Chapter 2: The Cave
"Jackster, the Mackster!"
A girl could be seen jumping in front of a blue picket fence. Her brown locks bounced with a floral bowtie spotlighted in the Sun's reflection.
"Hey Vicky!" Jack left his house, expecting this visit.
"What are we playing today? Did you finish studying?" she said hastily.
"I just finished, Mom said I can play all day." Taking note of her eagerness, Jack smiled.
"Great! I found this new spot while you were studying. You'll definitely be surprised this time!"
"Lead the way!" Jack followed Vicky, circling around the blue fence towards the back of his house. Vicky often searched around the neighborhood for things to show and bring while he was cramped in the house all day studying. Even though he was still in elementary school, his parents had planned out his life up until college. Vicky wasn't in that elusive plan, but they didn't say anything about it.
They entered a wooded area lined with a few private trails. They ventured here often, but only far enough so that his house was still visible. Jack took in a deep breath in admiration of the scenery and fresh air. This made Vicky chuckle as he always did this as if it were his first time being here. Cooped up in his room all day in front of a desk lamp and papers made him deeply appreciate any freedom he got.
Their footsteps were muted by the cacophony of birds and insects and after trekking through the woods for a short while and several bug bites later, Jack and Vicky came upon a stream that ran for miles through the mountains.
"We've been here before, but it's still good." said Jack.
"No this isn't it, just a little more across the stream. You'll be surprised, trust me."
"You went across the stream?"
"I know, but it isn't far. I can see it from here."
"Alright" said Jack, shrugging.
Jack trailed closely behind Vicky as he picked up a few stones, rounded by the stream. Throwing them at imaginary targets served as entertainment during the trip, but he didn't forget to track the path in case they got lost. After crossing the stream for the first time in his life, they soon came across a weird hole in the ground. It was wide enough to swallow a person and the pitch black interior only made it that much more threatening.
"What is this?" asked Jack, trying hard to see the bottom without leaning over.
"It's cool right? I don't think this was here before, and when I threw some stuff inside there was no noise. Like it doesn't have a bottom."
The branches around the edges of the pit looked as if they were shaved off by whatever made the hole. Even though the Sun was shining through the trees, Jack couldn't tell how deep it went.
"That's impossible. Something that deep would collapse on itself. Let me try" said Jack, in a matter-of-fact tone. But after throwing a few heavy rocks and some branches inside the hole, Jack was convinced and a little more afraid.
"We should tell someone about this. I can't tell what made this hole and it gives a weird feeling. And let's talk about you coming this deep into the woods. We agreed you wouldn't venture far off, it's dangerous." said Jack.
"Sure, I knew you would say that but can you admit it's cool? said Vicky, beaming at Jack.
"Yeah, yeah it's cool heh. Let's head back, Mom is making pizza rolls."
"PIZZA ROLLS!"
****
"Is he's not dead?"
"I hope not."
Jack scrunched his face as he came to. The first thing he noticed was his splitting headache which made him forget all about the cynical words that woke him up. His mouth was dry, lips chapped and he felt like he'd just woken up to a bad hangover. As he adjusted to the bright light in his face. Swallowing in a vain attempt to lubricate his throat, Jack found himself at the entrance of a damp cave the Sun glaring in his face.
"The fuck?" he said coughing from his parched throat.
"I'm glad you survived." The raspy voice sounded again. Jack turned towards the voice inside the cave. The cave was bare bones and just wide enough to stand up in.
The source of the voice was sitting, hunched over not five feet from him. Jack couldn't make out if it was a man or woman. A fur parka that seemed like the fur of some beast covered their entire body with a leather hood covering their face, dirty and matted hair peeked from the hood, and their breathing was long and audible. What stood out the most were the shiny, silver rings adorning several withered fingers. Jack already came to a few conclusions when he asked
"Who are you?" he tried to get up and immediately felt dizzy, so decided against it and kneeled. He was still drowsy so he went over his situation.
"Call me J. It'll take a while for you to adjust, so settle down. I hope you'll keep me company." they said. Her voice was noticeably strained, but Jack couldn't make out why.
Despite their appearance, J's voice held a weight that made Jack feel as if something was pressing on his chest. He found difficult to calm down enough to think about his options, and decided to put on an appearance.
"I remember I was working a case." he ruminated, rubbing his chin. "How did we get here?"
Jack could hear her breathing and it didn't look like she had any intention in answering his question so he got annoyed.
"Can you tell me anything about this place. This isn't the city. Was I drugged?" Jack took in the view outside the cave. It was a red desert with no noticeable landmarks as far as he could tell, looking into the distance. He could make out a thin skyline between the Sun and the darker shade that covered the land. Contrary to the crowded skyscrapers of the city, this view could only be called desolate; similar to the deserts of Phoenix or Las Vegas.
[To end up all the way in the South. Did someone catch me in the courthouse?]
