Chapter 9 CHAPTER 9
“No no no,” I cried, “why isn't it working?” I lamented, looking between the glowing book and the mad man slowly approaching me.
Up close now, I could see the absence of the wrinkle lines I used to be forced to see as he drilled into my shoulder, seeing how my bones would heal.
He was on the shorter side, with brown hair that made him look normal, except he was wielding a gun.
“You went completely bonkers since killing my father?” He asked, crooking that eye in amusement.
“Oh,” my eyes widened, realizing my stupid assumption. “You are his son.”
Of course Alira, why else do you think he's chasing after you with that much anger?
“Baldwin at your service,” he tipped his head in my direction. “Now, if you would be a smart girl, come this way, we have a long way to go y’know?”
He twirled the gun in his hand as he approached me, a glint in his eyes, one wicked and confident he'd gotten me.
With a broken heart and mind, I realized he was right. I could try to delay this but the police won't make it here quickly enough, this town was a bit far off from the road and there's nothing else I could. My phone was still on with the lady's voice on the other end, trying to get me to respond but it was of no use.
I looked at the book one more time, reading the words in an unintentional glance and blinking as much as possible, hoping it would just… do that thing again.
When nothing happened, I just knew the madman before me was right, I'd gone nuts somewhere between Friday and this morning.
I'd probably imagined it all, except the book was still glowing, for some reason and it was beginning to irritate my eyes and soul. If you won't rescue me, at least try not to make me go blind.
The sound of the gun being cocked snapped me back to the present and I saw he had it pointed at my head, all smiles gone from his expression.
“I don't mind killing you bitch,” he snarled, “you'll do whatever I need you to do, dead or alive so get your ass on the move before I make you!”
Trembling, I began to, taking one step in his direction and then another.
But as I blinked the tears away, I gasped, opening my eyes to –
“Ahhh!” The scream erupted from my throat, just as air whipped at me as I fell.
From where to what, I have no idea.
The fall was long, or maybe it wasn't since I was in the moment but I was terrified, the scream erupting from my throat unending and my eyes unable to see anything clearly as I kept tumbling down.
I was trying to run away from the man who wanted to kill me, not fall to my death.
Whoever was operating that damn book hated me, that much was clear.
I was so scared I was going to land on rocks or something hard and pass away from that.
And I did hit something hard, the first nanosecond, before it submerged me.
I flailed from shock and confusion as I opened my eyes to see that the surface I'd hit was water.
I'd landed in water, a freaking ocean, and my swimming skills were lackluster at best.
“Don't panic Alira, don't panic,” I kept whispering over and over again, looking around for something, anything I could hold onto because I knew I couldn't stay afloat for long.
I was about to give up when I turned again and saw land, it was a bit far, especially considering I'd fallen from… I turned to see the cliff I'd walked off from and yep, I would have died if I hadn't fallen into this water.
I looked between the cliff and the land I was to swim to.
I was getting tired from flapping my hands to stay atop so I began swimming towards the shore, keeping my head above water even though I knew it would exhaust me quicker.
I was in strange circumstances, who knew what was under these waters.
The second that thought kicked in, I swam faster, panic propelling my movements.
I was losing my shit by the time I finally felt solid and under my feet. I dragged myself out of the water and collapsed on the sand, my arms, legs, and head sore.
Nothing about this was normal, and considering what my life was like, that was saying a lot.
Suddenly, I blew up with laughter. Hysterical, overwhelming, and comical. I mean, can you imagine the scientist’s son watching someone disappear into thin air?
My laughter died down as the second part of my reality dawned on me.
I was in a foreign realm, the two suns were still glaring at me as before and I was scared to blink.
I might be sent right back into those loony bins arms.
Yes, I might be responsible for his father's death but his father was responsible for my lack of personality and shitty mental health.
Tit for tat asshole, he should have found a better hobby than cutting people up for ‘science’.
Finally getting the energy to get up but mostly because the waves were washing over me and draining back again and again, I got up on all fours and began crawling away from the shoreline.
I looked up and saw I was completely alone on this shore.
It stretched on and on, and before me was a scarier problem.
It looked like an abandoned forest and I had no idea what this plane was like at night.
Did they have nights?
I just knew I didn't want to be out here or in those woods when that happened.
But hopefully, something else lay beyond these woods, so barefoot and with thundering heartbeats, I waded into it, wincing and holding my tears at bay each time something punctured my feet.
My body hurt, my feet were bleeding and night nearly covered the atmosphere by the time I finally made it out of the forest.
I knew it was absolutely pure luck that I made it to the right direction, but something kept pulling me in this direction and I didn't doubt it.
None of this made any sense so why bother? If I walk into something that kills me, it's better than being captured by the man in my other life.
I was still struggling to accept this new reality but the pain I felt was real, intense and I didn't need to pinch myself.
I was in a new world and I had no idea what was ahead of me or how to navigate it.
I felt my mind spiraling for the umpteenth time, imagining what sort of beasts would exist in here. The book I'd read had…
“Wait,” I paused at the edge of the forest, “why can't I remember anything from it?”
I had read the damn thing twice over, yet as I stood there, it seemed every time I looked at it, I saw nothing but blurry lines in the bright light.
“What the hell?”
I shook my head and proceeded to walk onto the red path I'd gotten to, not muddy sand like on earth but a smoothened, strong path that was made with something akin to terra cotta materials.
I saw I was on a path between two forests, and I looked back and forth, not knowing which direction to go.
But that strange pull demanded my attention again, towards the right side and I followed.
What is the worst that can happen right?
It was dusk when I turned upon hearing a strange sound.
I gasped, jumping back in shock.
How hadn't I heard it approaching?
It was a horse, or at least a variation of it, and it pulled a cart that was so big I had no idea how it was able to move with it despite how monstrous it looked.
The twin horns on its head glowed an ember green and I had to step aside to avoid getting trampled.
I watched it pass until my brain suddenly clicked, this was a transport system in this world and this was the only living being I'd seen in the entire time I've been here.
“Hey!” I yelled, running after the cart, “Wait for me!”
“Hello?!” I yelled, “Fuck why am I so out of breath?” I hovered down, trying to catch my breath.
I looked up, expecting it to have moved far from me but it had stopped and I watched as the cart opened the black tent covering it and a man poked out his head.
And said something in a language I didn't understand.
“Of course,” I groaned, “why make my life any easier?”