Jeff pressed his hand against his shoulder where the bullet had entered, wondering why he had let his brother talk him into messing with their dad’s work. “Are you okay bro?” said Calvin, “I got us into this, and I will figure a way out.” Jeff looked around the small wooden barn they were hiding in. The wood was old and crumbling. The floor was covered in hay and blacksmith’s tools hung from the tattered ceiling. Bullet holes covered the walls, letting in trails of sunlight across the room. In the far left corner was their dad’s work, a small round electronic device with three triangle shaped discs that clipped into the centre with hinges. One of the triangle discs lay on the floor, snapped off by the sheriff’s .45. “Unless we can fix the hinge on dad’s time machine, our time ends here.” said Jeff, sounding defeated.

Calvin crawled over to the wall and peered through a crack in the wood. The barn was on the east side of the town. On the west side was the gallows. A small, chubby man was hanging two new nooses for this evening’s event. The main street in the town was quiet, as it normally was before a hanging. The townsfolk were getting rest before the festivities, anxious to see these two boys, who claim to be from another time, hang for witchcraft.

“I can see the town clock from here Jeff; we know the town has a council meeting at five.” said Calvin, turning back and looking at his brother. Jeff’s face was pale. Blood was trickling down his arm, gathering at his fingertips. “Hang in there Jeff; I’m going to get us home.” Calvin crawled over to Jeff and gave him his shirt to press against the wound. “You know we have to be going over twenty miles per hour when we hit a wall for the device to send us back, so I am going to give you the tools to work on the hinge while I go steal us a horse. Watch the clock for it to turn five, then open the barn doors and be ready for me.”

After handing Jeff all the tools he could use, Calvin slid under a hole in the barn wall next to the door. He crawled through the long grass until he was up against the buildings in the main street. “I can wait out back behind the tailor shop until the time is right.” He thought to himself.

The town clock reached five, it was time to act. Calvin crept round to the front of the tailor’s shop and peered down the street. As sure as he knew the sheriff’s horse would be by the barber shop, he knew he could count on everybody being up at the meeting. There was no time to waste, the manhunt would begin shortly. He ran across the road to the barber shop and started untying the sheriff’s horse. As he put his first foot in the stirrup to get on, he saw a little girl standing a few feet away, wide eyed. “You are in trouble mister, get on that horse and I will scream.” She said timidly. Calvin had no time, he had to act. He threw his other leg over the saddle and the girl started screaming. Calvin turned his reins toward the barn and dug his heel into the horse’s ribs, “GO BOY!”

He started galloping towards the open barn door, with the sound of an angry mob behind him and gunshots ringing through the air. As he approached the door, he felt a burning sensation in his leg. His legs went numb and he let go of the reins. He looked down to see smoke still emanating from the fresh bullet wound. The horse stopped at the entrance of the barn and Calvin fell to the ground. He looked up and saw his brother lying face down in the hay, the time device complete in his hand.

With the last bit of effort he had, he lifted Jeff onto the horse, activated the device and slapped the horse as hard as he could. The sheriff’s horse took off down the street towards the gallows and Calvin dropped to his knees. As the horse picked up speed, the device started glowing white light. The faster they went, the brighter it got. Calvin got up and stumbled into the street to watch his brother travel. The device burned bright and the horse turned toward the buildings. Calvin’s body went cold as his brother galloped toward the wall. The horse approached the wall and Calvin whispered, “I love you bro.” The light grew overpowering and he closed his eyes. Calvin drew his last breath, smiled and fell to the dirt.

...picking up from unsuccessful attempt 26, it appears that the speed increase in rotation of the gyros to 1,400 rpm placed unforeseen stresses on the directional baffles, causing catastrophic failure in the same terms as attempt 19. Attempt 26 caused significant damages and Stevens has been most helpful in gathering the needed parts from town as he is rather proficient with words and a keen negotiator. I fear, however, that Stevens’ luster for this project grows duller with each unsuccessful attempt. I only hope we prove successful before Stevens’ passionate heart gives way to his more rational head.

