Good job, you have made it past the weirdness. From here on out everything is normal and believable. Here's Chapter Four of "Kyle Darnell vs. the Multiverse", Eastwood.
Chapter 4: Eastwood
Kyle wakes up, inexplicably, he is alive. Unfortunately for him, his surroundings aren’t familiar. On the floor of a wooden room lined with shelves of rusty cans, saws, and other minutiae. Kyle assumes it is a tool shed of some sort, one that has lacked basic maintenance for some time, considering the age of the implements hanging on the wall.
He reaches out at a sawhorse, to help him get up. While reaching out, he notices a glove on his right hand, with a note tucked in the wrist. Reaching with his left to pull it out, he freezes. His arms are significantly longer than he remembered, and his hands were those of an adult.
“Ahhhh!” he screams, quickly getting up. He looks down, examining the rest of his body. Somewhere from falling off the swimming pool in California and now, he had grown up. His face was unkempt, a slight overgrowth of facial hair adorned his chin. Kyle was now panicking. He looked through the shed for some clothes, finding a dirty white button up shirt, blue jeans with suspenders. They weren't a good fit, made for someone exceedingly smaller than him, but they will have to do.
Walking towards the barn style doors over the dirt floor barefooted, Kyle caught his reflection in a small mirror. He couldn’t make out his face very clearly, so he tried to wipe the mirror off. When his vision remained the same Kyle grew even more anxious of his new surroundings. Everything was blurry. He did however find a pair of glasses in the left front pocket of the shirt. Putting them on, the thick black frames squared out his face nicely, but more importantly, he could see. Looking into the mirror, Kyle hadn’t just grown up, he was a man, a very tall one at that.
“But none of this makes any sense.” he muttered. He had vague memories of what happened at the pool. Of his brother pushing him, of time slowing. “How am I here?”
Looking down at the glove on his hand, he remembered the yellowish note tucked away. He opened it and read.
“Dear Kyle,
I know this can be confusing, and you might be pretty raw at whatever did this to you, but you are here for a purpose. If you wish to find answers, simply seek them out. When the time comes, you will find me. But be warned, if you come at the King, you better not miss. Use the glove and chain in case of emergency. And sorry about your vision, it’s part of the process. You’ll get used to it.
Later man,
-G”
Kyle looked around, even more confused by the note.”Who is G? And what does he want with me?” he pondered. Looking down at his glove, he also questioned what use it had. “Just an ordinary black glove, and where was this chain?” Figuring this could be like his glasses, he checked his person, patting himself down he stopped on his left back jeans pocket, reached in and pulled out a gold woven link chain.
“Now what do I do with it?” he sat down on the saw horse. Passing the chain from his left to his right hand, he noticed the glove start to glow. Which made him stop, pulling them apart. “What the shit?” he put the chain into his gloved hand and it started to glow again. Turning his hand over, the back of the glove started to pulse with tiny white dots that faded into a brilliant, almost infinite array of colors.
“Its an exploding galaxy! How cool!” He shouted. “I wonder what happens if I do this.” He clenched his gloved hand, extended his index finger out and his thumb up. “Nothing, maybe if I think about it really hard or something.”
“BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNGGG!!!” His gloved fired of a beam of energy out of his index finger, blowing out the wall of the shed, and knocking Kyle to the ground.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed as he got up, knocking the dust off of him in the process. “I wonder what else this thing can do.”
“BANG,BANG,BANG!” A loud knock came from the door. “This is Sheriff Mackleroy. Put down your weapons and come out with your hands up!” a deep, gravelly voice boomed from the other side..
Kyle ran over to the door, locking it with a large plank of wood, propped up underneath the handles. He had no idea what to do, this isn’t exactly a position that a five year old stuck in a twenty somethings body has encountered. Kyle figured reasoning could at worst help his situation.
“What do you want?” He answered. “I haven’t done nothing to nobody.”
“You see,” Sherriff Mackleroy continued, “You did. You blew a hole straight through our local mechanic’s tool shed, scaring all the local lady folk.”
“I did?” Kyle was feigning ignorance. He had learned from his Shaggy ft. RikRok that in any negative circumstances, to deny. “Well, it wasn’t me! Come back later.”
“That just won’t do. Why don’t you come out, and we can discuss this like men. Face to face.”
“No” Kyle is looking for a way out, hoping that he can just be left alone, to figure out this world he is in.
“On the count of three I am coming in.” Sherriff Mackleroy insinuated. “If you want this to go easier, I would prefer you come out now. One!”
“On three?”
“What?”
“On three. Like youre coming in on three?” Kyle was stalling. “Or One, Two, Three, then you come in after three?”
“I figure I am coming in on three if that works with you.”
“Thats fine.” Kyle tied the gold chain to his left wrist, in case he needed to use his gun, but didn’t want it to fall out of his gloved hand.
“TWO!” his voice grew louder.
Kyle frantically weighed his options; 1) he could get caught, face jail, but possibly get some answers to what is going on or, 2) Run out the the hole in the wall, guns blazing, and maybe get away, living off the land like a wilderman.
“Three!” he opened the door, swinging out as the plank falls to the ground. In his panic, Kyle didn’t check to see which way the door opened, ruining his lock.
Kyle froze. A man walked in wearing a red button-up shirt, black jeans, and boots with spurs. The light glimmered off the badge on his chest that read Sherriff, obscuring his face. “Now hold it right there.” he demanded.
“I’m unarmed.” Kyle said sheepishly, apparently choosing option number 1.
“Put your hands together above your head.” said the sheriff, with a silver single-action revolver pointed at Kyle’s chest.
“Hey man, no problem.” He clasped his hands straight above him. His glove started to glow from it’s connection to the chain. Kyle noticed and reconsidered his options.
“Alright, now turn around slowly and walk backwards to me.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Kyle said as he turned around.
“You obviously did.” he laughed. “I am glad however that you chose to make this go easily.”
“BOOOOOM!” Kyle fired his finger gun straight up, blowing out the roof and sending debris all around. He darted for the hole in the wall he had made previously, finally deciding on option number 2.
“Dammit!” coughed the sheriff, swiping away dust and debris with his pistol.
Kyle emerged outside, blinded by the light of the midday sun. No, midday suns as he noticed two stars illuminating the dusty, unpaved streets below his feet. “What is this? The old West?” Kyle questioned his sanity. A crowd had gathered, in what was apparently the town square, watching him through masks as he tried his escape. They poured out of their rustic wooden homes and shops. Kyle couldn’t get a grip on his surroundings. Dozens of men, women, and children, all wearing different types of masks, showing no emotion.
Just watching.
Kyle could see a far off city in the distance, made up beyond his wildest fevered dreams of the future. Glowing, highly mechanical, and clearly technologically superior to the town he was currently in.
Kyle couldn’t handle it.
He stopped, trying to capture his breath. His head was spinning trying to process all of this information. An old west town next to a city of the future on a planet with two suns as all the towns folk stared at his now adult self through frightening masks.
Kyle vomited then passed out, landing face first into the puke.
####
Kyle awoke in a strange place, a process that was becoming all too routine. He was on the top bunk of a metal bunk bed. He squeed with delight, he was home.
“Quite up there!” a voice yelled from out of view.
Kyle jumped down off of the bed, his head was above the top bunk, he was still an adult. He looked around noticing three tight walls of wood, with a barred up front. He was in a jail cell, he was not home.
“Hey,” Kyle tried to get the attention of the voice. “Where am I?”
“Jail.” Sherriff Mackleroy emerged into view outside of the bars wearing a blacked out mask protruding away from his face. It had a snout and fangs, resembling a German Sheppard. “You made a bit of a mess back there.”
“I’m sorry.” Kyle walked to the front of the cell, gripping the bars with his bare hands. His glove and chain were gone, a problem he needed to rectify immediately. “This is all a big misunderstanding.”
“I understand perfectly.” The sherriff held Kyles glove in his hand. “This is a weapon, a dangerous one, that you probably got from the city in an attempt to rob our town for drug money. You addicts are all the same.”
“Sir, I don’t do drugs.” Kyle pleaded with him. “My name is Kyle Darnell, I am five years old and just appeared here from California after an argument with my brother. You have to believe me, this is a huge misunderstanding.”
“Hahahahahaha,” the sherriff cackled, “That is rich. I got to tell my deputy Sam, he loves crazy inmate stories.”
“Sir, I am not lying. Please!”
Sherriff Mackleroy left the room. Kyle was by himself, he hated to be alone. He began to pace in the cell and monsters formed from the shadows. He feared the Thud would return. Creaks and cracks emanate from the walls, filling Kyle’s ears with dread. No one could save him. The monsters grew larger and Kyle ran to the bottom bunk and covered himself in the blankets.
