The Children of Aton, Part 1

It was an odd friday morning. Work had been cancelled, and my friend Alex had invited me to visit his church, the “Church of Aton”. I'd never been, and from what I heard, it was quite ridiculous. The leadership of this church claimed they had made contact with a supreme extraterrestrial power, and were in possession of a device which allowed one to come into contact with said power. Frankly, I'd always believed in aliens, but not of the kind that come down and start fanatical religious cults. Anyways, there was free food, and I was broke, so I agreed to go with him.

When we arrived at the parking lot, I became apprehensive. The building was tall, windowless, made of plain concrete, and only had one small, metal door on the front. A group of quiet, serious looking teenagers stood out front in an orderly line. A neatly dressed young man offered to park my car, but I declined. He insisted, so I drove away from him and parked it myself. We got out of the car, and I began walking towards the door.

“Where are you going?” Alex asked, “The shuttle picks us up here!” He pointed at the line.

“Shuttle? Aren't we here already?” I asked.

“Yes, but the entrance is on the other side.”

This sounded very impractical to me, but I wasn't about to say anything that might be construed as “judgmental”, regardless of what I actually thought about them.

About this time, the “shuttle”, a dingy old yellow school bus, came around the corner. It pulled up to a gate in a cyclone fence topped with barbed wire. I was starting to be afraid. This place looked a lot more like a prison than a church, especially as we stopped, the driver got out, and put a padlock on the gate. This was another parking area, with several nice looking cars scattered throughout it.

“What is this place?” I asked a casually dressed, middle aged man sitting next to me.

“I have no idea. This is my first time. I just flew in from San Fran, I'm pretty excited to be here. I'm told one can speak directly to Aton!”

“Really?” I said, my tone excited buy my expression sarcastic, “I'm just here for the free food.”

“Oh, you're one of them.” he said, stood up, and walked to the back of the bus. I was offended by his condescending attitude, but said nothing. As the bus turned around the corner to the back of the building, my ears perked up as I heard the long, loud noise of an old car being started.

“Dude! I think someone is trying to steal my car!” I said to Alex, as the bus slowly came to a stop. “I'm gonna go check on it.”

“I doubt it. There's too many people around!” He said. That was reasonable enough, so I pushed the worry aside.

We entered the building through a set of metal double doors, just like the one on the other side. The doors were held open by a couple of finely dressed and serious looking gentlemen. On their vests was a red circle with rays coming off of it.

“Good morning!” I said cordially. They did not respond.

“What is it with all these people?” I whispered to Alex, “Why are they all being so rude?”

“They're Acolytes. Kind of like a monk. They never speak to anyone outside of their order. And in general, speaking is frowned upon within the church.”

“I see..” I responded, starting to feel more than a little uncomfortable. “How long is this going to take?”

“It depends, really. There's a light snack, then you wait in line to enter the Communication Chamber, where you can speak with Aton. After that you may enter the Feast Chamber, where the Feast of Aton is served.”

I stifled a laugh. “The Feast of Aton?” I demanded, “It's really called that? It's like something out of a video game!”

“Shush.” Alex gave me a menacing glare. I shut up.

The entryway was a large, well lit, finely carpeted area with an enormous, grandiose depiction of the sun covering the walls and ceiling. There were rays extending from it, with hands on the end of each ray. The whole thing was plated with gold, and it appeared to be lit up from behind by some very bright lamps. These paintings were the only light in the room, and they lit it quite amply.

The grand entryway funneled into a relatively narrow hallway, which was completely bare and industrial looking. The floor was concrete, and the lights were mere fluorescent tubes. It was very odd, considering the very extravagant entryway.

“This hallway is in the process of being remodeled,” Alex whispered to me. One of the Acolytes glared at him disapprovingly, and he snapped back to silence before finishing his sentence.

At the entrance to the hallway, there was a stack of plastic plates. Alex picked two up, and handed one to me. As we inched forward in line, along the way there were little tables of hors' d'oeuvres- crackers, little balls of meat, and fine cheeses and bread. I filled my plate with crackers and cheese, and picked up a few little meat balls. The cheese was absolutely delicious, it must have been imported from France.

“Why don't you try some of this cheese!” I whispered to Alex, seeing that he had not picked any up. “It's amazing!”

“I can't. Those cheeses are reserved for our honored guests, such as yourself. The Children of Aton do not partake of such fineries.”

It seemed odd to me, but as I looked up and down the line, all the people with the sun ensign were indeed not eating the cheese. As we waited for what seemed like an eternity, my stomach began to complain. I didn't want to wait in line again, but I really needed to vomit.

“Hold my place in line. I've gotta use the can.” I whispered to Alex. I'd seen the doors back by the main entrance, so I headed back that way. Along the way, people stared at me, and I became increasingly uncomfortable.

“Sorry!” I mouthed, as I walked back.

I went into one of the stalls and closed the door. Almost immediately I released the contents of my stomach into the toilet. I wiped my face with some toilet paper and flushed it down. As I came out, one of the Acolytes stopped me.

“Did you just vomit up the holy Sacrament?” he demanded, with a very serious tone of voice.

I was struck by the realization that in order for him to speak to me, it clearly must be a very grave offense to do so.

“No, no. I just have a stomach bug, had to empty my bowels.”

He didn't look terribly convinced, but he didn't say another word and let me pass. When I returned to the line, most of the people had already gone through. I didn't recognize any of the people, and I saw no sign of my friend. I walked along the line until it went around a corner. This was now another fancifully decorated hallway, this one very short. At the end of the hallway, on the right side, was a large glass box on a pedestal, with a short black stairway going up to it. Inside the box was a large, bright, circular object. I assumed this must be Aton, or at least his representation. There was a man sitting inside the box, with his head rested on his hands, staring into the circle. A brightly illuminated fog filled the top of the chamber. I didn't really feel like staring at a bright light, so I walked past it. On the right, there was an open door with a staircase going up, and straight ahead, there was another open door with a few steps down into another hallway.

I took the stairs going up. There was a pair of large, very long tables with people seated around them, eating various vegetable and bread products. I saw my friend sitting along the closer one, and walked over to him. He didn't seem to notice my presence, so I elbowed him.

