Annie’s feet sunk a little deeper the further they walked, her legs growing heavier with each jarring step. The gnats no longer bothered her. Neither did the numerous bugs chomping away at the gash on the back of her leg above her army-themed socks. Jacob, her little brother, hobbled beside her. The scrapes on his knees had stopped bleeding after a nasty fall earlier that left his favorite purple T-shirt a sticky brown. The glint his eyes always had wasn’t there anymore. She knew the warmth flowing from her hand was the only assurance he had left they could somehow find a way to escape this nightmare.
A loud caw deep in the forest made her jump. “Annie?” Jacob whispered. “I’m scared Annie.”
Annie squeezed his hand. “It’s okay, Jake. We’re almost… we’re almost there.” Annie’s eyes darted back and forth across the misty landscape. “Ollie will show us the way,” she muttered.
Jacob glanced back at the diminutive red fox perched on a low branch staring idly at them. It bowed its head a little when it noticed him looking. “What if he doesn’t, Annie? We’ve been walking for almost an hour now and found nothing. The Crowman—”
“Jake!” she forced the words through gritted teeth. “Don’t say his name. Trust Ollie. He saved us before. He can do it again.”
“Don’t say his name. Trust Ollie.
He saved us before. He can do it again.”
Jacob nodded. “How’s your arm?”
Annie lifted the sleeve of her faded baby blue sweater and caressed the bright-red wound on her forearm. “It’s much better now thanks to Ollie.”
A sudden bark from Ollie as he zoomed past them, ears pricked, and tail lashing wildly made their hearts sink. A jolt of adrenaline surged through Annie as she jerked Jacob forward after the fox who was now running at full speed ahead barking excitedly. The Crowman had found them.
“Come on, Jake. The portal’s close. I can see it,” Annie shouted as they wrestled through the thick undergrowth.
“Where? I don’t see anything,” he yelled back. Annie pointed to a few rays of bright blue stealing through the spaces between the leaves. Her eyes widened. They were finally going home. Annie, noticing he was no longer holding her hand, stopped suddenly.
“Jake!” she screamed. “Jake, what’s wrong?”
Jacob said nothing. His face had turned pale and his knees were shaking. The dark cloud drifting ominously towards them got bigger and bigger and in its center stood the Crowman with his sharp, black talons for fingers and enormous beak-like nose. He raised his skinny hand to strike, but Ollie immediately lunged at him and sunk his jaws into it releasing a stream of thick, black fluid that spewed all over the fox’s fur. The Crowman growled and shook Ollie off, but by the time he turned back to them, Annie had yanked Jacob and sped past the bush to the portal nestled in the trunk of the giant sequoia.
The Crowman let out an ear-piercing caw followed by two thunderous words, “Walete hapa!” The dark cloud dispersed into hundreds of matte-black ravens that charged at them screeching one noisy chorus as they closed in.
“Hurry, Jake!” Annie shouted. “They’re coming!”
Jacob dashed through the portal first. Annie let out a loud grunt as she tumbled through onto the wooden floor of the house as the last of the gooey fabric of the portal disappeared just before the first raven slipped through. Annie gazed at the few strands of orange fur left on her sweater as she got up. Jacob rested his head on her shoulder. “I’m gonna miss him too.”
She watched the remaining aqua blue liquid evaporate off of Jacob’s leg with a soft sizzling sound like cold water poured on hot metal. She lifted the sleeve of her sweater. Her wound had disappeared too. Her body no longer felt tired. “It works,” she thought, recalling the paragraph in one of the pages of her dad’s notebook; something about a rejection fluid that cleansed the effects of the Sarabi world once the user got out.
Annie looked around for any trace of the portal. Nothing. Their father was still in there somewhere. The Crowman was learning their moves, almost as if he knew where they would look first. He was gone for now. But if Annie knew any better, she was certain they would be seeing him again real soon.
The Crowman was learning their moves, almost as if he knew where they would look first. He was gone for now. But if Annie knew any better, she was certain they would be seeing him again real soon.
Jacob scrunched his nose as he sniffed the air like a bloodhound on the hunt. “Do you smell that, Annie? It smells good.”
Annie could smell it too. Fish and chips. This must’ve been one of the potential exits according to the grimy notes their father had on his desk. “Can we get something to eat, Annie? I’m starving. I could really use some food. Please, Annie? Can we? Please?”
“I don’t know, Jake,” she replied as she got up.
They were in some sort of attic filled with large piles of dusty, old books and small machines Annie had never seen before. She walked over to the window. Dark grey clouds hung in the sky. A group of children, about her age, alighted from a big yellow school bus across the street chatting as they crossed the tarmac road and into the concrete houses beside it. It must’ve been about four o’clock where they were. At least that’s when the kids came home from school back in Nairobi. Back when everything was the way it was supposed to be.
“Whatcha looking at, Annie?” Jacob blurted out.
Annie stared at the last of the kids as they disappeared into the house. “Nothing,” she whispered. “We should get going, Jake. We don’t have much time before the next window.” She walked over to the small hatch on the floor but stopped short of opening it when she saw Jacob staring outside. “Come on, Jake. Let’s go,” she insisted.
“I don’t want to go back in there, Annie. The Crowman’s really scary. I miss Dad. I-I don’t want to go back in there,” Jacob said, tears welling up in his eyes.
Annie knelt down and gave him the warmest hug she possibly could. Jacob had been incredibly brave for a nine-year-old. Much more than she had expected. She took off the thin, green watch her mother always wore and tied it around his wrist. “Before Mama died, she gave me this. She said that back when she was my age, her favorite cartoon was the PowerPuff Girls and that her favorite one was Buttercup. Buttercup was strong and tough and never backed down. She told me told me to always wear it and be tough like Buttercup.” A thin smile formed on her face. A smile she kept tucked away for a time such as this one. “You’re tough too, Jake. That’s why I want you to have it.”
