The Rise

Part 2

Dade

I knew I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be walking among them as if I belonged. There were rules; rules that I decided to obey whenever they fit my needs. Unfortunately, today wasn't one of those days. I needed to escape, needed to breath. I hopped up on the retaining wall that divided the tourists from the fantastical mysteries below and watched as the sun vanished behind the horizon. It was nice to feel the natural heat radiate off my skin. I soaked it in for a brief moment before making my way to the front gate.

The park would be closing soon and all that would remain from the daily adventurers would be discarded drinking bottles, candy wrappers and forgotten brochures scattered around the grounds. Like clockwork, the cleaning crew would be coming so I had no choice but to get beyond the confines.

I filed in tightly behind a large group of tourists eagerly snapping last minute pictures before making a sharp left past the loading area. This was my weekly routine, out before nightfall and in before daybreak. I pulled my ball cap down lower over my face, being careful to avoid eye contact and conversation.

I made the mile and a half trek up to Hwy 67 and followed it north into town. It was easy to blend in when you looked like a tourist. I had been coming to the surface for the last two years, ever since the mark of my mid-life, and have become accustomed to the world outside the Drift. Never the less, I always find something that mesmerizes me.