The next morning, I woke up to thuds on my front door. As I rummaged through a pile of clothes to find my shirt, I heard Sam's voice outside. "Make sure you buy an alarm clock when we're done with this gig," he said, excitement evident in his tone" While putting on my shirt, I walked toward the door and remembered to turn off the corridor light, which I had forgotten to switch off when I got home from the bar yesterday. Just as I locked the door behind me, Sam extended his hand, offering me coffee in a plastic cup and smiling. "It's time, Simon. Are you ready?" I took the coffee and glanced at him, smiling back. "Let's do it."
When we saw the blue, ominous portal pulsating from the corner of our eyes, a small group of people, maybe six or seven, had already gathered. A few, dressed casually, appeared to be civilians, while the majority wore military uniforms. They talked among themselves, and I could feel excitement in the air, even though I felt a twinge of unease. The portals prohibited civilians from entering without permission; standing next to one gave me a surreal feeling.
While Sam and I discussed what we would buy after his job, a young woman interrupted us. "Oh, I will go shopping. I'm sure that's the first thing I'll do when this job is over." I glanced at the young woman standing next to me—she was beautiful, wearing white pants and a black shirt, with thick, curly black hair that almost overwhelmed her petite frame. "I will be the first one in my family to enter the portal; it's so exciting! What are you guys going to do with the money?" she said, trying to contain her excitement but unable to stay still.
"An alarm clock would be the first thing," I replied, looking at Sam. "Well, I'll get an alarm clock too, since I'm not sure he'll wake up if he only has one," Sam said with a smile, patting me on the back. She looked confused, but after a few seconds, she responded, "I'm starting to feel left out; should I buy an alarm clock as well?" Sam found this little joke about me so amusing that he began to laugh.
Her interaction helped lighten the mood and reduce the tension in the air. She introduced herself as Sarah, explaining that her friend had recommended her and that Richard had connected them. It seemed the gentleman I met at the bar was named Richard. Time passed quickly as we reveled in our enjoyment, oblivious to the events unfolding around us.
Suddenly, a loud cough drew everyone's attention to an older man with a weathered look, his sharp eyes radiating a sense of authority. With everyone's gaze fixed on the rugged-appearing older military man, he began to speak.
"I am Mayor Clark; you will call me sir. I am the overseer of this cadet mission in the world B212," he declared, his authoritative tone commanding attention. "The soldiers behind me are tasked with taking you into the portal. Our portal party consists of me, four cadets, and five civilians." When he mentioned soldiers, my eyes met Richard's, and he gave me a small nod that reassured me everything would be alright. Three out of the five civilians were me, Sam, and Sarah. I didn't get a good look at the other two; one was wearing a beanie, and the other had a hood covering his face. They appeared casual, so I didn't pay much attention to them; most of my focus was on talking with Sarah and Sam.
"There are a few rules when we enter the portal," Clark continued. "You will do what we tell you; no wandering off or touching anything unless we say it's allowed." He gave us a strong look; eye contact with him compelled my head to nod in agreement. Once the brief introduction about our trip to the portal was over, we stood in front of the huge portal. I could feel its pull, as if it were inviting me in. Sarah noticed my hesitation and gave me a little shove toward the portal. I smiled at her and stepped inside.
Darkness—when I walked into the portal, all I could see was darkness, followed by goosebumps and a flash of light. When my senses returned, I raised my head to look around; all I could see was a boundless desert with towering mountains and scattered rocks. In the distance, I spotted lonely green patches with tall trees on the horizon. Most of the landscape was still just desert, with enormous waves of sand everywhere and air so dry it took some time to adjust. "I'm sure there are worms in the sand; I heard sandworms are a real thing," Sam said, standing next to me while pouring sand out of his shoe. "Don't joke about it," I replied, searching for Sarah to see how she was doing. "I'm going to keep some of that sa..." Sam stopped abruptly mid-sentence. "Some of what?" I asked, turning toward him. Sam was lying on the sand, blood trickling from his head. As I raised my gaze to see what happened, I found Richard, his fist bloodied, staring at Sam. Before I could speak or move, a sharp pain struck the back of my head, and I collapsed. As I fell onto the sand, looking toward Sam, who lay unconscious, my vision blurred, and eventually, I lost consciousness; everything faded to darkness once again.