I read the note a dozen times before deciding to ignore it. It's not that I don't want to believe help is coming, it's just that disregarding the message is the only way to cling to my sanity. And, right now, that's the only thing I can count on.
I feel good; my stomach is full, I'm in a good mental place, and I'm safe. The only downside is that I have heartburn. At first, I think it's a result of the odd meal I ate, but it soon becomes clear that's not the case.
Pain blooms from my chest. Heat engulfs me like a roaring fire, luring beads of sweat from my pores. The sensation is familiar, but it's not until the pain reaches an unbearable level that I understand why.
I've felt this before. The last time it happened, I was on the boarding platform at the subway station. Scar Lady had just slammed into me, and I was dealing with the aftermath of our collision. But how can this be? She isn't real. Is she?
I forget all about Scar Lady and the subway station when the pain intensifies, overwhelming me completely. I try to scream, but my voice is gone. The fiery pain burns so brightly it feels as though my skin is melting. I fight it, but my muscles burn to a crisp and snap. My bones shatter and reform, only to shatter all over again. My hair burns away, and my eyes shrivel up like raisins. Just when I can't take it anymore, the pain vanishes.
I lie there for a while, panting. I eventually open my eyes, only to find my skin untainted. My hair is intact. So are my muscles.
I'm completely unscathed. I don't know how this is possible, but I don't care. I'm about to rejoice when I notice it. It stands at the foot of the bed, so real it's impossible to deny.
A portal.
YOU ARE READING
The Nibiru Effect
FantasyA cryptic dream. A strange symbol. A magical ring. Will's life will never be the same. Lured away from his life at the orphanage by the promise of a family reunion, fifteen-year-old Will Save unwittingly embarks on an adventure through time and spac...
