SHADOW KID

Chapter 3

Ash happened to find himself in a parallel moving object as he went downwards. It seemed to be an underground elevator shaft!

      "Hell, this is sick!" exclaimed Ash, amazed. The elevator kept going down until it came to a halt at a wide and fallow space.

        It looked like a deserted labratory. Ash could tell from the distinctive odour of chemical solutions which have been disposed and the forlorn labratory equipments which were arranged erratically on the hoary shelves in the lab.

       He decided to pry further into the lab, perceiving the specimens in the lab. The lab was surrounded with huge glass jars, each the size of his head. "What are those?" said Ash as he observed a weird looking specimen in a glass jar. It had a jelly-like structure which looked like an organ dissolved in a mushy, green solution.

     The more Ash saw it, the more it made him want to puke. He sauntered on, until he saw a door centered at the far edge of the labratory. The door was labeled with a sign that emboldened the words, "NO ENTRY", Ash read out.

    "I wonder what's in there?" thought Ash as he beckoned with curiosity. Beyond that door, a set of intricate apparatus were set up, which consisted of multilple test tubes and conical flasks, all containing a not dissimilar chemical. An unknown compound, labelled as 'Chemical S'.

     Connected to all these apparatus, a thin wire intersected with the long test tubes in the lab, that acted as a security alarm. A last-resort defense system, that would destroy all the apparatus and chemicals within the lab just in case..., an intruder managed to barge through.

      An intruder like... Ash.

     Ash looked at his watch and checked the time. "I'm not late yet...am I?" said Ash as he thought about his parents who might be worried sick if he came home late that day.

      He looked at the restricted entry sign one last time and sighed heavily. "That sign is really testing my patience", he said vividly. "Should I enter?" thought Ash. "Should I not?" he reconsidered. Finally he made up his mind as he clasped his hands together.

       "Maybe I should". If only he wished he didn't...

       Ash held the handle of the door, as he perspired with anxiety. He took a deep breath and said, "Well, here goes nothing" and pushed it open.

       Nothing. Besides the uncanny looking chemical called 'chemical S', all that was inside, was a set of complicated lab contraptions and long test tubes. At least, that was what Ash thought.

       Until the security barrier went off...

     The apparatus started colliding into each other like planets during the 'Big Bang' and the door slammed shut behind Ash.

      "What's happening?!" thoought Ash. Panicked and encumbered with fear, he grasped the handle of the door, and tried to get out, but it was pointless. Ash was trapped. Conical flasks and test tubes started to shatter and the cryptic chemical in it bobbled like hot larva.

        "I hate my decisions", thought Ash as more materials in the room started to fall apart and the unknown chemical burst into an enigmatic explosion. The blast was so hard that Ash was thrown backwards and his head hit the hard concrete wall.

         Thick black vapour started to disperse around the room, carrying the extract of the indefinite chemical. And as Ash inhaled the hollow vapour, his eyelids grew heavy and his head dazed in circles. Then, feeling feeble and dizzy, Ash passed out...