The door

It was a normal school day as I was walking down the hallway between classes with my close friend, Jake. I've known him for a couple of years now, I couldn’t wish for a better friend. He's been with me through thick and thin.

“Hey man did you hear that thing with Kaylee?” Jake asked. I look at him confused, I knew Kaylee in middle school but our friendship loosened throughout high school.

“No, I didn’t hear anything about her, what happened?” He looked like he was about to burst with excitement.

“People have been talking about…” He trailed off and pushed my shoulder to get my attention.

“Dude, over there look.” He pointed over to the corner of the hallway, it was dusty and gross, I’d even seen a couple of rats over there before. But this time it was different, there was a door of sorts with a light purple glow coming from the bottom opening. There’s never been a door over there let alone a glowing one it’s as if it appeared out of nowhere.

“Why is it glowing?” I ask Jake. He looked as if I expected him to know what this door was.

“I have no clue why would I know? Do you wanna check it out?” He grinned as if even if I said no to his proposal he’d do it anyway.

“I mean sure, what harm could it be, we have some time before science starts.” We started over to the door trying not to draw attention to us.

As we walked closer and closer to the door it got weirdly cooler than normal, I heard chuffing sounds coming from the door.

“Dude, that doesn’t sound safe at all,” I told him. I looked the door up and down reaching my hand out to grab the door knob and I opened the door. The door seemed to have nothing behind it, just a purple glow.

“It’ll be fine, just move and I’ll go first.” He pushed me away and grabbed my hand as he stepped in causing me to follow his lead. He stepped into the purpleness of the door, as soon as he stepped in he fell, and shortly after I fell with him.

As I woke up I found myself in a dimly lit cavern with vast and open walls. I must have hit my head hard because I don’t remember much about falling. I looked around for a clue of where I was but all I could see was a pile of weapons and rocks everywhere and an opening on the very top of the cavern.

“Jake! Where are you? Can you hear me!?” No response. After getting no response from Jake I decide to get up and walk around, looking for a way out of this place. After a long walk up a hill of rocks, I saw just how big this cavern was. The middle was scorched with marks of battle as if a war happened. That’s when I saw him. Jake. He was lying in a pile of debris.

“Jake!” I ran over to the pile of rocks where he was lying. As I got over my heart dropped, a huge gash was on his left shoulder. I grabbed him by his sides and shook him.

“Are you okay!? Please wake up!” As I was shaking him his eyes opened sleepily. Hope rose in my chest.

“You're okay! Thank god, I thought I lost you” His look didn’t look pleased, he was looking at me as if I had three heads.

“A-Alex behind you” His face was full of terror, I turned my head to be face to face with a Wyvern. Its three heads staring back at me. Their scales radiating heat, smoke leaking out of its nostrils and curling around its horns. It got on its back legs, chuffing and gurgling heat as if it was about to blast fire.

“Get back!!” I pushed Jake out of the way causing both of us to fall down the pile of rocks. Soon after the Wyvern let out a blast of fire, the rocks melting of heat. Finding its attempt to barbeque us it turned back to us, its look even more terrifying than the last.

“Follow me I saw some weapons somewhere over there” I pointed over to the huge pile of swords. I grabbed Jake's hand and led him over with me. The Wyvern closes on our tails.

“Shoot, Shoot, Shoot, it's getting closer, quick grab one.” I tossed a sword to him, and grabbed one for myself. I led him over to a spot out of the beast's view.

“Okay, Okay, so Wyverns can only die by a hit to their weak spot. Anything else won't do much. I say we try to get up and get to the opening. Doesn't matter if we kill it because the only thing we are worried about is getting out of the horrid place.” I propose the plan to him.

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll distract it while you climb up one of its legs then you do the same but you're on the beast.” I nod in agreement.

“Hey, Jake. Before we do this I want you to know you have been an amazing friend these past years, I couldn't ask for anyone else,” I walk closer to him and give him a tight hug. “You better not die,” I laugh, smiling.

He looks at me, his expression soft, “I wouldn’t dream of it, now let's show this thing who’s boss!” We walked quietly around the pile of rubble and had eyes on the wyvern.

“Okay you go that way while I get on the beast’s back,” I instructed him.

He walked away over to the huge opening in the middle of the cavern and started to yell, “Over here you monster I’m over here!” The Wyvern turned its head around to look at Jake, its eyes pinpoint on him, like nothing else was important in the world was only getting him. As it was distracted by Jake’s yelling I ran over to the beast’s leg and started to climb, my sword in the sheath I found in the weapons pile. The Wyvern growled and shook its leg, I could feel the heat as it tried to get me with fire.

