"Just a cleaning job." That's what I had thought. But as most things are in life, it was not as simple as that. Dying by accident just to find out I'm some Apostle to a set of Deities I have never even heard of before, just my luck. But I will find the truth. I've been lied to for this long, I might as well unravel everything.
Man… Why am I here?
These are the words I keep asking myself. As I step off of the train, nothing but the scorching heat of the sun and the cries of a million cicadas were there to greet me. I was the only person who got off at the train station fixed in a rural town in the middle of the mountains and the reason that I'm here is solely because of my parents.
"Now be a dear help good o' grandpapa and mama out." My mother said with a cheerful smile on her face. "Of course, they will be paying for the trip and anything else that you may need afterward." She placed her finger on her lips and winked at me, "And they even said that you can keep any of the junk you might find valuable."
As the memory fades away, I am reminded of how much of a fool I was for accepting this job in the middle of an unprecedented heatwave.
After I finished regretting my reasons for coming here, I grab my small bag and throw it over my shoulder. I look around and there's nothing but rusted metal benches and a rotting wooden frame that held the ceiling of the decrypted station.
"NEXT STOP: Central Appalachian Hills, Virginia."
As I take a step forward the automated voice played over the intercoms and the train I just left departed.
"So a two-way train from Appalachian Village to Central." I spoke out loud, "We'll, at least the way back will be quick." Sweat dripped down my face. "I thought mountains would have much cooler air… I would so rather run 10 laps around the gym than to deal with this heat." As openly vented, something caught my attention. Now uneasy, I made my way out of the rotting station. As I reached the entrance, I was met with the sight of weeds, grass, and worn-down streets. The sun's blinding rays shined brightly as there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. "To be fair, you don't really see things like this in the city nowadays… not after the war-"
"HEY!!!" An unfamiliar voice called out to me, interrupting my audible thoughts. I looked around and found a girl standing across from me.
Although clearly waving at me, she was not there a few moments ago. Maybe the heat is getting to me.
The girl wore an old, brown, and white school uniform that hugged her tightly. She had short brown hair that reached her shoulders. As I looked at her face, a cheerful smile greeted me, complimented by her hazel-colored hair. "Sora and Naval sent me to pick you up!"
Sora Florence and Naval Florence are the names of my grandparents and the reason for me being stuck in this blistering heat in the middle of nowhere. I smile at the girl and make my way toward her.
"Hammond, correct?" She asked as I approached. "You're a bit different from what they have described. You seem more… lazier than them."
I shrugged my shoulders and looked down at my outfit. Compared to everyone else my age, I guess my taste in fashion would be considered lazy as my daily outfit is normally just a solid-colored shirt and a pair of dark jeans.
The girl began walking and I followed behind with my luggage in hand. As we walked, the sound of crunching gravel beneath my feet bothered me. It was not because I hated the sound; It was because I was the only one making the sound. The girl beside me walked with silent steps. We passed by many small houses that looked worn down, however, despite the buildings' appearances, groups of kids played near them with their parents chatting with one another. As we walked, the girl ahead of me noticed my somewhat amazed look and smiled a little, she then slowed her pacing to match mine and spoke.
"WELCOME TO THE APPALACHIAN VILLAGE!" Her voice was full of joy. "As you can see, we may be in the 'middle of nowhere,' as you city folks may say, but we still have a somewhat high population. The surrounding buildings may look worn down, but I assure you that they are perfectly safe." She then slows her pacing even more to get behind me. As she did, I felt a strange feeling, so I turned to face her. She smiled and pointed to a small store-like building with a truck behind it. "That is where Miss Sora and Mister Naval live, but I do have to go." She quickly said before bolting off behind some buildings.
"HEY!!!" Another voice called out to me, however, this time it was a familiar one. "Glad you are here Hammond." The voice that called to me was my grandfather, Naval. He stood next to the large truck with a heavy-looking box in his hands. Naval had the face of a young man in his thirties with large muscles that would rival a heavyweight boxer. He wore a short-sleeved white shirt with a vanilla-colored jacket tied around his waist. Sweat poured down his bald head. He stared at me with a large welcoming smile. "Sorry I wasn't able to pick you up at the station, though I'm kinda surprised that you found this place on your own." He then placed the heavy box on the ground, knocking up a bit of dust around it. He ran towards me with his arms stretched out.
"Shit!" My voice cracked. I panicked and looked around, searching for a place to run to. Nearby passersby watched with a smile as a large-built man was about to run down a scrawny little man. Within seconds, he closed the gap between us and grabbed me with a tight embrace. "Ugh!!!" I let out an annoyed breath as he swung me around in circles.
I have been really slacking off today. Maybe it's because of the he-!!!!
"It's been too long lad!" His embrace knocked the air out of my lungs. Shortly after, he placed me gently on the ground with tears of joy in his eyes. "The last time I've seen ya was when you were ye high." He places his hand just below his hip.
"Good to see you too, grand pops." I fixed my ruffled clothing and stared at his amber eyes. "How can you be this old and still act like a young man, you're gonna break something if you keep acting like that." Despite his appearance, he is 75. It still amazes me that he hasn't seemed to age since his 20s.
"Heh," He chuckled, "Give credit where it's due me lad." He flexes his muscles. "I workout daily, eat healthy three-course meals daily, and I have a healthy sex life with my wife-"
"I didn't need to hear that last part." I blurted out in a monotone voice.
"-That is why I look so young!"
"I'm convinced that, that there's another reason." I shook my head and smiled at Naval. "But thanks for sending that girl to bring me here. I would not have found this place otherwise."
As I spoke those words, Naval's expression changed. His cheerful appearance changed to a heartless one as he looked around him. He had a protective look in his eyes.
