Page 4 of The General’s Captive (The Rift #1)

Rift

How I would have once defined it - A crack, split, or break in something.

But now I can’t help but question could it be…

A Gateway to Another World

T hankfully, my thoughts were being answered and the blessed beep of a horn sounded not so far down the trail.

I let out a pitiful whimper as relief washed through me, my heightened emotions running dry adding to my exhaustion.

I stood still in the center of the trail and waved my arms as my uncle’s Chevy truck came into view.

It skidded to a halt and before I knew it, the door was flung open and my uncle’s strong arms were around me.

I swear, the tight hug felt like a lifeline.

He kissed my head and pulled me in for another hug before asking,

“Alex! Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

The worry in my uncle Rick’s dark brown eyes made him resemble my father more than I had ever noticed before.

Tears threatened to fall but I forced them back, not allowing myself to worry about my mother and father at this time.

Thankfully, they were over 4000 miles away, so I was left feeling hopeful that the Rift hadn’t made it that far.

“I’m…” My voice caught in my throat, so I tried again. “I’m okay.”

My whole body trembled as I spoke, making it obvious that I wasn’t actually okay, so my uncle took hold of my arm, leading me to the truck before helping me into the passenger seat.

I flinched at the thud of the door slamming and watched as my uncle raced to the driver’s side.

He then all but threw himself behind the steering wheel as I was buckling up, then he swung the truck around and tore off down the trail, back toward the cabin.

He tore down the path, refusing to lift his foot off the gas, the brakes helping us slow around the bends and stopping us from spinning out as we turned. The truck groaned in protest, the suspension being tested, and as we hit a bump along the uneven trail, the impact caused my visor to swing down.

My startled reflection looked haunted in the small mirror.

My usual auburn hair was matted with twigs, leaves, and dried blood.

I touched my fingers to my scalp and winced, the adrenaline had obviously covered up that injury.

Luckily, it looked like my face had come out of the ordeal unscathed.

Although the redness around my light blue eyes was thanks to my tears.

The tracks of them had washed clean lines through the dirt on my face, now only showing hints of the freckles that dusted my nose and cheeks.

It was far from the eager, fresh-faced reflection I had seen in the mirror this morning when ready to go exploring.

“…And from there, we will head down to the south road.”

I hadn’t realized my uncle had been talking to me. His words put a pause on my inner turmoil as I continued to play out the day’s crazy events. Because I was still trying to piece together what the hell had just happened. Trying to make sense of what this could mean.

“What’s happening, Uncle Rick?” I asked, stopping myself from telling him exactly what I had seen. I was so afraid that I would just sound insane and he wouldn’t believe me.

“I don’t know. It feels like an earthquake but there were…” He paused, stopping himself from saying more with a shake of his head.

“What? What is it?” I asked, my tone verging on desperate. I watched his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed hard.

“There have been some strange reports on the news. People seeing things,” he told me tentatively, as if he didn’t want to frighten me.

But it was too late for that.

“Like creatures?” I finally admitted, and his head swung to me in shock.

“You saw them?”

I nodded, nervously rolling my lips inward.

“I thought I was going crazy but, Uncle, I swear, the Earth just opened up and all these shadowed figures started to crawl out of the chasm, and then came the ones that could fly…” I blurted out before trying to stop myself from saying more on what I had seen, doing so with a shake of my head.

Then after long minutes of tense silence, I braved to ask, “Do you think it’s the end of the world? ”

I watched as a noticeable tick jumped in his jawline.

“I don’t know, kid, but either way, we are getting out of here. Now hold on!” he said, making me do just that because he floored it, tearing down the gravel road at even greater speeds.

We arrived back to the rustic log cabin in no time at all. It was as if we had been trying to beat sundown, making me realize for the first time that we were losing light, something that didn’t make sense seeing as it was only late afternoon.

I checked the clock on the dash just to be sure, which only led to more confusion because I was right, it was too early for sunset. It was almost as if the sun was being eclipsed.

