by Adam Moon
They heard his voice before they saw him. He was saying, “You folks need to head back to Canada as soon as possible. You won’t last another day in the States being so careless.” He emerged slowly, careful to look all around and up at the sky before sliding all the way out. He stood tall and dusted himself off. He was coated in grime now and smelled like shit. He pointed to Neil’s watch and said, “Whether this works or not, I want that watch.”
Neil unclasped it and handed it over. It wasn’t anything special but the scavenger thought it was so it became payment and a token of good will.
The man pulled a red and black boxy device from his back pocket. It was a basic voltmeter. He held his hand out for the dimensional device, saying, “I’m not going to ask you what this is for as long as you forget that I helped you if you get caught with it.”
Neil nodded and lied. “It’s nothing special. I’m pretty sure it’s not against the law to have it.”
“Say no more.” He turned the dial on the voltmeter and attached both leads to either side of the square component on the barren half of the device. He read zeroes on the readout of the voltmeter, turned the dial to a lower setting and then said, “This component looks like some sort of fuse but I’m not getting a reading from it. I’d say you need a new fuse but I have no way to know the resistance you’ll need for the spare. You’ll have to start low and work your way up to higher resistances so you don’t blow out the rest of the components.”
That was music to Neil’s ears. He understood fuses. He was glad it wasn’t some sort of futuristic component that he’d never understand, let alone be able to replace.
The man said, “I’ll check the rest of it out for you real quick but I think a fuse is all you need.” He handed the half with the fuse terminal to Kara and then started to work on the half with the holographic orb. He slid the first lead behind the orb and carefully positioned it on the contact of one of the small components back there.
Neil said, “You don’t have to do that. I think we got our answer.”
“It’s no problem. It’s the least I can do to repay you for that fancy watch you gave me.”
He slid the second lead behind the orb but his index finger touched it and when that happened, all hell broke loose. The first thing that happened was that the man was instantly incinerated, leaving nothing behind but his clothes, the watch, the voltmeter, and what looked like a knee replacement. His body was flash cooked into a fine ash that floated away on the breeze, but everything else remained unscathed. None of them even felt the heat.
The next thing that happened was that the area next to the dropped device started to glow. It shimmered like a pool of quicksilver and then they started to see images appear in the shimmering pool. Sandy nudged the dropped half of the device away from the pool with her foot before it was swallowed up.
Then they saw black space dotted with distant stars, and even felt air rush past them to fill the void on the other side of the wafting portal. Then the view changed and they saw Earth but it was brown and dead. A sandstorm blew past and a little pile of sand collected on the ground at their feet, flung through the portal from the other world. It changed again and they saw a giant sun fill most of their view through the portal. The heat was intense but fleeting. Then they saw black space again. The air rushed past them like before but this time the dead man’s clothes went through the portal with it.
The dropped device jittered and Kara gasped. She lunged for it just in time and then stood and snatched the other half from Neil. She snapped both halves together and they all stared at the ever changing portal, expecting it to shrink and then vanish now that the device was put back together. But it remained.
Neil edged forward to pick up his watch while Kim yelled at him to leave it. He knew it was stupid but maybe he could use it again as barter in the next world they traveled to.
The view changed again and the portal didn’t shrink so Neil shoved one of the dumpsters on top of it to cover it up. A second later, the dumpster sagged and melted before their eyes. Then it was sucked into the portal with a grinding crunch. A sun on the other side of the portal had softened the metal just enough and then the vacuum of space pulled it through.
Neil turned to collect the girls and run back to the diner when he was momentarily stunned. Before them, hovering three feet from the ground was one of the drones the old man had warned them about. It circled them as it scanned. A small gun turret appeared on top of the dome shaped drone and Neil knew he had to act fast because it was about to eliminate them. He rushed forward and threw his body on it. It tried to fly away from him but he had it clutched tightly. He twisted the turret away from his own body as the drone struggled to take to the skies. He didn’t know what to do next until he heard air rushing into the portal again. He dragged the drone towards the void, positioned his feet on either side of it, and then he let it go. At first it just hovered there between his legs but then Sandy ran forward and pressed down on it. A moment later, it shot down into another dimension. It tumbled off into the void completely out of control. The turret fired haphazardly but none of the shots hit Neil or Sandy because they’d already jumped to the side, away from the vacuum that sucked out the drone.
Neil went to Kim, hugging her as tight as he could. He knew they’d almost died a moment ago.
Kara said, “We need to get the hell out of here. If those things communicate with each other then its friends will be here soon to find out what happened.”
As soon as she said it a wall of drones descended from the skies above. Neil grabbed the girls and they hugged the wall of the building, waiting to be executed but the drones ignored them, circling the portal instead. Then, one by one, they entered the portal like lemmings. More arrived and more entered the portal. They were frantic in their movements, like they knew the portal was dangerous but they had no choice but to enter it. Their protocols were destroying them.
