So the time right now is somewhere between ungodly and
exorcism gone wrong, but on the bright side there is an older fellow who I’ve
never met shaking me violently in my dorm. I guess I didn’t really know how to
react or I just accepted that this was how I was gonna leave this earth but the
only thing I was really worried about was who was gonna feed the fish after
this fossil ends me. Oh wait he’s talking over my mild screaming.
“Hey! Stop! I’m not gonna hurt you just stop screaming you
idiot”
I’d really like to say I said something clever or at least understandable
nut I just made a grunt and stared at him.
“Your bags are packed the car is waiting and your flight
leaves in 30 min if you value anyone that you hold near you’ll go get in the
car.”
“ummm what…ok I mean I guess”
So after the old guy stops shaking me I find my higher brain
functions and start to get dressed. When he said my bags were packed thought he
meant only my bags were packed because I don’t own a huge black duffle bag that
weighs as much as a young adult, oh wait gross no please don’t be a body if it’s
a body I’m running. Upon further inspection on my way to the shady black SUV I come
to the conclusion that there is something metallic in the bag and it has a few different
parts. When I hop into the back and close the door Mr. Fossil tells the man
behind the wheel to drive. I would probably be a lot more tired if I dint have
so much adrenaline in me right now but due to these creepy people and being a
recent victim of some messed up form of kidnapping I’m pretty sure I’m not
gonna need coffee for at least a few days.
As we roll up to the airport I take out my phone to check the
time my life starts to slide downhill Mr. Fossil with the swiftness of a raptor
grabs my phone and hands me another one.
“You’ll use this one from now on, tell anyone anything and
your schedules going to mostly consist of funerals for the next week”
On that note I decide that time is stupid and I don’t need
to check it ever again on my old phone. Also I’m wondering what organization this
guy is working for because this whole thing whatever you want to call it seems
pretty organized. Well let’s see what I’m dealing with by just playing along
until I see an opening.
Security lets us pass like we are on fire either that or
these guys or their superiors threatened everyone working here with some kind
of blackmail. Right now as I’m boarding this plane I’m wondering where I’m
going, where Mr. Fossil went, and what I did to deserve this, because I’m
pretty sure I must have been a puppy serial killer in a past life to have to of
had this much bad karma in this one. Yep I probably did something illegal like
that one time I stole a candy bar when I was 5 and this is the government’s
idea of punishment.
The plane looks pretty bare and it’s this way either because
no one is up yet or because it was planned this way, probably planned but let’s
just pretend it’s because the airline industry is suffering. The plane rattles
and takes off without as much as a warning or a hey sit down, but that’s probably
not the weirdest thing that has happened in the last hour. This only furthers
my curiosity now I’m really taking the phrase “curiosity killed the cat” to
heart but the phrase ends with “but satisfaction brought it back”, I hope if I die
I get some sort of satisfaction. I’m also thinking that I should probably check
what’s in the duffle but I don’t want to risk bomb going off if it is a bomb
which I hope with all my heart it’s not because that really not how I want to
be remembered as, breaking news teenage art student blows up plane and now the
weather. I didn’t think I could sleep on the plane that was taking me to my
down fall but I end up passing out just fine.
Paris France is where I end up which I ironic in the sense
that I’ve always wanted to go but I had more of a stroll down the park with
coffee rather than hauling around black bags that have something important to
do with my imminent future. I’m in Paris for all of 2 minutes when Mr. Fossil
makes contact with me at the gate and tells me to follow him.
We tour the city go shopping, see all the sites, get that coffee
I wanted but that was all in my head because what’s really happening is I got
dropped off at the Arc de Triomphe and was instructed to go down into the
manhole which will lead me to my family. Ok this is easy, like to the point
where I’m waiting to either get shot or for Ashton Kutcher to come running out
screaming “You just got punked!”at the top of his lungs. Anytime Ashton anytime
but I know both of those aren’t happening because Mr. Fossil is leaving and I’m
not a celebrity. And into the inferno are my last words on the surface and let
the record show that those are also the words I say every time I walk onto a
campus.
Death is the best way I could describe the smells and tastes
I’m experiencing, these ‘catacombs smell like what chewing on tissues feels
like, gross right. The thing I wasn’t expecting was for the path to be lit up
with torches like actual torches you only see at movies and your crazy uncles
house. So like the genius I m I make the best choice and follow the choices because
I’m in favor of walking towards a possible explanation rather than just some
darkness and skulls.
When you walk for an hour and hope that you see anything and
you don’t you start to think you’re gonna die in the world’s biggest known
grave which is also ironic. I hear talking and it sounds like a few people
maybe even around my age which is either really good or how I’m gonna die. After
seeing who it is I’m both more confused and slightly relieved, because I know
these people and what are these people doing down here with me with their own
black bags. Alec, Victoria, and Elizabeth look at me with a look I’m pretty
sure they stole from my face and start shooting questions at me rapid fire.
“So you’re the fourth?”
“What’s in the bag?”
“Are you ok?”
I’d like to thank Elizabeth for asking me a question that a
normal human being would ask in this type of situation. But Victoria an Alec
are still looking at me with anticipation so I indulge them.
“I’m probably the fourth and as for the bag something metal
but I was too scared to check”
Alec decides it would be best if we all opened our bags at
the same time and check to see what’s going on. Victoria and Elizabeth seem
hesitant for good reason but I’m still curious so on the count of 3 we unzip
our bags.
“ummmm”
“sooooo more metal parts”
“I think this is just a laptop”
It seems Elizabeth got a laptop, Victoria got a few
different flash drives and Alec got a canister of what I can only guess is
something radioactive. As for me I got a bunch of metal bricks just great. Before
we can really say or do anything all of our phones start ringing at once we
decide to put them all on speaker which is good because it’s all the same
person and creepy because we hear their voice 4 different times all at once.
“So you all made it and are probably wondering what you all
are going to do with those little gifts you have, think of them more as
bargaining chips then anything for instance the laptop Elizabeth received has
years worth of confidential information on every major country in the world,
while Victoria has received all those little flash drives that once inserted
into a computer that has a connection to the web starts destroying every other
electronic within a varied radius, Alec got some experimental substances that
have the increased blast radius of over 5 times the modern nuclear bomb,
finally Matt got the metal bricks that are really just a bunch of nanobots that
consume any metal they come into contact with and don’t stop until they receive
a kill code. So what are you bargaining for that’s the real question isn’t it,
well I’ll give you a hint it’s your family’s lives and who would like to make
the first offer”
Well this is happening and looks like I don’t really have
much of a choice.
“I offer you safety in exchange for my family’s lives”
The creepy voice starts to laugh then questions what I mean by
safety.
“It’s simple” I say “you let them go and I don’t activate
the little guys and take away your other bargaining chips you want.”
He’s quiet for a while then starts to speak “well loopholes
are made for exploiting and I guess I can always find some other kids to do my
dirty work if you leave you’ll see your families at the airport”
Tired is how I feel and a little shocked at how easy it was I
make my way back with everyone in high spirits still thinking about what just
happened. Maybe some things are pretty easy I’m probably wrong and everything’s
all right. But then I hear a siren up above something most resembling the war
sirens from the 40’s and start to think there’s no way that’s a coincidence and
this journey isn’t done.
