CHAPTER 1
Dr. Paul Smith was making a portal. Yes, a portal. It was 2345 and the earth was flat and made out of dirt. There were no oceans, no rivers, no lakes, and no water in general. The world was getting by only by pumping water from the ground. But that water was dwindling and was now rationed. After the world was flattened, most cities were destroyed and the two cities of Chicago and Shanghai were the only two that remained.
Dr. Paul Smith was making a portal. Yes, a portal. It was 2345 and the earth was flat and made out of dirt. There were no oceans, no rivers, no lakes, and no water in general. The world was getting by only by pumping water from the ground. But that water was dwindling and was now rationed. After the world was flattened, most cities were destroyed and the two cities of Chicago and Shanghai were the only two that remained.
Anyway, this portal that Dr. Smith was working on would take people who entered to a new world. He and his wife lived in a small apartment in the city of Chicago. They both knew that the human race was resting on Dr. Smith’s shoulders.
BANG! BANG! went Dr. Smith’s hammer on the smooth metal of the portal. He assumed that he had about a day’s worth of work on the portal until he was done. He had been working on it for six long years. It was now nearing two in the morning and he knew he should get some rest. The next morning, he woke up with a powerful urge to work on his prized possession, the portal. He did do just that and at 10:54 in the morning, he completed his portal. He did not want to test it out for fear of making folds in the space-time continuum. Right at the moment when he completed his portal, there was a loud rap on the door. He opened it to find two men standing on the doorstep of his apartment.
“Hello, Dr. Smith. My name is Assistant Director Brimson of the National Water Service (NWS). I have heard that you just completed a portal to a new world. We at the NWS are very interested in your portal. In fact, the government is asking you to hand it over,” said the tall man.
“If you don’t mind, I have poured my money and time into making this portal. Please give me today to make my decision,” replied Dr. Smith, already turning his back on the two men.
“Of course, take your time,” answered A.D. Brimson.
Once the two men left, Dr. Paul Smith had a tough decision to make. He decided to go on his top-lap to check his email so he could distract himself from his decision. The device said very proudly, “You have a new email.” He opened it to find this message:
We know who you are. We know of the threat the NWS is. We know that the NWS is a greedy, selfish group. We also know that they are planning to use your portal for themselves only. Don’t give your portal to them. All our lives are at risk. Especially yours.
Sincerely,
William Jones
Of the Anti-NWS
CHAPTER 2
Assistant Director Brimson was as set on escaping from this horrible world as much as the next person, and he knew the human race depended on this portal. He knew that the most important thing he had done in his life was what he was doing now. So you can imagine his surprise when he found that the Smiths’ apartment was deserted. There was no portal to be seen.
He raced downstairs and out of the apartment lobby to find the Smiths’ car racing down the road. He jumped in his car (a nice BMW) and drove as fast as he could, probably breaking all the local speed limits, chasing after the old beat-up Subaru Impreza, which was now turning a corner.
He swerved around the corner to find that the Subaru had stopped in the middle of the road. A.D. Brimson looked in the car to find that there was no one in it. He realized that he had been tricked. They had not been in the car in the first place! He hung his head in shame. Then he realized that he should set up a search party to hunt for them.
He drove to the NWS headquarters and went to all his closest friends. They all agreed to help him look for the portal. The hunt had begun.
CHAPTER 3
Paul Smith and his wife, Linda, were living a life on the run and knew that if they got captured, the human race would end. They ran along the freeway crowded by cars, which were creating man-made fog, or pollution, as they rolled along. They were nearing one of Dr. Smith’s favorite childhood spots to play, which was a dirt tunnel into the ground that led into a cave.
Just as they were jumping in, all of a sudden there was a loud BOOM! and the ground below them started to shake powerfully.
CHAPTER 4
Paul and Linda tried desperately to scramble out of their underground coffin, and when they failed to do so, they knew they had no choice but to move on through the cave. Paul was guarding the portal with his body as heavy rocks rained down on him. They sprinted through the cave as it came down behind them. As they turned a corner, they ran into a man-made brick wall. Everything was falling down behind them and they knew that the end of the human race was here. If this portal was destroyed, there would be no new world.
Suddenly, a hidden door in the wall opened and hands pulled the couple into a small room. It was extremely peaceful, like the earthquake had never happened. Two men were sitting in two ancient, rickety chairs. The rest of the room was deserted.