Neil edged along the wall, away from the portal, with Kim’s hand in his own. Then they briskly walked from the bizarre scene. When they rounded the corner Neil doubled over to catch his breath; he’d held it the entire time.
He wheezed, “These people are morons. I took out that drone in less than ten seconds. I can’t believe they accept them when they’re so easy to take down.”
Sandy smirked. “You had an interdimensional portal to help you out. These people didn’t have that luxury.”
He smiled. “I suppose you’re right. I sure hope the others fared better than we did.”
Sandy said, “We need to warn one of the natives about the hole between worlds we opened before all of their air gets sucked out into different universes.”
Neil nodded slowly, wishing she hadn’t said that. If he had his way, he’d get them as far away from the world they were on as soon as possible. But she was right. Perhaps the drones would all follow each other into the void, making Neil and Sandy planetary heroes but the downside of their heroics was that they’d ripped an interdimensional rift between worlds that would not end well for this planet.
Neil said, “Get everyone back to the diner and I’ll catch up to you. I’ll see if I can find another scavenger and warn him or her to plug the hole we created.”
“They’ll need to use something sturdier than a dumpster if they want it to last.”
“I’m sure they have something heat resistant they can use. Don’t worry about it. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.”
He watched them trudge back towards the diner and then he made his way towards the portal again, hoping someone had noticed the mayhem of the drones. He’d tell them what to do to plug the hole and then he’d get the hell out of there.
When he rounded the corner, he knew he didn’t need to do a thing. The drones had plugged the hole as they fought to go through it. He stood and watched as they struggled in vain.<
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After several minutes passed he shrugged and was about to turn when he saw a small woman slowly approach the drone pile that was now at least a story tall and at least as wide.
He yelled to her, “Keep away from there. I created something that will suck the drones out of your world but I don’t know how to shut it. If they all get through, you’ll need to plug the hole to make sure your atmosphere doesn’t escape.”
“What in the hell are you talking about. Come over here before the drones notice you.”
He was startled by her resolve until he got closer and noticed she was wearing a business suit with a little badge pinned to the breast that read “Mallory for Mayor”.
He said, “Ms. Mayor. You need to make sure you use something heat resistant and thick to plug the hole.”
“Keep your voice down. Explain yourself, sir.”
“I accidentally created an interdimensional rift that tore a hole in your universe.”
She shook her head and turned from him, keeping a suspicious eye on him and one on the pile of drones. She said, “Okay, sir. Thank you. You should go indoors before you get caught out here.”
“I’m telling you the truth. If those drones unblock the portal, you’ll need to seal it shut.”
“I will do that. Thank you for your time. That will be all.”
Neil sighed but he’d done all he could. The mayor didn’t believe him now but she would if the drones cleared through. He turned and ran back towards the diner.
He was stunned to see Samantha, the wild woman they’d picked up on the previous planet rush past him like she was running for her life. Her face was covered in blood. He turned and called after her but she wouldn’t listen. He took a step in her direction but he knew he’d never catch her. She was too damn fast. He dreaded to find out what she’d done that had her running from them in such a panic. He hoped everyone was alright, but that blood on her face was not her own.
The world was not as it had first appeared. They thought it was futuristic based on the lights and sounds but now they knew they were so big and bright because they were meant to be viewed from a distance or through a car or building window. His heart swelled when he imagined the natives coming outside for the first time in decades without fear of imminent death. And then it sank when he saw Steve standing outside the diner, clutching his throat, his shirt covered in blood.
“What did she do to you?”
“She got free and attacked me. I couldn’t stop her.”
“Let’s get you inside and patch you up. Is everyone back already?”
“Not yet. Just your group. I just needed to get outside for some fresh air. She stunk the place up in there.”
“Well, we need to go so you’d better follow me back in.”
“Kara said you had some luck with the jumper.”
“It was a mixed bag. We found out which component is fried but the guy who helped us is dead now and he accidentally ripped a gateway between this reality and the others and it won’t close.”
“Shit.”
“I know.”
Just then the others arrived, but Valerie wasn’t with them. Pam was hyperventilating when she said, “We didn’t find any food or water and this flying metal orb thing shot and killed Valerie. What a waste.”
Neil didn’t want to correct her, but it hadn’t been a total waste. They knew which component was damaged and fixing it should be easy enough if they found another world with sufficient technology. Looking around for a part on the current world was out of the question. They’d already overstayed their welcome, and who knew if the portal they created was stable or not. If it grew they’d be screwed. They had to leave as soon as possible.
He hadn’t had much of a chance to get to know Valerie but her loss affected him more than he thought it would. She was a part of their group and he already missed her. She was important to all of them, as they were to each other. The fact that she died on a foreign planet far from home broke Neil’s heart. She must have felt very alone in the moment of her death.
