The Rightful Ruler

Chapter 1: Confused

The roads were winding and I found myself naked in a car. My hands were on the steering wheel. One foot was on the brake. The vehicle came to a crushing halt.

I searched the dashboard for a lighter and a pack of cigarettes, grabbed a jacket from the passenger seat and cargo pants from the back of the car. Leaving clothes in the car is probably the best decision I made since 1999. I proposed to my girlfriend Sasha that same year. Two years later, she died in a fire. They never caught the arsonist.

It was a cold afternoon. The chilly wind kept me shivering as I lit the cigarette. I have heard many people talk about smoking for warmth, but this wasn’t it. I was smoking for sanity.

Where was I? The grass was not as luscious as you would find in New Queensland, Pier Town. The waters were nowhere as turquoise. Even the insects were friendly. One ant climbed up my arm, and sat on my shoulder. The view must have been glorious.

When I was done with the cigarette, I snuffed it carefully, stood up and stretched a bit. The ant was long gone.

That was the last thing I remember before I woke up, this time naked in another car in another town.

“For fuck’s sake,” I said, banging my head on the steering wheel. “What’s going on?”

Godforsaken — that must be the right word to describe this dusty old town. There were red buildings on the ground — all sleeping soundly as I trekked the area with a baseball bat obtained from the back of this car I procured from god-knows-where.

“Is this a dream?” I couldn’t help but question myself. “Am I high on drugs?”

There was no one. No skeletons. No evidence — except for the buildings — that mankind had once dominated this space.

Unlike the previous Utopia, this creepy location was hot and humid. It kept me perspiring. “Hell must look similar,” I thought out loud.

“Not even close,” said a sagely old man with greying hair. I was shocked and almost tripped.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“You may call me Lord D,” he replied and started walking towards me. I took a step back. “Don’t be scared, Michael,” he said.

“Wait, how do you —” I asked, only to be interrupted.

“How do I know you’re Michael Matthews?” he said.

I kept silent. It was a strange encounter.

“You must be wondering where you are. We are still on Earth, don’t worry. Everyone used to know. Old Queensland.”

“No way,” I shouted.

“No need to shout, my boy,” he laughed. “No one can hear you anyway.”

“What the fuck happened here? It looks terrible,” I said.

“It’s a long story,” he told me. “First, let’s get you some anti-warmth clothes.”

He grabbed my shoulder and dragged me into the car.

“You know how to drive?” I asked.

“I know many things,” he said.