THE EXCITING CONCLUSION! WELCOME TO NEW HAVEN!

[MalReynolds]

This is a story that will probably be in three parts because I'm just too lazy to sit here and type all 20 pages of it right now.

The first six, you ask? Here they are!


EDIT: This story takes place on Earth, but with a different planet structure. So, not Earth. It's an action story with undertones of political corruption, racism, an (as if I couldn't break away from it) a really, really big monster.

It revolves around a mining town called "New Haven" that is situated in a mountain chain. The people there mine for crystals to power what have you, and the main character and his friend Terrell move to New Haven to get away from their old town.

-

My family didn’t want me to move to New Haven, but it was something that I just had to do to get on with my life. Distance myself from everything back at home would have been a mistake, considering the ties that bind. I needed someone to keep me grounded, keep me sane on the trek out to the middle of nowhere and remind me that when things get bad, there are people back where it counts that count.

So I convinced Teller to come with me. He hadn’t been interested to begin with, but in my time in Reedsville, I had become slightly persuasive. I had to sell it, make it sound good. New Haven, look at the name. “New,� make something of yourself in a new settlement. “Haven,� it’ll shelter us and keep us safe. Just look at the name. It says it all, really.

I had read about New Haven in a daily about seven months ago. A call for settlers to head out west to the Halfway Mountains formed a protective barrier against a small section of land. The land, situated in the bottom of the ring of mountains that were the Halfway, is New Haven.

Not quite sure why they were called the Halfway Mountains; they’re almost directly at the western coast. You can’t quite see the ocean from the top of the peak, but on a clear day you might be able to see Endless Beach. Rumor has it, the original explorers reached Halfway Mountain following a faulty map they had purchased from a native. They became lost in a snowstorm, and in the same amount of time it had taken them to get from The Institute, they had reached Endless Beach.

Of course, throughout time people came to realize that it was less than a quarter of the distance from Endless Beach to Halfway Mountains. Endless beach only extended four miles until you hit water, but it was a difficult trek. Large dunes covered the coast, cresting one would only reveal another just as tall, sometimes taller. It was no place for family vacations; you had to be well equipped. Many sailors that came to this country originally had tried to land on the West Coast and had summarily died from heatstroke and exhaustion. Thinking the continent was nothing but desert, they dubbed their landing spot “Endless Beach� and took off.

Several years later, another expedition was launched to the east coast. At the time, it was nothing more than dense trees, almost rain forest. Word was sent back to the home country and the trees were torched. The natives of this land weren’t happy, but lacked the proper technology to defend themselves. All they could do was pray. It didn’t do them much good. They tried scaring settlers off, putting on shows and telling them tales of how the Earth would swallow them up if they didn’t leave immediately.

It didn’t faze anyone.

The Halfway Mountains were unique in several aspects. New Haven was only accessible through a mineshaft at the top of the Mountain. The inside rock walls that the miners faced every day were sheer and unclimbable. There was no trail or pulley system; the mountain was too tall. The mining project to gain entry to New Haven took several years, and upon completion the town was founded.

Since the Mountains extended all the way around New Haven, the settlers became self sufficient, growing their own food and mending their own clothing. Outsiders were only needed for work and to help move the crystals from the mine to the town, or outside of the mountain for a pickup.

Previous to the mining of the entrance to New Haven, the crystals had been sacred. Few had ever been found, but they were precious. They helped power most things; the energy one could take from the crystal extended from powering homes to creating powerful weapons. They were an incredible force, only found on this continent. Once the mountains were mined out, it would be a short time before we become a force to be reckoned with.

That wasn’t really what I wanted. I just wanted a new job in a new place, see new people, all that. I left in the middle of the night to avoid another conflict with my sister, and showed up at Teller’s house about an hour later. In the darkness it was so easy to get lost, especially in a town such as ours. Homes stacked on top of homes, barely being able to see the ground. It was insane, poorly planned, yet stable at the same time. You just have to watch your step.

One false step, and whoosh. You go sailing to the ground. The railings are too weak to really support anyone fully. You lean against it, you’re down. The lower floors don’t even have railings; if you fall, you just start again. The usually sold lower level homes to women with child. If you had a child after you got an upper level home, they didn’t much care anymore.

Teller lived on floor six, block “D�. It took me forever to find my way there in the darkness. I had forgotten to pack a light. It was just as well; I didn’t have anything to power it with either way. It was tricky, moving from block to block. If you didn’t want to go all the way down to the ground, you would have to jump a small distance to another staircase, walk around to the other side of the building and hop again onto another set. You would then be on a different block, although if you’re like me, you’re directionally challenged. Every time I would hop across, I would disorient myself.

Coming from “Z� block to “D� block took too long, but he was waiting outside of his door, his bag packed. We headed down the stairs silently, me behind Teller. He was having second thoughts, I could tell from the speed he was walking to the way his shoulders were slumped. If I had been in front, he would have turned around and left, calling “Sorry,� out from over his shoulder.

Teller fell off the stairs when we hit floor three. He wobbled, reached out for a railing and found none, falling. He landed on his backpack and popping several of the food supply bags that he had raided from his house. I started laughing; the food would hold, but we had been so careful not to make a sound. Lights went on in some of the apartments.

I hopped down from the second floor carefully, and helped him up. He looked like a turtle trying to roll over, but couldn’t quite make it. A thin layer of dust now covered his glasses, face and arms. As soon as he was on his feet, I ran. People opened their doors, looked outside, and saw two silhouettes running west.

When we hit the edge of the “No-Firearms� jurisdiction, I slid my pistol into the empty holster and wore it around my mid section. Teller didn’t believe in guns, or violence, or any of that shit.

I didn’t really believe in violence, but I did believe in protection. There were people out here, natives, that would want to hurt us. They had animals that they had trained to hurt us. They would ride the animals and try to hurt us; you can’t pacifist your way out of a fight with these people. They see you, they kill you. Unless you kill them, which is what I fully intended to do if anyone attacked Teller or myself.

In the mid of the fourth day, I spied the native on the horizon, riding a gallop beast. The native seemed to be looking out over the land. I’m not sure if he was looking for people, if he was looking for animals, or if he was looking for trouble. Teller and I managed to hide behind some brush, watching the native through the brambles and thicket. In a manner of minutes, the native had disappeared behind the hill, and we were on our way.

It was a foolish mistake, sure. Anyone would have thought to stay longer, see if the native was trying to flush us out. The fight had ended quickly. The spear he had thrown sunk into the ground in front of Teller. “Want to fight,� was the only thing that action said. I pulled out my pistol and fired one shot at the native, hitting the gallop beast in the side. It reared, knocking the native back, running away. The native was hooked to the beast through a stirrup and was dragged away, screaming.