Jacob sniffled. “But Annie,” he said as he wiped away the tears, “this is a girl’s watch. I’m not a girl.”
Annie chuckled and gave him a slight knock on his round head. “Anyone can be tough, doofus. Let’s get out of here.”
As they made their way to the hatch, Jacob stumbled and knocked over a stack of books that came crashing down.
“Hello? Is somebody there?” a tiny British woman’s voice said.
Annie held a finger to her lips. A pair of light footsteps made their way from one end of the floor below to the part directly underneath them. A short pause followed.
“Hello?” the voice said again. Annie mouthed the words ‘Don’t move’. Jacob nodded.
A few seconds later, the footsteps proceeded back the way they came. “Could’ve sworn I heard something in here. Must’ve bumped me head or something,” the woman said in the distance. Annie sighed. She carefully lifted the hatch opening it just a crack to check if anyone was around. The floor was just the right distance away for her to land without making too much noise.
She hung from the edge and dropped down as quietly as she could. A few quick glances around, and she motioned for Jacob to do the same. Jacob hung from the edge and somehow managed to land in Annie’s arms. Annie scanned the house for an exit. They were in the middle of a narrow hallway with a few family photos hanging off the white walls. They took a few steps in the opposite direction of where they heard the woman approach from while crouching low. An opening to their right led to a small living room with a large flat-screen TV, two brown leather sofas, and a small table in the middle. A magazine titled How To Look Good In Your 40s with a tall, blonde lady smiling lay on top of it beside a half-empty wine glass.
Jacob pointed to a brown door beside an open window. “That must be the way out,” he whispered.
Annie nodded. “Good eye, Jake. Come on.”
The draft coming in through the window made her shiver as they crawled on all fours behind the sofa to the door. The thin white curtains danced wildly as more air poured into the room. Annie reached for the brass doorknob hoping it wasn’t locked. Gently, she turned it and heard a small click at the end. Her muscles tensed and she quickly let go. She turned to Jacob whose eyes were wide with fear.
“Thought you wouldn’t show, Jenny. Fancy a cuppa?” the tiny British voice said in the next room.
“No, not really, Chloe. Just thought I’d drop these off right quick before heading home. Got some stuff I gotta do before tomorrow,” the other woman replied. Her voice was rich and her tone very commanding. Annie imagined she was a hefty woman with short dark hair, small lips with poorly done lipstick, wearing baggy clothes and a small pair of old reading glasses.
“You sure about that, Jen? Tea’s almost ready. Only be a few minutes,” the tiny voice pressed.
“Maybe another time. Trying to keep me figure trim like yourself, mate,” Jen affirmed with a little chuckle at the end.
“Oh, all right.”
“I’ll be on me way then. Cheerio.”
The door clicked shut. Annie let out a quiet sigh. She grabbed the doorknob and turned it again. A breeze snuck by them and flipped the pages of the magazine on the table. She held up a hand. Jacob stopped. She listened for the woman’s footsteps. Nothing.
Injuries in here didn’t heal like those in the Sarabi world.
She pulled back the door to freedom only to find a brown German Shepherd sitting on the front porch, ears pricked watching the cars on the street. She tried to walk back, but Jacob following so closely behind bumped into her. The dog turned around.
She grabbed Jacob and dashed into the house with the dog giving chase. The woman must’ve been alerted by now. She didn’t care. Injuries in here didn’t heal like those in the Sarabi world. There had to be another way out.
“Charlie! What is wrong with you today? I could’ve sworn I just fed…” the woman didn’t have time to finish when they bumped into her as they turned into the hallway almost knocking her over. Annie yanked Jacob closer as the woman regained her balance. She might’ve been small, and they might’ve been out of options, but she wasn’t going down without a fight.
With trembling hands, she took out the Swiss Army knife her father kept in his study and pointed it at her as Jacob buried his head in her sweater. “D-Don’t c-c-come any cl-closer!”
“Down, Charlie. Down,” the woman said in a singsong voice that instantly calmed the raucous canine as she brushed the blonde hair away from her face. Annie recognized her right away. It was the woman from the magazine. Instead of a pair of jeans and a black, fitting V-neck T shirt, she wore a long, orange, floral sundress. She wasn’t as tall in person, but the slender frame definitely made her look it.
She gave them a long hard look before taking a knee. “Hi there. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you,” she said slowly. Part of Annie wanted to keep pointing the knife at her, but her tone and the warmth radiating from her dark eyes made her reconsider. “My name is Chloe Marshall,” she continued, “and that’s my dog, Charlie. He’s friendly.” Annie turned to the dog now seated behind them. She slowly lowered the knife and put it back in her pocket. “You two look tired and hungry. Would you like something to eat?”
Jacob took a peek at the lady. She smiled softly back at him. “Yes, please,” he mumbled. Annie nodded.
Chloe got up and took out a small container full of freshly baked bread and butter pudding as Annie and Jacob sat at the dinner table in her kitchen. She poured each a glass of apple juice and sat beside them.
It had been a while since Annie had something so delicious. It reminded her of the pies her mother used to make on the weekends before the accident. Jacob hadn’t said a word since the dessert was placed in front of him. It was nice to see him happy for a change. Annie’s eyes met Chloe’s mid-bite. Why would she help us?
Chloe leaned over. “Let me get that for you, darling,” she said, wiping away the crumbs from Annie’s face with a napkin. “There. Better.”
“Thank you, Miss Chloe, for being so nice to us,” Jacob said. “The food is very yummy.”
“Anytime, sweetie,” Chloe replied with a smile. “So… I assume you two were the ones who made that noise earlier?”
