Next, she triedbraceletand other words associated with it, but still nothing.
Then she triedfire, and found a few references to the fires which were used for the sacrifices. But as she scrolled through, Nat spotted a photo of a drawing that looked like men sitting around a fire. The picture was carved into a rock, and badly painted in, but she could zoom in and make out what was going on.
As she did, she could see that one of the men in the image was on fire. She had no idea what that meant, and the text underneath was in a language they had not deciphered yet. Even if the man on fire wasn’t the same as the one who had breathed fire, Natalie was certain they were somehow related.
“Well well, what do we have here?” Eric cut in, scaring Nat.
She yelped, before letting out a sigh. “Can you not, Eric?”
“Can I not be awesome? Sorry, can’t help it. So, did you find anything new? Or any clues we can use to read the texts on these things? You seemed so flustered, what happened out there?” Eric asked.
“Nothing, I’m fine. I didn’t see anything, but I do need to hurry back now.”
“Right now?” Eric asked, looking at his watch.
“You might not believe it,” Nat began, “but I think we might have made the most important discovery of our generation. If we can crack this, we could change everything. It’s okay if you don’t want to come with me, I got it.”
She got up from the table and went down into storage. She saw that her equipment wasn’t there, which meant she had taken it out. As she took the new gear back to her car, she found the gear she had come with in the trunk. Someone had stuffed everything in haphazardly.
Whoever had done it had done her a favor. They had confirmed that she hadn’t hallucinated, and she had actually seen what she saw. It was also proof that they wanted to remain a secret.
Nat checked on her camera and looked at the time on her dashboard. It was getting late, but the more time she spent without acting, the less likely she would be to find what she was looking for.
She steeled her resolve and started the vehicle. She paused for a moment, wondering if the monsters were still there. If they were, there was a chance that she could be walking into danger.
But she had to go, she had to be sure. Someone had to bring back proof, and she had witnessed it. She had to be the one. Nat squeezed the steering wheel and put the car into gear, staring at the road ahead. There was no going back, not until she had proof.
“I am so going to regret this.”
Chapter 2 - Axle
Axle had searched the woman’s car for her stuff. He had learned her name from her ID and found her phone in her pocket. Unlocking it with her finger, he’d opened up her navigation app and clicked on home to get her address.
He had taken care while he returned her to her place, taking her in through a window and changing her clothes.
He had stayed nearby, watching as she left the house and made her way to her car. From the look on her face, he could tell that she was confused and wanted answers. Axle got on his motorcycle and followed her as she made her way to her office building.
“What are you up to, Natalie?” Axle said to himself, parking the bike across the street and buying a cup of coffee as he watched the building. He repeated the name again, as though he was trying on a new dress, and settled on Nat.
“Hi, would you like me to top you off?” came the voice of one of the young waiters at the shop. She smiled from ear to ear, looking at Axle with excitement.
“Oh, no I’m fine. Thanks,” Axle replied.
She nodded, still standing in place. “So…are you from around here?”
Axle looked up at the girl, raising an eyebrow. He smiled back. “Uh, no. I’m from Philly, originally. I just travel a lot.”
“That must be exciting, what do you like about Denver?” she asked, giggling excitedly.
“The uh…nature, really nice outdoors,” Axle replied, as the girl took a seat next to him.
“Oh yeah, I go hiking all the time. I know some nice spots I could show you if you’d like. You seem like you’d be into rock climbing, have you ever?” she asked, placing the coffee mug on the table. “I’m Abby.”
“Mark,” he replied, knowing he didn’t want to continue the conversation. Her blonde hair bobbed as she spoke to him. “I’m not really into that kind of stuff, I just admire it, that’s all. Uh, do you mind, I’m waiting for someone.”
She turned around and looked at the building opposite the store. “Your girlfriend?”
He smiled. “Yeah. I was supposed to meet her here. Our anniversary today.”