A Long Journey

Chapter 1

He sat with his head on the counter, his hand barely holding onto his drink. The smell of alcohol filled the room as he thought back to his last meeting with Rebecca. Of course he didn't want to leave her, but knew very well that they were never going to be the same after everything they went through.

Moving his head to stare at the liquid, he let out a sigh.

"That rough huh?" The bar tender asked walking over with his rag, wiping down the counter of spilt liquor. "Life beating you in the game!" He laughed and the first gentleman sat up straight.

"Steven, you know that feeling of regret despite also knowing that what you regret was the thing that had to be done?" The man rubbed the glass in his hand with is pointer finger. A gaze of complete distraught and lose.

Steven stopped moving and glanced as his friend, sadness taking over him as he left the towel and placed his hand on his buddy's arm. "Listen," he started right before the door to the bar burst open and a man walked in startling everyone in the building.

The new comer took a look around the room before marching right up to the two friends and sitting himself next to them. Shocked Steven let go of the other and turned to him.

"I need to talk to this man alone." The man grumbled under his breath at Steven, but Steven didn't move an inch.

The two shared piercing glares as if a war could start should one actually make a move. Realizing what was going on, the other turned to Steven and opened his mouth but was cut off as the man spoke first.

"What happens in the woods, neither the does nor the woodpeckers can change."

"Steven!" The man yelled with eyes wide as if they couldn't get larger. "I'll take this. Please step away for a moment."

Steven respected his friend's request and stepped away "Very well Benson." He stood at the other end of the bar but eyed the new man the whole time he spoke to Benson.

"What do you know...." Benson sipped his drink then turned to the gentleman with a skeptical look.

"I've been sent to get you. Life at the village..." the man's sentence trailed before catching himself and starting over. "We need you to come back. It is getting hard on the elders to protect them.