Annie looked away. “Yeah.”
“Sorry, Miss Chloe. I didn’t mean to do it. I tried being careful, but my legs didn’t listen,” Jacob interjected.
“It’s okay. I’m not mad atcha.” Chloe turned to Annie. “He’s quite the gentleman.”
“Only when he wants to be.”
Chloe laughed. “What are your names and how in the world did you end up here?”
“My name’s Annie, and this is my little brother, Jacob. We’re from Nairobi.”
“Nairobi?” Chloe asked. Annie nodded. “But that’s all the way in Africa. Your parents must be worried sick. Do you know their number? I can call them if you like.”
Annie shook her head. “My mom died two years ago after a car accident left her paralyzed. We’re looking for our dad. He was building a device called a vision chamber he said could help paraplegics live a normal life, but something went wrong and he got trapped inside. We noticed he wasn’t responding when we called him, so I went into his study and found this.” Annie pulled out the small leather-bound notebook with the symbol all of her dad’s equipment had on them: a thick, white square with a big, red U in the middle.
Chloe’s eyes narrowed. “This symbol. I’ve seen it before. Hold on,” she said, getting up. She returned a few moments later holding an open silver laptop. “Okay, keep going. I’m going to look something up real quick.”
“Sarabi. It means mirage in Kiswahili.”
“Jake and I walked into the vision chamber hoping we could find him and all go back home,” Annie continued. “The Sarabi world was very beautiful at first with pretty gardens, springs—”
“I’m sorry, the what world?”
“Sarabi. It means mirage in Kiswahili.”
Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Wow. Do you speak it?”
“I only know a few words. My parents never found the time to teach us. I picked up a few things from my grandparents whenever they called.”
“Asante sana,” Jacob shouted prompting a look from Annie. “It means thank you,” he said in a quieter voice. “Mom told me to always say it when someone did something nice for me.” He sipped the last of the juice and held up the empty glass. “Asante, Miss Chloe.”
Chloe flashed a brilliant white smile Annie only ever saw in movie stars or the nine o’clock news anchors. “And how do I say your most welcome in Ki-sa-hi-li, I think?” she asked.
“Karibu sana.”
“Gosh, I love how you roll the R when you say that. It sounds so… I don’t know, foreign, but in a good way. Let me try it. Kah-ree-bu sah-na, Jacob.” Annie smiled. “Did I get it?”
Annie nodded. “Yes!” Chloe replied, waving her arms in the air which made Jacob chuckle. “Okay. Back to your story. You say he’s been trapped in the Sarabi world for how long?” she added as she typed away on the keyboard.
“For two days now.”
The soft sound of raindrops as they hit the windows filled the short silence that followed. Charlie, who hadn’t made a sound since their run-in, huddled closer to Chloe’s feet. A large pied crow donning its natural, black tuxedo cawed loudly as it flew by the kitchen window perching in a nearby tree as the rain picked up.
Jacob leapt to his feet and ran over to Annie. “Annie! He’s here, Annie!” he yelled which made Charlie start barking.
“Jake. It’s okay. He can’t come to this world, remember?” she comforted. Even though she knew the Crowman had no way of escaping the Sarabi world, something about the crow outside bothered her. Could he possibly have been watching them all this time?
Chloe rushed to the living room to shut the open window and did a sweep through the house to make sure all the doors were locked and no one had snuck in.
“Down, Charlie,” she said as she sat back at the table. She turned to Annie who was still hugging Jacob. “What’s wrong? Who’s coming?”
Annie took a deep breath. “There’s this scary thing in the Sarabi world that tried to kill us when we went to rescue our dad. He’s very ugly and has a long beak attached to his face. Most of his body is black and covered with thin, smelly feathers.”
Chloe frowned. “Did he hurt you?”
“Yes, but the injuries healed as soon as we got out. The portal has this blue liquid so thin you can’t see it that covers you on your way out. It reacts with the air making everything you came with from the Sarabi world disappear; even cuts and bruises.”
Chloe scrolled through the feed on her laptop and keyed in a few words. “Found it!” she said with a snap of her fingers. “This symbol on your dad’s notebook belongs to Rinotech, an international research organization specializing in astrophysics. Now, when I type in scientist from Nairobi on the website, what do we get?”
The spinning circle in the middle of the screen lingered for a bit before pulling up a blank page with the message ‘Host not found’. “Hold on. Let me refresh the browser,” Chloe said. She tapped on the keyboard again, but this time the page that showed up was all black with a large time written in the middle. “It says nothing but 8:00 PM. Am I on the right website?”
“Wait!” Annie said. “How could I forget? We only have a few hours to get to the next vision chamber before it’s no longer usable. Jake, what’s the time?”
“It’s five fifty-eight, Annie.”
That didn’t sound good. The notebook said they had roughly two hours before the vision chamber stopped working. Why did the numbers appear on the screen? Was the Crowman doing this?
The time on the monitor blinked away and an address flashed before returning to the website’s homepage. “An address just appeared on the screen. 52 Guild Street, London. If I googled that, then what would I find?” Chloe said. She clicked on an article dated Friday, April 12th, 2120 about an old warehouse that was used to store mattresses at one point. The dusty windows looked like they hadn’t been cleaned for years, and the white paint on the exterior had all but chipped off. The iron sheet roofing was missing some parts, the remaining areas a gust away from caving in.
“Is there anything in the notebook about an address?” Chloe asked.
“The only stuff that isn’t sciency is this picture of Dad and his friend,” Annie replied.
Chloe stared hard at the image of the two men standing outside the front entrance of what appeared to be a laboratory. They both had lab coats on, but Annie’s dad was the taller of the two even without the afro. The sun reflecting from his square rimmed glasses obscured his eyes tucked away in two deep sockets. His thick jawline was covered with a full beard, slightly scruffy. If anything, he was a bigger version of the chocolate skin-tone boy sitting across from her.
