Nevermore: The Secret Order

Chapter 2 - Trial By Fire

The noises were faint at first. It was dark and his ears were ringing. Light finally started to penetrate his eyelids. His neck felt like it weighed a ton and he struggled to regain his bearings. His recollection of an odd dream seemed vivid and yet he didn't remember Al picking him up in the airport. And why was he on the floor? Al would have woken him up and not once did he ever just pass out drunk. His arm suddenly felt like he just had a burn if not a heavy tattoo session. All he could remember was that dream. He realized the whole place looked like a grenade had detonated in it. Raven tried to make sense of what is happening. He got up and woke up in what looked like a suite room. Al must have picked him up and dropped him off before leaving again. As evidenced by his absence. Instincitvely, he immediately searched for the bathroom. Upon seeing his reflection, he realized he was wearing a black tracksuit which he started to take off. Almost immediately, something on his left arm caught his attention. He suddenly has a solid black band tattoo around his left forearm. He was sure as he didn't get one back in Amsterdam or when he was in London. Or did he? He tried his absolute best to recall the events while his ears rang.

He later came across a side of the wall that looked like someone's face was rubbed all over it. The floor itself showed evidence of some sort of an explosion. There were some slight charring on the tile and the rest of the furniture were strewn all over. Upon approaching the wall, something clicked in his memory. A wave of nausea almost took over as. In a second, last night's events flooded back into him. Al is gone or missing. Worse, he could be dead. Panic took hold once again. And just before he could succumb into it, he heard Al's voice his head telling him to calm down. He definitely wouldn't want to see him wallowing when he could be doing something.

It took time before Raven could process the sudden wave of information. Upon clearing his mind, headed back to the case and remembered the ledger and the ring. He finally got to examine it and it appears to have a tree engraved on it. There is only one particular tree famous enough to be carved on a piece of jewelry and that would be the fabled Yggdrasil from the Norse myths. He later remembered that Al had an identical ring. So did a colleague of his who came over a few years ago. Raven figured this couldn't be a mere coincidence. No group of people would wear the same item unless there is a purpose. Such as an indication of belonging to an organization. A fraternity perhaps? Maybe a cult? No, it can't be. Al wouldn't go that far.

So perhaps he can rule the latter out of the list of possibilities. Raven started to flip the ledger open and saw the contents. It had precise instructions for him to go to specific landmarks and addresses. Among what's listed includes a storage unit as an urgent stop. He also came across an account number and upon reaching the last few pages, a sketch of the cube from last night.

Then it hit him. The cube! He remembered exactly where he last saw it glowing. Raven went to investigate the exact spot where he saw the cube glowing only to find what appears to be a handgun. It was unlike anything he had ever seen. The grip had a slight but precise curvature. The barrel had at least a nine inch length. It had no magazine and no visible way to access any chamber. The barrel itself was sleek and was shaped like a blade that just cuts halfway and instead has the same linings as the cube from the night before. At the tip of the barrel appears to be a clear, vertical glass-like strip where a projectile would normally be shot out of. There was however a trigger. This is the most unusual firearm he had ever encountered. The origins had to be alien by nature. There's really only one way to find out. He then held the pistol at arms length and aimed it the already shattered window. Out of sheer curiosity, he placed his index finger on the trigger.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." said a male voice out of nowhere.

"FFFFUCK!!!" exclaimed Raven. "SHOW YOURSELF!!!" he said raising his voice even more as he positioned his finger on the trigger.