It's a Mad World: Peek Inside and See What You Find...

By Megan Allred

After an experiment-gone-wrong, Norah finds herself astray in the world of Murcrow, a place of dead history, an alternate world. Everything from her past seemed to be fine all up until she met a mysterious man, then everything changed. Now, bad things are happening.
Will she ever find her way back home and learn the truth of the mysterious man that walked into her life?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jun 5, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387019403

Book preview

It's a Mad World: Peek Inside and See What You Find...

It’s a Mad World

Peek Inside and See What You Find…

By: Megan Allred

Contents

It’s a Mad World

Word of Warning:

For the Grammar and Spelling Nazis:

An Introduction to Main Character One

Introduction to Main Character Two

The Luxem Hotel

A Rough Start of the Day

The Rough Early Start

Departing for Errands

When Sick Days Become the Worst Days

When a Dove Goes Missing

When The Past Catches Up

Breaking Out of the Chains

Returning to Reality

The Return to Luxem

Recreating Allies

Unwavering Truths

The Nightmare

Hangover

The Nightmare of Norah’s Past

Reliving Childhood Memories

Visitors

Her Past Days On Earth

Bringing the Doctor In

When Nightmares Awaken Reality

Recovery

Arrival…

A Day on Earth

Making Plans

Visiting Hour

When Something is Stolen

The Visitor from the Ruins

Taking Down GloomDale

Aftermath

Realm of the Obeyance

Beginning Anew

Contingencies

Word of Warning:

There is some character font identification, you will know which character is which by the style of the font, but some character fonts will change throughout the story to help try and recognize some differences between who is and isn’t speaking.

Please be aware there may contain:

Foul language

Sensitive or graphic content

Spelling, grammar or wording errors

This story was designed to somewhat relate with reality, nothing is made factual.

For the Grammar and Spelling Nazis:

This story is designed to irritate and evoke emotions from you, accidentally or purposefully.

You have been warned.

An Introduction to Main Character One

Chapter 1

Freelance

Welcome to Murcrow! Good Afternoon! and At your service! were all very common greetings, others very similar to each other. No local seemed to be too interested unless they were greeted this way, and when they were, they were quickly acquainted.

Freelance was the name, he said these things quite often, and when people asked what he did, he didn’t go too much into detail.

What do you do for a living? and Where are you from? were very vague questions, as he did a lot of things, and he’s been to and from many places. When these questions were asked, he needed clarity, clarity so he knew how to answer the question.

What do you mean? he would say.

How do you get by, if you have a job…? This question he heard more often than not, mainly because he slept outside behind buildings, or sometimes in abandoned places.

I get by one day at a time, he’d answer, and almost every time too.

You still haven’t answered the question though, where are you from? Freelance was a very tricky person to talk to, he was sometimes as difficult as talking to a genie when you tried to make a wish. With every question, you had to clarify so he could understand. It wasn’t because of his intellect, no… because he chooses to be that way.

Where am I from? Same place as you, Murcrow!

Most called him the greeter, because of his knack for good first impressions. Children enjoyed being around him because of his cheery attitude, and adults loved gambling and drinking with him. He always hung out at a specific place because of the atmosphere, but others who kept a closer eye on Freelance recognized him to be a shady fellow. 

In the middle of the day, or close to midday, Freelance was never in town, he always seemed to vanish. Nobody knows where he goes in the middle of the day, and more often than not, he’s never seen returning to town through the entrance. On rare occasions, he can be seen gambling at the town gambling halls, or drinking with the crowd, bringing bartenders a lot of money and tips, just for him being around.

Freelance is very good with faces, he knows who lives in Murcrow, and when he recognizes someone who doesn’t, he tests them…

Introduction to Main Character Two

Norah

Not too far from an abandoned home, a straddler quietly walks on a road hoping that it will eventually lead to somewhere… Her arm is broken, her clothes are old and worn from the harshness of Murcrow’s nature, and she is tired. As she passes the abandoned home, she stops to find her vision failing, when she takes one more step forward, her legs finally give out from exhaustion and she blacks out.

When the straddler wakes up, she finds a strange man standing over her, smiling… he is wearing a brown duster, a black and white fedora hat, and appears to have a broken cane. Freelance is curious, very curious as to why the woman was lying in the middle of nowhere unconscious.