"Umm, grand pops?" As I spoke those words, his eyes smiled down on me. His expression changed, and he gave me a light tap on the back.
"Sorry lad, I saw a fox behind you so I had to intimidate it."
"I somehow doubt that." I said immediately afterward. Naval chuckled and wrapped his arm around my head. His sweaty scent overpowered the smell of nature. As I tried to get him off of me, he began walking towards the store dragging me along.
"Don't sweat the details." As we approached the store, the large truck drove off, leaving a young-looking woman with blue hair waving at us with a beautiful smile on her face.
The woman wore a blue apron around a red blouse with brown leggings that hugged her tightly. She had teal eyes that seemed to glaze straight at me with a cheerful glimmer. But once again, despite her looks, she is 78. Naval finally removed his arm from around my neck and walked over to her. He whispered something in her ear. After a few moments, she frowned and shook her head 'no'. Afterward, she looked around with a serious face.
"Man…" I muttered to myself. The scorching sun had finally reached the center of the sky. As the cries of the cicadas grew louder, I realized how quickly I wanted to leave. "Hey, Grandma and pops." I called out. "Where is the place that I need to clean out?"
The two of them looked at each other and nodded. I was confused as to why, but I decided not to ask. "Oh, my that is right~" Sora said with a nervously staged voice. "How could I forget? Follow me, Hammond."
As I followed her inside the store, Naval followed behind and walked over to the counter. The inside was clean and organized. There was a wide assortment of items ranging from frozen meats, fresh produce, boxed goods, and other miscellaneous goods. I looked over at Sora, and she looked back at me with a cheerful smile.
"It's been a while since you have been here." She said. "But a few years ago we became the only store in this small town thanks to the wine rush." She sighed a little. "Now everyone in this town works in the wine plants rather than wanting to own a store to sell goods. I mean, more money for us, but it comes with such high demand." She fakes a sigh and places her left hand on her cheek as she looks at me. Her eyes give away her true intentions.
"Sorry, but I have no desire to inherit this place." As I respond, she looked away with a smirk.
"I'm sure you'll open up, eventually." She stopped walking and turned to face me. She looked me up and down a few times before stopping at my crouch. A devious smile formed on her face. I move my hands to cover myself. Feeling exposed, I looked at her with resentful eyes. She let out a cute giggle before speaking. "I have no idea what was going through your little head. But I'm a faithful woman, I would never commit such acts of adultery. I was nearly implying that you should have a child to inherit our lovely store." She paused for a moment before clapping her hands together. "That's a lovely idea!" Her tone was filled with joy. "Maybe a should get one of the cute girls in this town to date you-" After saying that, her expression changed. She quickly turned away before speaking in a bitter tone. "Actually, not one of the girls from this town."
Without saying another word, she resumed walking towards a small patch in the ceiling. She poked it with a large wooden stick and the patch swung down, allowing a ladder to slowly descend. Sora looked at the ladder and tugged it a little. She then turned back towards me and be again to speak.
"Alright, dearie." Her voice was charming, but I still hated what she was gonna have me do. "Here is the first place we need your help with cleaning."
She had a charming smile as I rolled my eyes. I was not aware that I would have multiple things to clean. She walked past me and headed back to the storefront. I faced the wooden ladder before me with a sour look. I sighed a little as I pulled out my phone and headphones.
After a couple of hours, my first area was fully cleaned. As the evening sun shined through the only window in the attic, I realized that my clothing was completely covered in dust. As I was heading toward the ladder. A faint glint caught my eye. I turned towards the direction of the glint and noticed a damaged box that was being crushed by the weight of the box on top of it. Gently, I placed the heavier box on the ground beside me. I then reached into the damaged box and found an old book that was thicker than any dictionary that I have seen.
The book was covered in a thick, worn leather that felt scaly rather than smooth. The open side of the book had pages sticking out as if they were loose. I tried to pull on them, however, they felt as if they were a block of dense metal. The pages themselves could not even be bent. I tried to open the book like a normal person, but it would not budge. At a loss, I turned the book over to its front. The cover of the book had four sliver symbols connected in a circular pattern with strange characters I have never seen before. As I brushed my hand against it, the metal characters felt familiar.
"The flames of the Great Demon who controls our desires. The wisdom of the Holy Dragon blesses the Earth we walk upon. The grains of time flow within us as a river carving its way into the ground. The freedom bestowed by the wind cannot be taken."
As I spoke those words, the book opened, revealing more characters similar to the ones on the cover. I was confused as to why I could read them, but I decided just to read this page before heading back to ask about the book. The page the book opened to was filled with pictures of a stick figure and an object. I looked at the characters and spoke them out loud.
"Thy wind o thy wind. Give me the blessing of thy earth to bind thy soul to-"
As I spoke these words, I felt a sharp, burning feeling in my stomach. I stop reading to look at what was causing it and noticed the book was no longer in my hands. Rather, I had no hands.
"-The…book…?…!"
I spoke my last words before collapsing to the ground. Despite the state I was in, I felt no major pain. Just a slight burning in my stomach and where my hands once were. As I lay in the pool of my own blood, I turned towards the ladder and found the same girl from earlier staring at me with the book in her hands. My hands were fixed firmly on the side of the book as if they were holding on by themselves. The young girl ripped my hands off the book and licked them seductively while staring straight at me with a sadistic look in her eyes.
"Too bad I had to kill you." Her words were quiet, it was becoming harder for me to hear anything. "But I'll take your hands as a parting gift, after all, it must suck to die a virgin." She moved and placed my hands into a small pouch alongside the book. "Don't worry, I'll make sure your hands touch every part of me." She walked toward me with a dagger in her hand. "Thank you for finding this book for me." After she said that, she thrust the dagger into my throat.
How… did she…? Why did I come here?