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"There's not enough room in this forum for the two of us." FM slammed his emptied whisky glass down on the wooden counter. "Step outside, Grix......"
Grix eyed FM carefully. They'd known each other for a long time, but things had been gettin' a little strained lately."
"What's this about, FM," he demanded, making his way through the packed but hushed saloon and pushing the swinging doors outwards as he stepped onto the dusty ground outside.
"Well," replied FM, pushing open the doors again and following Grix outside into the hot, dry air, "You've bushwhacked one of my topics just one time too many. It's time we had this out. Mano a Mano. Poster to Poster."
Grix paused in his stride to think of a witty retort about FM's last comment, then decided that now was probably not the time.
"So, what's it to be? 10 paces, turn and fire?" asked Grix, making sure his gunbelt was fastened properly.
"You know me better than that, Grix. 30 paces." FM checked his gunbelt. The Smith and Wesson 6-shot revolver hung loosely at his right hip.
They stood back to back under the glare of the midday sun, and started to count.....
1....2....3....
The occupants of the saloon were packing the windows trying to get a glimpse of the showdown outside. This was unheard of. The last shootout in the town of Last Chance Reserve had been quite a time ago, when the Er-no posse had cleaned out the Desperate Dans, but this was different. Two equally matched opponents were about to face off.
Insane Bartender was going even more nuts behind the saloon's counter because he was losing good sales whilst all this was going on.
Outside, the count was at 25.... as FM glanced to his right and saw PB on the roof of the Red Splat Hotel and Boarding House, shotgun at hand. PB nodded with a knowing look. FM nodded back.
The count was 26.... as Grix looked across to the SR Saddlery, where he spied Sniper with his trusty Winchester Rifle. Grix gave a brief nod. Sniper returned it.
27....28...29..
Dust whirled up as both men spun to face each other. The blast of PB's shotgun firing both barrels broke the deafening silence that preceeded it, and a cloud of sand flew up at Grix's feet as the buckshot ploughed into the ground.
Grix drew his gun and took aim, FM was still drawing his because he was left handed and his belt was on the wrong way, Sniper fired his rifle, and there was a sharp report, then a clatter as PB dropped his shotgun and swandived off the roof of the hotel and landed in a horse trough.
FM grappled with his pistol, it had snagged in the holster, and he reminded himself to be more careful where he left his chewing gum.
Grix took pity. (No he didn't). Grix fired his gun. Fortunately, FM and done his research and Grix's eyesight wasn't as good as it should have been, and at 30 paces it was like trying to read a Wanted Poster through a mirage. Grix's first bullet flew out of town faster than a newbie Gameaday winner. He wasn't sure if he had hit FM or not, but then he heard FM pull back the hammer of his Smith and Wesson with a
*click*
Grix eyed FM carefully. They'd known each other for a long time, but things had been gettin' a little strained lately."
"What's this about, FM," he demanded, making his way through the packed but hushed saloon and pushing the swinging doors outwards as he stepped onto the dusty ground outside.
"Well," replied FM, pushing open the doors again and following Grix outside into the hot, dry air, "You've bushwhacked one of my topics just one time too many. It's time we had this out. Mano a Mano. Poster to Poster."
Grix paused in his stride to think of a witty retort about FM's last comment, then decided that now was probably not the time.
"So, what's it to be? 10 paces, turn and fire?" asked Grix, making sure his gunbelt was fastened properly.
"You know me better than that, Grix. 30 paces." FM checked his gunbelt. The Smith and Wesson 6-shot revolver hung loosely at his right hip.
They stood back to back under the glare of the midday sun, and started to count.....
1....2....3....
The occupants of the saloon were packing the windows trying to get a glimpse of the showdown outside. This was unheard of. The last shootout in the town of Last Chance Reserve had been quite a time ago, when the Er-no posse had cleaned out the Desperate Dans, but this was different. Two equally matched opponents were about to face off.
Insane Bartender was going even more nuts behind the saloon's counter because he was losing good sales whilst all this was going on.
Outside, the count was at 25.... as FM glanced to his right and saw PB on the roof of the Red Splat Hotel and Boarding House, shotgun at hand. PB nodded with a knowing look. FM nodded back.
The count was 26.... as Grix looked across to the SR Saddlery, where he spied Sniper with his trusty Winchester Rifle. Grix gave a brief nod. Sniper returned it.
27....28...29..