"I know you have a lot of questions, but we don't have the time for all of it. First...I'd like to apologize for bringing you here and then I'd like to thank you for coming here. You didn't come here of your own accord, but I'll thank you anyway." J took a few moments to clear their throat. Hearing what he believed to be bullshit, Jack tensed up and slowly started reaching for his pocket. "You don't know how long I've waited for someone like you to come along. You reek of blood, but it's not too bad all things considered. In for a penny, in for a pound." as J spoke, they took noticeable breaths between their words.
Jack kept a straight face and didn't respond as his hand reached a switch blade in his back pocket. He felt less comfortable knowing he wasn't disarmed.
"I don't know what this is, but I'm certain you got the wrong guy. How did I get here anyway?" said Jack as he undid the buckle of the blade.
"...To keep things short, you're not in your city anymore."
[Obviously.]
"You're not on your planet either."
"..." Jack made a surprised expression for the first time. He kept his hand on the blade's grip. He only needed a chance.
"It'll be a lot to take in, but you're on a different world now. This world has no name, but this land is named Avalon. You were summoned here by me and my partner." she paused to catch up on breathing. "Hrmm,you'll meet her later." J coughed for a few seconds before starting up again. Their hunched frame became more pronounced as if they already had one foot in the grave.
Jack had reached the end of his patience at this opportunity. Just as he was about to get up, J lifted her head and continued.
"We didn't search for you specially, so you can stop glaring at me. Your weapon will be of no help to you." they said, sternly. "If I wanted to kill you, it would be very easy." J took a few moments to catch her breath.
Jack didn't hide his malice. He was out of his element and already lost the initiative. He kept his eyes on J's movements, taking glimpses around the cave in search of cameras or recording devices every so often. He wanted to get out of the cave, but chances are he was already surrounded. An enemy would never leave themselves this open, but he couldn't spot any weapons. The person in front of him going by "J" didn't give off any dangerous signals either. Still, he kept his hand on his only weapon.
"I see you've decided not to listen." said J as Jack's eyes veered off for the umpteenth time. The sudden switch in their tone of voice made Jack stiffen up.
"Excuse me?.." Jack could feel a rising pressure in his chest. It felt like his sternum was being slowly pushed from the inside, then this feeling spread to his ribs, the center of his spine. Something was pushing out of his body from the inside. The pressure gradually transformed into pain that made him keel over. The knife fell from his hand as he grasped at his chest and took short, deep breathes that stung with every inhale. This feeling of being slowly suffocated was only surpassed by his mounting confusion. She said she could kill him easily. He couldn't accept that he would die in this random place by some stranger without even knowing the cause.
Unbeknownst to him, the cave was also throwing a fit. The entire space vibrated noticeably, kicking up loose dust and pebbles jumped off the cave walls and ceiling. And just as soon as it came, it disappeared. The cave went silent.
"Do I have your attention now?" The previous weakness in J's voice was replaced by a pitch that gave Jack two pieces of information. One. J was a woman and two, he lost before he even woke up.
"Your body would've broken apart as soon as you got here if not for my timely aid. I'm not asking you to be grateful." J chuckled. "You wouldn't be here if we weren't desperate."
Jack gave up on finding momentum and decided to hear her out.
"I estimate in a few years, everything you see here will be gone. All of Avalon, more or less. That's millions of men, women and children. And you met the qualifications we were looking for and you just might be able to do something about saving these people." said J, her voice becoming strained again. "It's a lot to digest, but I don't have time to explain it all."
"...." staring at nothing in particular, Jack smirked.
[How did I let a crazy person kidnap me] he thought, feeling disappointed with himself. He could listen to anymore of this and went through hi own internal monologue.
What I know for sure is I'm in a desert and the Sun is fucking red. I don't have any water and there's nothing to drink in here and I probably can't trust anything she gives me. My watch isn't working either. Seems I really got caught this time. Out of everyone who had it out for me, I don't recognize her.
Jack leaned against the cave wall, and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths. The wall of the cave was a cool reprieve from the glaring Sun and helped to clear his mind a little. He took out his cellphone and saw there was no reception so he pocketed it.
"Did you implant something in my body? If you're here to kill me, this was all unnecessary so you probably want something. State your terms." he said in a monotonal voice.
The cave was silent apart from dried shrubs whistling at the cave entrance and J's breathing that could be heard clearly at this point. After what seemed like a few minutes, J raised their head a little.
"Devi modos, this is why I don't like boys.." she said, in yet another tone of voice. This time she sounded like a nagging teen.
A silence permeated the cave once more as Jack just stared at J with a blank expression. He didn't know what to expect from a crazy person talking about saving worlds, but this wasn't it.
"A real man would've already knelt before me and comforted this fallen maiden. Do you like men?" she asked, with a sudden vigor. Jack couldn't tell if this woman was really dying or just pulling his leg. "Heh, I bet you've never held a woman before."
"..."
"Gods, I'm not good at this. Anyway, it's about time you met my partner."
As Jack stood there thinking of how to respond, he came to his senses at the mention of a partner and looked to the cave entrance.
"We went over this before so let's not be rude to your new friend. He's a bit rough around the edges, but he'll learn. You know how important this is" said J. Jack couldn't tell who she was talking to.
