There's something about arriving in new cities, wandering empty streets with no destination. I will never lose the love for the arriving, but I'm born to leave." - Charlotte Eriksson, Empty Roads & Broken Bottles; in search for The Great Perhaps

•••

I thought today was going to be an ordinary day, day as always. I was looking around while walking with a steady pace to the point of my destination. Those high and gloomy condominium buildings, placed next to each other, like a big and impenetrable wall of concrete, were blocking the narrow city streets from the dancing rays of sunlight. The tall corporation skyscrapers were randomly scattered throughout the surroundings. The crossing nets of asphalt alleyways were ink black and icy cold, like the bottom of the mysterious ocean I've never seen. Entwining every last free place of this land I'm standing on, those streets created a mysterious maze, a puzzle not even the oldest veterans of my city could acknowledge. Crossing this labyrinth is equal to blinding yourself in the cage of a beast. Even at the day, when thin rays of light poorly try to reach the surface of the road, those streets remain ominous and creepy. The colorful, sparkling projectors and screens were the only things constantly lighting up the walls of sad and pitiful avenues. Light and dark, white and black, opposite elements coexisting at the same time. Neon banners and electrical installments were excessively covering the near surroundings. People are trying to make their best, advertising useless stuff, trying to promote their little and insignificant businesses. But that doesn't work. Seeing so many of it, makes me sick. Those people still don't understand. It's so sad that everything in the industry of our metropolis is set by the government.

My eyes got sick of this sight a long time ago. Those tons of vibrant lights were piercing though my eyes, blinding me every time I walked through those alleys, even more than my so thought up darkness of the labyrinth would do. Believe me, walking every day through this crazy and flickering maze of lights made me and my eyes suffer from photophobia - the light sensitivity. The solution to this problem was simple though. I couldn't avoid walking down the streets, so I thought of something unusual - wearing sunglasses. They not only gave me protection from the irritating light pollution, but secured my privacy and image too. However, finding and buying sunglasses in this weird city, where the sunlight barely reaches the ground, was a very difficult task. But it was definitely worth it. The positivities were uncountable. For example - being able to watch and look in the eyes of many people without them noticing it. People in this city are always marching like ants through the corridors in the anthill. Each of them with their own task, destination, walking without further thoughts. But are their actions the result of their own will? Watching those mysterious, yet simple people behind my pair of glasses makes me think even more about this, the freedom of will in this cursed city. As I think of it now, this metropolis reminds me of the human body, a living organism with veins. We, humans, are like blood, that travels all over the city-body. We supply, we exchange, we are needed for this city to be alive.

My name is Ashe, and I'm a 17 years old teenager living in this cursed metropolis. This place is the thing I hate the most in the entire world. Maybe it's because there is nothing else left in the world?

„Here comes the dark sarcasm king, watch out folks, or you're gonna become a depressed shit like me instantly." – I whispered to myself as I walked quickly through the long and creepy streets of the S-IV district.

I don't think this district's name is creative at all. It makes me think that we, variety and plenty of people living in this big district are some sort of experimental rats, that are used to some sort of psychological attempt or test. I hope that my sick thoughts won't become true at all. Sometimes I wish I hadn't had such a luxuriant imagination at all. It's just sad, that people having dreams are automatically convicted to this phrase:

,,You can dream whatever you want, but you know what? In this metropolis none of it will become true. So stop dreaming on my lessons and focus right now!" – as the teachers used to say in my school. Not only to me.

There were many other kids that were having dreams of boundless traveling, mighty adventures, exploring the unknown and beautiful. The imaginations of those kids were melted quickly, just like a cotton candy thrown into the water. (Maybe that's why I avoid going to school as much as possible.) I'm not surprised that our society is so gloomy, without any word of their own. They were raised to be colorless and to obey the reality they were set in.

Me and almost eight hundred million people are forced to live in this enormous metropolis, like a golden birdcage filled to its utter fullness, bursting at the seams. But the birds are too stupid to get out, too lazy to make actions, some of them just gave up, and the ones that actually want to get free, are stopped by the bodies of others, and by the hard and tough rods.

Lectus - a word from the Latin language that means: ,,Selected, the chosen ones" - that's the official name of the metropolis that I live in. Living in the city of chosen ones doesn't give me higher self-esteem or make me feel more important than anyone else. In this big society I mean nothing.