Chloe read out the caption. “Dr. Robert Ukweli; head of psychological research, astrophysics, and co-founder of Rinotech. Standing next to him is Dr. Shaun Tate; head
Charlie, not wanting to be left out of the moment, rubbed his head against Annie’s leg.
robotics designer, lead astrophysicists, and also co-founder of Rinotech.” Shaun was a short, round, Caucasian man with a bald head and a brown beard longer than Robert’s riddled with patches of white. If Annie was to guess, she’d say he was somewhere in his fifties.
“He looks just like you, Jacob,” she said to Jacob whose head hung low.
“I hope we find him,” he mumbled.
Annie rubbed the small of his back. “We will, Jake,” she muttered. She turned to Chloe. “Could you help us get to that address? I think that’s where the other vision chamber is. Please. We need to hurry. I don’t want to…” Annie’s voice cracked. “I don’t-I don’t want to lose him too.” The tears welled up in her eyes. Both Chloe and Jacob drifted to her and hugged her.
“I’ll do what I can, Annie. Don’t you worry your wee little head about it,” Chloe choked up as he spoke, trying her best to hold back her own tears. Charlie, not wanting to be left out of the moment, rubbed his head against Annie’s leg.
“I’ll go upstairs and change into something else,” Chloe said after a long pause. “There’s a spare room with a bathroom in it you and Jake can use. I reckon you’d want a warm shower before we leave. I’ll see if I can find you two some fresh clothes. Come on now. Like you said, we don’t have much time, love.”
Jacob waited in the living room with Charlie as Annie showered. The room she was in was neat and quite spacious but with little in it besides a bed, a floor lamp, a small desk, and a chair. The closet was filled with so many different outfits it could’ve been a mini store all by itself. She pulled back the single drawer on the desk. She thought there was nothing inside at first but as she started closing it, some light reflected off what appeared to be an old picture.
She took it out and held it up. A thin white border lined the edge of the photograph. A stark contrast to the rest of it which was black save for the cone-shaped area in the middle with random strokes of silver.
“Sarah,” Chloe said behind her. “Her name’s Sarah.”
Annie turned around. Chloe was standing by the door holding a bunch of folded clothes. “I didn’t hear you come in. Who’s Sarah?”
Chloe’s gaze shifted to the ground. “She’s my daughter.”
Annie adjusted the white towel wrapped around her as she sat on the edge of the bed confused. “Where is she?”
Chloe placed the clothes on the dresser and sat next to Annie. “She’s not here anymore. To be honest with you, Annie, she never was to begin with. I had a miscarriage.”
“What’s a miscarriage?”
“It’s when a baby dies before it’s born. Sarah would’ve been me first child.”
The pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof slowed. Death was something she was still trying to understand herself.
She placed the picture in Chloe’s open palm. Chloe’s slim fingers slowly clasped the edges. “This is called a sonogram. It’s a picture of the baby while they’re still in your belly. I had mine taken when I was three months pregnant.” Chloe sighed, brushing a few strands off her face.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Miss Chloe.”
“Her father left a year later when I couldn’t get pregnant again,” Chloe continued. “The first few months were miserable. I spent many nights wondering what was wrong with me. Why couldn’t I have children? What happens now?” Annie inched closer and placed her hand in hers. “That’s when I got into working out. Some guy from the gym approached me one day and asked if I’d take a few pictures for his agency. I thought ‘Sure, why not? What have I got to lose?’ From there, one thing led to another and I ended up being a model for the next ten years so… here I am.”
A short pause followed. “Sorry for rambling on about me self, Annie. I just get a little emotional whenever I think about these things.”
“That’s okay, Miss Chloe. I’m glad your story had a happy ending.”
Chloe smiled. “Thanks for listening. You should probably get dressed, love. I got a few clothes I thought would fit you. I held on to them from when I was a little girl because they were me favorite back then. I’ll see what I can do about Jacob. I should be able to find a pair of jeans for him and maybe a T-shirt or something. But anyway, leave that to me,” she said before walking back to the room across.
Annie put on the white, short-sleeved T-shirt and the pair of faded jeans. The jeans were a little loose at the waist and she had to roll up the edges so they didn’t trail behind her pink trainers. The T-shirt, on the other hand, though half a size too big, was just the way she liked it. There was a clean grey sweater as well, but she opted to go with the baby blue one she’d had all along, a gift from her dad on her last birthday. She wrapped the beaded necklace with the lion’s tooth pendant around her neck. I promise, Dad. I’ll get you home safely.
Jacob hopped in the shower as soon as she went downstairs. He returned wearing a darker pair of blue jeans and a black hoodie with a picture of a short soccer player in an Argentine uniform. Chloe also came down a few minutes later much to the delight of Charlie whose tail wouldn’t stop wagging. Her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail and she wore a thin, brown jacket along with dark leggings.
“You guys ready?” Chloe asked as she put on her Nike running shoes.
“Yup,” Jacob replied. His voice sounded much clearer now. The shower must’ve done him some good.
“Mm-hmm,” Annie said as she slipped on her trainers.
“Good. Just let me text Jen where I’m going and we can leave, okay?” Chloe said. She pulled out an Axian 5, the latest smartphone developed by Rinotech’s sister company, Tellico. Founded by a Chinese startup 20 years ago with the backing of multiple billionaire Arab investors, the cellphone company all but destroyed Apple and their products in terms of
Destination: 52 Guild Street, London.
sales and user ratings. Starting with up-and-coming Africa, the company’s reach spread to the Gulf then western Asia then later, all of Europe. In just fifteen years, it became the most used handheld device globally according to an article she read in Everyday Smartphone.
