There's things out there beyond our understanding. Things out there that we weren't meant to see. But we have, and maybe some day we'll understand why. I just don't wanna meet something that I don't understand.
I wake up in my bed, my room still dark and my vision hazy. I lazily move my arm over to the nightstand, my hand searching for the lamp chain. Finally finding it, the lamp flickers on illuminating the resort room. I grab my phone and look on the screen of the device.
4:28 AM
"Ugh...." I mutter to myself. Lightly setting my phone back on the nightstand, I turn off my lamp and try to go back to sleep. My hand sneaks under my pillow, making sure my Glock is still stashed underneath.
Growl...
My eyes open as growling comes from the darkness, beside my bed.
"Rook! Go back to bed..." I demand, slamming my hand against the mattress.
There's a moment of shuffling, and then a disappointed exhale, then silence. I close my eyes once more, but I'm fully awake now. I turn my lamp on, and I slowly stand up. The cold air hits my skin, electing a groan. Finding the light switch, I flick it up. Light floods the room.
Finding my helmet, I grab a couple tissues and a water splasher. My hands gently settle the black and red dirt bike helmet onto my knee. The silver visor glares back at me with the yellow lamp light.
Inside is soft bulletproof cushions, without this helmet I'd already be dead. Squirting a splash onto the visor, I move the tissue left and right until the visor looks similar to a mirror.
4 hours later
I open my bedroom door, stepping into the living room to my penthouse. I plop on the couch, grabbing a controller and putting on a random video on I find on YouTube. I grab a cold glass of water, and I take a sip, feeling the tasteless, but pleasant liquid on my tongue. My phone vibrates and plays the calling ringtone from my pocket, and I grab it.
"This message is coming from the Quarry station. Is this Landon?" A stranger asks over the phone.
"Yeah..." I say, sipping a glass of water.
"Great. You were requested by Tyler Brown at the Nonagon. He told me he needed you for something." The person says.
"Well... tell him I'll see him soon." I tell him.
"Alright. Bye." He says as he hangs up.
What could Tyler need right now? And why would he go through the Quarry station just to tell me this? Some bullshit.
With a groan, I lean back on the leather sofa. 3 dogs come out of their room, a German Shepard named rook, a Siberian Husky named Arctic, and A Golden Retriever named Daisy. I give Rook a quick pet behind the ear, and I stand up. I go in my bedroom and close the door.
I put on the helmet, and a red and black motocross dirt bike suit with the same color gloves and alpine star boots. I put on a bulletproof vest and a black motocross chest plate. I then strap on knee guards and elbow guards and a couple soft arm and leg straps.
I place a machete sheathe and a Glock 19 strapped to the sheath on the right side of my belt. On the backside of my belt, I put some flashbangs and a small pouch which has a can of dr pepper, a snicker bar, and a wallet. The right of my belt has a hatchet, and the front has another pouch with my phone, a multitool, and a bit of cord and a radio device. I put a small switchblade in my left knee guard, and I sling a full auto Smith & Wesson M&P 15 and a Benelli M4 shotgun over my back. I look in the mirror, pushing some of my brown hair into my helmet and pulling up my right glove, making sure none of my skin is revealed.
I swing the door open, and I walk through my living room. Pushing the door open, I step into a long hallway. A male in black tactical gear and some night vision goggles strapped to his helmet heads over to me. The rifle slinged over his shoulder bounces with every step.
"Jason... What's up?" I ask.
"Yo, you got that call too. Right?" Jason inquires, pulling on his sling slightly.
"Yeah. What do you think he wants us for? The Quarry station didn't give me any information." I tell him, my dogs bark from inside the room.
He shrugs. "Beats me... wonder why he wants you though... I guess I'll get going now. You coming with me?" He asks.
"Nah, Ima take off at 10... little tired right now." I respond.
He nods and then walks further down the hallway. I go back in my penthouse, and the 3 dogs quickly rush over to the door. I grab my phone out of my pouch, and I go on messenger.
"Hey Ethan. Up for some pool?" I ask over the phone.
"Sure... I'll be there in 5." A voice says. He hangs up.
I head to my game room grabbing 2 pool cues from the wall. I gently set them on the pool table, and I head over to the dressing room. I take off all of my gear and I place it on a rack. And then I put my guns and weapons in a safe, beside my switchblade, which I leave in my sweater pocket.