Attempt #27; Munich, Germany; Wednesday, June 16th, 1937

10am, Weather is warm with partial cloud cover. Wind speeds are ideal for turbine power. The valley and surrounding hills have been a useful test ground as it supplies a near constant supply of wind energy.
(Modification notes: Reduced rpm’s of the gyros down to 1200 rpm, as to reduce stresses on the baffles. This should also bring harmonic vibrations into a manageable level.)

11:10am, Batteries have a 98% charge across the lot of them. This should prove well for our test today. After a preliminary inspection, all aspects seem secure and proper.

11:12am, Stevens engages the ignition switch on the gyros and they groan into motion. (Modification notes: For future attempts, look into possibly adding additional lubrication ports. Also make sure Stevens is still buying Klubler grease and not the cheaper grade they sell at the hardware market.)

11:15am, The gyros have a steady hum and batteries remain strong at 95%. I will now go and enter the transportation field. Stevens will be documenting the following events of attempt 27.

11:20am, Mitchell Stevens, assistant. I will be interim recorder as Albert gets prepared. Weather conditions are ideal. Batteries holding at 95%. The reduction in RPM seems to have reduced vibrations substantially. All is as it should be. Now waiting on his signal. ... This had better work or I’ll be in need of a real job.

11:23am, Upon Albert’s signal, I flip the main breaker. Current flow to the electromagnet shows at 100%. Levitation of the transport field begins.

11:25am, Levitation is substantial, of about 3 inches from the ground. The gyro’s hum dissipates and quietness falls around us. I no longer hear the rustle of leaves or the chirping of wild birds. … This is most unusual.

11:28am, This silence has the best of me. My own voice is of no audible volume. The frantic writings of my pen to this pad produces nothing. I cannot explain this. Levitation 12 inches. Batteries 82%.

11:29am, The quietness is shattered by a roar of what I can only describe as thunder. The force generated knocks me to the ground and once again volume is restored in my ears. Gyros 1 & 3, affected by the shockwave, begin an off balance rotation. RPMs on 1 & 3 climb to 1300. Batteries are reading well above 100%. That can’t be right.

11:36am, The entire platform is shaking violently. Integrity is compromised. Terminating attempt.

12:11pm, Albert Einstein resuming: Attempt 26 is unsuccessful. There were no apparent malfunctions in any area. Stevens speaks of a great quiet interrupted by a thunderous boom. This is odd to me as I neither felt nor heard anything while inside the transportation field. At this time I am unsure how to proceed. I am terribly vexed. Stevens and I will retire to town and study our findings further after some rest.

Notations:
While in search for a lunch, we heard the cry of a newspaper boy, “War! War is upon us!” Startled by the young man’s proclamation we proceed over to him and purchased a paper. The headline read in large bold type, “EUROPE DECLARES WAR ON NAZI GERMANY” “Nazi Germany? What do they mean Nazi?” I asked the boy who sold us the paper. The boy hesitated and then took off in a sprint, “I’m sorry,” he yelled back, “I’m not allowed to speak to Jews!” This confused me terribly. At that same moment I felt a pulling at my sleeve. “Excuse me, sir, I think you should see this,” Said Stevens as he hands me the newspaper, folded, pointing to the corner. “September 3rd, 1939” “S-so it m-must have worked then?” Stevens mumbled, “W-we traveled forward 2 years? It really works! Ha Ha!” “Yes.. It really works” “Sir, you’re not excited? I don’t understand.” asked Stevens. “Well, we have indeed made a great discovery. I am proud of us both. But we must go back and destroy it.” “Sir! Why?” protested Stevens. “Humanity is not ready Stevens. Can you imagine this power falling into the hands of a nation at war? The power to control time and alter events. No, I am afraid the world is not ready for this. We will destroy it and never speak of it again. That is the end of it.”

It started out like any other day. Get up late, lazy around and party all night. Little did she know, Brenella was going to have the party of her life. She didn’t really know whose party or house it was, but she didn’t care. A party is a party, and a good excuse to get wasted.

