According to Marcus it would be a two day wagon ride into the capital city. Maxwell was still having difficulty accepting his new circumstances, as one would expect. Not even a week ago he had been living his life, normal to a fault. He could still smell the factory on his clothes. The possibility that he would wake up to realize it was all a dream was holding on deep in his mind.
The sound of a clearing throat pulled him from his thoughts, he had almost forgotten about the guide that was taking him into the city.
"Seen that look plenty of times, ain't worth it. Best you take those thoughts and chuck them in the trash soon as possible. Trust me, its real. You're here, ain't no going back." It was blunt, but Maxwell could feel kindness behind the words. Maxwell feigned a smile and nodded.
The guide was no stranger to uncomfortable rides. This was his job in the world of Crossroads. Take the Arrivals and show them the ropes. Most of them were scared, confused, angry and all manner of upset. He knew that, but at the same time he wasn't one to suffer in silence.
"Ya, so the Vrichter tells me you're a Texan? Lone star state I hear. Sounds like a cool place. Everything really bigger there?" Small talk was the best way to break through.
Maxwell leaned back and rubbed his head, "Uh, I guess. It was alright, it was home. You know? What was your name again?" Marcus had introduced his guide before sending them off, but Maxwell was in a haze.
"Oh I get that. Name is John Ectron, but I'm not too keen on that name. Kind of boring. Friends call me Ject, and you look in need of a friend." He flashed a bright smile, it was infectious.
Maxwell chuckled for the first time since he woke up on this side of the tunnel, "That I am, Ject, that I am." He hadn't noticed it before, but Ject looked similar to the family that had found him. He was in normal clothing, jeans and a blue and black plaid shirt, but his skin was the same olive tone and his eyes the same bright violet eyes. He didn't have the same lack of hair, however. A bushy mop of black hair hung around his head. "You have the same last name as the family that found me. You related?"
"Ah, ya, I guess we are. Not very close though." Ject's smile dimmed a bit.
Maxwell didn't want to push, but his curiosity was piqued. "That's too bad, falling out?"
"You could say that. See this?" Ject ran his hand through his dark hair. "I'm sure you noticed, but that family didn't have the luscious locks I got here. See, I'm a mutt around these parts. My Dad is Mr. Ectron's brother, fell hard for my Mom who's one of yours. Human and Druchton. Some people aren't too keen on mixing, Uncle's one of them. But I'm happy with it, let me tell you a secret."
Ject leaned in with a sly smile and whispered, "I'm all human down low!" He broke out in laughter. Maxwell threw out a few courtesy laughs, but he didn't really get the joke. "Ah, shit. Sorry, sometimes I forget that you Arrivals don't know anything, no offense. Lets just say, they got a real fucking weird situation down there. Surprised it even works with human girls, God knows how they figured that one out."
Maxwell did laugh at that one, at least a little. A good dirty joke seemed to be a multi-universal brand of humor, even if the specifics were a mystery. He hadn't planned on talking but Ject had a way of pulling others into conversation. "So that means you were born here?"
Ject nodded, "Yup, born and raised right here in Crossroads. Dad's family has been here for a while, not sure how many generations back they go. Mom on the other hand was an Arrival herself, just like you."
The conversation continued for some time until it was interrupted as the wagon jerked to a halt. A voice from the front barked back to them, "We're at the inn, everybody out!"
Ject climbed out of the back first, Maxwell followed. The inn wasn't very large, just two stories and wide enough for two windows on each side of the front door. It was made of a red stone material with a black dome roof. Above the door was a wooden sign with the word "Midway" engraved across it. They could hear drunken chatter leaking out along with melodic music.
"We'll post up here for the night, half way point to the city. 'Midway', not very creative, but its a fun place. Just try not to wander off, sometimes you get some sketchy people hanging around here." Ject led them to the door and they pushed in.
The interior was lit with brightly glowing crystals that hung sporadically from the ceiling. The floor was wooden, easier for cleaning, as were the tables. Some were round, others were long and rectangular made to seat larger parties. The room was just a little over half-capacity with seats open at the bar where Ject and Maxwell decided to take up residence. The bar itself was familiar, shaped and stocked just like the bars Maxwell had used to frequent back home.
"What can I get for ya, Ject?" The bartender was an older man, tall and stocky. A bushy grey mustache sat above his mouth along with a circlet of gray hair around his head leaving a shiny scalp gleaming in the middle.
"Well, we got a human with me today, so how about a couple of stouts?" Maxwell felt his mouth water at that word. Thankfully he was no stranger to temptation.
He interjected, "Sorry, can I just get a water? Me and alcohol don't have a great history." He had plenty of practice asking for that alteration.
The bartender nodded and went to get their drinks.
"Ah, my bad. Guess I should have asked first." The bartender returned with their drinks and Ject handed him a couple of coins. "Thank you sir."
He grabbed his glass and raised it to cheers with Maxwell, "To new beginnings." They clanged their glasses together and took a drink in unison.