I go back in the game room and the door opens as Ethan steps out. Ethan is in full camo dirt bike gear with a bulletproof vest on and a machine gun on his back.
1 hour later
I'm back in my tactical gear and I head outside. I exit Spring mansion and I walk on driveway. I give the building a quick glance before trying to find a UTV I can drive to the nonagon.
I find a Cam-am 2 seater UTV and I open the door and twists the keys, listening to the roar of the engine. I turn my phone on and I look for a video to watch while I'm driving. I find a video and I toss the phone on the passenger seat, along with my rifle and shotgun. I push my foot on the petal and I start to drive. I crack open a dr pepper, having one hand on the wheel and the other on the can. I look at the trees as I pass by, my surroundings blurring as I drive faster.
1 hour later
I park in a concrete parking lot. I step out of the UTV and there is a pretty big green metal military like station surrounded by forest. I walk towards the main entrance and I knock on the metal door. After 20 or so seconds the door opens with a figure in camo clothes in a camo hoodie with a gas mask concealing his face.
"Welcome to Oakdale station."
Eli, the person with the gas mask steps aside as I enter. He goes to go do something else while I try to find someone by the name of Wyatt. I wander around for a couple minutes until I see someone in light green tactical gear.
"Hey, you know anyone by the name of Wyatt?" I inquire to the person.
"No, sir." He says.
I walk away from him, and I grab another dr pepper out of a random fridge. I sip it while I walk around the base. I walk into the security room, and I see a 15-year-old in a chair watching security cameras.
"You see a guy in white and black dirt bike gear?"
He nods. "He seems to be in Armory 2A sir."
I nod and stand up, walking out the door. I find a map of Oakdale station on a table a few steps away from the door, and judging from the map, it's gonna be a long walk to armory 2A.
"Fuck..."
With the map in hand, I slowly walk down a hallway, passing a couple people as I do. I bump into a wall, my helmet clacking into the steel wall and the map falls out of my hands. I look around making sure no one saw that and I bend down, my gear making it difficult, and I snatch the map off the floor. I go back to walking, this time not paying the map as much attention to avoid any accidental collisions. I finally find the hallway I'm supposed to be at to find my friend. I walk a bit more and then I find a steel door with the words, "Armory 2A," posted above it. I push my shoulder pad against the door and it cracks open. I see a person in white and black dirt bike gear, with a 10 gauge semi-auto shotgun on his back, and a Springfield 1911in his holster with some smoke grenades lining his belt.
"Wyatt! What's up?" I exclaim.
"Dude! Didn't think you'd be here! How you doin?" Wyatt asks.
"Pretty good... But... I did get a call from Tyler, saying he needed me for something." I respond.
"Me too... I was actually about to get going." Wyatt comments.
"I'm on my way to the Nonagon, but I made a little pit stop here... see how you were doin." I say.
"Well thanks. But what do you think it's about though? He was being all mysterious and shit when I got the call. He didn't even call me directly for some reason... just got the Quarry station to do it." Wyatt adds.
"I have no idea... He's never done this before, it's gotta be something important. Right now he's acting like we're about to get nuked or some shit." I tell him.
"Do you think it has anything to do with construction of that new fort they're building near Allisonia? That's really the most important thing I know about that's happening." Wyatt says.
"What? I didn't even know they're building a new fort. But I did stay in Auberge Mansion last night so that might be why I didn't hear of it." I explain.
"Anyways... I just finished playing red dead redemption. It was pretty good like you said... But you did overhype it a bit." Wyatt jokingly tells me.
"Oh come on, it's pretty good. But still... Tyler has never done anything like this before." I say suspiciously.
"My ass! He does this all the time! Last week?" Wyatt asks.
"What? He didn't do anything like this last week. Or anytime I can remember for that matter." I say.
"You got some bad memory..." He quips. "You don't remember Greensboro?"
With a shake of my head, I stare into his visor. "But Greensboro was very important. Just ended badly."
"Well... Ima get going now. You coming with me? I called in a helicopter." Wyatt adds.
"Hell yeah I am." I respond.
Wyatt nods and starts to finish putting on his gear and then he opens the door for me.
"You know I have no idea where to go... Right?" I ask.
Wyatt nods and chuckles and he motions further down the hallway.
"We going to a helipad?" I inquire.
"Yep," He responds.