Dust whirled up as both men spun to face each other. The blast of PB's shotgun firing both barrels broke the deafening silence that preceeded it, and a cloud of sand flew up at Grix's feet as the buckshot ploughed into the ground.
Grix drew his gun and took aim, FM was still drawing his because he was left handed and his belt was on the wrong way, Sniper fired his rifle, and there was a sharp report, then a clatter as PB dropped his shotgun and swandived off the roof of the hotel and landed in a horse trough.
FM grappled with his pistol, it had snagged in the holster, and he reminded himself to be more careful where he left his chewing gum.
Grix took pity. (No he didn't). Grix fired his gun. Fortunately, FM and done his research and Grix's eyesight wasn't as good as it should have been, and at 30 paces it was like trying to read a Wanted Poster through a mirage. Grix's first bullet flew out of town faster than a newbie Gameaday winner. He wasn't sure if he had hit FM or not, but then he heard FM pull back the hammer of his Smith and Wesson with a
*click*
Page:
And as Grix stared, the sand cotinued to darken. It was almost black now, much like the sand of a volcanic region.
But there were no volcano's in this part of the world, were there?
Grix looked into the horizon as he could see the sun rising in the distance. Already?
The rise of the sun seemed to be rather slow, but as it came up it revealed something that couldn't possibly have been there all along. A volcano...
Grix turned to check that all else he knew was still behind him, and yes Jake lay on his pack in the sand, but beyond he, was nothing. Complete blackness.
__________________
The Dark Man looked into the fire.
"C'mon Grix, you're getting close. C'mon step into MY world"
But there were no volcano's in this part of the world, were there?
Grix looked into the horizon as he could see the sun rising in the distance. Already?
The rise of the sun seemed to be rather slow, but as it came up it revealed something that couldn't possibly have been there all along. A volcano...
Grix turned to check that all else he knew was still behind him, and yes Jake lay on his pack in the sand, but beyond he, was nothing. Complete blackness.
__________________
The Dark Man looked into the fire.
"C'mon Grix, you're getting close. C'mon step into MY world"
Night?
Again!
It was only a few hours this time...
Grix poked the fire with a stick. Heating up just fine.
Jake had put on a happy face mind. He seemed to stop worrying that he wasn't real... not an easy thing to do.
That, was a good thing.
However, Grix couldn't get the worry out of his mind about the sand... apparently his memories... as the sand got darker, then Grix's memories were fading away, being consumed by the evil.
The sand was a very dark brown.
That, was a bad thing.
Added to the fact of the town eating itself alive...
Grix's thoughts were interrupted by a sound...
Followed by another sound.
Jake held in his hand a pocket watch. It calmly played a sweet tune. It was about 10 seconds long... but it was repeated until the big spring inside ran out of energy.
The music stopped. Jake winded the watch again, and it started to sing.
Grix sat next to Jake. There was a picture inside the cover of the watch.
"Your wife?" Grix asked.
"Yes... isn't she beautiful?..." Jake sighed. "She was taken away from me a long time ago... God wanted her where she belonged, obviously, among the angels..."
Grix felt uneasy.
"I did re-marry... but Meka was to my first wife. My second raised her as if he was her own."
The music stopped... he winded it again. It began to play.
Jake got up... and threw the watch as hard as he could into the desert. He then sat back down in the sand, pulled his sheet over him, and went to sleep.
Grix stared into the sands...
Again!
It was only a few hours this time...
Grix poked the fire with a stick. Heating up just fine.
Jake had put on a happy face mind. He seemed to stop worrying that he wasn't real... not an easy thing to do.
That, was a good thing.
However, Grix couldn't get the worry out of his mind about the sand... apparently his memories... as the sand got darker, then Grix's memories were fading away, being consumed by the evil.
The sand was a very dark brown.
That, was a bad thing.
Added to the fact of the town eating itself alive...
Grix's thoughts were interrupted by a sound...
Followed by another sound.
Jake held in his hand a pocket watch. It calmly played a sweet tune. It was about 10 seconds long... but it was repeated until the big spring inside ran out of energy.
The music stopped. Jake winded the watch again, and it started to sing.
Grix sat next to Jake. There was a picture inside the cover of the watch.
"Your wife?" Grix asked.
"Yes... isn't she beautiful?..." Jake sighed. "She was taken away from me a long time ago... God wanted her where she belonged, obviously, among the angels..."
Grix felt uneasy.
