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Chapter 1
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” I asked the beautiful
blonde woman standing beside me in the snow. “Minnesota winters
aren’t for the faint of heart.”
“Please,” Natalie scoffed with a smirk and a wave of her
hand. “The winters in the Fallen Lands were really bad, so I doubt
anything your dimension throws at me could possibly be any
worse.”
“Chicago winters are nothing like the ones up here,” I teased.
“Those are all about the bitter cold and wind. Here, in the land of
one-thousand lakes, the winters are cold, windy, and you have to
deal with literal mountains of snow. That’s why Karla was so giddy
when she saw the forecast for this week.”
She really had been. It was kind of scary to see somebody,
particularly a native Minnesotaen… somebody who knew the
horrors that awaited… be so excited about the freaking snow.
Natalie and I were both standing out in the middle of the
powdery forest that was part of the Nash estate’s hundred and fifty
acres of property. The two of us were adorned in wintery combat
attire, which included white tactical scarves on our faces and
equally pale snowsuits with blue, white, and gray camouflage.
Goggles pressed tightly against the skin of my forehead and
cheeks, and I pulled the scarf back over my nose and mouth and
prepared for what laid ahead.
“I still can’t believe she’s making us do this,” I sighed.
“We’ve already done a million agility tests since we got back from
your dimension, so what more does she need to see?”
“I’m actually kinda enjoying them,” Natalie admitted. “They
keep me on my toes, and they’re a great exercise for keeping my
body limber and fit. As much as I’m loving your dimension, I must
admit it has certain… vices that can send me spiraling into bad
habits.”
“Chipotle?” I chuckled.
“Chipotle,” Natale confirmed with a nod. “I don’t see how
you avoid eating that stuff every meal.”
“I guess I’m used to our food here in Dimension One.” I
shrugged. “That place is fine and dandy, but I haven’t even had a
chance to take you to a real Mexican restaurant yet. We’ve been
too busy training.”
“What do you mean ‘real?’” the blonde Scavenger
questioned. “The web browser clearly said it was ‘authentic
Mexican cuisine.’”
Oh, poor, sweet, innocent Natalie. She was still new to our
world, and she hadn’t quite adjusted to life outside of a nuclear,
mutant-filled holocaust. She definitely had no idea about the
nuances or tricks of companies who just wanted to sell things and
make a quick buck.
In a way, she was a marketer’s dream come true.
I was somewhat worried what would happen once she got a
bit further along in her pregnancy, though. The food bills were
going to go through the roof.
Even now, in the early stages of her term, the Scavenger was
showing signs of my baby inside of her. A few days ago, she
started to have morning sickness, and she kept saying she felt more
tired than usual. Then the cravings began…
“I’ll take you to La Parilla sometime,” I promised her.
“Once you take one bite of their burritos, you’ll never want to go
back to Chipotle again.”
“That’s a powerful statement, you know,” Natalie noted as
she checked the knife on her belt.
It was the only thing we’d been given to complete our task.
Though, I still wasn’t exactly sure what our task was.
Karla hadn’t told us much. When we arrived this morning,
she just handed us a bunch of gear, led us out into the proverbial
woods, and then told us to come back to the house when she gave
us the signal.
Oh, and also there were several booby traps we’d have to
avoid along the way.
Other than that? It was simple.
“What is she waiting for?” I grumbled as I rubbed my gloved
hands together to try and stay warm.
Even though we were dressed to the nines in warm tactical
equipment, the bitter winter wind cut through it like pinpricks in a
water balloon. Sure, I was glad we weren’t freezing, but if we
didn’t get a move on it soon, we were going to literally suffer death
by a thousand frostbites.
“Maybe she got lost?” Natalie suggested.
“On her own property?” I was skeptical.
“Perhaps she’s playing a prank on us?” The blonde
shrugged.
“No way.” I shook my head. “If there’s one thing I know for
sure about Karla, it’s that she never fools around while on the job.”
“Alright, you two!” I suddenly heard Karla’s voice echo
through the silent landscape. “Agility and dexterity test number
eight. Ready?”
“So… we just have to run back the way we came?” I raised
my eyebrows at Natalie.
“It’s not going to be that easy, Hunter,” Natalie giggled
maniacally. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Before I could respond, the sound of the start gun erupted
through the trees and sent several birds flying away in a panic.
It was time to begin.
Natalie took off in a full sprint. The few inches of snow on
the ground seemed to slow her down slightly, but her new
enhanced agility more than made up for the handicap.
I started off right behind the woman, and within a few
seconds, I had caught up to her side.
The last time we’d done a speed test, Karla had clocked us as
going thirty-five miles per hour.
