Voynich Shift - Planet Killer

Leonis - 1;1 , 2;10 - Part One of Three: A Silent City

Parker opens his swelling eyes as he lays atop a concrete structure, the sun beating into his skin. "The joys of multidimensional travel," Parker scoffs to himself as he reaches down and feels for Horo in the pocket of his pants.

Parker struggles to stand, realizing the wind is picking up. He walks to the ledge of the structure to gaze upon the monstrous city that is spread below. With the sound of wind whistling loudly in both ears, he immediately wonders what is awry with this world. While his previous adventures have proved the unimaginable to exist, Parker yearns to find out the function of this particular society.

Parker scans the area around him for an exit to reach the city ground and locates a staircase on the far side of the building. He sprints over and rushes down the steps, curious to uncover the mystery of this strangely familiar city.  As he approaches street level, the wind dies down to silence. Parker expels a heavy breath, the only sound for miles. He is unsure if his ears are broken at this point. His excitement quickly turns into anxiety, realizing the abnormal stillness of the world around him.

There are cars that lay in the middle of the streets, sitting idly as if mayhem struck, casting away all people. Parker Raymond, of Georgia in his home dimension, could have never imagined being the only person afoot a large city with no pedestrians, no lights lit, no activity whatsoever. It is unlikely that what he is seeing is health-related.
"Abandoned city," Parker whispers. The hushed words seem to echo throughout the miles-long ghost street. His reality is confirmed with utter silence.

Trembling, Parker descends the remaining steps intent on roaming these streets in pursuit of finding another human. His footsteps clank loudly against the stone as he walks through the concrete jungle. The dust settled on the ground comes to life as Parker walks through it, being the only person to walk this road for weeks or months.

There are bars, restaurants, shoppes, hotels, apartments... The remains of a once-bustling civilization. Although the city looks like Atlanta, Georgia, it hardly reminds him of it. The downtown area in Atlanta is cultural, colorful, and lively. The city is awake and the streets are packed on weekends. But this place he walks in is like a simulation- a maze.

What happened here?? The further Parker walks, more questions form. Parker is aching from hunger, acidic from dehydration, and delusional from lack of rim-sleep. The overcast sky swirls ahead, forming question marks through Parker's distorted vision. His head shoots to the ground, afraid of his own mind. He is not sure if his brain is malfunctioning or if it will rain soon.

As the sun sets, Parker walks alone, slowly and with slumped shoulders. He is relieved to have exited the sleeping city before dusk. Ahead of him is a stone bridge that stretches over a wide, winding river. He is relieved to no longer feel like a rat in a maze. He is in a state of exhaustion and defeat from his long walk through the completely empty city, his voice hoarse from calling out.

The bridge is long and stretches a good distance over a river that flows south and cuts the city in two perfectly proportioned halves. On the other side of this bridge, Parker sees only a silhouette of trees with a gaping horizon in center. It is this opposite of the city-scape that sits, unoccupied, behind him. He will take this route tomorrow, inferring that it is a highway. On each side of the river, trees and greenery flourish. Red and yellow flowers are closing as the sun sets on the horizon where the monotone city sleeps. It is a green tree frog adapted into a group of gray and brown toads; appealing to the eye, but disappointing to see.

This world is worse than the last. Now, he will spend days, possibly weeks, in a world with no destination. He sighs loudly as he lays back in the grass, staring into the light pink sky above. All throughout the first day on this empty rock of a city, he has experienced more loneliness by the hour. Parker waits for a moon, hoping that this dimension has one. A small crescent shape develops as the sky gets darker. Not even half-way to full, meaning that Parker will have to wait a while to travel again.

"A damnable crescent moon," Parker grumbles. As he is half way under a bridge next to this winding river, the sounds of flowing water sloshing and crashing under the bridge soothes his loneliness. It is this motion and the energy of the river that gives him the illusion of company, although he knows his position is as an alien in an unfamiliar and empty city. The last thing Parker sees as his eyes flutter closed is a star-filled sky; thousands of twinkling lights falling around him. Even the blasted 'crescent moon' shines more brilliantly than ever before. Its beauty sends him into a deep sleep that brings with it hope of a better tomorrow.