Better Future

Chapter 4

It didn't take long for the two teens to figure out what was going on.

Blandus and Hilaria ran from the scouts as fast as they could. They darted blindly through the wall of dust. Eventually, the air grew more transparent, and they could catch a decent view of the scenery. They stood against a black road striped with dingy yellow paint and covered in cracks.

Garbage blew across the ground and littered the vicinity. The bone-dry air reeked of harsh chemicals. It irritated their lungs with each breath they took. As far as they could see there was barren wasteland.

"What is this place?" Hilaria mused.

"Have we died? Did that orb kill us and is this the Underworld?" said Blandus with a hysterical tone. They looked around for some sign that this may be a trick of the eyes, or some trick played on them by some deity for their own entertainment. No such thing made itself present as they stood there.

"Do you still have the sphere, Hilaria?"

"Yes. It's in my robes. I want it clean." As she finished her sentence, there was a low hum and the sound of crunching rocks. A large, metal 'wagon' pulled up, and three men jumped out of the doors. They were in pursuit of the teens who decided to run... again.

The teens landed a few good hits on the scouts before they were forced into the back of the vehicle. The door was slammed shut as they were thrown onto the floor. Blandus, who was practically frothing at the mouth, slammed his weight into the double-doors of the car. Hilaria yelled at him to stop four times before he sat on the metal flooring, breathing heavily.

He turned his back to the door and saw Hilaria, along with three other people, staring at him with a look of shock at his display of rage. "Hilaria, who are they?"

A woman spoke up to answer him, "We sent you here."

"You can understand us?"

"I studied Latin before I was captured. Where are you from?"

"Rome. Why did you send us here?" Hilaria asked.

"To fix this mess. This is the future. We wanted to go back in time to change some things... they captured us before we could leave. You must have found our creation."

"Yes, can you help us get back?"

"Of course! Do you still have the orb?"

"Yes," Hilaria reached inside her robes where she carefully placed the device. It was a dull green mass with a small screen screwed to its side. The woman took it.

"Don't worry about a thing, I can send you back home."

***

Hilaria jerked back to the ground in front of her house. Blandus collapsed beside her at her feet. He handed his friend the time machine in his arms.

The two friends looked at each other, faces etched with shock from what they just saw. Seeing the future left them both scared and infuriated. They could not let the world get like that. The very thought that that timeline existed left them outraged. Blandus looked at Hilaria, for once actually looking serious. He spoke to his friend with grave urgency, "We can not let that happen. We must do something"...