The Last Clock

Back with George, he was laying splayed out against the cold dirt floor, with bars on all sides, but only one with the outside world shining through. He groggily sat up. At first, he didn’t know what was going on, but then he realized that the floor was rocking. Then he realized everything was rocking. In fact, it was swaying quite violently. Then, he realized that there were others in the cage. There was a burly bald man with tattoos all over his arms, a weedy-looking balding man with expensive-looking glasses, and a thin girl with long and straggly hair. “Who are you?” George yelled as he sat, staring at the motley group. “Who are you?” George asked again. “Where am I? What’s going on? Wh-“ “Hush.” He was chided by the weedy-looking man. “We are in a cage, being loaded onto a boat that is going to take us far away. I believe that answers your second and third questions. And now for your first question. I am Xavier Quintelphus, former head of geology and geography at Kingstown International University. That is Huevos y Bacon, former wrestler and mine worker.” He said, motioning to the bald tattooed man. “And that is Marie Sherry, a girl whose parents were killed during a raid and who has lived in that mine for most of her life.” He said, nodding at the thin girl. “Hi.” She said nervously to George.