《The Ambition》


 Chapter 1

    The man gazed upon the scenery before him and a tear came to his eyes. A tear not of sadness, but of happiness.


    ¡°Ah, its just so beautiful¡±, the man exclaimed. He had a life-long ambition and now with the help of his friends, he had finally achieved it. The man felt nothing but pure joy.


    {13 years and 5 months earlier}


    ¡°Dad, can you read the story to me again?¡±


    ¡°Of course, give me a minute. This one, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes!! I love this story!¡±


    ¡°Ok, now where did we leave off last time? Ah, yes. A castle collapsed and¡­¡­¡­¡±


    The man starts reading the story to his son. His son quickly falls asleep listening to the story and the weird humming sound. The boy wakes up after a while due to feeling wet and cold. The boy calls out for his dad.


    ¡°I HEAR SOMETHING. HE¡¯S STILL ALIVE. BRING IN THE PARAMEDICS.¡±


    The boy was very confused as this was a voice he did not recognize.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry son, you¡¯ll be just fine.¡± This was the last thing the boy heard before losing consciousness. When the boy woke up in the hospital, he had lost all his memories.


    ¡°W-where am I? Who are you? W-Who am I?¡± The child had truly lost it all.


    ¡°Your awake? Good. I am Dr. Dre. Tell me, do you know your name?¡±


    ¡°N-no. W-what happened to me? Where am I?¡±


    ¡°Oh. Don¡¯t worry kid. Just rest for now. It¡¯ll all be fine¡±


    The doctor went out of the room. His concerns had become a reality. It was a miracle the boy even survived. A plane had crashed in his neighborhood killing 27 civilians and 58 passengers. His whole family had died. The kid had no one to turn to and the doctor wasn¡¯t kind enough to adopt him. Hence, the kid was sent to an orphanage. There the kid was given a new name, Jaiden.


    He stayed at the orphanage for about 2 years before he was adopted by the Joestars, a fairly rich and well-known family. They had a good reputation and had everything one could need except for children. They had always wanted to adopt one and Jaiden immediately caught their eye.


    Jaiden was extremely excited but also nervous. The Joestars took him to his new home, a fairly big mansion-esque place with a great garden full of flowers and a forest in the back, the spitting image of what one would imagine a millionaire¡¯s house looked like. Jaiden was shown around and even given a new necklace as a gift. The Joestars loved him as their own and Jaiden loved his new family.


    {6 years later}


    ¡°Mom, Dad, I¡¯m going now.¡±


    ¡°OK, son. Stay safe and have fun. Buy some eggs on your way back¡±


    And just like that Jaiden was off to meet his friends. Him and his friends were planning to go explore the woods near his house, unbeknownst to his family. These woods were famous in the neighborhood. Many rumors circulated about them, from ancient ruins to skinwalkers. As many others in the community, Jaiden and his friends were also intrigued by such rumors and wanted to see for themselves if there was any truth behind them.


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    He quickly met up with 5 of his friends, Randy, Drake, Emily, Jacob and Jean. The 6 of them went to explore the forest at once. The forest was mysterious and kind of hazy with very little sunlight. Most of the rumors were focused on the north part of the woods so they travelled due north. After walking around for what felt like hours, they came upon a large clearing with a beautiful lake and beds of Orchids and Spider lilies.


    ¡°Hey guys! Look over there, across the lake. There seems to be some kind of path¡± Jacob yelled suddenly pointing off in the distance


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it, maybe your seeing things. All these trees are messing with your head¡± Jean said.


    ¡°No man, there is something over there. We should check it out¡± Emily said excitedly


    And so, they started heading towards the other side of the lake. There, they saw an old path in between the trees. After following the path for some time, they reached upon a hut.


    None of them expected to see any kind of man-made structure this deep in the woods. Something about the hut was just unsettling. It had an eerie atmosphere. The wood was rotting and the roof seemed as if it would collapse any time. Two windows were visible from the front, both broken.


