Henry and Chelsey had made it back to the cave they called home in more or less one piece. That had been an hour ago. Now as they ate the food they'd taken from the Camp Zone, Chelsey explained the series of events that led to Henry getting electrocuted to the others. She had left some things out, notably the open door and the stolen cans of food. Henry suspected she planned to confront Wendy with that later in hopes of getting some for herself. He was considering doing the same.

"Henry got electrocuted?" Stevey asked with confusion.

"It was an electric fence," Chelsey answered, "All he did was touch it, and it almost killed him."

Stevey loudly slurped up some of the Chef Boyardee raviolis from a bowl.

"Damn. Talk about a shocking surprise," he said as he chewed.

Chelsey rolled her eyes.

"Now that's just lame, Stevey. I thought you wanted to be a comedian."

"Admittedly, not my best material."

"What I want to know is why you thought it would be a good idea to go to the zone alone?" Mark asked Chelsey.

"It was my idea. I was curious," Henry said.

"Chelsey should have known better. We have no idea what kind of Ghost Story he has. It's always best to play it safe. What if it was something like Wendy or worse?"

"I don't know what's gotten into you, Mark," Chelsey said, "You've had a real stick up your ass ever since Henry got here. We just looked. It was harmless. The worst-case scenario was that we'd die, and we didn't."

"You think dying is the worst-case scenario? What if the Ghost Story didn't just kill you? What if it plays by different rules? We don't know what the limits of these Ghost Stories are, so we have to play it safe. Always assume the worst about your enemy, and they'll never surprise you. I just want you guys to be careful until we know more."

Chelsey nodded. Even Henry had to agree with him. There was a simple but honest logic to his words.

"That's fair. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have done it. I won't do it again," Chelsey said.

"So electric fence and Texas Hill Country. Ring any bells? Come on, Henry, you got to know what your Ghost Story is now!" Wendy said.

Henry shook his head.

"I'm sorry. I just can't think of anything it could be."

"Lame," Wendy said as she flipped back onto the couch, “I hope it’s smart like me. I’d like to know what it’s like to be on the other side of that. It seems like it would be fun.”

“It's not fun. I want the opposite of Wendy. Good to know some things are still normal,” Chelsey replied.

"We'll know what the Ghost Story is soon enough," Grace said, "It's bound to be something weird, though. With the electric fence and all that. That's got to be the strangest zone yet."

"Yeah, I was going to ask about that. Do ranches normally have electric fences in Texas?" Stevey asked.

"No, no, they don't," Henry answered, "I've seen small electric fences for cows. But something like this: No, I don't think it's normal."

"Well, I'm putting my money on a monster then. Something really wicked," Stevey said.

"I was hoping for some new food," Chelsey admitted with a sigh, "but unless we can eat cactus, I think we're out of luck."

"Actually, you can eat cactus. It's pretty good, too. Especially the prickly pears," Henry Said.

"And you guys make fun of my British food. They're literally eating the cactus in Texas. Next, you're going to tell me you guys eat rattlesnakes too."

"I've seen fried Rattlesnake. I even tried it once. Honestly, it's actually pretty good. Tastes a lot like chicken."

If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"I think I'll pass on the snake," Chelsey said.

"I don't know; I think I'd try it," Grace remarked, "I tried alligator in Florida once, and it was pretty good. I'd imagine a snake isn't much different."

"Speaking of tasty food, we're hitting Londontown tomorrow. For real this time, no more deals, Chelsey. Still want to come, Henry?" Stevey asked.

Henry shrugged.

"Why not."

“That’s what I like to hear," Stevey said with a smile, "Tomorrow you're doing a proper grocery run."

***

The next morning, Henry met Stevey outside of the cave. He was surprised to find he wasn't alone. Wendy was with him.

"Look, he's finally here," she said.

"Sorry, I overslept. Are you coming too, Wendy?"

"Hell yeah, I am. I wouldn't miss your first real grocery run for the world. One way or another, this is going to be hilarious. I want you to know I've got a bet going that the knight's going to totally skewer you. If you take a fall, I'll give you some side action."

"Now, Wendy, that's not okay. You can't have him take a fall. To win the bet, he's got to die for real. Throwing himself at the knight won't count."

"Oh yes, for sure. I was only kidding."

She looked at Henry and winked. It was like she was trying to say the deal was still on the table. If Henry had his own way, he wouldn't die on this trip. The fact that Wendy seemed so confident that she was willing to bet on it didn't inspire confidence.

"Here. Think fast."

Stevey tossed him a wooden shield painted with a white and blue wheel pattern. It looked like a medieval shield a knight on TV would use.

"Where'd you get this?" Henry asked.

"They hang on the wall inside the Burning Knight."