“All done. Looks like it stopped raining,” Chloe said as she walked into the garage.
Annie glanced at the digital clock on the little table by the door that read 7:24 PM. “How long till we get there, Miss Chloe?” she asked.
“Won’t be long. About twenty minutes, give or take. Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll get there in time,” Chloe replied. She turned on the lights and pulled away the sheet on her silver four-door Tesla. “Engine: start!”
The car roared to life making Jacob jump. “Sorry,” she said to him. “I forgot I left it in Sport mode.” She turned back to the car. “City mode: on. Destination: 52 Guild Street, London.”
“Good evening, Miss Marshall,” the AI in the car responded. “Destination input accepted. Estimated time: eighteen minutes and fifty-six seconds.”
The doors opened automatically and the three of them got in. The interior had one leather seat behind some shiny buttons to the front and another L-shaped one covering the back including the area once occupied by a passenger seat.
“Miss Chloe!” Jacob blurted out as he reached for something on the dashboard. “Did you like the PowerPuff girls too?” he said as he held up the small plushie wearing a thin, blue dress.
Chloe chuckled. “Yes. That’s Bubbles. She’s me favorite.” The automatic garage door opened and the three of them headed out.
Annie and Jacob’s eyes stayed glued to the windows as they cruised down the street. The overhead buses made soft, whirring sounds as they passed by. Initially met with criticism, but as time went by, the Stingray became the most efficient way to travel if you wanted to beat the traffic. Shaped just like the animal, the inside of the cabin was spread out on both sides with a long tunnel in the back that served as an alternate entry point. The intricate pulley system allowed the two long supports on the ends to move up and down seamlessly to pick up and drop passengers. Each support was attached to the single rail lining the middle of the road by a large black wheel. Most of them were painted white and operated 24/7 only stopping to recharge at the drop off stations.
They rode past a large pet store sandwiched between a laundromat and a convenience store down Market Street. One of the animals in the cages by the window locked eyes with Annie. A small fennec fox. Ollie. Annie glanced at the time on the dashboard. 7:41 PM. We’re coming, Dad. Hold on.
Annie stared at Jacob, his head leaning against the window lost in his own thoughts. What could’ve been going on in that little mind of his? She never planned to bring him this far. He insisted on following her in that night, and now they were stuck here together. A stubborn little boy who didn’t always listen. Still, it was nice to have someone to talk to every now and then.
Her eyes drifted over to Chloe seated legs crossed on their right. The intermittent flashing of the yellow streetlights as they passed by lit up the side of her smooth face every other second. Annie thought she was pretty. Much prettier than the models she saw on TV advertising overpriced beauty products. If at all they managed to get through everything and bring back her dad, she hoped she would one day meet Chloe again and be friends.
Chloe turned to her. “Mind if I play some music as we wait?” she asked. Annie nodded. Chloe pressed a button on the seat’s handle and soft music filled the car. The picture of a man with scruffy, orange hair blinked on the little screen on the dashboard. The song’s title was Thinking Out Loud. Perhaps this was what Chloe listened to when she was younger. Annie leaned over to see the year it was released. 2014. Maybe Chloe was a fan of the classics.
The car turned onto a lonely street surrounded by a large brick wall on one side and a river on the other. They stopped in front of a rusty black gate with a faded sign tagged with so much graffiti the initial words were illegible.
“You have arrived at your destination, Miss Marshall,” the car’s AI said. Annie looked around for a security guard or anyone who might’ve worked there. Aside from what looked like a stray cat sitting on the edge of the wall, the place was completely empty.
“Wait here,” Chloe said as she got out. The gate didn’t have any locks, but there was a small section just large enough to slide her fingers through on to the other side. The metal groaned as she pushed against it eventually sliding opening. “Walter, follow me,” she said as she walked into the large compound.
“We have to hurry before something bad happens.”
“Okay, Miss Marshall,” the AI replied. It followed slowly behind into a dark parking lot that must’ve been used by the trucks bringing in the mattresses. Chloe told the car to stop and went to close the gate.
Annie and Jacob waited outside as Chloe made her way back. Jacob rubbed his hands together. “It’s cold,” he said. Just as Chloe shut the gate, the figure of the cat shifted revealing a sliver of white on its breast. Annie swallowed hard. It was the crow from earlier.
“Miss Chloe! Look! Over there,” Annie said pointing to the wall.
“What? I don’t see anything.”
Annie gasped. “The same crow that was outside your house was there just now. The Crowman, Miss Chloe. He knows we’re here. He knows we’re going back,” Annie cried.
“But how? I thought you said he couldn’t come to this world.”
“I don’t know. We have to hurry before something bad happens.”
“Okay, sweetie. Let’s go inside. We should find what you’re looking for in there,” Chloe replied.
The main doors into the warehouse were locked. They circled to the back and found a broken lock on the smaller side door they took out and walked in. Chloe turned on her phone’s flashlight and scanned the walls for a switch. She flipped the first one beside the door, but nothing happened. Annie held Jacob’s hand as they crept along the wall searching for another. Chloe flipped a second one a few yards away sending a shower of sparks careening down from the ceiling. A soft humming followed as the fluorescent lights buzzed to life one by one. All except for the one in the corner.
Annie squinted at the weird shape nestled in the dark corner. The closer she got, the more she recognized it. This version was much larger reaching close to the ceiling and twice as wide. It was shaped like a wide hourglass except the middle part was a large rectangle with lots of wires attached to the metallic edges. They found it. The way back to the Sarabi world.
“Hey!” a male voice said behind them. He had an American accent. “What do you think you’re doing? You’re not supposed to be here.”
