You have to return from Mexico to the US. You approach the border and see a sign that says “Tijuana, California”.
You don’t know what to expect so you just walk straight into it. A few people look at you confused as they ask if you need help or something but nobody helps. They all seem to be in a state of shock.
“What the hell is going on?” one man asks.
“I don’t know. I heard there was a shooting at the White House and then the internet stopped working,” you reply.
“We’re in lock down at my school, everything is related.”
You start to feel paranoid and think that the military has arrived. You then hear a loud knocking on a door.
“I got to get home, my brother is probably home by now.” You say as you run home.
You get home and find that your brother is home alone. You tell him what happened and he tells you that it is far worse than you think. You should see his dad who has probably been watching the news all day.
You follow your brother into his room and see his dad sitting in his chair with a blank stare on his face.
“Hey, what’s going on?” you say in hopes of breaking the ice.
“Do you remember last year when North Korea hacked into the power grid and caused a blackout that lasted weeks?” he asks.
“Yes.”
“Well it wasn’t just North Korea, it was Russia.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“The internet went down, the phones don’t work, and it’s like nothing ever happened. We’re on a dark era now son.”
You felt like you were living in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’.
You decide to go on Facebook to see if anyone posted ‘anything’ but it’s like the internet never existed. You have no friends and your brother doesn’t have any friends at his school. The most interesting part of this experience is that the FBI never questioned your brother and there were no news reports about the event.
A week later, people started disappearing in the area. At first, it was just people that moved away and then it was to be you know ‘school shooters’ type things. A kid at school mentions how his friend said he saw people being taken out in bags.
The next day, your dad gets a call from the power company about some equipment on their pole. When the power comes back on, you see a device with blinking red lights.
“What the hell is that?” you say out loud.
That night, you and your dad sit down to watch the news. You hear a loud pop and your dad falls to the ground. A red beam shoots out from the TV and your dad isn’t moving.
You pick up the phone to dial 911 but nothing happens. Then you notice the blinking red light coming from a police car. You speed out your front door and knock over mailboxes on your way to the car .
When you get to the car, it has every light on the dashboard flashing, sirens are going off and a voice comes out in a robotic tone. The car’s door opens and you get inside the back seat. In the trunk is a device with three flat screens and a button to press.
“Please choose a destination.”
“What? I’m stuck in a car!”
“Make your selection.”
“I want out of here!” You shout.
“Once you select a destination, this car will transport you there.”
You feel something hit your bottom lip. You look to the left and see a bottle with writing on the side. It’s your mouth.
It’s a Tyler T vial.
“When you get out of the car, write down the date, time and your best memory of your brother on a piece of paper.”
You take the vial out of your mouth and throw it on the floor knowing it’s going to explode.
“I want out of here!” you say again.
It’s been an hour since you started driving and you’re at a traffic light. The car has been driving itself without any stops or direction changes. You look out the window and it’s winter, filled with trees.
1/15/19
“Why did you transport me here?” you ask.
“The car detected you wrote down your brother’s name in your will. This is your forest.” The car says.
“I don’t have a brother.”
“That’s your memory, please continue driving.”
You get out of the car and begin to explore. You freeze when you hear a buzz. You see some kind of insect flying around.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” The car says. “I thought you wanted to explore. Here’s a map.”
You grab the map and put it in your pocket. You hear a beep and turn around to see the car driving off. You go to the forest’s edge to meet a man with a walkie talkie in hand.
“Hello?” you say.
“Pleasure to meet you, I’m Nathan.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s a nice day for January so we’re doing some target practice.” Nathan says.
“You guys own this place?”
“You could say that.”
“I’m going to call the police.”
“Please don’t, we’re just here to have a bit of fun.” Nathan says.
Soon, you hear the boom, then another. You fall backwards and then hear the sound of a truck driving off. The ground by your body starts to shake, then you see a figure coming out of the trees.
It’s a mutant. A large man, missing his hand and foot. You run away when you see this but soon feel something hitting you in the back of the head. You fall forward into some ice cold water. Your vision fades in and out as you struggle to keep breathing.
“Hey, wake up! We’re not here to kill you!” you hear Nathan say.
You open your eyes and see Nathan standing above you.
“Jesus, I couldn’t keep my footing in this water.” You say sitting up.
“Sorry about that, I just knocked you out and put a bag over your head. Did you enjoy the show?”