Rave's Arrival

(10 AM - four hours later)

Vermont enjoyed the past few hours and had a good nap. Even others were waking up because of the sudden noise in the atmosphere.

Some were giggling after being informed about what happened to arrived prisoners, others were checking their smart devices for Maya's reception to work again.

The twenty prisoners that had come looking for food were sitting in one corner while grumping because of their manhandling by the guards.

Upon their arrival, they hadn't expected that more than half of the people around the kitchen wearing white vests were prison guards. They came with confidence but were subdued and beaten down by the forty biohacker guards working together.

"What is that? Look there?"

A woman in her late 20s shouted, pointing at the dust cloud in the distance that was moving in their direction at high speed.

"What-?"

"A Sandstorm?"

"What is up with those clouds? WAIT-!!! I THINK I SAW SOMETHING MOVE INSIDE THE CLOUD!!!!"

GASP-!!!

Startled, everybody turned to look in the direction and couldn't help but gasp at the sight of malevolent energy travelling at neck-breaking speed.

Some took off to run in the opposite direction, but where could they run for cover in the wide empty grasslands with flattened buildings and a broken piece of Airbus? Soon, within a minute, the menacing black tsunami of unrecognizable matter reached Block C and everybody covered their heads in fear.

"AAGHH!!!"

"WHAT IS THIS?"

"SOMEBODY!!! I CAN'T SEEE!!!"

"HELP-!!!"

"HONEY!!! NOOOO-!!!!"

Unlike the other 100 people in the vicinity, Vermont wasn't the least bit scared of the Radiation Cloud. What scared him was the unknown that was to come inside the rave.

If someone were to ask him, what was that menacing cloud of darkness? He wouldn't have an answer. As even 10 years into the future, when he left Earth, nobody understood the origins and the reason Radiation Cloud appeared and why did they disappear?

What they knew, however, was that a random Rave would start whenever a Radiation Cloud would pass some locations. Nobody could predict which Radiation Cloud would start a Rave or what location it would choose, but there were a few things that were known about Raves:

- Those who enter the Rave can awaken as Ravett.

- Only 100 people can enter a Rave.

- Every Rave is different.

- Raves only happen during the start of the cataclysm.

'I can't miss this chance.'

Vermont made a resolve as he wrapped himself in the wet blanket that he had prepared beforehand and jumped within the tornado of fire raging around the kitchen's perimeter.

Just as the Radiation Cloud touched the kitchen perimeter, the flames on its border burned with reinvigorated vigour. The heat could be felt from 100 meters away.

Vermont feared being left behind, so he jumped into the hellfire. He had to be amongst the 100 participants in order to enter the rave dimension.

Vermont wasn't aware of the events of the Rave except for a few rumours he had heard in his last life from Damon's interview, but even if he knew, he had no way to prepare given the barren marshlands.

That is why Vermont braced himself and jumped over the walls of flame and entered "Hell's Kitchen".