Dimension Travelers

Chapter 54

As they walked back to the room they were in, Jared wondered what it would be like if he was in Chloe's shoes. He tried to process it with the boxes that he used to think, but he couldn't quite process how he'd feel, act, or think. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to know that his best friend was dying. He wasn't sure that there was anything he could do. He had only known Chloe for a few days, and those few days felt like years to him. But he would never know Chloe like Seth did.

They walked in silence. He couldn't find the right words to say, so instead of blabbering on like an idiot, he didn't say anything. The hall way was dark and lonely. It reminded him of the time he was imprisoned here for so long like an animal. Memories came back in a flood of pictures, words, and sounds. He was lost inside the past. He remembered the pain, hunger, sadness, and anger. His mind was going a hundred miles an hour.

"Do you think Seth will die?" Chloe asked, which jolted him back to reality.

"I don't know. I wouldn't think so." He replied.

He wasn't sure of anything at this point. He knew that Firefly wasn't doing so well either, but there was little information to get in the first place. It's not that he didn't care, but Jared wasn't concerned about Firefly at the moment. He was trying to sort everything out in his mind so it would make sense later.

"Do you still have the purple fruit that Janhara gave us?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, it's in my bag somewhere." He said, trying to remember if it really was.

"You're sure?"

"Not really."

She sighed heavily but said nothing.

"I'll find it. Don't worry." He said, trying to reassure her.

"It's not like we can go back into the middle of the desert and get another one."

"I'll find it, ok?"

She looked up at him with sad blue eyes. "Ok."

When they got back to the room, Rick was still asleep. They both lay down. Chloe seemed to fall asleep within a matter of seconds. But Jared remained awake. He could only wonder about how Seth got hurt. There were a number of different ways. Before he knew it, he too fell asleep.

He was outside the castle. Rick and Chloe were standing with him. Jared looked all around. Everyone else was gone. He saw a black cloud coming towards them. He looked to his right. Chloe had a sword drawn and had a determined look in her eyes. He looked to his left and Rick had two swords drawn. He had a big scar on his right cheek. The black cloud became clearer and Jared then saw what it was. It was the assassins that chased him and Chloe in the desert. He realized that he had a spear in his right hand. An overwhelming feeling of pride and anger swelled up inside him. He looked up and they all charged.

The sound that escaped his throat was more than a scream. It was more like a cry of rebellion. They started to fight. He slashed and kicked like a maniac. After a while, the air became hot and his lungs were burning. He looked up and the sky was blood red. He looked around and Chloe was on the ground, unconscious. Rick was cut all over and bleeding badly. Then the ground split and swallowed him up. He was falling down, down, down...

Jared bolted straight up. He was sweating and his heart was racing. He looked all around. Chloe and Rick were still asleep, and they were all safe. They were in the same room they'd been in for the past two days.

He wiped the sweat off his forehead and tried to clear his head. Was that a dream? He thought. No, it's something else...Is it the future?

* * * * * * * *

I wake up and I'm in a small room with curtains in front of me. My side burns and I feel weak. Where am I? This doesn't look like home...For the longest time I can't remember where I am or how I got here. I try to recall how this happened: