Miltic Episode One of Volume One

Down the Rabbit Hole (Sandra)

Down the Rabbit Hole

Sandra

The blood rushes around my head, playing a beat that could go with a tango. I wince and grab at my head. What the hell happened? Did I fall out of my chair or something while napping? What and I lying on top of though? This doesn't feel like the floor.

"Miss, if you could kindly get off me, I would appreciate it," grunts someone.

My eyes fly open and I sit up, the person under me groans with pain as I put my full weight on his lower half. Heat floods my cheeks at the fact I'm straddling this strange man's waist.

I glance around, miles upon miles of dessert like terrain surround us. With jagged red mountains popping up on the outskirts. My gaze turns to the sky, dark brown clouds and black smoke hide the sun from view.

"Miss, please." His hands grab at my hips before I'm hoisted off him and on to the ground.

"Where am I? What's going on? Is this still part of my dream?" I pinch myself to make sure I'm awake, the pain moves through my arm. There's no way this could be a dream.

He stands and dusts off his jacket. "You weren't dreaming to begin with. I let you believe that so when I left it would be easier for your mind to comprehend. But apparently the timer on the portal didn't have as much time on it as I thought it did. So, now you're here. We have to find another portal opening to get you back home and me to my brother before too much time passes in your world. What year are you from?"

I stand and stumble on my feet. My head still wants to play out a tango beat against the inside of my skull. "2015."

"Last time I was on Earth it was to drop off my brother and that was in 1965. In the course of ten years here, fifty has passed on Earth. We need to get you back to Earth before too much time has passed and you're left without a life to return to."

The fanciful side of me wants to trust him, but my logical side says this is impossible. Maybe I hit my head at some point and fell into a coma. That would explain why the pinch hurt, right? I don't know. I don't know anything about being in a coma.

"Portals to Earth are so hard to create and keep open. Do you know how long it took me to create the one just now? Three weeks, in your case, we don't have that long. You'd be missing for three months, maybe longer. We have to get you back as soon as possible. How old are you? Perhaps your parents will think you're just a runaway."

My head spins at the assault of information. "I don't think I understood a word of what you just said. This can't be real. This has to be a dream."

"You're not dreaming. You're in my world, The Gate. Specifically, the country of Miltic. We need to start moving, we shouldn't be standing around." He walks off.

I blink for a moment before my legs drag after him. "You're joking, right? You've drugged me and taken me the Arizona desert or something."

He faces me. "Yeah because if I kidnapped you, I'd leave you untied and able to run if you want. Not to mention I'm stranded out here too. Real smart on my part." His arms go up and he slaps the sides of his legs.

I shrug. "You could be a dumb criminal. Have you seen Home Alone?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Look around you, does this look like Earth to you? Take a closer look." He points his thumb over his shoulder.

I gaze over his shoulder and squint. A city appears to be far off in the distance, but it doesn't look like any of the modern cities I've ever seen online. My eyes widen. "Is that a zeppelin?"

He nods. "Don't see that very often on Earth, right? If you want to run, you're free to. Less work for me. I won't have to worry about taking you back, but I doubt you will make it far before something eats you, or sky pirates capture you and make you their whore. Some women like that, but you come from Earth, so I doubt it's your goal in life to service men while they travel on long voyages."

My cheeks flare to life. I've never even kissed a guy, let alone serviced him. "I'll follow you. Just don't try anything funny. I'm not afraid to bite."

He guffaws. "Is that a promise little girl?"

The heat in my cheeks travels to my neck and down my back. "I'm not a little girl. I'll be eighteen tomorrow."

He lifts an eyebrow. "You don't have very good luck do you? Getting stranded in another world the day before your birthday. People will be looking for you more then." He starts to walk again.

I follow. "No, they won't. I doubt they'll even notice I'm gone until it's been at least a week," I mutter. I never realized how depressing my relationship with my parents was until now. Not to mention the fact that I don't have any friends who would notice my disappearance either. My life has been school and getting into a college far away from Denver.

He glances over his shoulder. "Did you say something? I'm deaf in my left ear."

I shake my head. "Nothing. What's your name? I'm Sandra Serling." I catch up to walk on his right side.

"Stillan Hanlon."

I stare up at the dark sky. "Is your sky always like this? It reminds me of the smog over Denver."

"It's been like this for as long as I remember. Our country is sick and needs to be healed by The Ember."

I nod. "Right, that whole Mayan sacrifice to the god deal."

"Yeah." He peers at me. "You're taking all of this surprisingly well."

I shrug. "I don't think it's set in yet. My brain still having an issue processing this as reality. I may freak out later, just so you're aware, but I'm not one to whine."

A hum invades the air above us.

"Fuck!" Stillan curses.