The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 50: Psychosis

Part 1/5

Loki quickly dropped the implant and slammed the office door open. He ran up to the complex doors and kicked his foot on it a few times, breaking the lock and rushing out into the cold snowstorm. He began to look around, and when another cry for help rang through the air, he quickly made his way to the source.

It was the secondary living quarters. And there was blood everywhere. And the bodies…

Loki didn’t want to look, but he had to. Standing amongst the bloodshed was a man in fur armor. He had no fur cap, and his gray hair shuffled as the wind grew more intense. The hum of the blue Obelisk nearby shone down upon the two, and in the psychotic man’s hands was a pike, stained in red.

“Mr. Ma…” Loki said, almost coming out to a whimper. Mr. Ma had his hand raised in the air, as if he were grabbing the air itself. A blue flame flickered in his hand, and someone was pinned against the wall. Maddox. Blood seeped from his head, and one of his eyes was swollen. He didn’t even look alive.

But what shocked Loki most was that no one was holding Maddox against the wall.

Mr. Ma seemingly ignored Loki’s words, lifting his hand up and slamming it down, causing Maddox to collapse to the ground. Mr. Ma grabbed Maddox by the throat with his right hand and began to choke him.

“Just die already… stop resisting and it’ll be less painful!”

“...Never,” Maddox choked. Loki rushed forward and grabbed Mr. Ma by the shoulders, pulling him off of Maddox.

“STOP IT!” Loki demanded. Mr. Ma raised his hand and clenched the air as if he were holding a ball, and Loki was lifted into the air! Loki’s eyes widened as he saw a blue glow surrounding his body. He noticed his implant shone the same color as the glow around his body.

With a violent wave of the hand, Loki was thrown back, and Mr. Ma got up.

“Whoever did that should stop-”

Mr. Ma turned around, and his face turned white. Loki groaned as he struggled to get up from the snow-ridden ground, and Loki noticed the eerie look in Mr. Ma’s right eye.

“Loki?” Mr. Ma nearly muttered, “Loki- Loki I didn’t mean to I-”

“Save it!” Loki stammered, his breath fading. He got up from the ground and stared right into Mr. Ma’s soul, “Maddox has done nothing wrong to you! He’s a good friend and I won’t let you mercilessly take his life for no reason!”

“You were- supposed to be sleeping,” Mr. Ma whispered. The blue from his eye was disappearing and fading away, “Loki, it wasn’t me, I swear that kid- he tried to hurt me first. The obelisk rose from the ground… and he tried to hurt me and then-”

Mr. Ma paused, his implant glowing dim.

“I grew stronger.”

Loki briefly remembered the night the obelisks rose from the earth. Once they did all their implants had given them a warning, foreboding strength if they were heartless enough to murder someone.

“Loki, I… Don’t want to hurt you,” Mr. Ma admitted, “I did it to protect YOU.”

Suddenly Mr. Ma let out a cry and fell to his knees, clutching his left wrist with his right hand. White blobs made of some strange material suddenly began to cover his eyes, and his limbs became loose. Mr. Ma looked up, the white blobs flickering back and forth. He got up from the ground, and Loki began to back away.

Mr. Ma pointed at Loki with a crooked finger.

“You don’t understand, do you?!”

“What are you even talking about Mr. Ma-”

Mr. Ma began to rush forward and swung his pike’s blunt end at Loki. Loki rolled out of the way and kicked at his shin. Mr. Ma let out a grunt and stumbled. Tears were streaming down Mr. Ma’s blood-stained face.

“No matter how hard I try, I always find myself back here in this cursed place with the people I care about. First my friends, then my family. Then my wife and son… Then you.”

Mr. Ma put the pike over his head and swung at Loki again. Loki grabbed the pike midair and flung it out of Mr. Ma’s hands. Mr. Ma growled and lunged for Loki’s neck. Loki grabbed Mr. Ma’s wrists, but he was overpowered and grabbed around the throat. Mr. Ma lifted Loki up and slammed him into a nearby wall, causing the building to shake. Loki slammed his elbow into Mr. Ma’s arm and he dropped him.

Loki looked back, wiping spittle off his lips.

“Why are you trying to kill me? I thought you were trying to protect me!” Loki barked.

“I am protecting you… But you, just, won’t listen!”

Mr. Ma wiped the tears off his face, but he continued to sob violently.