I can only imagine what the hot ground and rocks felt like against his bare back, at that speed. Must have stripped the flesh right from the bone. By the time he reached the encampment, there must have been nothing left but a leg in the stirrup.

Who says being a bad shot is really all that bad?

Of course, this one conflict sparked an interest in the natives that I never knew they had. They were a people of resolve, and after finding what was left of the scout, they sent more parties out the eliminate whoever was in the Wastes.

The journey west turned into a game of hide and seek, and occasionally hide and shoot. Hardly ever the latter, simply because my gun could only hold six bullets and the search and destroy parties sent after use consisted of an upwards of twenty natives. Even if I was good at reloading, good at shooting, I still had the whole “dodging of sharp weapons being thrown at me� to worry about. That, and Teller. The sooner we hit New Haven, the better.

The Halfway Mountains loomed in the distance, threateningly, the peaks sharp like teeth against the burning sun. I didn’t have time to enjoy the majesty of the Mountains, I was boosting Teller up the first ledge. There was a large raiding party behind us, spears in hand, spears out of hand, spears flying through the air. I turned around and fired into the group, hitting one, but another took his place.

If a spear hit the mountain and stuck in, we would use that to help us climb. The party was gaining on us by the time we hit the halfway mark later that day. I was growing exhausted, Teller reaching the collapsing point. He looked back at me, turned, and ran behind a boulder. For a split second, I thought he was selling me out, until I heard him call from behind the rock, “Well, ain’t you gonna help me?�

I rushed behind the rock. Teller was in a sitting position, his back against the mountain, his feet against the rock, pushing with all his might. He wasn’t touching the ground; he was elevated, using all the muscles in his legs and lower back to try and push the boulder. I took up a similar position.

“On the count of three, push as hard as you can,� I said.

“Oh, like I haven’t-“

“Don’t me a smartass. One… Two…�

“Better a smartass than a dumbass-“

“THREE!� I pushed, he pushed, he strained, I strained, the boulder shifted.

“AGAIN! ONE! TWO! THREE!�

The boulder moved towards the ledge and gravity took care of the rest. The large rock bounded down the Mountain path, hitting native after native before landing at the bottom on top of the leader of the party and his gallop beast. One native stood, staring at us, spear in hand. He held his hand out, motioning for us to stop. The native turned and ran.

“So much mysticism behind the natives, and look at what they can be killed by. A huge rock,� Teller said, holding out his hand for a high five.

“I think most things would be killed by a huge rock,� I said, lazily throwing my hand up.

“You, obviously, missed the joke,� Teller said, passing out.

It seemed like a good idea, so I did the same.

I came to without my gun, being dragged somewhere. There was a moment of panic when I thought the lone native had come back. I reached for the holster and grabbed air; it was just as well. If I had shot the person dragging us, I would have been in a large assortment of trouble.

“Well, glad to see you’re awake.�

“Glad to see you’re not a native,� I smirked. The man let go of my collar, my shoulders dropping to the ground. I sloppily rose to my feet, dusting off my pants. Teller was in his other hand, still out.

“So, who are you?�

“The name is McGinley. I run New Haven,� he extended his hand. I shook.

“Want to wake Teller up?�

“No, he’s going to need his strength for the stairs.�

“Stairs?�

McGinley smirked, and began walking. We were almost at the top of the Mountain. If we had been at the halfway point before… He had dragged us…

“You’re pretty strong, dragging us all the way up the mountain like that.�

Although his back was turned, I could tell he was smiling. “Years in the mine will do that to you. I assume you’re here to work the mine?�

“You assumed correctly.�

McGinley chuckled. “Alright. I’ll set you up with an appointment at the Mining Guild tomorrow. You’ll do an interview. If they think you’re right for the job, you’re in.�

“I thought you just showed up and grabbed a pick-“

“It’s a formality. Anyone can be a miner; we just use the Guild for a tax-exempt status. You’d rather be paid in cash tax free, no?�

I didn’t want to tell him that money wasn’t an issue.

“If you don’t think money is an issue, son, you’re sorely mistaken. You have a place to live yet?�

“I hadn’t really thought that far ahead.�

“I’ve got some seed money. You take that, get started, and then get started on paying me back. You and this boy are going to live together, half the price, double the payback rate. It won’t take anytime at all, and before long…� McGinley turned his head, offering a half smile. “You’ll be enjoying all there is to enjoy in New Haven.�

McGinley took a final step before pointing at the sign that rested at the top of the mountain. “Welcome To New Haven.�

I walked to the edge of the Mountain, looking over cautiously. Didn’t want McGinley sneaking up on me and throwing me from the edge.

The Mountain walls were sheer. No purchase. I could see why they hadn’t bothered to build a pulley system now; the town was so faint in the darkness. The Mountain had only been a few miles up; the town was in a recess. A few lights burned weakly.

“Hey, before we get headed into town, do you think you could give me my-“

“No guns in New Haven. All they start is trouble. You got a problem; you settle it with your fists. I don’t want to have to deal with murder, alright?�

I nodded.

“After you meet up with the Guild tomorrow, come to my office. It’s in the center of town, the lowest part. New Haven is set up in a bowl, if you couldn’t tell. The lighting is kind of poor right now; I wouldn’t expect you to be able to see anything at this point save for some of the brighter lights.�

I shuddered. Those were the brighter lights?

“Hey, where am I?� Teller asked groggily.

“Teller, this is McGinley. He dragged us up the mountain, is going to set up a meaning with the Miner Guild-“

“But I thought-“

“It’s a technicality, give us seed money and help us buy a house. We good?�

“I think so.�

“You’re going to like it in there, Teller. They don’t allow guns.�

“Alright, guys,� McGinley started. “Let’s get down the mountain.�

“How?� Teller asked.

“Stairs,� I said.

McGinley walked over to a small room, the size of an outhouse, and opened the door.

“You don’t keep it locked?� Teller questioned.

“No need to. The natives don’t like this land. They don’t like coming in here.�

“Oh. Well, then.�

Inside the small shed, the stairs began at the far end. They were wooden and had a sturdy railing. We took the first flight, down a tunnel, before reaching a more open area. The stairwell coiled around the circular chamber, going downwards. I couldn’t see the bottom, despite the fact that the well was lit brilliantly. Torched lined the earthen walls every fifteen feet.

