Things had been unnaturally quiet since my inception and I was starting to thing it had all be one big hallucination. Were it not for the bunker in the train yard, I would have been having some serious doubts. As it were, there was no denying that what I’d found was something out of the ordinary.
I’d spent the past few days exploring the abandoned complex, trying to learn its secrets but all I’d come up with was more questions. There were more than twelve layers, each with several rooms. Some simple lodging areas while others reminded me more of large corporate offices. Whatever it had been used for, it was a major operation and I wasn’t any closer to finding out what that was.
Today was Sunday. The day Alan had had told me about. He’d piqued my interest and I was curious to see what the gathering was all about.
I sat in the passenger side front seat, my usual seat when I was able to shout ‘shotgun’ before my sisters. Most of the time I managed and the few times I missed it, I’d managed to twist the facts so I got my way. Though that wasn’t to say there wasn’t quite a bit of grumbling from Alexis.
A heavy sigh escaped me as I watched the front door to the house. Finally, it opened and my mom and youngest sister filed out. Fortunately, Alexis was at some school practice thing or something in that realm. I truthfully didn’t care enough to know the details.
June climbed into the back seat and pulled her seatbelt into place without being told. Of the three of us, she was the most responsible, though I assumed it was simply because she was still young and seeking praise.
Mom closed the rear door and climbed into the driver’s seat. “What time do you need to be there?”
“Two O’clock.”
“Well, let’s hope traffic isn’t bad. If so, we’re going to be a few minutes late.”
Another sigh found its way out of me. I hated being late to anything. It made me feel like I was missing something important.
“You’re just going to have to deal, mister. You know how much I have to do on the weekends. If you and your sisters would keep things straightened up around the house, I wouldn’t have to spend so much time cleaning.”
“I did my chores, mommy!” June announced from the back seat, matter-of-factly.
“I know, sweetheart.” Mom said, twisting the key in the ignition. The Jeep fired up with a low rattle.
We backed out of the drive and onto the road.
It didn’t take long to reach the park, though for me it felt like an eternity. For the most part, once we got off the side streets it was a straight shot for a couple miles, and then a right next to the art museum and another right into the parking lot.
When we arrived, I was in awe. There were so many people, it was a chore to find a parking spot. I wasn’t much for being surrounded by a bunch of strangers, but I instantly found comfort at this gathering. People were dressed in armor and strange style clothing. Almost everyone had a sword or some other weapon. Many were grouped up, watching two people fight each other. Some were in their own little groups sparing. Were it not for the cars, trucks, and SUVs, not to mention the light poles overlooking the spectacle I would have imagined we’d slipped into the renaissance.
“Is this it?” Mom asked, watching the spectacle. She looked nearly as shocked as I was, though I had a feeling her thoughts were different than mine.
“I’m guessing so.” I opened the door and jumped out as quick as I could. I noticed Alan standing next to a tree with a few other guys. He wasn’t dressed as thoroughly as many of the others, but he still carried a sword and was wearing swashbuckler’s shirt.
“Hang on, honey. What time do I need to pick you up?” Mom still hadn’t broken her gaze on the crowd of people.
“I don’t know. Alan said it sometimes goes until after dark.”
“I’ll be here at seven. That gives you just under five hours.”
“Okay.” I was off before she could say anything else.
I crossed the parking lot and stepped onto the grass. My heart was racing. As I got closer I noticed a few more faces I recognized from school but I didn’t know any of them that well. In fact, the only one I really had any kind of relationship with was Alan and we’d only spoken a few times.
Approaching the group, I paused just outside the large circle of people. I was in a near trance, watching the battle going on within their wall. One guy would swing and dodge, the other would counter and attack. It was a dance between the two of them, neither able to land a solid blow.
Slowly, I made my way around the edge toward where Alan stood. He spotted me and gestured my way.
Hurriedly, I approached. “This is really something.” I couldn’t take my eyes off the battle.
“Nah.” Alan said nonchalantly. “This is just a fighter practice. Wait until you see an event. People come from all over the state. We camp, and fight, and role play all weekend.”
“Wow. So how do I start?”
“You have to be authorized first. Nothing too challenging. They’ll teach you the rules and test you with a short sword. After that, it’s pretty self-explanatory. Come on, I’ll introduce you to Daniel. He’ll be the one to test you.”
I followed Alan around the circle to one of the largest men I’ve every seen. He was easily over six foot tall and about as broad, though he wasn’t overly fat. He had a build that told me he could move extremely fast when he wanted to and enough strength to lift almost anything he wanted.
“Hey, Daniel. This is Evan, he needs authorization.”
Daniel looked me up and down, silently studying me. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking but I silently prayed I wouldn’t have to fight him. “You ever done anything like this before?”
“No. This is the first time I’ve ever even seen anything like this.”
He let out a silent smirk and drew a sword sword from his belt. Flipping it in the air, he caught it by the blade and extended the handle to me. “Follow me.”
We walked a short distance, stopping under the shade of a large oak. He turned to face me and drew a second sword.
“First things first. Hands, feet, and head are illegal targets. Try not to hit them. Secondly, we don’t call shots. If you hit someone and they don’t take it. Hit em harder. And lastly, control you’re swing. You aren’t hitting a baseball so don’t swing like you are. In general, try not to break ninety degrees.” He swung, giving me an example. “Three limbs or a body hit mean death. If you get hit in the arm or leg, that limb is dead and cannot be used. You can lose both arms, both legs, or any combination less than three. Now, let’s see what you’ve got.”
I learned extremely quick that I needed a lot of practice. I knew he was going easy on me but even at that he landed a ‘killing blow’ before I could decide where to strike.
I was amazing what had been accomplished with a piece of graphite rod, some foam, and duct tape. Some of the weapons even looked real at a distance. I’d grown fairly comfortable with the short sword by the time seven O’clock rolled around. In fact, I hadn’t realized what time it was until I glanced over and saw my mom waiting for me. The sun was starting to set, and I wasn’t ready to be done yet. I’d been thrown into the circle and made to fight everyone at least once. Many I lost against, but there were a few I’d managed a lucky blow against. Overall, I couldn’t wait to come back next week.
I handed Daniel the sword he’d let me borrow, still reeling in the joy I’d found.
“You think you’re coming back?” He asked, returning it to its leather scabbard, which was little more that a strap that held it in place.
“Definitely! Maybe next week I’ll have my own sword.”
He chuckled. “I’d recommend holding off on that just a little bit. Weapons follow their own set of rules. I’d hate for you to go through the effort of building once you can’t legally use.”
“That makes sense. Anyway, thanks for teaching me. See you next week.” I waved bye to the people I’d spoken to, which were a great many of them. It seemed not many of them were of the shy sort.
I quickly made my way to the Jeep, smiling ear to ear.