Welcome to the land of the living madam! You look rather… unwell… Here, let me help ya up! Freelance offers her his hand, and when the woman looks at his hand, she sees he is wearing a white glove. The woman weakly takes his hand, and he pulls her up, but she stumbles off balance a little.

When the woman puts her hand to her head, she forgets that she’s using her right arm, her broken arm… She winces in pain and tries not to yelp, Freelance recognizes her arm is broken.

Oh that’s gotta hurt! Hey, I can fix your arm for ya, free of charge! What do ya say?

The woman hesitates, she knows she does not recognize this man, and they have only just met! As much pain as she is in, she gives him her arm and lets him fix it. Freelance smiles widely, and when he does, the woman realizes he doesn’t appear as human, for all she knows, he’s a cannibal!

His teeth are all sharp.

Freelance straightens her arm out, he picks up a plant, and wraps her arm in what appears to be… radioactive seaweed? The plant is glowing. When he finishes, he smiles and allows her to move her arm, but despite how much it hurts, the pain is starting to subside.

How funny… The woman says sarcastically, Freelance isn’t laughing, but he continues to smile.

So where are you off to, Miss…?

Marsh. The name doesn’t seem to ring any bells, Freelance recognizes that this woman isn’t from Murcrow at all.

Marsh?

Norah Marsh, yes.

Well, Norah Marsh, I’m Freelance. Welcome to Murcrow! Freelance holds his hand out, the woman takes it, both shake hands.

Normally, I’m pretty good with faces, and I don’t recon you’re from around here, miss Marsh?

The woman shakes her head, and Freelance smiles.

Where are you from Norah?

Uh… Packards. Freelance appears confused for a moment, then his next question comes up.

What’s your favorite planet?

Favorite planet? How is this question relevant to the situation? Freelance waits for an answer, he won’t cooperate until Norah has answered his question.

…I’d prefer Earth. How about you?

Murcrow. More open spaces, friendlier people.

Great. I’m kinda lost and tired, do you know where the nearest town is? I feel… sick.

Without a second thought, Freelance wraps his arm around Norah and walks with her.

Sure! There’s Shiffer’s County, but that place is abandoned… You’ve got Luxem Village, lively place, aand there’s also Scarlet City! Except, Scarlet City isn’t on the ground, and it takes hours to get there. Where did you want to go?

Norah thinks about this, but she’s too tired to think, she’s dehydrated even. Thinking isn’t an option anymore, as she faints and Freelance catches her.

Luxem Village it is then.

Luxem Village, is a small town with a population of ten. Traders, travelers, and mercenaries often pass through the town to offer trading goods and spend a few nights in the town. The town has a good doctor, a great gambling hall, a good bartender- though he is rarely ever seen outside of his store- and a nice hotel.

When the locals of Luxem see Freelance appear with a passed out woman, they immediately keep to themselves, as, they do not know this woman.

Freelance walks into the doctor’s office, he sets the woman down on the doctor’s operating table, and walks to the back to greet the doctor.

Morning Doctor Henry.

Doctor Henry owns the office; he operates in his office by himself since he only has to work with a population of ten. He is often looked upon as a leader, someone like a mayor despite the town not having a mayor at all.

Doctor Henry is sitting at his desk filling out some paperwork, when he hears the greeting, he looks up and smiles, happy to see Freelance.

Morning Freelance, how are things going?

"Oh so far, so good. There’s just this one thing though, I met a woman-

Oh? And is she beautiful? Someone worth spending your time with? There are some women who would manipulate men like you for riches and… other heartless needs…

Henry was once a married man, but his wife was rumored to have slept with other people outside of Luxem.

What? No, nothing like that. There’s a woman I brought in, she’s new to Luxem and she needs medical attention. Would you mind sparing a few moments to look at her?

Well, what’s wrong with her? You can heal her, can’t you?

Sure, sure I can, but she’s unconscious. I think she’s dehydrated.

Henry quietly sets his pen down on his desk, he rises from his chair, and follows Freelance out to the operation table.

She sure looks like she’s seen some bad roads.

Murcrow will do that to ya. Henry laughs at this statement, he knows it’s true.

Murcrow was said to have had a war long ago, and since the war, surviving life was almost more than a challenge.

Could she have been attacked at night? It would explain the clothes…

Henry checks her vitals.

No, no I don’t think so. She looks like she could have fallen somewhere, maybe into a ditch, but not attacked. Her arm was broken when we met, and she let me fix it.

