Rolling away from the tree in a crouch, once again clutching the large knife, Brian searched frantically for the source of the noise. His breathing was laboured, and he tried to hold it as he concentrated hard on listening. Sweat seemed to appear in copious amounts, dripping into his eyes and soaking his underarms, underlining the fear he was feeling.

The noise came again off to his left, lower, a more sinister sound. He turned, setting himself for a possible attack. When it came, he wasn't nearly ready.

******

Brian opened his eyes but it was still dark. He felt a moment of panic but forced himself to remain calm. Blinking, he tried to see more clearly, managing only the faint outlines of a wall and ceiling. Slowly he sat up, pausing as dizziness overtook him, and he fell back down.

He audited his body a bit at a time, satisfied everything was there and sound. It was just his head that was acting up. He raised up again on one elbow and looked about. It was a little clearer, his eyes having since accustomed, and he saw that indeed it was a room. More surprising, was the wall beside the cot he lay on, held a framed painting of an old sailing ship struggling in an angry sea.

He risked sitting up further, discovering a pitcher of water and a drinking glass on a small table beside the bed. He didn't feel thirsty, strangely enough, but he gulped down a glass full of the cool liquid anyway. Moving carefully to a sitting position, he risked standing, and found success, shaky but manageable.

"You have progressed further than expected in such a short time." The voice came from a door in a shadowed corner of the room, and Brian felt his reaction send a jolt through his head.

"Perhaps you should sit again." From the shadow, the figure approached, one hand out to assist.

"Who are you? Where am I?" He sank back down on the bed with relief.

"You are in the Curtilage of Nansk. I am called V'gage."

"That didn't really help." Brian rubbed his head. "What happened to me? I was attacked in the forest-"

"You were not attacked, you were simply acquired."

"Acquired. For what exactly?"

Another figure entered the room, offering a slight bow to the man called V'gage. "All is ready." He glanced at Brian and backed out.

"Can you walk outside with me?"

Brian stood again, feeling steadier, and followed the man outside. He paused, gaping about. They were in some sort of courtyard surrounded by silvered glass buildings of various heights. Globe lights around the yard reflected eerily, and above, the sky was awash in starlight.

"This- this is stunning . . . I don't understand. How . . .?"

"Come, we will dine while I explain."

"I could use some food," Brian grinned grimly.

V'gage led him to a sunken portion of the yard, lined with silver cushions, directing him to sit.

Brian sat and stared at the small table before him. On it, in a silver bowl, were what looked like peeled, soft-boiled eggs. He gave the man a questioning glance and for the first time saw his eyes. At least where his eyes should be. Instead, there were two silver balls that seemed to have a transparency, but he couldn't be sure. What is with all this silver?

"You seem perplexed."

"Uhm, well . . . I suppose I am . . . kind of."

"Speak freely, it is welcomed."

He was about to comply when the man scooped one of the egg things from the bowl and popped it in his mouth. There was a shiver causing squelch that made him draw back.

"Please, join me." The man took another, and Brian's skin prickled.

"Yeah, uh- maybe. Listen, can you tell me why is everything silver, and in that dark room I woke up in you have an oil painting on the wall."

V'gage turned to him, head tilted. "What is, silver?"

The faux eyes held his, and Brian felt his skin begin to crawl. This is not a good place, Hayes, he told himself. He looked around and could make out the tops of trees behind some of the lower buildings. That's where he wanted to be, not here. He stood and then made a dash for the room he was in. Inside he found his pack, and grabbing it, he burst out of the door and took off for the trees.

The sound he heard in the forest earlier, reached his ears again, and in a panic he skidded around a corner into a small open gallery where he froze to halt. Encased in silver suits were half a dozen bodies displayed side by side in an upright position that Brian recognized as humans - eyeless humans, and below each was a date of acquisition.

A scream of his own welled up in his mind and he turned, horrified, making a dash for the darkness of the forest.

Unable to see the sky, and having no other sense of direction, Brian travelled as far and as fast as he could, following the easiest path through the forest. Finally, exhausted, he managed to find a tree he could climb and settle safely in the branches, hoping to sleep.

Day 2

The strange chattering noise penetrated Brian's sleep and he woke, tensing abruptly as he realized he was a number of feet above the ground on a pair of slender branches. The chattering ceased as he carefully manoeuvred himself upright, and his attention was drawn to his left where a small clearing, not too far away, appeared through the branches.

Once on the ground, he stayed silent for some time, looking and listening for any danger. Satisfied he was alone again, he drank from his container, shaking it along with his head - it was getting low. He moved off in the direction of the clearing, his mind reaching back to the showcased bodies, wondering how many previous prisoners had met gruesome fates outside the Precinct.

At the edge of the clearing he squatted down and did a slow pan of the area. A small pile of large stones that stood alone caught his attention and he angled toward them, alert in all directions. When he saw the large pool of water, all else was forgotten and he dropped, plunging his head into its cool embrace.

"Yes! Yes!" He cheered, rolling onto his back, laughing. He got out his water container and filled it to the brim, drinking half before filling it again. "Hope you're still watching so you can revise your update," he yelled at the sky. Refreshed and sporting a revised determination, Brian took a final drink from the pool, then trudged off across the clearing.

"All day I faced

the burnin' waste

without the taste of water

cool water . . ."

******

The morning passed slowly, and Brian stopped several times to assess what he was doing. Finally dropping his pack, he flopped down in the shade of a small outcrop at the base of a low mountain range. 20 days. That was how long he was given to survive before returning. That last part deserved a lot of thought. He didn't know where he was, so how could he get back?

The earlier euphoria over finding water dissipated, and he fell into a deep sulk. Rummaging through his pack he pulled out the old pocket watch. Why did I bring this-s-s . . . The thought trailed off and his face lit with a smile. Luck was with him, it was still running.

For how long, he didn't know, so he quickly stood and walked out into the sun away from his shelter. Holding the timepiece horizontally, he aimed the hour hand directly at the sun, then bisected the angle between it and 12 o'clock - the north-south line! It wasn't perfect, but it gave him what he needed. He knew he left The Precinct on the south road, so he needed to head north.

Unfortunately, north was over the small mountain range, according to his calculation. Brian figured it must be part of the chain he passed the first morning. Another swallow of his fresh water, and he began his climb, eyes on a section of the range on his north line - just in case his watch stopped.

1364 words

Total to this point - 3384