Alchemical musings (22Cable & runawayninja)

[22Cable]

He wandered up to the front door of his friends home, ignoring the overgrown yard and peeling paint of the houses sagging and battered facade. He didn't bother tugging the earphones out, or even turning down the clearly audible heavy beat of the music. Slouching he leaned against the door bell, knowing his friends parents would be working helped with the decision.

Dumping his backpack off his shoulder he twisted keeping pressure on the buzzer the entire while. Even though he was both curious, and even a little concerned at his friends absence the last couple of days, he felt no real worry that something "bad" had happened. The most likely explanation was a new enthusiasm.

Enthusiasms had gotten them both in trouble before.

"Hey! You going to open the door or what!" he yelled.

 

[runawayninja]

"Yea, yea, hang on!" Rafe answered the door and smiled, letting his friend in. "Hello there, Alan." He smiled and stood back, shutting the door behind him. "It's good to see you Alan...how long has it been?" He had apparently lost all track of time since he had holed himself up in the house. "I fear I don't know what day it is..."

Rafe looked disheveled. His silvery hair, normally short and well-kept was wild and his eyes were dark and sunken from lack of sleep. He was wearing a simple black tee and some denim shorts.

 

[22Cable]

“What you been doing Rafe?”, he said as he entered and finally began removing his earphones.

Alan kept on walking as he spoke heading to the back of the house and towards the cellar, where Rafe was sure to have been doing whatever it was he’d been “Doing”.

“It’s been like … 4 days. You’ve missed nearly a whole week. … and Rafe it’s Friday. Well whats left of Friday anyway. What have you been doing?”

“You haven’t been sick or anything?”

 

[runawayninja]

Rafe looked genuinely surprised. "Friday...? Already?" He counted on his fingers and looked a bit shocked. "Well...so it is. It doesn't matter! Remember that old book we found? The one with the strange symbols? Well the internet helped me out and I found it, its a book of alchemy!" He lead Alan into the cellar and smirked a bit.

The cellar now contained a lab with some strange smells coming from it. Ominous, multicolored lighting lit up the room in a strange way, casting an unusual light on the various liquids. "Just be careful now..."

 

[22Cable]

“Alchemy? … Sure Rafe”, Alan said with a snort.

He peered through the odd lights at the transformed cellar. Certainly Rafe had gone all out this time.

“Hey man, what’s your old man say about … “Alan paused in his question as the various smells finally caught up with him and lead to an explosive sneeze.

“Ahhhhhchhhoooooo!”

“Damn! this place stink!” he added taking a step further into the room.

He staggered as he missed the step and actually knocked a beaker off a table. Luckily his reflexes were quick enough to catch it.

“Saved!” He said spinning with a triumphant grin towards Rafe … expecting serious telling off from his friend for carelessness.

Behind him his back pack completed a short arc, knocking another beaker over and onto a simmering hotplate. Alan was still confused by his friends expression as the multi-coloured steam engulfed him.

 

[runawayninja]

"Hit the deck!" Rafe dived down as the steam was followed by a ghastly explosion, filling the area that Rafe managed to dodge from with a thick smoke and mottles of fluid. Rafe waited for the smoke to slowly dissipate before he slowly came out from under the desk. "Alan! Alan are you ok?!"

 

[22Cable]

Alan struggled to consciousness. Something had happened … Yeah … Something that Rafe had been playing around with had sort of burst all around him. That’s when he noticed his frinds voice calling.

“Gnerrr”, he mumbled in response.
He felt weird as he struggled on to his hands an knees in the dissipating cloud of steam.

 

[runawayninja]

Rafe waved the thick cloud of mystery smoke aside as he moved forward to check on his friend. But the sight before him on hands and knees was something he was not prepared for. "Al...Alan...?" What was before him was something unusual, something definitely not his friend. It was practically bursting out of the shirt Alan had worn. "Who...?"