Jack and Stacey were ashen. Stacey said, “We would’ve brought her body back here but the thing snatched up her corpse with a grappling hook and flew off with her. We were lucky we were able to find cover before it saw us too.”
Jack’s voice cracked. “I’ve seen more death in the last twelve hours than I’ve seen my entire life. Why are all of these worlds worse than ours? You’d think that we’d find at least one that was better.”
Jim and Pam hugged their daughter like they’d been separated for years.
Neil knew it was time to move on. He announced, “The wild woman, Samantha, from the last dimension escaped and ran away.” Then he asked, “Does anyone think we should stay and find her?”
Steve said, “No,” in such a way that no one dared argue with him. Sandy shook her head too so Neil told Kara to get them out of there.
She pressed the big button on the device and they vanished, leaving Samantha, the aristocratic jungle woman behind, as well as Valerie’s bullet riddled corpse. Only time would tell if the sacrifices were worth it.
Sacrificial Lambs
✨
THE NEXT WORLD caused them all to cough spastically. The air outside was a dirty yellow. There were decrepit, broken buildings in the distance. They didn’t wait around long enough to find out what had led to the downfall of the planet. Kara hit the button again and they were mercifully whisked away.
Cool, fresh air wafted in through the busted front door. They all ran outside to take in deep lungfuls of it.
Neil checked over Kim just to be sure she was alright. She said, “Promise me you’ll be safe this time. Don’t do anything stupid, alright?”
“I promise. I just need to find a part and then we can go home.”
She looked at her feet. “Can I stay with you for awhile when we get back?”
He paused, searching for the right words. When he couldn’t find them he said, “No matter what happens, we’ll stay together.”
“Good, because mom is weird these days. I think she could use a break from me.”
Neil could already see a change in his daughter. Twelve hours earlier she was a withdrawn, quiet girl, afraid of the world, trusting just a few close acquaintances. Now she seemed more in tune with reality, even though reality had been tipped on edge for all of them. The custody battle he was going to wage with her mother might be long and drawn out but he’d do everything in his power to keep Kim away from her influence. For the first time, he considered his new options. What if they found a perfect world among these strange dimensions? Could he simply skip out on returning home? Could he make a new life with his daughter and maybe find happiness again?
His mood fell to the dirt with a sick thud when he saw Jack and Jim dragging Henry’s dead body outside. They plopped him down on the dirt and then looked around for something to cover him with. Jim had apparently had a change of heart about how he felt about the recently departed. Maybe watching Valerie get shot to death by a flying robot had changed his views because he no longer seemed so reverent about death.
As if he read Neil’s mind, he said, “We can’t keep bringing him along for the ride. He’ll start to rot soon. He could make us sick.”
Steve had a piece of cloth tied around his neck wound when he brought three large trash bags out to wrap Henry in. They slipped them under him like they were tucking him in for the night.
The world was busy but they had jumped to an area off the beaten path, surrounded by hills and a smattering of trees. A city in the distance twinkled like it offered promises. Neil couldn’t believe their luck. This might be a safe place to stop for awhile and find supplies. If they got a fistful of fuses too then they’d be able to write their own ticket. But their enco
unters on the last planet dulled his enthusiasm. That planet had seemed promising too but it had led to one of their deaths.
They all left together because they couldn’t be sure how safe the world was and if they had to make a speedy exit they had to be in close proximity to one another.
Kara was a plucky youngster but the responsibility of getting them all to safety had become too much for her to bear so she handed the dimensional device to Neil, at least until they knew they would be safe. They walked as a group across rolling meadows. The grasses and flowers all looked typical so they held out hope that the world was similar to their own. If so they’d have a better chance at finding a compatible fuse for the device.
They ducked under a barbed wire fence to meet up with a dirt road and then they followed that all the way towards the city. The dirt gave way to tarmac and the first car that passed them was a Ford. This was a world like their own. This world held promise.
Pam and Kara were nearly jogging by the time they approached the city limits. The anticipation was swelling and this time they hit pay dirt. The first few stores were generic, like drug stores and bicycle repair shops, but the further they moved towards the center, the closer they got to a civilization as advanced as they’d hoped. The natives greeted them heartily, saying things like, It’s a great day for it, or, God bless you. One guy stopped Neil and asked, “Have we met?”
Neil shook his head and the guy walked away, confused. But it meant they blended in so well that they were seen as natives.
They finally found a store right in the heart of the city named “Electronic Jungle”. Kara yelped like a puppy and ran through the doors. Neil told everyone else to wait for them outside and then he and Kim followed in after her.
It was one of those electronic stores that seemed to have one of everything, even parts to appliances decades old. Kara ran to Neil with a tub in her arms. Inside the tub were various fuses, marked for sale at a dollar apiece. They put the tub on a shelf and separated out the fuses they hoped might work. Altogether, they had about twenty fuses to buy.