Henry nods as he listens for Norah’s heart, and when he gets the sound he’s looking for, he walks to the side of the table and pulls out a drawer, and in the drawer, he picks up a clipboard and jots the information down.

Yeah, she’s dehydrated. Why don’t you keep an eye on her while I go get the IV pack? I’m sure at some point, she’ll come to.

After Henry goes to the back, Norah starts to regain consciousness, but she can only stay conscious for so long.

Heeey! She’s come to! How are you feeling?

Wh-where am I? Norah asks, Freelance smiles as he answers the question.

You’re at the doctor’s office! You passed out, so I took ya to Luxem Village, I figured it was better than leaving you out in the heat.

When Henry returns, he pauses at the woman being awake, and approaches with an IV bag, and surgical tubing.

Good morning! It’s good to see you’re finally awake. How are you feeling? Henry asks enthusiastically, Norah frowns as dizziness sets in.

Not… very… well…… She answers.

Ah well, don’t worry. That’s why you’re here, and I’m sure once we get you set up with an IV bag, you’ll be good as new for when you walk out of here. Right? Freelance nods.

Before more can be said, Norah loses consciousness, Henry laughs a little.

Hey, Freelance, I need you to help me move her onto one of the beds, she’ll be more comfortable there. Freelance lifts the woman off of the table and follows Henry to the back where an unoccupied room waits. He sets Norah on the bed, and Henry sets up the IV bag. When the IV is set up, Henry hooks up a heart monitor, and darkens the room so she can sleep better.

Henry notices the seaweed on her arm after ignoring it for so long, and turns to Freelance.

Nice job with the cast. Who told you seaweed would help heal broken bones?

I was in a similar situation once, and I used a seaweed plant to heal. It was… an interesting experience… Henry nods as he unwraps the seaweed, and on her arm, there are a few burns from the glow, but other than that, her arm isn’t broken anymore. Henry walks back to his office room and picks up some burn serum, he returns to Norah’s room and covers the burnt spots in the serum.

In Murcrow, seaweed wrap is often the best treatment for broken bones, most say that there is a chemical in the plant that the body takes in as a remedy. But, because of the previous war, nobody has been able to test out the reason behind this mystical plant. Unfortunately, because the plant radiates so much light, leaving the wrap on (depending on how sensitive the subject’s skin is) can leave mild to severe burns.

I’m sure by tomorrow, she should be good to go. But Freelance, just because she is new doesn’t mean she needs you to stay with her twenty-four seven. Leave her alone, at least until she’s well enough to move around on her own. Freelance doesn’t argue, he follows Henry out, and watches as Henry locks Norah’s door.

Freelance has a bad tendency of keeping an extra sharp eye on every new person he meets. He has trust problems when it comes to strangers, but if they’re injured like Norah, and unable to fend for themselves, Freelance will hang around them until they can prove to him that they are either good or bad.

When Norah awakens from her slumber, she doesn’t realize how long she has actually been out. Outside, it is morning, children could be heard screaming and laughing, carriages could be heard passing by…

Norah is an adventurous person; she likes to explore the unknown until she tires herself out. She is human like everyone else, but what she doesn’t realize is that Murcrow isn’t just any ordinary place. Norah is actually an alien to Murcrow, a completely different dimension, an alternate one from Earth’s.

Her story goes back a long way from the time she was first brought to Murcrow, to where she is at this given moment.

Norah was born on Earth, and a few days after her birth, her baby sister was born. Not much is known about her mother, but Norah and her baby sister were first brought to Murcrow through a portal, one that was built by doom-speakers. But, with every trip, there is a price to pay.

Norah’s mother handled magic spells, and before entering the portal, she summoned a protective spell to keep her children from dying. A few days after Norah and her sister’s arrival, both Norah’s mother and her sister died. At this time, Norah was only six years old, and her sister was four; since Norah survived the deaths, she was later adopted by a man, a doctor of medicine.

Today, Norah is a Jumper, someone who likes to create tears and portals in space to travel to other existing worlds. Although she is human, it was thought that a human could not survive a Jump without a magical protection charm, or a protective rune of some kind. All Norah has, is a locket, it’s not protected, and it’s not made to protect her, but to contain something.

Not too far from her room, two voices could be heard, when the knob jiggles, in comes Freelance and Henry.

Good morning Norah, it’s good to see you’re awake. Are you in the mood for a visitor, or would you like some more rest?

