Om The Right Track(non TF)

[Dannn Sanew]

Tuesday was just another day. The only difference between Tuesday and any other day of the week was the fact that it was his day off. Jace always looked forward to his day off, but for some odd reason never had anything to do. It wasn’t for lack of trying, his plans just never worked out. His “friends” were always busy and he only could go to the movies by himself so many times. Usually he just stayed at home surfing the web and maybe read a book. Today was so nice he refuse to stay inside. He decided to head in the city and see if he could find anything to do.
His eyes squinted as he stepped outside. The light seen brighter than normal and knew he been spending too much time inside. He did have a job, but it was an afternoon to night job. It was always dark when he went home. Having only your mornings free doesn’t help one social life either. Beside the light, it was a perfect day. It was windy and there was no humidity. He made his way to the train station and paid his fare to enter the station. The train was crowded, so he had to squeeze his way inside. He was amaze how so many people manage to cram themselves in even when there seen like no space left.
He found it hard to breath and though how the train was like a portable coffin. The living dead being shuffle to the next life. It wasn’t a pleasant thought so he tried not to think about it. As the train got deeper into the city he got more excited. He had live here for a long time, but parts of the city were still foreign to him. So today he was going to get off a random stop and explore the area. It wasn’t something he did often, just when he felt adventurous. He didn’t expect to find anything grand or have an epic journey, but it beat staying at home.
Jace breathed in the fresh air as he stepped out the station. While it was great being outside he also felt expose. The building loomed over him and unfamiliar faces glared at him. There were so many options open to him, if only he felt this free all the time. As a rule he usually head for the river or a park. He knew the river would be to the west so he started off in that direction. Nothing of interest caught his eye as he walked down several block. All the building looked the same bland grey color and most seen to be offices.
He started to regret coming this way until he saw a parking lot. While it wasn’t anything special it was a step up from the building for now. It was surrounded by an unremarkable fence that seen better days. Amiss a few trucks lurked some grass which grew denser further down the lot. Something metal caught his eye and he stopped to examine it. The grass obscured most of it, but it looked like some sort of rail. As he followed it he could makes out the tracks. It kept going until it curve above the ground and kept going straight as far as he could tell.
It was unusual to have a railroad track that was above street level. The track seen to be abandon since it was in disrepair. Curious to see where it went he hopped the gate. He wondered how something that seen so marvelous to him be shut down and left to fade away. As he made his way up the track he noticed that the grass also grew on the track. Even flowers appeared as the track stopped slopping up and leveled off. The track seen to run straight through the city for a while then it curve off to the left.
He stopped to look over the side and wonder how most people didn’t even know what was hidden up here. For some odd reason he felt free up here, away from all his problems. Maybe the tracks could lead him to a better life. As he rounded the corner he frowned. A wooden wall stood in the way of his path. Various graffiti was sprawled on it with wades of gum placed here and there. Upon closer inspection he noticed that a few boards were loosed. It was a tight fit, but he managed to squeeze through.
On the other side he continued his way up the track. It seen to go straight and looked like it ended when it headed into a building. The closer he got the more it became clear that there was a slight opening in the building wall. Jace went through the opening not expecting much just the inside of an abandon apartment. It was dark and he tripped more than once. He felt around for some kind of light switch, but couldn’t find one. Little by little he moved forward using the wall to guide him.
Odd enough he felt the tracks underneath him. He was pretty sure that he should have come to the end of the building. To his amazement it kept on going and going. Just when he was about to turn back he saw a bright light in the distance. Relieved that he was finally getting out of the dark and into the light, he rushed forward. There was a moment where he thought he lost his mind. There was no way he could be an open field this high up. He looked from side to side and noticed that there were no buildings around. The railroad tracks kept going straight and even went into a forest!
This couldn’t be real, so he knew he was either dreaming or his medication was getting to him. The medication wasn’t really helping him anyway, they made him more depressed. He vowed when he got home he would throw them all away. Then again this was too vivid to be a dream and he rarely had dreams where he could control his movements. So maybe this was real, but not what it seen. Maybe this was a set for a movie? It didn’t really make sense, but what would? He decided to worry about that later and just enjoy the scenery.
Jace continued to follow the tracks and he noticed a few things. The first thing he noticed was the dead leaves that litter the forest floor. It was only June so the leaves should still be growing. There was also the silence, usually there would be wildlife in a forest, but he hadn’t seen any. Also the rails were made of some kind purple metal. By now he should had came across a train station or a train. There was also no garbage among the tracks like the one that ran through Forest Park.