As she arrived she thought the house looked ordinary and so did the people. To make matters worse, there was not one good looking guy around. There was only one thing she could do. Head towards the fruit punch and hope it was alcoholic. A guy approached her as she was taking her first sip of the punch.

“I’m Dean. You don’t know me, but I’m here to tell you that if it didn’t happen that way, you wouldn’t be so miserable.”

Brenella shook her head in disbelief.

“Is that the new pick up line you guys now use? It’s really pathetic if you ask me. Doesn’t even make any sense!”

Dean chuckled to himself. He knew she would be bitter, so he chose not to waste any more time and told her exactly why he was there.

“Something happened, Brenella, in your past that destroyed you from the inside and never healed. It is time for you to go back and fix it.”

Before Brenella had time to say “How do you know my name?” she found herself somewhere else. Somewhere she recognised too well.

“So, are you going to do it? Hello? Brenella? Don’t pretend you can’t hear me to get away from it. You said you would do it.”

Brenella didn’t want to look at the girl she was hearing, as she knew she wouldn’t believe it.

“Brenella! Stop being munted and open your eyes.”

She had to face it sooner or later, so she did. It was exactly what she had thought. She was back in high school at the exact time her friend was convincing her to ask Alex out. Brenella also remembered that it went horribly wrong and she never talked to her friend again for convincing her of the worst thing ever. Brenella, feeling desperate, looked at the sky and yelled out.

“Dean! What on Earth? I want to go back! You… you… little…”

She then realised that yelling at the sky was not such a great idea, not only did it not reply, but all the other kids around her were now looking at her as if she was crazy. She might as well have been. The only logical explanation she had was that someone had spiked the fruit juice at the party and now she was hallucinating, but it felt so real.

“Brenella, I have no idea what you are trying to do, but I’m not buying it. You said you would ask him out today and there is nothing you can do to get out of it. Even pretending to speak with God who you call Dean is not going to do you any good.”

“You don’t understand Cheryl. I’ve been through this before. I’m back in my past. I know what is going to happen. It goes horribly wrong. Alex is going to tell me that he rather date a corpse and I’ll never get over it. Some guy in a party brought me here somehow. This ain’t cool!”

Cheryl just stared at Brenella blankly.

“You really have a high imagination, but you’re still doing it. It might not turn out as horribly as you think.”

Before Brenella had time to reply, she heard someone call out her name. She turned to see who it was, and it was him, Alex, the guy she so desperately wanted to avoid.

“Brenella! I’m so glad I found you! You’re going to think I am crazy, but this guy called Dean visited me and then I appeared in the past. If you don’t believe me, I know you were about to ask me out. I did a bad mistake and wished I could turn back time to fix it, and my wish came true.”

Brenella’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe it.

“Dean visited me too. I don’t understand why he did this. Why did he go to you too? What’s going on?”

Alex smiled and grabbed Brenella’s hands.

“I rejected you because I was afraid. I know I said a horrible thing, sorry. When Dean told me you were miserable because of what I did, I felt worse. That’s probably why I haven’t been able to get into a good relationship with anyone. I’m being punished. I have the chance to make things better. We can be together just like it was supposed to be.”

Brenella thought awhile, then smiled. There was only one
thing she could say.

“I rather date a corpse!”

The park at twilight seemed perfect for a date.

"No wonder I'm fascinated by you," Tom was saying.

Eager to believe him, Linda tossed back her hair. "By me and how many others, Tom O'Rourke?" she whispered across the cafe table, her eyes twinkling.

"A few," he teased, "but you're my best chance."

"Really!" she said, putting down her cappuccino.

"Yes, there's something about you I can't explain. I trust you."

"Let's walk."

"In this weather?"

"Why not?"

A thin rain was falling, crisscrossing the oaks' silvery crowns. The lower branches of the trees seemed to touch, encircling the grove.

"They're so beautiful," Linda said softly, starting off.

"Let's take this path instead," Tom said, coaxing her away.

"They must be very old trees, they're so large."

