"Oh. It's just you," Katie gasped, placing a hand to her chest as if it could keep her heart from leaping out.
The ghostly figure beckoned her toward the window, as if she had more to show her, though Katie wasn't sure she wanted to see whatever it might be. As she approached the window, Amber slipped outside. Noticing that something seemed different, Katie hesitated. Gazing through the aperture, it looked as if Amber was standing on a road in the dead of summer, the heat baking the distant pavement with a heat so intense that it caused everything before her eyes to shimmer like a mirage. There was another aspect that didn't settle quite right in her mind, too. It seemed much darker where Amber stood than it should have, as if she were standing in a void.
With great reluctance, Katie started to climb out of window. A strange, tingling feeling crept up her leg, like the phantom sensation an amputee might experience after losing a limb. On the edge of panic, Katie glanced down to see that her appendage had a shimmering quality to it, as if it weren't truly there. Startled, she attempted to bring her leg back inside, but in her haste managed to lose her balance and tumble through the open pane. At least, her mind insisted that she had fallen, but miraculously she found herself to be standing in front of Amber, whose form no longer wavered like a mirage.
"Your new friend contacted me and asked for my help. He informed me that he was going to open a portal for you, and asked that I guide you through when the rift appeared."
Katie fell to the ground in shock, startled. "You ... you can talk?"
"On this side of the portal I can. It's like I'm more substantial in this world, almost alive," Amber confessed.
Briefly, Katie's mouth hung open, unable to speak. "Are you implying that we're in the place I dreamt about? What did that man call it? Desolace?"
Nodding in affirmation, Amber continued. "He also said to tell you that he would meet with you after dawn, and that you should stay put until he comes."
Katie sighed with frustration, lay back in the grass, and gazed up into the unfamiliar sky. What choice do I have? I was tricked into coming here, and have no idea how to get back home.
For no reason she could immediately explain, Katie felt her body beginning to relax. Taking a deep breath of the clean, crisp, night air, she stared at the strange constellations dotting the sky above her. Minutes later, she was fast asleep.
Chapter 29
Awakened by a scream, George sat up quickly, his head swimming dizzily. Blinking his eyes rapidly, he gazed around the room in an attempt to gain his bearings and realized he was not in the throes of some crazy dream. It was all real. As he touched the blanket for conformation, the harsh texture reminded him of something the Army would have issued.
The girl's screams grew in pitch and intensity when she realized her captor was awake, causing him to wince painfully. Rising from the bed, he stomped across the room and struck her face with a vicious backhand to shut her up. Continuing to wail at an ear piercing volume, he raised his hand to deliver another blow. The threat of being struck again caused her to close her mouth, realizing that her wails were only making her captor more aggressive. Sobbing as quietly as she could, Julie saw him lower his hand.
Rubbing his temples, George walked into the next room and inspected the bank of monitors. Everything appeared to be the same as the last time he had checked them, except for the one engraved with the number thirteen. On its screen he saw a robotic creature, which looked vaguely similar to a horse, although this mechanical oddity looked longer. This was probably due to the beast, if one can consider a machine such, having six legs. However, that was not the only strange thing about the metallic creature. It also had not one, but two necks, each with its own head. The 'animal' seemed to be standing outside of a building that looked remarkably similar to the cabin he was in.
Startling George, a familiar voice spoke, coming from the direction of the monitor. "Your primary task awaits you, but first you must take your captive to the Factory."
"Huh? What task? And where is this factory that I am supposed to take the girl to?" George inquired.
"Your primary objective is to obtain humans to work in my factory. Once captured, they are to be transported to my facilities so they may be put to work building my army. Floating on the river below the outpost is the quickest way to transfer your prisoners to my factory. Simply secure your captives in the onboard cages, and when you are ready to make your delivery, go to the main cabin and interact with the computer. Everything is completely automated."
"Where, might I ask, am I to obtain more prisoners for this factory of yours?"
"I have provided you with the means to get around in this world. Have you not been outside of the outpost?"
"Outpost?" George asked, confused.
"The building you are standing in is Outpost 13," the Black Knight stated patiently. "The creature outside will be your transportation. I believe you would refer to it as a horse. As for obtaining more workers, there are many small towns nearby, in almost every direction. I say almost, because there is nothing to the north of where you are. Outpost 13 is located near the northern edge of this world. In all likelihood, if you attempt to travel north, the only thing you would find is the great sea at the edge of the world."
George sighed. "Okay ... one more question. Is there any way to contact you once I leave this building, in case I run into trouble and need help?"
"If I am not otherwise occupied, I can hear your thoughts and can project my voice into your mind to check on you from time to time. Once you get started, however, I don't really believe it will be necessary. Other than that, the only means of contact would be face to face, or by interacting with the terminals in one of the thirteen outposts spread throughout this world."
Crossing the chamber to the vault-like door that opened onto the descending staircase, a nervous thought entered his mind. Did the Black Knight install some sort of computer chip in my brain while I was sleeping to spy on me? Turning the creaky wheel, George heard the lock retract. After pulling the door open, he went to the bunkhouse and untied the bonds that secured the girl to the bed. Roughly pulling her to her feet, he threw her over his shoulder. For a few seconds, she struggled.
"There's no sense fighting me. If I have to, I will knock you out," he sneered. A smug grin creased his lips as she quickly stopped squirming. That did the trick.
Like a sack of potatoes, he carried through the doorway and started his descent down the long stone stairway. The steps seemed to stretch on forever. After traveling for what felt like half a mile, George still did not see the river, only an infinite procession of stone. Removing Julie from his shoulder, he set her down on the steps and sat down beside her to catch his breath. I really hope I don't have to carry every prisoner I acquire down these stairs.
When his breathing evened out, he stood and instructed Julie to walk in front of him, though he wished he would have thought of this sooner. Gathering the unused portion of wire that he had bound her wrists with, George used it as a tether to keep her from attempting escape. Not that she really had anywhere to go. Thankfully, the faint sound of rushing water reached his ears after a few minutes. By the time they reached the end of the staircase, it felt like he had walked for over a mile.
A strange boat bobbed dreamily in the swift current before him. Herding the girl toward the ship, they crossed a short ramp to get onboard. He grabbed her arm and steered her to the left, toward the empty holding cages. Dangling from the ceiling of each cell was a pair of leather shackles that hung approximately four feet apart. Similar devices were chained, side by side, to the floor of each cage.
Leading her into one of the metal cubes, he secured her feet and wrists in the shackles. When he was finished, George regarded his prize, chuckling softly when he realized the woman appeared to be crucified. With a grin, he spun around and headed for the front of the boat.
As he walked up the corridor, George noticed that even though the ship had seemed transparent when viewed from the outside, the hall
way he traversed was opaque and bore those strange circles of light which also lit the stairs leading down from the outpost. After a short walk, he arrived in the front cabin of the craft. The backs of several reclining chairs faced him, bolted into the floor in two rows that faced a large console. As he approached, a mechanical voice greeted him. "Are you ready to depart?" the voice inquired. Two buttons began to glow beneath the monitor before him, one labeled with the word yes, and the other no. George pushed the one marked yes. The mechanical voice returned, "Please select your destination." This time, a multitude of buttons lit up. He studied them for a moment, trying to find the right one. There was a button glowing for each of the outposts, except the one he was currently at, of course, one labeled Cemetery Hill, and another The Factory.
Depressing the button for The Factory, a soft hum filled the air and the monitor suddenly came to life. Two red dots appeared on the screen with a blue line running between them. The line curved back and forth across the display, as if showing a map of a country road winding through the mountains. The dot closest to the top of the monitor began to blink rhythmically. "Please have a seat. You will arrive at your destination in six hours, forty-three minutes, and ten seconds," the mechanical voice informed him. Turning away from the screen, he crossed the cabin to one of the plush recliners and sat down. For a while, he watched the blinking red dot out of boredom. After a few minutes, he began to feel sleepy. The tiny red light followed the course of the blue line at a snail-like pace, much like observing the growth of grass. Closing his eyes, his mind wandered to his caged plaything, knowing his involvement with her would soon be over.
Chapter 30
As the first rays of daylight filtered through her eyelids, Katie slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The initial blurring made it difficult to focus, but as she blinked her eyes her surroundings became clearer. The grass around her was very tall, coming up to her shoulders as she sat on the ground, and was swaying softly in the cool morning breeze. A quarter of a mile to her right, a small grove of strange looking trees reached toward the sky. She couldn't be sure at this distance, but Katie thought she could see a horse standing near the edge of the cluster of trees. Apart from this, she appeared to be engulfed by a seemingly endless field of grass.
Standing up, she started to dust herself off and stopped abruptly. Hesitantly gazing down, she saw unfamiliar clothing on her body. Instead of her normal blue jeans, leather pants encased her legs, and somehow a similar, open-throated vest had replaced her T-shirt. Though she didn't understand the transformation, apparently she had left home without shoes. Either that, or there was no equivalent on this world for them because her feet were bare.
When the shock of her wardrobe alteration began to pass, she started walking toward the copse of trees. As she drew closer, Katie determined that her eyes had not been playing tricks on her. There was definitely a horse standing near the edge of the tree line. The animal caught sight of her a couple of minutes later and whinnied softly. A cloaked figure came into view from behind the horse, raising a hand in greeting. When she got close enough that he could talk to her without shouting, he called out to her, "You never did tell me your name, m' lady." He grinned.
"Katie Johnson." She blushed; in this light, he appeared to be a bit older than she had originally thought. Forty-something, maybe, but still kind of attractive. As she got within ten feet of him, she surmised that he was taller than she remembered as well. From the looks of it, probably a full six inches taller than her. Stopping a few feet from where he stood, she patted his horse gently. "And your name was Edward, right?"
"Your memory serves you well, m' lady."
Holding up one hand, Katie shook her head. "You're going to have to quit calling me that if we are going to spend any significant time together. It makes me feel old."