On and on he went until he came upon the tracks spilt into two. One curved to the left while the other one kept straight. So far he didn’t found anything going straight so he decided to follow the track that went left. If anything he could always double back. At first nothing seen to change, but gradually the trees thinned out and a large hill stood in his path. While he didn’t want to walk up a hill, he didn’t want to turn back more. Up he went eyes to the floor. That way he wouldn’t see how far he had to go. When he finally got to the top he bump into something and felt a hand grabbed him.
He didn’t have time to see who it belong to. Whoever it was had lost there footing and fell. It was probably his fault since he wasn’t looking where he was going, but why should he fall too? When they came to a stop they were about halfway down the hill. He looked up to see a girl with her back to him. She wore a black sweater and blue jeans. Her hair was long and black, pulled back into a ponytail. Her sneakers seen old and faded, but the thing that caught his attention the most was the quarter size hole in her ear.
“You’re a fool wandering about with your eyes glued to the ground. I should be really pissed at you, but you’re the first human face I seen in a while.” The girl stated as she got up.
“So there are creatures out there, did they do that to you? Do you need medical attention?” Jace asked as he examined her ear closer.
“I saw something, not sure what it was. It didn’t see me, so I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Are you aware that there’s a hole in your ear?”
“Yes, I’m the one that did it. You never saw anyone with this before?”
“No I haven’t and I hope this is the last time, so why did you make a hole in your ear?”
“It a fashion trend that been around for a few years. I saw tried it and like the way it came out.” The girl paused as she looked around. “Shouldn’t we be talking about more important things?”
“Yeah I guess so, but it so distracting and disturbing.”
“Just focus for a second. Here we are in an unexplored area so we shouldn’t split up when we go back the way I came.”
Back the way she came? He was a little confused until she began to continue to walk down the hill. She was heading back before why would she head back now? If she thought he was going with her she was crazy. Jace turned around and started up the hill.
“Where’d think your going?” The girl asked. “We need to stick together.”
“There’s no we, just you and me. You’re going one way and I’m going the other. That pretty much all there is to it.”
The girl just smirked at him. It wasn’t the reaction he was looking for. “I find it odd for someone who came this far to turn around at the first sign of trouble.”
“I’m not the adventurous type, I was just curious and now I not anymore.” He said absently.
“Hate to break it to you, but you’re a coward mate. On top of that you’re a liar, who wouldn’t be tempted to have look around here? I know this is just pointless to argue so I just leave you alone. See you soon.”
Jace didn’t bother to reply. He just left her there and started back up the hill. If she got into trouble it was her own fault. Maybe the reason this place remain a secret was the fact no one made it back out. They probably didn’t know when to turn back. Not him, he was getting out while he still could. When he neared the top of the hill he heard someone scream. He turned around and saw that the girl had made her way to the next curve on the tracks. She held something in one hand and pointed with her free hand to her pocket.
Did he drop something? He checked both pants pockets and noticed his wallet was missing. At first he walked down the hill, but when she took off around the curve he ran after her. She must had picked it up after they first bumped into each other. Now she was using it to get him to follow her. If he could overtake her before they ran into something he could still get out without any trouble. He ran as fast as he could after her. After a few hundred yards he knew he couldn’t keep up with her. Not only was she faster than him, she seen to be in better shape than him. That didn’t surprise him since he didn’t exercise much.
As he stopped to catch his breath he noticed the oddest thing to find in the middle of the forest. A payphone stood against a tall and next to it was a table. There were several chairs place around it in an orderly fashion. The numbers on the phone were replaced with odd symbols. It looked like a payphone you find in the city, but why would one be doing here in the middle of no where? The number of payphones in the city seen to decease every year, but this couldn’t be connected to it.
He picked up the phone and dialed his house phone but didn’t get anything. Several tries later he thought of taking another approach. Instead of dialing a combination of number he decided to try one at a time. He tried the button where one was suppose to be. It was replaced with the symbol  instead. To his surmise it worked! Maybe he could get help. Jace heard someone on the other side picked up.
“Hello.”
“Hello, what can I do for you?” A voice that sounded like rain replied.
“Where am I?” Jace asked as he clutched the phone tightly.
“How should I know? I mean your there and I’m here.” The voice retorted. There was a slight paused before it continued. “There should be a map on the table do you see it.”
Map on the table? He didn’t see a map on the table nor did he spot it among the leaves around it. Someone or something must had taken it. “There’s nothing there!”
“A York must had taken it to use in there nests. You should report this to maintenance so they can replace it.” The voice stated.
“How can I report it to them, when I have no idea where I am? Tell them to come to the forest? There has to be so many forests around here! I should had never followed that railroad track.”
“Railroad track? What color is it?”
“Um…purple I guess.”
“That means you’re in the Auior Forest. I call them right away, I glad I can be a service to you.” The voice answered before they hung up. While he was frustrated he didn’t attempt to redial the number, he already wasted enough time as it is. At this rate he would never catch up with that girl!

