New World Order (TNE) [Original]

Chapter 8 - Voting For Answers

Martin and Marissa looked around but neither of them could remember how they ended up here. They were both in The Botanist's Club deep underground in front of the basement with the black elevator. But, unlike Plum and her group they had never travelled here. Martin felt the muddy ground below him and it seemed as if he was in some kind of large hut make from logs and hay. It wasn't much but there was a calming simplicity to it. After being out and about above ground seeing such a simple home and an outside clearing filled with nature and greenery was a welcoming site. What wasn't quite as welcoming was the burning of some kind of copper statue in the clearing that Plum and Timothy was watching.

"We burn this statue to signify the start of the new world, down in these caves and specifically with this town," A blue thin nymph with short stubby horns sang. The statue was specifically made for this occasion, this occasion in fact was quite important to the below ground residents. This is because it was the first tree that they managed to grow underground and almost all artificially by using the power source the botanist's club originally was gifted. A generator sat in a tiny blue and gray box with etchings and scratchings across it near the tree to power it's growth. Plum and Timothy looked incredibly out of place amongst the crowd of monsters and mythical creatures.

"What is this town called anyways?" Martin interrupted holding up his flame hand in a way to signal the crowd to silence. Everyone was a bit rowdy; they went from normal humans, to becoming incredible new creatures and then they all had to settle down in this new town. You can't truly blame them. Marissa and Martin had stepped out of the hut to join the festivities but didn't really understand why they were happening, neither of them even saw the tree. "And who brought me and my friend here?"

"Well, that's what this whole meeting was brought together for!" The blue nymph responded angrily. Her horns seemed to almost grow twice in size and she started to jump up and down with her stubby legs on the stone pedestals that the tree was growing in. Next to her a 4 eyes druid woman who had been playing a quiet tune on her flute stopped playing to give her a tired look signifying that Martin had actually raised a good point. "Oh, the meeting wasn't about who brought you here. Just ask whoever lives in that house you just came out of."

"The town is currently called 'The Botanist's Club' after the government's original experiment that brought us here. But, we are going to rename it since people are starting to set up maps and subsections for the town," the druid explained in a deep calming voice. She smiled as the said it and had relaxingly slow blinks with each of her four eyes. Once she finished talking she walked off the stone pedestals to let the blue nymph continue and to finish her flute song. Geoffrey returned to Plum and Timothy with 3 ice cream sundaes he offered to the group and they continued watching the nymph with ice cream dripping down messily.

"Yes, um. We were planning on conducting a vote to see what we should rename the town so just put in your ballets into one of those barrels and check off the name you would like," the blue thin and now nervous nymph elaborated and gestured to series of barrels. Beside the barrels was a handful of papers on a birch table. They each had a list of names along with a box for each. Some of the creatures went to vote didn't even use the pens they had received with their citizenship but instead used talons or claws they had grown. At the time this seemed much more convenient but later on they all figured out that made their votes not count.

After all the voting was concluded and the copper statue was burned until it became molten, the festivities ended. Geoffrey went with Plum and Timothy to their cabin that they pitched together and bought. Meanwhile, Martin and Marissa went back to the hut that they woke up in to see if the owner had returned yet. So, in case they missed the owner in future they went and put a note in the mailbox out in front. The note read as follows:

Dear homeowner

Thank you for bringing us down to this underground cityscape to sleep for the night. That was awfully nice of you. Could we stay at your place for the time being and if not how could we get back aboveground?

From Martin and Marissa

P.S on second thought just tell us how to get out of here no matter what -Martin

Martin and Marissa went around town to get some groceries as it seemed the town had prioritized supermarkets and power before intricate houses. Well, it didn't really matter because now Marissa finally got her way and she got to pay for what they bought. When they were brought down many of their belongings seem to have disappeared besides phone wallet and a certificate of residence in The Botanist's Club which they didn't remember having before. But, all of their keys and school supplies were no longer on them, which overall seemed quite reasonable as in this new world they were practically worthless items. The real question was who took them and were they the same person who brought them down?

"Do you think this will ever become normal?" Marissa asked Martin.

"Do I think what will become normal?" Martin responded.

"You know exactly what I mean, this whole place. The new world underground and the terraformed destroyed one above us. Do you think we will ever get used to it?" Marissa explained with an unnecessary degree of sass.

"Get used to it? I doubt it. But, I think we might eventually accept it," Martin responded with a pit growing in his chest as he said those last words. He knew that one day he would have to wake up and accept this world around him. Although, he wasn't even sure if he had ever had that moment for the old world. Marissa put some more tomatoes in her paper grocery bag.

When Martin and Marissa returned home with the groceries they found a response note to their note posted on the door. It was much shorter than they expected.

I am The Unknown and if you wish to contact me I'll be waiting for you in the deep caves behind the tree.

The note was written incredibly messily and hastily as if somebody had written it while they were walking and it was written in black slushy and gooey ink. The ink itself seemed to drip off the paper as if it was still trying to return from whatever squid it came from. The smell itself was toxifying to Marissa's nose compared to the calming and serene scent that the rest of the town seemed to have. The duo was utterly unsettled and that was before they opened the door.