Cheep!?

Charles Monroe survived the disappearance of his parents, did his best to hold things together for himself and his sister. He survived when she, too, vanished, leaving behind nothing but a cryptic note. He was devastated, but he kept moving forward as best he could.

Cancer didn’t put him down, and after suffering through several rounds of chemotherapy, Charles Monroe thought that things might finally be looking up. That is, until a virulent strain of ebola swept through the city. With his immune system strained as it is, the odds don’t look good for Charles.

Now, on the bridge between life and death, he hears a voice claiming to know where his family went. It claims that it needs his help and that it can give him a second life, one far away from all the pain he’s ever known. So, Charles answers as any reasonable person would.

He says no. Charles isn't ready or willing to die yet.

But, as with everything else to this point, even his choice to keep fighting is taken from him all too soon. With no other option but the dark oblivion of death, Charles chooses to make a deal with the spirit of a distant world that's seeking a wild card in its battle against the gods, monsters, and mortals that threaten its existence.

Someday, he’ll find where his family went. Someday, he’ll uphold his end of the bargain and hunt beings powerful beyond anything he’s ever known. Someday, he might even – hatch?

“CHEEP!?”

*This story is also available at www.royalroad.com and additional chapters are also available through https://www.patreon.com/PolarImmersion if you'd like to support my work!