Ject let out an exaggerated breath, "Damn that's good, shame you can't have any."
"For the best, trust me." Ject did.
The first silence in a while followed as the two took sporadic sips from their drinks. Maxwell glanced around the room from time to time, a couple of which he caught other patrons eyeing him. A band of three were playing music from a small platform in the far corner. The instruments they used were metallic and foreign to him. They seemed to function similar to jazz instruments, the melody wasn't unpleasant.
Ject finished his beer and broke the silence. "So, gameplan. We'll rest up tonight, then finish our trip tomorrow. I'll give you a tour of the city, show you the ropes, and send you on your way."
"That quick huh?" The unease started to creep back in. Maxwell was enjoying his time with Ject, things felt somewhat normal for the first time since he arrived.
"Yup, I know, sucks that you won't get to hang with me more, but I'm a busy man." He called over the bartender and ordered another beer. "Things to do, people to see. You know how it goes."
Maxwell didn't respond.
"I wouldn't be worried though, this place is real simple, you'll get the hang of it. We'll meet up with a housing director and job director who will get you set up with something comfortable. After that its just like back home, from what I hear." Maxwell wasn't convinced it would be as easy as Ject made it seem. "I'll be back in a minute, gotta take a piss."
Maxwell eyed the half-drunken beer that Ject left behind. The saliva built in his mouth, he hadn't been this tempted in quite some time. That urge was suddenly quelled by a firm hand grabbing him on the shoulder from behind, "You look lost, this isn't your home."
It wasn't much, but there was a threatening tone conveyed. Maxwell turned and was surprised to see something that looked like the thing he saw back at Marcus's, though shorter and a bit wider. He wondered for a second how he understood the creature before remembering the device in his ear. They had implanted it in the ear canal before sending him off with Ject. He said it was a translator, called it a "Omnidex" and said it was necessary to get by given the countless languages spoken in Crossroads.
"Uh, guess so." Maxwell mistook it for a question. He wasn't sure if the creature would understand him.
The creature tightened its grip, its stone-like hand digging into Maxwell's shoulder. "Watch yourself."
A tense silence followed, then the creature eased its grip and walked away. Maxwell noticed his heart was racing, but he hid it best he could as he turned back to the bar.
Another hand clamped down on his other shoulder, making Maxwell jump. He was relieved to see it was just Ject returning from the bathroom.
"What's got you spooked bud?" Ject had missed the previous interaction.
"Nothing, just on edge I guess." Maxwell didn't feel the need to cause a problem. "Getting late, I'm going to head up to the room."
Ject looked a bit disappointed. "That's cool man, I'm going to hang around here for a little bit." He took out the room key and gave it to Maxwell. They said their good nights and Maxwell headed up to the room.
It wasn't the warmest room he'd been in. Small and a bit dark, but there were two beds which meant he wouldn't have to share with Ject. After a quick prepping he laid down on the firm mattress. His mind wandered back to the interaction he had earlier with the creature. It made him worry about what the future held.
He slept deeply that night, not waking when Ject noisily came up from the bar. He dreamed of the tunnel again, and the light. This time he tried to fight it. He told himself to back away, run. But his body didn't listen. His legs moved on their own, as did his arm. He touched the light again, and again was pulled into it. This time he didn't wake. Instead he found himself in the field, with Mr. Ectron's son staring at him. As he sat in the field he felt a hand grab his shoulder, it was the creature from the bar. It reared back and went to ram its fist straight into Maxwell's face. Just as it made contact, he lurched awake.
Ject was already up, getting their things packed for the day's trip. "Nightmares, huh?"
Maxwell nodded, his heart was racing.
"They say you Arrivals have those for a while after you get here. Say its your mind working things out. They'll pass. Best we hit the road, got a long trip ahead of us today." He tossed a shirt to Maxwell.
Ject hadn't gotten back to the room until late, his hair was messy and bags were under his eyes. Maxwell was envious of the good time he must have had, he thought of the beer downstairs but quickly buried those ambitions. The pair got ready in silence and made their way downstairs for a quick breakfast before heading out. Thankfully it was a simple meal with no surprises, a plate of eggs and toast with some hot tea. Ject poked and prodded at his food before leaving half for the garbage.
With the meal done, Ject said his goodbyes to a few of the staff before he and Maxwell headed out to the wagon and its driver who was impatiently waiting.
The trip was longer that day than the day before, and Ject slept for most of it. With the silence came the feelings of unease, and Maxwell again questioned what the future held for him as a great city began to rise from the horizon.
Thanks for reading chapter four! Feel free to give feedback on my writing style, always looking to improve. If you enjoyed it, give me a follow so you don't miss any future chapters. Here are the links to previous chapters for anyone who missed out!
Chapter One: https://steemit.com/fiction/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-one#comments
Chapter Two: https://steemit.com/writing/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-two-where-am-i
Chapter Three: https://steemit.com/writing/@crossedsteems/crossroads-chapter-three-welcome-to-crossroads