I soon got to the top of its back and started to scream, letting Jake get a chance to climb up: “Over here you beast! I'm over here!” Its head swerved around, its glowing snake-like eyes staring me down, chuffing and gurgling sounds came from the beast. “Jake! Hurry, it's gonna blast fire again and I'm not sure if I can dodge this one!”

Jake soon got to the top of the monster's back and exclaimed: “I’m here, I’m here, let’s get out of here.”

We were closer to the hole in the ceiling but it felt like miles away, the Wyvern started to open its mouth, “Watch out!” I pushed Jake out of the way as one of the Wyvern’s heads tried to bite us, I grabbed my sword and racked it against its scales causing it to back off.

“Come on, it's distracted,” I grabbed him by the hand and ran up toward the base of the Wyvern neck. We ran, dodging the monster's attempt to bite and scorch us. Sweat started to drip down my face as a wave or tiredness came over me but I had to keep going. As soon as we got to the base of the Wyverns neck we started to climb, its scales rough on my skin, they were so sharp you could almost cut yourself with them.

We got about halfway up the monster's neck when I felt a blow to my side causing me to lose grip on its neck and fall.

“Alex!” Jake yelled, air flowing around my body, the coolness of the cave even more prominent than before. Soon enough I landed on the back of the huge monster, a spike of pain jolting through my body, I screamed in agony. My thoughts racing I couldn’t think straight. My vision got blurry, eventually everything went black.

I woke up and could hear Jake mumbling and shaking my body, “No. No. No. No! You can’t be dead, please wake up!” My vision slowly came back, my whole body aching. Jake’s face lit up: “Alex! You’re awake” I was taken aback when I was met with a warm embrace. “I thought you were gone, I didn't feel a pulse and I guess your breathing was so shallow I didn’t even see it. Thank God you're okay.” I took a deep breath and slowly stood up.

“I’m okay, don't worry, but we need to get out of here, let’s give this one more try,” I say, softening my expression, “Thank you for helping me.”

He takes my hand, “Of course, I’d sacrifice myself to save you Alex, you are one of the only people who truly care about me.” I looked at him, I was shocked no one has ever said that to me. I couldn’t keep these emotions in anymore, I pulled him in for a kiss sitting there for what seemed forever but a good forever. He’s been one of the closest people in my life and has supported me with all of my decisions and taught me there are bright people in this world.

I pulled my head back and he opened his eyes with a soft expression on his face: “I love you.”

I smile and say, “I love you too, if we don’t get out of here alive I want you to know that you're the most important person in my life, and I will do anything to keep you safe.”

“And me to you Alex. Now, let's show this thing who it’s messing with!” We came up with a plan, this time instead of climbing and running in a straight line we are going to run in zig zags making it harder to get us with its mouth or fire.

We went through the same routine as we did in the last attempt. Jake went to distract the Wyvern while I ran and climbed, but this time he ran in the direction so we got the perfect line to the escape hole. Sweat beaded on my face, as I climbed the Wyvern’s leg, the scales giving my hands cuts. By the time I get to the top of the wyvern’s leg and on its back, my hands are bleeding pretty bad.

“Okay! I’m up, it's your turn,” I yell out. I start to bang my sword against the monster back, dragging it on its scales causing small incisions on its back. Not much time later Jake gets up onto the back.

“Okay I’ll go first and you follow my lead” I follow him as instructed. Soon enough we found ourselves almost up the monster's neck, my body is about to give out at this point.

Jake looks down from above: “We’re almost there, give me your hand.” He reached out his arm and took my hand in his and pulled me to the top of the Wyvern's head. The Wyvern was done with our climbing at this point and was thrashing its head back and forth. As I got pulled to the top I stabbed my sword into the Wyvern's head just deep enough to keep me stable, Jake did the same.

I pointed to the opening, “I don’t think we are close enough to the exit. We need to get closer.” Jake looked at me, his face exhausted from running and climbing. He looked all over the cavern for another way out but by his expressions there was no luck.

“Here take my hand,” He said, putting his hand out for me to grab, I grabbed his hand waiting for him to tell me his plan. But his face told me something I didn’t want to accept. “We both can’t make it Alex.”

“I’m not leaving without you! No, there has to be another way out.” My breathing picked up speed and my heart was pounding, I kept thinking about another way out and that i'm not leaving without him.

“I love you Alex,” He grabbed my arm and forced it off the sword.

I started to yell but it turned into a sob, “No! No! Stop, we can both get out of here I’ll find a way!” Tears were streaming down my cheeks. “I can’t leave you, I love you and I need you, please don't do this!” I was begging him, begging him not to leave, he can’t do this to me.

“I love you Alex.” His eyes were watering but he was smiling. He let go of me and pushed me back through the opening. I screamed out for him as I went back, and soon I was back. Back at school. Back in front of that damned purple door tears rolling down my face.