A violent shove woke me up. I felt dizzy from what had transpired the night before. My vision was blurry as I tried to focus on the shape above me.

" Wake up! Wake up before he comes back!" A female voice yelled. "Please, quickly!"

The woman got up and ran, dashing behind a wall. I looked to my left and saw the mark from the needle. My arm was numb with pain as it was hanging off of a ledge. I rolled over onto my side and saw that I was inside a destroyed house, on the second floor. Brick and stone laid crumbled and intact around me, a fraction of its former self.

The events of what happened the night before rushed into my present mind and confused me. That larvate man injected me with something? That awful nightmare I had?

My frustration was quickly replaced with confusion as I continued to observe my surroundings. The damaged stone house I resided in was on the edge of a forest. Redwood trees and ferns surrounded the ruins. Birds and animal calls echoed throughout the destroyed room. Behind me was a huge meadow with the trees of the forest lining its edge. In the distance through a light haze I could see the City.

My heart began to race unannounced. I felt the presence from behind me, one that now was not unfamiliar. I turned to see the man standing with his hands in the pockets of his large coat.

"Let me start with an introduction." The man softly spoke.

His voice was wavy and slightly muffled due to the mask, yet his soft spoken words were able to be projected. I was in shock. His calmness, his disposition. It was a stark contrast to what his actions said.

"What did you do to me? Who are you? Where am I?" I asked frantically.

I tried to stand, but stumbled backwards and fell onto the hard stone floor. I felt dizzy and disoriented. My vision was being pushed side to side as if I was drunk.

The man walked up to me and offered his gloved hand, "It seems that the injection hasn’t completely worn off yet."

"What did you inject me with?" My angry voice forced the man to step back with respect to my perspective of the situation, forcing his hand to retract.

"I cannot describe it very well, a Brother could though, but what I can tell you is that we are quite a distance away from The City. I realize how you are in shock right..."

I quickly snapped back, "In shock!? Are you fucking kidding me? You stalk me and follow me to my house and drug me with something and your response is some kind of shitty sympathy? Fuck off! I don’t care what you want. I want to leave this nightmare."

The man folded his hands and let out a sigh, "As I said, let me start with an introduction. I am Itzal." He placed his right hand over his breast and bowed.

His gesture was confusing. "So why am I here? What do you want from me?" I said as I started to calm down.

"You possess something that is very desirable amongst our brethren; passion." Itzal squeezed his gloved hands into a fist," You care about your work, your life, even when you are frustrated you still push through whatever it is because you care. You live life to its fullest and appreciate every little thing. You are a fighting man. You get what you want, but now you need a change of pace. Ah, pardon me I haven’t explained..."

I took a step back and let out a nervous chuckle, "So you have been watching me? Following everything I do? How much do you know about me? And what brethren? Are you part of some kind of cult?"

He aggressively took a step towards me, "A brotherhood, not a cult. A brotherhood of loyalty and trust. We push for a greater existence, a more meaningful life. We fight for what we believe. We choose to live a life for the greater good of civilization. Have you ever felt as if your efforts are being wasted? Perhaps recently you felt that there wasn’t much left in your life?"

My face turned slightly flush. A chuckle seeped from his mask.

"Ah. You and I both know there is not much left here for you. We find people who we think will become a worthy addition to our brotherhood. I can promise you fulfillment, everything you could ever want. Housing, food, loyalty, safety.

"And what makes you think I would just agree to this? What if I change my mind later on?"

Itzal stepped closer again," I believe you to be a smart individual, think about it. And, if you do make that decision, then you are free to leave."

I turned around looking down to the meadow. My mind was clouded with the events of the past day. I wanted to run away from those problems, run away and start a new life. Was this my opportunity?

I heard slow footsteps from behind me. Itzal was outside the house walking towards the forest.

Itzal stopped and said, "My invitation stands; create a new life, leave a meaningful mark on this earth. Don’t regret your choices."

I said in my continual disbelief," What would I be doing that is meaningful?"

"Follow me and you will see, trust is the first step. Trust me that you will make a wise decision, Nathan." Itzal responded.

I can’t say that I was surprised that he knew my name given that now I knew that he had been watching me, but it still caught me off guard. I turned back to the large meadow, looking out the City.

The man was right to a point. My career hasn’t brought me any satisfaction recently, in fact life has been pretty shitty lately and stagnant. Sharon cheating on me. The project being pulled. Peggy. My parents.

What could I lose? Maybe I wouldn’t see my friends for a while, apart from that? Absolutely nothing. My life was in shambles.

I heard the sound of his footsteps again. I turned and could barely see or hear him.

"Wait!" I yelled. The footsteps stopped.

"A wise decision." Itzal’s voice echoed.

I started to walk over the rubble when something in the corner of my eye caught my attention. A hand was gripping the side of one of the doorways, half of a pale face staring at me. Red hair shimmered as a woman slowly pulled herself into the doorframe. It must have been the woman who was trying to wake me up! Her hand began to tremble and tears ran down her cheeks. She raised her hand to her mouth as to not make a sound.

I turned and looked in the direction of Itzal. His dark figure stood in patience as he stared at me. Itzal offered his hand as a sign of guidance. I turned around again and heard soft sobbing, then quick footsteps. I began rethought my decision. But what of Peggy? What of my parents and sister? None of this seemed to matter to me now; I was numb. My subconscious was in control.

I turned to find Itzal next to me staring into my eyes. I could see dark pupils questioning me. He pulled his coat to the side and pulled out a gun.

It appeared to be a Smith and Wesson model 3. The revolver was a deep black, etched and stylized with gold, the barrel looked exactly the same as the one in my dream. Itzal stepped past me and cocked the hammer. He peaked around the edge of the house then swiftly moved around the corner ready to fire. After a moment he returned to where I was standing and holstered his revolver.

"Did you see someone over there?" He urgently asked. I stood as still as I possibly could and acted slightly confused.

" No, is something wrong?" I replied as he took a step right next to me.

"I hope not."

Itzal reached into his coat and pulled out another syringe. I let out a sigh of discomfort.

"Is this really necessary?" I questioned him.

"Remember the first step is trust. Trust me that I will not harm you. When you wake up you will be in your new home." Itzal calmly countered.

I walked to the nearest tree, sat down, and leaned against it. I pulled up my sleeve and tried to relax.

I chuckled," Are you going to carry me to wherever we are going?"

"One could say that." He said in his continual calmness.

Itzal kneeled down and slowly pushed the needle into my arm. I did not feel any pain this time. I thought about the woman and what her purpose was. Why did she care so much? How did she know who I was? The same coolness flowed around my body as I entered a dark bliss. I felt at peace. I was starting over.