Jackie landed on top of her friend with a thump. “Get off me.” She felt Alissa push her off with reactionary force. Jackie hadn’t got her bearings and was still disoriented from the trip through the portal. She landed face first on the flat ground.

The trip through the portal was unlike any experience known to humankind. It felt like she was skydiving, but she also felt her body distort and pull itself in all directions as if she was made of putty. She felt no gravity or free fall sensation, instead she felt like she was being sucked through a straw.

“Where are we?” Jackie groaned.

“Jackie, how in the hell should I know. This is all new to me too.” Alissa sounded like a mother frustrated with her kid asking a million questions.

They were outside. Sunny, no clouds in the sky. It felt warm and a little dry. The ground was hot. It felt like there was a fine film of sand on top of a hard, compacted ground. As Jackie planted her hands on the ground to push herself up, she felt the ground give-in just a bit.

Jackie was was wearing a long, plaid skirt with simple v-neck black t-shirt. Her friend was in a modest dress, that was cut in the front to show off her leg as she walked. Both girls were barefoot.

“This place looks really flat.” Alissa shielded her eyes from the sun with one hand. It looked like a lazy salute. “We’re in desert it appears.”

Jackie could feel the compacted-ground sink under her bare feet. She looked down and moved her right foot and stood a little wide. Where her right foot was, she could see a perfect footprint in the light-sanded color ground.

“I don’t like this, ‘Lissa. We are in a desert with no water.”

“So, I guess we should start looking for water.”

“That portal thingy is gone. We’re trapped here.”

“Don’t freak out.”

“What are we going to do?”

“Find water. Then we’ll see if we can find anyone else.”

The girls pick a direction and proceed to walk. They hope their decision leads to fresh water or civilization.

As they walk, Jackie couldn’t help but notice how fragile the ground felt. Something felt off but she couldn’t pinpoint it. Jackie walked slightly behind her taller friend and kept close. The sun stayed high above and warmed their skins, causing them to slightly sweat.

“There look!” Alissa pointed off into the distance.
118 views
·
June 8, 2023
Back
Outline
Copy to clipboard