Annie’s heart leapt to her throat. She turned over Jacob’s hand she was holding. 7:48 PM. 12 minutes. She thought about taking out the little knife in her pocket. There’s no way he could take on all three of them at the same time. Chloe could create a diversion long enough for them to power up the vision chamber and slip through. But what about Chloe? It wouldn’t feel right leaving her at the mercy of some angry stranger who could hurt her. Her eyes met Jacob’s. He was alarmed but not panicking. He’d already been through too much already. She’d never forgive herself if something were to happen to him now.
Annie heard the man take a step forward. A faint click of metal followed as he took another. Chloe placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder then slowly turned around with her hands up. Annie did the same.
“We’re not looking for any trouble, sir,” Chloe said.
The three of them found themselves staring down the barrel of a Macabre 78G, a handgun only used by highly trained special operations teams in the army. Capable of holding forty-two rounds and firing five times faster than a fully automatic assault rifle, the Macabre 78G was in a class all on its own. Only five hundred such firearms had been made so far amid international outrage by traditional arms manufacturers afraid to go out of business. A useless piece of information Annie remembered reading in the papers one boring Sunday evening.
The man took another step forward positioning him directly under the light bulb. He had on a worn-out brown sweatshirt and a pair of grey, fitting khakis. His circular face was clean shaven, and most of the hair on his head had disappeared leaving only a little bit of brown on the sides.
“How did you find this place?” he demanded.
Annie didn’t like the roughness in his voice. Jacob didn’t appear very fond of it either.
“We were looking for an address and got lost along the way. Cars these days, you know?” Chloe replied.
“I don’t much like liars, woman! You have one more chance before I pull the trigger. What are you and these…”
The man stopped short when he saw Jacob. He lowered the gun and exhaled loudly. “Jesus Christ!” he said as he holstered the handgun. “What in the world are Ukweli’s kids doing all the way out here?”
Annie’s eyes grew wide. “Wait! You know my dad?” she blurted out.
“Yeah. He’s my partner at Rinotech. I had no idea his son looked so much like him,” he replied. “Listen, I’m sorry about just now. That piece of equipment you were looking at is—”
“You’re sorry? Is that all you have to say?” Chloe snapped. “You point a gun at these kids’ faces and the best you can come up with is ‘I’m sorry’?” Her face was red all over. This is a side Annie never thought someone as sweet as her had. “How do we even know you’re telling the truth?”
“Ma’am, if you let me explain, I’ll get to that in a second but first, let me introduce myself. My name is Shaun Tate. I’m a robotics designer and one of the founders of—”
“Rinotech Industries,” Jacob interrupted.
Shaun smiled. “Correct. Smart just like your father, Jacob.” He walked over to the machine. “I was on my way home from the office when I got a strange message with the address to this place and a time. 8:00 PM to be exact. I found it rather suspicious, so I drove down here. I had a feeling something might’ve been wrong since this is the place Rob and I tested the first vision chamber. It wasn’t very stable, and the board didn’t approve of it at the time, so we made two prototypes in two different locations to continue with our research. As you can see, this one’s been out of commission for a while now. “
He dusted off the small control panel on the side. “After the second one failed to produce any real results, I pulled him aside and told him ‘Rob, ain’t no way I’m seeing myself doing this for another three years’.”
“But Mr. Tate, it works! The vision chamber is what brought us here to Miss Chloe’s house,” Annie said.
Shaun gave her a surprised look. “What do you mean? Who’s Miss Chloe?”
“That would be me,” Chloe chimed. “I was getting ready to have some tea when me dog, Charlie, started barking all crazy-like. That’s when I ran into these two and they told me their story.”
While the two of them spoke, Jacob gently tugged at Annie’s sweater. “What is it Jake?” Annie asked. Jacob raised the watch to her face.
“Miss Chloe! Mr. Tate!” Annie shouted. “We only have five minutes! Mr. Tate, you have to help us. The reason we’re here is because we went into the Sarabi world to rescue our dad but couldn’t because the evil Crowman on that side tried to kill us. My dad wrote in his notebook that after leaving the Sarabi world, the portal could be activated again but only after two hours. It’ll be two hours at eight. If we don’t go in at that time, then my dad will be trapped forever.”
“My God. That sum’ bitch did it,” Shaun whispered drawing a slap on the shoulder from Chloe who motioned with her head to Annie and Jacob. “What’s all this talk about a Crowman, young lady?”
“He’s the thing that attacked us when we went to look for Dad. His claws are very sharp and can cut through anything. He cut me and Jacob.”
“Y’all look fine to me.”
“That’s because when we came back to the real world a blue liquid got rid of the pain and healed us. It says so in my dad’s notebook, and it’s true.”
“Notebook? Let me a take a look at that.”
Annie gave it to him. He perused through the pages mumbling things none of them understood. Something on one of the pages made him stop for longer than before. “Look, I don’t know if I’ll be able to get this thing up and running. Ukweli was obviously up to something, but some of these equations don’t seem to add up.”
“You have to try, Mr. Tate,” Annie cried.
Shaun walked over to the side of the vision chamber. The buttons were covered in dust and most of the metal rusted. He pressed the power button. Nothing.
“Mr. Tate, look over here,” Jacob said pointing to the unplugged cord at the back. Shaun plugged it in, and the machine chugged to life blinking fluorescent blue light on the little bulbs around it. Annie held her breath as Shaun typed on the keyboard attached to the panel.
“It’s very unstable. The power levels are all over the place. I’m not sure this is going to work,” Shaun said as the vision chamber began whirring loudly.
“It has to!” Annie shouted back.
Chloe took a knee next to Annie and Jacob. “I know you two love your father very much, but are you sure about this? There has to be a safer way,” she said.
Annie shook her head. “I don’t think so, Miss Chloe.”