“How.. was it?” he said, slowly and laboriously, “How was it?”

“It was.. uh.. good!” I said, “Yeah it was pretty sweet!”

“What he tell you?” he said again. His words were noticeably forced and he seemed to be having trouble sitting still.

“Uh.. I'm supposed to keep it to myself.” I said. “What did he tell you?”

“Um.. its like.. woah.. just woah.. Seriously!”

At this point, I began to be suspicious. My friend wasn't behaving like someone who had just had a spiritual experience, he was behaving like he was on a drug trip. Much as drug trips and spiritual experiences have gone together for millennia, I would never expect it from a cult of science-minded folk worshipping some alien being – and suddenly everything made sense. The mandate for silence, the stomach ache I'd had after eating their seemingly innocent hors' d'oeuvres, the bright cloud of fog. It was no wonder that supposedly “every person who came experienced the Light of Aton”.

I tried to get my friend up, but he grasped my arm and demanded that I sit with him. I broke free of his grasp, and walked back down the stairs. I looked at the “Communication Chamber” again. Another person was getting into it, the asshole from San Fran I'd met on the bus. After he closed the door, the white haze settled in from above.

“Isn't it beautiful?”

The voice of one of the teenagers, a girl, surprised me. I had become accustomed to the silence already.

“Uh yeah, it certainly is.” I gave her a mocking smile.

The light smoke had already reached the floor. On a whim, I hit the glass enclosure with my fist. The man inside jumped, startled, and fell over on his side and started whimpering. My conclusion was correct, they were indeed piping hallucinogens into the chamber. Two of the Acolytes approached me and grabbed my arms. They dragged me into the adjacent hallway, which was perpendicular to the main entryway.

“What do you think you're doing?” one of them scolded, “The Communication Chamber is sacred, and it is a sacrilege to disturb the devout within!”

“I'm sorry!” I said, “My friend is in there, and we need to go! My mother has just been taken to the hospital!”

“We shall let Aton decide what to do with you!” the other's voice scowled.

“Let me go! You have no right to do anything with me!” I demanded.

“Aton is the only one who can determine right and wrong. You shall go before him!”

Seeing that they were not going to be dissuaded, and knowing that there was no way I could get out of there without them releasing me, I consented.

“Very well. I put my trust in Aton's judgement.” I responded.

“Silence! Your sacrilege has gone on long enough!”

They took me along the hallway and put me in a dark room. I feared for my life – I had no idea what these religious nutjobs were capable of. All I knew was that if I ever got out of there, I was going to see this place burned to the ground.

I was in the dark room for hours. I tried to use my cell phone, but inside the building I had no service whatsoever. Apparently concrete walls block cell phone signals. Every so often, I would bang on the door and yell for someone to come help me, but nobody ever came. Finally, after about four hours, the door opened, and four Acolytes entered.

“About fucking time!” I grumbled. One of the Acolytes hit me with a stick.

They dragged me to the “Communication Chamber”, and threw me in, closing the door behind me. From the inside, you could see nothing outside. The walls were one-way mirrors, and the only object inside the chamber was a neat little rug to sit on. I beat on the glass, but nobody came. Then the fog descended on me.

It was not of a heavenly odor at all. It had a pungent, repulsive smell to it, and I wondered how anyone could mistake this experience for an encounter with God, or Aton, or anything other than a drug-induced hallucination. I didn't have to wonder for long though.

I became increasingly aware of my pulse. It was like a wave that passed through my body, and everything was synchronized with it. Even as it seemed to get slower and slower, every pulse brought the next frame of video that was my vision. Suddenly everything became bright, and my whole body felt intensely hot. The shimmering orb in front of me pulsed out across the room in waves, like a rippling on the surface of a pond. The glass walls surrounding me extended into an infinite plane, and there existed on this plane only me and the shimmering orb of light that hovered in front of me. Suddenly, I was thrown prostrate against the floor.

“My son!” boomed a loud voice, echoing a million times over on each ripple of the brightness. I became afraid. How could I tell Aton himself that his cult was nothing but hallucinogenic drugs and bright lights?

“Father?” I said, “I meant no harm or offense in my actions. Forgive me.”

“Father Aton holds no offenses. But you must atone for your sacrilege.” boomed the voice again. The orb split in two as I considered why it spoke in third person.

“Yes Father. What must I do?” I responded, courteously, slightly awestruck, but still only cooperating because I wanted to escape.

“Your pride is your downfall. You must serve the basest of servants, the cleaner of floors, until I have seen that you have learned your place.”

“Yes Father. Your wisdom knows no bounds.”

The light blinked out in an instant, and I felt like I was riding each of the ripples it had created. Suddenly, I was drawn back to reality by two well dressed men pulling me upright.

“Shit!” I said to myself, “And I thought this was all a dream.”

The Acolytes stood me up on my feet. They wrapped a red bandana around my head, and began to drag me again. I stood up, and walked with them. They took me to a room, where a homely older man in a blue jumpsuit with the emblem on it awaited me.

“Aton has deemed it necessary that you have a servant. He is yours to command.” one of the Acolytes chimed. It bothered me how poetic and melodramatic their speech was.

Wordlessly, the janitor handed me a sponge and a bucket of soapy water. He walked to the door, and gestured for me to follow. I followed him, reluctantly. He led me to the restroom, and indicated that I should clean the stalls. I thought it was rather amusing, knowing that I'd vomited up their “sacrament” in this very same stall. I began scrubbing methodically. The janitor paid no attention to me whatsoever.

When the janitor was not looking at me, I checked my cell phone real quick. I was surprised they hadn't taken it away from me. There was no service here either, so I turned it off to save battery for if I ever got out of there.

It didn't take long to finish up the restroom, and soon we were on to the women's room. I'd considered making a run for the doors, but there really wasn't a way out from there. Even if I made it out the doors, the most I could do is call for help- the massive coils of barbed wire on the fence outside would tear me to shreds if I tried to climb over it. And I was sure that they would make me disappear before the cops showed up anyways.