We walk for a bit, navigating the twists and turns of the hallways before we come across a flight of stairs. Wyatt looks at his map to double check and then he nods to me. We race up the stairs and he wins by a couple feet.
"If I didn't have all this gear weighing me down I would've smoked you." I remark.
Wyatt rolls his eyes behind his visor and opens his mouth to say something, but we hear powerful whirring and buzzing, sounding like a helicopter. We walk faster for a couple minutes and we find another set of stairs. We walk up them and step onto the top of one of the buildings connected to the main building. When we put both of our feet down a powerful gust of wind shoots at us and almost blows the lanyard Wyatt was playing with.
"What took Ya'll so long?" The pilot asks loudly above the helicopter's engine.
"Just helping a damsel in distress that got lost!" Wyatt says over the noise.
"Oh, shut up..." I whisper to him.
Wyatt steps on the floor of the helicopter and I follow him. He sits in a back seat and I sit next to him.
"Just head north for now." Wyatt says to the pilot.
I catch a glimpse of the pilot and he has a red flight suit on with a red flight helmet with two white lines going down the middle of the helmet.
I take my helmet off and I put it in a box on the helicopter floor.
"Jesus, this shit gets hot..." I say to myself.
I take off my chest plate and my ballistic vest and I put my shotgun and rifle on a rack behind me. Wyatt takes off his helmet, and pulls out a pair of binoculars from a pullout shelf next to him.
"Red hill looks pretty nice today..." He mutters.
"It always does..." I tell him.
I look to the right of my, outside of the helicopter. Fields and hills sprawl across the land, the trees basking in golden rays of beautiful sunshine only interrupted by the occasional cloud in the blue sky. A lake glistens in the distance as light reflects off the water, illuminating the fields next to it. The mountains look way taller from this angle, making everything look amazing.
I pull out my phone and I attach the phone case to a lanyard, in case it falls. I turn my hotspot on and I go on YouTube and I tap on a random video. Wyatt keeps scouting the land with his binoculars beside me.
"Looking for something?" I ask Wyatt.
"No..." He whispers.
I rummage through my back pouch connected to my belt and I grab a dr pepper. I put my phone in my lap beneath my right knee guard and I crack the can open. I take a sip and watch the video as it plays. Wyatt watches me and pulls out a Pepsi, and he cracks it open.
"Cheers." He says and we bounce the cans against each other.
"We're living the life, ain't we?" I say.
He nods. "Definitely, but hey, what are-" Wyatt gets interrupted.
"I've been heading north for a couple minutes now. You need to give me a specific place to land." He says in a gruff voice.
"Right... We're heading to the Nonagon." Wyatt says to the pilot.
The pilot's eyes widen behind his visor and he mutters, "Sorry Sirs," and goes back to flying.
"Anyways, what are you watching?" Wyatt asks.
"John Cena prank call... that's the title." I respond.
"Hm. cool." He replies.
"I can't hear it cause the stupid fucking engine..." I mumble annoyed.
I start to look around to try to find something interesting to look at.
"Shit..." The pilot says.
"What? You good?" I ask him, my hair covering my eyes before I swipe it to the sides of my head.
"I don't have enough fuel to make it to the Nonagon..." The pilot tell us.
"Motherfucker..." Wyatt mutters.
"I can stop somewhere though that's close... You guys could drive to the Nonagon from there." The pilot says anxiously.
Me and Wyatt look at each other before nodding.
"Where?" I ask.
The pilot grabs a map and tells us to look for somewhere to land and he'll tell us if it's too far for him to go. Wyatt takes the map and we begin scanning it for possible locations.
"Woodmill?" I ask the pilot, waiting for his response.
He gives a quick nod and starts going north-west, my phone almost falling but I grab the lanyard attached to the phone case.
"Thought we'd crash." Wyatt chuckles.
"Same." I add.
After a couple minutes the helicopter goes still over a spot in the air, and Wyatt looks around, seeing the vast amount of fields and forests. He looks down and sees a bunch of houses and cabins and lumberjack stations to process and cut wood.
Wyatt turns to me.
"This is pretty cool..." He says.
"You've never seen this place?" I ask him and he shakes his head.
The helicopter lands and we get our gear and put it back on, and we thank the pilot before stepping off the helicopter onto a gravel road. I turn to Wyatt.
"Welcome to Woodmill."