    As they stepped into the hut, they felt a chill. Inside the hut, half-rotten books were scattered in one corner upon remains of what once was a bed. One the other side was some metal cutlery and a fireplace. It would¡¯ve been fairly dark if not for the beam of sunlight coming from a few holes in the roof.


    ¡°Theres so many books here. Why would anyone want to live in the middle of a forest?¡± asked Randy


    ¡°Wait a second. What¡¯s that in the fireplace?¡± said Drake


    Drake had noticed something shine in the fireplace, which was weird since all other metal items were rusted. He cleared away some ash and old wood revealing some kind of small handle. The handle was of a small trapdoor hidden in the fireplace. Upon pulling the handle, a small hatch opened up with ladders leading into pure darkness. It was getting late now. If they didn¡¯t leave soon, they¡¯d have to travel through thick woods in the night.


    ¡°Maybe we should leave now. It¡¯s getting too weird.¡± said Emily


    ¡°She¡¯s right. We should get back or it¡¯ll get too dark and I don¡¯t want to travel in these woods at night. Who knows what might be out there.¡± said Jean backing away from the hatch


    ¡°And who knows what could be down this hatch. We¡¯ve come this far. We can¡¯t just go back without taking a look.¡± said Randy persuasively


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about you but I think we have enough time. I¡¯m going, any of you wanna join me?¡± said Jacob boldly


    ¡°Count me in too. This is exactly what we came here for. If we find something cool we can brag about it to the others¡± said Jaiden


    ¡°Fine, if you guys want to go then go. I¡¯m staying up here.¡± said Emily, clearly annoyed


    ¡°I¡¯ll stay here too. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m fitting in that hatch anyway.¡± said Jean


    ¡°OK you can stay here. We¡¯ll be sure to come back up soon.¡± said Drake hurrying down the hatch


    And so, Drake, Jacob, Randy and Jaiden went down the strange hatch into the darkness below. They used their phone flashlights to look around. The room had weird markings and graffiti all over the walls. A lectern stood at the center of the room with a book open to a blank page. Candles and chalk lined the room. The lectern faced a weird circular symbol with lines and triangles pointing towards another circular shape. Drake steps towards the lectern and inspects the book. It had a turquoise cover with purple writing in a strange language, a truly weird book. As Drake is inspecting the book, he notices a familiar symbol and calls Jaiden.


    ¡°Jaiden, doesn¡¯t this symbol look kinda similar? I swear I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before¡±


    ¡°What the fuck? It almost looks like the symbol on my necklace. What does this page even say?¡±


    Jacob seemed to recognize the language and said ¡°Wait, that looks like Arabic¡±


    ¡°Arabic? Do you know what it says?¡± Asked Randy


    ¡°Not really. I can try to read it but I don¡¯t know if I should¡±


    ¡°Come on, man. Don¡¯t get cold feet now. Just read it¡±


    Jacob starts reading the weird text ¡°???? ????? ??????. ??????? ?????? ????? ???? ????? ????¡±


    Suddenly the ground starts shaking and all the candles light up. The symbols on the walls start glowing Vermilion and Aureolin. The book turns to a blank page and words start writing themselves. Suddenly, they hear Emily shouting


    ¡°GUYS GET OUT OF THERE NOW!! THE WHOLE PLACE IS COLLAPSING¡±


    They quickly climb out of the weird room. The roof was breaking down and the floor gave in underneath their feet. They quickly ran out of the hut. The hut completely collapsed sealing off the hatch forever.


    ¡°What happened? Did you find anything down there?¡± asked Jean


    But his question was met with silence. The 4 of them were clearly disturbed by what they saw. Sensing this, Emily simply told them to calm down and head towards Jaiden¡¯s house since it was the closest. All 6 of them started walking back down the path they came from. The lake now seemed melancholic and the flowers seemed too eerie. Dusk was upon them and they had to hurry up unless they wanted to spend the night there.


    As they left the forest, the sense of dread had settled down and the 4 of them had calmed down. The 6 of them agreed to talk about it once they were in the comfort of home. And hence, they went to Jaiden¡¯s house not forgetting to pick up some eggs on the way.


    --Chapter 1 end--

 Chapter 2: Humanity

    Upon reaching home, they went straight to Jaiden¡¯s room. Emily talked to his parents, ensuring them that he was fine and was just excited for a sleepover. After explaining what happened, Jaiden and Randy insisted that they should just sleep and talk about it tomorrow. Seeing as they were clearly shaken, Emily and Jean agreed. They had dinner and everything seemed normal. Shortly after, they went to sleep.


    In the morning, instead of being greeted by his alarm, Jaiden woke up to Drake¡¯s shouting.


    ¡°Wake up Jaiden. How long will you sleep?¡± His voice wavering as if to convey some deeper meaning. It was then that he noticed, the comfort of his bed had been replaced by the cold, hard ground. He quickly got up only to realize that he was in a dark room. It was the same as the basement of the strange hut but something was off. The symbols on the wall seemed old, almost faded, and were now red and purple. In the middle of the room, there was nothing. The book was no longer there. He saw that Randy and Jacob were also awake and were near the ladder leading to the hatch.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re finally awake.¡± Said Jacob clearly getting ready to climb out ¡°Lets get out of here this instant¡± They climbed up the ladder but instead of the hut¡¯s roof, they were greeted by the clear sky. Trees swaying in the wind and the sun shining down upon them. Randy was the first one out and noticed something off. He couldn¡¯t quite put his finger on it but something was amiss aside from the lack of a hut. The others came out into the sun one by one and started noticing some changes about their appearances, changes not visible in the darkness.


    Randy¡¯s hair now reached his shoulders with a light shade of brown and his eyes turned blueish. His clothes had changed too. He was now wearing a red shirt with blue skinny jeans, his shoes now black. He felt something amiss about himself but couldn¡¯t quite figure it out.


    Jacob looked the same with his nerd glasses, black trousers and white shirt. His shoes were now off-white instead of black. His watch was still there but it wasn¡¯t functioning anymore.


    Drake was very clearly no longer white. His skin had changed to brown and his hair had become shorter, almost looking like a taper fade. His clothes changed to a white tracksuit with black lining. He felt something in his pocket, orange glasses and a working watch.


    Jaiden looked the same with his red leather jacket, beige t-shirt, grey pants and black sneakers. However, most of the scars on his face had faded away. He still had them on the rest of his body, his neck scar was still clearly visible. In his pocket, a single blank purple page.


    They looked at each other, clearly confused and astonished at the changes, a hint of concern on their faces. No one bothered asking about the changes as they were sure that each of them was just a clueless. After a few quick glances around, they decided to head back towards the town. As they made their way out of the forest, they noticed that the lake was no longer there. Instead, a field of flowers and Poison-Ivy greeted them. It was noon but the trees barely let any light through. Finally, after an hour of walking, they had reached the edge of the forest.


    As they had now reached the safety of the town, a single question came to their minds, ¡°Where are Emily and Jean?¡± Those two were not with them in the room or the forest. Panic and confusion quickly spread between them. Why were those two not here? Where are they? Are they still asleep at Jaiden¡¯s house? Questions like these were exchanged but to no answer.


    Suddenly Drake spoke up ¡°Guys! Only us four went into the room yesterday. Only we saw what happened there. Emily and Jean never stepped foot in there. Maybe they were unaffected. Maybe they are still at Jaiden¡¯s house. It is noon now. We should hurry back. They are probably worried sick about now.¡±


    His words were logical. If Emily and Jean weren¡¯t with them then they must be back at Jaiden¡¯s place. So they decided to go back and possibly explain what happened. As they were going back, they noticed the town was a bit different. It was quiet, too quiet. The shops were closed, roads were empty and the buildings seemed to be in a worse shape. Suddenly a loud sound came from the forest. In they distance, they could see trees falling down like a house of cards.


