The Crooked Staff (The Chronicles of Will Book 1)

by Jared Campbell

  Tripp was the man now in charge of everything, which for him was becoming rather difficult because of the tragic incident. The whole group was plagued with depression at the loss of their friend.

  Around the corner of the toppled mansion came a casket carried by Tripp, Stanley and two other gentlemen. They walked slowly carrying their friend, almost savoring their last moments near him. In ancient times, people would place coins over the eyes of their lost to ensure them safe passage to the underworld. Will honestly had no idea what was to come after life. This incident had only confirmed one thing for Will about life: it ends.

  The ceremony ended with Will, Tripp and Stanley staring at the newly moved dirt. The distance between them and their long lost friend weighed heavily on their hearts. Every shovel full was a reality check, reminding them he was that much farther away. As they turned to leave, they all knew this was the last time they would be able to visit their dear friend the Professor.

  6 The Qarib II

  Will didn't fully comprehend exactly what they were requesting of him when they first asked. Though he had previously been in the air force, he had never been in anything compared to what they were asking him to fly. The Qarib II was the name of the ship; its goal was to reach the star their ancients had once set out for. Without the blueprints left behind from the Qarib I's pit stop on the moon, none of this would be possible. The last two weeks had consisted of intensive physical and mental training created by Tripp and Stanley.

  For weeks thoughts raced through Will’s mind: If they arrived at the star would they find a planet? Hopefully the ancient Hashemites – as the crew had taken to calling them because of their leader– knew what they were doing. The fate of the Qarib II was in their now deceased hands.

  Some astronomists in the project had attempted to find the star and determine whether habitable planets orbited it. They could watch the star and see the shadows rotating around it and, based on the shadows and the rotations, it was possible to determine if the star had planets within the correct distance to accompany life. According to these astronomists, two planets appeared to be within the correct distance from the star. Beyond that, everything was left to chance. What had been Will’s guide had now become his fear. This wasn’t a game anymore, it was life or death.

  Had the ancients found the planet? Did they continue on to a further star? Did the ship even make it to the star? These thoughts and more riddled his mind.

  Will stared at the ship, analyzing it, inspecting it. He had been shown how to fly it, which turned out to be easier than he expected after first seeing the monstrosity before him. He was in control of the lives of a total of ten people, including himself. Most importantly himself, he thought. Sixteen hours he said to himself, attempting to accept the challenge before him; sixteen hours until everything would unfold. Maybe it wouldn't even start. He chuckled to himself at the thought. After all the stress over the past couple weeks, something like that would happen to him. He wasn't afraid of what he was about to do, just the variables.

  "It really is amazing isn't it?" Tripp came from behind him.

  "At times I forget it's real. How could they have built this? It’s like they went from cave man to astronaut," Will replied.

  "It's funny how, in our minds, we lessen the intelligence of man the further we go back in time. Even if you weren't taught evolution in schools, for some reason we give them no credit. Starting from scratch and everything." Will thought about that; they started from scratch, just like him. Maybe this ship was their answer to getting away from humble beginnings as well. Tripp and Will held the same pose, staring at the Qarib II, arms crossed and heads titled up in amazement.

  "How did you understand the blueprints? I mean what language did they speak?" inquired Will.

  "It was a lot like ancient Akkadian, and we had transcripts from ancient Babylon that helped us fit most of the pieces together. That and there were pictures." Tripp put on a large smile, knowing honestly it was the pictures that got them this far.

  Will also had a big smile. “Thank God they left us a pop-up book." They both broke out into a hearty laugh.

  The two had grown closer over the past two weeks and had built a fairly decent friendship considering their rocky start. Since Will had no place to go, Tripp invited him into his home. It wasn't the mansion that the Professor had, but it didn't matter. They were leaving soon anyways.

  "Are we coming back?" Will asked, suddenly serious. The question had been pushing forward in his mind.

  Tripp didn't even have to look at Will. "I don't know. We have the capability."

  No one spoke for a while, they just pondered what was about to happen.

  "What do you think we'll find? I mean... do you think it's worth it?" Will mumbled out loud, deep in thought.

  "Honestly, I have no idea." Tripp responded.

  Tripp was raised on Earth, in what was once called California (now it is referred to by merely a number that, to us, would hold no importance). Like the Hashemites, the world now was under one ruler, a president of sorts, who would stay in office for a duration of two years. In 2067, the world united as a global identity, only two decades before attempting to conquer the moon. Ironically, it was members of the European Union that were the hardest to convince to join. Eventually Italy became the last sector of the Earthen Alliance. Over the last couple decades things had been getting kind of crazy, including the fact that the current world leader had been in power for almost seven years. Before him, there had been a fifteen year-long war, not between countries but between the middle and upper classes. No longer were wars between countries or races, but between salaries. Where once there were small areas dedicated to industry, there were now entire countries dedicated solely to providing for the lifestyles of the upper class. Therefore the lower and middle class, though even they had fought with themselves at times, started a firefight with the upper class that would scar the world and fill the rivers with blood. The only thing that could stop it was something – or someone – who could unite them. Luckily, the world leader made that happen and brought peace to the planet.

