I didn’t sleep that night. Part of me didn’t want to believe what happened. The very thought of me being here seemed surreal. I had been ripped away from my friends and family and tossed into this unknown time. Also what would happen if I messed something up? Would I cease to exist? What if I somehow managed to hurt someone and that someone turned out to be my grandfather or something. Would I be the embodiment of that one para-
“Hello Augustus? I was sent to get you.”
The voice at the door drove me away from those terrible thought momentarily. I turn around to face it.
“Oh hello Taylor. Where are we going now?”
She looks at me then around the room.
“Did you sleep at all last night? You look terrible.”
“Let’s just go.” I reply angrily.
Taylor leads me down the hall and up two flights of stairs. I was surprised that I made it up those last steps. The fatigue from yesterday and this morning finally set in.
“Do you need some help? You look like you’re about to fall over.”
“I’m fine just… Let’s go alright?”
She leads me down to the left to a set of double doors. She opens them but doesn’t head inside.
“It’s alright. You’ll be fine.” She tells me as she shuts the doors behind me. I look around at my surroundings. There’s a large desk in the middle of the room and bookshelves adorn the walls. A couple of chairs sit in front of the desk. Behind the desk is a chair facing the wall behind it.
“Sit down Augustus. I feel as if I may be able to answer some of your questions.” A voice states from the chair
The chair spins around and I am faced with a man in his early forties. He has a stern look in his eyes along with an indifferent expression. I sit down in the chair on the left side of the desk. On the man’s desk are a few various items. But sitting in the middle of the desk is a nameplate that reads “Max Price.”
“Let me answer that question for you. Yes I am your grandfather. But as for how you got here that is for you to find out for yourself.”
“How did you find me? And why did you want to find me.”
“Let’s just say we have some special abilities here at The Refuge. The men and women here are different than your average human beings. They all have certain gifts in specific skills. Myself for instance is predicting the future as well as interpreting dreams and past events. A couple of the people here are skilled in locating things as well as people. A few years back I had a vision of young man being found in a ditch. He would help battle a force unbeknownst to me at the time. When the local news reported on you being found I asked Taylor to locate you and bring you back here. The hope is that you can find out your gift soon.”
“What is this force you keep speaking about?”
“I assume you noticed those suits while you were at the hospital?
“Yes I did in fact. I’m surprised they didn’t notice us.”
“I am as well. Would you like me to explain who they are?”
“It’s not like I have anything else planned for the day. I just got here.”
“Alright, this might take a while to explain. Those men were part of a covert organization. They have attacked several of the people here while they were out simply shopping and visiting family members. We don’t know who their leader is but we do know that their main base is not located in Canada. Their plan is to slowly unite the governments of the world into a totalitarian one and take control. It’s no giant war but I know that if we do not stop them it will cause anarchy throughout this planet. They haven’t made a move yet for a while so I hope I can use this time to find your skill. Most of the people here learned what their skill was by exploring the forest behind the mansion. It’s cold out so I would take that coat.”
He gestures to a coat hanging on a hook near the door. I take it off the hook and put it on. It was a fairly light coat but in the few seconds of having it on I was already starting to warm up.
“Be careful out there. Everyone who has gone out there has returned, but some not entirely uninjured. Take the door on the right after you get to the first floor. Good luck August.”
“Thanks… I guess…”
When I open the door Taylor is no longer there. I head back to the stairs and descend to the first floor. I open the door to the right and step outside. The forest is several yards from the door. I start my journey. I have no idea where I am going but for some reason I know I’m not lost. I pass several clearings and find each one to have various bits of odd items. It must have been where the others before me found out their skills. My feet continue to take me farther north.
After what seems to be a couple of hours I reach a large clearing with a cave set into a hill. Against my better judgment I head inside. A light is glowing at the end. As I get closer the light begins to glow brighter. Eventually I reach a small lake. A large boulder sits in the middle. I head closer. When I reach the edge of the rock the ground begins to shake. Slowly a large stone bridge rises from the bottom of the water. The bridge leads directly to the boulder in the center. I step onto the bridge and follow it to the middle of the lake.
When I reach it I see a shape fairly reminiscent of the hilt of a sword. I reach for it without thinking. The sword seems to be set deep into the boulder. Yet when I go to retrieve it I face no resistance. The blade itself glows softly yet reassuringly. I look around for a scabbard for a few moments and find one that fits the sword perfectly. I string it on my back like a baldric. The bracelet on my wrist begins to glow as well. When I touch it my sword hand I am blinded by the light from the bracelet. When I finally regain my sight the bracelet had turned into a large shield. I touch the bracelet again and it turns back into my normal armband. I head back across the bridge and out of the cave. But when I am back in the clearing a large beast attacks me. I leap away just in time. I look back at my aggressor and almost drop the sword. A large bear looking to be over 14 feet tall looms over me. I follow an impulse and dive the left. The bear slashes the space where I was moments before. I dive around the bear’s side and cut the leg deep enough to make it almost fall over. Another roll and I slash its other side. The bear falls to the ground as I jump onto the base of the neck to finish it. There is several gunshots the bear’s back. I drive my sword into the base of the beast’s skull putting an end to its pain. I yank my sword out and put it into its sheath. After that I make my way back to the mansion. It takes an hour but I make it back the mansion grounds. I open the door and walk back to my room. Nobody even looks at me as I head down the hall. When I finally reach my room I collapse on the bed and promptly fall asleep.
