New Atlantis

Awake (Part 1: The Beginning)

Notes-This story is based on the horror game DRIVE on the Roblox platform.

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Rayleigh's eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim light filtering through cracks in the cabin walls. It took a moment for the fog in his mind to clear, and for his senses to register the cold, damp air around him. Slowly, he realized he wasn't alone. Lying on dusty floorboards in the small room were three other figures-Yanna, Marco, and Arkie-friends he had known for as long as he could remember. But there was something off about this. None of them had any recollection of how they got here.

As Rayleigh sat up, the light caught a glint of metal on his wrist-a thick, strange watch with a sleek, glassy surface. He pressed the buttons, turned the dial, tried to pry it open, but it stayed frozen, as if mocking him. Looking around, he saw each of them wore the same watch.

A low groan echoed from the far side of the room as Marco rubbed his temples, grimacing as he looked around. "Where...where are we?" he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. The silence that followed seemed to stretch, a question lingering in each of their minds: What had brought them here?

Rayleigh was the first to rise, steadying himself against the wall as he peered through a broken window, trying to make sense of their surroundings. A dense, dark forest spread out before them, trees looming tall and twisted, their branches clawing at the sky. A metal fence encircled the area outside, its barbed wires humming faintly with electricity. The sight sent a shiver through him-a reminder that this place was not only unknown, but inescapable.

"Guys..." Yanna's voice broke through his thoughts, her tone laced with a cold detachment she often carried, but beneath it lay a thin thread of fear. She held up her wrist, showing her identical watch. "Do any of you...remember anything?"

They each exchanged looks, hesitant and unsure. Arkie, nervous as ever, began to fidget, tugging at the edges of his own watch. He seemed on the verge of saying something when his eyes widened, staring out the cabin door. "Look. Over there."

Four vehicles sat in a clearing just beyond the cabin, their hoods dented and their paint chipped, as though they had been left to rust in the elements. Beside each car lay a scattered assortment of tools and scraps, bits of metal and old parts spilling from toolboxes.

"Those cars," Marco said, eyes lighting up with a mix of excitement and anxiety, "they might be our way out of here."

Arkie, tugging at his watch, added in a low voice, "But...how did they get here? Why would there be cars in the middle of nowhere?"

Rayleigh shrugged, already stepping toward the clearing. "Only one way to find out."

As they moved closer to the cars, a buzz from each of their watches startled them, and they stopped in unison, glancing down at the devices. The watches displayed a cryptic message in bold, red text: "Fix 6 generators. Gather 8 tapes."

Marco scoffed, uneasy. "What does that even mean? Is this some sort of sick joke?"

"I don't think it's a joke," Yanna replied, her voice as cold and steady as always, though her eyes betrayed a flicker of something else-fear, or maybe even recognition. She ran her fingers over the watch's display, but it refused to give any further instructions.

Rayleigh exhaled, thinking aloud. "Maybe we should just try to get the cars running. If nothing else, it's a start."

They split up, inspecting each car, each of them falling into roles that felt natural. Rayleigh's quick thinking and short bursts of focus allowed him to spot missing parts quickly. Yanna, with a hardened gaze, made sure they didn't overlook the smallest of details, keeping her emotions tightly under control. Marco, despite his usual cockiness, seemed more on edge, casting nervous glances at the shadows in the trees while trying to keep a brave face. And Arkie, though anxious and clumsy, used his creativity to improvise with scraps, connecting pieces in ways that hadn't occurred to the others.

As they worked, the sound of rustling leaves began to drift from the forest, soft at first, then growing louder and more insistent. Rayleigh tried to ignore it, focusing on the wires and gears in his hands, but there was something about the noise-an almost rhythmic quality, like footsteps in a slow, deliberate march.

The sound continued, growing until it felt like a heartbeat pounding in their ears, louder and louder, pressing in on them from all sides.

Marco's nerves finally snapped. "Screw this! I'm not waiting around to see what that is." He leapt into one of the cars, frantically turning the key in the ignition. The engine coughed and sputtered to life, roaring with a force that startled them all.

"Marco, wait-!" Arkie shouted, backing away from the car. But it was too late; Marco's foot slipped, hitting the gas, and the car lurched forward, skidding toward Rayleigh and Yanna. They dove out of the way just as the car screeched to a halt, inches from hitting them.

A tense silence followed, broken only by the hum of the car's idling engine. Marco's face was pale, his hands shaking on the wheel as he tried to catch his breath. "Sorry...I just...I couldn't take it anymore."

Rayleigh was about to snap back, his patience worn thin, when something caught his eye-a glint of metal on the hood of Marco's car. Slowly, he stepped forward, reaching out to retrieve it.

It was an old tape, wrapped in dust and grime, as though it had been lying there for decades. Arkie's face turned pale as he eyed it. "Is that...one of the eight tapes?"

No one replied. They all stared at the tape, the silence weighing on them like a leaden shroud. Finally, Yanna broke the quiet, her voice barely above a whisper. "If that's one of the tapes...we still have seven more to find."

The realization settled over them like a dark cloud. Whatever had brought them here, whatever force was controlling their watches, it was guiding them toward something they couldn't yet understand. And with each step they took, they knew they were only plunging deeper into the mystery-and the terror-that was waiting for them in New Atlantis.