"Don't go in there!" he called, holding back. He was baffled at the sound of his voice, as if the words were not his own. He did not know that fathomless memories were guarding him from the oak, the tree of doors.

Unable to move, he watched Linda as she gazed at the leaves. Suddenly she leaned against the tree. He ran towards her.

* * *

Linda gazed at the frosty-green leaves, caressed the scaling bark. Raindrops shimmered on the tree trunk. A sweet scent embraced her. She breathed in, her face beaming.

Then the darkness came — a velvety, tangible darkness.

Her cry carried no sound, her limbs were numb; her eyes stared into nonexistence. She swooned, letting go of herself. Only a heartbeat persisted, unrelenting, a fragile mechanism of life.

Time took her away and Time brought her back.

Now the tree was dry against her body. She could see again. With faltering steps, she moved beyond; her dizziness was gone. The grove was ashen-blue near the ground, while the highest branches blended in with darker shadows. It was the hour before dawn, when a faint light dissolves the shape of the world.

Muffled sounds filled the park. "Small creatures," she thought. A startling hum came from nowhere. Linda looked around, then up. Fleeting lights pierced the sky. Swift and wingless, like a manta in deep waters, a large aircraft was approaching a runway. A buff cloud was glowing in the east.

She had found her compass. Walking through the mist, she would reach the north gate.

A vague form made her stop and hide. There was something on the ground, near the roots of a tree. She focused her eyes. A man was lying under a frayed blanket. She could hear him wheezing. She moved quietly.

"Don't come near. Don't look at me," the man called.

"I mean no harm," she said softly. "I'm lost. I'm trying to reach the north gate. To Dover Street."

"No gate. No street. Just a landfill. Go back."

"Are you ill?"

"Let me die," he moaned.

The man's face could have been scourged. His head was a tangle of dirty gray hair and blood clots.

"Who did this to you?" she gasped.

"Kids. They beat me up. Hard." He looked up at her. "Young kids."

She noticed his effort to speak, and touched his rough hand.

"You know what hurts? Really hurts? They kicked my dog to death, first." He sobbed. "I'll never forgive them."

"I'll go for help."

"Stay with me. I'm all alone now."

She covered the shivering man with her coat, and huddled by his side to warm him. He cried in silence for a long time, clasping her hand.

Dawn was breaking at last. The mist was turning into a pale shade of saffron. Linda looked up; the foliage was blue-green and silvery again. "Where am I?" she thought. "I'm not hallucinating, this is all real. But Dover Street is gone. Where is this? What will happen to me?" Fear crept into her mind and body. She was helpless. She was trapped. The world that she knew was gone.

From a distance, a man's voice called out. "Rook! Where are you? Rook!"

Linda glanced at the man beside her.

"Matt. Here," he muttered.

"He's here! He's hurt! Hurry," Linda shouted. Then she whispered, "Help is coming?"

Rushing steps were drawing near. "Damn this mist!" Matt grumbled, as his stocky figure emerged.

"Rook? Heavens, what have they done! We've been searching all night, Hans and me. Come on, I'll carry ya."

Linda rose to her feet. She was no longer needed.

"Thanks miss," said Matt. "He'll be alright."

"I have to go, Rook," she said, a tinge of longing in her voice.

"I know."

Matt's eyes followed her as she walked away. "She could come along. Looks like she's lost or something."

"Easy, Matt, I'm hurting."

"What do ya say, Tom-O-Rook? Wanna call her back?"

Matt's voice carried a long way into the mist.

Linda turned around, tossing back her hair. "I shall need my coat one of these days."

Not too satisfied with the ending, suggestions welcome :)
Please consider that I am not native, when judging words and construction :-)

Tony woke up with the worst headache he ever had experienced – or according to his feelings, the worst any man ever had experienced. It took almost all of his energy to open his eyes, which felt as if millstones where attached to the lids. When looking around, he discovered his wife Caitlin cower next to him, being as much in pain as he was. A further inspection of his surroundings revealed a totally unknown landscape. Where he remembered the beautiful scenery of Yosemite Park, he now saw flat meadows and enormous trees among deep, ice blue pools of water.

