Time Loop

Ch. 1 A Cold Awakening

     "Would you please for the LOVE of God let me sleep brain" I say to myself, approximately 3:20 A.M. My brain is on a continuous loop of everything going wrong in my life, making me even more anxious than I could ever be. As my eyes start to flutter shut, my heartbeat slowing, I cascade into a blissful sleep and allow my worrisome brain to shut down.
                                            • • •
     I wake up, my eyes practically glued shut and groggy as hell. I must have slept, what? 3 hours? Then I hear a gigantic boom. Louder than anything I'd ever experienced before. I bolt up, unaware of my surroundings and panic for a split second. "Where the hell am I?" I jump up from the damp soil I'd been laying on. This is some...crazy dream. It has to be, there is no other way I could be under an L train? I look up at what seems to be some sort of train station, and then over the vast horizon. It seems like I'm in the middle of nowhere. There's no big buildings..and I'm on the top of a mountain. I take a few steps forward, realizing I'm in all regular day clothes, not pajamas. "What even is this place? It all feels so real." I hear a soft crunch of the dirt and jump forward, scared for what's behind me. Slowly, I turn and there she is. The first thing I notice is the hair, Jesus Christ, it's like she has a lions mane on her head. She blushes and tries to fix her mange but to no avail.
"Hi! I'm Calliope..Nice to meet you!" She sticks out her hand and I grasp it.
"Hi I'm Abner...do you have any idea what this place is?"
"I like to say I'm in Aruba! But nope! No idea."
She smiles a toothy smile at me, cocking her head to the right.
"Well maybe we should try and figure it out." I take a step forward and she follows. Not even 20 seconds pass and I hear a loud high pitched noise from overhead. "Watch out!" Calliope hollers, "those are bombs!" In a frenzy, I do my best to take cover and hear that loud boom again. I cover my head, but it seems like we're nowhere near the bombing. I get up, dusting the dirt off of my knees and sighing. "Man..we better figure this out soon. I really don't like this..." I start to walk faster, Calliope jogging after to catch up.
"Hey wait! I know..somewhat of what's around here! I can help!" Calliope elbows me and grins. "Wanna get some food? I'm starving, I feel like I haven't eaten in months!"
"Uh, sure? I dont...have any money though.." I pat my pockets, realizing I don't have my wallet on me.
"No it's okay! Don't worry about it."
As Calliope and I start to walk to wherever the hell she wants to go, I take in the scenery a little trying to make sense of where I'm at. We climb over mounds of dirt, infested with little black bugs and worms. I walk towards a weeping cherry tree, amazed that it is here in such wild circumstances.
"Calliope have you...seen this?" I touch the bark, amazed by its texture and placement.
"Oh, yeah. Been here ever since I got here about 2 weeks ago."
"Wait what do you mean? Are you telling me you just appeared the way I did."
"I mean...I guess you could say that! It happens all the time though!" She prances up to me looping her arm around mine.
"Cmon man, we don't have all day! I'm a hungry, hungry beast!"
In a haze, I follow her, not knowing what else I could possibly do.