  Tripp was raised a Christian and was a good family friend of the Professor's since his youth. He was educated in Pre-Diluvian History at one of the largest private schools in Northern America. Most of his family considered it a dead end, but it was what he loved. Ten years ago he received a call from the Professor, who declared he had found something of the utmost importance. He said it was top secret and that Tripp had to come to the moon immediately to see this new discovery. On the moon – at this time – it was extremely easy to hide things, being that it was not yet overcrowded and people were focused more on expansion. Even now, the only ones who knew of the project were those directly involved in it.

  When Tripp arrived on the moon, he was picked up by the Professor, who let him sleep before showing him the newly found antiquity. Journeys to the moon were exhausting, comparable to an extensive bus ride on Earth. The seats were uncomfortable and it was always crowded on the shuttles. The next day, Tripp had examined a computer, not exactly what he was expecting considering the professors description of importance. Though it wasn't like any other computer he had seen before; it was like a digital pop-up book written in three languages, one of which was very similar to ancient Akkadian, Tripp's expertise. In it, the adventure that the Hashemites had taken was described in full. After two years of studying the computer, they unraveled where the Hashemites went and how they got there. Saleem, another expert in ancient Mesopotamian languages, was the one who decided to put the group together and start the project, through which they would follow the path laid out by their ancestors.

  Eight years later, Tripp stood staring at the Qarib II – probably man's greatest accomplishment. Tomorrow, he and nine others would set out on possibly the grandest adventure taken by mankind since The Flood.

  One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

  When Will awoke in his room at Tripp’s place, he knew what day it
was. He had been up all night staring at his clock, going through every detail about the flight that he could remember. His exhaustion hit him like a ten pound hammer to his head. He peered out the side window. It was a beautiful day.

  A knock came to the door.

  “Ya?” Will replied.

  “Hey it’s Tripp, just making sure you were up.”

  “Got it.” Will stood up and began to prepare for the launch.

  In the field outside the hidden facility, Will stood staring at the monstrous ship just a couple hours before take-off. He was always pretty good at understanding engines and machines, but this... this was unlike anything he’d seen before. He couldn’t comprehend how it could ever function, the science around it was very complicated. What he did understand was that the ship itself would actually phase into another dimension entirely. The only reason it even had boosters and a propulsion system was that opening the other dimension leaked radiation and harmful particles into its surroundings. The ship had to get far enough away from the surface of the moon to ensure safety of the moon’s inhabitants.

  Will walked toward the station. Once inside, he carefully went through his equipment verifying that he was prepared for takeoff. He then walked toward the deck, as they had come to call it, and sat down in his chair.

  The shuttle was built with two main hulls, the first to hold the pilot and keep him in a comfortable atmosphere until the actual take off, as it was his job alone to make sure that things went seamlessly before they entered into a worm hole. The other compartment held the crew. Originally designed to hold a crew of one hundred, it now only held nine. Upon launching, the crew would immediately be put under and only woken up after arriving. Will however would be responsible prior to entering the worm hole and after exiting. During the trip through the worm hole, all of them would be under deep sedation, almost a comforting thought.

  Will remained in his thoughts as the crew was loaded, and mundane last minute checks were completed. The number nine echoed in his ear through the headset he was given and he realized that this was really happening. He looked down at the controls and panicked for only a moment, forgetting everything he had learned. As Will’s mind faltered he thought of the crew.

  The crew consisted of Will, Tripp and eight other members, each with a different scientific aspect of the mission. Three were of Arabic descent, one Asian, two Americans, and the last two were Hispanic. The Arab crew mates were there to maintain the ship in the event of any sort of failure. The Chinese crew member, Lo Su, was an astronomer and was there to record the stars and planets visible around the sun they were traveling to. The two Americans were there to ensure that the crew was psychologically prepared and capable of enduring the mission. As for the two Hispanics, one was from Spain and the other from what used to be El Salvador; their jobs were to study any geological data in case they found an inhabitable moon or planet. Will had never even seen the rest of the crew members because of his training and the fact that he had come so late to the mission.

  “THREE” his heart jumped and his stomach sank.

  “TWO” Where was he? What was he doing?

  “ONE”

  He immediately came back into focus and punched in the code to lift off, and the Qarib II lifted from the station with ease, as its design intended. He was now comfortably in the air and it would only be another ten seconds until the hole would be created by the ship’s FGP. Which was a large device anchored to the front of the ship directly below Will, designed to create the hole in space and time for the ship to travel through.

  Will looked down to make sure everything was working properly, every light flashed that should and every screen read that the mission was still a go. A small flash caught his eye, a flash of red and orange. Though it wasn’t coming from the control board; it was outside, on Earth. As he focused on the light, it began to grow, and a large vibration hit the ship. The planet was being covered in a gray cloud. The whole planet appeared to shake.

