Gustav walked through the forest until he came to an opening that let the light pour in. He emerged from the trees and the view of Fiveson opened up before him. Most of the buildings were only two stories tall but there were some three story buildings in various places. Each building was in a group of four and that group was surrounded by a square of road. In the center was city hall, and to the south-west was the church. Gustav looked around at the city for a moment longer before he went downhill to Fiveson. He discovered that all of the roads into the town were road blocked. Policemen were guarding each road out of town, and people were trying to sneak out at every chance. All of the policemen were acting quite bored, since they were tired of people yelling at them. As Gustav walked up to a roadblock, a policeman called out to him.
"Hey there! You can't come into Fiveson since we had to put a roadblock here! Actually, the roadblock was made to keep people from leaving the city, but the chief didn't say anything about kids who wanted to get in…"
"You're right!" Another policeman agreed. "We can let people in but not out. Come on in kid. Welcome to Fiveson." Gustav walked through the roadblock and the policemen closed it behind him. "Remember! You can't leave town now."
Gustav strolled down the wide streets of Fiveson and noticed that there were posters of a musical group of some kind all over the place. The name of the group seemed to be Runfaraway 5, but Gustav wasn't sure. Every building was made of brick, except for the city hall, which was constructed of wood and painted a pale ashen. The town seemed nearly deserted, but only because practically everyone was inside or at the roadblocks. After a tour of the small town, he decided to stop by the Drugstore to buy some equipment and items. He got $200 out of his account and looked at the list of gear to purchase.
"Hi! How can I help you?" The clerk said. Gustav asked for the red and blue baseball helmet and the cheap bracelet. "Sure! That will be $133." Gustav paid and equipped the new items. Then he sold his Air bat for a powerful Oak bat and then Gustav went outside to test out his new gear. He went into an alley and SMAAAAAAAAAAASHed an empty garbage can into oblivion. At least he thought it was empty until the lid fell off when the garbage can flew over a car and a hamburger went *splat!* onto the windshield. Gustav quickly hurried to the hospital to see if the source of the voice was there, and to see if he could hide from the angry driver. When he went inside, the doctor told him to come at another time.
"We have a patient that is in a coma, so we can't offer you any help. You don't need any help? Then why are you here?! Well, if you want to talk to the person, that is fine, but don't expect a reaction." Gustav went upstairs and found the room where the nurse and healer were trying to wake a girl up. The nurse was resting in chair next to the bed while the healer was standing on the other side and writing on a clipboard. On the table there was a multitude of vases and flowers, each with a "Get Well" card.
"Okay… HEAL!" The healer commanded. But nothing happened. "Another $75 to her bill I guess." Gustav slowly walked up to the healer and asked about the girl. "I haven't a clue who she is, and I don't think she may ever wake up. Maybe she knows about the huge bill she is racking up so she won't wake up. I don’t know."
"Maybe if you say the whole bill is on the house she will wake up!" The nurse mumbled. Gustav decided that the girl could be the person he heard the night before so he chose to stay all day. When the sun began to set, the nurse and healer gave up and left to get some rest.
"Go ahead and try to wake her up. Just don't make her wet the bed." Gustav sat in the chair next to the bed and waited for half an hour. Then strange voice returned, and this time it was clear and precise.
"(Gustav... you need to find Ness... he is in a hospital that is in Eagleland… but those who made us crash in the woods are trying to stop you... you need to use your hidden power… a power that I, Ness, and another friend share… to bring your power to the surface… you need to go to Skylight Point… it is a place of wonder that only a few can enter… Gustav… my name… is… Paula…)" Then the strange voice faded away. Gustav listened carefully for a bit longer, and then he decided to go to the Hotel for the night.
Gustav walked all around town again, but he still couldn't find a way to get to the place called Skylight Point. In fact, not a single person talked about it. Gustav was ready to give up for the day when he saw a strange man in sunglasses and a black hat entering the hospital. Gustav followed him inside the hospital and watched the man enter the room where Paula was. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream from inside the room and Gustav barged in. The healer and nurse were up against the wall, and the man was standing over Paula. Gustav quickly pulled out his bat and without a second thought smacked the man upside the head. The man collapsed on the floor and the nurse cautiously moved forward.
"You knocked that guy out like a light! You sure are a strong kid. This guy is Everdred, a crime boss from Eagleland. He might have come here to kidnap this girl. But what would someone like him want with a girl like this?" The Nurse grabbed Everdred's arm and dragged him into the next room. Then she called the police and came back into the room where Paula was. "Three policemen are coming to keep an eye on the guy, but Everdred is a strong fellow. You should keep an eye on him too." Gustav quietly walked out the room and closed the door quietly behind him. Two policemen were standing next to a door across the hallway. When Gustav approached them, one of them called to him.
"Hey kid! Remember me? I was the one who let you into town. Seems you beat up Everdred before he kidnapped someone! I feel safer knowing that you're here. Can you go inside and watch Everdred while we take a break? Thanks pal! Now you won't owe me any favors!" The policeman and his partner skipped down the stairs and to the doughnut shop at the opposite side of town.
As the policemen left, Gustav suddenly had a forboding sense of doom that was coming from inside the room. The white door even seemed to grow slightly darker. When Gustav reached for the doorknob, he heard a loud *bang!* and rushed in.
Continued in Chapter 3