[Author's note: a short story I recently started; however, the idea has been in my head for several years now.]

Darkness. Gradually he regained consciousness, not exactly sure of where he was. His surroundings seemed foreign, alien, yet there was a caress of familiarity that he couldn't quite grasp.

A cool breeze caused the hair on his arms to tingle, cluing him in to the fact that he was outside. The sound of trickling water reached his ears, sounding like it was coming from nearby. Lying on the ground at an awkward angle, he felt hard cobblestones beneath his left arm, which was pinned against his body, pushing uncomfortably into his ribs. With a groan, he extricated his arm and pushed himself to a sitting position.

As his eyes came into focus, he recognized the stores and other buildings that surrounded the main square of his small town. Everything seemed to be in order, except... He couldn't quite put his finger on it. He looked down and saw that he was still clothed. In fact, he still possessed his money pouch, which wasn't light by any means. He considered himself lucky that he wasn't stripped of his clothes and left in a stinking, putrid alley to die. "Gerard...," a voice echoed through his slowly clearing thoughts. Yes, Gerard, that was his name. At least he remembered that much about himself.

Gerard stumbled ungracefully to his feet, still teetering a bit as he gradually regained his sense of balance. He suddenly realized what seemed strange to him. Even though it was nighttime, there was nary a soul to be seen throughout the square. Normally at this time of day, there would be even a few passersby, running their last errands before turning in for the night. For for some unknown reason, the main square was completely devoid of life. Even the rats and dogs seemed to be absent on that particular night.

He made out a sign on the far end of the square, "The Lucky Tavern," it said, showing a pair of dice underneath its name. "Perhaps I'll find some answers there," Gerard thought as he walked briskly through the quickly cooling night air. The tavern was also deserted as he entered, with exception to a lone bartender drying off glasses.

"What'll it be, friend?" the bartender grunted in some unrecognizable accent.

"Just some water," Gerard replied, "I'm not much in a drinking mood tonight."

"One water it is, coming right up."

"This place seems awfully deserted," Gerard thought to himself. All of the sudden, questions started popping into his head as quickly as he could think. Why was he lying there unconscious in the middle of town? How did he get there? Why was there hardly anyone in town?

As soon as his head stopped hurting, he vowed he would start looking for answers. But first, he had to get rid of his nasty headache. As he turned back to his water, the door to the tavern was thrown open, slamming hard against the wall. The sudden "crack!" made Gerard jump as he craned his head to see the source of the noise...