THREE

Chapter 8: The Changed Present

Emmet was very excited as his eyes started to adjust and see the present-day world.  As the flashing lights of the time machine started to dim down, he noticed that the world he was looking at was very different.  The town almost looked abandoned.  Debris was all over the ground and clouds of smoke filled the air.

            “I don’t get it,” Emmet said out loud.  “I set the coordinates to Juttingburg in 2012.  This looks nothing like it!”

            Emmet’s voice echoed throughout the dead town.

            As Emmet walked with the tablet jiggling in his backpack, he started to feel like these old, abandoned buildings were somehow familiar to him. 

            “Hello?!?” Emmet yelled, waiting for a response.  “I said, HELLO!?!?”

            No response…

            Emmet felt like he was in one of those post-apocalyptic movies where everyone died.  He never enjoyed those movies and never wanted to imagine what that kind of world would be like.  And now, he had to, because somehow, he ended up in that world.  In order to understand where he was and what time period he was in, Emmet knew he had to find someone to talk to.  Finding the nearest remaining building, Emmet rushed in.

            “Is anybody here?!?!” Emmet screamed in desperation.  Again, nobody answered.  Emmet started to choke on his own words as he screamed, “PLEASE!  ANYBODY!!!  I need to talk to someone, anyone!” 

            Before his desperation could get even worse, Emmet could hear the soft noise of a man.  He walked closer to the noise, and the figure of an old man appeared.  He had thin grey hair and wore baggy clothing and looked like he hadn’t eaten in days.

            “What do you want?” asked the old man, with a hoarse voice.

            “What’s the date?  Is this 2012?”

            Having to think for a couple of seconds, the old man finally answered.  “Yes,” he said.   “Though, this isn’t the 2012 I would have imagined.”

            “What are you talking about?” asked Emmet.  And before the old man could even answer him, Emmet was interrupted by the sound of footsteps possibly of around ten people.

            “Get out of here; I have no time to explain.  You’ll find out soon enough.  Now GO!” the man said as he shook Emmet.  Emmet listened to him and quickly ran out of the building.  As Emmet escaped in time, he could hear the soldiers talking to the old man in the distance.

            “Who are you….why are you here….don’t you know the rules…..take him away boys….this man is an Easterner….”

            Easterner? Emmet thought to himself.  What does that mean? 

            He knew he probably misheard what the soldiers were saying, so he moved on and tried to find more answers about his location.  After many hours of scouring the area, Emmet was ready to give up.  The area was practically a desert.  Feeling very tired, Emmet sat down on what seemed to be an old sofa.  Oddly enough, it was the same red sofa Emmet had at his home.

            Home…..home….

            Emmet said the word in his head over and over.  He greatly missed his home and the ones he left behind.  He was starting to regret time traveling in the first place.