That girl that Jace spoke of did have a name. Like most people who thought they had a bad or bland name they prefer to go by something else. To not offend anyone with her name it will be omitted. She was known and introduced herself as Sydney. Ever since she first heard that name she had fell in love with it. Now Sydney was waiting for Jace further down the track. While he haven’t told her his name his wallet provided that information and more.
“I can’t believe it taking him this long to catch up with me! I can’t wait for him forever, maybe he went back.” Sydney said as she went through his wallet. There was nothing of interest in it. She was about to go look for him went she heard the faint beat of a drum. At first she thought she was hearing things, but then she heard it again. While she was didn’t want to go by herself, she didn’t want to miss this opportunity. The faint beat lured her further down the track.
After a while the drum grew stronger and it was joined in by some kind of horn. Not wanting to be spotted she left the tracks and stuck to the trees. Another drum and what sounded like a violin joined the melee. From the sound of it they seem to be celebrating something. So caught up in the music she didn’t notice the eyes that followed her as she try her best to remain hidden.
From her position she made out a train and gather around it was a group of creatures. She couldn’t tell how many cars the train had, but it was only slightly taller than a subway car. While there were a few humans, there seem to be a number of exotic creatures among them. Among them were a stone like knight, a black horse and mole like creatures. There was also what looked to her people made of grass. They swayed back and forth as the wind passed them. The music came from a small band of humans and what the look of things there seen to be some sort of celebration. Some were dancing while other ate and drank. She left her hiding spot and went to join the group.
So caught up in celebration they didn’t notice her until she tripped over what she thought was a bird. It turned out to be some kind of flying lizard and hissed at her before it took off in the air.
“How strange, it been awhile since we had a visitor from outside!” exclaimed one of the humans. Others around her began to talk amongst themselves, some in English and some in languages she never heard. Most frightening of all of them stared at her including the giant stone knight, whom eyes narrowed as he studied her. One of the humans pulled her aside and bade her to follow him. He was clad in green and brown and carried two hand axes on his belt. On his back was a quiver of arrows to go with the bow slung over his left shoulder. While he was slim and not tall there seen to be something about him that made one feel safe.
“You much move quickly before word of your arrival spreads.” He said as he took off for the woods. Sydney followed and when they lost sight of the track they stopped. “You’re from the outside?” The man asked.
”I not quite sure what you mean, but I’m Sydney and just a few hours ago I was in New York.”
The older man face lit up in recognition as he heard New York. “It been awhile since I been in New York, five years to be exact. My name is Denver and I haven’t been able to go back since the “Defluxo Mana” incident and I doubt that the ban been lifted.”
“What ban are you talking about?”
“No citizen of Vishal can leave and no foreigner can enter. It’s the decree of the Verse, which would be something akin to congress. The Watch must have slackened their patrols or he must had…no now is not the time to think dark thoughts.” explained Denver as he leaned against a tree. He seen deep in thought when they heard a twig snapped. Out leapt Denver’s hand axes as he surveyed the area, his keen eyes searched high and low. They didn’t need to search for long. The giant stone knight was the source of the noise and it seen tired of hiding.
The Knight was over seven feet tall and was green. On his back was a broadsword that seen bigger than her. As he drew nearer Denver put himself in front of Sydney.
“Earth Reader what brings you here? Do you intend harm?” Denver asked as he put one of his hand axes away and reach for a small green pouch on his belt.
“The girl is of interest to me that is all.” The stone knight replied in his deep grating voice. “If you want to question me more do so later. I’m not the only one interested in the girl; The Watch has wakened and sees all.”
The Stone Knight proclamation was enough for Denver. Together the three set off further into the woods as fast as they can. The trees spread apart and the path grew rockier as they travel. It seen Denver was leading them to the foot of a mountain. There were several paths that went up the mountain. Before each path was a boulder that had a symbol on it. The Stone Knight and Denver consulted which path they should take before they went up the one mark . The path they choose was smooth at first, but then grew steep and rocky.
“Why have we come this way? I thought it be best to stick to the trees Sydney asked as she stop to catch her breath. It seen that they been walking for hours and the sun now hung low in the sky.
“We would never have spotted The Watch while we were in the forest. Now that we’re in the mountains we’ll spot them before they’ll overcome us. They also know the ways of the forest, but the ways of the mountain eludes them. There is a hidden path that leads into the mountain and from there lays our escape.” Denver explained as he scanned the area in front of him. “It shouldn’t be that must further now. Jueir can you hear them?”