"I did re-marry... but Meka was to my first wife. My second raised her as if he was her own."
The music stopped... he winded it again. It began to play.
Jake got up... and threw the watch as hard as he could into the desert. He then sat back down in the sand, pulled his sheet over him, and went to sleep.
Grix stared into the sands...
get rid of Dans topic post, ignore.
Pb and FM stared straight at the hoard of Indians before their eyes.
"So, we've come to help." explained Ant. "What's going on?"
"We need to get everyone away from the gallows, and whatever they do, they musn't disturb the stand. It's very important." said Pb.
Ant gave some orders and 30 men ran past him to sort the crowds out. "You can trust us to look after the town for you, Sheepy can show us around now."
The rest of the gang got a wagon ready and headed out towards where Grix was lasted spotted. FM drove and Pb sat in the back with Venombyte and two of Ant's Indians for protection. They weren't sure exactly how they'd get Grix out of here or stop the Dark man from leaving, but they'd have to try soon. Pb looked at his watch, they should have already left here, he was unsure just how much harm they were doing to Grix's mind by changing things or by using the technology to actually keep them in the cartridge. Things were already strained and some of the people seemed to be falling apart at the seams, but if the Dark man managed to manipulate the whole town and create a way out then there'd be a big problem in the outside world and it was unlikely that they'd ever leave this place again.
-------------
The black crow circled for a while. It knew every inch of this land, but there seemed to be a new part that it hadn't seen before. It looked unstable, like it was in a constant heat haze.
------------
The Dark Man was staring in to his fire again. He watched the Indian tribe try to seperate the town's folk. 'This must not happen,' he thought, but there was still a lot of bad feeling towards the indians in the town, perhaps it may end up being benificial if he could just turn it around. All he needed was one person to start it off........
"So, we've come to help." explained Ant. "What's going on?"
"We need to get everyone away from the gallows, and whatever they do, they musn't disturb the stand. It's very important." said Pb.
Ant gave some orders and 30 men ran past him to sort the crowds out. "You can trust us to look after the town for you, Sheepy can show us around now."
The rest of the gang got a wagon ready and headed out towards where Grix was lasted spotted. FM drove and Pb sat in the back with Venombyte and two of Ant's Indians for protection. They weren't sure exactly how they'd get Grix out of here or stop the Dark man from leaving, but they'd have to try soon. Pb looked at his watch, they should have already left here, he was unsure just how much harm they were doing to Grix's mind by changing things or by using the technology to actually keep them in the cartridge. Things were already strained and some of the people seemed to be falling apart at the seams, but if the Dark man managed to manipulate the whole town and create a way out then there'd be a big problem in the outside world and it was unlikely that they'd ever leave this place again.
-------------
The black crow circled for a while. It knew every inch of this land, but there seemed to be a new part that it hadn't seen before. It looked unstable, like it was in a constant heat haze.
------------
The Dark Man was staring in to his fire again. He watched the Indian tribe try to seperate the town's folk. 'This must not happen,' he thought, but there was still a lot of bad feeling towards the indians in the town, perhaps it may end up being benificial if he could just turn it around. All he needed was one person to start it off........
Pb adjusted his long jacket, and made sure his gun was still at his side...
What happened then? ...Pb remembered visions of green men and people called Ken...
FantasyMeister starred at him... "Are you ok?"
"Just fine... yeah..."
--------------------
Tony found himself back in a rocking wagon... strange... he could have sworn...
"What are you thinking about now?" Fate shouted at him again... "Always thinking you are... that's your problem."
"THANK you Mrs. Analysis... but I can make my own judgements."
Fate stared at her husband as if he was a small piece of dirt on the end of her nose.
Tony thought about apolgising... and did so.
--------------------
"So where is Grix now?" Asked Meka... still unsure why his nose was bleeding, but glad that the blond haired man had gone.
"I'm not sure. He may be heading back here now, but... I don't know."
A man with dark eyes watched from the rooftops.
What happened then? ...Pb remembered visions of green men and people called Ken...
FantasyMeister starred at him... "Are you ok?"
"Just fine... yeah..."
--------------------
Tony found himself back in a rocking wagon... strange... he could have sworn...
"What are you thinking about now?" Fate shouted at him again... "Always thinking you are... that's your problem."
"THANK you Mrs. Analysis... but I can make my own judgements."
Fate stared at her husband as if he was a small piece of dirt on the end of her nose.
Tony thought about apolgising... and did so.
--------------------
"So where is Grix now?" Asked Meka... still unsure why his nose was bleeding, but glad that the blond haired man had gone.
"I'm not sure. He may be heading back here now, but... I don't know."
A man with dark eyes watched from the rooftops.
No time to write!
Night again... what part of his mind was making the days shorter? He was so tired... perhaps it was some sort of clue...
Jake walked in the sand... like a cat in a bag, waiting to die...
He had given up on all hope now. He had some kind of transparent soul taking his mind away, leaving some kind of half being. Not really sure if he was alive or not.
Grix's sub-concious had created this land... suprisingly detailed...
Grix smiled. He thought his dreams were getting realistic recently... going into a dream, never to wake from it. Rather like The Matrix in many ways...
The Matrix. What was that? Some sort of... film? Yes. Movies. He watched a lot of them... The Matrix was about people trapped inside a huge computer game, which everyone thought was reality. Not a million miles from what he was in now.
He must have watched it outside... in the real life... or whatever.
He remembered that people could break the rules of reality... but...
This was a dream. Not created by something greater than him... created BY him. No way of changing it. He was living only what his subconcious wanted it to be.
He was suprised at the small amount of women that have appeared so far.
He concentrated... tried to visualise one...
Nope. Nothing happened.
He sighed... and looked back to Jake again. Walking through the sands like a zombie.
Why was his mind so harsh? To create hundreds of people... only to kill them off?
The end of the world. Not something that anyone is prepared for... especially not Jake.
He seemed so strong to begin with... but to find out that his whole life didn't exist, to understand that he never got married, never went on a honeymoon...
Never loved. Never had a child.
Never cried. Never had an ounce of joy. Never lived.
What could he tell the man that had nothing?
Nothing to live for... and yet, didn't want to die?
Of course he had something to live for... his life! What he was doing now, HE was doing. On his own...
But... no. He wasn't was he. It was Grix's subconscious controlling him. Even though he believes that he is making himself move, making him think, making him breathe... it was him... controlling like some kind of sadistic God.
Was there anyway of keeping the dream alive? To make the characters real?
...For what use? They couldn't live truly... They were just puppets.
Grix sighed again... he really needed to talk to his brain. He felt a bit useless without it... Grix smiled to himself.
Grix felt very useless... not in control of anything...
Jake walked in the sand... like a cat in a bag, waiting to die...
He had given up on all hope now. He had some kind of transparent soul taking his mind away, leaving some kind of half being. Not really sure if he was alive or not.
Grix's sub-concious had created this land... suprisingly detailed...
Grix smiled. He thought his dreams were getting realistic recently... going into a dream, never to wake from it. Rather like The Matrix in many ways...
The Matrix. What was that? Some sort of... film? Yes. Movies. He watched a lot of them... The Matrix was about people trapped inside a huge computer game, which everyone thought was reality. Not a million miles from what he was in now.
He must have watched it outside... in the real life... or whatever.
He remembered that people could break the rules of reality... but...
This was a dream. Not created by something greater than him... created BY him. No way of changing it. He was living only what his subconcious wanted it to be.
He was suprised at the small amount of women that have appeared so far.
He concentrated... tried to visualise one...
Nope. Nothing happened.
He sighed... and looked back to Jake again. Walking through the sands like a zombie.
Why was his mind so harsh? To create hundreds of people... only to kill them off?
The end of the world. Not something that anyone is prepared for... especially not Jake.
He seemed so strong to begin with... but to find out that his whole life didn't exist, to understand that he never got married, never went on a honeymoon...
Never loved. Never had a child.
Never cried. Never had an ounce of joy. Never lived.
What could he tell the man that had nothing?
Nothing to live for... and yet, didn't want to die?
Of course he had something to live for... his life! What he was doing now, HE was doing. On his own...
But... no. He wasn't was he. It was Grix's subconscious controlling him. Even though he believes that he is making himself move, making him think, making him breathe... it was him... controlling like some kind of sadistic God.
Was there anyway of keeping the dream alive? To make the characters real?
...For what use? They couldn't live truly... They were just puppets.
Grix sighed again... he really needed to talk to his brain. He felt a bit useless without it... Grix smiled to himself.
Grix felt very useless... not in control of anything...
Pb pulled FM into the front room of his shack.
"Look, snap out of it. You've got to remember that we're not part of all this."
FM continued to look blank. Pb realised that the Dark man had done something to his mind to make him believe he was really part of the town himself. That's why it was important to take him away from Grix and the Stranger, letting Grix try to work things out for himself. Of course, it wasn't really a good idea to send the other aspect of Grix in there to help him, he just got confused and became another part of Grix's mind, but at least it should have jolted his memory again.
Pb tried again. "Remember this?" he held FMs digital watch in front of him.
"What the heck is that thing?" said FM in a southern drawl, then put his hand to his head. "Wait a minute! Pb, I remember - the factory, the future. oh, my head!"
FM was back to normal, but the others must never find the exit to the real world in Pb's shack, otherwise some serious problems could occur. He wasn't even sure whether the people from Grix's creation could enter the real world, but he was certain that he didn't want to find out.
"Right." he said to FM. "We've got to stop the Dark Man blowing up the town, otherwise the cartridge won't take it and will crack, allowing him to escape again. We've also got to help Grix get out of here, and the only way to do that is to make him remember everything and then bring him here,"
"But his body?" asked FM, still clutching his head. "Wasn't that buried?"
"We had it cryogenically frozen, remember." said pb as they rushed out the house to tell the others to help get everyone away from there. Defusing the bomb was tough, but not impossible. If only they had more help to lift the gallows and to get people to safety.
-------------
Ant was still leading the group of indians to the town. Things were changing subtly though and he found it difficult to keep track of them. His memories were now making him believe he was once called Ken and had lived in Japan, but that couldn't be right, could it?
The edge of the town was close now and he turned to the indian nearest him to issue the orders.
"Dalsim, take 50 of the men with you to the town and see what you can do. I'll take the others to the other side.
-------------
Tony felt the rage inside him grow. He would get Pb and venombyte for all the tricks they'd pulled on him. He turned to go back to the town, but suddenly his headache reappeared. Visions of a jungle swirled around in his mind and his hands appeared to be turning green. He shook his head and the visions disappeared. He walked back to the town to see what was happening.
-------------
Sheriff Meka was sitting by the side of the road holding his bloody nose. He was trying to focus on the strange dream he had just experienced. He remembered looking in the mirror and instead of his reflection, he saw a man in strange green patchy clothes, almost like someone ready for war, and yellow hair.
-------------
The Dark man was running now. He must stop the memories and the only way to do this was to stop Grix. Forever.
"Look, snap out of it. You've got to remember that we're not part of all this."
FM continued to look blank. Pb realised that the Dark man had done something to his mind to make him believe he was really part of the town himself. That's why it was important to take him away from Grix and the Stranger, letting Grix try to work things out for himself. Of course, it wasn't really a good idea to send the other aspect of Grix in there to help him, he just got confused and became another part of Grix's mind, but at least it should have jolted his memory again.
Pb tried again. "Remember this?" he held FMs digital watch in front of him.
"What the heck is that thing?" said FM in a southern drawl, then put his hand to his head. "Wait a minute! Pb, I remember - the factory, the future. oh, my head!"
FM was back to normal, but the others must never find the exit to the real world in Pb's shack, otherwise some serious problems could occur. He wasn't even sure whether the people from Grix's creation could enter the real world, but he was certain that he didn't want to find out.
"Right." he said to FM. "We've got to stop the Dark Man blowing up the town, otherwise the cartridge won't take it and will crack, allowing him to escape again. We've also got to help Grix get out of here, and the only way to do that is to make him remember everything and then bring him here,"
"But his body?" asked FM, still clutching his head. "Wasn't that buried?"
"We had it cryogenically frozen, remember." said pb as they rushed out the house to tell the others to help get everyone away from there. Defusing the bomb was tough, but not impossible. If only they had more help to lift the gallows and to get people to safety.
-------------
Ant was still leading the group of indians to the town. Things were changing subtly though and he found it difficult to keep track of them. His memories were now making him believe he was once called Ken and had lived in Japan, but that couldn't be right, could it?
The edge of the town was close now and he turned to the indian nearest him to issue the orders.
"Dalsim, take 50 of the men with you to the town and see what you can do. I'll take the others to the other side.
-------------
Tony felt the rage inside him grow. He would get Pb and venombyte for all the tricks they'd pulled on him. He turned to go back to the town, but suddenly his headache reappeared. Visions of a jungle swirled around in his mind and his hands appeared to be turning green. He shook his head and the visions disappeared. He walked back to the town to see what was happening.
-------------
Sheriff Meka was sitting by the side of the road holding his bloody nose. He was trying to focus on the strange dream he had just experienced. He remembered looking in the mirror and instead of his reflection, he saw a man in strange green patchy clothes, almost like someone ready for war, and yellow hair.
-------------
The Dark man was running now. He must stop the memories and the only way to do this was to stop Grix. Forever.
Jake lit his cigar.
"It looks like things don't have to make sense in this Godawful land after all..."
Grix lit his cigar, and picked up his belongings.
"Grix," Jake said. "Where were you brought up?"
"In a small town called Forgiveness. Out on the border... we had a small ranch..."
"We?"
"Me and my parents. No brothers or sisters or anything like that..." Grix continued. "We spent most of our time milking, or collecting the eggs... I used to help get water from the well, by riding the donkey around the well and this great big mechanism pulled... I was never sure how it worked."
"What happened to your parents Grix?"
Grix didn't really want to answer. "Are you getting to a point?"
"Yes."
"My parents were murdered when I was at a young age, at least 12 years old, maybe more. A dark man entered and began shooting... I never found out why. I tried to shoot him as he escaped... but I was young, and a bad shot."
"Did you ever find that dark man?"
"...No. Can we change the subject?"
Jake blew the smoke from his mouth. "Wake up call Grix. You didn't live on a ranch, and you didn't milk the cows or collect the eggs... and your parents weren't killed by the "dark man"."
Grix stopped in his step. It made sense to him... but it was hard to believe.
"What do you mean?"
"Your memories are a farce Grix. You are not a cowboy. You were not brought up here, and you are not walking through the sand talking to me at this precise point in time."
Grix looked at him again... this was something to take in... but he still didn't understand.
"Do you want to know why I wanted to kill you?"
Jake got out the scroll from the grave...
He opened it, and gave it to Grix.
-----------------------
"Tony?" Called pb... "TONY!"
He turned in his step. "What do you want? I haven't got time for you..."
"There's someone here Tony, who's dying to see you... and... err... she won't go away."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "She? Where?"
Pb pointed to down the town, outside... near the railroad station.
"On my way!" Said Tony... jogging down towards the station.
He got to it... and looked around. No-one there. Damn... Pb had fooled him!
Then, suddenly, there was a voice behind him.
"YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!"
It was Fate.
"Oh God..." Tony said under his breath.
"I'll give you Oh God... you get back home now! I put supper on FIVE days ago! And where are you! HERE! Pretending to be the sheriff!"
"I'm... err... sorry..."
Fate grabbed Tony by his ear, and pulled him onto the stage coach waiting. The driver cracked the whip, and the horses pulled Tony and Fate out into the desert...
-----------------------
To the finders of this scroll... Or in other words, you, Grix.
I have been unable to contact you recently. Even on our own land, it is difficult to reach you. As I write this, I am heading for the town. I expect to see you there soon.
I know that you cannot remember anything apart from being in the desert... your memory will return, in time at least. But for now, you're going to have to trust me.
A few years back, you had a terrible accident, and your memory, and mind, was trapped on a Megadrive cartridge. You did this, because you needed to fight a great evil, and stop him from destroying the world.
Unfortuantly, you lost. Fortunatly, he didn't destroy the world. He, AND you, were trapped on a Megadrive cartridge, and you've been in stuck on it for five years now.
In those five years... you have created your own heaven. You have delved deep into yourself, and you have discovered the way that you want to live. All your friends are here... and you have chosen to become a cowboy and live in the desert, beyond all expectations.
It probably had something to do with that Clint Eastwood season that ITV was running at the time.
Anyway, your mind took over the cartridge, and you have developed your own world to live in. All the people in it are just figments of your imagination, put there to make you feel more peaceful.
However... the evil that was trapped in the cartridge has penatrated your mind, and has began to eat into it. You may have noticed the colour of the sand changing. That is your memories being eaten away. The town is your self being, your actual thoughts and feelings... and the people who live there are tearing themselves apart.
There is one hope however... I know that two people have managed to enter your mind... I expect one to be Pb... but I'm unsure of the other one, I expect FantasyMeister. There may be more, I'm unsure.
When they entered your mind, they became unaware of any difference. They took your dream as real life, and they have no idea that they were once living in the real world. It will be hard to explain to them.
The only other real people in this dream of yours, is I, who you will recognise when you see me, and the evil. Under another form. I think you know who he is.
Everybody else was just created by your mind. They have no emotion. They can not love. They can not ever feel pain, feel angst... or anything else that is possible in real life.
When the dream ends, so do they. Good luck trying to understand this... it took me a while myself.
In the meantime, get back to the town. You are needed there, and I am waiting for you.
-Your brain.
Grix looked over to Jake sitting in the sand... the lump on his head felt much less painful now...
Jake spoke... "After I read that... I felt so angry. I couldn't believe... When I saw your grave, something ticked in my mind, and I knocked you out and buried you alive."
Grix looked at Jake as he spoke. He held no tears...
"I visited a town after I buried you... and I met a girl. She talked to me... and I realised that everything in that scroll is true..."
Jake took another suck from his cigar.
"I realised that I would never be able to feel love... and even though I was happy here, I was stopping a good man from living... Something I would never be able to do."
The man got up, and walked off towards the town. Grix stared at him for a moment.
"Are we going or not?" Jake said...
"It looks like things don't have to make sense in this Godawful land after all..."
Grix lit his cigar, and picked up his belongings.
"Grix," Jake said. "Where were you brought up?"
"In a small town called Forgiveness. Out on the border... we had a small ranch..."
"We?"
"Me and my parents. No brothers or sisters or anything like that..." Grix continued. "We spent most of our time milking, or collecting the eggs... I used to help get water from the well, by riding the donkey around the well and this great big mechanism pulled... I was never sure how it worked."
"What happened to your parents Grix?"
Grix didn't really want to answer. "Are you getting to a point?"
"Yes."
"My parents were murdered when I was at a young age, at least 12 years old, maybe more. A dark man entered and began shooting... I never found out why. I tried to shoot him as he escaped... but I was young, and a bad shot."
"Did you ever find that dark man?"
"...No. Can we change the subject?"
Jake blew the smoke from his mouth. "Wake up call Grix. You didn't live on a ranch, and you didn't milk the cows or collect the eggs... and your parents weren't killed by the "dark man"."
Grix stopped in his step. It made sense to him... but it was hard to believe.
"What do you mean?"
"Your memories are a farce Grix. You are not a cowboy. You were not brought up here, and you are not walking through the sand talking to me at this precise point in time."
Grix looked at him again... this was something to take in... but he still didn't understand.
"Do you want to know why I wanted to kill you?"
Jake got out the scroll from the grave...
He opened it, and gave it to Grix.
-----------------------
"Tony?" Called pb... "TONY!"
He turned in his step. "What do you want? I haven't got time for you..."
"There's someone here Tony, who's dying to see you... and... err... she won't go away."
Tony raised an eyebrow. "She? Where?"
Pb pointed to down the town, outside... near the railroad station.
"On my way!" Said Tony... jogging down towards the station.
He got to it... and looked around. No-one there. Damn... Pb had fooled him!
Then, suddenly, there was a voice behind him.
"YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF EXPLAINING TO DO!"
It was Fate.
"Oh God..." Tony said under his breath.
"I'll give you Oh God... you get back home now! I put supper on FIVE days ago! And where are you! HERE! Pretending to be the sheriff!"
"I'm... err... sorry..."
Fate grabbed Tony by his ear, and pulled him onto the stage coach waiting. The driver cracked the whip, and the horses pulled Tony and Fate out into the desert...
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To the finders of this scroll... Or in other words, you, Grix.
I have been unable to contact you recently. Even on our own land, it is difficult to reach you. As I write this, I am heading for the town. I expect to see you there soon.
I know that you cannot remember anything apart from being in the desert... your memory will return, in time at least. But for now, you're going to have to trust me.
A few years back, you had a terrible accident, and your memory, and mind, was trapped on a Megadrive cartridge. You did this, because you needed to fight a great evil, and stop him from destroying the world.
Unfortuantly, you lost. Fortunatly, he didn't destroy the world. He, AND you, were trapped on a Megadrive cartridge, and you've been in stuck on it for five years now.
In those five years... you have created your own heaven. You have delved deep into yourself, and you have discovered the way that you want to live. All your friends are here... and you have chosen to become a cowboy and live in the desert, beyond all expectations.
It probably had something to do with that Clint Eastwood season that ITV was running at the time.
Anyway, your mind took over the cartridge, and you have developed your own world to live in. All the people in it are just figments of your imagination, put there to make you feel more peaceful.
However... the evil that was trapped in the cartridge has penatrated your mind, and has began to eat into it. You may have noticed the colour of the sand changing. That is your memories being eaten away. The town is your self being, your actual thoughts and feelings... and the people who live there are tearing themselves apart.
There is one hope however... I know that two people have managed to enter your mind... I expect one to be Pb... but I'm unsure of the other one, I expect FantasyMeister. There may be more, I'm unsure.
When they entered your mind, they became unaware of any difference. They took your dream as real life, and they have no idea that they were once living in the real world. It will be hard to explain to them.
The only other real people in this dream of yours, is I, who you will recognise when you see me, and the evil. Under another form. I think you know who he is.
Everybody else was just created by your mind. They have no emotion. They can not love. They can not ever feel pain, feel angst... or anything else that is possible in real life.
When the dream ends, so do they. Good luck trying to understand this... it took me a while myself.
In the meantime, get back to the town. You are needed there, and I am waiting for you.
-Your brain.
Grix looked over to Jake sitting in the sand... the lump on his head felt much less painful now...
Jake spoke... "After I read that... I felt so angry. I couldn't believe... When I saw your grave, something ticked in my mind, and I knocked you out and buried you alive."
Grix looked at Jake as he spoke. He held no tears...
"I visited a town after I buried you... and I met a girl. She talked to me... and I realised that everything in that scroll is true..."
Jake took another suck from his cigar.
"I realised that I would never be able to feel love... and even though I was happy here, I was stopping a good man from living... Something I would never be able to do."
The man got up, and walked off towards the town. Grix stared at him for a moment.
"Are we going or not?" Jake said...
Things were getting close to breaking point in the town. Tony stood by the side of the gallows and screamed a piercing scream to everyone around. His brain was trying to rebel against the pressure of the hold that something or someone had on it and he couldn't think straight anymore. All he cared about was that the town was his, but he felt like no one was listening to him anymore.
pb, Venombyte and FM were still trying to cautiously explain to Sheriff Meka what they were doing, while at the same time giving nothing away. Suddenly, Meka screamed in pain and held his head. A trickle of blood began to fall from his nose and he turned and ran towards the middle of the town. Pb looked on in horror, suddenly realising that the centre of the town was a focus point of all the anger and bad vibes that he'd been feeling all this time.
"We must get everyone away from the gallows." he said suddenly and beckoned to the others to follow him, only stopping to pick up a bag of money that had been left by Tony earlier that day. There was only one thing that could lure Tony away from there and if he went then perhaps the others might follow.
------------------------
Ant shook his head. He knew now that the dark one was playing games with him, and not only him by the looks of it. Memory was coming back to him in patches, but he must remain focused. He needed to get to the town and lead the army to break the spell that the dark one had put on the people. If he got there too late then it would all be for nothing.
The flashbacks continued. Ant remembered that his sugar plantation had been visited by a strange man in a dark suit one day. He had done something to all the workers at the plant and Ant tried to prevent the dark man from killing them. He called his rivals in to warn them and they had strangely turned on him. The flashback ended and Ant found himself leading the pack of indians towards the town once more.
pb, Venombyte and FM were still trying to cautiously explain to Sheriff Meka what they were doing, while at the same time giving nothing away. Suddenly, Meka screamed in pain and held his head. A trickle of blood began to fall from his nose and he turned and ran towards the middle of the town. Pb looked on in horror, suddenly realising that the centre of the town was a focus point of all the anger and bad vibes that he'd been feeling all this time.
"We must get everyone away from the gallows." he said suddenly and beckoned to the others to follow him, only stopping to pick up a bag of money that had been left by Tony earlier that day. There was only one thing that could lure Tony away from there and if he went then perhaps the others might follow.
------------------------
Ant shook his head. He knew now that the dark one was playing games with him, and not only him by the looks of it. Memory was coming back to him in patches, but he must remain focused. He needed to get to the town and lead the army to break the spell that the dark one had put on the people. If he got there too late then it would all be for nothing.
The flashbacks continued. Ant remembered that his sugar plantation had been visited by a strange man in a dark suit one day. He had done something to all the workers at the plant and Ant tried to prevent the dark man from killing them. He called his rivals in to warn them and they had strangely turned on him. The flashback ended and Ant found himself leading the pack of indians towards the town once more.
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