The taller one said,” Welcome to the Anti-NWS Headquarters.”
Paul and Linda knew, even though they still didn’t fully trust these two men, they were on the same side.
“My name is William Jones. You probably have some questions that we will answer now for you. We know who the NWS is. Don’t be fooled, NWS stands for the New World Searchers. They are greedy, selfish fools there and they are extremely interested in your portal for one reason only: their own lives. They know that if they take your portal, they can all live happy lives. That is why we really do not want you to hand over your portal to them so the rest of the world has a chance to survive, not just the NWS. We can promise you one thing: we’re the good guys, not as evil as the NWS,” said the taller man.
He had dark, slick hair and serious blue eyes that made Dr. Smith nervous. He was very tall and thin and reminded Dr. Smith of a stick. His companion, Mark Barkley, was very small, very pudgy, and very much the opposite of Mr. Jones.
Dr. Smith only had one question for the two men, ”How the heck do we get out of here?”
“If you would just follow me this way, I’ll guide you to the exit,” said Mr. Barkley.
Mr. Barkley led Dr. Smith and his wife down several dark, grimy halls that gave Dr. Smith the creeps. He could not wait until he was out in the air, even though it was getting harder to breathe every day. They turned a corner and found themselves in front of a tall, iron wall. Barkley took out an old, rusted key and inserted it into a long-lost keyhole and with a shove, the door opened.
“This is where I leave you two to fend for yourselves. The more people you let in the portal, the more people that will be able to start a new world. Remember, if you are about to be captured and there is no escape, jump in the portal.” Barkley reminded the very nervous couple. “And good luck.”
With that, the Smiths left the tunnel and set off on a journey whose end they could not foresee.
CHAPTER 5
Paul and Linda Smith wandered through the dark gloom that was the city of Chicago. It was as if the whole city knew it was all over. The Smiths stumbled upon a few scattered people here and there who all seemed to be in a daze. Most of them denied the offer of escaping to a new world with plentiful water and no smog and a new start (Dr. Smith was puzzled at why), but the smart and non-depressed ones agreed and dove headfirst into the portal.
The Smiths both realized that it was getting late and dark, and everyone knows that you do not want to be out in the dark in a big city. They found a grove of trees that all looked easy to climb. They decided to spend the night in those two trees. They absolutely did not want to go back to their apartment because they were sure that it would be swarming with people from the NWS. Dr. Smith chose a comfortable-looking branch and laid down on his belly hugging the branch, thinking that the world was sure to end soon.
Little did he know that the Earth’s tragedy was about to unfold.
CHAPTER 6
A blaring siren awoke the Smiths from their uncomfortable perch in the trees. People were running amok either yelling, “There’s no more water! It’s all over!” or just sobbing into their tired arms. The Smiths looked at each other in despair.
Dr. Smith joined the many people on the streets hollering, “Escape to a new world! There is plentiful water!”
Many people jumped in, definitely more than when they first tried the day prior. Maybe it was the utter desperation to not die a slow death, maybe it was the chance to start a new world, and maybe it was both. The Smiths ran down the streets one way, and then ran back the other. They then decided to cut through the trees in order to make it quickly to more streets on the other side. They dove into the thick cover of the trees.
They trudged along through the dark woods. It seemed to Paul that the forest was closing in on them, trying to trap them in its grasp. They found themselves in the middle of a wide clearing.
Then they heard a noise. A branch broke behind them. Footsteps. More branches were breaking. Louder footsteps.
“Who’s there?” asked Paul nervously.
Whoever it was now broke into a run. Branches were snapping all around them. It sounded like they were fully surrounded. All of a sudden, Linda pulled out a knife and gave it to Paul.
“I got it from the kitchen,” she said proudly.
Now armed, Paul was a little more confident, but still not much. They both knew they were outnumbered.
Five people suddenly burst into the clearing. They were all armed with dangerous-looking guns and a glowing blue grenade launcher. One of them Paul recognized. It was Assistant Director Brimson.
He hollered, “You are both coming with us!”
With that, Dr. Smith dropped his knife and put his hands up. Linda had pulled out a knife as well (Dr. Smith did not know when) and now dropped it and put her hands up like her husband had done.
It was over.
And then he remembered what Mr. Barkley had said, ‘This is where I leave you two to fend for yourselves. The more people you let in the portal, the more that will survive. Remember, if you are about to be captured and there is no escape, jump in the portal.’
Dr. Smith grabbed Mrs. Smith’s hand and dove into the portal. He saw people milling about and the beautiful landscape he was about to live in, but only for a brief moment, for very strong hands back on Earth grabbed his feet and pulled.
CHAPTER 7
It was like he was floating. Stuck between two worlds, Paul Smith was powerless. When he tried to move his legs he ended up moving his arms. He was utterly disoriented. Slowly, he was dragged back to Earth.
Then the world went black.
CHAPTER 8
The next time Paul Smith experienced light was in the NWS headquarters. His portal was next to him. He figured he had been put in a sack and dragged to the NWS base. He knew from experience of doing daily walks past it that it was a massive complex and took up one full block. Assistant Director Brimson was staring at him. He then started shaking his head slowly. His arms being crossed made him seem cross.
“You are some person, Smith. Some person”, he snarled.
“I know. Aren’t I amazing?” Dr. Smith said, trying to keep the atmosphere light, even though that was impossible.
A.D. Brimson cut to the chase. “You have to disable this portal so it kills everyone in this new world and then rebuild it so we can escape. You will never leave and are to stay here and let your throat run dry like the rest of humanity will.”
Dr. Smith shared some… choice words with A.D. Brimson. He then stood up and said, “Listen, you let the world use this portal or kill me. But then you won’t be able to fix the portal and you will have to “let your throat run dry like the rest of humanity will”. It’s your choice.”
A.D. Brimson then pulled out a gun and pointed it at Dr. Smith.
He said threateningly, “Do what I say or you die. That’s the only choice.”
Dr. Smith, not for the first time that evening, put his hands up. He knew he had no choice but to comply with the insane things A.D. Brimson was proposing at the moment. He knew he was going to make it harder than before for people from the NWS to enter.
With that he was marched out of the room and down a long corridor. That was when Dr. Smith decided he wasn’t going to give them an opportunity. He turned around quickly and dove to the right. There was a loud BANG! as A.D. Brimson fired his gun.
And then the lights went out. Dr. Smith had timed it so that when A.D. Brimson attempted to shoot him, he would shoot the only light bulb in the corridor instead. He ran down the hall back the way he had come, and after smashing hard into a wall, he turned left. Just as he was jumping in the portal, A.D. Brimson shot him.
Pain. That was what Dr. Smith felt. He felt like the world was ending just as he fell into the portal and appeared in a grassy field. He turned and hit the self-destruct button on the portal just before passing out.
He had done it. He had found water. Those thoughts swarmed his head as he lay there on the grass knowing it was all over.
He closed his eyes.
--Javier N.S.
BANG! BANG! went Dr. Smith’s hammer on the smooth metal of the portal. He assumed that he had about a day’s worth of work on the portal until he was done. He had been working on it for six long years. It was now nearing two in the morning and he knew he should get some rest. The next morning, he woke up with a powerful urge to work on his prized possession, the portal. He did do just that and at 10:54 in the morning, he completed his portal. He did not want to test it out for fear of making folds in the space-time continuum. Right at the moment when he completed his portal, there was a loud rap on the door. He opened it to find two men standing on the doorstep of his apartment.
“Hello, Dr. Smith. My name is Assistant Director Brimson of the National Water Service (NWS). I have heard that you just completed a portal to a new world. We at the NWS are very interested in your portal. In fact, the government is asking you to hand it over,” said the tall man.
“If you don’t mind, I have poured my money and time into making this portal. Please give me today to make my decision,” replied Dr. Smith, already turning his back on the two men.
“Of course, take your time,” answered A.D. Brimson.
Once the two men left, Dr. Paul Smith had a tough decision to make. He decided to go on his top-lap to check his email so he could distract himself from his decision. The device said very proudly, “You have a new email.” He opened it to find this message:
We know who you are. We know of the threat the NWS is. We know that the NWS is a greedy, selfish group. We also know that they are planning to use your portal for themselves only. Don’t give your portal to them. All our lives are at risk. Especially yours.
Sincerely,
William Jones
Of the Anti-NWS
CHAPTER 2
Assistant Director Brimson was as set on escaping from this horrible world as much as the next person, and he knew the human race depended on this portal. He knew that the most important thing he had done in his life was what he was doing now. So you can imagine his surprise when he found that the Smiths’ apartment was deserted. There was no portal to be seen.