    ¡°Uh guys, you see that? What is going on?¡± asked Randy, first to notice the trees.


    ¡°No idea. That¡¯s very strange. I have never heard of any animal capable of doing that. It is most confusing¡± said Drake, his speech pattern clearly different than before.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking kinda weird. Anyway, we need to get going. Whatever¡¯s in that forest is not our problem¡± said Jacob. They had just started walking when Randy spoke up again, this time louder with concern in his voice.


    ¡°Guys is it just me or is the thing in the forest coming towards us?¡± They were a good distance away from the forest but they were still struck with fear. The thing was clearly moving towards the town. The ground started to rumble. Panic and adrenaline filled their veins. Suddenly, the trees at the edge of the forest gave way and a huge swarm of something burst through. They were frozen in fear. Their legs had given up and would not move an inch.


    ¡°RUN¡±


    A strange voice filled the air. This single word was enough to snap them back to their senses. Suddenly, they could move again. And move they did. They started sprinting towards the nearest building at full speed. They went into a nearby shop and hid behind the counter. The rumbling sound grew louder and the ground began to shake harder. The windows grew dark. Fear filled their soul as the swarm of something ran past them. All of them were praying for it to end, to wake up and realize this was all just a dream but this was reality. After what felt like an eternity, the sound ceased and the rumbling stopped. They looked outside but there was nothing to see. No sign of anything around. The town went silent once again.


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    ¡°What the fuck was that!?¡± yelled out Jaiden. But none of them had any answer. They just looked at each other, their faces filled with fear, confusion and worry, a complex mix of emotions. They sat there, just processing what had happened for about 5 minutes.


    ¡°Guys, I know we¡¯re all frightened and confused. I can tell that you all have many questions in your minds. But we can¡¯t dwell here for long.¡± said Randy breaking the deafening silence.


    ¡°And what do ya suppose we do? We can¡¯t just walk around willy nilly. Not with whatever that was around. Its gone now but we never know when it¡¯ll come back¡± said Jacob almost instantly.


    ¡°What do you want us to do? Just sit around here deep in our thoughts? What about Emily and Jean? What about the rest of the townsfolk? What about our families? We haven¡¯t another person since we woke up. Don¡¯t you think that¡¯s strange?¡±


    ¡°That is quite peculiar indeed. But what should we do now? The safety of our friends and family is left unknown. We must do something. Sitting around isn¡¯t going to achieve anything¡± said Drake


    ¡°Man you talk weird. You¡¯ve started talking differently since we got up¡±


    ¡°And so have you. This is concerning to say the least¡±


    This small discussion between Jacob and Drake made one thing obvious. Their speech patterns were different but it seemed natural, as if they had always spoke like that. But they didn¡¯t have the time to sit around and think about that. They had to do something. The only question was what.


    ¡°Now guys, I know that it may seem like we should split up and look for our families but that always ends up badly in movies. We should stick together and go to one house at a time¡± said Jaiden.


    Normally, it would seem retarded for a grown man to use movie logic in real life but considering what had just happened, it didn¡¯t seem that foolish. Hence the group steeled themselves for whatever they may find. Thankfully, they were in a store so they picked up some food and started going towards Jacob¡¯s house. On the way, they didn¡¯t spot a single human or animal. Even birds were nowhere to be seen. It was eerily quiet. Soon they were at his doorstep.


    The front door was locked as always. Fortunately, as it was Jacob¡¯s place, he had a key. The door frame was rusted and opened with a screeching sound. The rooms had similar furniture and decorations however it seemed as if no one had been there for a long time. Dust covered the whole house, books were falling apart, wood was rotting, clothes were eaten away. Everything other than the building itself seemed to have been greatly depreciated. Jacob looked across his whole house yelling for his family, however it was to no avail. There was no sound except for his yelling.


