Journey to Avalon

“Alright, we’re getting close!” Thomas said as he pulled up through the city square, waiting for the light to change. “Just a few more minutes and we’ll be at the winter cabin.”

Emma looked out the windows, trying to recapture the old nostalgic feelings that she had when she was younger. “Huh, it’s quieter than I remember.” As she looked out the window, there was a strange stillness in the air, as if life had been missing in this town for quite some time.

“I mean, would you really want to be walking around in this weather if you had a choice?” Grace said, not even looking up from her phone at all. “I’d be staying inside.”

“Of course you would,” Chris said as he rolled his eyes. Still, he couldn’t deny that there had to be some kind of explanation as to why the town looked so abandoned. Trash was still piled up on the corners and the sidewalks. Snow was shoveled in some places, and in others, it seemed like no one had gotten to it for a few weeks. “Hey, Grace. Can you find out anything about Avalon?”

“Yeah, once I finish up this round,” she said as she furiously tapped away at her screen.

“I’m sure it’s nothing bad,” Thomas said as the light finally turned green. He pulled through the intersection and continued on the path. “I mean, this just means that our old little town is just on the map now, right?”

“That or all the small businesses got taken out by the big man,” Chris said as he stared at the ominous building. “I really think that there’s something wrong with it.”

Emma huffed and crossed her arms. “Well if it’s bugging you that much, then we’ll just go check it out.”

“Really? Now?” Thomas asked as they came to a stop sign. “We’ve already been driving for so long. Let’s just get back to the cabin and relax. We can show you guys all the great sites.”

“Dude, are you seriously that blind?” Chris shouted as he pointed to the signs of neglect and abandonment. “There is something wrong with this town.”

“Come on, it’s not the city, no, but it has it’s rural rustic charm to it.” Thomas turned the car down the street. As he turned, there wasn’t a single car that had passed by them at all while they were at the stop sign, nor were there any cars in front or behind them.

“Finally!” Grace cheered as she finished up her level. “Okay, Avalon,” she said as she typed it into her phone. “It says that they are working on some cutting edge science and technology that the world hasn’t seen before.”

“And you think there isn’t something weird that a building like that is in a town like this?” Chris said. “I say we need to get out of here.”

“We are definitely not leaving,” Emma said defiantly. “Look, we’ll just go and check it out so Chris stops freaking out.”

“Ugh,” Thomas groaned as he made a U-turn and headed back towards the large building.

It didn’t take them long before they reached the parking lot. Chris was the first one to get out and head over to the front doors, then Emma, then Thomas, and finally Grace. The huge tower stood before them, and the doors opened up automatically.

“See? There’s nothing weird,” Thomas said as they walked inside the lobby.

“Nothing weird?” Chris said as he looked at the directory of the building. “Look at these floors! What is normal about that?”

“Let’s see,” Emma said as she looked it over. “Just to name a few, there’s a Mind Lab on the Second Floor, a Modifications Lab on the Third Floor, a Robot Lab on the Fourth Floor, a Magic Lab on the Fifth Floor, and something written here in Latin in the Basement, but we’d need some kind of access card to get down there.”

“The hell kind of place is this?” Chris asked as he looked around.

“Like I said, nothing weird. Let’s just head to the cabin,” Thomas said as he tried to leave, but the sound of a bell stopped him in his tracks.

“Hey guys, I found an elevator,” Grace said as she pointed to it. Chris, Emma, and Grace all got on, and Thomas reluctantly got on as well.

“Well fine,” Thomas said as the elevator doors closed. “Since you wanted to come in here, then you pick the floor, Chris.”

“I will,” Chris said as he thought about the different available options, then, he decided.