End of Chapter 2
“Hello Augustus? I was sent to get you.”
The voice at the door drove me away from those terrible thought momentarily. I turn around to face it.
“Oh hello Taylor. Where are we going now?”
She looks at me then around the room.
“Did you sleep at all last night? You look terrible.”
“Let’s just go.” I reply angrily.
Taylor leads me down the hall and up two flights of stairs. I was surprised that I made it up those last steps. The fatigue from yesterday and this morning finally set in.
“Do you need some help? You look like you’re about to fall over.”
“I’m fine just… Let’s go alright?”
She leads me down to the left to a set of double doors. She opens them but doesn’t head inside.
“It’s alright. You’ll be fine.” She tells me as she shuts the doors behind me. I look around at my surroundings. There’s a large desk in the middle of the room and bookshelves adorn the walls. A couple of chairs sit in front of the desk. Behind the desk is a chair facing the wall behind it.
“Sit down Augustus. I feel as if I may be able to answer some of your questions.” A voice states from the chair
The chair spins around and I am faced with a man in his early forties. He has a stern look in his eyes along with an indifferent expression. I sit down in the chair on the left side of the desk. On the man’s desk are a few various items. But sitting in the middle of the desk is a nameplate that reads “Max Price.”
“Let me answer that question for you. Yes I am your grandfather. But as for how you got here that is for you to find out for yourself.”
“How did you find me? And why did you want to find me.”
“Let’s just say we have some special abilities here at The Refuge. The men and women here are different than your average human beings. They all have certain gifts in specific skills. Myself for instance is predicting the future as well as interpreting dreams and past events. A couple of the people here are skilled in locating things as well as people. A few years back I had a vision of young man being found in a ditch. He would help battle a force unbeknownst to me at the time. When the local news reported on you being found I asked Taylor to locate you and bring you back here. The hope is that you can find out your gift soon.”
“What is this force you keep speaking about?”
“I assume you noticed those suits while you were at the hospital?
“Yes I did in fact. I’m surprised they didn’t notice us.”
“I am as well. Would you like me to explain who they are?”
“It’s not like I have anything else planned for the day. I just got here.”
“Alright, this might take a while to explain. Those men were part of a covert organization. They have attacked several of the people here while they were out simply shopping and visiting family members. We don’t know who their leader is but we do know that their main base is not located in Canada. Their plan is to slowly unite the governments of the world into a totalitarian one and take control. It’s no giant war but I know that if we do not stop them it will cause anarchy throughout this planet. They haven’t made a move yet for a while so I hope I can use this time to find your skill. Most of the people here learned what their skill was by exploring the forest behind the mansion. It’s cold out so I would take that coat.”
He gestures to a coat hanging on a hook near the door. I take it off the hook and put it on. It was a fairly light coat but in the few seconds of having it on I was already starting to warm up.
“Be careful out there. Everyone who has gone out there has returned, but some not entirely uninjured. Take the door on the right after you get to the first floor. Good luck August.”
“Thanks… I guess…”
When I open the door Taylor is no longer there. I head back to the stairs and descend to the first floor. I open the door to the right and step outside. The forest is several yards from the door. I start my journey. I have no idea where I am going but for some reason I know I’m not lost. I pass several clearings and find each one to have various bits of odd items. It must have been where the others before me found out their skills. My feet continue to take me farther north.
After what seems to be a couple of hours I reach a large clearing with a cave set into a hill. Against my better judgment I head inside. A light is glowing at the end. As I get closer the light begins to glow brighter. Eventually I reach a small lake. A large boulder sits in the middle. I head closer. When I reach the edge of the rock the ground begins to shake. Slowly a large stone bridge rises from the bottom of the water. The bridge leads directly to the boulder in the center. I step onto the bridge and follow it to the middle of the lake.
When I reach it I see a shape fairly reminiscent of the hilt of a sword. I reach for it without thinking. The sword seems to be set deep into the boulder. Yet when I go to retrieve it I face no resistance. The blade itself glows softly yet reassuringly. I look around for a scabbard for a few moments and find one that fits the sword perfectly. I string it on my back like a baldric. The bracelet on my wrist begins to glow as well. When I touch it my sword hand I am blinded by the light from the bracelet. When I finally regain my sight the bracelet had turned into a large shield. I touch the bracelet again and it turns back into my normal armband. I head back across the bridge and out of the cave. But when I am back in the clearing a large beast attacks me. I leap away just in time. I look back at my aggressor and almost drop the sword. A large bear looking to be over 14 feet tall looms over me. I follow an impulse and dive the left. The bear slashes the space where I was moments before. I dive around the bear’s side and cut the leg deep enough to make it almost fall over. Another roll and I slash its other side. The bear falls to the ground as I jump onto the base of the neck to finish it. There is several gunshots the bear’s back. I drive my sword into the base of the beast’s skull putting an end to its pain. I yank my sword out and put it into its sheath. After that I make my way back to the mansion. It takes an hour but I make it back the mansion grounds. I open the door and walk back to my room. Nobody even looks at me as I head down the hall. When I finally reach my room I collapse on the bed and promptly fall asleep.
End of Chapter 2