Tunnel Vision

Chapter 2- The Descent

Screaming and falling. Falling and screaming. Pitch blackness whizzing by.
This will never end!
Screaming and falling. Falling and screaming. Total darkness whooshing past.
I'm done for! I'm gonna die! I'm- on the ground?
Rowan felt something small and cold land on her face. She opened her eyes slowly to a grey sky that was just beginning to shed its tears. Tiny water droplets drummed gently against her face and the smell of damp earth filled her nose. She managed to pull herself into a seated position, her head still spinning and her stomach still in her throat. She shut her eyes tightly and opened them again slowly after several more minutes of trying to recover from her bitter descent that seemed like it had lasted an eternity .
The sopping ground squished as Rowan slowly pulled herself to a standing position. Turning her head, she observed the muddy field that stretched before her, searching for any signs of life. A tall, solitary tree stood before her, charred from several lightning strikes of the past. The sharp call of a crow pierced the air.
Where in the world am I? What world am I even in?
Needless to say, she had fallen through the gray portal. Rowan turned in a slow circle.
There must be a way back somewhere to where I came from. I must find a way!
She turned to the tree again and walked towards it. The bottom branches looked like they had been burned off but Rowan was just barely able to put her weight on the little black nubs that they had left behind. One foot, then the other above that. Good. A slow and tentative climb. Rowan reached up and grabbed a branch, hoisting herself onto it. She stood on the branch and was surprised at how sturdy it was considering its crisp black burns. In fact, she was surprised the tree was still standing, considering its living conditions.
Rowan was able to see very far from her position and put her full focus into her vision, imagining herself a hawk searching for prey. Then she noticed it, just visible through the blowing mist: what looked to be a multi-story building stood just off in the distance, backed by a line of trees, perhaps the beginning of a forest. It looked to be an apartment or dormitory complex of some sort and next to it, several other buildings.
Perhaps the edge of a city? A campus of some sort? Well, there is only one way to find out, and there are bound to be people who can help me there.
So, Rowan climbed down the tree just as carefully as she had climbed up and began to walk towards the buildings.
*****
Rowan was soaked by the time she reached the buildings. Her sweatshirt had not helped much and stuck to her wet skin. Her red hair had turned brown with wetness and raindrops ran down her face in angry streaks. Suddenly, the ground turned hard beneath her feet and she looked down, realizing she stood on pavement of some sort. Her hood slipped off as she tipped her head back and looked around at the tall buildings that stood before her. She turned and looked down the pavement where she stood to see a large iron gate, closed and locked, with four large letters lining the top: TSWT.
This must be a school of some sort. And down the road must be the city. I wonder what TSWT stands for? She looked around for signs of an answer when an unsettling feeling became aroused in her chest and worked its way around her whole body. There's something strange about this place. Then it hit her. There wasn't a single person in sight.
Rowan looked around, confused and unsure. No lights were on in any of the dormitories; there were no sounds of voices or footsteps. A lonely wind blew through the campus, a low, hollow wisp like air being blown over the mouth of an empty bottle. Rowan began to feel sick as she realized she was completely alone in an unfamiliar world.
Suddenly, another noise filled the air, a quiet hum that was slowly crescendoing. Rowan recognized the noise immediately. It was a helicopter, heading her way. She looked up, frantically searching the sky. Surely there had to be a pilot that could help her. A black chopper came into view and Rowan began jumping, waving her arms, yelling, "Hey! Down here!" trying everything to grab its attention. A bright white light blinded Rowan and she covered her eyes to look up at the helicopter, her possible rescue. "Stop in the name of the law!" she suddenly heard a loud mechanical voice say. A megaphone had been lowered and the voice boomed.
Am I being arrested?! The sound of blazing sirens grew nearer as Rowan turned to the gate. Two police cars, hovercrafts really due to the lack of wheels, sped through the gate, snapping the lock and heading straight in her direction.
"Stop in the name of the law!" Sweat began to mix with the rain that still persistently dripped down her face. Her breaths became shallow and crisp as her heart rate increased, pounding in her ears.
I'm gonna die and I've only been here for twenty minutes! Suddenly, instincts and adrenaline took over as Rowan's legs took off so fast they almost left her upper body behind. She didn't know where she was going, but she just ran, the sirens and sound of the booming chopper and its voice growing ever closer with each step.