by Dawn Chapman
The ping came in loud and clear, and the words flickered across my eyes. I struggled all the more to breathe.
Maddie, calm down.
I glanced at my interface, seeing the little tag and words creeping across. But I didn’t want to type or talk to him. Flinging the door of the Hog open, I stepped outside, seriously trying to get the air into my lungs. My legs buckled. Abel was soon at my side. That’s when I felt something else. Something around me started to change. No, it wasn’t around me. It was me.
Abel’s eyes widened, and I glanced at my hands. They flickered in and out of existence.
Maddie, if you don’t listen to me, you’ll blow everything!
I blinked and stared at Abel’s big stubbly chin. His hair wafted in the desert breeze, and sweat pooled down his forehead and ran off the end of his nose.
Finally, I was able to suck in a breath. The air tasted sweet. It’s usually hot stickiness spread through my lungs and gave my body a second chance—again. I pushed myself back up and leaned on the Hog’s bonnet.
“Sorry, that was just one heck of a shock.”
“I probably shouldn’t have said anything, but Dresel’s really worried.” He tried to smile, but it didn’t come across as well as he had hoped.
“No, thank you. I needed to know this because I will do everything I can to fix it. This game can’t be switched off.”
“What do you think we can do to help?”
I thought for a minute. Letting the sun beat down on my face, I turned to him and said with the utmost confidence, “We have to do exactly what they want. We have to play the game.”
Abel’s eyes lit up, and he laughed. “I love it.”
I moved away from the bonnet and opened the door once more. “Now let’s get going again, shall we?”
Getting back into the Hog, I touched the pad to start the engine. It chugged, and a puff of black smoke billowed out the back.
“Crap,” I said.
“Open the bonnet.” Abel slid back out. There was something suddenly knowledgeable about him as he popped the bonnet to look into the engine. I started some basic diagnostics from the dashboard.
Joining him to look at the engine, he whistled down at what he saw. “This took some getting together, Maddie. These parts look original, but they’re not. They’ve been handcrafted.”
I could only nod. “The diagnostics will take a little while, which means we have to walk the rest of the way.”
“Think you can manage, or do you need a ride on my shoulders?” He laughed.
I wasn’t ever going to get on those shoulders—the guy was huge. I really didn’t like heights. And that was way too scary for me.
“No, thanks. I’ll be walking.”
Abel watched as I pulled out supplies from the Hog, chucking him a bottle of water while I sucked on my potions. The silver flask was almost empty. So this time I popped it and found a refill, pouring the liquid into it, and then secured it on my belt.
“I’m good. Let’s go. It’s only about an hour now.”
“That’s okay. If you need to, I’m here.”
I nodded.
I think the one main difference with Abel and Alex was I felt so strange being here now with Abel. He was the polar opposite of Alex, really difficult for me to actually talk to. But I did want to ask him questions, so eventually, when he didn’t speak, I asked. “So, you were saying about the gaming system, the way things work for you. Have there been many problems?”
“Not really.” He glanced at me. “A couple of rogue code lines left an NPC out in the desert with no way of getting or doing anything. The players that saw him wandering about wasting away alerted one of the team. They were slightly traumatised because of his condition, but we sorted it out pretty quickly.”
The rubble from the roads hurt the bottom of my feet. I needed new boots as well as many other things. All this walking and stuff was really hard on equipment here.
Abel fell silent once more as we finally neared the first sign of entering Hell’s Pass.
I hadn’t expected the town to look so busy. People were everywhere… and not just their usual pottering and skulking about. They were flat out preparing for something big. I froze and glanced at the one place I knew I’d get some answers. A local knick-knack shop.
We wound our way through the bustling crowds. I got the tail end of conversations, and part of me hoped I’d not heard right. It came as no surprise, though, that they were planning the upcoming war.
I heard several of the locks click, and then Abel pushed the door open. “Always wondered what goodies were stashed away in places like this.”
I paused. “Yeah, you’re not kidding. There are some really decent weapons stashed in here, and then the potions. They’re some of the finest you could ever come across.”
Abel stepped inside and held the door open for me. I got a much better look inside the building. The room hadn’t changed much, but this time, something felt different. Weird. Almost as if the owner really hadn’t come home. I tried to push that thought away as I looked everything over, all neatly packaged in boxes and crates.
Abel perused some of the area, walking up and down the lines of weapons and equipment, then he turned to me. “This guy was more than serious about going to war.”
And that begged the question—where indeed was the shop owner? “Hello!” I called out, but there was no reply. “Mr. Frainkin?” I pointed to the back room. “I don’t understand what’s going on,” I said to Abel. We moved towards it to enter another large display area, this one filled with lots of other goodies, some I really wanted for the Hog and myself. But now wasn’t the time. There was something else calling us, a higher purpose, of the game and this war.
