Divergence: PORT101 - Book Two

By J. A. Parrish

After witnessing the total destruction of life on Earth, Sonya is returned to her own time, with her memories of the future intact. With knowledge of her impending death, Sonya takes steps to unmake the future and to rewrite the events that would ultimately lead to her death and plant the seeds for the demise of human existence (3rd Edition).

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. A. Parrish
• Release date: May 24, 2010
• ISBN: 9781452367040

J. A. Parrish

J. A. Parrish is a part-time writer, teacher, and CG Artist. Besides creative storytelling, J. A. writes and develops books and educational materials about CG Art and 3D Animation production. A fan of fantasy, science fiction, and classic folklore, J. A. likes to develop stories rooted in reality, with a touch of the fantastic, focusing on characters and the choices they make. While he has mostly focused in longer format storytelling, short stories and children's books may be in the works. iBooks By J. A. Parrish https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/jeremy-a.-parrish/id507724058?mt=11

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P.O.R.T. 101

• Book Two •

Divergence

(3rd Edition)

By Jeremy Parrish

Copyright © 2010 by Jeremy A. Parrish

*****

Smashwords Edition

*****

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the aforementioned author of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

CHAPTER 1, Sand. . .

A shower of mist descended around him, moistening his feet and the cuffs of his pants. He shifted uneasily in the sand, disturbed more by the crash of waves than by salted mist. Tucking himself into a fetal ball, he pressed his arms in around his head in an attempt to sink back into the blissful ignorance of sleep. The chill of night still hung in the air, raising goosebumps on his skin amongst a small contingent of sand fleas. Even with his eyes closed, he could tell that the sun hadn't fully risen. Absently brushing the fleas away from his face, he rolled over and gave up on sleep, deciding to let his dream of the beach fade. He sat up stretching, lazily rubbing sleep and sand from his eyes. For a moment, he sat staring, shaking his head and batting at the fleas on his arms and legs. He ran his fingers over the sand, letting it sift through his fingers, still disbelieving what he was seeing. Crawling to his feet, staggering as a wave crashed into the shore, he took a step into the receding wave. Toes pressed into wet sock and sand, he shivered. Gazing out over the shoreline, he could tell that the sand stretched out far beyond the horizon, running parallel to a tree lined ridge. Splashed across the sand, small crystalline deposits freckled the shore, bathing the surrounding sand in a pale blue light.

The remnants of a shattered moon formed a broken path across the sky to the horizon, suspended above distant hills.

Son of a bitch, he shouted!

He'd remembered hearing about this kind of thing happening to his friends in dorms, but he never thought that anyone would go through the trouble of breaking into his apartment to drag him down to the beach.

The sun hung low in the sky, leaving the sand awash in gold and orange. The waves broke over the shore, bubbling and foaming as they crashed into the sand. The beach ran along a ridge, bordered by a vast jungle, partially silhouetted by the sun. Alex hadn't remembered any place in the bay area with so many palm trees. Just above the trees, he could still see the edge of the largest part of the moon, despite the intensity of the sun. He traced its edge with his eyes. About half way around, it came to a stop and became a massive crater, with a trail of asteroids stretching out towards the Earth. He rubbed his eyes, thinking that his vision was still impaired by the lingering sands of sleep. A knot started to form in his stomach, as he stumbled backwards, falling onto the sand.

Alex scanned the shore from the ridge to the horizon. To the north or what he assumed was north, he saw what might be a structure in the distance. To the south and to the east, the jungle stretched out into an endless labyrinth of trunk and shadow. To the west, the sea lay silent, quietly mourning the passing of the shattered moon, reflected in the surf. Crawling to his feet, he walked up the beach to the north. The sand was cold under foot, but as he climbed the ridge, so did its temperature. The sun rose as he walked, relieving the shore of its nightly chill. Stones littered the sand, some of which seemed to glow, but he wasn't sure. As he walked, he'd occasionally catch the glow from the corner of his eye, but when he looked directly at the stones, they were just stones. And whenever he got near them, the knot in his stomach became a fist, nearly forcing him to his knees. Most of the stones framed the tide, so Alex walked along the ridge, just below the tree line.

Whenever he'd been to the beach in the past, he'd found it soothing and was often reluctant to leave. But this time there was something wrong. Aside from the stones, some seaweed, and a few abandoned shells, there was nothing. There were no crabs, no seagulls, no life.

There are always seagulls, he said aloud.

But this time there weren't. He stared out over the water, scanning the horizon again and again. Aside from the rustling of leaves, even the jungle seemed to be overflowing with lifelessness. Despite the warmth from the sun and his cozy cotton sweats, the echoing whistle of the wind in the jungle sent chills up and down his spine. As he walked, the distance between the ridge and the beach tapered until he found himself barricaded by earth and sea. The sea was wild and laden with daggers of rock, jutting up from the seafloor. Swimming was not an option, so he climbed the ridge. The ridge wasn't particularly steep, but he watched his footing, just the same.

As he climbed, Alex couldn't help but notice the common structure and distance between the rock formations along the ridge. Based on their shape and relative placement, he thought that they might have been part of a building or buildings, eroded and washed away by time and the ocean. They were overgrown with dead grass and vines, but they could still support his ascent to the ridge. Gripping the side of the nearest formation, his fingers sank into the tangle by at least five inches before he felt the sandy grip of time ripened cement. Despite its apparent age, the overgrown pillar stump meant that he was near civilization. Alex hastened his ascent. Pebbles scampered down the slope behind him. For some reason, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched. Odder still, he knew what he'd find at the top the ridge. He knew that help would be waiting, that someone would tell him where he was. As he reached the crest of the ridge, the chill which had ravaged his spine enveloped his entire body. A feeling of dread and panic gripped his stomach, which had begun to ache.

Reaching the top, the land beyond the ridge dropped off into a vast canyon which appeared to go on for miles. The jungle seemed to only grow along it's edges. The walls of the canyon was almost perfectly smooth, like glass. Around the edges, loose soil and rock sprinkled over the edge, lightly tapping as it scampered along the canyon wall, before sinking into the darkness of the glassy clay pit. The more that he looked at it, the more clear it became that the canyon was far from natural. He thought about the glowing stones, the desolate beach, and the overgrown ruins. It wasn't just a canyon, he thought. It was a crater. The crater extended well beyond the visible horizon, only reflecting the dull blues of the sky along the uppermost edge. Alex looked to the west. For some reason, he'd expected to see a city, but there wasn't one. The western coastline, which once may have framed a city and the outlet of a river, had long since been washed away.

Beyond the coast, an ominous swirl of darkness poured over the horizon. Shadows stretched out, swallowing the sea, the jungle, and the sand. Slowly creeping across the western sky, a swirling hole enveloped the horizon, sending a chill through Alex's body. His head started to pound. He cradled his head as the pounding continued to grow. The swirl continued to climb into the sky. The trees swayed and shivered, as leaves leapt into the air. The wind howled and tore through their branches, ripping limb from tree and leaf from limb. The ocean swelled. Waves crashed against the sand and against the ancient ruins along the shore. Alex fell to his knees before the edge of the canyon. Its glass void seemed to magnify the pounding in his head, as it spread to his spine and arms. Alex toppled forward, clutching his arms, as he slipped over the edge and fell into the canyon, slashing his ankle on its glassy rim. Shards of glass protruded from his leg, shattering as he spun and twisted