The first things Jenny heard were the sounds of chirping birds and strange animal noises. She could also smell the wet dirt near her nose.
She rose and rubbed her head. "Where..... Am..... I?"
She was on a shore near a rushing river with sharp rocks, making the quick current splash through the stream of blue and white.
"A river?" She got up and brushed the sand off her jeans. There were tall tropical trees, standing around her beneath the sunny blue sky. All the trees seemed prehistoric above large mushrooms and tall spiky bushes.
"Am I in Brazil?" Jenny couldn't recognize the strange jungle, but Brazil was her only conclusion. If the mysterious person destroyed the second Transgate, the first Transgate could have sent her to a random location. Hopefully, there might be a city closeby.
Near her, a bush rattled, alerting her attention.
"Huh?" Jenny slowly approached it. When she looked closer at the bush, a lizard popped its head out. It has a long neck with a beak. Definitely not the type of lizard she had seen before.
Jenny moved her finger toward the creature. It hissed at her like a snake.
She screamed and ran through the jungle. Whatever that thing was, touching it wasn't a good idea. Luckily, she didn't lose her finger.
In the jungle, she tripped over a branch and hit the ground. While on the ground, she rose on all fours and rubbed her head. "Ouch..."
After she got up, she continued to stroll through the jungle. She stopped at the edge of a slope. When she looked forward, her mouth dropped. "Wow..."
Below the edge of the tall slope was a ruined city, but not ruined temples or pyramids built by Aztecs. The buildings looked like modern skyscrapers, coated in moss and giant vines. Some buildings fell, and others barely stood. There were even giant trees standing between the buildings.
"Oh... my.... god..." The words came straight from Jenny's mouth. "Is that..... New York?"
She closed her eyes, shook her head, and opened her eyes.
Nope. Her eyes weren't playing tricks on her.
It was New York City, but how?
Perhaps Jenny should get a closer look.
While watching her foot, Jenny slid down the slope and walked into the city. On the cripple street, where wrecked vehicles laid about, Jenny could see the vehicles covered by tall grass and bushes as if the jungle was trying to swallow up the city. A line of skeletons laid across the sidewalk and a giant tree branch stretched out from a nearby shop.
As she walked over the grass and dirt, covering the ancient concrete ground, she wasn't sure if she was still in the jungle, or in the city.
Soon she reached a wide-open field, covered in tall grass. White flowers bloomed among the grass. The green-gray buildings stood like giant walls with little cracks of alleyways for trespassers to squeeze through.
Jenny could barely recognize the hidden street intersection beneath the vast green field, and the tall building with large broken TV screens. There were also billboards and ads, covered in moss and plants too.
The place must be the Town Square, which meant the ruined city was New York.
Oh, my god.....
Jenny felt her entire insides turned cold while her heart raced.
Something destroyed the city after she went through the portal. But how could it be possible? She was only gone for a second. There has to be more for her understanding.
Jenny walked past a public bus to reach the sidewalk. The bus was full of skeletons with their arms raised as if something had frightened them. They probably didn't die peacefully, which sent shivers down Jenny's back.
When she stepped onto the sidewalk, she heard a crack below her foot and looked down. It was a piece of newspaper, covered in dirt and half ripped. Most of the words had faded into the yellow color, except for the headline above the description.
Jenny picked up the newspaper and stared at it closely.
August 5, 2105, A. D
Daily News Paper
Echo's Comet Approaching Earth
August 5, 2105 A.D? Jenny lowered the newspaper, feeling her throat dropped into her stomach.
She didn't appear in another country. She appeared in a different time period! The future!
It could only make sense because Walter said the Transgate could open up a wormhole through time and space. After the second gate exploded, the wormhole had to find a new destination. It just happened to be in a different era. So how far did it take her? Her location couldn't be in the year 2105. The city looked too ancient after the comet's impact. Probably the structures decayed for years. Maybe longer.
Jenny glanced back at the paper. The date only marked the date by one century from Jenny's present time period. She might be an old lady by then, or maybe she won't be around that time. Maybe not at all since the portal sucked her through.
What am I going to do now?
When Jenny placed the newspaper down, she heard rocks crumbled behind her. She turned around and spotted two pieces of concrete hitting the ground near a building. She looked up but saw nothing. Maybe it was the icy wind that pushed those rocks down. Still, she must stay alert around her surroundings.
After walking three blocks down the cripple street, she approached a grocery store where a sound of metal clashed. Jenny paused and stared at the dark entrance. When she stepped closer toward the entrance, she heard something munching from inside.
"Hello?" Jenny wasn't sure if she should walk in there. It sounded like something or someone was eating something inside the store. Maybe it could be a survivor who might help Jenny.
She walked in as an aromatic scent of rotten vegetables hit her. She covered her nose while looking around. There was mold everywhere, covering the walls and the ceiling where long vines stretched down. Grass and mud were all over the floor, and plants were growing around the raw food alleys. If someone came into the store to find food, the ancient stock would disappoint them.
Jenny paused near the cash register counter, where the munching sound was coming from. "Is... anyone here?"
She approached the counter and peeked over it. On the floor was a big shadow, and it was eating something. She could get a better look if there was more light. "Hello?"
The shadow figure paused and rose. After it turned around to face Jenny, her body shook.
In the glimmering light, the thing was an eight-foot-tall black bear, standing on two bare feet. He has the head of a bear, but his muscular body seemed human in form. Around his thick neck was a necklace with bones on it, and he has a short loincloth around his waist. Blood dripped from his muzzle as he slowly smiled at her.
Based on the looks in his eyes, he was still hungry, and it seemed like Jenny would be his next meal.
When the bear man roared, Jenny screamed.