Eleven people transported from Earth to Valeenia Continent. People that should have died on the bus crash were given a chance to live. One by one, these eleven started opening their eyes. They were getting up from the grassy plains that they were laying on. The sun was setting. Everyone was confused with mild headaches. They remembered that the bus had hit a car. They knew that they were supposed to be dead as the final event in their memory was the large explosion that devoured their whole bodies. They were looking at each other, still with the confusion and headache.
"Hey guys! Where are we? What are we doing here? Where is the bus? The freeway? This doesn't look like Seattle anymore." (Grace) Being the first to wake up and recover from the headache, remembering the situation, she spoke up first. Assessing her own body, she does not seem to have any injury. Her skin is intact, dry, and warm. Looking at others, they were not under acute distress.
Everyone vaguely recognize each other as they all take the same bus at the same time in the morning. However, most of them were still in disbelief, denying the whole situation. Perhaps some of them were interpreting the situation as a dream or nightmare.
"Does anyone still have their phone? I need to call in. I'm late for work." (Talim). Talim is a nurse in a Seam Hospital. Realizing that this is not a dream, he immediately thought about his work.
With this question, everyone had checked their pockets. They do not possess any of their technological gadgets. They didn't have their bags and purses around.
"What kind of joke is this? Where we at, brah?" (Fa'amuli) "Somebody, please explain what's going on."
"Dry soil, green grass, night time, and this scenery... I don't think we are in Washington at all..." (Grace) Said with her face paled in color and started to show some anxiety.
"Do you all remember anything right after that bus explosion? I do not recall any memories after that. Besides, with that explosion, I think we all died. There was no way we could have survived that!" (Keyshia) "Okay, I need to calm down now. Deep breaths, in... out..."
"Ahh! This is real! I pinched myself and it hurts!" (Eric) Pinched himself, and was clearly not faking his reaction as blood started dripping down his cheek.
Talim walked over and pulled out sterile gauze packet that was in his scrub pants pocket. "Here, just put some pressure."
"Everyone, please listen for a moment. It seems that there would be no point in asking questions to each other. What we must do now is to collect information from each other on what we already know. Blonde girl, since you seem to be first to break the ice, you start." (Barbara) with her leadership attitude, turned to face Grace and asked for her to speak.
"Okay. I was the first one to wake up and get up among the eleven of us. Based on everyone's looks, I know that we all ride the same bus in the morning, yet I have not spoke with anyone here before. There were about 30 people in that bus, but only 11 of us is here. No one seems to suffer from a life threatening injury." (Grace) started with her initial observations. She then faced towards Keyshia.
"Before I start, may we have your name please?" (Keyshia)
"Oh, right! Sorry about that. My name is Grace Young. I am a 2nd year med students at the Seam University." (Grace) glanced back at Keyshia after saying this.
"My name is Keyshia... Keyshia Edmonds... I work for an Air plane company. I take care of my three younger siblings... My siblings..." Suddenly, Keyshia's facial expressions changed. "Who are going to take care of them... Now that everyone probably assumes that we died from explosion... How? Why?!" (Keyshia) normally composed and calm, lost control and tears flowing out of her eyes like waterfalls.
"Don't worry. We will get back to town. We will." Barbara walked over and embraced Keyshia. And Keyshia calmed down and let go, Barbara started talking, "All right. My name is Barbara Tatum. My friends call me Barbie. I am a business student at Seam University. From what I remembered, the explosion was the last thing I remember before waking up from here. This ground, as Grace had mentioned before, is not wet. It had been raining for the whole week, which means that we are not in Washington." (Barbie) glanced at Fa'amuli.
"My name is Fa'amuli Tukuafu. I play football for Seam University. I had a bag with me on the bus, but it's gone now. I am pretty sure that my clothes wouldn't have been in this clean and intact condition after being blown up by that explosion, which is strange. This is not normal at all." (Fa'amuli) then glanced at Eric.
"I'm Eric. I'm point guard for the Seam Basketball team. I'm honestly as shocked as everyone else. I don't know what else to say." (Eric) glanced at Talim.
"My name is Talim Dapuan. I am a registered nurse for a year now. Fa'amuli, you mentioned about your bag. I don't see mine as well, but the contents of my pocket still remain. I have my stethoscope, saline flushes, alcohol wipes, pen light, gauze, and a couple of gloves. I still have my watch, but I don't see my phone anywhere. Everyone should check their pockets for items that may be useful here." Talim then glanced at Tooru.
"I still got my Swiss Army Knife kit and my spare scissors, my cellphone is missing for some reason. I still have my car and house keys" (Miyazaki, Tooru) "My name is Miyazaki, Tooru. Please call me Tommy. I'm a barber in Seattle. I hope that I get along be an assistance to everyone. Please take care of me and I will do my best for everyone." Tommy bowed in the end. He then glanced at someone across.
"Thank you, Tommy. Hi everyone, I'm Natalie House. I work at a retail store doing various jobs from sales, register, and even cleaning the bathroom. My pocket is empty, as I usually have everything in my bag. I have been training Cross-Fit for 5 years now. I may be small, but expect me to be an all around help for everyone!" (Natalie)
"My name is Anastaysia Galina. Please call my Tay. I am a nursing student at Seam University. I am a certified nursing assistant working in the same hospital as Talim. I am from Russia, moved here 11 years ago. I trained Krav Maga since I was young. I have a couple of tissue on my pocket." (Tay) She then glanced at Talim.
