In the last episode Adam and Bear began their journey from the city to Ikeda’s camp at Bell Rock. Adam learned a little about Bear’s past and how he became homeless.
The deep rooted fears that weigh so heavily on Adam’s psyche are beginning to lessen with each step as he travels further away from the city. In many ways he feels lighter and more at ease, despite the uncertainty of his future. Feelings of freedom, like the sweet smoke of incense are beginning to drift into his life.
Today, VerbalTag's identity is finally revealed AND you guys will soon meet my favorite character, Ikeda!
I hope you enjoy today’s episode of Alarm Clock Dawn.
“Wow, Bear that’s quite some story. Is there anything you miss?” It was hard for Adam to imagine this burly man all cleaned up, wearing a pinstripe business suit. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't see it.
“Adam, you will see as time passes that things are naturally plucked from our lives one by one. After a while you begin to realize that losing people and things is just a part of the natural order of life. I lost everything I couldn’t carry on my back when I walked away from my old life, but none of that matters to me. The only thing I miss is the people who know me. Out here people, they come and they go, there are new faces every day. I miss my old friends, but, you know, once you're out here, you realize quickly that so much from our civilized world is complete bullshit. Out here there's no credit score, no f*cking Greens, Oranges, or Reds. The only Green that matters are the leaves, the only Orange are the sunsets, and the only Red are the sweet berries. This realization is a good trade off for me.”
Adam stared at the ground and deeply reflected on what Bear had just told him as they continued walking up the road.
“Hey, bud, I think that's it!” Bear said, nodding his head and pointing south. “I believe that's what you're looking for, Bell Rock.”
Adam picked up the pace. “It looks like we're just in time,” he said, motioning westward towards a coal black line of clouds so defined it looked as though someone had drawn it with a straight edge. “That’s a monster of a storm coming in.” Not a minute later the sky opened up and large drops of rain began to pelt them.
“Ouch!” Adam yelled.
“Oh, don’t worry, you get used to it!” Bear said in a booming voice. “Consider it a massage from Mother Nature!”
“I need more padding, like you!” Adam yelled as he smiled and patted Bear on the back.
The pair noticed the orange flicker of a campfire in the brush a few hundred feet ahead and picked up the pace. Adam could just imagine how nice its warmth would feel as they made their way closer. Through the heavy raindrops he spotted a string of dripping multi-colored prayer flags hanging from the trees and ran towards them with Bear following closely behind. Continuing up through the puddles in the crushed red rock path, they saw a group of men standing near the base of the rock wearing yellow ponchos to shield themselves from the rain.
“Stop!” two of the men called out in unison.
Adam and Bear immediately halted in their tracks.
“Can we help you?” one of the men asked as he walked toward them.
“Y-y-yes, I'm looking for someone by the name of Ikeda.” Adam explained.
Suddenly, all three of the men inched a few feet closer. One was nearly as big as Bear, but judging by his wide shoulders he appeared to be much more physically fit.
“You,” the larger of the three men pointed to Adam, “step forward. Take down your hood so we can see your face.”
Adam squinted from the raindrops as he quickly slid down the hood of his raincoat. The three men huddled together, whispering quietly amongst themselves.
“Follow me,” the smallest one said as he motioned to Adam. “Your friend can stay out here with them.” As Adam moved closer, he saw that this wasn't a man at all but a very attractive woman. She led him up a short, crushed rock path to an opening in the rock.
Adam was puzzled by the single word that was carved into a huge wooden plaque hanging just outside the door. He pondered the meaning as he followed the woman in the yellow poncho through the small entrance of a massive red rock cave.
She led Adam through a maze of tunnels illuminated by groupings of candles and burning torches hanging on the wall at regular intervals.
After a few quick turns, the cave opened up into a cavernous room with a massive round stone table that appeared to be carved out of solid red rock. The woman removed her raincoat and draped it over a single iron hook on the wall. Adam found himself stunned by her beauty. She had long brunette hair that fell just past her shoulders, and he noticed her eyes were a mesmerizing light green as they reflected the flickering torchlight.
“I'm so glad you made it, Adam,” the woman said as she turned around and stepped forward to give him a warm hug. As she did, Adam saw something that looked very familiar: an intense blue “Om symbol” on a bright background of pink tattooed on her upper arm. This was very same symbol that VerbalTag used as her chat icon.
“V-v-verbalTag?” Adam asked in stunned disbelief.
“Yes, Adam, yes it's me,” she said, and he watched as her eyes welled with tears. “My name is Evelyn Poltier, but please call me Evelyn.” She began laughing as they clenched hands, and she stepped back to get another look at him.
“Wait, Evelyn Poltier? You’re the head of R and D at XenTek?”
“Ha, well, yes, I used to be.”
Memories of Evelyn came flooding back to Adam. He always thought she was so attractive during her yearly appearance at XenTek’s annual meeting. Adam could hardly believe Evelyn was the person who he had been chatting online for these many months. In the real world he would’ve been afraid to even say hello to her. Under the the veil of anonymity of the virtual world he shared with her his innermost secrets. They were able to get to know one another from the inside first and now meeting for the first time they felt as though they’ve known one another for an eternity.
(All .gifs sourced from Giphy.com.)
Tune in on Monday, September 26th at 11AM CST for the next episode of Alarm Clock Dawn!
Alarm Clock Dawn is the first novel of a trilogy. The sequel entitled, Truth Is Stranger, will be published in the Spring of 2017.
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