Through The Ascension Room***Book One COMPLETE***

CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT ~END OF PART FOUR~

I work on opening my eyes. Slowly at first I let the light come in and give my eyes the chance to adjust. It feels like the first time I have ever used them. The rest of my senses begin to wake up as well and I can feel that I am moving. I'm lying down and my head is propped up. My body bounces every once in a while and I realize that I must be in a car.

I attempt to raise my head to see what I am resting it on and through the blurred vision of my eyes I can make out a pair of denim covered legs. I lay my head back down as the energy I have expended on the small task has proven much too daunting for me at this point.

"Rest your head Alex. Lay down/" I can't be too sure because my ears are only hearing muffled versions of what is going on around me, but the voice sounded as if it came from Aurbi.

I feel a gentle rub cascading the top of my head and the soothing sensation drags me into a slumbered state yet again.

~ ~ ~ ~ /Φ\ ~ ~ ~ ~

I awake again. This time my senses return to me quicker than the last few times I had woken up. I quickly realize that I am in a bed. It's quiet in the room except for a few whispered voices. The lighting is dim and not as harsh allowing me to open my eyes after only a few tries.

I scan the room I am in and see that I am in what looks like a hotel room. There are people scattered around the room and I struggle to focus my eyes enough to see who they are. I scramble to sit up in bed worried that I may have been captured by them.

"Whoa Alex, Easy there." it's Tristis. I am put back at ease as I allow my eyes to finish focusing.

I make a quick scan of the room and see Aubri seated next to me. She is holding my hand between her two clasped hands.

"Hey," I try saying to her and it feels like my throat is on fire. I cough and it just intensifies the pain. I stiffen my body in the bed. The pain slowly begins to fade away. I release the tension in my body along with the easing of the pain.

"You shouldn't speak for a couple of days, what happened to you back there. . . I don't know how you are still alive." The voice is familiar but not one that I expected to hear. I quickly finish my initial scan of the room. I see Tristis, Cynthia and. . . Percy.

"Wha—" the pain again feels like my throat is being ripped to shreds. My body again stiffens in agony. What is going on with me. . .

"It's ok Alex," I can hear Cynthia say, "he's with us. He helped us save you."

"Well, I don't know about saved. . ." Percy adds.

"Yes you did. We wouldn't have made it out of there alive if it wasn't for you helping us." Cynthia says to Percy.

I let my body settle back into a resting position. I form the words, 'where are we' in my mind, but can't muster up enough courage to try to actually speak them.

Tristis must sense my attempt to say something because he leaves the room and returns a few seconds later with a pen and a small pad of yellow legal paper.

"Here, can you write?" Tristis plops the pad onto my lap and places the pen in my free hand. I attempt to sit up. I don't quite get as high as I was trying to but it's still enough to allow me to write on the pad.

I barely scribble the three semi-legible words, Where are we, on the pad.

"We're in some small town near the border of Arizona."

I nod. Not sure what else to say.

The room is quiet for a moment, then Aubri breaks the silence, "How you feeling Alex?"

I again scribble on the pad, like death warmed over.

That gets a chuckle out of the room and Aubri gives me a smile.

My eyes begin to feel droopy again and I fear that I am going to pass out again.

I put the pen again to the paper and jot down, 'so what's next'.

"I don't know, I mean we still need to find your father, and the only clue we have of his whereabouts is the key." Cynthia answers.

"Yeah, and we don't even know what it opens." Tristis adds.

"If it even opens anything." Aubri adds and then it hits me. I know what the key is for.

I quickly start to write on the last bit of empty space on the pad, It's not about what it opens.

"What do you mean?" Tristis asks in confusion. He moves in a little closer.

The room begins to fade in and out of focus. Exhaustion again tries to pull me into slumber.

I tear off the covered page to reveal a fresh one, What it opens isn't important, it's who it belongs to.

"What do you mean, who?" Cynthia asks.

Just before I lose motor functions and fall asleep again, I am able to write the words, Detective Jim Gibson.

END OF BOOK ONE

***CURRENTLY SEEKING REPRESENTATION*** (Comments and questions welcomed)