Stuck in my Game World.

2. The journey begins.

When he woke up again, it was already midday and he found himself inside the house which he had seen earlier, and there was this young boy staring at him. The sight was blurry at first, but later became clear after a few blinks of his eyes.

"You are finally awake?" The kid asked him. It was obvious he had been unconscious for a very long time.

"Where am I?" He repeated the question which he had asked himself when he was still outside.

Instead of answering this question, the kid ran out of the room to call his father who was in the field close to the house.

"Father! Father! He's awake." The boy screamed as he ran to his middle aged father.

The man in his late fifties turned to his son who kept screaming in his name. Hearing that Eric was awake, he dropped the garden fork which he was holding and ran towards the house.

He came inside the room again with his son and saw Eric struggling to get up on his feet, so he said as he helped him lay back in the bed, "Easy, you are badly injured."

"Who are you and where is this place?"

"My name is Zachary Hawkins, but you can call me Zach and this is my son Harris." He introduced both his son. "What is yours?"

"I'm Eric Claus. So where is this place?"

Zachary did not need someone to tell him that Eric was not from that world, only his dressing, though stained with blood, will tell him that. So he answered, "You are in Hillcrest, a small village in Palind."

Eric thought for some time whether he had heard of such places before and there was no remembrance of such a place.

"It's obvious you are not from around here, so tell us where you are from and maybe I could help you find your way back."

"I'm from New York in America."

"I've not heard of such places before. I will take you to someone who might know this place, but that will be after you have recovered from your wounds."

Now Eric was certain that he was not on the earth he knew. He had heard stories about reincarnation but he never believed them to be true, he thought they only existed in stories and movies, but now he had to believe it because he has become a victim.

"How did I get here?" He asked them.

"I have no clue. We found you outside on the field this morning and knew you needed help. But there are people I shall take you to, I'm sure they will answer all your questions. Just rest while I tend to your wounds." Zachary said as he got some things which would be used to treat Eric's wounds.

Harris was only watching them, he had nothing to say because the whole thing was still unbelievable to him. He was only sixteen, and could not believe that there was another world outside the one he knew and lived in.

*****

By the end of two days, Eric could feel his whole body strong and alive. It was really amazing to him what kind of medicines would heal him in such a short space of time. His sister was studying medicine and based on the magnitude of pain he was feeling, there was no way they could all disappear in two days.

Well, that was not his major concern at the moment, he was concerned on seeing these people which Zach spoke about so that they will tell him how he got there and how he can get back.

Just as promised, Zachary prepared to take him to these people since he was strong enough to walk.

Eric was surprised to see that Harris was joining them to their destination, so he asked Zachary to confirm if his thoughts were right. "Is he coming with us?"

"Of course. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Ummm…." He stammered, "No, just that it would be better if he stays back, I believe he can take care of himself while we are gone. Besides, are we going to spend much time in this place?"

Zachary did not know how to answer Eric, but he had to tell him in whatever way. "Yes, the place we are actually going is not too far, maybe a day or two and we will be back, but I can't leave Harris here alone. He is all I've got?"

"I don't understand what you mean by all you've got?" Eric looked at both father and son. He suspected something strange in those words.

"You haven't asked me about his mother?"

"Probably late, I guess." He replied, "I'm also a widower, lost my wife three years after the birth of my daughter, she is seven now and she happens to be the major reason why I have to go home as soon as possible."

"How did she die?" Zachary was now interested to know about her death as they continued their journey.

"During child bearing, when she was about to bring forth our second child. She died with the baby in her womb."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I've learnt to leave with it. I can't change the past." He smiled as though it was nothing. "What about you, how did his mother die?"

"I was in battle, defending my country against the monsters that threatened our land, only to return from battle that ugly day, to see that my village had been destroyed and my family killed by those ogres. My wife, and two children, my first son and only daughter. Harris was only four and hid under the bed, that was how he survived. I vowed not to leave his side again and I resigned from the army to keep an eye on him."

"The ogres that did this, did you get your revenge on them?"

Instead of answering the question that was put before him, Zach stared at him as it was obvious that he did not know what he was saying.

"They are giants. You can not fight them." Harris answered the questions on his father's behalf.

Then Zach took over from his son, "They keep destroying our cities and villages, that is why we have moved as far as Hillcrest. But the truth remains that there is nowhere safe, so all we do is to run and hide from them."

Then Eric ceased talking for the moment as they continued the journey. His mind went back to the game which he was planning on, and from the look of things, adding to what he had heard, it appeared that he was inside his game world; a world full of mythical creatures trying to dominate it.

Zachary and Harris did not interrupt him, even when they knew that his mind had traveled far although he was still walking consciously with them.

As darkness began to dawn on them, they could audibly hear the noises of some creatures, and instantly they stopped because their footsteps were making some noise that can attract the creatures, even the fire lamp which they had lit was instantly put out by Zach as he signaled that they all stay quiet without making any move.

But out of curiosity to know what was making the dreadful and terrifying noise, Eric asked in a whisper. "What is that?"

"Trolls." Zach replied in a low tone also. "They have a high sense of smell and can spell flesh from a very far distance."

Zach thought that Eric would keep quiet by getting the answer to his question, but instead of keeping shut, he made an attempt to ask another question.

"Shhh…" Zach did not let me utter another word so that the trolls would not spot them.