He turned to Caitlin and opened his mouth to pop the obvious question, when earth began to shake rhythmically, accompanied from deep thumping sounds. All around them small creatures flew up and away with screeching sounds, while a huge shadow darkened the sun. Tony quickly helped his wife up and they fled in the same direction as the flying creatures, being not a second too late. An enormous column-like thing stomped into the very place they had occupied just an instant before.

His curiosity won over the aching pain and he looked up, up as far as he could. Atop of the column sat a huge flaked body with a long neck. Tony shook his head in disbelief and looked again, but still he saw what seemed to him like a giant living T-Rex. As he began to point to the creature, Caitlin yelled: “We better run until we drop dead or we are T-Rex-food!”
They started to do right that, but with little success. The huge neck bent down to the humans, which where soon surrounded by enormous jaws and a smell that would have killed the toughest fly. The giant teeth – every single one seemed bigger to them than their Hummwee – came closer and closer …

Suddenly the awful smell disappeared in a blinding purple light and a deafening crashing sound. A shockwave hammered them to the ground ...

Again, Tony woke up with the worst headache he ever had experienced, but this time not to silence, but to a howling sound of a turbine spinning up to full RPM. He tried to get to his feet, only to be pushed back to the hard concrete below him. Again, it cost him a great effort to open his eyes, instantly wishing he had kept them shut. Right in front of him hung the biggest turbine he had ever seen and from what he could see, it was spinning at full power. The suction was so great that he and Caitlin, who was kneeling next to him, where dragged towards the intake.

Then, all of a sudden, the scenery changed with a cracking sound. The couple was now kneeling in an all-metal room, being surrounded by four tiny creatures with something that looked very much like weapons. The “gnomes” where all bristly with an orange skin, four legs and six arms and a ridiculous big head. Tony saw twenty tentacles with eyes examining him and Caitlin closely. One of the things stretched out an arm with some big suckers, handing him a small blinking metal box. As soon as Tony held the box in his hand, the creature opened one of his three mouths and moved its thick lips. Obviously the metal box was a translator of some kind, as the screeching sounds of the “gnome” where accompanied by understandable words out of the object.
“Creatures use our gateway to time. Creatures has done sacrilege. Creatures can no live more.”
“Whowha, hold it”, yelled Tony.
“We where just taking a hike in beautiful nature, then we woke up somewhere in the past. We did not have any intention to use your gateway. Can’t you just send us back to our time and we forget about all?”
“Creatures seen we exist. Creatures can not live more.”, responded the creature.
Caitlin took the box from her husband and asked: “Well, can’t you delete our memory, like they do in all those movies?”
The strange creatures turned to each other and moved all of their mouths to what looked like a big grin. Then the one who had been talking turned back to the couple and stated: “Creature believe movie. Creature stupid. Creature can live.”
With a cracking sound Caitlin disappeared. Then the creatures turned to Tony and pointed their weapons to him. Scared to death, he said: “Hey, stop it, I also want my memory to be removed so I can go back!”
“Creature clever. Creature see other creature say that and go back, so creature say same thing. Creature can not live.”
The last thing, Tony ever saw, was a blinding purple light surrounding him …

d**k and Marion met in anything but ordinary circumstances. d**k had bumped into Marion literally, and that had sent them cascading down a hill. What really made this unique was the fact that they had both been somewhere else, and at different times, just a second before.

Their occupations could not have been more different. d**k was a private detective who idolized Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade (he’d never read the books though), and Marion was a scientist and professor of chemistry.

d**k was large, and at six foot three and 235 lbs, towered over tiny Marion, who was only five foot one and 112 lbs. Luckily for Marion, when they reached the base of the hill, d**k was on the bottom.

When they finally came to a stop, it was just a few feet from what appeared to be elephant grass. Looks can be deceiving though. Marion pointed out that while the edges looked razor sharp, the blades also contained spikes more suited to cacti. They were tall enough, at about ten feet, but did not have the yellow or purplish color. She said this could be a mutated strain of bluegrass. d**k didn’t argue, since he had no idea and could care less. All he knew was that they were not going to be able to proceed in that direction.