I was on my hands and knees scrubbing the base of a toilet when a young girl, probably no more than 17, entered the bathroom. She walked by me, glanced at me with a empathetic look in her eyes, and entered the stall next to mine. Even as I scrubbed, I could hear the soft sounds of sobbing from the stall next to me. It felt comforting, and alarming, to know that I wasn't the only one that was trapped in this pseudo-nightmare. But mostly I felt sorry that someone of her age would have to live in such a place. I was starting to become more and more incensed at this whole establishment.

After I finished cleaning the bathrooms, I was returned to my cell. It had been over six hours now that I'd been there, and I had come to the realization that they were never going to let me leave. My thoughts turned to escape- surely it couldn't be that hard, the building wasn't that big, and as far as I could tell, I must have been on the first floor still. This meant that there was a door to the parking lot out front, somewhere. If I could get there, all I had to do was get into my car and drive away- once I was gone, there was nothing they could do. I thought of the other kids that must be trapped here, but the reality that they must have been brainwashed into staying here hit me. There was nothing I could do, they were just as bad as the Acolytes for my escaping.

A few hours later, the janitor opened the door and released me from my cell again. This time he gave me a mop and directed me to clean the hallway. I snapped to it. This would be an excuse to scout out the building. The end of the hallway where my cell was was of no consequence- nothing here but another cell door or two, and the hall back to the entrance. I quickly mopped that area, and began moving down the hall. The janitor went off and away, and I was all alone. I skipped down the hallway a bit.

I came to another fork in the hallway. This place was starting to feel like a maze, and I was having a hard time keeping the layout straight. Here, however, there were other people going about their business. There were a couple of Acolytes standing watch next to an elevator door, and a girl unpacking some boxes onto a counter across the hall from the Acolytes. I recognized the girl, she was the same one that I'd heard crying in the bathroom, but here she wore a smile and went about her business. As I mopped, I watched her out of the corner of my eye. Everything she did, she did quickly but not carefully, and her hands were shaking almost uncontrollably. She stumbled ever so slightly now and then.

She was unpacking what must have been wedges of cheese. They were wrapped in blue foil, and she would pick up five or six of the wedges at once and set them on the counter. All of a sudden, she dropped a load on the ground. One of the wedges hit the ground with the sharp end down, and the foil ripped on the ground. She got down on her hands and knees, and, even with me watching, picked up the broken edge and started nibbling on it. I set my mop against the wall, and went over, as if to help her pick them up.

“You best give me some, or I'll tell the Acolytes that you've been munching on the cheese!”, I whispered to her.

She handed me a bit of cheese, and whispered back,

“Please don't! I don't want to go to the Chamber of Horror again!”

“Why do you stay here? Surely you must know a way out?”

We were running out of time. This distraction couldn't go on forever, the Acolytes would surely suspect something after a moment or two.

“I miss my family so much! The door is just over there,” she pointed down the hall, “but there's no way I could get that far without being stopped. Plus Aton would be so angry if I did!”

“I think I can cause a diversion. We can get out of here!” I insisted.

“But the--” she began, but I stood back up and returned to my bucket. I dipped the mop back in, thoroughly soaked it in soapy water, and then, with one jerk of my arms, flicked as much water as possible into the faces of the Acolytes. They winced in pain, and I started running. I grabbed the arm of the girl, and ran down the hall towards the door. Another teenager ran at me and grabbed my arm,slowing me down as the Acolytes regained their senses, but I kicked her in the shin and threw her forcefully off of me onto a table. We ran out the door and into the parking lot.

It was dark now, and I couldn't see my car anywhere in the mostly-empty parking lot.

“My car is over there!” she said, pointing at a recent model Toyota, “Let's take it.”

She pulled out a keychain, and clicked the remote. The lights flashed as its doors unlocked.

I looked around for my car, and spotted it on the other side of the chain link fence. Thinking that this whole escape was too easy, I replied to her:

“No way! I think its a trap! Lets take my car!”

I ran over to the gate, climbed up the front of it, and vaulted over the top, inflicting deep cuts on the barbed wire. I pulled the gates as far apart as the chain would let them go, and let her through.

“But the gates are locked! How will we get out?”

I thought about this a moment. “I have a hacksaw in my car. Maybe I can cut the lock before they get back around over here.

At this moment, an Acolyte came out into the parking lot. I grabbed the girl and ducked down next to my car. The other Acolyte came out and joined the first, and I saw one of them excitedly gesture to search the lot.

As they looked around and under the cars, I quietly opened the door of my car and grabbed the hacksaw out of the back. I crept over to the gate and began sawing on one of the links. I was about halfway through it when one of the Acolytes spotted me.

“There he is! I'll hold him here, go around and get him!” he shouted. The other one ran inside quickly. The first pulled a taser from his belt and ran over to the fence.

“We're gonna have to just go for it!” I quickly told the girl. I started my car, backed up to the back of the enclosure, and put my car in first gear. I stomped on the gas pedal, and drove straight for the gate. The Acolyte jumped out of the way just in time for me to smash through, snapping the chain, and roaring into the night.

A few minutes later, we were back at my house in town, and I pulled into the garage. Looking out the window, I saw nobody, and was relieved to know that I hadn't been followed.

“You're safe now!” I said, “We're away from that horrible place.”

“You should have stayed where you belong!” I turned around just in time to see the girl swinging a wrench at my head. I dodged her swing, and tackled her to the ground.

Chapter 1

Chapter 1.odt

Message from nayrki4055@gmail.com:

Chapitre 1: Escape

              Sarah était trop fatigué. Elle avait couru pendant quatre jours, et le semaine dernière elle n'avait pas mangé ni un bouchée de la nourriture. Les maraudeurs qui la étaient chassés ne montraient aucun signe de s'arrêter, si minime soit leur progression. Elle ne comprenait pas pourquoi ils avaient été si persévérant-  elle avait jeté déjà tout ce qui pouvait avoir de la valeur, et elle ne pouvait pas trouver une raison qu'ils la chassaient encore.

              Il se faisait nuit, et Sarah savait que toutes les monstres sortir dans l'obscurité. Elle monta sur un grand arbre touffu qu'elle pensait va la cacher- au moins jusqu'au matin. Très loin d'elle, elle vit un feu de camp; ils était encore là, ils la chassaient encore. Choisissait de ne pas penser à ces choses, elle but une gorgée d'eau, et elle mit l'alarme sur son PDA. Tenue dans les bras de l'arbre, elle s'endormit.

              Un grognement au-dessous d'elle se réveilla. Il y avait un grand monstre poilu, et le soleil s'est levé déjà . Son alarme ne l'a réveillé.

              «Merde!» elle dit,  dans la réalisation que pendant les heures qu'elle dormait, les maraudeurs devraient la trouvèrent. La créature, remarquent sa présence, commença à faire un bruit étrange, fort, et féroce.

              «Allons-y! Le chien l'a trouvé!» sonnait un rude voix masculine de pas loin. Sarah paniqué. Elle  tira son couteau, elle se jeta de l'arbre sur le monstre, frappant le cou de la créature avec son couteau. Pour un instant, avant de tomber au sol avec un bruit sourd, il hurla de douleur. Elle essaya d'extraire son couteau du créature, mais il était coincé. Coups de feu venaient de la forêt.

              «Elle est là! Arrête-la!»

              Elle courut pour sa vie. Elle courut plus rapide que jamais zigzaguant habilement à traverser les arbres, cherchant à éviter d'être abattu. Ses poursuivants ne pouvaient pas courir plus vite, mais elle ne voulait pas prendre des risques.

              «La jeune a tué notre chien! Elle doit mourir maintenant!»

              Les voix étaient en colère maintenant. Elle se retourna et vit deux hommes à pied regardant le cadavre du monstre, clairement agité à cause de sa mort. Elle courait encore, utilisant leur pause pour les éloigner encore plus. Elle comprit qu'il avait été en mesure de la traquer;  C'est pourquoi les maraudeurs toujours avaient été en mesure de suivre sa trace. Avec la mort du créature, elle avait le chance de survivre. Bien que, sans son couteau, elle allait mourir si elle rencontra rien d'autre ennemie. Pendant qu'elle a réfléchi sur cette question, elle vint à la fin de la forêt, et avec ce, ses espoirs termina. Elle examinait ses environs.

              En face d'elle était une vaste étendue de sable et des roches. Bien qu'il y avait un peu de terrain, elle savait que elle n'allait pas pouvoir se cacher dans le désert. Et là-bas, elle n'allait pas avoir le chance de trouver de la nourriture ni l'eau. Elle pensait que elle pouvait retourner à la forêt; Il a été possible que elle pourrait glisser furtivement autour d'eux, et revenir en arrière sur leur sentier. Pendant qu'elle pensait de ce, un coup de feu a percuté un arbre près d'elle. Elle entra dans le désert très vite.

              Elle courut pour dix minutes avant que la chaleur la força à ralentir à la vitesse de marche. Elle but un peu d'eau. En regardent derrière elle, elle découvrit une agréable surprise. Les maraudeurs ne sont pas en poursuivant la. Elle arrêta, et attendit que la nuit pour continuer.

 

              Plusieurs jours passèrent, et alors qu'elle avait un peu d'eau, la faim commençait à être insupportable. Elle regarda à plusieurs reprises son PDA pour savoir son progrès, mais Nouveau-Paris était deux ou trois semaines distance. Elle ne serait jamais arrivé avant qu'elle mort de faim ou soif. Elle avait besoin de trouver un meilleur plan.

              Prés d'elle, il y avait une petite montagne. Elle pensa que si elle aurait le gravi, elle pourrait être en mesure de mieux voir sa situation. Elle marchait vers la. À la base de la montagne, elle a découvert une petite grotte. Contre son meilleur jugement, elle entra la grotte.

              Contrairement à ce qu'elle attendait, la grotte était bien éclairé. Elle marcha à l'arrière du grotte. Il y avait une grande porte de souffle.

              «Est-ce que est possible qu'est un autre caveau?» se dit-elle. Son PDA la informait que si, il était vraiment un caveau, et mieux encore, son PDA peut l'ouvrir. Elle tapa sur le bouton, et un instant plus tard, entendit le déclic retentissant de la serrure arrivant ouverte. Le couloir était sombre, avec seulement les lampes de sécurité pour la lumière.

              «Allo?» elle dit, « Bonjour? Est quelqu'un ici?»

Personne ne répondit. Le seul bruit était celui de ventilateurs. C'était très étrange, elle pense, quelqu'un devrait être ici. Mais non, il n'y avait personne. Elle a consulté son PDA. La cuisine était en avance et à droite. Elle a couru là avec joie. Les lampes s'allumait automatiquement comme elle entrait. Elle a pris un Nutri-Cube du distributeur. Impatient de manger, elle a mis le cube dans sa bouche et l'avala. Tout à coup, toute la fatigué de ces dernières semaines tomba sur elle. Elle s'assit sur une chaise et s'endormit.

 

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Gamma

    Frank was again startled by the fact that the dream he
had just had, was indeed not reality. He got up and let the cat in,
only to be reminded once again that he still had no cat food. Frank sighed, not relishing the fact that he'd have to go to the store again. This time he'd pay more attention, he'd been getting absent-minded lately. The aisle with cat food, however, was bent on causing him even more frustration. His cat would eat only one certain brand of cat food, and there was none to be had! He headed over to the canned food aisle and picked up a can of liver- surely his cat would eat that! Frank slowly headed to the checkout line, this time making sure he had the exact change before he got to the clerk.
    "It's nice to see you again, sir," the clerk said, in a familiar voice "how are you doing today?"
    Frank looked at the clerk quizzically, before responding, "I'm doing pretty good. Do i know you?"
    "You were here yesterday, but you were kind of distracted. I'm glad to see you are doing better."
    Recognition came to Frank, and he recalled seeing the clerk the previous day. Frank laughed, before responding
    "Ah yes, i remember now. Yesterday was a kind of funky day, I ran into some random girl and accidentally gave her my cat food, and now there is no more!"
    "So you're the guy! My sister was telling me that story last night, when she discovered she had a bag of cat food.. funny thing is, we have a cat, but he refuses to eat anything but liver after we fed it to him for a week straight." the clerk said, laughingly.
    "Lovely," Frank said sarcastically, "my cat will probably end up like that now too."
    "You can come over later and pick it up if you like, I get off work here in an hour."
    "Okay, well I guess i'll see you in a bit then. Can't have my cat being pickier than she already is!" Frank was excited, he usually avoided interacting with other people, but this guy seemed nice enough.
    As an afterthought, Frank added, "Oh, by the way, what is your name, in case I can't find you?"
    "My name is Brian," the clerk laughed, "and my name is on my tag!"
    Frank was slightly amused by the clerk's sense of humor.
    
    Since he had an hour to wait, Frank decided to drive out of town to the adjacent forest that he had been dreaming about. After a short walk, he discovered that there was indeed a hill, as in his dream. The hill, however, was not near so high, and on top of it was but a grassy area with a park bench.
"Thank God, I was starting to worry that some of this might be real." Frank thought to himself aloud. In his mind, the dream he had had the night before was becoming increasingly illogical and ridiculous. Yet still he couldnt shake how real his dreams seemed. However, his thoughts quickly drifted to other subjects, such as the fact that he was standing on top of a hill and wasnt sure how to get back to his car. He started walking back in the direction he had came, However, it was becoming dark, and it was nearly total darkness as he descended under the foliage. He tripped over several roots, and managed to get his pants all muddy.
"Great, of course, the one day im going over to someone's house, i have to get mud all over my pants." he said, frustrated. Another branch batted him right in the face, and he was starting to get really pissed off. I guess this is what being blind feels like, he observed. Finally he made it back to his car, which he was very glad of. He still had ten minutes before he was supposed to meet Brian, so he rushed home and changed his pants. His face was all scratched up, but he couldnt really do anything about that.
    Brian was happy to see him. "I was afraid you werent going to come!" he said, relieved, "You didnt really have to change to come over and get your cat food."
    "Ahh, well i wasnt decent to be seen by anyone, i slipped and fell in the mud." Frank responded, feeling a bit awkward about the whole thing.
    Frank and Brian walked a short way down the street, to a small duplex right next to the 7-11. Frank felt a bit out of place, but he didnt complain. He was getting his cat food, that was all.
    "This is home!" Brian exclaimed, "Amy will be happy to see you, we don't have many visitors."
    "wonder why..." Frank muttered quietly to himself, as the smell of cat litter assaulted him on his way in the door.
    "Amy, you'll never guess who I ran into today!" Brian shouted back into the other room.
    "Who'd you run into... Oh my god!! How dare you bring a stranger home without warning!" Amy threw a broom at her brother in a playfully angry manner. Her hair was unkempt, and she really did have reason to complain about Frank seeing her in such an unprepared manner.
    "I'm just here for the.. you know.. cat food!" he mumbled, trying to make her feel better.
    "Nonsense! My brother made you come all the way over here to see me in this state, you may as well stay here for dinner!" Amy was obviously embarrassed.
    "Well.. i suppose I could.. " Frank said, not really wanting to, but his manners preventing him from refusing.
    Amy returned after a few minutes, somewhat fresher, and with her hair much neater. She really wasn't that bad looking. Her cooking however, left much to be desired. However, food was food, and food that didn't require work to obtain, was better than none. Frank thanked them for the meal, took his cat food, and headed home.

    Jasmine was very glad to see him, and even happier when he cracked out the cat food. He was thoroughly worn out from all the goings-on, and he soon went to bed. Frank did not immediately begin dreaming, as he was accustomed to. He was thinking about Brian and Amy, who he had just visited. Being there made him feel very uncomfortable, as it was a completely different setting than he was used to, but at the same time, he'd never felt so welcome by anyone before. These people were definitely worse off than him, yet they seemed to have a joy about them that he did not understand. He slowly drifted to sleep, meditating on these things.

Beta

    Frank got home to discover he had not succeeded in his objective whatsoever. Somehow between the time he picked up the groceries and the time he had spent harassing that poor girl about omega, he must have given her his bag of cat food and loaf of bread. Lovely, he thought, now i'll have to go back and shop all over again! Oh how he hated shopping. Jasmine was still upset, so Frank grudgingly gave her some leftover hamburger that was starting to go bad. She growled with contentment and attacked the plate, and Frank sat down on the couch to watch Southpark, his favorite tv show.

    Several hours later, Frank awoke to discover he had fallen asleep on the couch in front of his tv, and been asleep some hours. He clicked the off button on the remote, and snuggled his face into his kitty's black and white fur. Much to his dismay, his kitty did not want to be used as a pillow, and summarily scratched him right on the nose. Frank wiped the drop of blood away, pulled down the couch blanket on top of him, and was soon back in his forest of solitude.

    Much to his pleasure, Frank determined that his intrusive and annoying freind Alpha was nowhere to be seen. He took off walking through the woods. After a short while, the ground began to incline upwards, and Frank was soon climbing upwards. The terrain was becoming increasingly more steep and hostile, but Frank was curious as to what was up there. Plus, it would make it less likely for intrusive people to come find him. Soon there were rocks and boulders instead of bushes and trees, and he was nearing the top of what seemed to be a plataeu. Now Frank was really curious, because he didnt remember any plataeus being anywhere near where he lived, and definitely not in the forest. Finally, he came to the base of a short rock cliff. It must have been only fifteen feet or so. Frank was quite limber, so he climbed up the face of the cliff with relative ease. However, when he got to the top, the wall he had climbed up broke, and he was suddenly without a way down.

    "Well, I guess it doesnt matter about my work then, " he thought, "I'm trapped on top of a mountain!"

He turned around, curiousity burning as to what was on the other side of the cliff now that he realized he was stuck there. The plateau was rather narrow, a matter of ten feet or so. Frank stood up, admiring the view. He could see the cluster of houses where his must be, miles away on the valley floor. On his other side, the plateau stretched in both directions, encompassing a crater of largish proportions. The crater was decorated with assorted small shrubbery and a few lonely trees. At the bottom, he could see smoke rising, which was strange, considering the crater was obviously not sufficient for human life, and there was no other apparent way into the crater. Frank started walking down the side of the crater to investigate.

    "There must be a wildfire brewing down there!" he thought to himself, yet the smoke was not excessive, and he saw no flames rising up. When he approached the bottom, he came upon a circle of four old women and one young man. The four women were wearing white robes, and surrounded a single torch driven into the ground. The young man was clothed similarly to Frank, in a semi-formal collared shirt and black slacks. Off to the side, there was a pile of bleached, round rocks.

    All of the ones in the white robes stood when Frank approached them.

    "We have been awaiting you!" one of the white-robes spoke, without making eye contact with him. At first, Frank was unsure if she was talking to him, but then he realized that she, as her accomplices, were all blind. Frank looked at the young man questioningly. The young man, sensing that Frank did not understand what was going on in the slightest, walked over to him.

    "I am Beta," the young man said "and I was sent to you by Omega, to help you."

    "Of course. I still dont understand why this Omega thinks i need so much help! Who are these women?"

    "All will be revealed to you at the right time." the young man said, seemingly  annoyed by the question "These are the mortal Acolytes of Omega, and they are here to assist you on your journey."

    "Journey?" Frank exclaimed "I dont think now is a good time for me to be taking a journey! I have a job to go to, and a cat that needs my care!"

    "Don't worry about a thing, my dear freind, you will still go to work on time, and your cat will not miss you. Omega does not wish to cause you any problems."

    "Who is this Omega anyways?? Im expected to go on a journey, without knowing who this seemingly all-knowing 'Omega' is, or why he wants me to go on it? You're out of your mind."

    "Frank, Frank, calm down. I cannot tell you who Omega is, or the nature of Omega, you must find these things out for yourself. All i can do is that which any good freind would do, help you along your journey."

    Frank paused a moment, looking into the young man's eyes, and seeing the sincerity within him. Oh well, he thought, im gonna lose my job anyways, may as well go on a journey.

    "All right!" Frank burst out, "I'll do it. But you have to promise me that somewhere, somehow, there is a point to this."

    "There is a point to everything that Omega does, Frank," the young man said with a smile, "Now let us begin!"

    The four old ladies scurried to the pile of rocks and began arranging them in a horse-shoe like pattern.

    "They are creating the Mark of Omega." The young man spoke, already sensing the question arising in Frank's mind, "It will allow you to continue on your journey."

    The mark was soon finished, and Frank recognized the Ω shape on the ground as the greek letter Omega. The four acolytes began chanting something in Greek, which Frank didnt even try to understand.

    "Now what do i do?" Frank asked, more than a little skeptical of the whole thing.

    The young man pulled the torch out of the ground, and handed it to Frank, then grasped his hand and led him into the horseshoe of stones. As soon as they were inside the symbol, the world around them dissapeared and was replaced by a dimly lit purple world. The horseshoe of stones was completely gone, and Frank saw nothing around besides a small pool of water.

    "What just happened?? Where are we?" Frank demanded, thoroughly scared by all of the goings on.

    Beta waited a moment before responding Frank's question. "Omega has taken us to this world, Oneiora, where your journey will continue. Unfortunately, you must depart now, you have things in your world to tend to."

    Frank was very excited. "You mean to say, that this is some other world? Like, not earth? Dude thats sweet! Is there anything interesting in this world? And why must i return?"

    "You are correct. This is indeed, a completely different world, unlike anything you have ever known." Beta smiled, thoughtfully, before adding "You will return to explore this world at a later date. However, right now, your cat needs you. It is time for you to depart."
    "Sorry to break it to you, bud, but i have no idea how i got here, let alone how to get back!" Frank said, not wanting to leave. "Why can't i just stay here?"
    "You must take care of your responsibilities, my freind." Beta insisted, "Now, please give me your torch, and i shall demonstrate."
    Frank handed him the torch. He had no idea why he needed a torch in the first place, considering the fact that both worlds were in the midst of day. But as he watched, Beta dipped the torch in the water, and before it was entirely extinguished, Frank awoke to Jasmine pawing at his door.

Alpha

    With eyes closed, Frank listened to the whispers of the wind rustling the leaves outside his window. Such a peaceful noise, yet in the stillness he could sense the cold of winter, a lonely chill glaring at him, envious of the warmth of his bed. If only the noise would stop, he thought to himself, maybe I could catch some sleep. He tossed and turned in his bed, trying to shut out, or forget, the noises outside. In doing so, he made an ever so tiny opening in his bedsheets, allowing a draft of cold air to invade his warm space. Frank shivered, but the chill made the rest of him feel warm. Too warm, in fact, and he decided to lose his blankets altogether. Now he felt very much awake, and decided to get a glass of milk from the fridge to help him sleep. The hardwood floor felt cold underneath his feet, even with his socks on, so he cancelled the trip to the fridge, and got back in his nice, yet now colder bed.
    "Oh well," he thought, "I guess i'll just lay and wait." Frank listened to the leaves once more, imagining the cool drops of water trickling down through them, dripping from one leaf to another until finally they reached the ground. His yard was probably just one big lake right now, and the thought of that amused him. Such stillness, beautiful, yet lonely. He could imagine all those houses beyond his, still and lifeless, stretching out until they reached the fields, eventually yielding to the forest. Frank imagined himself walking through the forest, admiring the beauty of the sunlight trickling through the foliage, reflecting off the drops of rain still clinging to the leaves. "This place is so beatiful and peaceful, I never want to leave" Frank said aloud.
    The feeling of lonliness had departed from him, as the sunlight had scared away the cold. Suddenly, the shrill sound of laughter pierced his introversive piercings. He looked around, trying to find the source of the sound which had disturbed his thoughts, but he saw no one. Again, the laughter rang out amidst the trees, this time from a different direction. Frank was starting to be a little disturbed by this laughing, as it now seemed to be laughing at him.
    "Hi there!"
    The voice came from behind him. Frank spun quickly around to see a girl standing behind him.
    "You frightened me. I thought i was all alone out here!" he briskly responded, not amused.
    "I'm sorry! I just spotted you out here all alone and figured you could use some company."
    The girl seemed apologetic, yet somewhat dissapointed at his antisocial implications.
    "So how are you doing?" she said, insistent on continuing the conversation.
    "I'm doing alright, I guess." he said, trying to be polite, "How about yourself?". Secretly, he thought to himself, "I was doing just fine until you got here!"
    "Oh I'm always great!" she bubbled, twisting the tips of her long, earth-brown hair between her fingers. She stood there, looking at him with a puzzled look on her face. He began to grow irritated with her persistent nature.
    "So why are you out here all by yourself?" she asked, after an awkward pause.
    "I was about to ask you the same question! Don't you have people you should be with right now?" he responded, letting his irritation show just a little.
    "I asked you first!" she insisted, undaunted by his increasingly hostile attitude.
    "I was out here enjoying the peace and quiet of nature without anyone else around to disturb me. Now, i would like to know why you insist on intruding into my solitude." He wasnt even masking his contempt anymore, frustrated that she didnt seem to be getting the hint.
    "You realize, you didnt answer my question, you just restated it with more words. But, since you insist on knowing, I came here to see you."
    Frank was speechless. He had no idea how to respond to this sort of information. His rage dissipated, and he began to become curious.
    "I don't know you!" he said, " I dont even know your name! How could you be here to see me?"
    "He's right, you're a mess all over. Anyways, my name is Alpha, and I know you very well." The girl spoke with confidence, and Frank was confounded by her.
    "I'm sorry to be rude, but what the hell kind of name is Alpha? And how do you know me? I dont understand!" Frank exclaimed, more excited and disturbed than angry.
    "It was given to me by my master, Omega. It is he that sent me here, today, to help you. But you will understand all in time. For now, however, i must depart." And with that, the girl turned and walked away.
    "Wait! I still don't get it! Who is this Omega and what does he want with me?" he shouted after her, but his words fell on nothing but empty air. He ran in the direction she had gone, but the forest blurred into black, and he awoke to the sound his cat, Jasmine scratching at his door.

    Frank got up and let the cat in. He was still pondering on what the words of the girl had meant, and who this Omega was. However, he had more pressing things at hand, such as going to work. He glanced at his clock, where much to his alarm he discovered that it was already ten thirty, and closer to lunch time than morning. Scrambling to get his clothes on and his face shaved, Frank called his work to tell them he was late. Why they couldnt realize that he was late on their own, Frank never understood. It was just one of those things you had to do, as a matter of courtesy. When nobody answered the phone, Frank was highly irritated. Seriously, if you have to call in to tell them that you overslept, at least they could have the courtesy to pick up the phone! But no. Frank left a voice message, half apologizing half thinly masked insults. As soon as he hung up the phone, Frank realized that it was indeed, a Saturday. No work today! Frank knocked his head on his kitchen counter. How could he have been so careless? What was his boss going to think when he got a flaming message of apology for being late on a saturday? Frank's kitty meowed angrily at him, as if she understood what was going on in his head and agreed that he was a total moron.
    "What, you think its funny? What makes a little hairball like you think you can judge me like that?" Frank said aloud to Jasmine. The kitty meowed back, unsatisfied. Maybe there is something wrong with me, Frank thought to himself, I'm getting offended by the actions of my cat!
   "I'm sorry kitty," he said in a sweet tone to his cat, "now what is your problem?" He rubbed her little face against his, affectionately.
    The kitty walked into the kitchen and stood by her bowl, meowing again, but quieter because she knew she had his attention.
    "Oh... Your bowl is empty. That explains it!" he said, still out loud, but this time to himself, as if he'd solved some great mystery. He opened the cabinent and fumbled around inside, looking for a can of cat food. But there was none to be found, not a can in the house. It would not do for him to have a hungry cat complaining all weekend, so he got in his car and drove to the Wal-Mart. He grumbled a grudging "hello" back at the old lady greeting people at the door, noticing that she really wasnt that happy to see customer one-million-and-ninth, or whatever. Theres only so many permutations of "hello" and "have a nice day" that you can spew out before you start feeling like a broken record. He headed for the aisle with the cat food, stopping to pick up a loaf of bread on his way, so he wouldnt have to make another trip later that week. Being a saturday, only a few lanes were open. He wanted to get home as soon as possible, so he headed for lane number 1, the ten-items-or-less lane. The clerk began ringing up his groceries, and Frank mindlessly got out his money and handed it to the clerk.
    "Keep the change!", he barked, almost as if it were an order.
    "Sir, are you all right?" the clerk asked.
    "I'm fine," Frank muttered, without looking up.
    "Sir, you just handed me a fifty dollar bill and told me to keep the change!"
    At that, Frank jerked his head up and looked at the clerk.
    "My bad, I should have checked." He exchanged a ten dollar bill for his fifty dollar bill.
    After depositing the fifty dollar bill back in his wallet, Frank headed for the exit. Walking absent-mindedly through the parking lot, Frank ran into a woman, knocking her groceries all over the ground.
    "I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" the woman said apologetically.
    "No, I'm sorry, it was my fault." Frank said half-sincerely while picking groceries off the ground. He then stood up to hand them back to her. She seemed sort of familiar, although he couldnt place where.
    "Do i know you?" he asked her, thinking of the dream he had had the night before.
    "I'm quite sure i've never met you before." She said, before adding "My name is Amy!"
    "Frank." He said, not surprised that she had a perfectly normal name. He didnt want to seem too strange, but he still wondered about this "omega".
    "Do you know someone named Omega?" he inquired, still hoping.
    "Hun, Omega is a letter in the Greek alphabet, its not a name! Who would name their kid after a letter?", she responded, quite amused at his inquiry.
    "Never mind", he said, and he walked away.

Chapter 2: Immortal

The camper rocks back to its stable position, still swaying a bit. What the fuck was that!?? You turn to look outside, but as you're turning your head you hear an ungodly screech of something hard against the metal of the camper. Claws like iron rip through the aluminum as if it were nothing. Iron and aluminum... you think... that much friction between those two could easily start a thermite reaction. And sure enough, it did. The bear's claws lit up with a blindingly bright white flame, causing it to shriek in agony. The flames go out, leaving a very much enraged bear. The bear grabs the side of the trailer and rips it off, effortlessly. The little girl screams. Instinctively, you run towards the bear and tackle it, protecting the little girl from death. You smell the familiar smell of your favorite beer on the bears breath as you pin it to the ground. For some reason it reminds you of the little girl drinking vodka.. damn underage kids. Teenagers drinking... always getting themselves into trouble. They must be having a party again. You ask the bear to hold on, and pull out your cell phone and call the cops on the kids the next site over. A cop car pulls out of a campsite a few spaces over, and pulls up to their party. Finally, silence.