“Alright, boys. Let’s get started. If we run, it’ll only take us an hour.�

We didn’t run. Three hours later, I set foot on solid earth again and collapsed, my legs folding under me. Teller had done so minutes before, and now was carried by McGinley. He chuckled.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,� he said, smiling. Grabbing a torch, he helped me to my feet and we began walking down a mineshaft. The walls were lined with crystal, sharp to the touch and glowing with energy. The crystals protruded like bad teeth, in small clumps every few feet. They sprouted from the ceiling, the walls… But not the ground. The ground had been picked clean.

After fifteen minutes of walking, the concentration of the crystals began to decrease. The incessant glow ceased as the number of crystals decreased greatly. Eventually, there were no crystals in the wall. They had mined up to this point.

Every few feet, shafts had been dug into the walls. When I looked down them, I could see a faint glow in the distance. This was a wealth of energy. More so than I had thought before.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and the shafts growing closer together before finally turning into a large room. At the end of the room, I could see the town through a door. I sighed.

“You boys will be staying with me tonight until we can get you a place of your own, alright?�

Teller laughed, I nodded, and McGinley led the way into New Haven.

-

Mal

[MonkeyFoo]

I won't bother to read it before it's finished, but can you tell us what the genre is, or something? The title really doesn't show genre (not that it should). From skimming very lightly, it seems that it's set in the future, and I'm not thinking this is New Haven, CT. Plus, I found some errors that could use fixin'.

That's all, keep writing.

[EDIT] Thanks

[MalReynolds]

Right, right. I'll edit the OP as to give some story info.

Mal

[Omeganitros]

I loved it. I may even be hooked.

[ddrruler]

Hah nice.

[MalReynolds]

McGinley’s house was a garish number, situated beside his office in the large dip that was the center of the small town. Painted bright red, it hurt my eyes to look at it. Didn’t exactly scream practicality or subtlety, although, it’s good it didn’t scream subtlety. Oxymoron, you see?

“Oh, I didn’t paint the house this color. I bought it off of the last town leader. He had a real penchant for the color red. And apples. My house constantly smells like apples now.�

“How did you become leader?� Teller asked.

“The old mayor left. Didn’t say a word, just picked up stakes and went off to live with the natives. Sold me this house dirt cheap, too. Good man. Don’t know why he would run off like that.�

As I stepped into the house, I shuddered. It all seemed so artificial, book cases filled with books McGinley had never touched, picture frames with photos in them of people he had never seen… It looked as if he had taken the old mayor’s decorations as well. Something wasn’t sitting right with me. Why would the old mayor leave everything in this house? Especially pictures of family…

“I haven’t had a chance to redecorate,� McGinley said, seemingly reading my mind. Every time I had a question, he was ahead of the game, ready to answer.

“I’ve been so busy over the last few weeks that redecorating has really been impossible. The only thing I’ve managed to do over is my guest room. Belonged to the old mayor’s son. His son left with him, but he didn’t have much say in the matter. He was a little boy, only six. He was one when he moved here. You all will be staying in that room tonight.� McGinley pointed down the hallway to the last door on the left. “You all have to be up bright and early tomorrow. The Guild usually likes fresh people. Make it look like the trip down the stairs was no problem, shows you got stamina. They need people with stamina. After the meeting, come get me. I’m going to be in my office next door and we’ll talk about getting you two a house. I’ll talk to you two later.� McGinley turned around, walking down the opposite hallway, crouching in front of the fireplace and lighting a log.

Teller made his way down the hallway, staggering. He was dead tired. I was dead tired as well, but the trip took more out of him. Teller was usually weaker, unaccustomed to hard physical work. The bedroom also smelled of apples, the window outside painted shut. There were two beds, surprisingly.

“Why would there be two beds if the man only had one son?�

Teller didn’t answer. He was too busy making his way over to the bed on the right and passing out.

“Good idea, Teller,� I said, walking over to the other bed on the opposite side of the room. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

-

I was awakened the next morning by McGinley pounding on the bedroom door.

“You have The Guild meeting in ten minutes, boys. Get up, get up!�

Teller was already up, strapping his boots on. “That was refreshing… While it lasted,� he coughed weakly.

“Alright, Teller, let me do all the talking at the meeting, alright? You sound really tired. You heard McGinley, too, they’re looking for strong people, people with stamina.�

“I thought you said this was a technicality, man!�

“Hey! Better safe than sorry. Better to err on the side of caution, right?�

“I guess.�

“Alright, good. Lets go.�

The sun poured over the town, and the second I stepped out the door I got my first clear view of the buildings. Smaller, cramped. The streets were lined with buildings, but “streets� wasn’t the right word. They were nothing but alleyways, cramped, the buildings pushing inwards.

I wouldn’t go so far as to call it claustrophobic; despite the proximity between the buildings, there was a very homely feel to the place. The walls of each building were bare, true, but that was to catch sunlight for heat. It had been cold at the top of Halfway Mountain and the town had a warmth to it that I had never felt before. It felt like a home.

Teller and I made our way down the street to the main road which was considerably wider. There were friendly storefronts, cart operators selling fruit, jewelry and other items. This had to be the industrial district of the small town, McGinley’s house resting in an offshoot of the profit zone. Everything was just thirty yards away for that man. I was impressed.

The Guild building was the only building I had seen thus far that looked actually ominous, although I think that was due more to the fear of not being able to land a job than anything else. I went in first, holding the wooden door for Teller who had broken out into a cold sweat. Sure, if we didn’t get these jobs, we could always sell fruit or go home, although that second option wasn’t too appealing.

There was a reception area, complete with wooden desk and a fairly attractive woman sitting behind it. Her hair fell over her eyes which were adorned by thick glasses. She was “librarian� cute, not cute in the traditional sense.

Teller walked up, smoothly. “Hello, Miss, we’re here for the interview?�

“Oh. Go right in. You’re running late…�

“We are?� I asked, stepping forward. She shyly smiled at me.

“Yes, they seem to be pretty angry about it.�

“Godammit,� I muttered under my breath as I grabbed Teller’s arm. We stepped into a hallway, jogging down the corridor and at the end, stepping through the large wooden double doors.

McGinley was seated at the head of the long table. There were six men sitting at one side of the table, six women on the other side, McGinley in the middle. These women didn’t have bookish good looks. They weren’t even remotely cute. They could have been, once, but years of beurocracy had hardened their exterior.

The men looked like they lived for pumping iron and yelling at people who were inferior. I didn’t have a problem with this. I knew that if I was half as built as some of these men that I would probably do the same thing.

“You’re late, boys,� McGinley called out from across the room.

