Chapter 11

Glass Jungle

I wake up in sudden terror of a nightmare. That was close and I'm still chasing my breath for that unusual thing happening in my head and I can say that it is the most frightening one that could happen if it would be gone to reality. The High Council were killing off the hundred people who are going through a rebirth and even myself, couldn't help myself and killed right on it but I was glad that it is all a product of my head—a nightmare all along.

When I sit up from laying down and took a deep breath, the next thing that caught my attention was the missing person as with me in this room. I hurriedly come to find my things on the living and gladly to found it there but there are no marks of Al here, his backpack was gone and I think he left without me.

I removed the black cloth from the window and the sunlight welcomes my face, I blink for few times to adjust my vision and come to see that the flood was going off, and I see some people who are getting through it to get by and lead to wherever they have to. I don't know where to go, but to be nowhere 'cause this time only survival is the reason I have to keep on living.

I grab my backpack and get some food we brought and all these wouldn't be sufficient to last long, maybe one to two weeks—maybe just one and a half week because you wouldn't know what happens and hunger is our first problem here. I eat what I can take and after, I just decided to go on the road and find a new house to stay.

Sneaking out of the room, I think that there's no one around because every corner is quiet and I think that's a good sign. When I'm about to head on the staircase, I heard a lot of rummaging footsteps and a lot of voices coming from men. I immediately took a hiding spot behind the almost hanging dirty curtain and kept myself in silent until they pass through. A moment later, I heard they're breaking the doors to get inside the rooms and might be searching for some alive individuals and who knows what are they capable of.

"There's nothing here," one man said.

The other man hissed, "we should leave, this place is shit."

"Yeah... dead people on the rooftop."

"We should go now."

And the next thing they did was running off downstairs, I gave a few minutes to let it go and set myself out of hiding when I knew they were gone. I walked down through the very first floor and when I see the exit, I timidly open the door to see if there some people around but it's clear and just the shallow water but I think it is going to dry up sooner.

I don't know where I am heading but just to a place where I can be safe and killing isn't their drama. Procrastinating all over the place somehow stopped me when I heard a familiar sound of the engine and when I follow it from where it coming from, my eyes widened to see how things go unexpectedly.

There were two people at him, the one who's trying to start the motorbike and the other one was holding Al's arm and by the looks of it, he couldn't escape from the gripped he has been on. I slowly, sneaking in towards them and while grabbing a rock that big enough to make him passed out of it. I targeted the man who's on the motorbike, and when I shoot the rock, I thought it wouldn't go straight to him because I got to throw it so high but it was so smooth that it landed right into his head that made him fall to the ground. The other one immediately comes to help his friend but on the opportunity to take by Al, he kicked him in the nuts.

I entered the scene and Al was shocked to see me, and I don't know what it is that for him but I hastily jumped into the motorbike.

"C'mon, Al! Get here, before he got up!"

Al didn't hesitate to join me on the motorbike and put himself on my backside, "go, go, go!!!"

I drive the motor at its full speed of getting away with them. I don't know where we'll go but wherever the road takes us, it's a place for us. It doesn't take us long when we bound to a place where the welcoming boards say, Glass Jungle.

As we come into farther of the place, at first, there were just trees and bushes from the front but when we got into the main view of the place. It is a place of glass and our reflections can be seen around. There are many glass buildings can be seen, there are glowing crystals along the road and might be there is something about this place.

"We should hide somewhere safe..." Al said.

"I don't think this place is good for hiding..." I said, "you can be seen anywhere."

"Maybe..." he said. And all I can do was too creased my forehead trying to think of what he just said.

After roaming around this place, we've seen a house, as usual, it is made of glass. Al and I don't have any but to know how this place really works, he already has the idea on his mind but he's still not sure so he didn't bother to share it.

When we take the path in one of the glass houses, there is no handle and so we pushed it until we've seen what's inside of it. I took my motorbike inside the glass house and couldn't bear to lose it again, I don't know if this goes under the flood but it is still working and the engine was good, but I think the one who steals it from me got out of balanced because there's some scratched on the other side of it.

We closed the door and see how this place was incredible insight. There are some nice sheets, food stocks, and a bathroom and I think these things were fine as long as no one will know that we are here. Also, the amazing thing happens when we can see right through the outside—and as I can remember when we're on the outside, it is just our reflection.

"I was right," Al said, putting his hand on my shoulder, "this glass house was made of a two-way glass mirror."

"What is that?" I asked, and how exactly did he have knowledge of all these things?

He smirked, "well... it is simple, it has two different perspectives. The part where they don't see on the other side and the opposite of that one."

"How they did that happen?"

He just shrugged his shoulder, "I think all the way from the 2000s, they already had these mirror and just now, they were using it for these kind of things."

"Clever," I said, and so I shoved his hands off of me when I remember waking up he's gone on the same apartment. "Tell me, Al, did you purposely left me on that building?"

He narrowed his eyes, thinking what I'm pointing about and when he got it, he shook his head as a response, "no, why would you think that?"

"Because you left without a word, and you have your bag with you. Why wouldn't I think of such things... like you betray me with that."

He laughed, as if it is a matter of joke, but seriously, he was just taking it cool. "You're unbelievable Dylan." He chuckles, couldn't help himself. "Why would I do that to one person I can trust in this place—"

"Then why?"

"Oh-okay, let me explain," he chuckles, "first, I don't wanna wake you up 'cause I think you were sleeping so good 'cause you snore too much—"

"Definitely not good—"

He nodded as I said, "anyway, I just got to find some food for us when I found that the water was going down. I didn't wanna wake you up and so I take my chance, I left alone to find some foods or something we need."

"But we still have some foods on our backpack, right?" I said.

He nodded, "but not enough, you know that..." he said, "and so I need to find our supply."

"And did you have?"

He shook his head, "but," he immediately took a defense response, "I didn't get to find some foods but on my way there, I found your motorbike. I thought it was just junk around but then I recognize it was yours, I think the person who steals it from you couldn't bear that it attracts a lot of people on its engine." He laughed, and I do because it is true though. "But when I'm on my way back at the building we stayed, two guys blocked my way and started harassing me to give them the bike and so came and I think, I justify my banishment earlier."

I nodded, satisfied with his explanation, "I forgive you for that but if you do that again, if I ever see you in trouble, I'll just watch you."

He smirked, "good thing, I already learned my lesson." He said, "So... we're in this glass jungle, you know, everything is a risk here."

I narrowed my eyes, curious, "how can you say that?"

"Everything can be seen around—and reflections are just one of the thing we should be aware of." He said, "but we're still good here I think... this place seems so quiet."

I took a sigh, "well, I think we should always be careful..."

"Yeah, we can't risk anything here."

I go to the bathroom and gladly, it wasn't in a two-way glass mirror. I looked myself in the mirror and washed my face with water, we could be safe for the meantime but not anytime and all the time. But staying lay low may be good for us and we'll come for the better when it is coming.

But what are the risks we're taking here? What'sso fascinating about this place? Glass comes with a Jungle isn't a good tandem.