“Why is it getting dark?” I asked as my uncle came to a stop right outside the cabin. He leaned forward, with his forearms on the steering wheel, and looked up at the sky through the windscreen. His dark brown eyes widening briefly,

“I don’t know.” Then he reached for the handle and told me, “Wait here, I won’t be long.”

I nodded, silently telling him that I would, keeping back the part where I admitted to being too afraid to get out of the truck anyway.

I constantly scanned the trees that surrounded the cabin, as if expecting something to come stalking out of them any second, waiting for glowing eyes to pierce the falling darkness.

My uncle returned a short while later with a large, full backpack over his shoulder and a white first-aid kit in one hand.

The bang of items hitting the truck bed as he hurled them in made me flinch.

Once more, I looked out of the window as it continued to darken around us, worried that the noise would attract whatever had been coming out of that Rift.

Uncle Rick ran back and forth from the cabin a few more times, hands loaded with guns, ammo, and knives. He put these into the truck bed with the rest, then clambered back into the truck.

As soon as he pulled the door closed, he was suddenly met with resistance, and giant black claws cut into the metal.

Three huge talons dug in deep, making me scream as I looked up from the door to the window.

But before I could fully make out what it was, the door was ripped from the frame and tossed back into the trees.

Another of my screams followed as the huge set of claws returned, grabbing my uncle roughly around the leg and dragging him out of the vehicle as if he weighed nothing at all.

“Uncle!” I cried out in panic and leaned across the center console, trying to spot him.

The fear made my heart pound against my chest as I searched the darkness for him.

But when I couldn’t see him, I unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed open the passenger door, because I might have been terrified of whatever was out there, but I was afraid of losing my uncle even more.

I threw myself out of the truck, my knees trying to buckle beneath me.

However, I gripped the frame of the truck to steady myself before putting a foot in the wheel under the arch.

Then I hoisted myself up into the truck bed and quickly grabbed one of the guns, wishing that my father had let my uncle teach me how to shoot like he had wanted to.

I grabbed the box of ammo, hoping it was the right kind for the gun I held, and jumped down off the wheel. But then I cried out into the palm that was held over my mouth, muffling my scream.

“Ssshh, it’s still stalking us,” my uncle whispered, relief making my shoulders drop.

He removed his hand and I turned around to face him.

He held up a finger to his lips and I nodded before handing over the handgun.

Thankfully, I had been right about the ammo because he started loading the magazine.

Then he lowered his hand, telling me silently to get down behind the truck, but as he moved I saw him limping so I grabbed him.

“No, you’re hurt,” I hissed on a whisper, looking down at the blood pouring from his leg. It was as if the creature’s talons had pierced the flesh when it dragged him out of the car.

“I will be fine, but if anything happens, I want you to run, get in this truck and drive as fast as you can, you hear me?”

“Uncle, please… we should just get in the truck and leave…”

at this he shook his head and whispered back,

“We wouldn’t make it, trust me “It’s too big and with its wings…

Christ, I have never… look, just promise me, okay?

If I can’t kill this thing, you get in that truck and go.

I will keep it distracted for as long as I can,” he said, pausing mid-sentence as if words had failed him because, clearly, he had never seen anything like this before.

But then again, I don’t think anyone ever had.

“I can’t leave you,” I stated firmly, keeping my voice low.

Grabbing my hand, he gave it a squeeze as he spoke.

“Yes, Alex, you can, and you will. Now, give me your word, no matter what happens… promise me.”

Tears filled my eyes at just the thought of this outcome but knowing he would only worry if I didn’t say it, I nodded.

“I promise.”

He dipped his head once, his eyes softening with relief before narrowing with focus.

Keeping low, he crept out from behind the truck, the huge beast, whatever it was, could be heard growling as it prowled closer, its meaty footsteps shaking the ground. I watched as my uncle lifted the gun, taking aim at the creature I couldn’t see.

Then… BANG!

My whole body jolted, but what came next was my uncle’s panicked bellow.

“ALEX, RUN!”