    After 10 minutes of yelling, Jacob finally stopped and broke into tears. The others consoled him to the best of their abilities but suddenly having your whole family disappear was definitely too much for anyone. The others started to lose hope but they still continued on. This repeated at each of their houses. All of the houses seemed fine from the outside but completely wrecked inside, just like the 4 friends walking through this desolate place. Finally, they reached Jaiden¡¯s house. It was the last place left they hadn¡¯t checked and this was no exception.


    It was now dusk. They had spent all day roaming around looking for a single ray of hope but it was all in vain. Now as they sat in an empty room, the whole day raced through their minds. Waking up in a dark room in the middle of a forest, the whole town empty, no sign of humans or wildlife. Despair, anger, confusion, anxiety, fear, their minds were filled with a flurry of emotions. Questions were plenty but answers were no longer extant. ¡°Where is everyone? Why were they in that room? What exactly did they see emerge from the forest? What was happening to them and why?¡± Among all these questions, a single one arose in their minds simultaneously. When they were staring at that swarm, who exactly yelled ¡®Run¡¯?


    They looked at each other, their eyes expectant of an answer. However, none of them recognized that voice. Their concerns only grew. Who or what was it? And why didn¡¯t they reveal themselves later? The tension was growing with the questions. Sitting in that room was suffocating. No longer being able to bear the weight of their own thoughts, all of them decided to distract themselves. Randy went off into the kitchen to make some food. Jaiden went back upstairs to his room to find some stuff. Jacob started cleaning some beds so they could at least asleep. Drake went outside for some fresh air.


    Drake noticed that there wasn¡¯t much moonlight which was weird. The sky was clear but no stars were in sight. He though it was a bit weird but he paid it no mind and went back inside to help Randy with the food. While preparing the food, Drake mentioned it to Randy. After sometime, the food was ready. They called Jaiden and Jacob and ate dinner. It was a quiet dinner. The quietest they had ever seen.


    ¡°I, uh, cleaned a few beds for ya guys. Thought y¡¯all might ¡®preciate it¡±


    ¡°Ah yes. Very thoughtful of you. You have my thanks¡±


    ¡°Well guys, I think we should just go to sleep. We¡¯ll think about all this tomorrow with fresh minds, ok?¡±


    ¡°Ok. Thanks for making the food. It was good¡±


    They all went to sleep but Randy felt a bit off. He was still thinking about what Drake told him. Curiosity took hold of him and he went outside. He saw the same perplexing sight. A clear night sky but no stars in sight. He noticed that the moon also wasn¡¯t very bright. Suddenly a chill ran down his spine. He didn¡¯t want to believe what he saw. He chalked it up to his eyes playing tricks on him because he was tired but he could¡¯ve sworn he saw the moon moving, like a big eye.


    The night passed quickly. Despite what had happened, they all had a good sleep as if by magic. The morning sun rose above the desolate wasteland of a town. Randy was the first to wake up. He made breakfast and promptly woke up the others. After eating, they all sat down again in the living room to think of what do to next. Suddenly, they heard a voice.


    ¡°Hello!!! Anyone awake?!?¡±


    It was a familiar voice, the same voice they had heard yesterday. They instantly ran outside to see a man standing near the gate.


    ¡°Ah, so you guys were awake!! Can I come talk for a bit?¡±


    His voice showed no malice. The boys looked at each other, discussing among themselves what they should do now. Drake yelled back ¡°And who might you be, good sir? And why show yourself now?¡±


    ¡°Who me? Well, I would tell you but I¡¯m getting tired of shouting. You guys don¡¯t mind if I come in, do you?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know who you are? Or what you are? How can we trust you wont attack us or do something weird?¡±


    ¡°Oh come on. I helped you yesterday, didn¡¯t I? I am positive you have many questions in mind. Let¡¯s have a nice long talk¡±


    --Chapter 2 end--