The Ascent

Chapter 55

Jasmine always heard people say that one's destiny could be changed in the blink of an eye, that a day you see as ordinary could be a crucial moment of your life, a pivoting point. And while some of those moments are good, some are definitely not.

As they were walking down the last clearing that led into the town, it became clear that something was wrong. There was too much commotion for a city trying to stay under the radar.

The flashing lights and loud noises indicated that all wasn't as it should have been at their destination. The low persistent buzzing told Jasmine that whatever was going on was approaching their location. Fast.

Suddenly, a beam of bright light appeared from the skies, lifting two people in their group who just happened to be standing next to each other into the sky. The dark skies that were radiant mere moments ago swallowed them in what felt like the slow motion of horror.

People were running around.

Children were screaming.

Everyone wanted to flee, but no one was sure which direction would be the best one to head for.

"Hide!" Jeremiah exclaimed, grabbing Plague and Melissa by the hand and disappearing into the tall grass.

He was using his tarp to hide, making Jasmine wonder if it was just enough low-tech to stay undetected by the alien's advanced technology. However, a beam of light that suddenly lifted Asher and his children cut off her wonderings, allowing for panic to settle in.

Without thinking about it, Jasmine deliberately ran into the light, which immediately started carrying her up, only to notice once inside that Isaac had done the same crazy thing, following her lead.

"What do you guys think you are doing?" Asher yelled out, holding onto his screaming daughter while his son held firmly to his leg.

"We stay together," Jasmine said determinedly. "It's the first rule of all movies. That's how we survive."

She didn't mean to word it like that but at least Asher didn't say anything about how ridiculous her reasons sounded. Yet, she couldn't very well say that she jumped in because she thought she was falling in love with him, could she?

"Why didn't you jump out of it?" Jasmine asked looking at the high walls of the beam, trying her best to ignore the increasing height.

"Don't try it!" Asher exclaimed hurriedly. "The guy who tried it was immediately evaporated."

It was interesting that one could break into the beam without any harm but not out of it, but it made sense. The aliens would want to pick up as many humans as possible but not allow any of them to escape their grasp.

What didn't make sense was Jasmine jumping into the danger instead of running away from it. Then again, even that was somewhat understandable because Jasmine was terrified of being left behind.

She was afraid that if she were to find herself all alone in the unfamiliar and cold world of the present, she might give up, stop fighting, or do something even more drastic. This sudden and profound realization prompted her to do her best to keep what she had, her reason for living, and fight for the happy life she could one day have. With Asher.

"Daddy, are we going to die now?" Ariyana asked quietly, seemingly for the first time understanding their situation better than was good for her.

"Of course not," Asher said hugging her even tighter while keeping one of his hands around Arman's shoulders. "If they wanted us dead, they wouldn't have given us a ride, would they?"

Even though his point made a lot of sense, it didn't stop Jasmine from feeling terrified. Just being picked up by a strange white beam and carried into the skies was terrifying enough, without worrying about what awaited them once they reached their destination.