Family of Gods

Chapter 3 - Orbs

Tommy's consciousness floated in the void again, this time there were no orbs. But maybe it just hasn't been long enough. He felt frustrated. Why didn't he try to run? He could have done something. Maybe.

The first orb appeared, the same green as some of the stripes on the 'nice' one's hat. Tommy didn't even know if he was nice! He needs to stop acting childish and stop trusting people off the bat. It's never happened this way before. Not for Tommy at least.

Once Tommy finally woke up, he was back in his 'castle'. He wasn't with the Dream-Followers.

'Maybe it was a dream...' Tommy pondered, only to be interrupted by a crash in a corner outside Tommy's vision.

"WILBUR!"

"DON'T TELL PHIL! "

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT? "

"CRAP! "

The three voices echoed outside the small 'castle' while a shocked fourteen-year-old laid in the pile of newspapers he called his bed. They followed him. No, they brought him here. How did they know where he lived? He didn't know. As he scanned the wooden walls of his shack, he tried to piece things together. Eventually, he decided it was best to get up. Maybe he should run. Maybe he should kick and scream at the strange men. But first, he needed to get up.

Tommy struggled to force his body to sit up, pains in his back, in his arms, in his legs. The pain was pretty much everywhere. The teen let out a subconscious groan, alerting the three men outside.

"Oh!" The man in the striped head peeked his head through the door of the shack, which was barely holding itself to the frame, "You're awake."

"He's awake?" The voice of the trenchcoat one rang through the door, "I thought Techno killed him."

The pink-haired one walked in the open doorframe. He was presumably Techno if Tommy's memory served him right.

"Nah," Techno spoke, "He's alive. And sitting up too."

"Really?" the last man walked in, astonished, "I thought you knocked him out cold." Tommy stiffened. So it was these three's fault he passed out. But where could he go now, now that they knew of his castle?

"Wilbur." The one in the striped hat glared at the trenchcoat man, presumably Wilbur. Now Tommy figured out all their names. Phil, the one with the striped hat. Techno, the one with pink hair. And finally, Wilbur, the one in the trenchcoat. Not that it mattered to Tommy. He planned on getting out of here. Fast.

"Oh!" Phil caught Tommy as Tommy's body faltered, halfway through standing up, "Your body can't handle that. Don't hurt yourself mate."

"Who are you!" Tommy raised his voice, "And how did you get in my castle!"
"Castle?" Techno looked around. This was no castle. It was a three-roomed shack if you could even call it that. The walls were on their way to collapse and the roof was caving in, "This is no castle."
"Yeah it is," Tommy's chest puffed out, pride showing, "I found it, and it's my kingdom."

The trio looked at each other warily. This was no castle, they've seen a castle.

"Look," Tommy growled, "I don't know who you are or how you know where I live, but I have no regrets and I ask you politely to leave."

Phil smiled, though the edges were crisp with an almost forcedness, "Can't do that, sorry mate."

Tommy searched the older's eyes. He couldn't help it... it felt familiar.

"Know," Phil laid the skinny boy onto the pile of newspaper, "You rest. WILBUR, TECHNO!"

Tommy tried to continue to listen to these intruders and whatever they were doing, yet he started his own battle. His eyes were closing without his permission. His brain was shutting down, even though he did it just twice before. The struggle only lasted a few minutes, Tommy's exhaustion winning over the now sleeping boy.