The Northern Gate: Two Worlds

"Get out of the way!" Amy Johnson yelled as she stormed through the people in Times Square. The passers-by hardly even noticed. She was running with a small red purse in her left hand and a compact briefcase in the other. I should not have worn these high heels, she thought as she rummaged through her purse for her smartphone. Her toes hurt, and her forehead was dripping with sweat from dashing from where she parked her car to the Square on a busy Monday afternoon. Towering skyscrapers housing offices and establishments lined the sides of the Square like stone giants just watching the ants go by their busy lives. Today was a big day for Amy. Last week, she was able to get hold of an investor for a compact laser cutting device she designed after getting her license as an engineer. Atomos - The power to cut through the toughest elements in the palm of your hand! Cut even diamonds with ease! the ad for her invention's investment pitch declared. It was a compact tool. It looked like a pen but a few inches wider. It had a crystalline tip that concentrated light energy to create a laser. Its long shaft housed a small but powerful battery. Her prospective investor was one of the biggest Jewellers in the city. He has agreed to meet with her for lunch today in a fancy private restaurant down the block for a full demonstration. With her working prototype inside her briefcase, she was going to secure this investment. "And I managed to be fabulously late!" she muttered to herself as she fished her phone out of her handbag. The Square was filled with people like her - young professionals in expensive suits trying to boost their careers to new heights by walking fast and ignoring other people. It was lunchtime, and everybody was rushing to get a bite and return to slaving away on their desks as fast as possible. She looked down at the phone in her hand. She flicked through some contacts and tapped on an entry named G. Robertsons. From where she was, she could hear the life of New York- people shouting, automated doors hissing, dogs barking, cars honking. The air was alive and chaotic, but she didn't mind. She was used to the hustle and bustle of the city. She put the phone to her ear. After three insistent rings, the other line picked up. "Oh, hi, Mr. Robertsons! This is Amy Johnson. Thank you for waiting for me. I am almost there-" she stopped midsentence. "Oh, son of a! Can you watch where you're going?!" she yelled as a burly man in a gray tracksuit bumped her, knocking her into the side of the walkway. Her phone and her briefcase slipped out of her hands. Her files went flying, and her Atomos slid across the sidewalk. "Dammit!" she muttered as she tried to regain composure while picking up her things, now scattered on the ground. She stood up, checking to see if her device was still working. Seeing the LED indicator light up, she sighed in relief. She switched it off and put it back in her briefcase. She turned to see if the man in the tracksuit was still there so she could give her a proper mouthing. The bastard didn't even help her or say sorry, and now he was nowhere to be found. All she could see was crawling darkness creeping from the edges of her vision. The Square was covered- NO, the Square was gone, and all of a sudden, it was night. Everything was under cover of shadows. A harsh wind blew, sending a chill down her spine. What is happening? she thought as panic began to creep in. The scorching afternoon sun was nowhere to be seen, and in its place was a dull moon smacked in the middle of a starless night sky. The skyscrapers were gone and were replaced by equally tall, weird-looking trees whose leaves were dancing in the void. She turned her head furiously, looking back and forth to understand what had happened. She found herself alone in the middle of a strange forest in the dark. Her mind was racing. Her heart was slamming against her ribcage. Am I hallucinating? Am I dead? Where am I? Cold sweat beaded across her back and her palms. She turned to look at the phone in her hand and was slightly relieved to see it was not broken. No Reception, 57% Battery, it said on the screen. She shoved her papers back into the briefcase and secured its locks. For a moment, she missed the barking of dogs being walked on leashes at the Square as the deafening silence pierced her ears. What is happening? she thought again as she was reminded of the man in the tracksuit. He must have drugged me, and I must be hallucinating. She tapped at her phone and turned the flashlight feature on. She examined her arms and body under the light, looking for any puncture or wound that might indicate a possible penetration. There was none. No. I don't understand. Being drugged is the only possible exp- A sudden rustling noise broke her train of thoughts. She turned her gaze and her flashlight in its direction. Under her phone's light, she could see the distant bushes quiver. She swallowed the lump beginning in her throat. Cold sweat streamed from her face as she stood there, frozen in nervous anticipation. "Who's there?" she shouted with all the bravery she could muster. She remembered the cheesy horror film she half-watched under the covers with her cousin. Everyone who shouted 'who's there?' in the dark died gruesome deaths in that movie. "Who's there?" she repeated, louder. "Stay away from me! I have a gun!" Except that she didn't. She clutched her briefcase closer to her chest as if her life depended on it. As she stared, she saw a red ball of burning light, and a slim, human-like figure emerged from the moving bushes. Run! she thought, but her muscles refused to move. Her heels were digging in the packed earth beneath her feet. She tried to back away as another figure emerged from the shadows. She could hear her ears ringing with terror that she didn't realize the figures were shouting at her. As a third figure rose out of the foliage, she turned away and ran as fast as she could, screaming. The cold winds slapped her face as she bolted through the darkness. From a distance, she could hear the figures shouting at her. She thought she heard them shout the word 'brightness,' but she was too terrified for it to matter. I don't want to die, she told herself. Not here, not now, please. She thought of the things she'll be leaving behind- her dreams of starting her firm, her cat Mattie, her family, her friends... A sharp pain flared through her legs as both her heels snapped from running. She fell flat on her face to the ground, mud smearing her suit all over. Turning, she saw the tall shadows were closing in on her. The figures were undeniably human. They possessed a weird grace to the way they moved. They appeared to be men dressed in what looked like metallic armors, each carrying a flaming torch. She scrambled to get up, picking her things as she did. As soon as she was upright, she bolted, not minding the discomfort of running in broken stilettos. ''Your Highness! Please stop running!" she heard a voice shout from behind her. Everything was happening so fast she could hear unexplainable, wild roars similar to that of a huge lion, but she ignored it. Your Highness? Why are they calling me that?' She thought in confusion. I really am HIGH. That drug must be incredibly strong. She wondered what the passers-by in Times Square would think if she was actually running in the middle of New York, hallucinating about armored men chasing her. She looked back at her pursuers and saw that they were still running after her. ''Duchess Amithiel! Look out!" she heard a voice shout. She turned, but it was too late. Before her, a huge ape-like creature loomed, carrying a club made from a massive tree trunk. She realized that the wild roars she thought she heard earlier came from this giant. The creature swung its club toward her. She tried to dodge the blow by stepping away, but it still hit her, throwing her far from where she stood. She fell to her side; her breath knocked out of her. She wanted to run, but she was too weak to even move. Her world was spinning wild that she thought she saw stars in her vision. She blinked hard and saw the giant rushing to her; the club raised mid-air. The creature lunged. A shadow flashed before her. I am going to die, she thought as she closed her eyes and let the darkness swallow her. ~o~