I suppose a visitor wouldn’t hurt. Norah replies softly. Henry mutters something to Freelance, he smiles as Henry leaves, and closes the door.

So, how are you feeling this morning, better? Norah nods a little, she sits up and crosses her legs.

So… you say you’re from Earth, how did you wind up in Murcrow?

Norah doesn’t know exactly how to answer that question; she’s still trying to figure all of that out herself.

Well… I’m not sure, maybe it was a mix-up? I’m sorry for coming here, for intruding… it was an accident. We were working on a project, something called a Modulator, and well… on Earth, it backfired. We were trying to connect the two portals to record how much exposure the average person can handle before death. Well… it didn’t work out the way we had planned, but it worked. I survived the trip.

Interesting. Who were you working with on this Modulator?

My sister, and a friend of mine. Well, actually… it was just a family friend. My sister passed away when I was six, so she doesn’t really… count.

Norah quietly gazes out the window and watches as vultures land on the ground to peck at a dead rat, but when she blinks, they’re piranhas.

I see… Well, what are you going to do now? Norah shrugs.

Maybe explore. I don’t really know. Where are you from?

Murcrow.

Well, if I can remember right, considering the last visit here… Murcrow has three main cities, and one isolated section of land. Are you from Sanctum Grounds, or one of the cities?

What do you mean? Freelance asks. Norah smiles and giggles a little, she can tell he’s trying to get out of answering this question.

There’s only one way to answer this question, and you still haven’t told me your name! What do I call you? Mister Smiley?

Oh? Sorry, I’m Freelance. Norah patiently waits for him to answer the rest of her question.

I’m from… one of the three cities… He answers in defeat.

Luxem, Shiffer’s, or Scarlet?

Does it matter where I’m from?

Norah frowns at this response, but she doesn’t forget his answer.

"I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to cross any lines by asking that. It’s just that- that’s how I can get to know people. That’s how I knew where I was from when I was growing up in Murcrow."

I thought you said you were from Earth?

Norah smiles when she answers this.

I am. I was born on Earth, but I wasn’t raised there. My mother brought me here when I was an infant, and she brought my sister too. They’re deceased now. My mother died before I turned seven, and my sister died when she was turning five. After that, I was adopted. What about you?

Well, that’s a complicated thing to answer.

Oh, you don’t remember? It must have been hard for you then. I understand. What do you do for a living?

What do you mean?

How do you get by?

One day at a time. Freelance vaguely answers, this makes Norah laugh.

You’re a funny person. I understand if you don’t want to talk about your work life, so forget I asked.

The door opens and Henry walks in with his clipboard, he glances up at Norah, then glares at Freelance, who only smiles.

He isn’t giving you too much trouble now, is he?

Norah smiles and shakes her head, Henry nods and turns back to his clipboard.

Well, it looks like you’re clear to leave miss Norah, you won’t need the IV bag anymore, so why don’t I go ahead and get you unhooked here…

Henry quietly removes the IV tube, and tosses both the tubing and the bag into the garbage. Norah starts to get out of bed, but Henry stops her before she realizes anything is wrong.

Before you go, you had a visitor stop by, two children, their names are Lyle and Patricia. They heard you were in town and dropped off some clothes for you, I have them in the bathroom. When you are ready, and when we’re out of the room, you may go ahead and change.

Oh… thanks. If they’re fresh, I can go ahead and change into them now, if it’s okay with you guys?

Henry turns to Freelance, who leaves the room, Henry nods back at Norah and leaves too, sure enough to shut the door.

Norah quietly walks into the bathroom, on the counter is a brown skirt, and a white-sleeved shirt, the sleeves are rolled up to where the elbows would be. She changes into them, and when she glances at the door to leave, there are also a pair of dark brown boots waiting to be worn. As Norah tries them on, she’s surprised that they even fit, she wonders if those children checked for her size to get these…

When she steps out of the bathroom and into the hall, Freelance is leaning against the wall, his eyes widen at the sight of her and he smiles.

Looking lovely today Miss Marsh, might I escort you outside?

He jokes, Norah smiles at this, but she doesn’t really laugh, his humor is wasted. Freelance holds his elbow out for her, and Norah takes it, quietly walking out of the office and into the wonders of Luxem.

Such a fine day outside, don’t you think? Norah doesn’t say anything when she hears this, she can’t tell if Freelance is mocking, joking, or making really god awful puns about something.