“We’re not late. I don’t know why you’re saying that. We’re three minutes early,� I paused. “Sir,� I added quickly.

“Early is on time, on time is late, and late is completely unacceptable,� he said, grinning.

“Clever.�

“So, why do you two think you’d be good for the Mining Guild? Please answer carefully; you already have one strike for being late.�

“On time.�

“Potahto.�

“Well, on the tenth day of our trip out west, we managed to take out a wild squad of natives who were intent on hunting us down, using our ingenuity, we subdued at least,� time for a reasonable like, “twenty before passing out on the mountain. You also have to realize, moving a boulder that size was quite a feat and would exhaust many of the men seated at the table. Some of the women, too.� They didn’t laugh. Ouch.

“What does that demonstrate about you two?�

“That we’re capable of creating solutions to large problems, and we have the power to stay in the game.�

McGinley smiled a full smile, revealing browned teeth. “What about the other young man? Can he not speak for himself?�

“He can, but he gets nervous speaking to crowds.�

“Well, we can’t have someone-“

“With all due respect, sir, when in this job is he going to need to speak to a large group of people? When is he going to be fighting for a job with six large, scary men and six larger, scarier women?�

McGinley guffawed, acting as a cue for everyone else in the room to laugh with him.

“Excellent, excellent. Please step outside while we deliberate.�

The door to the boardroom shut, the lock clicking as Teller and I took seats on opposite ends of the hallway.

“Well… That could have gone a little better,� Teller smiled.

“Oh, you think so? Friendly town, but…�

“But what?�

“McGinley? That’s just bizarre. How did he get here faster than us?�

“I don’t know. He knows his way around town a little better, and we didn’t exactly have directions. We followed the flow of business.�

“True. I don’t know. Something just isn’t sitting right with me. Didn’t he say last night that this was all just some little hang up? A formality?�

“If he did, I was passed out for it. You were the one that told me this was a technicality.�

True. Teller had been hanging over the McGinley’s shoulder when he had been describing the “interview.�

“Alright, well, at least we know that-“

The door swung open, cutting off my words. McGinley stood in the door frame, smirking. “You all have the job. Now, follow me to my office. We have some matters to discuss.�

“When do we start? From what I saw, there were quite a few crystals… We could make a fair shake at this.�

“Don’t get so ahead of yourself, we still have things to discuss.� McGinley clapped me on the shoulder, escorting me out of the building. I didn’t get a chance to turn around and flash a winning smile at the receptionist, McGinley was too busy pushing us down into his office.

The seats in his office were slightly more comfortable than the seats outside of the boardroom. They were covered with a fine substance, soft to the touch and softer to sit on.

“I can see you’re admiring the chairs,� the tall man said, making his way around the desk, taking his own seat behind the wooden table. He picked a quill up from out of the middle drawer, removing a sheet of paper from another.

“Those chairs are from my personal collection. I figured, I spend so much time working, why not furnish my office and make it more homely?�

“I see,� I said. Teller was silent.

“Alright, boys, you all need a place to live, correct?�

“Yes, sir.�

“Excellent.� He jotted something down on the paper. “What price range are we looking at?�

“Cheapest thing you have.�

McGinley laughed at this. “We do have some cheap property.�

“Give us the address and we’ll start working off the debt immediately.�

“You boys have to sign these papers, first. One is a deed to the house, the other is a loan statement. A bunch of lawyer jargon, percent, interest and the like. Just sign both of those and I can take you to your new house.�

I signed first, scanning both documents briefly. Teller didn’t even glance at them, he signed with closed eyes.

The next thing we knew, we were being escorted down a busy street towards the Mountain. The closer we got to the Mountain, the smaller the houses became until they looked like large boxes, shifting with the acrid air that was coming out of the mines.

I knew it was our house. I didn’t even need to look inside. It was in the row closest to the Mountain, the roof partially collapsed. The front door swung open to reveal a singe room divided by a curtain with a wash area in the back. Two straw mats sat on opposite ends of the room. I approached the sink. It didn’t work.

“Utilities, boys. You have to pay for em’. You have to meet up at the Mining Guild tomorrow to rent your equipment at 9 A.M tomorrow. Just be sure to be there ‘on time’ and not late again. They really don’t like people running late.� McGinley made his way to the door.

“Wait, sir? I have a few questions.� I was willing to let McGinley leave, but Teller wasn’t, apparently.

“Yes, Teller?�

“I took some money from home. This is 200-square. How much square does it take to get the water running?�

McGinley sighed. “150 a month.�

Teller dug into his pocket, pulling the pouch out. He threw it over to McGinley who, in one fluid motion, caught it and emptied the coins into his palm.

“This isn’t enough.�

“That’s 200 right there!�

“200 square, I know. It’ll take 150 machts.�

“What the hell are ‘machts’!?�

“Take the square to the exchange office tomorrow. They’ll give you 100 machts. It’s the currency for this town.�

“I thought there as a national currency?�

“That’s not how we run things around here, Teller.�

There was a long pause. “What if you just took the 200 square, cut out the middle man and turn on the utility for us? It can’t be that expensive, sir. I figure it would only cost the town fifty square to run water for a month. You’d be turning a profit of… Let me do the conversion.�

Teller was a smart kid. He had been in charge of paying the bills in his home, back in our town. One day, his bills suddenly increased sharply. He went down to city hall to learn why his utilities cost so much, and found out to run water to our town, it cost the government next to nothing. They were price gouging.

“You’d make 125 machts easy this way.�

McGinley stepped sharply to Teller. “Are you trying to bribe me?�

“No, sir, just offering to cut out the middle man.�

McGinley walked to the door.

“I don’t accept bribes.�

The door slammed.

“He still has my square,� Teller sighed.

McGinley’s face appeared at the window. “Your water will be on tomorrow.� McGinley turned to leave.

“One more question, sir?�

“What is it, Teller?�

“Where did you get those chairs?�

“I made them myself.�

“Oh, very nice. What was the fabric on them?�

“Tanned native skin. Goodnight.�

Teller took a step backwards. “Did he just say-“

“Yes.�

“Was he joking?�

“For some reason,� I paused, looking back at the straw mats on the floor, “I don’t think he was.�

-

Mal

[MalReynolds]

Heat rises. There was no heat when I went to bed, and I could hear Teller shivering audibly across the room, divided by a thin curtain. It was the middle of the night when we mutually came to the decision to use the curtain as a blanket, moving the straw mats closer together and climbing under together. Teller was uncomfortable with the idea, I could see it in his eyes. I’m not sure if he’s homophobic or just a little itchy when it comes to sharing a blanket with another man, but I could hear the contempt in his voice when I said that it would be better to share it than to alternate every few hours. He had begrudgingly agreed.

