Clash Of The Words: A Story Unfolds

Chapter 4

"We need to stop with the tea being spilt and the fights and the drama, because the sun's gonna come up any second, and we have a lot more work to do, so we need to figure out what's going on with this box," Colleen stated. "Well, I'm noticing that the box actually has the same symbols on it that were on your briefcase." " That symbol that's on top of the box is actually the same symbol that helped us with the séance to get to the 1970s, to begin with. It's the Society Against Evil symbol."

"What do you know about that?" "Essentially, the Society Against Evil fights all evil. I've been with them before. They failed in their mission, and that's why we're here." "Two people have died, and finally, now you decide that this is pertinent information for us to know, Joey? I'm not buying it." "If they failed, how are we supposed to succeed?" "I am a member of a secret organization known as the Society Against Evil, and we've been battling this wicked force for centuries." "I can confirm. We can trust these guys." 

"How do you you know that?" "I'm his brother." Samantha looks at the map. "This looks like green smoke." "Okay, so we got Shag's Motel." "Man with No Name's Lair. The Man with No Name was hunted because the town thought he was a freak of nature. He sure showed them."

Suddenly, there was a loud crash outside. "I think we should check it out, right?" Mortimer asked. The group went outside, and there was a dead body on the roof. "Should we take him off the popcorn machine?" "Oh, my, God, who is that?" "I don't know." "Wait, wait, wait. There's a book in here." "What does it say?" We're taking the book y'all. I'm just saying." They take the book and go back inside. 

"I'm getting close to finding the Statue of Era. His power is both terrifying and intoxicating. Many have died seeking to obtain it. After gathering their obituaries, I discovered that their deaths have been secretly chronicled in 'Adventures of Allan Quatermain.' There's something about placing the volumes in their proper order that will reveal the statue. The painting holds the key." "Okay, so we need...Books." "There are six books. We need to find six books, guys." They solve the puzzle. A wall falls down, and there's a whole secret room right there. This crazy door opens out of nowhere, and inside is this really scary statue. It must be the Statue of Era.

Inside the box, there's a note and a bunch of straws. The note says, "The Statue of Era infects all who touch it. To purify the crusted idol, five ancient stones must be placed at its feet. To find the stones, you must assemble two hunting parties by drawing straws from the box. The two with the short straws will be the party leaders. Starting with the youngest leader, they will take turns picking their team. The group to recover the stones will be safe from the final challenge. However, The Man with No Name protects his gems, and his touch removes you from the hunt for five minutes. Your only sanctuary is under a red light."

They split up into two teams. "Let's get this hunting party started." They walk outside, and there's a terrifying green mist covering the entire town.  And they notice these hands that have severed fingers. They're missing fingers. "Each clue will lead their respective group to a severed finger. After each finger is found, the group must return to their hand and put it back to the bone to receive the next clue." 

"There's an additional puzzle by the pump station that holds one of the Lazarus coins needed to open the Lazarus Box. It does not need to be completed to win, but if a hunting party manages to open it, they'll not only get the coin but be moved ahead to the final clue even if they've not solved the others." "Both teams, read your first clue," Mortimer said. "Stand between the sun and moon, and view the tree that died too soon." "Eight sides to feel the air, a romantic place to stop and stare."

The teams run around, trying to find clues.  Around the corner, comes The Man with No Name, towering over them. And he has really long arms. Joey grabs Michael by his wrist, and they run to the pump station. While the teams keep getting clues and avoid The Man with No Name, the brothers solve the puzzle. Matt and Safiya go to solve some clues. "Sun and moon, a tree that died too soon." "I found it. We got the first finger!" "Where's the next clue?"

"Fifteen doors on both sides, but in one, a secret resides."  "Stop and stair. Eight sides to feel the air, a romantic place to stop-" Michael and Joey find the coin, and head back to their team. "It's the gems. We won!" "So you guys found the stones?" "Yeah, we did. We have all four." "Good job." "So I guess that means that you guys are up for a vote?" Yeah, that is what that means. That is how the rules go."

"The blood gem can only be recovered by learning the name of the man without one. Two must be selected by vote to enter his toxic lair and steal it from him." They head back into the lounge. "I wanna hear my friends plead their cases. I wanna know what they feel they've done because I want the strongest competitors moving forward. Now, plead your case to us." "I think my record speaks for itself throughout this game. I've been committed to saving Everlock. I've been committed to ending the carnival master. I've been there, front of the line, solving puzzles, last-" Matthew was interrupted by Nikita. "I feel like, for this challenge, I sort of pulled my weight. The first clue, I feel like I knew it was the gazebo right away. I found both of our fingers."

"I've been through this 3 times already. I am not gonna die again," Michael stated. "Do you wanna just volunteer yourself at this point?" "Um-" "I care about everybody. I do have a few limitations. I'm a little smaller, so when we're all together, and we're all crowding around, I genuinely can't see..." "If we're looking at physical prowess, I can do the splits." "Prove it!" Matthew does the splits. 

"It is now time to vote. Only people from the losing team will be displayed. Are you ready? Let's start with you." After they voted, Calliope shuffled then drew two cards. "The StoryTeller. The second one...The Jet-Setter." "Maybe by going through this process, you'll find that fire." Michael, Mortimer and Ro go outside for the challenge. There's a bridge. "There are two sets of eight letters hidden throughout the lair that spell the name of The Man with No Name, one red and one yellow. The first to find their set and arrange them must call out his name. They will then receive the blood gem, and the other will be strangled."

"All right, are you ready? Michael, you're yellow. Ro, you're red. Approach the bridge." They approach the bridge and begin the challenge.  While this is going on, The Man with No Name is chasing them. They finally end up having three. "Where haven't I looked? Maybe over here." Ro asked herself. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven..." "Benjamin, Benjamin, that's your name!" Michael said. Benjamin roars and kills Ro.

Michael gets the gem and places it into the statue. "Let's get out of here," Mortimer said as Benjamin turned to dust. Back in the lounge, the duo arrives. Joey runs and hugs Michael. "Mikey! Are you okay?!" Joey asked. "I'm a fighter. And I'm gonna stick it out till the end!" "Wait... Where's Ro?" "She died..." Everyone gasped. "But... We got this." Joey pulls out one of the Lazarus coins. "Oh my god! Which means..." "We can open the box," Safiya said.