Once faced with the furthest wall, I placed my hand on it. I could tell now how fake it actually was, but there was also a heavy ward surrounding the wall. I tried to focus on thinking of everything good. But keeping us safe and then letting us in were two different things for this ward, and it didn’t want to do either. I guess I did something wrong because the door didn’t open. There was a loud snap of energy, and I was flung against the opposite wall. A moment later, Abel stood over me. I brushed myself off and moved to take his offered hand. He tugged me up without effort.
The door before us had not only opened but, instead, disintegrated.
“Interesting.” I moved to look through the now open doorway. Abel stood beside me. Inside was dust free and very tidy. There were shelves lined with many different objects. Things I’d never seen before. “What is all this stuff?” I asked Abel as we moved around the room.
Abel picked something up, turning it over in his hand. “These are things from my world. Old things. They shouldn’t be here.” He looked at me, and his forehead crinkled. “This is a Walkman. They haven’t been used for many years. There are other ways to store music digitally now.”
“So how is it here?”
He shook his head. “I have no idea.”
I moved around, careful not to touch too much or disturb anything that I shouldn’t. I stopped before a desk and computer—well, what I could only presume was a computer. It looked like a basic set up.
“Abel, this looks like some kind of computer. You any good with them?”
Abel looked my way as I pointed to the end of the small space. There was a desk, keyboard, and something that looked like plain glass. Maybe when it fired up, the glass was the viewer—like a computer screen.
Abel sat, and I watched.
The screen lit up like I thought it would, but there was a language I didn’t understand. “What is that?”
Abel looked at me. His face rarely gave much away, but then he said, “It’s actually Italian. But I’ve no idea why it would be here. Since my father’s Italian, he’s the reason I recognise it.”
“What’s it saying?” I pointed to the largest part of the text.
“Lots of things. Some about Puatera Online.”
I wish I could understand it, but I
didn’t. Maybe I could if I studied it, learned it.
“It mentions a portal....” he said.
He flicked through more screens, and I saw a town like I’d only witnessed when Riezella showed me Alex’s Earth. “I’ve seen this place before.”
“How can you have seen this.” He pointed to the screen. “This is London, England.”
“There are a lot of things you don’t understand about me, but I’ve seen this place. I walked through the rain and grasses, and I saw the signs advertising this game.”
“There are references for moving through it, and then there are logs for every item in this room.” Abel pointed to the Walkman. “That was taken from someone’s bag in 1987.”
“Stolen, and you think Mr. Frainkin did that?”
“I don’t know. It’s not saying the name of the guy who’s done all this. I find the whole thing bizarre.”
“But this place belongs to one of the largest known criminal gangs. Who else could have been doing this?”
There was a cough at the door.
“That would be me.”
I turned to see a woman. Someone I didn’t recognise. Her clothes were of black silk, and she wore a leather armoured jacket and gauntlets.
Abel pushed up from the computer, and then the two of them started to speak in what I presumed was Italian.
Abel frowned before speaking. “This is Lidia Trovatto, a Visitor.”
I stared at her. There was no tag against her head. “I don’t understand?”
When Lidia nodded to the computer, she also tapped the side of her head. And there it was, her tag.
“You’re a rogue?” Abel asked.
“Yes, that’s how I like to play the games. I’ve been undercover here in the town for about six months.”
“What happened to the shop owner?”
“He left this morning, and he hadn’t known I was here at all.”
“And Dresel doesn’t know any of this is going on?”
“Dresel is the designer of the game. He’s no detective. He might know where some of his people are, but there are some of us who were also asked to go as deep as we possibly could.”
“You’re working with others?”
“I am. There are three others stationed around the game because there were four portals opened up on the same day.”
“Four? These portals…” I asked. “Are they real?”
“They’re as real in the fact they let me go through to the past. To walk around and do things I never thought I could. However, I believe three aren’t real—only one is.”
“And you know which one?”
“No. There are similarities in all of them, so we’re still investigating.”
“Can you take me to see them?” Abel asked.
“I’m not letting you go anywhere without me,” I said, suddenly feeling like he was about to up and leave me. “And we’ve some other pressing jobs to complete first.”
He nodded, lowering his head. “Sorry, I just suddenly got too excited.”
“Then I guess I’ll take you both, as to how ‘real’ you think this Earth is, I am interested in that myself.”
I already knew it was going to be very real, but what we’d do or how we’d do it when we got there... that was a completely different question.
We stayed for a while, looking through the shop inventory to see if anything there could help the Hog. There was nothing that could. Returning to the Hog had me frowning. Locked up and looking lonely, I palmed the doors open and checked the dash, hoping for an answer to the problems.
I blew out a sigh as Abel stood by my door looking in. “I can get him to limp across to the other side of town, but he needs some pretty rare parts.”
“Can you fix him, though?”
“Might take a day or so. Means we’re grounded here for a while.”
“That’s okay. We can do as you said and rally some of the other locals.”
“It’s not a town known for the locals to be friendly.”
“You mean, I won’t be welcome at all?” he frowned at me, his tanned face crumpling.
“No, Visitors aren’t welcomed at all usually. It’s one of the main towns where the underworld rules. But, if we’re sticking around, I’ll need backup. We’ll have to make do.”