Teller snored through the night, but even under the thin warmth sleep would not find me well. My mind kept wandering, and all I could think about was whether or not it had really been a good idea to move out here. McGinley, seemingly nice upon our first aloha, had since degenerated into my original idea of the town leader. The thought had even crossed my mind that he killed the last mayor for the position, but I didn’t dwell much on that. It was perfectly reasonable that the old mayor picked up stakes and left all memories of life behind to live with the savage natives. And it was also perfectly reasonable that I would wake up tomorrow with the ability to fly out of this ever-declining town.

Perhaps the new day would fare better. That was all I could hope. I hadn’t met much of other people, sadly. The day had been so bizarre, the sun rising and setting so quickly. I hadn’t a chance to get out into town and meet anyone, although I had the sneaking suspicion that if I turned my back on any given pretty woman or strong man, I’d have a knife as a new hat rack sticking out of my spinal column.

As I finally drifted off to sleep, I came to the realization that this had been a bad idea. But I didn’t think much of it; in a matter of seconds I was gone, following my dreams of avalanches and biblical allegories until the sun rose. Only, the sun didn’t rise for me. It was strange, the first light to hit my eyes came from a dark crystal, hanging from the ceiling of one of the small offshoots that I had passed on the way into town.

I had no idea how I had come to be in the chamber, although it was considerably warmer than my hut. The room was otherwise empty, save for the one crystal hanging from the ceiling, shedding dark light over the room. There were no tools beside me, and under my head, a rock. My head did not hurt, so I hadn’t been beaten. I had ended up using the rock as a crude pillow, I surmised, rising to my feet.

I was fully dressed, my pants stained brown with dirt and dust. I could hear echoes coming down from the main tunnel, men jovially laughing and the occasional “THWACK!� of a pickaxe striking rock. Work had already started and I was late… In a manner of speaking. I was, of course, at the work site, just less equipment or introductions. Perhaps today wasn’t the best day to start work.

The slope leading up to the main tunnel was steep, shadows being thrust inward from the men working, their shadows having strange black bars across the width of their bodies. When I reached the mouth of my tunnel, I saw why. My tunnel had been, for the most part, boarded over. There was room under and over the boards, but no direct access unless someone had greased me up and slid me under.

I knocked on the board, prompting no response from the men on the other side. If they had heard me, they had certainly chosen to ignore me. I knocked again, to no response. After the third knock, I became nothing less than agitated at my current state and kicked at the barrier, sending the middle board outward in a half-spin, half-drop. The board struck a miner squarely in the chest, who looked up and into the blocked off tunnel to see me smiling back.

“Guys, we got someone in the shaft A-6!�

A-6, right. Good. Why was it blocked off? I would have asked, but the man on the other side was too busy trying to pull me through the hole in the blockade that I had just created. I wasn’t the slender puppy I had been, but it would have taken a true anorexic to fit through the space of one board. Three others popped out as the man pulled me through using my arms, primarily, as his main grip. My shoulder momentarily popped out of place, shooting fire through my arms. I cried out, and the man dropped me to the ground.

“What the hell were you doing in there?�

“I woke up in there. What the hell are you doing pulling my by my arms?� I popped my shoulder back into place, wincing. My shoulder had been dislocated many times since I was a child. At parties, if I had enough liquor, I would pop it out for a momentary shock to the crowd. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite drunk and the pain was tremendous.

“That tunnel has been boarded up since I’ve lived here. McGinley made it very clear if anyone was trespassing, they’d either be banned from the town or killed on the spot.�

I sighed. “I wasn’t trespassing. I woke up in there. You saw the barricade, it was in tact. I have no idea how I got in there.�

A crowd began to form, looking me over. Great. Men were studying my face, taking down my distinguishing characteristics in case it came down to do or die. Turn me in or get kicked the hell out of dodge. I knew what they would chose. I was just a newcomer, they had lives. As far as I was concerned, I was just a new face about to get the boot.

“Hey, guys, I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell anyone that-“

McGinley’s voice boomed from the back of the mine. “Don’t tell anyone what?�

“Ah, shit.�

The miners split down the middle, making a tidy path for McGinley to come down. He wore his casual smirk, revealing the less than subtle brown teeth that lay inside his mouth. McGinley stopped in front of me, looked at the board on the floor, looked at the hole in the wall, and looked at me.

“What’s this?�

“A board.�

“Good, smartass. What is it doing on the floor? Were you in shaft A-6?�

“I woke up in there. I didn’t go in there willingly.�

McGinley grunted, shaking a bit. It looked like a ghost had walked over his poor grave. “Come with me, son.�

The miners oohed and ahhed just like they were in elementary school. I followed McGinley out of the mine and towards my house.

“Didn’t Teller report me missing?�

“Teller is still asleep, making you both on notice. Late for the first day of work, and in shaft A-6? That’s two strikes for you, son. Another one and your out.�

“Out?�

“Of town.�

“What if I don’t want to leave?�

McGinley chuckled. “Just because I don’t let citizens carry guns doesn’t mean I don’t have one in my desk drawer, saved for people that don’t quite want to leave yet.�

“Like the old mayor,� I said under my breath.

“You think I didn’t hear that? That’s all people talked about the first week he was gone. They all thought I had killed him. I tried telling them that he ran off. They didn’t believe me until he showed up again, in full native garb mumbling about something. Ask anyone, they’ll tell you. He’s alive and kicking… Just not so much sane, anymore.�

McGinley fiercely kicked the door of my hut open. Teller rolled over, eyes still shut.

“I don’t want to get up yet.�

“Tough shit,� McGinley said, throwing the curtain off of the mat. “Took the curtain down. That’s going to cost a little bit, got to hang it back up. But I wouldn’t worry about that yet, you still have the house payment to deal with.�

I sat down on the mat, looking up at McGinley. “What are the wages in the mine?�

“Well,� he brushed off his pants, “considering, son, that you have two strikes… That lowers the percentage yield you make a great deal. Twenty five percent for the first strike, thirty for the second… That’s fifty five percent less you’d make a day. Let me do the math… The house cost ten thousand machts… On a given day, you’ll make ten. So, less than five. I wouldn’t worry about paying back the debt for a while.�

“Is there any way to get strikes taken away?�

“Work for a year without showing up late or taking a sick day.�

Teller groaned. “So I’m only going to be making seven machts a day?�

McGinley laughed again. “Of course.�

“Well, how much does the town make off of the mines?�

“More. But the exact figure is between the town, the outside buyers, and me. Now, if you boys don’t want stair duty tomorrow, I suggest you all figure out a system that’ll wake you up when the sun rises so you can get equipment…� McGinley stood and made his way to the door. “Oh, before I forget… Equipment rental is three machts per day.�

The door slammed as the rotten bastard made his way down the street, whistling some crap town tune.

