top of the elevator and knocks all the lights out of the ceiling in a spray of sparks and glass. We’re enveloped in darkness. I look up at the body which is broken and bleeding, but still struggling to move towards the hatch. With a dying effort,
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