Can we continue?
The bear has a rather masculine voice for being so small.
Bears have tenor voices!! you think.. Not bass!

You punch the bear in the gut.
IMPOSTER!
You arent even a bear.
You're a fat guy in a bear suit!

You rip open the side of the bear. Inside, you find the ever-present little girl. Suddenly, you become very confused.

You hurt me! Man, you need to play nicer with kids!

Her daddy is seriously pissed. He runs at you with a crowbar. You feel the cold iron slide through your flesh, and you see that your body is impaled by the crowbar. You pull it out, and you can see that there is a hole an inch wide all the way through your body. You wonder why there is no blood coming out, but as you examine yourself you look more like spoiled pork roast than a body with organs.

I must be a vampire, you think, thats the only logical explanation to all of this. You look at yourself and admire your new black clothes. The real question, you should be asking yourself, is how i became a vampire. It is truly a mystery.
You ask the girl's daddy how you became a vampire.
He doesnt respond directly, but rather with a question.
How did my little girl attack herself, and more importantly rip open the side of the camper with her bear claws?

You do find this all rather strange. You are quite sure that the bear was attacking her and she screamed. There is no question.. she was IN the camper.

Well you could just ask me yourself! The little girls voice is still quite deep and masculine.
You feel lame for not understanding, but you decide not to let it show, and just ask.

You connected me with the bear! Just with the power of thought, you turned the bear into me, transporting me from where i was to where i became.

This knowledge is very enlightening. But still, how does this explain how you became a vampire?

Yet again, thought power. This time subconscious. You realized that you should be dead, so you made yourself into something that would not be killed by what happened to you. Its quite simple really.

So thats like.. what... magic?

Indeed. The magic of thought. The most powerful magic, really.

This can't be real! You say aloud. The girl, the camper, the bear suit, and the man fade away, leaving you lying on the ground outside in the burning sun. You get up, wondering whether what you just experienced was a dream, or reality.

Chapter 1: Campfire

The campfire blazes up. You can feel the warm glow, even with your eyes shut. You snuggle deeper into your sleeping bag, and pull your all-too-thin feather pillow under your neck to keep it off the ground. Camping is always such fun! A wolf howls in the distance, sending chills up your spine. You open your eyes, and prepare to run back to the car in case you hear it get closer. You take a step in that direction, but you trip and land on your knees. You see the flames burning on your pant leg before you realize you stepped in the fire pan. You grab the bucket of water and throw it on your leg, but unfortunately, it's gasoline and suddenly your whole body is engulfed in flames. You run to the river, leaving a firey track behind you. Suprisingly, nothing hurts. Oh yea. When you have gasoline on your skin, you dont feel pain. Then you jump in the river, without remembering that you can't swim. The river is fast; it flows far away from your site, far away from anything you know. You wonder how you'll ever get back. Then you wonder why you arent drowning. You start to sink, but a hand reaches down, and pulls you out of the water onto the bank.

Thank you!, you say, You saved my life!

My pleasure, the little girl says, but no harm could have come to you anyways

You're about to say "why not", when the chill on your toes from the hole in your sleeping bag brings you back to consciousness.

The cry of a wolf again scares you, reminding you of your recent dream. You go outside, check the water to make sure its real water, and throw it on the embers. The last remnants of the fire go out with a satisfying sizzle, and you head back to bed, this time hiding your head under your pillow to block out the sound of the wolf.

It's morning now. You get up and out of the tent. Around the arc of the campground there are a variety of campers and tents, people eating bacon sizzled over their... propane cookstove. Such a shame, people not really camping anymore. Should be fire. Their bacon burns to blackness... serves them right.
You see this girl, the little girl that saved you, again. You go up to her, to thank her for saving you. But she has a terrified look on her face. She runs away. You can't even run fast enough to catch her. oh yea, that was a dream. This little girl.. i probably just saw her, and dreamnt about her. So shes freaked out by someone like me just coming at her randomly. She does seem tiny, after all.

You head back to the main campground, slightly disturbed by this appearance. You walk past the girl and what you assume is her dad and some other people... how did she get there so fast... but you keep your distance.. dont want those guys to get pissed at you too!

Distracted by the girl and the guys with her, you trip and fall on the ground. Of all the bloody things... had to get mud on your only clean pants. How could things get any worse... Well, murphy's law. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. There is a bear in your campsite. And not just in your campsite, its sitting on your tent, and munching on a sandwich out of your cooler. Next he'll be drinking my beer. Fucking prick. Looks like you jinxed yourself... well he doesnt drink it, that would just be too much. But he bats at the can... his claw pierces the side, spraying your face with your own beer. Bastard!! thats my last beer!

Chill out dude!
One of the men with the girl is standing next to you. He doesnt look 21...
I've got a whole fridge full in my camper.

Thank god for people who don't really camp, you mutter to yourself. The burnt bacon is still in the frying pan, outside on the campstove. You crack open a Guiness. You really don't like that dark of beer, but its the only thing in the fridge.

I'm sorry, mate, I don't have any Miller. How bout a Red Bull and vodka?

That would be delicious! how did he know I like miller? That was only Bud Light in my cooler...

The man opens the fridge and pulls out a Red bull. He opens the cupboard and pours a few shots of vodka out of a smallish bottle.

HOLD IT! You say, This isnt real! there was nothing but a couple sixes of Guiness in the fridge...

Damn straight!
The young man looks at you keenly.
You mean you didn't know you were dreaming? How is this possible?
How would I know...

Its called common sense dude. A four year old can't run faster than you, not even me!
The little girl pipes up. She takes a swig from the glass of vodka.

Bad girl! Bad things will happen to you if you drink!
The man has a stern look on his face. Even as she swallows, the whole camper rocks.