"Oh Tay, you take the same bus?" (Talim)
"Yea. I just moved to Lynnwall three months ago. It's nice to see a familiar face." (Tay)
"Enough with the reunion. My name is Joseph. I am in the same basketball team with Eric. He's my roommate. I honestly don't think that we are in Washington." (Joseph)
"I'm the last one. My name is Melanie Rodriguez, a bartender at a bar in Lynnwall and one in downtown Seam. I'm also a dancer. Call me Mel." (Mel)
"The sun is about to set, and it would get dark soon. Around us are just grass. Looking out far are trees. It would be bad if there are wild animals lurking around at night." (Barbie)
"We shall find shelter. Or at least make fire." (Grace)
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
"I can make fire. My brothers and I used to hunt in forested areas." (Natalie) "someone help me gather some dried leaves and branches."
"Wait look! People around that direction, my 12 o'clock." (Talim) pointing out with his finger the rushing elders wearing different colored robes from beyond the plains towards their location.
*******
[Elder's Perspective]
Over the high plains, the robed men and and women were running towards the summoned people. The sun has set. It was dark, but the moonlight and stars provided enough visibility for them to locate the summoned people.
"Everyone, allow me to be the one to speak with them. I'll explain everything. They're still humans. Unlike the animals and monsters that we summon, they have thoughts and feelings. One wrong move, and they might turn against us." (Grand Elder)
"Understood!" (Everyone)
*******
(Eleven Earth people's perspective)
As Talim pointed towards the direction, most of them were delighted. The robed people were running down towards them. Thinking that they can finally find their way back home, Talim, Grace, and Keyshia noticed one thing.
"Everyone brace yourselves! That one in the middle is wearing a white robe with white hood. This looks like the Ku Klux Klan!" (Grace) Ku Klux Klan (KKK) is a cult in the U.S. with a goal of eliminating African American people in the United States.
"I will try and talk with them. Everyone should stay back. We shall avoid as much trouble as possible. Worst case scenario, we'll have to fight. There's less of them." (Barbie)
Tommy gave his barber scissors to Grace and the Swiss Army Knife tool to Natalie. "I trained martial arts when I was young. I still know how to fight. Please take care of yourselves. Fa'amuli and I will be on stand by." Fa'amuli nodded.
"I am a boxer. In case things to bad, I'll step up and fight." (Talim).
"I'll also fight." (Tay)
The Eleven bystanders didn't know that this is no longer Earth.
**********************************************************
[Meeting of the two groups]
Around 30 minutes since the Earth humans recognized that they were being pursued, the Elders have arrived. The moonlight provided enough visibility for the earth humans. The Elders wield staff that illuminated the area.
"Greetings. I am sensing some hostility from all of you. Fear not, as we have come in peace. I am the Grand Elder magician of Japoles Kingdom. You can call me Grand Elder. We are currently in Valeenia Continent. I understand that you are not from this lands. We have come to give explanation to your concerns." (Grand Elder)
The group of eleven were shocked and dumbfounded. They did not know how to react. At least, the fears for KKK assault were decreased. However, they still kept their guard up, despite the words from Grand Elder.
"I don't understand. We have a lot of questions. Such as, what happened in the bus, where are our belongings, how did we get here, and how will we get back to Earth." (Barbie)
"I am afraid that we don't know what a 'bus' is. We do not know where your belonging is located. What we do know is the reason for your existing in our world." (Grand Elder) She said this while revealing her face by pulling her hood of the robe down. "Humanity is currently in a constant war with the monsters, demons, and other creatures of this world. Our God has sent you here to help us fight against the evil forces of this world. You are all talented geniuses that our God sent from the Heavens. As for getting back to your world, I am certain that once you've help humanity, you will be sent back."
"What! I have three younger siblings that I am taking care of! Why would your 'God' pull out a joke like this? I worked so hard to gain my high paying position, against all the adversity and from being discriminated for being black. Why would your 'God' take all of that away?" (Keyshia) Tears flowing down like a river turned waterfalls.
Moments of silence occurred, and Grand Elder finally spoke. "Worry not. Our God has made sure that he did not mess with your world's timeline. It would be as if you have never existed. Your siblings shall not suffer because you were never there in the first place."
Hostility grew from the Eleven bystanders after hearing this. 'Why would this "God" erase their existence in the world? What kind of things do these people want?'. More questions appeared in their minds as they found out about this revelation.
The other robed people did not understand Grand Elder's explanation.
Feeling the hostility emitted by the Eleven bystanders, Grand Elder spoke, "once your mission of saving humanity is accomplished, 'God' made a promise that you all will get back to earth. The timeline continuum will be back to normal as if there was no change since you were sent here."
"How do we know that you are speaking the truth? I think you are mistaken. We are just regular human beings. We do not possess the talent that you are speaking of." (Barbie)
"I am the Grand Elder. Believe it or not, despite my young appearance, I have lived for 120 years. I have been given the 'God's blessing to stay young and spread His knowledge for us to survive against the evil forces." (Grand Elder) The other robed elders revealed their young faces by dropping their hood and nodding towards this statement. "If you do not wish to believe us, it is okay. But it seems that you all need food and shelter. Come with us and we will provide this for you. We will show you that our intentions are pure. Beyond the plains further from here, lies a forest full of evil creatures. I do not wish for everyone to be in danger by staying in this empty plains."
"Before we move, I would like to ask about your glowing stick. What is that?" (Grace)
"This is magic. Our staff are powered by magic power within ourselves. We will provide further explanations once we are in our palace." (Grand Elder.)
Barbie nodded at the other ten innocent bystanders. "Looks like we have no other choice. Let's stay close to each other."
[End chapter]