Dreamer's Odyssey Vol. 1

Unearthed

"What the hell is going on here!" Hugh exclaimed. Adrian lifted his hands up, "Now, now, I'm sure you're confused," He said, "but just trust me on this." Hugh shouted back, "Trust you! You murdered an innocent woman!" Adrian kept trying to calm down Hugh, he told him, "She was a witness. I knew you'd follow her clues and find something you shouldn't." Hugh replied with, "Find what? This place?" Adrian continued defending his actions, "It was all for a greater cause." "Greater cause-!" "Stop. Let me tell you everything. While in the military I saw some pretty awful shit. Eventually, I discovered some secret files, apparently, monsters are real. And the government is using them for some sort of sick, super soldier experiment. One of them escaped and murdered several people. That Sarah girl was the only survivor. I copied all the data and left without anyone knowing. I...I used to have a family, A daughter." He held up a framed photograph of himself with a woman and a little girl. "They're still alive, but I was presumed dead during the war. I couldn't let these creatures exist on the same planet as my family. So I won't stop till every last one is gone." Hugh starred in disbelief, was all that true? It couldn't be, could it? He quickly collected himself and mustered the energy for one small sentence. "I'm supposed to debunk myths and legends, not find out they exist." Adrian said to Hugh, "You know, you are a very good detective. We could really get a lot done if we shared our resources." Adrian handed one of his files to Hugh. "I'll give you some time to think it over."

Hugh slammed the door to his apartment. He stepped over a huge mess on the floor. He walked over to a bulletin where he had several photos pinned. He stared into them as a memory from his childhood slowly resurfaced. When he was little, his parents died in a car crash. But it wasn't an ordinary accident. That day he swore he saw something. It had a long black tail, a pale skeletal face, and yellow beady eyes. He never told anyone he saw it, but he never forgot either. Now when Hugh looked at all the cases he had debunked, he realized it was all pointless. He aggressively tore them off and threw them on the ground. He grabbed a whiskey bottle off the ground and drank the last few drops. When he saw it was empty, he threw it against the wall, and it shattered to a dozen tiny pieces. Isaac walked through the door and noticed Hugh's strange behavior. "Uh, sir, are you okay? I was starting to worry you got arrested or something." Hugh turned to his friend and muttered, "it's all pointless..." Isaac didn't quite understand what that meant, "what do you mean, sir, what's pointless?" Hugh snapped at Isaac, "Everything! Three years ago we started chasing ghost stories, and every single time it was a hoax. Today I saw the truth." He leaned up and grabbed Isaac's shirt collar, "Monsters are real! And there's nothing we can do about it!" Isaac was silent. "Sir, whatever you saw, it has to have an explanation."

"Well this doesn't Isaac!" Hugh sat down. "It just doesn't." Hugh seemed to calm down. "I'm sorry Isaac, I don't know what to make of all this." "Well," Isaac said, " I remembered when we first started this mystery gig, I didn't have any experience, you didn't have any money, but look at us now, right now we know a secret that no one else on the planet knows. I'm not very superstitious, but that sounds like fate to me." Hugh closed his eyes, then smirked. He stood up and said, "You're right Isaac, we have to take matters into our own hands."

"Of course, Sir."

After a brief moment of explaining, Isaac asked Hugh, "Have you opened the file yet?" "No. Not yet," said Hugh.

And so, the pair carefully removed the seal and peeled the file open. It detailed a place somewhere in Nevada, that was high in "large bug" sightings. Adrian had apparently tracked them down to their nest, but wasn't ready to attack just yet. "The evidence is damning. Guess I should take a look." Isaac looked up at Hugh and said, "and I'll stay here. You know, to walk you through everything."

Hugh walked through the forest, the file said this was close to the area where the bugs were seen most frequently. He scanned the area to make sure no one was following him. He was absolutely certain he was alone. Then, out of nowhere, he heard a voice. "Hello there, what brings you here?" Hugh jumped back and looked at the man. He was standing in the shadows and seemed to be wearing a long coat with a hat. "Uh, nothing. Just here to appreciate the scenery." Hugh replied. "Is that why?" The man questioned. "Or is there another reason?" Hugh was starting to get creeped out. "Other reason?" He said. "Of course, you're clearly out here to find the cryptids, aren't you?" Hugh stepped back in shock, "how did you know about that?" The man responded, "Well, they are the talk of the town. Are they not?" Hugh nodded and said, "I suppose they are." Then, the man's voice shifted to a much more foreboding tone, "but are you prepared for what you're about to see?" Hugh began to worry again, "prepared?" He asked. "That's what you don't understand. You won't find what you're looking for, you aren't ready to see what hides in the dark." Hugh wasn't sure what this guy was trying to say, but he didn't let it distract him from the mission. "I'm sorry sir, I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I must be going now." He turned and walked away from the suspicious stranger as fast as he could. The man simply stood and watched Hugh leave. A shadow stretched out from nowhere and slid up a nearby tree. Two big white eyes peeled open. "Think he got the message?" The man replied, "He will soon understand, Ratuk, just give him time."