Lectus is a dense concrete-neon jungle in a shape of a circle, but there is more than just that. This multidimensional structure with its buildings reaching to the top of the sky broke the common sense of the furthest imaginations anyone ever had. Layered and constructed like a whole another planet, Lectus is the most complicated and tangled structure ever to be known in humans history. With almost 120 kilometers width and over 10000 square kilometers of space (not including its multi-leveled areas) this metropolis is a home to over 800 million different human beings. Surrounded on all sides by over 1,5-kilometer tall and thick concrete walls, and being under the protection of the artificial protective barrier, that no being can pass, Lectus is a truly unique prison that nothing can escape from. This metropolis is divided in 7 sectors - different sized rings entering each other, and every ring has allocated 8 districts. The further the sector is from the center - core of the Lectus - the less rich and important it is.

This metropolis was created to unite the people that have survived in the catastrophe, but how much far has it gone from its goal. Society was divided into classes. People were placed in different districts and were made to do things they didn't want to do. And changing your life is not easy in the current situation. I live in the parody of Plato's Utopia.

I haven't attended to school lessons too much, so I may not know what the history of this city was taught to my peers and other people living in this city. This story comes from somewhere else.

Nearly 100 years ago, the great planet Earth that I am currently living on, was in the good state. Everyone was living happily, doing whatever they wanted to do. So how can I call the times when Earth was being destroyed by the global warming and depleted in resources - good? At those times, our planet was slowly dying, but still doing quite good in comparison to now. One day, everything changed with one little mistake and oversight. The year 2024. The year of the dreadfulness. It was when this all happened.

On a shiny and warm day of September, when not even one soul expected anything out of ordinary to happen, in one moment, the whole sky glowed pure white. Insane brightness lightened every corner of the world, even the darkest ones, blinding and burning everything that couldn't cover itself from its deathly, saint aspect. The ground started to move, as if it was trying to run, escape from the hellish hotness it was covered by. Everything moved violently, as if ancient titans hidden underground, in the depths of the Earth's mantle, wanted to leave their miserable and constant ,,every day" and protest against the imprisonment.

The temperature of almost one hundred million Celsius degrees entangled kilometers of the nearest surroundings and unconscious beings, turning everything exposed to it to fine ashes. The sounds of sirens and screams were mixed with noises of collapsing cities, buildings, roads, the common world. Being unable to see, to hear, to feel, people really weren't aware, that's this was the last sight they were possibly seeing in their miserable lives.

Within seconds, the „White Widow" as the meteorite was named, wiped out almost everything from the Earth's surface, leaving it to look like the deepest floor of hell. Infernum.

Out of over eight billion of people living their normal lives in 2024, only the sorrowful thirty percent of the people survived this disaster. But surviving it didn't mean getting out of this without any scratches. The majority of the humanity were left living with many incurable detriments on their health. Burns from the merciless heat, radiation sickness, blindness from the impact light, limb fractures from collapsing surroundings. Many diseases embraced the little of the humanity left, so many died after time.

The fact that everything you have lived for until now has been destroyed, turned into ashes, also left a mark on the humanity. This mark was even deeper and more painful than the physical injuries. With this scar on the soul, the unfamiliar misery was spread. The fear of the unknown, what is to come next, where to go, what to do. No one really knew what to do next, what comes.

And then he appeared. The man that rescued the survivors left to death in the unsafe and hostile environment.

Adam Victor Deus. The creator, ruler, and builder of the city. With the help of his wealth and organization - Union of Cultural Unsworn States, he gathered all the survivors from around the globe in one safe place, far from the meteorites impact, and led the people that thought there is no more meaning in their lives. With the help from all the survivors, he built the metropolis of hope, for every desperate soul there was - Lectus. As the leader with unparalleled charisma and leadership skills, that guided the creation of refuge, a new home for the left humanity, he was proclaimed a legend, that everyone seeks to until recent days.

After 6 years of hard work, strenuous efforts and torment, Lectus was announced as a place ready to be populated with the people that were the healthiest. Those people were conspired to live in the unity and understanding, two key values declared by Adam Victor Deus.

He didn't know how much his vision of a peaceful idyll would change. Oh, he didn't.