Please stop. She asks, Freelance snickers.

Was wondering when you were going to say something. So, where did you want to go?

"Well, actually, I was planning on leaving town. I don’t want to be a bother to anyone, so-

"You? A bother? Luxem rarely ever gets visitors! Why not stay a while and get to know some of the locals? Besides, I don’t think you’re in any good condition to leave yet. Do you know how to fight?"

Not really…

Then we can teach you! First lesson: what’s that over there? Freelance points at something behind Norah, and when she turns to look, he gives her a good bump in the shoulder.

Never let your guard down!  Norah is very uncomfortable now and inches away from him, Freelance realizes he is crossing some boundaries.

Sorry about that. There’s someone I’d like you to meet, maybe you’ll like her? She’s a little like the town mom, so if you don’t stop by, she might just come looking for ya. Her name is Wendy, she administers the Luxem Hotel, you can stay there for a while if you’d like, she doesn’t charge visitors.

Norah quietly thinks over this, she really wants to leave, but considering the situation she was in, she makes her decision.

Alright, I’ll stay… I owe it to you guys anyway for helping me.

Suddenly, two kids running and screaming stop at Henry’s Office, they stare up at Norah, then turn to Freelance, then back at Norah. For a moment, they don’t know what to think, and before long, one child grabs Norah’s left arm while the other grabs her right arm. Both pull her away from the office and down the road.

Let’s take her to the picnic spot! A boy shouts.

No, let’s take her to the tag spot! A girl argues.

Both kids argue as they pull Norah’s arms in two different directions, making her very uncomfortable, and very nervous. As the kids argue on, a wolf approaches Norah from behind growling, but it’s a lot larger than the average dog. Norah jumps when she sees the wolf and immediately pulls the kids behind her, guarding them with her life. The wolf doesn’t attack, it stares in wonder, then lunges onto her, and licks Norah’s face.

He likes you, he likes you! Both kids jump up and down shouting excitedly. Norah is very confused, but when she sees the collar around the large wolf, she begins to understand more. The collar is red, a tag dangles from it with the name ‘Marty’ engraved.

Norah assumes Marty is the children’s pet wolf.

Great… great… Marty gets off of Norah and turns to the two children, he barks at them, and they both frown.

Marty says we can’t play with you miss… The boy says disappointedly.

He said you need your space, he wants you to talk to Wendy first… The girl says.

Both children hug Norah for a moment, then turn to leave. Marty starts to leave, he turns back to Norah in silence, then follows the children down the road.

Before Norah can try to get up, Freelance runs over and offers her his hand, she takes it. As he pulls her up, he smiles at her.

"What a show! Who knew-

Show? A wolf jumped out! I thought he was going to eat the poor things! I didn’t know he was their pet! Freelance pauses in shock, then he smiles.

"I’m guessing on Earth; wolves are feral creatures? Marty isn’t feral, and he isn’t their pet. Marty is raising them, teaching them how to live on their own. Don’t ask me how, but he’s doing what a normal parent would do. Now, why don’t I take you to the hotel before something else comes along and drags you away?" Freelance wraps his arm around Norah and walks with her, she’s a little more comfortable being trapped in Freelance’s grip than a large wolf’s.

Come to think of it, that stunt you pulled? You might’ve earned Marty’s respect doing that. Norah face palm’s herself.

For every building Norah passes, she realizes that they’re all made of wood. Not a single one of them is made of brick, concrete, or stone, this only reminds her of the time of the cowboys back on Earth.

At the corner of town, Freelance shows Norah the gambling hall on the left, a place called Mr. Moon’s Lounge, and a hotel on the right, the Luxem Hotel. At this point, Norah learns the town is built in the shape of an upside down ‘L’, so memorizing where everything is won’t be too much of a challenge.

Freelance points that behind her is the barbershop, and next to it is Henry’s doctor’s office. Across the doctor’s office is the Courier’s Office, and some little ways down, towards the end of town is the abandoned Motel, the broken down hospital building, and sitting outside of town is an abandoned bunker.

"If you ever need anything else, don’t hesitate to give me a shout, and I’ll see what I can do to help. Now, Wendy’s probably heard about your arrival and is probably waiting to-

Norah hears something like a pager go off, something vibrating in Freelance’s coat pocket. He reaches his hand into his pocket, and silences whatever it is.