Henry gave him an odd look.

"It's a pub in Londontown. The shield is convenient and can save your life in a pinch." Stevey explained.

Henry shrugged and hooked the shield onto his arm. Just by looking at it, he could tell it was solid enough to stop a knife or a harpoon. It was surprisingly light, too. He felt a bit more confident just having it.

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it. You still got your harpoon?" Stevey asked.

Henry held up his harpoon so Stevey could see.

"Perfect. That won't be a lot of help with the knight, but it's still good to have it."

Henry noticed Wendy wasn't carrying a shield or a harpoon.

"Where's your stuff, Wendy?

"Oh, I don't need those things," Wendy said with a laugh.

"Why not?" Henry asked.

"Because I've already got a weapon."

Wendy held up her hand, and its skin bubbled. Just as before, when she'd assumed his face, her hand transformed. Long, sharp claws grew from her fingers. When Wendy saw the look on his face, she laughed again.

"Relax. These aren't for you… for now."

That last bit got a laugh from Stevey.

"This is going to be fun," he said.

Henry wasn't so sure.

***

They arrived in Londontown about half an hour later. They had followed the cobblestone path from the center circle. After only a few minutes of walking, a city had risen to surround them. It was unlike anything Henry had ever seen. Some buildings were made from old brick or stone with roofs of slate tile or old wood. Many of the stone buildings had intricately carved figures and faces running along their facades.

Mixed in with them were buildings of a more modern variety. Henry saw convenience stores and even a nightclub of some sort. They passed by an empty newsstand filled with newspapers. Apparently, May 22nd, 1986, had seen big news about domestic stabbing, judging by the headline: Wife Stabbed in Brawl.

Just like Brightshore, Londontown was empty of people. It would have been a bizarre sight if Henry had been able to focus on it. He was too distracted by the buildings and the architecture. He was taken aback by just how tall they were. He'd never seen buildings like that outside of TV. Seeing them in person was a surreal experience for him. It had to be the most impressive place he'd ever seen.

While the city was certainly impressive, it may not have been nearly as impressive to you or me. The zone built from Stevey's Ghost Story was one of the smaller and less extravagant parts of London. You have to understand that Henry Becker was from a very small town in Texas. He'd left it a few times, of course. He visited the beaches along the Gulf of Mexico a few times. Once, he'd even stayed with a friend in San Antonio, where he'd seen the Riverwalk and the Alamo. San Antonio was the biggest city Henry had ever seen. To those who have never been, it is certainly not London. To Henry Becker, Londontown was a truly alien place. So while you might be inclined to scoff at his ignorance, try putting yourself in his shoes. He was quite literally a country boy who'd never seen the big city.

While Henry was busy marveling at the buildings, Stevey and Wendy came to a stop. Henry accidentally bumped right into them.

"Sorry," he said quickly.

"It's all good. We're here."

Henry turned and found a building with flowing arches and gorgeous architecture. It was made from large white stone bricks. A large gray cross made from solid stone topped the peak of the roof. Along the front of the chapel, depictions of Bible stories and valiant knights were intricately carved into the stone. Again, Henry was left flabbergasted.

"That's the church?" Henry asked.

"Yep," Stevey said, "It's old as dirt. Been here damn near forever. Well, not here, but in the real London."

"It's huge," Henry said.

"Well, yeah, it's a church. What were you expecting?"

"I don't know… like a little wooden chapel. That's what we've got."

"I can tell you've never been to Europe, mate. Lots of our churches look like that. Well, maybe not this nice, but close to it. We are anything but subtle."

"I can see that."

"It was right in front of this church that they burned the Knight at the stake. He was accused of practicing black magic, so they chained him to a log and let him cook in his armor. Trust me, he's not too happy about it. They say he haunts it, looking for revenge and all that."

Stevey turned to Wendy.

"Do you smell him, Wendy?"

She shook her head.

"Nah. We lucked out. He's not home yet."

"Lucky us. Alright, Henry. Here's your last-minute crash course. The knight is not home, but the moment we step foot in that church, he's going to come running. That gives us a two-minute head start, give or take. After that, he'll find one of us. We have to find and destroy his anchor before that. You remember what to look for?"

"Something old. Mark said I'd know when I saw it."

"Right, you are. You should know it instantly. Trust me, it's hard to miss it. One more thing: if you smell smoke or hear rattling chains, it means the knight found you. If he does, you've got to hoof it, mate. I guess just hope you can avoid getting a sword in your gut long enough for one of us to destroy the anchor. Fighting back is useless. That harpoon won't even dent him. Even if you did stab him, it wouldn't do anything anyway. You understand?"

Henry nodded his head.

"Alright," Stevey slapped him on the back, "Let's kill a Ghost Story."