Rice
Highway
The girl squeezed her wrist and it popped uncomfortably loud. She then popped her other wrist, her neck, and her back. The noise made Kyle uncomfortable and every pop would make him flinch. He wondered if she really had to make that agonizing noise.
The girl looked behind him. She stared at a fixed position on the ceiling. Kyle looked at where she was staring. “What?”
The girl said, “How long has Death watched you move?”
“What are you talking about?”
The girl shook her head. “Never mind. It won’t do me any good if I also become enemies with it.”
The girl started walking towards the exit. Kyle followed after her. He asked her, “What’s your name? I’m Kyle.”
“Kyle? That’s a strange name. I am called Sage.”
“Sage? And you call my name weird?”
Sage rolled her eyes. As they neared the front entrance, Kyle told her to stop. “How come you were locked up there by yourself?”
“Everybody had an issue with me. They thought it was a better idea than killing me, since I could easily revive myself.”
“How long were you locked up?”
Sage stared at Kyle’s clothing. She wondered how much the world had changed since she was imprisoned.
“What year is it?”
“March of 2013.”
Sage’s eyes widened, but only for a second. She told Kyle, “It was a long time...”
As they exited the house, Sage smiled. She was imprisoned for centuries and the outside looked like paradise. It was night out, but she could clearly identify her surroundings. Small animals rustled on the trees and bushes. An owl was hunting for food. The small breeze was as cool as before. Sage thought, I’m glad not much has changed.
Although she saw several common things, she knew something felt a little different. The sounds from far away were alien to her. Beep, beep! Vrooom.
These sounds confused her, but she also was attracted to them. She slowly walked towards the noise. “Hey, where are you going?”
“Do you hear that? It’s like a large animal.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sage continued walking in silence and Kyle followed. A few minutes later, the noise was louder. Lights were looming at the end of the trail. She wondered how it was possible for lights to appear in the middle of the night. Not even candles shined so bright. As they got closer to the end of the trail, Sage finally saw something she couldn’t believe. Strips of gray rock hovering over the ground. Large sticks with very bright candles. Metal containers were going past her at fast speeds. “Where are we?”
“We’re at a highway.”
Sage had her mouth open as she gazed at the strange scene. She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”
She turned to Kyle. “Are there more places like this?”
“Yes?” he responds a bit confused.
“What else is there?”
“What do you mean?”
She corrected herself, a little annoyed. “What else has changed?”
“Changed? I’ve heard this place hasn’t changed since the 90s.”
Sage looked at him impatiently. “Has everything in the world changed like this?”
“Well, yeah. Obviously.”
She shook her head again. She thought to herself, ‘how be this possible?’
The girl looked behind him. She stared at a fixed position on the ceiling. Kyle looked at where she was staring. “What?”
The girl said, “How long has Death watched you move?”
“What are you talking about?”
The girl shook her head. “Never mind. It won’t do me any good if I also become enemies with it.”
The girl started walking towards the exit. Kyle followed after her. He asked her, “What’s your name? I’m Kyle.”
“Kyle? That’s a strange name. I am called Sage.”
“Sage? And you call my name weird?”
Sage rolled her eyes. As they neared the front entrance, Kyle told her to stop. “How come you were locked up there by yourself?”
“Everybody had an issue with me. They thought it was a better idea than killing me, since I could easily revive myself.”
“How long were you locked up?”
Sage stared at Kyle’s clothing. She wondered how much the world had changed since she was imprisoned.
“What year is it?”
“March of 2013.”
Sage’s eyes widened, but only for a second. She told Kyle, “It was a long time...”
As they exited the house, Sage smiled. She was imprisoned for centuries and the outside looked like paradise. It was night out, but she could clearly identify her surroundings. Small animals rustled on the trees and bushes. An owl was hunting for food. The small breeze was as cool as before. Sage thought, I’m glad not much has changed.
Although she saw several common things, she knew something felt a little different. The sounds from far away were alien to her. Beep, beep! Vrooom.
These sounds confused her, but she also was attracted to them. She slowly walked towards the noise. “Hey, where are you going?”
“Do you hear that? It’s like a large animal.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sage continued walking in silence and Kyle followed. A few minutes later, the noise was louder. Lights were looming at the end of the trail. She wondered how it was possible for lights to appear in the middle of the night. Not even candles shined so bright. As they got closer to the end of the trail, Sage finally saw something she couldn’t believe. Strips of gray rock hovering over the ground. Large sticks with very bright candles. Metal containers were going past her at fast speeds. “Where are we?”
“We’re at a highway.”
Sage had her mouth open as she gazed at the strange scene. She shook her head and took a deep breath. “I have a lot of catching up to do.”
She turned to Kyle. “Are there more places like this?”
“Yes?” he responds a bit confused.
“What else is there?”
“What do you mean?”
She corrected herself, a little annoyed. “What else has changed?”
“Changed? I’ve heard this place hasn’t changed since the 90s.”
Sage looked at him impatiently. “Has everything in the world changed like this?”
“Well, yeah. Obviously.”
She shook her head again. She thought to herself, ‘how be this possible?’