I hadn’t expected anything to go wrong so soon, but these things happen, and glancing at the hog, I had a feeling the day was going to get worse before it got better.
“How do they get the parts?” Abel asked as I managed to turn over the engine. Flashing lights lit the dashboard, and more black smoke billowed out behind us.
“Get in.” I grinned. “It will just take a lot longer, but at least we’ll get there.”
Abel climbed in again, and I managed to get us rolling. This particular town was more than a few miles away. But it was also the only place I knew that would have the spare parts I needed.
“There’s a small back garage that deals in specifics. I found Ian and his crew there to be very resourceful.”
“They steal things then?”
I laughed. “No, they’re crafters and of the highest quality. That doesn’t mean they don’t do things they shouldn’t. But they’re the best at making something if I break something.”
“Makes sense. Not been to that side of the county before.”
“Then we’re both in for a treat. Last time I stayed there, I was not only mugged but shot at and almost run out of town since their local vampire was a dab hand at recruiting all the wrong people.”
Abel’s hands clenched. “Well, if they hurt me, I’ll respawn back at Dresel’s now, but you have to be careful.”
He was really worried about me, yet I’d never been that worried about myself. I’d always handled things my way. It was only the Tromoal that had me running scared, but now not so much since they were family.
I pushed the Hog on. Slowly.
It did take a lot longer to get around to the other side of town, a good hour more than it should have. Abel sent Dresel a message to tell him where we were heading, and when we finally pulled up across from the garage, I knew we’d be right here for a while. The sun had well started to set, and the busy town looked dim and dingy.
“Go across to the inn,” I pointed in the direction of a sign. Last Chance Inn. “I’ll get the Hog locked and meet you in the tavern for some food. We’ll sleep tonight and then see where we’re at in the morning.”
“I’ll be alright, big guy like me. They won’t give me too much hassle.”
I looked him up and down. “Just keep cool. I’ll be in as soon as I can.”
Abel nodded, his large frame sliding out and the Hog’s suspensions returning to normal. He had been a big weight for my vehicle to carry in limp mode, but I kind of wanted his company. I was learning things the more I talked to these Visitors.
I was scared Tibex would pop back in to talk to me, and I didn’t want to think about all the possibilities that were swarming around in my head.
Chapter 5
The garage was closing for the night. Ian watched as I chugged into a bay.
“Sounds rough there, Madz.”
“Take a look in the morning, Ian,” I said. “I’ve set the passwords for you for a couple of days.”
“Nar, pop the bonnet now. I’ll take a look at the diagnosis too. Might be able to put some feelers out before the night’s end.”
I palmed the bonnet open, and he took a quick nosey. “Yeah, not going to be a cheap one this time around.” He poked his head in the driver door and tapped the dash a few times. “Might take a few days. Sorry, Madz.”
“I knew that. Just get it sorted.”
Ian nodded, and with a yawn, added, “Been a long day. You staying at Val’s Inn.”
I smiled. “As always.”
“Then I might see you in there after dinner. Can’t miss out on Ellie’s cooking.”
I turned to walk back into the town, allowing him to lock up. There was a lot of people around, a few I recogn
ised, most looked my way with nervous dispositions and shifty faces.
What else was going on here? I was here less than a few months ago.
I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind and walked into the tavern. It was busy as I’d expected it to be. The work crowd in and enjoying a quick drink before going home.
I spotted Abel and made my way over to him. His head was low, but he didn’t look out of place. I was pleasantly surprised when I arrived, and he was actually chatting away to the barman, quite at home.
When I reached his side, the barman nodded my way, and Abel pushed a pint before me. “Was there room?”
“Yeah, though the town’s busier than normal as there have been a lot of refugees heading this way from the other villages after the Tromoal attacks. Just got the last room, though. Sorry. We’ll have to share.”
I picked the beer up and tasted it as it’s cool frothiness slid down my parched throat. “It’s okay. I don’t mind sharing. You seem like a decent guy who wouldn’t try anything, right?”
“No. I’m not that kind of guy, plus Dresel already told me you sleep with your daggers.”
I raised an eyebrow. “So, I like to cuddle with them at night.”
Abel laughed, and I knew from then we’d be friends. “You hungry? The food’s not so bad here if we order after the working crowd are out.”
“Big lad like me eats a lot.” Abel patted his stomach. “I’m always hungry.”
I laughed and finished the pint before ordering us a few more. “You all right for cash? I can pay for this if you need.”
“I’m good. I’ve been earning a small penny while here. It’s not much, but it keeps me in food.”
We talked for a while, letting the bar empty. But it was small talk, things about the local area that if anyone overheard us, it wouldn’t be construed as wrong.
A short time later, we ordered food and moved to a small table at the far side of the room.
I stared into the eyes of the big man before me. I could see who he was here in the game and some of what he wanted me to see of his personality, but I didn’t know who he was or what he really wanted from me, or maybe even Dresel.