“Wow!” Spence said. “Enki and Nibiru.”

“What does that mean?” Trey demanded. “Who is Enki, and what is Nibiru?”

“Enki was one of the main gods of the ancient Sumerians. They believed their gods lived on a planet called Nibiru. It’s supposedly in our solar system but just orbits the sun every thirty-six hundred years or so. Each time the planet passed close, the gods traveled back and forth from Nibiru to Earth. Enki allegedly helped create humans by splicing their genes with those of early man, Homo erectus, I think, to be the god’s slaves. It’s really a fascinating theory—”

“Why in the hell do you know all that?” Trey interrupted.

“They’re called books,” Spence retorted.

“I’m ready to wake up!” Morgan shouted.

Spence’s mind reeled. He had read and been intrigued by the Sumerian theories presented in Zecharia Sitchin’s books. Based on his translations and interpretations of ancient Sumerian texts, Sitchin wrote quite a few books about ancient astronauts, with The 12th Planet being the most famous. But Spence didn’t believe in Sitchin’s theories. After all, he was raised a Christian. But could Nibiru really exist, and they actually be on it? Could Enki have been the voice of the statue? “Guys, what if this isn’t a dream? It’s been going on for a while,” Spence said.

“Then what is it? How did we end up in a different world, Nibiru, ruled by gods, with nightmare monsters and talking statues? Not to mention magical medieval weapons,” Caleb said.

Spence enjoyed the others consulting him and not just ignoring or teasing. “In Warcraft, magical portals can teleport you to different places. That vortex must have been some kind of portal.”

“That’s a computer game, genius,” Trey said.

“Then what is your jock-theory?” Spence replied, surprising himself with his tone toward Trey. He’d be seconds from receiving a punch or kick in the real world. But Trey just glared at him. Trey wasn’t in his element now and was obviously shaken by it. Spence continued, “Some people also believe there are different dimensions from ours and parallel universes. I think the vortex was a doorway to a different dimension or planet.”

“Like Pacific Rim,” Morgan said softly.

“Yeah, or the Narnia books,” Spence added.

“What about you walking again?” Caleb asked.

Spence thought for a moment. “I’m not sure about that. I wonder how long the journey in the vortex took or how long we were unconscious?”

“Hmmm. It was hard to tell. It seemed like I flew and then floated forever,” Morgan replied.

“Maybe the gods fixed me before we woke up,” Spence said. “In the Sumerian myths, they were very advanced.”

“What about the Nephilim? Weren’t they like giants or something in the Bible?” Morgan asked Spence.

“Yes. But Zecharia Sitchin, who wrote a lot about the ancient Sumerians, theorized that the Nephilim were the gods from Nibiru,” Spence said.

“Were they giants?” Morgan said.

“I don’t think so. The gods supposedly created humans by mixing their DNA and that of early man.”

“What’s a Draconian?” Trey asked.

Spence shook his head. “It sounds familiar, but I can’t remember what it means.”

“Did Enki and the Sumerians speak English?” Caleb asked.

Spence thought for a second. That was a good point. “No, the Nibiru gods taught the Sumerians their language and writing. I’m not sure why Enki would speak English.”

The four didn’t talk for several more moments. Morgan reached inside her black tunic and pulled out her cell phone. She held it up to the sky and frowned. “No service, of course.”

Spence and Trey retrieved their cell phones from their pockets to confirm Morgan's statement.

“Siri, where the hell are we?” Trey asked his phone.

“You need cell service for that, stupid,” Morgan said.

Trey scowled at her and then continued, “Damn, I could Instagram the hell out of some wolfosaurus pics.” He then snapped a picture of the statue.

“It do beg for some selfies,” Morgan replied, half-smiling.

Spence and Morgan also took a picture of the statue, and then Spence finally turned and walked over to his pedestal. A crude leather pack remained, which he slung over his right shoulder, on top of his robe. It was lightweight and didn’t seem to be a problem for his legs to support.

“What are you doing?” Morgan asked as she and the others reached him.

“What the statue told us to do.”

“Do you even hear yourself? What the statue told us to do?” Morgan said.

“Look, until I wake up, I’m assuming this is real. We’re in a new world, and we need to find the way back to ours. The vortex is gone, so we must find another way. Our only clue is what the talking statue told us to do. Unless you have a better idea or want to sit here on the cold stone until some other monster finds us or we freeze to death, I think we need to finish equipping ourselves and find Titus in Argos.” Spence had always been a follower. For the first time ever, he felt ready to lead, not simply fall in line with others.

The other three walked to their pedestals and retrieved different types of packs. Caleb had a backpack like Spence’s. Morgan found two leather pouches that fit on each side of her belt. Trey had one large fanny pack-type pouch that fit on the back of his belt. Soon they all gathered at the top of the steps where they had fought the battle.