Sorry, looks like I’m going to have to cut our chat short. Give me a shout if you need anything. When Norah blinks, he’s gone. She scans the environment, but he’s nowhere to be seen, she shrugs, assuming it’s just her imagination, and heads into the hotel.

The Luxem Hotel

Chapter 2

When Norah walks in, she sees a woman quietly organizing keys behind a desk. Norah glances around the room, to the left from the entrance is a fireplace, and around that fireplace are two chairs and a couch. To the right of the room is a small bookshelf, a curved stairwell, and two chairs sitting in front of the bookshelf. There’s also another room which appears to lead to a bar of some kind, a small one.

The woman turns around when she hears something, and when she sees Norah at the doorway, she smiles.

My, looks like we have a visitor! I’m Wendy, me and my husband Sherman run the Luxem Hotel, so if you need anything, give us a call and we’ll come running. Now, what can I do for you?

In front of Wendy’s desk are a few stools to sit in, Norah sits in one of them and glances at Wendy.

Well, I’d like to stay in a room for the night, if that’s okay…?

Wendy turns to the wall she was hanging keys on and passes Norah a room key, the key goes to door seven.

Enjoy your stay! Wendy turns back to the wall behind her and begins sorting through a bowl of numbered keys, she hangs them to the number they go to.

Actually, I wanted to ask you something. Norah says, Wendy stops what she’s doing and turns to her.

"It’s probably nothing, but, the man in the brown duster, the one that goes by the name-

The Vendor? What about him?

Well, first, why do you call him that? Rather than his actual… name?

Wendy leans one arm onto the desk and gives Norah an amused smile.

Sweet heart, I know you’re new and all, but that man will answer to anyone who calls him by his name. Say his name, he’ll show up. Mention his name in anything, even in a song and he’ll show up straight out of the blue! He has another title that he doesn’t answer to, so we all call him the Vendor. Aside from that, he has a reputation for making… deals with drunkards and low-life’s. What else did you want to know?

Norah takes a moment to process this information, then moves on to her second question.

Okay, well, he seems a little out of place for being in a town like this. I know he’s a kind man, but he seems to be a little… ‘touchy-feely’, and he’s crossing a lot of lines. Granted, I know he’s being kind, he’s trying to be a little friendly, but I know very little about him, where is he from? What does he do?

Wendy leans on both arms, she looks left and right, then turns back to Norah and speaks in a low-pitched voice.

"Nobody knows… The Vendor’s kinda an odd fella, and you’re not wrong, he’s a good man. But, anytime someone asks where he’s from, he’ll say he’s from Murcrow. Ask him how he gets by, he says One day at a time, ask him what he does, he’ll ask for clarity. Get my drift? But, hey, he’s not bad for a stranger! He doesn’t hurt anyone, he taught Sherman some sign language after he couldn’t speak with his voice again, he helped to get more visitors into town, more traders, more business. He never talks about his personal life, and he never talks about his job. You know that thing that goes off in his pocket?

I’m sure you’ve seen it already if you were around him long enough. Anytime that device goes off, he leaves, and you don’t see him until later in the night at Mr. Moon’s Lounge, and if not that, you won’t see him until the morning."

Norah and Wendy turn to the bar room as a man walks out in a vest and business pants, but he’s not wearing any shoes. He signs something to Wendy, pauses to wave at Norah, then continues signing.

"Oh yeah, that’s right, thanks honey! That’s Sherman by the way…

He wanted me to let you know that when dusk hits, to stay indoors. The Vendor has a brother, he’s never mentioned this to anyone, and I don’t think he ever will… his brother isn’t someone you want to run into, not at night, not ever. He’s not like the Vendor, in fact, if you ask me, I’d say he makes it harder for everyone to survive.

For instance, there was a time where those two children, Lyle and Patricia, were out playing one night when the Vendor’s brother showed up and attacked Patricia. Marty dragged the brother away from her and over to a lit window behind this hotel here. Since then, Marty’s kinda been seen as Luxem’s little protector.

On rare occasions, if you walk out in the middle of day and you cross a shadow, sometimes, the brother will try and attack you. It’s a rare occasion, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be careful."

Well, how do you know the Vendor has a brother if he’s never told anyone about him? Wendy looks Norah in the eyes, then answers the question.