The vision chamber’s light flashed as the spacetime fabric began to form in the rectangular center, a few shades darker than the one Annie saw from the vision chamber back home. Shaun took a step back as the last of the fabric attached to the rectangle’s corner. The lights stopped flashing and the loud whirring softened to a murmur.
Chloe hugged them tightly. “Be careful in there,” she whispered.
Annie wrapped her hand around Chloe. “Thank you, Miss Chloe…for everything.”
Chloe smiled. “Karibu.” A short silence followed as they embraced. “Go,” Chloe said. “Your father’s waiting.”
Annie and Jacob walked over to the little platform next to the portal. She could feel its energy pressing against her skin even from that distance. The tingly sensation would wear off after a few seconds once they got through. Annie thought back to the first time she and Jacob used it. It felt like forever ago. Annie took Jacobs’s hand once more and took a step towards the portal.
“Wait!” Shaun called out to them. “I would’ve liked to go in with the two of you, but I’m afraid neither Chloe nor I can access the Sarabi world. Your father set it so that it was gene-specific meaning only people with a similar genetic makeup to his could enter. That would mean—”
“His family members only,” Chloe added.
“Precisely. I’m a little skeptical about letting two children face off with some maniac in another world unarmed so I’m giving you this, Annie,” Shaun said pulling out the gun. She was barely comfortable wielding the pocketknife, how was she ever going to use something as powerful as the Macabre 78G?
“It might seem daunting at first, but I assure you it’s pretty easy to use. This button is the safety. When it’s on, the gun won’t fire. Only press it when you’re in danger. If the Crowman
Go. Your father’s waiting.
is moving too quickly for you to hit, press this other button. It will turn on the auto-aim and track him so you won’t have to. All you’ll have to do is pull the trigger and the shots will go directly at him,” Shaun said.
Annie took the gun. It was lighter than it looked even with the magazine fully loaded. “I’ll do my best,” she said as she holstered it in the holster Shaun also gave her.
“I know you will,” Shaun replied handing her the notebook. “Now, hurry on. The portal’s acting up again.”
Annie and Jacob nodded simultaneously. Goosebumps formed on her skin the closer she got to the spacetime fabric. She looked at Jacob and Jacob looked back. “On three,” she said. “One. Two. Three!”
A small, dark figure dashed past them mid-air as they descended into the Sarabi world. Annie’s stomach tightened. She glanced at the gun as the gooey dark colors danced around them in transit.
“What was that?” Jacob asked, the pitch of his voice bending with every word.
“I think it was the crow from earlier,” Annie replied. Jacob frowned. Was it too soon to go back? The last trip wasn’t so pleasant and here they were returning to the one thing that caused Jacob so much trauma.
“We’ll rescue Dad, Jake. I promise. Just hang in there.”
The warping colors slowed a few seconds later, and Annie’s eyes began to adjust. As the images formed, she got an idea where the portal would drop them. The world was spinning for a moment before their feet finally hit the ground.
Annie scanned the environment. Dawn had already broken in the Sarabi world. Around this area was where they last heard their father’s shouts for help before the Crowman drove them into the forest. The meadow was peaceful this time. A few nightingales sang in the distance as the Sarabi world slowly awakened. The Crowman was nowhere to be found—at least for now.
“I think Dad was her before,” Annie said. “He can’t be too far away. Come on.”
They walked over the fresh, green grass filled with patches of lilies and other flowers growing randomly around the area. The breeze was gentle as it slid across her skin, neither too cold nor too warm. The virtual sun peeked its little head over the horizon as more light poured onto the colorful landscape. The place was more beautiful than Annie remembered. It’s a shame their mother never got to see it.
They arrived at a little stone cottage with brown roofing. “Stay alert,” Annie said as she slowly opened the door. A shout coming from someone inside made her jump. She reached for the gun but stopped when her eyes met with her attacker’s.
“Dad!” Jacob shouted as he ran past her to their father who immediately dropped the bat and fell to his knees.
“Jacob,” Robert gushed. “Thank goodness.”
Annie ran over and hugged him, her tears flowing freely as they embraced. “I thought I’d never see you again,” she mumbled between sniffles.
Robert squeezed them a little tighter. “Me too. I’m so glad you made it back. How did you find me?”
“Miss Chloe and Mr. Tate helped us when we came out the portal in London,” Jacob replied.
Robert had a surprised look on his face. “London? Tate? Shaun Tate?” he asked. Annie nodded. “I had no idea the alternate exit would’ve taken you that far.” He adjusted the dusty glasses on his face as he slowly let go. “I’m glad you ran into him. This woman, Chloe, who is she?”
“She’s a model who helped us find Mr. Tate and the other vision chamber in England. If it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have made it back in time. She was very nice to us,” Annie said.
She slung her dad’s arm over her shoulder to help him up when she felt the warm liquid around his ribs. “Dad! You’re hurt! What happened?” Annie blurted out.
Robert groaned as she helped him to his feet. “It’s nothing, dear. I’ll be fine.”
“No. It isn’t. You’re bleeding,” she said. Behind him was a trail of drops of blood leading into the other room.
“The anomaly,” her father began, “it came for me. I tried to run, but it swiped before I had the chance to get away. The red fox, weak as it was, somehow showed up and fought it off. That bought me just enough time to find shelter, and I’ve been holed up here ever since.” Annie took off her sweater and tore it in two places. She carefully wrapped it around her dad’s wound trying to cover as much of it as she could.
Robert let out a loud sigh. “That feels a bit better. The red fox, sadly, didn’t make it.”
“Aw,” Jacob moaned. “Poor Ollie.”
“It’s okay, Jake. Once we get back, I’ll reset this world. Ollie’s code is still in the database, so he should make a return once that happens.”