The Stone Knight tilted his head sideways and just stood there for a while. “There footsteps are light, but I sense them. They seem to be near. The mountain strengthens me and it’s still hard to locate them.” Jueir replied as turned around and looked down the path. “There they are several of them, but how many I can not tell.”
Sydney saw five or six cloak figures run up the path with speed no human could possess. They were still far off, but at the rate they move they would catch up them soon. Denver set his hands in motion and quickly slung the bow off his shoulder. Jueir meanwhile knelt to the ground and put his right hand onto the rocky earth. Denver’s arrow sped from his bow and barely missed a cloak figure. They were aware of them now and some answer back with their own arrows. One bounce off Jueir harmlessly while Sydney hop out of the way of another one.
She hated the idea of being defenseless in the middle of a fight. Next time would be different she promised herself. Denver launched another arrow and this one found it mark in the shoulder of one foe. Two of The Watch seen to had separated from the rest of their group. They had retreated back down the path out of sight. Denver was about to notch another arrow to his bow when the mountain began to tremble. Rocks broke apart around them and rolled forward to assail their pursers. The cloak figures dodged nimbly around them, but it seen to keep them busy for the most part.
Jueir stood up and observed his work. As he strolled toward them he almost fell. Denver nodded his approval and led them up the path. They walked for a few more minutes before they heard the sound of a horn. Another horn answered it, but it sounded faint and far off. This only motivated them to move faster as they ran up the path. Soon they broke off from the path and kept going until hit a path where a train track laid. They followed it for some time till they came to a tunnel. The train track ran up and around the tunnel. From one of his belt pouches Denver produced what looked like a roll of tape. A faint glow came from it and it grew stronger in the starlight.
“Wrap it around your hand. This is called “Star Bit” for it absorbs starlight for a short time. Hopefully it will last till we exit the mountain.” Denver said as he passed them each a piece of the strange fabric. They waited for a few minutes till the Star Bits absorb enough starlight. None of them spoke during that time for risk of discovery. While they had slowed their pursuers, they were still out there. Once the pieces of Star Bits shone brightly they enter the tunnel.
Their arms were held out high before them as they traveled deeper into the mountain. From what they could discern from what light they had the tunnel grew wider the deeper they went. Soon they came to a wide cavern. A pool of water sat in the right corner while some kind of strange fruit grew on roots hanging from the ceiling. They look like giant Strawberries, except for it odd brownish green color. Sydney went up to grab one, but Denver stopped her.
“These fruit are very special for they are the only fruit that grow from the roots of trees. Those who gather them won’t look kindly on you if you steal their Eurit.” Denver warned. She was about to ask Denver who he was talking about when she notice them. They look like the same mole like creature she saw before by the train. They were bigger then a mole, but not by much. Their arms were longer and had a tail like a monkey. Small ladders leaned against the cavern walls. From there the small creatures would grab the fruit with their tail and passed it to the one under them and so on.
“What are they?” She asked as she watched them washed the fruit in the pool of water. From there they carried it off to a small cart which they took down a side tunnel.
“We call them earth dwellers. As for what they call themselves we don’t know. They refuse to tell us or reveal much about them. We must be careful not to stray from this tunnel. While they let travelers use this one all others are off limit without permission.”
They passed the cavern without incident and the faint sound of water greeted them. The tunnel came into an open area and before them was a bridge. To the side was stairs crave into the stone that led to the river below. There was a dock where several boats sat. “This underground river leads out the mountain and flows through most of Vishal. Once on the river we should be safe.” Denver stated as he came to a boat and untied the rope that held it in place.
“Should be safe?”
“Few things are for certain child.” Jueir replied as he got into the boat. The boat sunk a bit, but it was still afloat. Sydney hesitated before she got in the boat. The last thing she wanted to do today was swim. Denver pushed them out into the current before he hopped in. Her guide made his way to the back of the boat and took control of the rudder. He navigated the dark waters in silence entirely focus on his task. She however found herself weary and slowly fell asleep.

[Blazemane]

Interesting read. You have a lot of imagination. But to tell you the truth, I'm a bit confused as to where you're going with this. But, then again, you probably intend it to be that way, don't you?

[Dannn Sanew]

Actually I have no idea where it going either.-_- Pretty much writing it on the go. I do have some plans, but not much.

[Blazemane]

Hee hee hee. All right. Hey, leaves a lot of room for a lot of stuff to happen doesn't it?