Chapter 29: Chapter 29
Jimmy screamed in sheer terror, a high pitched sound lost to the monstrous roar of the black hole.
He was being dragged toward the swirling vortex, his body becoming a plaything for cosmic forces he couldn’t comprehend.
He felt dangerously close, his heart hammering against his ribs, his stomach twisting into a knot. It truly felt like the end, his final hours. Eric was a rapidly shrinking dot below him, disappearing into the distance.
Eric, watching helplessly from the ground, was filled with a sense of utter devastation. He held on to a steel rod, fighting a losing battle against the pull. He watched as Jimmy was dragged farther and farther away, a tiny figure swallowed by the sky.
A sad look of acceptance settled on both their faces as they stared at each other from afar. Jimmy had given up, no longer fighting against the pull, accepting his horrible fate.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the cosmic roar.
"Keep your head together."
Yelena, a blur of motion, grabbed Jimmy mid air. She boosted hard against the pull of the black hole, struggling against the aggressive force.
Yelena’s sudden appearance shocked Jimmy to the core. He held on tightly to her, a flurry of emotions rendering him speechless.
Eric, still on the ground, witnessed Yelena’s sudden appearance. He held on to a piece of debris to avoid being pulled away himself.
A mix of emotions washed over him, surprise, shock, and relief. He couldn’t process everything happening at once. The black hole’s pull had gotten much stronger, now tearing the city apart with chaos. Yelena held on tightly, flying harder and harder against the strong pull, struggling to keep them from being completely consumed.
"How long?"
Yelena said loudly to Jimmy, veins visible on her temples, her teeth clenched. She was fighting with everything she had, a warrior’s resolve against the unyielding pull of the black hole.
"Ho-how long till what?"
Jimmy replied, his words stuttering.
"How long till the core hits?"
Yelena said loudly, fighting hard.
Now fully understanding what she meant, he turned to see the train’s car he had jumped from. It was much closer to being swallowed by the black hole.
"Any moment from now,"
Jimmy replied.
Yelena was beginning to feel a heavy ache. She was becoming weaker and weaker against the pull. Her body slowly began to fall apart, giving in to the pull as pain rushed through her limbs.
"Ahhh,"
Yelena said, still fighting as pain enveloped her body.
"Don’t think I can hold on much longer."
Eric held on tightly to a steel rod, his body now completely above the ground. He realized he was too weak and injured to hold on much longer.
"Shit!"
Eric said to himself, feeling his fingers go numb from clutching the rod. He was slowly losing his grip, and then it happened. The steel rod tore free from the ground, and Eric was now being pulled strongly toward the black hole, screaming.
Jimmy and Yelena both witnessed Eric’s unfortunate circumstance. Yelena’s body instinctively wanted to move to help him, but her current situation made it impossible to glide in any direction except forward against the pull.
Any slight movement would interrupt her focus and momentum, a mistake that could cost them dearly. She was helpless.
Then what she witnessed next was a little surprising, Eric used the black hole’s pull to his advantage. He stretched out his body, using his coat as wings, and posed in a way that allowed him to glide in the air. He was slowly moving away from his initial path, drifting toward them.
Moments later, he drew close to Yelena, almost a few inches from missing her. He grabbed her by the leg, slightly pulling them backward toward the black hole.
"Eric, you—"
Yelena said, fighting against the pain and the increased weight on her as she held her own against the strong pull. It was now very clear, they were losing. They were slowly being moved backward toward the black hole as she fought hard.
"Ahh!"
Yelena yelled out in pain, trying her best to fight against the pull while carrying Jimmy’s and Eric’s weight on her.
Suddenly, a loud, crackling roar erupted from the black hole. Eric turned slowly. The train’s power core had finally collided with the black hole, and the noise was the result.
As they were being pulled, losing the fight, Eric noticed the black hole had begun to consume itself, sucking itself and everything around it inward. A clear sign that Jimmy’s countermeasure had worked successfully.
BOOM!!!
The black hole exploded against itself, sending a massive and destructive shockwave in all known directions, blasting away Eric, Jimmy, and Yelena, sending them flying.
Yelena swiftly pulled Eric and Jimmy close to her, shielding them with her body. They aggressively collided with solid objects and crashed through buildings as they fell.
Finally, they hit the ground and skidded continuously, Yelena’s back creating a long destroyed path before they stopped.
Eric and Jimmy both rolled away from Yelena and lay on the floor, facing the sky, breathing heavily. They were still trying to process if they were alive after going through such a thrilling, dangerous moment.
Out of nowhere, Eric began to laugh uncontrollably, a deep, manly laugh.
"Ha ha ha,"
he laughed, still lying on the ground.
"You’re laughing? We could have died, Eric, and you’re laughing?"
Jimmy said, confused. He turned to face Eric, looking over Yelena, who was quietly between them, Eyes closed as she slowly catches her breath.
"Haha! gotta admit, that was bloody mental. Kinda fun in a twisted sorta way, yeah"
Eric replied, still laughing.
"Bloody hell, can’t remember the last time I had a thrill like that and with someone else tagging along for the ride, no less. not sure if that’s a blessing or a bloody curse"
Hearing Eric’s words, a smile appeared on Jimmy’s face, and he began to giggle. This was the first time he had experienced anything like this, something thrilling and dangerous, but still kind of fun.
He had always wanted to explore and do things besides being in a lab all day. Maybe this was the kind of life he wanted all along, doing something cool and sick while being the genius he is.
"Eric?"
Jimmy called out softly.
"What you told me... what you said while I was up in the air. Did you really mean it?" Jimmy asked, his tone soft as he turned and awaited Eric’s response.
"Fuck no!"
Eric replied without hesitation.
"Huh?"
Jimmy said, stunned by Eric’s response.
"What, you took my little inspirational speech to heart? You’ve been a pain in the ass."
Eric hissed, his words dry, sharp, and mixed with mockery.
"Oh,"
Jimmy replied, his voice subtle as he felt a little heartbroken and disappointed. He turned away from looking at Eric.
"Look, I won’t say it was all sunshine and roses, you’ve truly been a big pain but it wasn’t all bad"
Eric said, his voice suddenly softening.
"Guess I don’t mind having you around. And... yeah. Glad to see you in one piece, kid."
His words made Jimmy turn toward him, a look of surprise on his face as he felt touched once again.
"You really mean it?"
Jimmy said, his face folding as tears filled his eyes.
"Fuck no!"
Eric replied again without hesitation.
His reply made Jimmy’s tears dry up immediately. He flared up in anger, his eyes turning blood red like a cat’s, a desire to tear Eric apart for toying with his emotions.
"You son of a bitch!"
Jimmy sat up, yelling in anger.
"Hahaha,"
Eric laughed hard, a happy grin on his face.
"That’s the first time you’ve actually cursed."
Eric laughed.