Jacob smiled. “Will that also kill the Crowman too?”
Robert paused. “If my calculations are correct, it should give me enough time to recalibrate the vision chamber and erase the equation that created the anomaly—the one you guys call the Crowman.”
“Then we should get going before he finds us,” Annie said.
“I agree,” Robert replied. “If only I had my notebook, I would’ve known how far—” Annie tapped him on the shoulder, holding up the notebook. “Oh, why thank you, Annie. Okay, let’s see here. Yes. The exit’s close; on the other side of the meadow inside the pond. It should take us a few minutes to get there.”
Even though he looked like he was fine, Annie knew the wound her dad had would make it difficult to walk too far without assistance. She helped prop him up and held on to him as they made their way out. Jacob did the same on the opposite side grabbing on to his leg instead.
“If it’s all the same to you, Annie, I’d feel more comfortable if I had the gun,” Robert said as they began the trek across the meadow. “That golden finish has Shaun written all over it,” he added with a chuckle.
Annie handed him the gun. They continued out in the open over to where Robert said the pond would be. Annie didn’t like how exposed they were. The Crowman could’ve spotted them from miles away and Lord knows what he would’ve done to them this time.
The ripple of the water came into view soon enough. Jacob was the first too see it. He shouted with joy knowing they were finally going home. Annie was skeptical. It was too quiet. Why hadn’t the Crowman showed up? Something didn’t feel right. Her father groaned as he took the last steps towards the portal that was now about a hundred yards away. The blood had seeped through the sweater and his brown plaid shirt leaving the area a dark red. Still, he pushed on. Once they got through the portal, all his wounds would heal and everything would return to normal. A weak smile formed on Annie’s lips. Almost there, Dad.
With about twenty yards left to go, Robert slowed to a stop. He was taking in deeper breaths than before and every step looked more painful than the last. That’s when Annie heard it.
Something didn’t feel right.
The sound of the leaves crunching as they walked had drowned it out, but now it was clearer than ever. Far in the distance, growing louder every second. She didn’t want to see it, but she had to know what they were up against this time. She turned around and for a second, it felt like her heart had stopped beating, and the whole world fell silent.
A massive darkness had emerged from the forest swallowing the entire horizon and spreading fast towards them. The ravens, in their millions, lurched out the forest painting the blue sky a demonic matte black. Their battle cry echoed from both sides as they closed in led by their unmistakable chorister charging straight at them.
“Dad! The Crowman… he’s here! We have to go!” Annie shouted. They helped him up again and hobbled as fast as they could towards the pond. Annie watched in horror as the shadow cast by the birds grew larger and larger on the ground. The sun was all but blocked out with very little light stealing through the spaces between the dark wings. A demented raven dove down at lightning speed just missing them. Annie heard a soft thud as it landed on its beak like a javelin behind them.
“The-The anomaly has corrupted the rest of the data,” Robert babbled in pain. “The Sarabi world can’t handle it. Everything will soon collapse.”
Annie’s mouth fell open when a fire ignited the trees enveloping them in flames. The pond was closer now. The Crowman let out a loud caw which sent the birds above hurtling towards them like arrows fired by marksmen. Most of them missed except one that scraped Annie’s shoulder releasing a trickle blood down her arm. She grimaced as they approached the edge of the pond. The torrent of birds continued to rain down in their hundreds. The speeding Crowman had closed the gap and was now only a few feet away. Annie saw death written all over his yellow eyes. The pond was right beside them, but she knew he would attack the second they tried to go inside. Her father was too weak to fight, and Jacob looked exhausted.
The ravens somehow managed to only land around them. It was as if the Crowman was saving them all for himself. She had to do something and fast. The pocketknife was still in her jeans, and her dad still had the gun. An idea formed in her head.
They were all facing the Crowman, watching him hiss as he floated in front of them. Annie slid her hand into her jeans pocket. The Crowman took notice and immediately lunged at her but before he had any time to react, Annie threw the pocketknife at him piercing his right wing. She quickly turned and charged at Jacob and her dad thrusting them into the pond. As her dad fell in, she snatched the Macabre 78G out the holster and pointed it at the Crowman who was already flying at her seething with rage. She squeezed the trigger with all her might. Nothing happened. The safety. Annie hurriedly pressed the button firing all forty-two rounds into the Crowman’s throat killing him instantly. The color slowly drained out the yellow eyes, and the black body plopped to the ground.
The fire from the forest had spread to the grass on the meadow and was consuming it rapidly. The chorus from the birds, once terrifying, grew distorted morphing into one staticky verse. Annie took one final look at the once beautiful creation before jumping into the pond as the flames engulfed the Crowman’s body along with the rest of his minions in the last of what remained of the Sarabi world.
She tumbled onto the floor of their house in Nairobi, and her dad standing by the control panel immediately shut down the vision chamber the minute he saw her. Jacob was the first to embrace her. “Annie!” he cried, “Don’t ever do that again.”
Her dad came over and hugged them both. “I’m proud of you two,” he said. “Your mother would’ve been too.”
END
This story was originally meant to be about 500 words because that’s what the guidelines for the competition I entered it in stated. I didn’t win the competition nor get shortlisted, so I decided to expand it some more because I liked the direction it was taking as I wrote. I could’ve made it even longer, however, I decided not to and opted to start a different short story so that I could improve on my writing skills even further especially for the short story.
This, in my opinion, would make for a great animated short. If anyone reading this is from Dreamworks or Disney, let’s get the paperwork straight and make this thing happen 😉
Hope you guys enjoyed reading. Feel free to share it with your friends so they too can take on the Crowman in the beautiful yet twisted Sarabi world. Comments are also welcome.
As always, from me to you… deuces!
VICKTA
Height Above Sea Level 