(By the way, this is the 51st episode in a row.)
Jon slammed on the brakes. Zoe and Sarah weren't wearing their seatbelts, so they collided into the backs of the front seats.
"Ow! What did you stop for?" Zoe asked.
But Jon didn't need to answer. She saw why he stopped. There was someone standing in the middle of the road.
It was the old man. But this time, he wasn't dressed as a farmer. Instead, he was dressed in a street department suit, which was dirty, as if he had been cleaning something recently.
"What are you doing here, kid?" he asked.
Jon got out of the car. "This is where we're supposed to be. Right?"
"Not yet. I told you, you're not ready. None of you are."
"Ready for what?" Karyn asked.
"For 51."
"What's 51?" Jon asked.
The old man turned around and pointed at the city. "That is 51."
"51 is the city?" Jon asked.
The old man sighed and shook his head. "I told you that you wouldn't understand."
"Is it an illusion, then? Like the corn fields?"
The old man looked up at Jon.
"Are we still in the Place?"
"No," he answered. "You're in 51 now. But I strongly suggest that you turn around and go back."
"Why? Is there some kind of danger waiting for us there?" Jon asked.
"Can't really say."
"Are there Watchers in there?"
That got the old man's attention. "How do you know about them?"
"We met one," Karyn said.
"Then, you're lucky to have gotten away." He walked towards Jon and grabbed his shoulder. "Listen, son. It would be wise to turn back. But I can't make you do anything. The choice is yours to make."
He walked to the side of the road and into the grass, yelling back "Make the right decision, son." And then he disappeared.
The four of them stood, looking at the city. The city that was called 51.