He raced downstairs and out of the apartment lobby to find the Smiths’ car racing down the road. He jumped in his car (a nice BMW) and drove as fast as he could, probably breaking all the local speed limits, chasing after the old beat-up Subaru Impreza, which was now turning a corner.
He swerved around the corner to find that the Subaru had stopped in the middle of the road. A.D. Brimson looked in the car to find that there was no one in it. He realized that he had been tricked. They had not been in the car in the first place! He hung his head in shame. Then he realized that he should set up a search party to hunt for them.
He drove to the NWS headquarters and went to all his closest friends. They all agreed to help him look for the portal. The hunt had begun.
CHAPTER 3
Paul Smith and his wife, Linda, were living a life on the run and knew that if they got captured, the human race would end. They ran along the freeway crowded by cars, which were creating man-made fog, or pollution, as they rolled along. They were nearing one of Dr. Smith’s favorite childhood spots to play, which was a dirt tunnel into the ground that led into a cave.
Just as they were jumping in, all of a sudden there was a loud BOOM! and the ground below them started to shake powerfully.
CHAPTER 4
Paul and Linda tried desperately to scramble out of their underground coffin, and when they failed to do so, they knew they had no choice but to move on through the cave. Paul was guarding the portal with his body as heavy rocks rained down on him. They sprinted through the cave as it came down behind them. As they turned a corner, they ran into a man-made brick wall. Everything was falling down behind them and they knew that the end of the human race was here. If this portal was destroyed, there would be no new world.
Suddenly, a hidden door in the wall opened and hands pulled the couple into a small room. It was extremely peaceful, like the earthquake had never happened. Two men were sitting in two ancient, rickety chairs. The rest of the room was deserted.
The taller one said,” Welcome to the Anti-NWS Headquarters.”
Paul and Linda knew, even though they still didn’t fully trust these two men, they were on the same side.
“My name is William Jones. You probably have some questions that we will answer now for you. We know who the NWS is. Don’t be fooled, NWS stands for the New World Searchers. They are greedy, selfish fools there and they are extremely interested in your portal for one reason only: their own lives. They know that if they take your portal, they can all live happy lives. That is why we really do not want you to hand over your portal to them so the rest of the world has a chance to survive, not just the NWS. We can promise you one thing: we’re the good guys, not as evil as the NWS,” said the taller man.
He had dark, slick hair and serious blue eyes that made Dr. Smith nervous. He was very tall and thin and reminded Dr. Smith of a stick. His companion, Mark Barkley, was very small, very pudgy, and very much the opposite of Mr. Jones.
Dr. Smith only had one question for the two men, ”How the heck do we get out of here?”
“If you would just follow me this way, I’ll guide you to the exit,” said Mr. Barkley.
Mr. Barkley led Dr. Smith and his wife down several dark, grimy halls that gave Dr. Smith the creeps. He could not wait until he was out in the air, even though it was getting harder to breathe every day. They turned a corner and found themselves in front of a tall, iron wall. Barkley took out an old, rusted key and inserted it into a long-lost keyhole and with a shove, the door opened.
“This is where I leave you two to fend for yourselves. The more people you let in the portal, the more people that will be able to start a new world. Remember, if you are about to be captured and there is no escape, jump in the portal.” Barkley reminded the very nervous couple. “And good luck.”
With that, the Smiths left the tunnel and set off on a journey whose end they could not foresee.
CHAPTER 5
Paul and Linda Smith wandered through the dark gloom that was the city of Chicago. It was as if the whole city knew it was all over. The Smiths stumbled upon a few scattered people here and there who all seemed to be in a daze. Most of them denied the offer of escaping to a new world with plentiful water and no smog and a new start (Dr. Smith was puzzled at why), but the smart and non-depressed ones agreed and dove headfirst into the portal.
The Smiths both realized that it was getting late and dark, and everyone knows that you do not want to be out in the dark in a big city. They found a grove of trees that all looked easy to climb. They decided to spend the night in those two trees. They absolutely did not want to go back to their apartment because they were sure that it would be swarming with people from the NWS. Dr. Smith chose a comfortable-looking branch and laid down on his belly hugging the branch, thinking that the world was sure to end soon.
Little did he know that the Earth’s tragedy was about to unfold.
