The Wonders Of Vast Emptiness

Chapter Seven: Omen

Sam soon began to get his appetite back, and the next day, something happened that was to surprise him. Edna called him, and he picked it up as soon as he could. "EDNA! I heard some screaming- and then I thought- I thought you were-" Edna interrupted him. "No, dear, I am fine. I was just a little scared, that's all. It's a shame we couldn't find my husband, but based on your classes, we may have to end the mission early, I'm afraid." Sam couldn't let this happen.

"No, Dr. Twolson came here to find more good, wherever this is. His only mission other than that was to take care of me. He is now my responsibility, and I shall have to find him." Over the next few days, Edna and Sam discussed the matter, trying to find out where Dr. Twolson was currently residing. Sam told her about the clerk, and his sudden call to apologize. He told her that if Dr. Twolson wasn't himself, he had to be returned to his own world, or they would have to wait it out until he returned back into his right mind.

During his dinner, in which Sam was eating in the lobby, the waiter accidentally pricked Sam's arm with his metal tray. It began to bleed. Sam remembered that the waiter said he couldn't bleed here, but he just assumed this is normal. The waiter, however, did not take it so lightly. His face went white as a ghost, and he dropped the plate with crackers and water on it. "Oh lordy, save this boy," he muttered to himself.

Sam didn't know why a man would make such a fuss about a cut, and he took a band-aid out of his pocket, and put it on. "It's just a cut, you know," he said to the waiter. "Oh, yes, sir. I know all about them. I assume you have gotten cuts before, but not here?" Sam shook his head. "Well, here, when somebody bleeds, and I hate to alarm you, it means by next week, you will perish."

Sam's face went as white as the waiter's. "But," he stammered. The waiter looked at him. "I'm sorry, and I wish you the best, sir."

At that, he clumsily picked up his tray, and left. Sam felt sick to his stomach, and he couldn't eat a bite. He went back up to his room, feeling stressed. Was it really true? That he was going to die in a week's time? If so, he had to find Dr. Twolson by then.

Luckily, for the next three days, many things were done that distracted Sam from his doom. For example, he played many games in the lobby, just hung around, and completely forgot about the omen.

One day, when Sam had just finished his morning toast, he got a call, as he did every day, from Edna. This time, she sounded more excited, more panicked, than Sam had ever seen (or heard) her before. "It's him. He's been residing in a restaurant for 3 hours now. What do you think? Should you go after him?" Sam knew what he had to do. "Yes, yes, I will." He punched in the name of the restaurant Edna quickly mentioned, and then hung up the phone. He found himself inside a battered restaurant, and heard a rustling.

Sam's heart was hammering inside his chest, and as he turned the corner, there he was. It was Dr. Twolson, looking much more rugged, much more scraggly than he had when they had first arrived. "Dr. Twolson!" said Sam. The man looked over, and smiled. "Sam, my dear boy."

Suddenly, the happiness of finding Dr. Twolson was flooded by Sam's anger.

"You weren't there for me. You didn't do anything to even show me that you were still alive. I was almost killed. KILLED! Three times, to be exact. I also got some stupid death omen that meant I am to die in 2 hours time. And most of all, you weren't there, to protect me, not at all. WHAT WAS GOING THROUGH YOUR HEAD?!"

Sam soon felt guilty of this outburst, but Dr. Twolson just looked at him. "I am truly sorry, I don't know what came over me." And then, at that exact moment, Sam's ears heard a banging going about in the other room. "They found us," croaked Dr. Twolson. Before Sam could realize who were "they", Dr. Twolson had scooped him up, and was running with Sam out the exit. Sam heard many noises, including a very loud shouting, as well as many guns cocking.

What was going on? Sam did not know. Inside a building that had looked like it had been abandoned for 20 years, both Sam and Dr. Twolson was hyperventilating. Sam knew to whisper, otherwise they might be found, by whoever these people were. "Who are they?" asked Sam. Dr. Twolson replied with, "They are the police, and like I told you, some people like us, and some don't. They think we have come here to destroy Tlio, and take everything from them. I tried reasoning with them, and you can imagine how that went.

Every day, I have wanted to return, but eventually I lost interest. I thought that they already recognized you from being from Earth, and as a result, I didn't return. My mission was to get back, but I couldn't find the gateway, as I lived in fear that every second I could be captured, and I couldn't tell my dear wife and everybody else your heroism for journeying here, and that is why I have been constantly on the move, constantly searching for a gateway."

Sam now understood, and they then realized that the police were breaking in.