Marion suggested that they return to the top of the hill. During the trek up, they were able to piece together bits of information on what had happened. d**k told her she had been missing for seven years and was considered legally dead. He had been hired to try and find any research papers she may have had stashed away. Though her home had been searched before, a laboratory had never been found, and the only safe (in her study) contained nothing to suggest what projects she had been involved with.

Marion was puzzled by this information. How was it that she had arrived here just prior to d**k, but he had been in her laboratory seven years after she. It was obvious that they were no longer in the same time, but also maybe not in the same dimension? After all, they had gone from being in a basement to being on top of a hill.

She knew it must have been something to do with her fission experiment, since that was what she had been working on at the time. d**k was able to fill in one of the answers here, though intelligent thought played no part in it. He explained how he had discovered the secret passage to her lab, followed it, and found a place that would have made Dr. Frankenstein proud. While nervous about touching any of the high-tech looking equipment, he had no such qualm with what he assumed to be a brooch on the floor near one of the machines. When he picked up the pin and was turning it over in his fingers, he noticed a hole in the device that it had lain near. This hole looked like it might be a receptacle for the pin, since it seemed to have the same contour. Curiosity got the better of him and he inserted the pin into the hole. Next thing he knew, he had bumped into her. “Oh, by the way, here’s your brooch” he said holding it up for her.

“That’s it” she yelped, and went on to explain how the item was not a brooch, but in fact a central part of her project. She remembered inserting it, and then she was here. “I must have let go and it popped out. Luckily for us” she said, “you managed to hold on to it when your transformation took place.”

As they were nearing the top of the hill, she tried explaining how, by finding the exact place of arrival, they might be able to get back. At least to d**k’s time. She still was not sure about that seven year gap.

“The important thing is to put the part into it’s slot backwards” stated Marion.

Now this really confused d**k. “How do we put this into a slot in a machine that is not here?”

She calmly tried to explain that though the equipment may not exist here in this time/dimension, it might still occupy the same spot in space. If so, poking the part around into the air might eventually place it in the machine and transform them back home to the laboratory.

“We better make haste though” she said. “Apparently this is our Earth’s future.”

She did not have to enunciate. Even d**k was able to recognize that they were now on top of no ordinary hill. The three-foot-tall ants coming out of the core might have been the give-away.

-----------------

The sun was beginning to set and the sky was beautiful hues of purples and oranges. The clouds floated by like an unattached balloon listlessly whipped about by an unseen current. The breeze smelled of lilac and gardenia bliss. Charka stood in the doorway frozen by the intoxicating scenery and unfamiliar smell. An icy hand suddenly touched him, jerking him back to reality.

“Are we ready or are you gonna stand there all day, you girl?”

“Shaddup!” Charka muttered to his older brother. Benzie was only older by 15 minutes, but felt the need to bully his twin ceaselessly. He never understood his brother’s urge to embarrass him. Charka brushed off the most recent brother bash and emerged from the craft on a mission for mamma.

Galloping behind Benzie, Charka bent, grabbed a bug from the nearby tree and popped it in his mouth wondering why the hurry. The sky was adorned like a ballroom awaiting the dancers and the smell was invigorating. And yet, Benzie was acting as if he hadn’t noticed…but then again that was his way. Down to business and no time for pleasure. Charka sighed and moved along to catch up.

They walked to the corner store as always. But as they arrived the door looked odd. Charka froze. The wood was splintered and the paint was peeling. The hinges creaked in the wind and were barely holding the door on the frame. The store window was cracked in the center. The paint on the window spelling out the store name was now chipping to reveal red under the faded white. The sidewalk looked more worn-out than recalled. Something was definitely wrong.

