Magnolia's Code

Inside the Caverns

The first thing Tim became aware of was the pain in his head. It was a pounding, blooming pain that made it hard to focus on anything else. Eyes squeezed firmly shut, he tried to block it out and go back to sleep. He told himself that if he could get back to sleep for a few more hours of sleep, he would make himself an actual breakfast for once, with bacon and scrambled eggs. And coffee. Lots of coffee.

But the pain in his head wouldn't let him go back to sleep. With a grumble of irritation, Tim groped around for his blankets. He must have kicked them off during the night, as he felt a draft of cool air on him. But there were no blankets. The material of his bed felt all wrong. Tim opened his eyes, and with a gasp, his memories rushed back in a torrent.

He had been knocked out in the middle of the Magnolia Caverns. No, someone had knocked Tim out. And brought him here, to this... home?

Tim was in what looked like a spacious living room. He was lying on a couch (which was pretty comfortable) surrounded by another couch and several plump chairs, all around a wooden coffee table. There were several bookcases against the far wall, stuffed to the brim with books and several contraptions that Tim didn't recognize. There was a rag rug spread out on the floor.

It all would have looked very normal if the walls weren't made of solid rock, and if the ceiling didn't have stalactites protruding down from it, and if the room wasn't lit by torches of ice-purple fire. Tim gripped the edge of the couch, confusion overtaking him, his head spinning worse than ever.

What was this? Was he still in the Magnolia Caverns? But that was impossible; after all, no one could possibly live in those caves without anyone else knowing about it. Jay would force them out faster than you could say "angry Swede with a gun".

But if he wasn't in the Magnolia Caverns, then where was he? He tried to stand up, but fell back onto the couch with a groan of pain, head spinning even faster. He was stuck here. His fear increased as he realized that his attacker could be back at any time, and all he could do was sit there helplessly.

His gaze caught on one of the torches of purple fire on the wall, and he watched it flickering back and forth for a while. He didn't realize he was becoming more relaxed until he nearly slid off the couch. With a startled breath, he caught himself and sat back up against the soft leather. He closed his eyes, draping his arm across them so as to block out the weird blue light.

"Hi," said a little voice very close to Tim's ear.

Tim screamed, eyes popping wide, arms flailing. This time, he really did fall off the couch, with a loud thump that echoed through the cave. An upside down face appeared over him, looking concerned, and he screamed again; it wasn't so much that he was startled or scared, but that he really didn't have anything else to say.

"Woah, okay!" the person exclaimed, disappearing from Tim's line of sight. "I got it. Backing off."

"Who--" Tim tried to say, but found that his throat was too raspy.

"Ah, jeez, I forgot," the person said in a no, duh tone. "You need water. I'll be right back."

There wasn't a sound of feet walking away like Tim had expected, so it was a little disconcerting when he was suddenly left in silence to try and feebly sit up on his own. He had finally made it back up onto the couch when something tapped him on the shoulder. This time he flinched badly, and made a sound like "uhh!" but didn't scream, which was an accomplishment at this point. He turned and saw a girl standing behind the couch, holding a mug of what looked like water.

"Sorry," she said apologetically, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm not used to having guests."

The girl was about Tim's age, probably shorter than he was, with frizzy blondish-brown hair that reached her shoulders. She looked strong in a wiry sort of way, with a thin frame and shoulders that were slightly wider than her hips. She was wearing an odd assortment of clothes: a baggy handmade sweater, a pair of unintentionally faded and ripped jeans, and a pair of modern hiking boots. She had a long nose, a heavyset jaw, and a mouth that was pulled slightly down on one side. But the most captivating and creepy thing about her was her irises, which were a piercing blood-red color.