“Kyle?” a different voice came from out of view. It’s deputy Sam here.”
Kyle peered out of the covers.
“Can we have a quick chat?” Sam asked.
“You’re here to not believe me too, huh?” He went back under the covers.
“No sir, its just me. I think I can help you.”
Kyle removed the covers and once again approached the bars of the cell. Sam was standing on the other side, alone. He was dressed in jeans, a black button up shirt underneath a leather jacket, boots, and a very similar mask to what Mackleroy was wearing. “What do you want to talk about?
Sam pulled up a chair and sat down, a book tucked under his arm. “Could you please tell me more about your story?”
“Well, it’s pretty straight forward.” Kyle sat on his bed and continued talking. “I got in an argument with my brother inCali when I was five. He pushed me off a ledge cracking open my head. Then I woke up as an adult, here in...?”
“Eastwood.”
“Yeah, and I had that glove you have there.” Kyle pointed his hand like a gun. “And I could blow everything away.”
“Do you believe in fate?” Deputy Sam threw Kyle his glove through the bars of the jail cell, landing in his lap.
“I don’t know what I believe anymore.” Kyle put on the glove.
“I had a dream last night. Sam stood up out of his chair and began to pace. “In this dream there was a tall man, without a mask, gunning down evil with the power of the right hand of God.”
“And you believe that man to be me?” Kyle pointed at himself.
“I do believe that, yes. You see, things aren’t what they seem out here. I have heard stories about Earth, that is where the Godself is from.”
“So were not on Earth?”
“No, we are on Better Eden. A planet the Godself made out of his great mercy and love for us.”
“You’ve said that a few times now; Godself, what is that?”
“Now I definately know your not from here.” Deputy Sam let out a big laugh. “Everyone knows of the Godself, he is our creator. Like most people, I am a devout follower.”
Kyle let out a sigh, “Great. A new planet, a new God, and I have a feeling I am going to become involved in all new problems.”
Deputy Sam walked toward the door, “You bet your ass you are.” and walked out of the room.
Kyle just wanted answers. More importantly, answers that could get him home. It doesn’t seem like that will be an option for awhile. The frustration of not being able to do anything was weighing on him. Trapped in this cell all he could do was pace back and forth, kill time until a sentencing was handed down. What would they do to him? This place was forign yet somethings stay the same. Could it be this Godself’s doing? He apparently was from Earth, like Kyle.
Sherriff Mackleroy entered the room. “Today is your lucky day.” He approached the bars and put the key in the lock. “Now I want you to listen carefully.”
“All ears!” Kyle cuffed his hands on the top of his head.
“Seeing as you don’t have any money to pay for the repairs on the tool shed.” The sherriff paused unlocking the door, Kyle grew anxious. “And Id rather not have you stinking up my jail. You will work off the repairs.”
Kyle exclaimed with glee, jumping off of the bed. “Thank you, you won’t regret this. I should mention though that I don’t know how to fix damages to a shed.”
Mackleroy chuckled. “Figured as much. No, we have something that could better fit your current situation as well as you special set of skills you displayed earlier.”
Kyle looked at his gloved hand. “You want me to blow something up?”
“Oh God no.” he unlocked the door. “I want you to work for us, doing a little bit of bounty work.”
“Thats where I come in.” Deputy Sam said as he entered the room. “More specifically you are going to work with me to catch someone we haven’t been able to get our hands on.”
“Yeah, this was all Sam’s idea.” Sherriff Mackleroy stared straight through Sam. “And if this goes poorly, it will be his ass on the line.”
“I promise I won’t mess this up.” Kyle said as he exited the jail, “But I need my chain.”
Deputy Sam threw him the gold chain. “Youre going to need a lot more than that.” He walked up to Kyle and extended his right hand, waiting for Kyle to return the favor and shake his hand. “Partner.”
Kyle shook his hand. “Partner.”
“Sam will fill you in on the details.” said the sherriff. “I’m going to go fix that shed you destroyed.”
“Again, I am sorry for that.”
“Just make sure you get that thing in check.” the Sherrif started to leave the room. “There is alot of innocent people out there. And I am going on a hell of a limb giving you this chance. Don’t make me a fool.” He exited the room.
“So Sam, where do we start?” Kyle grinned.
“We need you to get better control on that thing.” Sam pointed at his glove.