CHAPTER 6
A blaring siren awoke the Smiths from their uncomfortable perch in the trees. People were running amok either yelling, “There’s no more water! It’s all over!” or just sobbing into their tired arms. The Smiths looked at each other in despair.
Dr. Smith joined the many people on the streets hollering, “Escape to a new world! There is plentiful water!”
Many people jumped in, definitely more than when they first tried the day prior. Maybe it was the utter desperation to not die a slow death, maybe it was the chance to start a new world, and maybe it was both. The Smiths ran down the streets one way, and then ran back the other. They then decided to cut through the trees in order to make it quickly to more streets on the other side. They dove into the thick cover of the trees.
They trudged along through the dark woods. It seemed to Paul that the forest was closing in on them, trying to trap them in its grasp. They found themselves in the middle of a wide clearing.
Then they heard a noise. A branch broke behind them. Footsteps. More branches were breaking. Louder footsteps.
“Who’s there?” asked Paul nervously.
Whoever it was now broke into a run. Branches were snapping all around them. It sounded like they were fully surrounded. All of a sudden, Linda pulled out a knife and gave it to Paul.
“I got it from the kitchen,” she said proudly.
Now armed, Paul was a little more confident, but still not much. They both knew they were outnumbered.
Five people suddenly burst into the clearing. They were all armed with dangerous-looking guns and a glowing blue grenade launcher. One of them Paul recognized. It was Assistant Director Brimson.
He hollered, “You are both coming with us!”
With that, Dr. Smith dropped his knife and put his hands up. Linda had pulled out a knife as well (Dr. Smith did not know when) and now dropped it and put her hands up like her husband had done.
It was over.
And then he remembered what Mr. Barkley had said, ‘This is where I leave you two to fend for yourselves. The more people you let in the portal, the more that will survive. Remember, if you are about to be captured and there is no escape, jump in the portal.’
Dr. Smith grabbed Mrs. Smith’s hand and dove into the portal. He saw people milling about and the beautiful landscape he was about to live in, but only for a brief moment, for very strong hands back on Earth grabbed his feet and pulled.
CHAPTER 7
It was like he was floating. Stuck between two worlds, Paul Smith was powerless. When he tried to move his legs he ended up moving his arms. He was utterly disoriented. Slowly, he was dragged back to Earth.
Then the world went black.
CHAPTER 8
The next time Paul Smith experienced light was in the NWS headquarters. His portal was next to him. He figured he had been put in a sack and dragged to the NWS base. He knew from experience of doing daily walks past it that it was a massive complex and took up one full block. Assistant Director Brimson was staring at him. He then started shaking his head slowly. His arms being crossed made him seem cross.
“You are some person, Smith. Some person”, he snarled.
“I know. Aren’t I amazing?” Dr. Smith said, trying to keep the atmosphere light, even though that was impossible.
A.D. Brimson cut to the chase. “You have to disable this portal so it kills everyone in this new world and then rebuild it so we can escape. You will never leave and are to stay here and let your throat run dry like the rest of humanity will.”
Dr. Smith shared some… choice words with A.D. Brimson. He then stood up and said, “Listen, you let the world use this portal or kill me. But then you won’t be able to fix the portal and you will have to “let your throat run dry like the rest of humanity will”. It’s your choice.”
A.D. Brimson then pulled out a gun and pointed it at Dr. Smith.
He said threateningly, “Do what I say or you die. That’s the only choice.”
Dr. Smith, not for the first time that evening, put his hands up. He knew he had no choice but to comply with the insane things A.D. Brimson was proposing at the moment. He knew he was going to make it harder than before for people from the NWS to enter.
With that he was marched out of the room and down a long corridor. That was when Dr. Smith decided he wasn’t going to give them an opportunity. He turned around quickly and dove to the right. There was a loud BANG! as A.D. Brimson fired his gun.
And then the lights went out. Dr. Smith had timed it so that when A.D. Brimson attempted to shoot him, he would shoot the only light bulb in the corridor instead. He ran down the hall back the way he had come, and after smashing hard into a wall, he turned left. Just as he was jumping in the portal, A.D. Brimson shot him.
Pain. That was what Dr. Smith felt. He felt like the world was ending just as he fell into the portal and appeared in a grassy field. He turned and hit the self-destruct button on the portal just before passing out.
He had done it. He had found water. Those thoughts swarmed his head as he lay there on the grass knowing it was all over.
He closed his eyes.
--Javier N.S.