•••

While I was thinking about the state that this so called ,,masterpiece" is in right now, I walked down those unfriendly and flashing streets with a quick pace. I normally would think about how to avoid school and unnecessary attention from the Order Officers - an organization that checks the city order and puts their curious noses everywhere.

„You opened a business and didn't inform the government about it? Well, you're gonna be lossy from your money, freedom and your honor."

"You're speaking to loud in the streets? Sorry mister, that's unnecessary, and it will cost you some money."

"Hey you young lad, why aren't you in school? It's midday, you are not skipping the very important and valuable education program? Well, how about being locked in the school prison?"

Everything unnecessary you do in this metropolis will cost you more than you would even think of. That's why what am I doing right now is like disarming the bomb. Stand out a little and they're going to write you down, ruin your future and life. But wasn't life in this metropolis convicted to be painful from the beginning? Order. What an easy thing to break.

Well, but now I don't care. The thing that mattered to me was the fact, that I saw no living soul on my way. I don't know what the hell is happening. That's way more suspicious and dangerous than walking and hiding myself in the train of hundreds of people that everyday walk through those avenues. The thing that scares me the most is the acknowledgment of stuff that is happening in this big metropolis. The long and narrow alleys are empty, as if all the citizens have dissolved into the air.

I walked past the high buildings and stopped myself in the middle of the crossroad. This is the first time in my life that I have seen such an intriguing sight. In every direction I looked, I just saw straight, endless dark avenues going to the infinity, and the asphalt streets reflecting the colorful, but weirdly weak, lights from neons placed on the buildings. No living soul in the reach of my sight, nothing moved, I could say that nothing existed beside me at that moment. This view created and illusion, causing me to believe that ahead of me I had four tunnels of void, that would lead me to the another world. How wonderful would it be if it actually came true? How much different would it be from this place? What would I see and experience? Or maybe it's the dream that I am in right now?

I dreamed for a while, for a better world. I stopped when I suddenly heard loud footsteps. I couldn't determine from where they were coming, as the sounds echoed around me. They were coming closer. I got frightened, because opposite of what I thought, I wasn't alone in this concrete void. I didn't want to get caught especially at the times I didn't know what was happening. Where was everyone?

I thought quickly about what should I do, and then without further ado, I rushed into one of those mystical avenues, trying to get as far away from the increasing sounds of footsteps, as I could. The noises of my panting and running were sure loudly, and I couldn't tell if I actually were getting further away from the mysterious footstep sounds. The lights flashed quickly before my eyes. I can run fast, but hell I can't run for long.

,,Why didn't I exercise more? And my didn't I tie my hair? I'm so stupid." - I asked myself in my mind, as I was getting out of breath and my long bangs were getting in the way of my face. I was scared of losing my freedom. It could be taken so easily. I couldn’t give up on it and everything I’ve done until now. I can afford to lose it, and the probability that i won’t see ,,him” again.

•••

I want to attach my artwork to this but my internet connection won’t allow me too, i’m so sorry ;-;

I stopped running after a while, as the surroundings got quiet enough. My body was definitely overused.

„I'm a master of hiding, not escaping" - thought while I was leaning against a wall.

The sight of four pitch black alleys that I just run from suddenly came to my mind. What a pity I didn't take a photo of this magnificent image. I love to take photos on every occasion. Documenting everything I see is my everyday habit, and it's very useful. Even the smartest people can sometimes forget something important in their life. I think that by taking photos you can build your memory library little by little. Keeping even the most ordinary picture can bring some old memories back...

But that's not the only things I'm passioned about in documenting stuff. It's my full time job. Every day I go out into the wild and dangerous jungle this metropolis is, and register every indecent and wrong action that the subordinates of authorities this city has, commit against the citizens of Lectus. The organization I belong to - RR - Rats of the Rebellion - collects data and evidence in every district there is. Our goal is to make the society more aware of what inhuman and incorrect place they live in. And they all let it happen.

Every day I wonder, why is it like this?

People getting slaughtered on the streets but nobody talks about it, Order Officers making our lives remind those of programmed robots. Where are the eyes of these people?

I flew with my thoughts too far. I remembered, that I have to go somewhere. I had to meet with my friend, a person that transfers the proof I register to someone that actually can do something with it. It would be too easy if I just posted it on the internet. When everything you do is tracked, I would only get myself in deeper crap I wouldn't be able to get out of.

As I walked further along the dark alley, I saw enormous and tall corporation buildings in the distance, with their blinking lights and projectors showing the most deserved people of the city. I wonder how tall are those building? I've never been close to them. As I saw the faces on the colorful projectors clearly from such far away, I thought they must be enormous indeed. This huge city sparkled and shined amazingly at day and night, with thousands of color and expressions, changing every second.

When you ask the people on the streets, what is the most beautiful thing they have ever seen in their life, the most expected answer is — this metropolis. The place where we all live in. The answer is flat. Maybe it's because their life is still like water in the puddle after the artificial rain? Or maybe they are afraid to say anything else, because what possibly could they see? They have never seen anything beautiful, nothing else than this city, and they will never see. This city is a cage, a big concrete and metal box, that has only one view to the outside world, the sky. But even the sky isn't real, and the stars, and the moon aren't as beautiful and gorgeous as in the real life. Those things are constant, like a picture, they never change. I wonder if I will ever see anything else beside this city. I wonder if I will ever see the clear sky, the sun shining freely and fully, and the wondrous world that lays behind the tall walls of our cage.

I was getting closer to the place of our meeting. We were supposed to meet at the side alley that was located by the north metro station. Every district in this city has 5 main metro stations. The central one and 4 more that head to different directions inside the district. If you want to move to another district, it's not that easy, you need to have a special pass, as once you live in a specific place, it's hard to move to another one. But even harder, almost impossible, is to move to another sector - inner or outer ring of our metropolis.

Our roles in the society have been assigned since our birth, I could name that a ,,cast", but our government avoids using this word, it's almost like a curse. They act like it's free to move, free to think, they pretend to be blind and deaf.

I waited in silence for my companion to come, and I was getting frustrated. Why did I even come out of the house in the first place? Why didn't I come back after realizing that no one was on the streets? And why isn't he coming? He was supposed to be here 15 minutes ago.

Wasn't that enough for me? I questioned myself with anger, but then suddenly, something black moved in the corner of my eye. I quickly focused and tried to find the weird object. Out of the blue, I felt something fluffy and soft rub into my leg. I jumped from fear and freaked out screaming, making the thing run away from me, into the dark alley I was standing by.

– What-t... What the hell?! – I yelled as I was looking at the place the object disappeared in. What was that?!

After a second, it slowly came out of the darkness showing itself clearly. In the colorful lights of the neons, a dark cat was standing on the asphalt, looking at me with his big yellow eyes. I couldn't believe in what I just saw.

– A cat?! In here? Buddy! How did you manage to find yourself in this cruel place? Order Officers would have dealt with you a long time ago! – I crouched down and reached my hand towards the creature.

It came closer to me and rubbed its fuzzy head against my fingers. I felt sad for it, Order Officers catch every free animal roaming around the metropolis, and their fates are the same, dark same for everyone. Only the high-placed and rich people can afford to have pets, indoors. Those living outside are seen as a potential disease spreaders and secret message delivers. If they manage to survive, they never know what awaits them around every corner.

I searched its soft fur with my fingers. No collar, no anything else. The cat licked my hand with its sharp tongue, and fled into the dark alley it came out of previously. I didn't move and waited. Does it want to show me something? The creature sticked out its head from the darkness, and looked at me as if wanted to invite me into the pitch dark unknown.

– Do you want me to go with you buddy?

The cat nodded. Shocked, I carefully went after the cat, barely seeing anything in this alley. I took off my sunglasses and tried to focus my eyesight to distinguish my surroundings. Unfortunately, i didn't have any source of light to help guide myself. While I was wondering in which direction to go, I heard a silent meow. I followed it and thought: ,,Where the hell is this creature taking me?"

Every now and then, the cat meowed to help me find my way. I never knew, that this place even existed, such dangerous and dark alleys would infuriate the higher ups. I followed the sounds for a while, and then unexpectedly, I saw something mysterious and weird at the end of the alleyway.

From behind the corner was coming a blue and flashing light, and as I slowly got closer, I started to hear weird noises. I heard battle noises of struggling bodies fighting each other. Every kick, punch and scream echoed through the closed and narrow alleyway. The cat showed itself in the blue light and looked at me with its big eyes. Suddenly, it ran into the alley around the corner, into the source of the light and noises.

– Wait! No! Hey! Don't run in there! You suicidal cat! Come back! – I tried to scream as I looked behind the corner.