He looked up and down the building, noticing holes and fallen apart sod and brick. Benzie socked him, asking what the deal was. All he could do was stand and point. Jaw trembling, trying to speak, he pointed again. Benzie shook his head and left Charka on the walkway. Charka shook himself back to reality and crept inside the store. When he entered he stopped dead in his tracks. What was this place… this magical wonderful smelling place? He wanted to run up and down the isles tasting everything. He turned down the first isle and smashed into a wide eyed Benzie.

“What’s YOUR problem?” He said, his voice drenched with mockery.

Toad legs, cricket wings, beetle juice, the list went on forever. This store had everything! Charka even snuck a taste of the lizard blood and savagely craved more. Everything had changed in Wilt’s store, and they were not sad about this revelation.

Finished shopping, they stacked the items on the counter. For a moment, they stood, yet no one came. There had been no one on the walk here and no one in the store. Odd as it was they brushed it off as they waited.

Then, suddenly - a shadow emerged from one of the doors in the back revealing someone or something. He was big, no not big, he was huge. He had a gnarled up grey beard tangled with red blood stains. His eyes were the color of amber and glowed in the dark. He had long dark matted up hair and broken greenish black teeth. His skin looked like dried out leather with burn holes and tears. The creature had two arm-like structures from the shoulder area and it had five smaller protrusions on the end of each of these. He looked stiff and bone like. Never had they seen anything like this. He didn’t slither on his belly, as he should. He didn’t crawl on the floor or have 15 legs and 12 arms, as they did. This creature wasn’t the green and blue skin tone they were used to. The bubbly, rubbery skin and tentacles were missing on this thing. This creature had pale peach skin and two eyes. This was not one of them.

This being was different, and so Charka concluded it evil. They needed to get out and get out fast. They stood in trembling silence with baited breath frozen to the floor. As the thing approached, it started to screech and Charka noticed he was holding a knife.

“W-w-what is this p-p-place?? Benzie? BENZIEEEEEE?” But his brother was already gone. He turned one last time to see how close the creature has come. Charka blinked his solitary alien eye, rubbing it with his left, slime covered tentacle trying to focus. He hit the door, waiting for his spider-like legs to catch up, screaming for Benzie as he slipped the lizard blood off the shelf, never looking back.

I looked around.

To my left was a couple standing on a beach, looking out to sea. The woman tipped back her head and laughed her hair blowing out behind her, the man took her hand in his. I watched on jealously…

To my right a young girl rode around in circles on a red tricycle. So sweet, so innocent.

Up ahead, blood… I turned to walk the other way. I was vaguely aware of Jordan blowing past my shoulder.

Everywhere I looked there were people, places, beautiful, horrible, laughing, crying. All of time happening all at once, over and over.

I spun around and around my arms outstretched grinning as time blew through me, there was me, five, skipping off on my first day of school, everything was good, school would be great! I had friends, family, sanity… fourteen, at High school, life was fun, I had my friends, my family… my sanity… eighteen, Jordan was gone, my innocence was long gone, my friends had moved on, my family might as well have. I saw the day I met Jordan again… me running to him, my arms outstretched waiting for the hug I was sure he would give me, him turning away, running away. But I didn’t want to hurt him… I loved him didn’t I? the gun… not the gun! I closed me eyes but the images kept streaming through my head, I couldn’t stop them! I slapped at my forehead and fell to the floor screaming “NO CHLOE! DON’T! you don’t want to! Don’t do it!” to late, I curled up on the floor, whimpering… there was me, five, skipping off on my first day of school (no not again!) everything was good, school would be great! (make it stop!) I had friends, family, sanity… (please god, please) “Chloe? CHLOE! OPEN YOUR EYES” there’s a sharp pain in my arm, the images start to fade… there’s a lady bending over me calling to me “Chloe… tell me where you are Chloe” I don’t want to, I press my lips firmly together hiding behind my hair. I stand shakily up, I’m feeling drowsy, there’s a new plaster on my arm, not the needles again! I walk over to the wall and sit down by it, it’s kinda squishy, I draw my knees up to my chest “Chloe, talk to me.” I wont listen, I put my palms over my ears and start to hum, rocking…. Rocking… blackness starts to seep through me, sweet nothingness, no dreams, no time… sanity.