SHIMMICK RECREATIONAL FOREST

  KEOKUK, IOWA

  SET UP IN A SMALL DITCH PLACED WITHIN ‘SHIMMICK RECREATIONAL FOREST’ just outside of Keokuk ‘city limits’ was homeless thirty-three-year-old hobo Charlie Swoon.

  Swoon, or ‘Crazy Swoon’ as the locals liked to call him, sported an old, torn up dark brown trench coat over two ratty sweaters, dark ‘holey’ jeans, and some beat-up, worn-out work boots that he had fished out of a dumpster behind the Black Sails Pirate Bar downtown around Town Square, also known as ‘the Square’.

  Treating himself to a can of beans that he had salvaged from another dumpster, Crazy Swoon sat by a fire that he had made whilst his red-haired labrador retriever aptly named ‘Red’ sat beside him licking an empty pork and beans can.

  As Crazy Swoon ate away at his small meal for the cold fall evening Red continued to lick the empty food can until something caught his ear.

  First raising his ears… And then his head, Red fixed his hearing on something faint off in the distance whilst his owner ignored him.

  Looking off towards the west, Red listened more closely to the ‘faint sound’ that only he could hear.

  This triggered Red to let out a slew of barks.

  “BARK! BARK! BARK!”

  Crazy Swoon glanced at his incredibly loyal (and only) friend before going back to eating his meal.

  It wasn’t long though before the Lab let out another round of loud barks, which caused his owner to command with a full mouth, “Pipe it down over there, Red!”

  Red ignored his owner just as he had ignored him earlier.

  Barking more this time, Red continued on as Crazy Swoon said after swallowing his mouthful of beans, “Urgh… SHUT IT, RED!”

  Red then bolted off towards the sound as Crazy Swoon called out, “RED! COME BACK HERE, YOU DAMN DOG!!!”

  Putting down his empty food can, Crazy Swoon pulled on a dark knit stocking cap and started chasing after his dog.

  Running away from his still lit campfire as the stars and full moon continued to shine overhead in the night sky.

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  After running for what seemed like hours, an exhausted Crazy Swoon had finally caught up to Red.

  Standing at the shoreline to Sugar Creek (a local and completely safe swimming and fishing hole for the citizens of Keokuk) was Red, who still continued to bark madly.

  Catching his breath, Crazy Swoon stood back up straight as he said in a gasp, “Ruh... Red! Huff… Huff… What is it?!”

  Approaching his dog, Crazy Swoon looked over towards the Creek and saw something incredible.

  Sticking halfway out of the center of Sugar Creek was the wrecked Guardinian Escape Shuttle Pod that housed both Lieutenant/Blue Guardian Warrior Dexius Solas and Guardinian Lady-Princess Ashanna Pronos inside of its charred, impenametal-plated shell.

  Amazed and scared all at the same time, Crazy Swoon dropped his jaw whilst he said, “WHA-WHAT THE HELL???”

  Red continued to bark at an ‘emergency alarm’ that was still sounding off from within the pod whilst a red light on the pod flashed on and off, illuminating over Crazy Swoon’s craggily, bearded face.

  As Red continued to bark Crazy Swoon called out, “Huh… Hey! Is... Is anybody in there?!”

  With no response coming from either Dexius or Ashanna, Crazy Swoon looked around to see if anyone else was seeing this.

  Realizing that he and his dog were alone, Crazy Swoon pulled off his jacket whilst saying to himself, “Gotta see if anyone’s inside that thing.”

  This was a result of Swoon's former ‘military training’ coming into play because he was a veteran of the Iraq War… Before his whole life went in the gutter due to excessive alcohol and drug abuse that were results of a horrible way to deal with his P.T.S.D.

  After pulling off his coat, boots, and one wool sock Crazy Swoon had started walking slowly into the creek.

  Its icy cold waters caused Crazy Swoon to immediately shiver while Red continued to bark from the shoreline.

  Chattering his yellowed, rotting teeth, Crazy Swoon fought through the pain as he started to swim out towards the wrecked astro-vessel.

  Swimming about halfway into the creek, it wasn’t too long before the hobo had reached the pod.

  Pulling himself up onto the nose of the pod, the freezing hobo held himself as he shivered out in a shaky voice, “Suh-Suh-Sonuvabuh-buh-bitch…”

  Resting on his knees on the pod’s nose, Crazy Swoon tried to look through its heavily tinted and cracked front main impenaglass view port.

  Not able to see what was inside of the pod, Crazy Swoon continued to make something out of it as a quick ‘hissing’ sound erupted from the middle of the pod.

  When the hissing had subsided, Crazy Swoon looked forward as the pod’s top panel split apart, revealing its dark interior.

  A heavy cloud of smoke and steam then came pouring out of the escape shuttle pod as Crazy Swoon gulped.

  Remaining brave, Crazy Swoon pulled himself up towards the middle of the pod as Red continued his annoying barking.

  Placing his hands on the crease of the opening, Crazy Swoon looked down into the darkened space and called out in a shivering voice, “Auh-Auh-Anybody duh-down th-- GURGH!”

  After a few seconds of silence, a BLACK GLOVED LEFT HAND suddenly shot out of the pod’s insides and grabbed Crazy Swoon tightly by the neck.