I didn't want to lose the cat from my sight. Furthermore, I didn't also want anything bad to happen to him. I wanted to help, it deserved a better life and home. This poor creature should have better home than ,,the streets". I followed its running silhouette with my eyes, and decided to rush. I turned on my recording camera as I ran forwards the ominous lights and noises. Out of nowhere, before i reached the exit, something cold and hard grabbed my leg, causing me to toughly fall to the ground. Before i could react, my face with an impact hit the concrete ground, and my hand trying to rescue it, scratched themselves against the harsh surface.

- Aghhh... Great!... - I shouted lying in demise on the cold and hard street. I tried to get up immediately, but that was a bad idea. I moved my body in pain, and felt something warm flow down my face.

- Why am I so reckless and always ran too fast, not watching the surroundings? How did I not notice the the obstac...

Sitting frightened on my knees, I turned my head. Behind me, was a thick hand, sticking out of the darkness. I jumped back in fear, as i didn’t know whose hand was it, but after a second, I slowly crouched to the body to analyze it.

Unfortunately for me, this hand belonged to a Order Officer, now lying still on the ground without any traces of life. His dark blue military outfit was soaked in blood and was burnt in few places. His quite young and fixed face showed no emotions, as if this person was empty inside. I noticed that his right hand was holding a laser gun, with its red light still turned on. The weapon was still active. The magical realization came to me immediately. In our reality, getting a shooting weapon is almost impossible. I started trembling from the excitement, and my stomach hurt a little bit.

I carefully reached my long hand to grab the weapon next to the body, when suddenly the gun sight pointed straight into my forehead. The body which I was over, breathed so slowly, that i couldn’t detect anything. I turned my head just to look straight into the eyes of the man. They were light green, like the leaves on the trees described in all the books i read, and they were looking at me with unknown fear and despair. I looked at him too, trying the best to express what am I feeling right now. With the working weapon pointing at me, i could die any moment. Is this were it ends? I don’t want to die. I want to see the beautiful sky, wild nature, happy people, and the free world.

I closed my eyes and waited.

- R..run. - I heard a quiet but deep voice.

- Run quickly... Go back... - I opened my eyes and realized that the young man put his weapon down on the ground.

His face expressed the pain he must have felt, as the blood stains were getting bigger. Looking better at him, I could say he was just a bit older than me. I felt miserable and pitiful of him. Maybe it isn’t what he wanted. It’s not what we all wanted. While I was thinking about the sad way of our existence, I forgot why did I even come here. I came to my senses, and looked at him again. Now his face showed something I couldn’t explain nor understand. With his eyes opened widely, he was looking behind me, and his body started to uncontrollably shake. I realized something, and turned my head slowly.

Behind my back, there was a tall person standing, holding something in its long and slim hand. He looked at me with his light blue glowing eyes, similar to a black void hole that sucked everything that was surrounding it. And only the blue light of hope was still trying to get out of the unavoidable power. We stayed like this for a while, but this while seemed to be like infinity... I... have I seen those eyes somewhere before? He didn’t blink, he was still looking at me with the same creepy look. I had to do something, but I didn't know, in what occurrence I just invited myself in.

In the darkness, being softly lit by the mysterious and ominous blue light, a tall and slim man was standing. Wearing a black industrial oversized hoodie with suspenders, attached with two guns, one on each side, covering his face with a hood and a mask, he truly looked like a master of the void. Only his big beautiful diamond eyes were glowing, looking widely at me from under the long dark bangs of this man. Those eyes... looking directly into mine. I was sinking in them, drifting away, and forgot in what horrible place and situation I am. There was a dying man, on the edge of his life, lying next to me. And not only that. He was also an Order Officer, one of the kind that were above the law. Helping him would not only make him in debt for me, maybe I could even achieve a friend? But that’s only a materialistic way of thinking. Even if he would be a totally different person, a friend or an enemy, I would help him too. Because that’s the kind of a person I am. I pity everyone. If I’m not going to care about them, then who’s going to do it?