Spence examined his three companions—a warrior, a barbarian, and an archer. He, of course, was the mage. They needed a cleric or healer, though.

“Which way?” Caleb asked.

Spence felt the pride again when all three turned to him. “Let’s see…the statue said to head east to Argos.”

Caleb spun around in a circle, surveying the overcast sky. There was little evidence of a sun, but it was still possible to determine which way the light was traveling. “The light has been moving that way, which is west unless things are different in this world. So, I’d say let’s go this way.” Caleb walked down the stairs without waiting to see if the others followed. They trailed close behind.

At the bottom of the stairs, Trey ran over to the dead monster’s body. For a moment, Spence thought he was going to attack it again. Then Trey turned, held his phone out, and took a picture of himself in front of the beast’s head.

Caleb stopped and turned. “Seriously? You’re taking a selfie?”

Trey returned to the group. “Hey, when we get back to Earth, I’ll blow up the Internet.”

Spence knew it was foolish and childish, but he quickly ran to the wolfosaurus and took a selfie. Morgan shook her head but still hurried over for her shot.

“You all are idiots. You were crying and throwing tantrums a few minutes ago, and now you’re acting like you’re back at school.” Caleb turned and continued walking to the wall on their left.

“Well, at least I didn’t thirst trap it,” Morgan said, barely loud enough to be heard, and fell into line behind Caleb.

Spence followed Morgan, letting Trey bring up the rear. Spence was a little nervous having Trey behind him, but at least he could protect from an attack from that direction—he just hoped Trey wasn’t the attacker. But Spence had his staff now. He wasn’t scared of Trey—or at least, less than he had been an hour before.

When they neared the rock wall, Spence noticed the flight of stairs carved into its side. It had blended in perfectly until they were close. They ascended the steps single file. Once they reached the top, they saw the land was primarily open and hilly in all directions. The landscape was brown and bleak, with the ground covered in brown grass and something resembling sagebrush. A few dull green bushes, an occasional tree, and random rock formations broke up the landscape. The smooth hills were big enough to prevent them from seeing too far into the distance. A slightly worn path in front of them wound through the hills to the east. The hills were fewer and smaller in that direction.

“Wow, pretty,” Morgan said.

“Kind of like the desert, minus the sun and heat,” Trey added.

“It reminds me of the drive I took from San Francisco to Yosemite a few years ago. At least it’s not one hundred degrees here, though,” Spence said, walking onto the trail. The gray sky was dimming, and it would be dark within a few hours. “To Argos.”

“Did any of your books describe Nibiru?” Caleb asked Spence.

“I don’t believe so, at least not that I can remember.”

They maintained the same single file order, with Caleb leading the way. They didn’t speak much as they walked. Spence soon became used to walking again, and his mind focused more on the strange new world. He kept his eyes scanning from one side of the road to the other. The light was fading rapidly, and Spence didn’t know what to expect in whatever world they were in. He knew good things typically didn’t happen after dark, though.

He absently stroked the smooth shaft of his staff. He wondered what the other two buttons did. Maybe the staff shot fireballs and ice bolts too. He decided he would keep the technological secret of the staff to himself and let the others believe it was magic. He wondered about Trey’s and Caleb’s armor. The wolfosaurus should have seriously injured them, but neither was. He also didn’t know whether Morgan’s bow was special or if she was that good of a shot. But out of all of them, he obviously had the most dangerous weapon.

“I think I’ll change my name to my Warcraft character’s name. From now on, call me Anniswind the Great. Or just Anniswind for short,” Spence said loud enough for all to hear.

“Anal Wind?” Trey asked. “That’s your name?”

“Anniswind!” He couldn’t believe Trey had already returned to his usual jerk self, even after he had saved his life.

“Anal Wind the Smelly. Or Silent but Deadly? Or, I know, Fart the Malodorous!”

Spence’s cheeks grew hot. Just like that, Trey ripped away his newfound feeling of control and power. Morgan and Caleb laughing along with Trey made it worse. “How about I deep-fry you like I did that monster?” He turned and lowered his staff at Trey.

“How about I split you in two from head to toe?” Trey grabbed his ax off his back.

“OK, boys. That’s enough. There will probably be plenty of ways to die in whatever godforsaken world this is, other than killing each other. Un-bunch your panties, and let’s try to reach the town before dark,” Morgan said.

Spence finally lowered his staff and breathed a few deep breaths. Someday, Trey would pay; he didn’t rule this world. Trey slung his ax over his shoulder but offered no further taunts or comments. Spence turned around, and the four began walking again.

After a few minutes, Morgan slowed until she was just half a step ahead of Spence. She spoke quietly, without looking at him. “I saw your little fall, or should I say fail, on the stairs. You did save our lives but dial back the machismo a little bit. You could have just as easily gotten us all killed.” She then picked up her pace and moved back in front of him.

Spence’s anger rekindled. Maybe they all needed to pay.