I fell back onto the mat.

This had been a bad idea.

-

The next day, I woke up in my own bed. I grabbed Teller by the collar and shook him, rousing from his peaceful slumber. The sun was barely creeping over the top of the mountains as we made our way down town, following the line of miners who were heading to the equipment shed.

Teller and I brought up the rear in this long line of broken soles. Their shoulder slouched, their backs curved… They had been working the mines for longer than I cared to imagine. Their poor families probably sat in huts like mine, waiting for their husbands and fathers to come back and feed them bread or something. I had packed enough food to avoid shopping for the time being, although it certainly wouldn’t last.

When Teller and I entered the shed, the only equipment left was the runt of the litter. A small pickaxe, and a pickaxe head. Teller and I played “rock, paper, scissors,� and I wound up taking the pickaxe head. Didn’t make any sense to have it the other way around, either. Teller would be the one making the money for the next year, I was just along for the ride paying for my rental and part of his. We got the shit end of the stick. Everyone in New Haven got the shit end of the stick.

The light coming in from the mouth of the mine was the only way to gauge the time. A young man previous to my arrival had taken the time to carve out markings on the wall for the sunbeam to hit to act as an indicator of time. It was off by an hour, God knows why. If the kid had been meticulous to sit there all day, he should have been meticulous to sit there all day and get the time right.

No one spoke in the mine, at least to me. Teller and I silently marched past A-6, the boards replaced, covering the hole I had popped out of yesterday. Up the tunnel, I could hear the workers starting. A laugh echoed through the corridor, hitting my ears and making me uneasy. That’s never a sound to be heard down here.

We hit crystals with our pickaxes, knocking them to the ground and destroying their natural white glow. After we had accumulated a decent pile, we marched down to the common area and placed them in carts. The last person the place a crystal in the cart took the cart into a separate path, primarily uphill and leading to the stair room. Men inside the stair room threw crystals up the center to be caught by another man, and the process repeated. The man at the top of the stairs took the rocks out and placed them in another cart, which would head down the mountain on a footpath and to a train.

The only reason I knew so much about how the crystals got from our hands to the hands of the people is because I my timing was shit. I would always pile the last crystal on and have to take the cart up that long, steep path for twenty minutes, sweating out of my eyeballs the entire time. I stopped to ask a man what we did for bathroom breaks around here, and he just smiled and said, “Oh, the sweat will cover up most of the stains.�

The day ended formally at eight, after having started at eight. We weren’t paid; most men were paying off debts as we were. The ones who were still working the mines by choice were paid at the end of the week, I found out. I had asked the stained pants man what they did for food.

“Oh, they send around a food service every week. They give you enough food to last for another week, deliver your bills, and charge you for the food… If you can call it food. It’d just be easier to steal an apple from the town square… Of course, if you did that, there’s a good chance you’d lose your hand to the vendor… Or McGinley, if he were to find out some how. He’s got people watching everywhere. Runs this place…�

“With an iron fist?�

“If demons have fists…�

“You think he’s a demon?�

“He’d give Satan a run for his money… You can count on that. Look over at the men returning equipment. They all have hands.�

“Right, they were smart enough not to steal.�

“For every five men in that line, at least one of them has a child that only has one hand.�

I shuddered. Yeah, it sounded like McGinley would give the devil a fair run for his money.

I decided to walk around the town. I would have asked Teller, but he was already passed out under the sink. I don’t know what exactly I was looking for, but I got a public display. Humiliation of the highest degree from McGinley to some poor woman whose husband had gotten his fool ass killed somehow. I recognized her almost immediately. It was the pretty secretary of the mining guild. I shuddered, standing in the back of the crowd. McGinley was smiling, telling the gathered mass something that I could only hear the tail end of.

“…and she will be my bride! Her husband violated the mining law against entering shaft A-6! Now a widow, she will take up in my house!�

The crowd cheered. The woman wept. They loved this monster. If he had been giving me everything I had ever wanted, I would have loved him too, regardless.

A priest moved to the front, standing next to McGinley. “If there is anyone present who does not wish these two to be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.�

I wanted to say something. I did. I don’t know why I didn’t; I was tired, my mouth dry. If I had spoken, my cries would have died out within the infernal screaming of the crowd.

I just have to keep telling myself there’s nothing I could have done.

-

Mal

[MalReynolds]

I had grown accustomed to awakening in my own bed. Weeks had passed since the A-6 incident, and life was finally regaining a sense of some kind of normality. Teller, for a brief period, had been genuinely interested in the shaft, but that interest was soon replaced with fatigue and contempt. Contempt for McGinley, contempt for this town, and contempt for me. I had dragged him all the way out here to this hell, it was the least I could expect from him.

It was late one night when I realized I had left my pickaxe in the main drift. There was a late equipment return fee that I didn’t have the money or patience to face, so I raced through the mine trying to find where I had left it. I passed A-6 and a chill went through my spine. The boards were lying haphazardly on the ground, the holes in the wall they had been nailed in torn. Someone had been going into the drift every night for some time, I noted. But I didn’t have time to investigate. It was either return the pickaxe, or I don’t eat this week. Not very much of a choice.

I found my pickaxe near the stair chamber and raced through the mine, my legs pumping, but not quite burning. I had grown such stamina since I first entered the town, this brief one mile run wasn’t enough to wind me anymore.

People littered the streets and weren’t entirely concerned with my well being. I screamed for them to move, shoved them out of the way, the need to feed urging me to my destination. The sun was already gone, the moon showing me the way, but I was worried. I had stamina, but did I have the speed it would take to ensure my survival for another week? I could see the shed in the distance, and I watched in horror as the door began to swing shut. I closed my eyes, held my breath and threw my pickaxe carelessly through the door as it swung shut and latched. If I had had to gone to McGinley to get the key, there would have been hell to pay and I probably would have starved to death. I raced everything evil that night and won.

I went to bed tired that night, my legs twitching as I tried to cast off the coil of consciousness and find a home in my dreams. They were twitching when I rose with the sun the next morning, in my house, the curtain once again hanging, dividing the room between teller and I.