He laughed heartily. "It will take some getting used to, but I will try."
"I suppose that's all I can ask," she smirked. "So, now that you've brought me here, what's the plan?"
"Well ... I suppose the first order of business should be to locate others like yourself."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"From what the town elders told me, I have to use people from your world if my mission is to succeed. They said if I were to use folks who live on this world that I would inevitably fail, causing darkness to consume our land." Edward paused briefly, studying the expression on her face. "Just so you know, the people we try to recruit don't have to be exactly like you. In fact, it would be better if we had a little diversity in our group."
"In your opinion, what would be an ideal group?" Katie inquired.
Pausing for a minute, Edward pondered her question. "What kind of skills do you possess?"
"Me? I'm just a simple farm girl. The only thing I've really done in my life is gather food from the fields."
"Have you never hunted wild animals?"
"My dad took me hunting a couple of times last year, but I have never actually shot at, or killed, anything. The only thing I've ever aimed a weapon at were targets mounted on bales of hay. I was pretty good at hitting those," Katie confessed.
"It's settled then. Even with your limited experience, I am designating you to be the hunter of the group."
"But I don't have a hunting weapon," she pointed out, a hint of unworthiness in her voice.
Holding up a finger, Edward walked to the other side of his steed and rifled through the belongings he had strapped to the saddle, removing a long bow and returning to where Katie stood. "Will this suffice? If so, it is yours. I can use it fairly well, but I'm sure that your skills surpass my own."
Hesitantly reaching out, she took it from his hands and placed the bottom tip of the bow on the ground. It seemed a bit excessive and unwieldy to her. From tip to tip, the weapon spanned about four feet. "I don't suppose you have anything smaller?" Absently, Katie plucked at the drawstring.
"It is the best I can offer at this time, but perhaps we can find a smaller one along our journey." After a brief pause to judge her reaction, Edward continued, "Well, hunting is covered, and if encounter a situation where magic is required, I can take care of that aspect." With Katie's curious eyebrow creeping up her forehead, he expected an interruption. When none was forthcoming, Edward began again. "I suppose we should probably be on the lookout for at least three more people. It would be good to have someone who can fight, with or without weapons. Someone with healing skills would be another good choice, just in case one of us gets injured. And lastly, someone with a religious background could prove to be very useful if we happen to encounter demons."
"Demons?" Katie's mind swirled in horror. Ghosts are freaky enough! What the hell am I getting myself into? "I've always thought they were inventions of priests, created to scare people into going to church."
"I assure you, they are quite real," Edward confirmed in a grave tone. "Maybe on your world they are fake, but that is not the case on this world."
Though Katie was frightened by the prospect of encountering real demons, Edward's comment jarred a memory. "I just thought of something. I'm not sure if it really happened or not, but I remember you telling me about someone crossing from my world to yours. Someone who is helping the dark side." As lame as it sounded, she found herself softly chuckling at the unintentional Star Wars reference. While Edward listened intently, Katie relayed her tale of the serial killer from her world, and how the ghost of one of his victims had led her through the portal into this world. She added in the fact that she felt that this killer had abducted her best friend, Julie, and could be doing unspeakable things to her at this very moment.
When she was finished telling her story, Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So, if I understand correctly, you think this killer and the individual I've been warned about are one and the same?"
"I believe so ... I guess what I wanted to know was if we could also look for my friend while we are trying to locate the people to form this group of yours?"
"Well, i
f we happen to cross paths with this killer and your friend is with him, I most certainly would not leave her in his custody," Edward stated bluntly.
Katie sighed. "That wasn't exactly the answer I was hoping for, but I suppose it will have to do." She paused, her mind spinning furiously. "Wait! Maybe the ghost I told you about could help us find her! She seems to be very in-tune with the killer, and might be able to track him."
Frowning in concentration, he considered her proposition. "Is your spirit friend here in this world, or did it return to your own after leading you through the portal?"
"I'm not entirely sure. I can only see her at night."
"Then, my suggestion would be to travel for a few hours to look for others. We could stop somewhere along the way to rest until it becomes dark. Once we determine whether or not your spirit friend is with us, we can alter our plans accordingly. Does that sound logical?"
"Very much so! Thank you!" Katie flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly.
"Then, let us be off." He smiled down at her.
Bending slightly, Edward hoisted Katie on to the horse's back, instructing her to sit behind the saddle. After passing the bow up to her, he placed his left foot in the stirrup and tried not to knock her off as he mounted. Gathering the reins from his steed's neck, Edward clucked softly to the animal. When it began to move, he steered toward the rising sun.
The next few hours felt like an eternity, traveling across the seemingly endless fields of grass. On occasion they encountered copses of trees, quite similar to the one where they had met this morning. When the sun was nearly at its peak, they started to notice changes in the terrain ahead, the soft shapes of hills growing steadily closer. A mile or so in the distance, a larger grove of trees provided a welcomed sight from the otherwise sterile landscape. If I have to watch this waving grass much longer, it's going to hypnotize me and put me to sleep.
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