Gregor awoke with a jerk; heart pounding; soaked in a cold sweat. The nightmare had been so real! It wasn't the first time his sleep had been plagued by nightmares. Ever since returning from his most recent trip to the underland—a dark war-torn world miles beneath New York City— his sleep had been wracked with bad dreams. Most of which involved falling to his death. The place was a real-life haunted house. It was home to giant talking rats, spiders, cockroaches, and a plethora of other over-sized creatures.
There were people down there too—pale-skinned, violet-eyed people who had traveled underground sometime in the 1600s and built the stone city of Regalia.
Gregor had first fallen there a few years ago when he had followed his sister, Boots through a laundry vent that led to the underland. There he had not only met the underlanders but also discovered several prophecies depicting him as a great warrior. He had denied this at first, but when the underlanders told him he was foretold to rescue his father, (who had fallen some years previous) he was all in.
Gregor had discovered four other prophecies surrounding him. He had managed to fulfill them all, even the one surrounding his death. (luckily that turned out to be a metaphor.) In his most recent prophecy, he had killed a giant white rat and also ended his role as "warrior". His biggest regret with returning from the underland was thirteen—no, Gregor corrected himself, fourteen-year-old, Future-Queen-Of-Regalia, Luxa. On his last trip, the two of them had become rather close. They had kissed once; something Gregor kept replaying in his mind. God, he missed her! All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms again.
Gregor let out a deep sigh, then rolled over and tried to fall back asleep. It took him a long time. The image of the two broken boys swam in his mind's eye. He tossed and turned for what seemed like hours, before finally falling back asleep.
Gregor awoke the next morning to the aroma of bacon. He took a deep breath, savoring the smell. Then slid out from beneath his sheets. Gregor headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth.
"Gregor, Angelina is here," called his mom from somewhere downstairs.
"What? She's not supposed to be here until ten," said Gregor, feeling perplexed.
"Well, as it's nine fifty-nine—" said his dad. "I slept until ten?" thought Gregor in confusion. "I never sleep that late." He'd gotten up at six-thirty every day for the past month.
Gregor walked downstairs and over to Angelina, who was sitting awkwardly on a chair.
"Hi," said Angelina, glancing up at Gregor. There was something in her gaze that made Gregor freeze in his spot. She was looking up at him with a worried and (was it fearful?) expression on her face. She backed away ever so slightly when he came near her. What was going on?
"Hey, Angelina. I'm going to grab some toast before we leave," said Gregor, trying to act as though he hadn't noticed anything abnormal.
"Okay," said Angelina. He grabbed a stack of toast off the large pile on the table. The warm toast felt good on his hands.
"Okay, let's go," said Gregor, walking to the door. He and Angelina had barely made it out the door before Mrs. Cormaci came bustling over with a large tray of—
"Here mister, I brought brownies," she said shoving the still warm tray into his arms. "I made them for a bake sale but half the people in charge caught the flu."
"Thanks, Mrs. Cormaci. These look amazing," said Gregor, taking a deep breath. An amazing deep chocolaty smell hit him, and he had to resist the temptation to shove his face in the pan. "Thanks again," said Gregor, turning to go back in the door.
Mrs. Cormaci was always doing things like this. This was the third time this month she had brought over food. It was always amazing.
Gregor opened the door.
"Hey Boots!" he called. She didn't respond. "I brought brownies!" She came scampering toward him in a flash. "Here, you and Lizzie can each have a piece," said Gregor, setting the pan on the table. Boot's face lit up. "Do you think you could make a thank-you card for Mrs. Cormaci?" asked Gregor. Boots nodded, eyes still on the brownies. "Okay, bye," said Gregor, joining Angelina in the hall again. The two of them made their way down the many flights of stairs and then stepped outside and started down the sidewalk. Since the hospital was only a few blocks away, they were going to walk. A light, white mist hung over the street. Today was cooler than the previous days; the seasons were beginning to change.
"Is it okay if we stop at central park before we head there?" asked Angelina.
"Why?" said Gregor, trying to think of an excuse not to go. But what possible reason was there for being afraid of a park? I'm afraid of light? Sure maybe that would work if he were a vampire. But was no good for him.
"I think I left a hat last time I was there," said Angelina.
"Fine by me," said Gregor, secretly panicking. He had avoided the park for so long it felt wrong to just walk there. No big deal. Like it was just another ordinary place.
Gregor tried to stay calm as they approached the park. By the time they reached benches, he was trembling.
"I'll wait here," said Gregor, sinking onto the nearest bench. The sun was shining down here and Gregor relaxed as the warmth of the bench soaked through his clothing.
"Okay, I'll try to be quick," said Angelina.
Gregor sat on the bench and began reminiscing about his trips to the underland. Falling through the laundry vent. Meeting Temp and the other Cockroaches. Joining the quest to find his father. Following Boots, when the cockroaches grabbed her. Searching for the plague cure in the jungle, fighting the cutters off when—
"Hey, Gregor, check this out!" came the muffled sound of Angela's voice, breaking his reverie. "Come on," repeated Angela.
"Where are you?" asked Gregor, trying to locate her.
"Down here!" Gregor heard her voice, becoming faint. "Oh, no!" thought Gregor, sprinting towards the rock. The rock. The entrance to the underland!
Gregor reached the rock in time to see Angela's head disappear out of sight. How had she moved the rock? Gregor had struggled to lift it and he was a lot stronger than Angelina.
