A Dimensional Encounter

The scent of a breeze dancing with the euphoria of mist trickled leaves resonating soft pitter patters. A young man's rubber-worn shoes fleeting across the cracked pavement. The diamond moon glancing through the branches gently guiding the way.

Nothing beats a midnight jog to clear your head after a hard day of college studies, the boy thought to himself. The lingering smell of a soft rain that graced us with its presence, no matter how short. Yes, these are the best times to empty my thoughts. I wish it would rain more of-

The young man quickly halts his feet. Stopping himself nearly in time. Stuck, in a forward motion, feet planted. This was not what it seemed. The young man's head, though connected, was found in a different dimension. Sharp needling pain piercing the skin hollowing out his insides. Without hesitation glances to the right, an ambiguous figure with cold eyes, it’s teeth sinking into his neck. A dashed glance to the left, a young female with eyes as orange as a morning sunrise. Unbeknownst to the boy, he had stepped through a rift into a new dimension. Taking the bite intended for another. He knew something felt wrong, feet still sturdy, wobbling, but sturdy, managing to pull himself back on the other side of the rift, the figure's head coming with. A vampire, just as puzzled as the boy, not allowed to cross the dimensional rifts, felt as though his life would be coming to an end. In an instinct to keep his bloodline alive, quickly went from draining the boy's blood, to inserting his own into the boy.

A quick flood of blood infecting the brain. Followed by two seconds, just two seconds of solace, the most serene solace one could ever embrace. A fake hope. Followed by seven seconds of the most excruciating pain one could ever bear. The young man falls to his knees. Screams of the undead flowing from his mouth. The chipped sidewalk rattling. The boy collapses to the ground with a shuttering thud, no one around to witness. In just nine seconds fate had circumvented a concrete divider. As the boy's eyes started to fade off.

Moments pass, the boy comes to. Hectically glancing around himself only to find that nothing is out of the ordinary. He looks down, noticing the weathered cement of the sidewalk.

Had the ground collapsed under my feet? Was that merely a dream?

The boy swiftly makes haste home, having convinced himself what had occurred was merely him stumbling and hitting his head.

The cement was weak from the rain. I merely have a small concussion.

The boy persuading himself, this was the more logical conclusion. A simple fall with a light head injury.

Still uncertain of what had occurred, and unable to persuade himself.

“It felt too real,” the boy says aloud to himself. Now home laying in his bed, the scenes of what had occurred recurring over and over in his head.

“What was that?”

A burning sensation trickles through his neck. The boy is unable to lie to himself any longer, he knew what it was.

“A v-vampire!” he stutters aloud. “Surely not!” the boy nervously chuckles to himself.

No, he knew it was that. It felt all too real but there’s no marks on his neck. No scars or signs of any injury.

“The head, the vampire's head merely… faded away.” he speaks softly to himself. “I didn’t get a good look, but it felt as if half my body crossed into another world. There was a woman! I remember her eyes were so beautiful. Such a pure citrus orange. I’ve never seen orange eyes before. Was it just a dream? But wait! I know there was a moment, merely a moment at best that I saw her face. No, it was more than just her face. She was chained up, shackled, bruised and beaten even. Was she about to be bitten or eaten? Something was definitely going on and without a doubt she was in trouble. What if she’s in more trouble now because of my interference? I have to go investigate tomorrow.”

The boy makes up his mind. He will investigate the area tomorrow, and if possible, he will cross to the other side to help the young woman.

The following morning the boy had lost his nerve. Despite having made up his mind to try and go back, he got cold feet when he tried to take a single step out the door. He no longer had the courage to go back to the scene.

I’ll wait until midnight. Yes, the circumstances must be the exact same.

Three days had passed, the boy was running out of excuses. He had college classes today, he had no choice but to get out. He clears his mind, puts on his worn out sneakers and heads out the door.

On his way to college, the sun blazed down upon him. Bright enough to blind, hot enough to melt, the boy continued pressing on. He passes a baseball field.

Clink!  “Home run!” a voice echoed from behind.

The boy, unaware, not paying any attention to his surroundings. Still troubled by the thoughts and images in his head, suddenly has the urge to defend himself.

Instincts, yes an instinct feeling to turn around, the reactions not his own, catches the ball barehanded moments before it hits him in the face.

Thump!

“Whoa heads up! Wait, no way! Did you just catch that barehanded? Awesome dude!” a boy in a baseball uniform says approaching the boy.

The boy, completely surprised by himself that he not only caught the ball, but that it didn’t hurt at all, is fully aware that his hand should be aching with pain from a barehanded catch.

“Ouch, that was not a good idea. I should dodge it next time. You should have said heads up sooner!” The boy tries to play it off cool. “Yeah, I heard homerun and decided to turn around just in time to see the ball flying towards me. I just sort of reacted I guess.”

“Boy, that is some quick reaction time! Glad you're alright and hey, if you’re ever interested, come practice with us sometime!” the boy says with a large smile.

“Uh yeah, well here’s your ball.”

The boy, standing more or less around 10 feet from the baseball player, goes to gently toss it over.

Shwap!

The ball left the boy's hand ten times faster than he had intended. What should have been a simple, almost childlike toss, turned into a fastball of sorts.

“Whoa man, you didn’t have to throw the ball so hard at me!” the boy remarks aggressively.

The boy, with a quick witted response, “Oh, sorry! You said to join you sometime and I was just curious if I still had a good throw. It’s been a few years since I played.”

“Oh, yeah it just seemed like you intended to not throw that very hard. I guess it took me by surprise. Thanks man, don’t be a stranger and come by sometime!” The player yells as he runs off towards the field.

Now the boy was certain. He is not who he once was. A change had occurred inside of him. No longer able to lie to himself.

My instincts are heightened. That was not supposed to be a fast toss. There’s no way I should have been able to sense and react to that ball. Something has changed inside of me. I have to go to that spot again.

The darkness of the night began to creep over the sky. The sun begins to sleep, leaving only the moon's reflected light. The moon, aware the light is not it’s own, guides a young boy.

A boy, walking in the shaky moonlight, prepares himself aloud. “I can do this. I clearly have at least heightened instincts and incomprehensible strength. Nothing will happen but if it does, I can handle it.”

The boy reaches his destination.

This is the spot. The conditions aren’t quite the same. This may not work. There was no rain today and it was scorching outside.

The boy cautiously begins to lean forward. His insides trembling, fear slowly taking over. His will doesn’t break, he leans all the way.

Well, I must look like an idiot now.

The boy thinks to himself, leaning outstretched on the sidewalk. Nothing had happened. His entire body was still in this world, nothing had crossed over. No rift in site.

Well I must be losing it. That was exactly the same way I remember being. Guess I’ll head back.

The boy turns swiftly around and swings out his arm to begin walking forward. The boy’s arm disappears.

Son of a gun. The rift is here after all. Maybe I’ll just...

The boy hesitantly tries making a ripping motion. He tears open the sky. A rift to another dimension. Uncertain by what he just accomplished, yet, not surprised.

With a deep breath, the boy steps through.