I looked through the hole in the wall that McGinley called a window to see a round face staring back in at me, red streaks painted under the eyes, head shaved completely bald. The wide eyed man held up a finger to shush me and motioned that I step outside. I was nervous. McGinley said that natives never came into New Haven. What was one doing at my window?

The man was wearing nothing but a loincloth and fierce tribal paint. My hand was balled into a fist, ready to swing it at a moments notice and run for help, but his eyes seemed peaceful, unlike those I had seen outside of this town.

“What do you want, you dirty native?�

The native guffawed, his voice echoing in the small collection of houses. “To give you fair warning, child.�

His English was almost flawless, prompting me to ask him about it.

“Oh, child, I used to be the mayor here.�

Godammit, McGinley hadn’t lied. That piece of shit. I don’t know whether I was angry at him for being honest, or for not having committed murder. It made me uneasy to think that scum could be honest.

“A warning about what?�

“The dark crystal cannot be mined, or you will awaken the sleeping giant.�

“The dark crystal? The one in A-6?�

The native nodded. “You awoke in the dark crystal chamber several months ago, I’ve been told.�

“How do you know that?�

“The natives have eyes and ears in this village that tell us what we need to know. You’re depriving the land of something it needs and it will send the giant to stop the attack if it must.�

I began to grow uneasy. “Who put me in the shaft?�

“You walked there in your sleep. It isn’t the first time someone has sleep walked into that shaft before; the power of the crystal will draw you there. It holds power over those who touch it.�

I remember feeling at home in that small room with the crystal and shuddered. I didn’t like the idea of that small rock holding any kind of power over me, and at the same time, I yearned for that feeling.

“What do you want me to do about it?�

“Nothing.�

“Then why were you outside my house?�

The native shrugged. “You just happened to wake up as I was passing by. I was going to speak to McGinley, but he would have me killed for even stepping foot in New Haven. No one seems to like natives or the way we live.�

I laughed. I know I didn’t. “What way, exactly, do you live?�

It was the natives turn to laugh. “We live to protect the Earth, something the residents of this continent cannot seem to grasp.� The native turned to leave, approaching the mine. “You’ve been warned. I suggest you tell McGinley someone is mining the dark crystal. I gave him that warning before I left and he’s held true to it.�

I didn’t walk in to work that day, I decided that it would be in the best interest for everyone living in this bowl if I talked to McGinley. He wasn’t happy to see me, but as soon as the words “dark crystal� flew from my lips, he shut up. His face turned red, and he motioned for me to take a seat across from him.

“Where did you hear about that?�

“A native told me. He told me someone is mining the crystal, and I think he’s right. Last night, I went to get my pickaxe from the shaft and I saw the boards for A-6 had been taken down. Someone is in there mining the crystal, and I have no idea who it is.�

McGinley sighed. “Why didn’t you go to see who it was?�

“It’s your stupid town laws that prevented me. I could have looked into A-6 and starved for the next week, or I could have returned my equipment and paid for a food shipment… Ha, food. If you could even call it that.�

“Alright, son, I want you to check it out. Turn your equipment in tonight, and hide outside of the mine. Whoever goes back in, tell me. I’ll have them exiled… They have to be stopped. Did the native tell you of the giant?�

I nodded.

“The giant is a monster, son. I don’t want to deal with it, but I’ll kill it if I have to. Nothing threatens the citizens of this town.�

“Except for you.�

“Except for… Shut up. Get out of here. You have permission to go to work late today, son.�

I shook my head. “Thank you, sir.�

McGinley pointed to the door.

-

I only half worked that day, keeping an eye out for A-6, making sure I didn’t have to cart the barrow to the stair chamber today. I watched out for people who even so much as looked at the loose boards funny, but it was business as usual. Whoever was mining the dark crystal was doing a damn good job of keeping it themselves during the normal work day.

The sun hit the final mark on the inside of the mouth of the mine, and we filed out. I turned my equipment in with the rest of the men, going back to my house and waiting fifteen minutes before stepping back out and heading to the mine. I saw the shadow slink into the tunnel, and I quickly followed, trying my hardest not to make any noise.

The shadow pried the boards down and walked into A-6, stopping to grab a rock. I stood at the mouth, listening to the figure smash the rock against the dark crystal, knocking fragments down. The smashing noise stopped as the figure picked the pieces up, placing them in his pockets. Panicking, I ran around the corner and waited for the figure to pass. He was heading towards the stair chamber.

I stepped into A-6, walking down the path, being drawn to the small earthen room again. As soon as I was in the center of the room, the feeling of home washed over me quickly before dissipating as quickly as it had arrived. I looked up. The dark crystal was gone completely.

Damn, whoever was doing this had been going at it for a while. How could McGinley not have figured any of this out? Unless it was him…

I ran to the stair chamber, listening to the footfalls of the figure come back down the stairs with another pair of feet pattering quickly behind. I ducked under the stairs and watched Teller hit the floor quietly, a native in tow. It wasn’t a native I had seen before. Teller was leading the way to A-6. I quietly followed, listening to his voice drift up the shaft.

“It’s completely gone.�

“Good,� the native said, accent thick.

“Where’s the money?�

I heard the native unsheathe a blade and heard the blade find a new sheath in Teller. His body hit the floor and the native ran out of the drift. From the shadow, I slid my foot out, tripping the native, climbing on top of him and pinning him to the ground.

“Why, hello there,� I said warmly as my fist connected with his face. “What exactly did you go and kill Teller for?�

The native grinned. “It doesn’t matter. The dark crystal is gone. He was going to die anyway.�

Another punch, the native still grinning, his teeth slick with blood.

“The giant, huh? I think we’re well prepared to take care of it.�

The native stopped smiling and spit blood in my face. In the heat of the moment, I grabbed a rock and quickly swung it against the head of the native, killing him. Shaking, I ran from the mine to the center of town. McGinley was waiting for me.

“It was Teller. The rest of the crystal is gone, McGinley. The giant is coming.�

McGinley wordlessly stepped back into his office, walking over to the chest he kept beside his desk. He pulled a key out of his pocket, and opened the container slowly, grabbing the guns he had kept from all the newcomers. He tossed one to me.

“Go get the other miners. It’s going to be coming, and I’ll be damned if I lose this town.�

I tore through the streets, firing shots into the air, calling for the miners to join me. Men stepped out of their houses, pushing their children and wives back inside, running up to me.

“There’s going to be a fight, and we’re going to need your help,� I said, drawing the people to the center of town with me. They stopped when they saw McGinley holding a rifle in each hand and began to turn around, spitting out words like “Judas�.