Thinking about it as I stared at the mysterious person, I realized at the last moment, that the person standing before me was probably the one that has contributed to the state of the dying person next to me. In the awkward silence, I could feel the breaths of us three. The blue-eyed man was breathing deeply and calmly, as if he feared nothing. My shivering and shallow breaths couldn’t get outside, and the lying officer... almost imperceptible movements of his injured body. Is he at his true end? Or maybe he is trying to act like a dead person, so he can possibly get out of this alive? And the mysterious person... he is still staring at me. I know, that as long as he is looking at me, he won’t do anything bad. So I just have to think a bit longer about what should I do? What should I do, don’t panic, what should I do? Think, think, thi...

-What the hell are you doing?! Kill them! Kill them both! What is happening to you? - Out of nowhere, another mysterious and masked person, holding a strange weapon, appeared near the blue-eyed man. He was bigger and taller, wearing a mask with the flames on them, in his deep voice I heard great anger and irritation. Pressure and compulsion. My heart was beating like crazy. How can I escape with an injured man? Can we both come out of this alive?

I decided.

As the slim man turned to face the other one, I immediately got up, with all my force pushed him on his companion, and started running as fast as I could, in the direction of the blue light, without looking back behind. I didn’t run into the darkness, I would definitely lose them, but probably I would also lose myself. If I am going to escape, I will run where I can see and perceive.

I didn’t have enough strength to pick up the bleeding officer, but I came up with an idea that could probably work. I realized that they won’t let me out of here alive, so if I wanted to escape, they would have to pursue me. Either one person of two, I would definitely have somebody on my tail. And the injured man... Would be left alone or with only one person. So many probabilities, I hoped for the best of them to come out true, I hoped that no one will notice that he is alive. Maybe someone will come for him. We will get out of this. We must.

-Don’t look idiot! Run after him! He can’t escape! - I heard the shouting voice of the man in the fire mask. I was running chaotically though the alleyway. Escaping in fear twice the same day will definitely have an impact on my physical and mental health. But screw that, I have too many to things lose, so I don’t care about my health. If I can get out of this alive, even after burning up my lungs, pushing my body to its edge, will do it, I must do it!

I headed in the direction of the noises and lights I heard before, now that they disappeared, I wasn’t fearing that something would happen to me at that place. But how different I thought when I run outside the alley, on the big square I didn’t know even existed in my city, so near to me.

The big gray asphalt square, probably 100 meters long and wide, covered from every side with tall and concrete buildings, without any windows - impenetrable walls, was covered in a dark red substance - blood. Shockingly, on the ground, countless bodies of Order Officers, were lying. Shattered all around the place, in dark blue clothes, in the most miserable positions, I tried to avoid their bodies as far as I could. This is the most frightening picture I have ever seen in my entire life. Was there anyone alive? If only I could help... Anyone...

I noticed that the concrete walls had weird black irregular marks on them, as if something dangerous exploded many times. The bullet marks carved ominous and scary patterns. This place was truly a battlefield. Two unknown persons versus a squadron on armed and strong men, a battle with an obvious outcome you would say, but how different the result is. I was so terrified. I want to get out of here as quickly as I can.

I run across the place but as I was getting to the other side, I couldn’t see any way out of it. No way! There must be another way to get here! Don’t tell me that the void alleys that I used to get here are the only ways of the escape! As I was getting close to the wall, I urgently looked around panicking. Nothing apart from lying bodies caged inside four concrete walls of doom.

Think!

My body was shaking. Climbing those walls definitely isn’t an option.

Think!

My heart was jumping inside of my body. Where is even this place? Was it on a map of my district? If not, then where would it possibly be?!...

Think!

My hands started to go numb. The bodies around, there was a fight, and where a fight is, weapons are... Weapons! Guns!

I couldn’t escape. My only option was to fight. But... I... Never fought before with real weapons. Every time something dangerous was about to happen to me, I just ran away, like a coward. And I, couldn’t hurt anyone either...

I searched next to me, but I couldn’t find a single weapon. No! There must be some left! They couldn’t take every one!

I knelt down trying to urgently find something that would help me defend myself. While I was quickly searching through the clothes of the bodies, my hands came across something. I reached into the pocket of a lying body of an officer. I grabbed took out something hard. It was a communication device! The similar to the one I use at home to secretly listen to Order Officers channels, news and announcements. I looked at it with the excitement. I just have to communicate! Holding the device in my left hand, I reached deeper into the pocket, there was something more! I can’t believe it’s so eas...

A sound of a lifting gun came from right before me. Before I could do anything, react, a loud and ringing shot pierced through my thoughts.