Suddenly a glowing, white mist surrounded J.
Jack got up and took a few steps back. The mist billowed towards the cave ceiling, its glow lit up the small cave and lent a majesty to J's figure at the center. A few seconds later, a shining light peeked from her chest making Jack shield his eyes. The brilliant light dimmed a little, and made out an orb emanating a soft, white glow. It was the size of a tennis ball, but the moment it appeared, Jack felt the familiar pressure in his chest from before. His breathing became more labored, but it wasn't painful this time.
He stared at the floating orb. It didn't seem like a hologram, which made the situation that much more harrowing.
"This is Ana, the god of Justice." said J, sounding pleased with herself. The glowing mist surrounding her faded a little.
Jack looked between the orb and J a few times, unsure of what to do. He was really against the idea of being an enabler for what looked to be cult behavior. Still he couldn't help considering whether he would call this floating orb a god if it meant getting out this situation unscathed.
"Don't give me that look. I can understand you're taken back by Ana's appearance. She's just being a little rebellious right now, but you can count on her to explain anything. You two are going to need to work together if you want to go home. But I hope you seriously consider staying and helping us." As she spoke, J's voice became noticeably softer.
"Justinia.." The floating orb, Ana moved towards J and stopped in front of her. The brilliance from the orb lit up J's covered face. Jack moved a step closer in an attempt to figure out what made the orb float. He couldn't make out the J's face completely, but he could spot soft features which led him to believe this woman was actually quite young.
"This is it for me. I apologise for the poor reception to our supposed 'Savior.' Like I said, we were a bit desperate." J leaned up against the cave wall, unable to keep herself steady. "Listen boy. If you mistreat Ana with your ignorance I'll never forgive you. You'll be here for a while so how about you learn how to treat a woman? It'll save your life." said J in a friendly whisper.
"Right" said Jack. He had a dozen questions since he woke up and the only person that could answer them was dying. He didn't know what to feel.
"We almost did it. Be good." As J spoke her last words, Jack stepped towards the cave wall and looked back and forth between the cave entrance and the glowing orb. Neither J nor the orb moved and this only increased the tension he was feeling. He heard it say something earlier, but he didn't know what it was capable of.
As he came to realization that the woman who called herself by a pseudonym was really dead, he didn't know whether he should hate her for just dying or feel sorry that she passed in the middle of nowhere with only him for company. A few memories kicked up, but he repressed them immediately.
Jack walked to the cave entrance and pulled out his cellphone. No reception, but the time told him only 5 hours passed since his trial ended. This made his breath stop. He forced himself to doubt whether his phone was broken.
"I'll travel at night." he said to himself, turning back towards the orb. It didn't move from its position. J said the orb could help him and he needed information, so he risked walking towards it.
"Ana was it?" Jack reached towards the glowing orb, but an invisible force kept his hand from directly touching it. He could feel a tingling sensation spread throughout his palm which made him pulled back his hand and observed it. The sensation soon died down. "Listen, I don't know where I am, or what you are, but what I do know is I can't stay here. Can you tell me where the nearest town is?"
"Mmm" The orb bobbed up and down once, imitating a nod.
"Was that a yes? Sorry, I'm not use to speaking to.." feeling sorry he didn't have anything better to say.
"You're insufferable. I'll keep you alive for Justinia, but if you don't listen to me I won't help you." she said sternly. Only now did Jack notice that her voice was more pitched than it was before.
"Alright, deal. Where's the nearest town?" said Jack, smiling at the orb. He felt like this was crazy and he imagined what other crazy things he'd have to do to get back home.
"It a four day walk from here assuming you can use Devi. Or else you'd just die trying. There's a lot of things you need to know to survive, but in your case experience will work better than words." she said.
The orb moved towards Jack's heart, slowly. He backed up a few steps, but waited to see what would happen. The closer Ana got, the colder his skin felt and it wasn't until he felt this disparity that he realized his body temperature was shockingly high. A searing pain flared as if waiting for him to notice before being quietly suppressed by the cold sensation spreading throughout his body.
The orb had disappeared.
Jack felt cooler, but not to the point of being cold. He reasoned this was just his body feeling the difference between almost burning alive and returning to normal. He figured that also explained why he felt so fatigued. He almost died and he didn't even notice, but his problems weren't over. That cool sensation crept past his neck towards his head and his thoughts came to a halt. He couldn't remember what he was thinking about.
"..." he sat down almost instinctively. He looked around. That cool sensation had disappeared. He was in a strange cave, but he didn't feel alarmed. He didn't feel much of anything. Raising his arm, he saw skin he didn't recognize. It was like his skin was made of water that vibrated at high frequencies. A small part of him felt terrified, but that feeling was also quickly subdued.
He just sat there, staring at his arm. It was the only thing he could do to confirm he was alive. He didn't notice when the wind stopped. Or when the taste of dust disappeared. Before he realized, he had fallen asleep.
The transformation started.
***
Meanwhile, Justinia glowed in a faint light and disappeared, leaving behind her torn parka.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Deviier
Deviier Be kind to my formatting.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone