Timekeeper part 4

The fifth and chapter in a book I named Timekeeper where a boy finds himself pulled into a world that’s not his own, where much is expected of him. Friends turn to enemies as the boy is dragged deeper into the long dead world of Tithus discovering secrets that should have been left secret, medalling with powers that could lead to their own fall, just as the Timekeepers before them. Enjoy as the mystery unfolds..."

Chapter 5-All is revealed
Charlotte stepped out pistol drawn and surveyed her surroundings before motioning Samuel to join her. Red and orange rays of light danced around the derelict room coming from the many holes that littered the walls. Silence hung heavy over the ruin, not even the wind dared to disturb it.
Samuel stared wide eyed at the ship barely believing his eyes, it was real! He then continued to follow Charlotte down endless corridors earning glairs from her every time he stepped on the derby that carpeted the floor as she made her way gracefully with impossible silence. He caught glimpses of a city through broken walls, or at least what was left.
They entered a room, the floor being the only part of it that remained and it seemed that they had reached their destination. “Welcome, to the planet of the Timekeepers,”
Samuel gasped in awe at the dead city, the two suns illuminating the graveyard.
Charlotte walked to the edge and sat down dangling her legs over the side motioning for Samuel to join her. “What you see is what remains of the Timekeepers, they were once like gods, or so they liked to think. They came from Earth in great machines many years ago, before the ice age, and took with them Time. I was told that it was the greatest power that ever existed, it’s what gave the Timekeepers their knowledge, there power and their wisdom. It brought their inventions to life.
“How do you know it was real?”
“Was, it still is, it’s hidden in these ruins and this energy is in your blood, it drives you any way where skipping ahead don’t interrupt. As the Timekeepers became more powerful, there inventions becoming more elaborate to the point where they were practically immortal. Then the Dreamers found out, the galactic church if you will, they know no limits and have no rules and of cause no man should have the power of a god. So as you can see they butchered this planet. The Timekeepers had not defence; they were men of science not of the sword but they used what they had and for a time it worked. They created the Wraiths, crude machines created from the dead fused with metal some even did it to them self .Wraiths quite literally would not die unless you ground them into powder,
“You know a lot about Wraiths,”
“We still get them, as I said they don’t die, you can knock them up a bit but they’ll be back. But even they couldn’t stop the Dreamers, once the big Wraiths where pulverised the small ones where but an itch and the Dreamers rounded up the remaining Timekeepers and tortured them for information on the whereabouts of Time, but no one told them, their still looking for it to this day. Before extinction the Counsel of Timekeepers had hid Time and took drops from it putting them in small bug like contraptions and sent them back to their home…Earth where they would choose a combatable host and inject into them Time which in turn would kill them…”
“Wait I’m dead!”
“Yes now keep your voice down!
“So I’m stuck here,”
“Not exactly if you’d let me finish. As I was saying it would kill the host because the body would not be able to cope and bring it back as a demi Timekeeper. In your blood runs Time, your body back on earth does not need air to survive, it doesn’t need food or water. While you’re here your body will almost appear dead, apart from your brain activity, that will be off the charts. Know that clock on your risk is counting up isn’t it?”
“Yes, what’s that got to do with this?”
“Everything, while you’re here it will count up because your body survives on Time energy, basically your recharging your body. When you wake up back on earth it will count down because you’re using that energy to live,”
“So nine hours here is nine hour’s home, what happens when it hits zero?”
“Yep, when it hits zero you’ll get ripped from your body quite harshly and wake up here, I would suggest coming back an hour or so before you hit zero because that last hour you will feel quite nauseous and very week and it’s a lot more gentle coming voluntarily,”
“So how do I get here and anything else I should know any super powers?”
Charlotte almost laughed “No, maybe increased strength, intelligences and healing but you can’t fly or see through walls and all you got to do is close your eyes and fall asleep and you’ll reform here,”
“Sounds good to me! How come yours are black and all on zero?”
“I died,”
“Oh, I’m sorry, wait your dead!”
“It’s ok, been dead some time, if you get killed back home your get stuck here and your clock goes out but if you die here you’ll wake up because your body gets reformed every time you come back any way,”
“Do you know how you died if you don’t mind me asking?”
“Probably in a German bombing, I was in a psychiatric hospital in London, world war Two last thing I remember was a siren going off,”
“German bombing. World war two! That was over 70/80 year ago!”]
“Really, what year is it?”
“January 2013, we won the war, you look twenty!”
“Why thank you,” Samuel blushed, “another advantage of being a demi Timekeeper even when dead in one world you still have a bit of energy left but eventually it’ll run out and you end up 100% human but stuck in the wrong world, like a friend Lauren she only last 5 years until she was back to normal, she would come back half dead and used all her energy on healing! I’ve still got a little juice left,”
“You said you were in a psychiatric hospital, why?”
Charlottes tone suddenly became quite sad, “You were lucky; this was your first time here wasn’t it?”
“Yes?”
“I was 8 when I first found this place. I was out in the country side one day in are holiday home with Pa when I was bitten. I went to bed that night with a fever and awake here. Naked and alone I stumbled around dark corridors until something found me and tore me apart. This happened every night, I learned to run believe me no one but the Wraith is as fast as me, but that only prolonged my torture and the results where the same, they would find me, and kill me. And I would wake up screaming until I feel a sleep and it would begin again. This happened every night, my parents didn’t understand and I didn’t dare show them the clock. Desperate they put me in a psychiatric hospital thinking they could fix me. The drugs only made me stay longer in this hell, I tried knifing out the clock but when I woke up not a scratch. This went on for years, I was 12 when Lauren found me and took me in. This place became my reality and I was almost glad to die, my parents had nothing to do with me, to the world I was nut job but here I was so much more,”
Samuel was speechless “Oh I’m so sorry, must have been horrible,” was all he could say.
“It’s ok it happened, I sat where you sit now while Lauren gave me her life story and told me of the Timekeepers and Dreamers, do you believe me know?”
“Yes,” was all he could say.
“One more thing, stay away from the shadows,”
“Why?”
“They belong to the Dreamers; they created these thinks we call the Shadows because that’s what they are, dark entities the Dreamers created to round up the last of the Timekeepers. They have a habit of possessing people don’t ask and know they are round up use,”
“Possessing! Why are we even here and how long ago was this war?,”
“Just stay away from them. Good question, to protect Time and make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands I think it was in no intention of the Timekeeps for this to happen, this is the making of Time its self and ooo a good thousand years ago,”
“And the Dreamers are still looking for that Time thing?”
“Yep, but so are we, now and then you’ll see the Dreamers about on Grugs, like a mix between a wolf and a hog, but they generally attract Wraiths, don’t let either of them catch you!”
“Ok…so Wraiths are bad, Shadows are bad and Dreamers are bad,”
“Any way time you went home,”
“Home? Oh yeah, how do I go home?”
“Same way you get here, close your eyes and think, what’s it say on you clock?”
“Nine hours and thirty two minutes,”
“One last thing before you go, when you’re coming back try and picture the ship or you could end up anywhere on this planet, see ya in a couple of hours,”
“Ok so…just close my eyes and…”
“It’s easy,” She smiled and watched as Samuel sat their eyes closed, “relax,” he fact slowly relaxed and suddenly his body stared pulling its self apart until all that was left was a pile of cloths. Charlotte silently picked up the pile of cloths and slipped back into the ruin satisfied.