It was said that the barber in his shop, he had a near-death experience. He forgot to air out his store, and as he was cleaning it, he almost died from the fumes. He ran into the brother and was sent back to Murcrow, the brother said the barber wasn’t wanted in the afterlife, or whatever that means… Since then, the barber hasn’t stepped out of his shop. That was what, four years ago? Sherman’s been in and out of that place a few times, and apparently, the barber’s fine!

And… why is he attacking people in the middle of night? Why does he also attack in the middle of the day?

Look sweetie- what’s your name?

"Norah-

Look Norah, If I had known the answer to that question, we would either be a million times richer and in Scarlet City, or, his brother wouldn’t be attacking us anymore. Now, I’m sure the Vendor would know the answer to that, assuming they talk, and I don’t think they do… God knows honey. Now, I have to ask, what’s a gal like you doing in a place like this? I woulda figured you were from Scarlet City, or as I’d like to call it, Hog City. And about the necklace…

Norah glances down at her locket for a moment, she’s not sure why Wendy is asking this, but answers anyway.

"Well, the Vendor found me. I was walking down a road trying to get to Sanctum Grounds, my arm was broken and I knew someone there who could help. I ran into the Vendor, and when he was offering to help me, I blacked out. When I woke up, I was here, in Luxem, but I was in the clinic. Those two kids, you said their names were Lyle and Patricia? They apparently got me some new clothes and shoes while I was unconscious…-

Are those the clothes they got you? I heard the previous ones were basically in ruins. Norah nods.

The locket however, was a gift from my mother and sister, but I never had anything to put into it. It’s just an empty locket. Why?

Wendy leans over her desk and lifts the locket to get a closer look, she studies it, then glances back at Norah with a serious expression, drops the locket and returns to her place.

"Well, the reason why I was asking was because it looks very… old, almost ancient! Don’t let the Vendor see you wearing that, he’s never going to let that thing out of his sight. If you go to the lounge, watch your back, the Vendor’s a sneaky one. I had a friend who had a ruby necklace, it was fifteen years old and he took it, he never gave it back.

He’s a thief, but he’s also a gentleman when it comes to asking for help. Now, from what I’ve heard, with the way he’s acting around you, he’s certainly keeping his guard up for you. If you ask me, I think he likes you…"

"Yes, well… I suppose that’s better than not liking me at all, right?

……He wouldn’t let me leave after I checked out of the clinic, he kind of creeps me out. Is he a cannibal? His teeth are awfully sharp!" Wendy laughs.

I know, but I’m not sure. I’ve never seen him eat before… It’s almost like he doesn’t have a stomach! But, hey, he’s kept us safe, so I can’t completely say that’s a bad thing. Wendy glances back at the bowl of keys.

I’d love to talk more, but I’ve got work to do. It’s one o’clock, so if you want to explore the town a little more, go ahead. I would wait before going to the lounge though, there are some strange people there who would probably try to knock you out through a few drinks, like the bartender! I forget what his name is… but he has a nasty habit of concocting strong drinks and swapping them out with the previous orders.

Norah takes note as she smiles and nods her head, she waves goodbye to Wendy and walks out the door.

Outside, Norah glances around at the environment, she decides that she wants to check out some of the abandoned sites first. As she leaves town, she heads to the old bunker, and when she gets to the door, she realizes it needs a code. She knocks on the door three times to find a hollow spot to listen to, but instead, the door unlocks and opens.

Inside, it is very dark. The lights flicker on as a fan in the middle of the ceiling spins continuously.  It’s quiet, and peaceful. Norah sits in the middle of the bunker, quietly pondering on her plan.

How to go about leaving Murcrow.

Sticking in the wall by the entrance, Norah notices a knife, but it looks like someone was carving something rather than attacking anything with it. The knife is actually an old dagger, it’s still in decent condition, but the blade is a little dull. Norah pulls the dagger out and quietly stares at the edges, she doesn’t have a place to put it, so she sticks the dagger into the sleeve of her shirt.

Norah frowns, she doesn’t know what to do right now, she needs a plan, to let someone on Earth know that she’s alive, and that she’ll return when she can, but how?

She ponders over this, but when she’s exhausted herself, Norah crosses her legs, closes her eyes, and meditates to ease her mind.  The deeper into thought she goes, the more time seems to pass, and when enough has finally passed, she opens her eyes. She quietly picks herself up, dusts off her clothes until suddenly, she hears someone behind her. Norah pulls out the dagger and swings at whoever is behind, but they grab her arm and hold it tight, it’s Freelance.

"Whoa, careful who you’re