Who knows what we’ll find. The important thing is that Jamie’s okay and I have a bag full of bullets for the rifle and shells for the shotgun if I need them.
CHAPTER
TWO
For over half an hour,we’ve raced over the unfamiliar plains. What I thought was sand is more like golden soil over a hard surface. A little like the land at home during a drought.
One thing’s for sure, there’s nothing remotely familiar about anything surrounding us.
I flick a glance over my shoulder, though the beast is no longer on our tail. It hasn’t been for the past ten minutes, but rather than filling me with relief, a ball of dread builds in my gut.
Where the hell is it?
“You think we lost it?”
I’m riding at Jamie’s side, so it’s easy to flick a glance at him. “Hopefully.”
He nods before peering over his own shoulder.
We’ve slowed the horses. They’re calmer, which I hope means they’re not sensing whatever creature was chasing after us. The melodic thud of their hooves gives me a moment to think and figure out what to do.
The one thing in our favour is that the sun is no longer setting. It’s high in the sky. I think. I can’t actually see the blazing ball of fire, but it’s bright out.
But still, even if Injune is where it should be, it’ll likely take us another six hours or so to get there by horseback. Given that the terrain under the horses’ hooves is so unfamiliar, I’ve got to be smart. That means no pushing them unless our lives depend on it.
The thought turns me cold.
We trek on, Jamie constantly looking around, his eyes wide with wonder.
Ahead, a cluster of arboreal structures resembling a forest emerges like an illusion in the distance. Turning to Jamie, I offer a tentative smile. “Well, kiddo,” I say with a light-hearted chuckle that I absolutely don’t feel, “looks like we stumbled into the set of a particularly bizarre episode ofStranger Things.”
He shoots me a dubious glance but manages a small grin in return, adjusting his grip on the reins. “If a gateway opens up overhead, I’m out of here.”
I snort. “Sounds like a good plan.” I stare back at the forest. “We best head for those trees,” I continue, gesturing towards the strange-looking woodland ahead. “It’ll be good to get out of the open and take stock.”
Just because we can’t see the six-legged horned creature in hot pursuit, it doesn’t mean it won’t catch up.
With a nod at each other, we urge our horses forwards; their hooves kick up strange iridescent dust as we approach the otherworldly forest. The closer we get, the more surreal the vegetation becomes. Towering trees shimmer with hues I’ve never seen before, and peculiar glowing vines twist and coil around their trunks like pythons crushing their prey.
After trekking further into the cooler canopy of wide leaves and reaching a cluster of boulders, we dismount. I have no idea if it’s safe to do so, but my pulse has yet to settle, and I’m pretty sure my blood pressure is sky-high.
“Let’s take fifteen minutes, yeah?” I pull out a water flask and hand it to Jamie.
While he takes it with a smile, he doesn’t stop peering around. “You think we’re okay here?”
I wince and shrug. “I wish I knew, Jamie.” I’m not prepared to lie or offer false promises. “Just take a breath for now, drink, and we’ll get on our way.”
Nodding, he presses the bottle to his lips. I’m grateful he doesn’t push and ask, “Get on our way towhereexactly?” I press my back to one of the large off-yellow boulders. It’s hard against my back, grounding in a way I really need right now.
Beyond Jamie and the horses, the stone behind me is the only thing that feels real.
I’ve watched enough shows and movies to have a good idea about what could have happened, but it’s a struggle to believe any of the possibilities could happen in real life.
Were we sucked into a vortex, abducted by aliens, swallowed into some kind of black hole?
Knowing the truth will maybe help me get my head around what’s happening. At least that way, I can try to figure out if we should keep heading east, towards a town I suspect is not there. If not, do we go into survival mode? Maybe find other people?
Humans.
