The End Begins with a Knock at the Door

I imagine there’s a rope at the edge of my vision. It’s an invisible rope; my fingers sometimes brushes up against it but I’m unable to fully grasp it. When my hand reaches out for it, it’s gone. It’s impossible to guess where it came from or where it’s going, but it seems inevitable that I’ll run into it someday. I’m always looking for it.

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Leon caught his breath. He’d never been nervous to knock on a door before and yet here he stood on the porch of a rotted cabin pacing back and forth as though gathering up the courage to knock on his crush’s family home.

This was not that kind of situation, the butterflies, however were restless.

Leon jumped up and down. The rest of his team studied the display from the lawn a few feet away.

“Just knock already, pussy!” Amanda yelled.

Leon jolted in surprise, raising his hand and shushing her, “K-keep it down!”

He wiped his sweaty hands on his kaki cargo shorts and made a fist in front of the door.

“You sure this is even the place!?!” Ken asked and yelled.

“Y-yes?” Leon tentatively responded. The grounds were well maintained but the actual “house” of the man they’d traveled to see, was little more than a hut. It was not the sort of place you’d imagine someone as famous as him would end up in.

Amanda, Ken, Richod, and Erlich were all skeptical, despite Leon’s certainty.

Amanda was getting impatient, “Dude, get on with it!”

Leon pulled his arm back and closed his eyes. His hand pushed forward, but instead of being met with damp wood he felt something solid and fleshy.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Growled a husky, low voice.

“Oh!” Leon pulled back and brought his hands to his mouth, “I’m so sorry, Mr. Strong! Sir! I’m so-”

“Save it. Leave.” His face barely moved, it didn’t even seem like he was looking any of them. He went back inside and shut the door.

“Sir! Actually, we have some – sir, can you – we need to talk with you. Just a minute of your t-time? Just a minute, sir.” There was nothing but silence on the other end.

“Shit.” Amanda scratch her eyebrow and approached Leon, “I’ll let you soak in that embarrassment for a hot minute.” She whispered to him. She knocked on the door without hesitation.

“Open up, we’re from the Adventurer’s Guild.”

“Saint Purna?”

“Bazelwood. Long ways, you know. We’d appreciate a top off on our water supply.”

“Use the pump.”

“-and a meal would be nice”

“You have rations.” He responded coldly. Leon and the gang did indeed have enough rations, they were as prepared as any seasoned adventurers.

“Something home cooked.”

“Home is where you make it. Your home tonight is outside.”

Amanda let out an agitated sigh. Leon decided to jump in, “S-sir. We are here today for a very important r-reason. We traveled a very long way. Isn’t it common courtesy to-”

“Do me a favor, don’t let glasses talk.”

“Sure thing, but he’s right. We didn’t come all this way for nothing.”

“Apparently you did.”

“We could just stand out here and talk at you! S-sir!”

“This is my property and I have enough firepower to turn you to a bloody smudge on your soon to be broken lenses, don’t test me.”

“We thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Strong.” Amanda led Leon away from the house.

“You need to pull yourself together and we need to think up a new angle.” She knew as well as Leon that he couldn’t and wouldn’t actually shoot a guild employee. There’s was always a small chance he wasn’t bluffing, but someone of his status wouldn’t risk it. Not if what they’d read from his profile was correct. He could face death penalty if things didn’t go his way.

“Assume he’s not bluffing. We need to catch him off guard to approach the subject.”

Richod had started building a fire while Erlich had take out a large brown bottle.

“That could work.” She grabbed the bottle out of Erlich’s hands, “Hey!”

“Mr. Strong?” There was no answer, “It’s just me. I realize it was rude of us to show up at your door like this, but we have a situation.”

“Don’t care.”

“I figured, you’ve made that clear. That being said, would you feel more hospitable if I offered some 40-year-old Speedwagon Whiskey. It’d just be me and four-eyes. What do you say?”

The door opened following heavy footsteps.

Mr. Strong looked down at the bottle Amanda was holding then into her eyes, “He speaks one word and I kick you both out.”

“Got it.”

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Amanda plopped herself down at Mr. Strong’s makeshift table. It had a slight lean to it which he had “fixed” by placing some books under the broken leg.

“Did you make this yourself?” It wasn’t asked seriously.

“I dabble in home improvement.”

Leon looked around the room in slight dismay, “This place isn’t exactly-”

““Can it!”” Both Strong and Amanda stopped Leon from continuing.

Leon had been picturing his hero retiring to a secluded area, yes, and maybe building himself a rustic cabin, sure. This place however was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by Netherbeasts which were anything but fun to deal with even on the team’s best days. On top of that the cabin was more rotten than rustic. The place was constructed with mismatched moldy, mildewed wood and nails rammed in at dangerous angles. The whole place seemed ready to fall over at a slight breeze. Mr. Strong was living at just above the poverty line and he was doing so willingly. These conditions were in no way healthy.

Amanda poured Erlich’s Whiskey into two stained glasses. She was definitely bothered by the condition of the cabin and the overall cleanliness of the place. Every now and then Leon would catch her mouth puckering and eyebrows furrowing.

“You have until I finish this glass. Then you leave.” He sat down at the table causing the metal folding chair to creak.

Their glasses clinked together, “Kanpai.”

Amanda’s took a sip then put it down. Whiskey wasn’t her favorite drink and she couldn’t afford to dull her senses in front of Mr. Strong.

“There’s a situation-”

“I’ve done my part. Done my time. Earned my peace.” He took a swig between each sentence. Half the glass was now gone.

“Fine, I won’t bury the lead. We’ve found a drifting Island.”

He finished the glass.

Mr. Strong glanced sideways, Leon saw a dangerous light in his eyes. He’d finished his glass.

Amanda looked a bit defeated, sighed, finished the glass and poured another one for both of them.

“It may be the same one from back then. We’ve had a sighting. It’s not confirmed.”

“You think it’ll make landfall.”

“It’s definitely a “when,” not an “If.””

Mr. Strong groaned at the news and nodded.

“I-if I may?” Leon interrupted.

“Hmm.” Leon took that as permission and began to take a seat at the table. Mr. Strong glared at him so he decided against taking a seat and remained standing.

“If I may, there isn’t much unexplored territory left on this continent, the Adventurer’s Guild has mapped as much as 95% of the Unified States, Dark Woods, and Unclaimed Territories, mostly because of y-your contributions, sir. Your expeditions are the stuff of Legends! When I was a kid-”

“Leon!” Amanda stepped on Leon’s foot.

“Ow! God!”

Mr. Strong uncorked the bottle of whiskey and began chugging.

“Mr. Strong. You left your work unfinished. Would you truly feel at peace knowing the thing that killed your party was still out there, and more, could potentially bring a second disaster to an even greater population. You seem like someone who has been forcing himself to live in discomfort all this time. Perhaps as some kind of penance.”

Mr. Strong slammed the bottle onto the table causing another leg to give out.

“Jeez!” Leon yelped. Amanda stood up while Mr. Strong remained seated.

“Sturdy bottle.” He handed it to Amanda who nervously accepted it.

“This place, It’s not penance or purgatory. It’s a project.” He seemed to be calm despite his sudden violence. “I have regrets.” He rubbed his bald head. “I do. I don’t have the fire to do anything about them. I’m a cranky middle-aged man, verging on old age, to be frank. Age gives you more experience than monsters. More than enough, I think.” He sat in silence with his fists clenching and unclenching, “I can’t do it.” He gave his final answer.

Leon couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. He couldn’t stand to see his hero so defeated.

“You’re condemning people, innocent civilians to die, en masse. When that Island makes landfall we’re expecting a record setting monster stampede! With your enhancement you’d make quick work of it. You’re a hero. I looked up to you.”

“You wouldn’t know. I suppose that’s my legacy.” Mr. Strong whispered.

“What’s that supposed to mean? What am I missing here?”

Amanda grabbed his forearm as hard as she could.

“That’s enough.” She turned to look down at Mr. Strong, “You’ve changed but so has the guild. And the monsters too. We’re weaker, Mr. Strong, but our determination to protect this country has only grown stronger. We’ll take anyone we can get. Even you. Even in this sorry state.”

She placed the bottle of alcohol on the floor in front of her. “How long can you sit there before your purgatory becomes hell?”

Mr. Strong snorted at that retort. Before he could respond Leon and Amanda exited his hovel, slamming the door behind them.

Russel Strong sat in his creaking, rusty chair, at his broken table and stared at his reflection in the half-drunk bottle.

He carefully placed a hand on his neck.

“If only hell were that easy to get to.”