  “Ummm, is anyone else seeing this? Guys?”

  A response came smothered in static:

  “THREE”

  “Wait guys, something’s happening!”

  “TWO”

  “Stop, wait! I think something is…”

  “ONE”

  Lights out.

  A purple light danced in space, then stretched wide and sucked The Qarib II inside of itself in the blink of an eye.

  7 Sahk-Behk

  The smell of smoke filled Will’s nostrils, slight crackles and low grumbles could be heard all around him. His eyes slowly opened and blurred images could be seen in a dark background: a fire, and other gray figures were moving around it. Waves splashed behind him. He couldn’t tell how far away the sound was but he figured he was on a beach.

  “Ehrt par Grahven…” said a low gravelly voice. The voice sounded like a bag being dragged over concrete. He opened his eyes a little more and could make out the fire better, but the images were still difficult to identify. He reached up and rubbed his eyes to get a better look at what was going on. The drugs from the ship were still in his system but he was fighting to gain full control.

  Will opened his eyes again. The fire in front of him was large and consisted of about five red logs. Above the fire, the sky was bright with stars and a half moon. The moon was brighter than he remembered. Reflections came off of the figures around the fire and Will finally got a good look at the one who was speaking. Five feet away stood what looked like a man who hadn’t eaten in years; his skin was gray, his hair oily and ratted. He almost jumped at the sight of the creature, but realized he was surrounded by others; there were six total.

  “Ehrt par grahven ja nar,” said one to his left. Will’s eyes opened widely and stared at the creature. Why had it not noticed he was awake?

  The creature that stood before him had deep scars from its brow to its cheeks and was without eyes. Its teeth looked sharpened, and its shoulder bones were cut from its skin, bearing the bones which had also been sharpened.

  Still not fully cognizant, Will opened his mouth, “Where am I?”

  The creature that had just spoken stood up and the one who first spoke leaned forward. All others in the circle stopped moving and directed their faces toward Will. He no longer cared where he was, he just knew he shouldn’t be here. In a moment he was on his feet and running toward a line of trees barely visible except for the fire light. The wind blew past him and he ran faster than he ever had before. Sand flew behind him as he sped along the beach.

  Suddenly, Will stopped. Along the tree line stood at least thirty other creatures, all reflecting the moonlight, and all walking slowly toward him. To his left, he noticed what at first glance looked like a plant. He quickly realized it was a pile of bones. Human bones.

  One of the creatures came from his right, moving its head, as if trying to listen carefully for him. Will’s breathing stopped and he stared at the being as it came within a yard of him. The creature’s foot landed on Will’s and its toe nails curled around his arch.

  “Please think it’s a rock or a stick,” Will prayed.

  The creature slowly turned its head toward Will.

  “Ehrk,” it growled loudly. Its mouth widened, exposing its teeth.

  Will hadn’t noticed that his forehead was bleeding until now, as a drop slid down his cheek. All of a sudden, the world started spinning. As he was losing consciousness, he could remotely hear the sound of screaming echoing from the tree line.

  “Will!?”

  Once again, Will awoke. His head was throbbing and his leg hurt badly. What a horrible dream that had been; he had never seen anything as evil as those creatures. Where was he now? What happened? Was he in the ship?

  “Ah!” Will groaned, the pain in his leg was nearly unbearable.

  “You’re alright, Will.” It was Tripp.

  Will felt as if he was being carried on a stretcher of some kind, and he could smell some sort of flora. The smell was strange, like a mixture of different trees and pla
nts he couldn’t identify.

  “Gukran ehrk” said one of the people carrying the stretcher.

  Will jerked and opened his eyes. Those creatures must still have him, he thought. A large hand planted on his chest, pressing him down onto the stretcher.

  “Fawn Grahven!” the man yelled. It was daytime now and there were five people carrying him through a thick forest. The man who had pushed him back down was larger built and dressed in leather. He was lean but muscular and his skin was caramel colored and his eyes a reddish brown.

  The group had slowed down and began to lower Will. His leg had been broken and blood covered a tourniquet made of someone’s t-shirt. Will struggled to remain conscious as the large man picked him up and carried him toward a house made of green bamboo and fauna.

  “What’s going on? Where am I?” Will groaned, pushing through the intense pain.

  “Relax Will, you’re gonna be fine,” replied Tripp.

  “What happened?”

  “We’re not sure yet, but we crashed here just along the beach. I think we may have overshot, but not by much.”

  “Where’s the ship? The Qarib?”

  “The Qarib split into two sections, as designed for emergencies, to guarantee that at least one group would survive.”

  Will paused, “Who are these people? Where did they come from?”

  “I’m not sure, but they call themselves the ‘Algaer,’ and the ones who you were running from they call ‘Sahk-Behk.’” The very name of the creatures sounded like the hissing of a snake.

  “Those were real!?” Will’s eyes widened, and the pain in his leg intensified.

  Out of the corner of Will’s eyes small huts littered across a semi-open field came into view. The group carrying Will bee lined for the closest one.