"Angelina, come back up," said Gregor, trying to stay calm.
"Just one second!" called Angelina. From beneath the ground, Gregor heard a distant shout.
"What's going on...? Angelina...? Angelina!" shouted Gregor, praying she had just stubbed her toe or something.
Minutes passed and Gregor, hearing no response, pulled out his cell phone. Gregor dialed his home number and waited as the phone rang: once, twice, three times. As it started to ring for the fourth time, he heard someone pick up the phone. Gregor listened as his father spoke.
"Hey, Gregor, what's the matter?"
"I think Angelina has fallen to The Underland! I have to go get her," blurted out Gregor, without thinking.
"Calm down, Gregor, I'll be down in a minute," said his father.
"No! You can't. Someone has to stay and—" Gregor's dad cut him off.
"Gregor, I'm coming."
The next few minutes were agony for Gregor. He paced back and forth nervously. Several times he almost made up his mind to go ahead without his dad. But he didn't.
What seemed like an eternity later, but was really only a few minutes, Gregor spotted his dad approaching him with a small pack on his back.
"Come on, we have to hurry!" shouted his dad the moment he was within speaking range. Gregor and his dad hustled down the dark stone stairs. His dad lit a flashlight from his pack. The bright beam illuminated the path to reveal cobwebs covering the ceiling. Small skeletons from rodents littered the floor. Their feet made quiet crunching sounds with each step. A sudden sound startled Gregor.
"What was that?" Gregor whispered, nervously. Even though—to his knowledge—the rats were on peaceful terms with the humans. He knew how quickly things shifted in the Underland. And the last thing he needed was to run into a rat unarmed.
"We'd better keep an eye out, whatever it is," said his dad. The two crept down the stairs cautiously, keeping their eyes alert.
"Who goes there?" A rough voice broke the silence. Gregor jumped and turned in the direction the voice had come from. A broad, muscular man slunk out of the shadows. He had dark eyes, a stubbly beard, and evenly tanned skin. Gregor looked at the man in confusion. His skin was much too dark to be an Underlander. But what would an Overlander be doing this far underground? Maybe he was a sewage worker or something?
"Who are you?" repeated the man, rather aggressively.
"I'm— uh..." stuttered Gregor, thinking it wasn't such a good idea to give this strange man his name.
"I'm George, and this my son Henry," lied Gregor's father.
"Hi, nice to meet you," said the stranger, holding out his hand. Gregor had a sudden thrill of foreboding. He tried to shout, but the words got stuck in his throat.
The instant Gregor's father reached over to shake his hand, the man punched him full-on in the face. Gregor's father crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
"No!" yelled Gregor, leaping toward the man. Gregor tried to bring about the rager response in his body, but it wouldn't come. Gregor nearly cried with frustration. Okay, so he couldn't rage. What other options did he have? Gregor quickly assessed the situation. His first thought was to outmaneuver him. But as ran at the man, his eyes rested on his headlamp. On his last trip, he had finally cracked echolocation. So he no longer depended on light to make sense of his surroundings.
"Easy," thought Gregor, "I take out his light, I win." Gregor ducked, as the man aimed a punch at his face. He missed, instead his fist collided with the wall. His fist made a loud cracking sound as it bashed against the wall.
"Ow!" the man bellowed in pain and rage, sounding like an angry bull. "You're going to pay for that!"
"What did I do?" thought Gregor. "You started this."
Gregor jumped at the man trying to knock the headlamp off his head. Gregor's fist made contact with the lamp, knocking it to the ground. Gregor leaned forward, stretching out his arm, reaching for the light—and—
"Not so fast," the man laid his foot on the lamp. Gregor looked up to see the man towering over him. Gregor's heart sank. He'd never beat the man in a fair fight. The man slowly picked up the headlamp.
"Ah!" Gregor tasted blood. The man had kicked him right in the mouth.
Gregor rolled over, sinking his teeth into the man. The man's blood spilled down his face. A sickening taste filled his mouth.
"Aaaaah!" the man screamed a blood-curdling scream.
Gregor took this momentary break to dive at his father's pack. Frantically, he fumbled with the straps.
"Come on, come on!" Gregor muttered to himself. He wrenched open the pack, spilling its contents onto the ground. Gregor's groping hands brushed against something cold and smooth. It was a crowbar. Well, it was better than nothing. Gregor grasped it firmly at the base. It made a whooshing sound as it sailed through the air. Gregor planted his feet firmly on the ground. He ground his heels into the earth, waiting for the next attack. The man quickly recovered and ran full-on at Gregor. As he ran, he bent and picked up a large rock from the ground. The air quickly filled with dust from their moving feet. Oh, boy was he in trouble now! The man was going to beat him to pulp with a rock. Weighing his options, Gregor made a desperate move. He brought back the crowbar and hurled it at the man. The man dropped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Had he killed the man? Gregor approached cautiously. As he approached, the man drew a small handgun, stopping him in his tracks. The man slowly got to his feet. And started to raise the gun at Gregor.
Gregor took off down the tunnel, the man following close behind. He glanced over his shoulder, to see the man gaining on him. Gregor reached the end of the tunnel. As the man turned the corner, Gregor desperately looked for a place to hide.
"Drop," purred a voice. Had Gregor imagined it? No, there it was again. "Drop, Overlander!"
The man raised his gun, pointing it directly at Gregor's heart. Gregor hesitated a moment, then hurled himself into the dark void.
Chapter Two. Let me know what you think.