McGinley fired a shot into the air, and the people stopped moving.

“You fight the giant with me, you don’t worry about paying back your debts. You don’t worry about what I pay you. You keep what you earn, if you fight with me. If you turn around and leave, you leave this town and you don’t EVER come back.�

Men drifted off, heading towards the mines, the solitary exit of the town. Few stayed. McGinley armed them. We waited in the center of town.

The footfalls began softly, in the distance. I stood my ground, listening to the foot steps echo as they came closer, through the town. Men ran.

“I would shoot them,� McGinley said, next to me, “But it sounds like I could use the bullets…�

The giant stepped over McGinley’s office, its gray foot displacing large amounts of dust into the air. It stood 20 feet tall, its back curved, leaning down to roar at the poor men who were quickly taken and flung into the distance. The giant’s sharp claws scraped the ground less than a foot from McGinley and less than half a foot from me, its nail digging a deep gouge into the ground.

This stirred McGinley out of his stupor. “FIRE AT THAT FUCKING THING!� he cried out, shouldering his rifle and shooting. I have no idea if he hit the creature at all, its gray skin didn’t seem to dent at all.

The fight was frenzied, bursts of light breaking through the dust cloud as men fired at the creature. Gunshots and screams filled the night as the battle raged. The sun broke over the crest of the mountain, and the giant screamed as the first tendrils of sun hit its skin. Slowly, its feet rooted in the ground, it turned into some kind of sick statue.

“What the hell just happened? Did that monster just go crazy and turn to stone?� I asked. The dust settled and the surviving men took note.

McGinley looked at me. “That wasn’t the giant.� He said breathlessly.

“What are you talking about?�

“That… I’ve seen one of those before. On the Endless Beach. That’s a troll…�

“If that’s not the giant, then what the hell is?�

“I dunno,� McGinley smirked. “Maybe the natives were lying.�

The ground began to shake, slowly. At first, I couldn’t tell anything was going on until I saw the buildings begin to buckle.

“Hold your ground,� McGinley called out, putting the rifle to his shoulder. “Hold your-“

McGinley’s leg fell into the earth, through the sandy ground. His other leg stuck out at a forty-five degree angle as his body was slowly pulled through a hole in the ground, his body making a grotesque crunching sound as his lifeless husk was pulled through a hole the size of a coffee mug.

I had enough. I wasn’t holding my ground. Like hell, I had just seen McGinley swallowed the hell up by the ground. I did what I did best.

I ran.

The ground began to fold upwards slightly, pouring loose dirt towards the center of town. My legs pumped towards the mines, as fast as they could carry me, burning, not from fatigue but fear. There were people running with me, people who weren’t watching their feet, people who were falling and rolling slowly down to the center of town, which was slowly sinking into the Earth.

I ran into the mine, terrified, the earth now sloping at a sharp degree. I grabbed onto the supports in the mine, but they were coming loose. The walls were bending inwards, fluctuating me, trying to crush me, trying to crush the people behind me. And they did. I was at the front of the pack, squeezing through the walls that were slowly collapsing, avoiding sharp crystals. The man in front of me hadn’t been so luck, impaled on a sharp, precious rock that dangled from the wall. I ran past his body as it slid off of the rock onto the ground, the walls pressing his body and folding him in half.

The people behind him tried jumping but only two or three made it as the mine finally closed behind me. I was in the stair chamber, taking the stairs three at a time, listening to the men cry out behind me. The walls were pressing inwards, breathing as I made my way up. At the bottom, I could see the walls extending outwards warmly, blocking off the stairs, swallowing them. I had to stay ahead of them. I ran.

I could see the exit up ahead, but I could also hear the walls pressing inwards behind me, adamant to have me fall off of the stairs to my death. I wouldn’t. I had made it too far.

Using a skill from my youth, I jumped from one side of the circular chamber to the other, grabbing onto the stairs directly in front of me, holding on for dear life. I tried to pull myself up, but it was slow work and I could see the wall eating the stairs, coming to the door, my only exit. I pulled myself up, scooting backwards as a man jumped across, grabbing onto my boot.

It was the man that told me to piss myself at work. There was terror in his eyes, and he could see the terror in mine.

“LET GO!� I cried out, feeling the wall closing in behind me.

“NO! PULL ME UP!�

I couldn’t. I swung my other foot out, connecting with the mans face and knocking him down the chamber. He cried out and I heard his body his as I quickly pushed myself out of the door, the stair chamber collapsing on itself.

It wasn’t over. The mountain seemed to be moving, pulling towards New Haven. I ran beside the now earthen hutch and jumped in the mine cart, which began to roll down the mountain. The mountain was continually shifting now, like a treadmill, pulling rocks and trees up to the town. As the cart hit the bottom of the mountain, the motion stopped.

No, the motion continued on the mountain… The motion stopped when I hit flat ground. I ran to the crystal train, the conductor sitting in his office, watching as the Halfway Mountain began to close on itself.

The sharp points of the peaks that just a few months ago had looked to me like teeth… Were teeth. They pulled together slowly, closing in the hole in the mountain, before sinking slowly into the Earth. The Halfway Mountains slowly, slowly sank, moving down before disappearing completely.

The hill in the distance, I swear… On each hilltop, it looked strangely like there were eyes gazing back at me. It was probably a few daisy patches, I told myself.

The conductor looked at me. “Did anyone else come out with you?�

In my minds eye, I saw the miner I kicked. “No.�

The ground lay flat as I stepped over, looking where the town used to be, looking where the Mountain used to be. The ground heaved and sighed slowly, feeling very, very warm. The ground was breathing.

As I looked in the distance, I saw the eyes on the hill close. The ground fell into a regular pattern of moving upwards and downwards every few minutes.

I shuddered. I was standing on the mouth of the giant. I walked back to the train, taking my time. I looked at the conductor, who was having a hard time grasping the situation.

“Hey, Conductor… Just take me home.�

He smiled nervously as I climbed into the crystal bed and fell asleep.

I had a dream that the Earth swallowed me. But in that dream, I felt like it was for the better. I knew that when I awoke, I would wake up on a locomotive heading east, and that thought comforted me for the time being.

I woke up, clutching something in my arms. I flipped over the board in my hands and felt faint. I was on the locomotive, clutching a sign.

I looked in the distance. The Halfway Mountains were still gone… The hill on the horizon was eerily calm.

And in my arms, I clutched a sign. I had no idea how I procured the sign, or where it came from… All I knew was that it that simply read, “Welcome to New Haven.�

-

Mal