City on the Edge of Tomorrow

By Derek Elkins

An autistic boy is taken in the middle of the night by something made from blackness that drags him into the attic and through a portal to a different world. His father is not two steps behind, struggling through an alien landscape where every thought, every whim can be turned into reality. As he searches desperately for his son, he faces an enemy intent on stopping him no matter the cost: an enemy capable of changing his appearance, an enemy who is always one step ahead, an enemy who can turn the very light into darkness.

How far would you go to save your son?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bard and Book
• Release date: Aug 4, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301312788

Derek Elkins

Award winning author Derek Elkins is also a member of the Bard and Book author community at www.bardandbook.com.

Book preview

City on the Edge of Tomorrow

by Derek Elkins

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Copyright © Derek Elkins 2013.

All Rights Reserved

Published by Bard and Book Publishing

Website: www.bardandbook.com

Cover by Julius Broqueza.

Contents

Chapter One: Taken

Chapter Two: Rat

Chapter Three: Sand King

Chapter Four: Scrimshaw’s Meadow

Chapter Five: Harpies

Chapter Six: Cloud Castle

Chapter Seven: Trina

Chapter Eight: The Torq

Chapter Nine: The Plains of Chaos

Chapter Ten: Forest of Illusion

Chapter Eleven: City

Chapter Twelve: Chase

Chapter Thirteen: Christian

Chapter One

Taken

The scream split the night, forcing Nick to sit upright in bed. His first thought, of course, was that the sound had been part of a dream. But he didn’t remember a dream like that. He couldn’t particularly remember what sort of dream he had been having but it didn’t…

Christian!

It was Robbie’s voice from the next room.

Nick glanced over at the clock and noted the time at 3:05, which he promptly forgot.

He looked intently through the darkness at the bedroom across the hall and could see a couple of shadows, but nothing else.

Marie sat up in bed next to him, her eyes more asleep than awake. Nick, honey, what’s going on?

But, before he could respond, he was interrupted again by his oldest son. Let him go! Dad!

And, with that, it seemed the bonds of sleep finally let go of Nick and he surged from his resting place and headed toward the boys’ room. As he flicked on the light, and while his eyes sought to adjust, he noticed motion by the closet door. It seemed almost like a child’s leg was being drawn into the closet.

Finally focusing, his eyes found Robbie, clutching onto his blankets in the middle of his bed and pointing at the closet.

It took him in there, the boy choked out.

What took him in there? Nick asked.

I don’t know, Robbie said.

Their short conversation was interrupted by the sound of struggling and of heavy objects being moved aside. Nick hurried over to the closet, looked up and immediately noticed the absence of the wooden slab that served as a trap door to the attic. And crossing the space where the slab had been was one of Christian’s slippered feet. The slipper caught the edge of the attic entrance and fell through the air in front of Nick’s eyes.

As the slipper tumbled, Nick thought of the many times he had told that boy not to wear those slippers to bed, but Christian held firm and wore them like a security blanket each night. He caught the slipper in his hand.

Christian! Nick yelled to silence.

Nick lifted his hands up to the upper shelf and immediately realized that it wouldn’t hold his weight. One look around the room and the dresser became the only item tall enough and strong enough to support his weight. As he maneuvered the dresser into the closet, Marie burst into the room and heaved her bulk down next to Robbie, attempting to calm her shaking boy.

Nick, where is Christian?

Robbie couldn’t control himself. It got him!

It? What is it? What has my boy?

Nick could hear the exchange behind him, but didn’t leave any effort to understanding it. He concentrated totally on moving the dresser into the crevice so he could get to his boy, so he could rescue his boy. Marie was talking to him, but he gave her only a fraction of his attention.

Nick, what has my boy?

He let the question lie, unattended. He couldn’t expand the energy it would take to respond. Finally, the dresser in place, Nick lunged up to the top of it and scrambled toward the opening.

He stuck his head in cautiously, like a mole testing the open air. After a moment and no attack, he poked his head fully into the attic and looked around. The darkness stopped him at every turn.

Christian! He yelled again. And then, could that have been the sound of struggling in the corner or simply a mouse? He couldn’t tell and his eyes weren’t adapting at all to this blackness. Nick knew he’d have to find a way in.

Quickly, he dropped back down into the boys’ room to find Marie clutching at Robbie like he was a life vest. Well, did you see him? What was he doing up there?

Nick didn’t have time to explain. Where’s the flashlight?

Marie gave him the look that always got on his nerves: the watching television look. I don’t…

Flashlight. I need…Oh, never mind.

He knew where the flashlight was. It must have been the adrenaline or the interruption of sleep. He wasn’t thinking clearly. But the flashlight was where it always was: plugged into the wall near his side of the bed. He set off quickly to his own bedroom.

Mom, Robbie squeaked from the protection of Marie’s arm. Where’s Christian? I saw something drag him toward the closet, but I didn’t know what it was.

Marie latched onto this new bit of information as if it could save her from drowning. What did you see, Robbie? Did you see what has your brother?

I don’t know. It was pretty dark. I think I saw Christian and something black was dragging him.

Black? You could see Christian. Why couldn’t you see what was dragging him?

I don’t know, mom. I just couldn’t.

And Nick threw himself into the room, brandishing the flashlight in front of him like a light saber. He thrust it on top of the dresser and scrambled upward.

Reaching the top, Nick let the flashlight’s beam lead his head up into the attic. He moved the light around quickly off of various boxes and old toys that had been hastily stowed and discarded. There was the Christmas ornaments and tree resting close to the opening. And farther back was Christian and Robbie’s old toys, several tubs full of old clothes, and some busted board games. Almost everything Nick could want for a garage sale was sitting up here, practically undisturbed, but there was no sign of his son.

Nick lowered his head just enough to spout out, I’m going up for a better look, before he gave a monstrous leap upwards, attempting to pull himself up by his forearms. It was tougher than he thought, but the adrenaline must have been helping. The thought, I’m gonna feel this in the morning crossed his mind and left just as quickly.

Once he was fully in the attic, Nick had to move slightly slumped over due to the height of the ceiling. But he was able to shine his light in a greater arc, chasing shadows from one side of the attic to the other. As the beam made its rounds, Nick thought he glimpsed movement just outside of the light somewhere far to the end of the attic, which must have been right above the kitchen.

Christian? He called out, much more cautiously.

But his son didn’t answer him. Instead, Marie’s voice came from down in the boys’ room.

Nick?

What?

Nick, I’m gonna call the police, okay?

Yeah. You do that.

Nick, do you see anything up there?

Yeah, a bunch of junk. He stopped and turned fully toward the opening. Look, go call the police. Go be useful. Just let me find my boy.

Nick turned back to the area above the kitchen and missed Marie’s furtive comment: He’s my son too.

But it wouldn’t have mattered what she said. All that mattered was finding his son.

As he moved cautiously down the attic, he stepped between two studs and onto the dry wall ceiling, feeling rather than hearing it groan under his weight. He brought his leg back up quickly and placed it onto the reassuring firmness of the wood. And as he brought his beam of light back up, he stopped.

The light had revealed an area of the ceiling that must have been painted black. Everywhere his flashlight beam traveled, it revealed the wood paneling of the roof, but there, above what was the bathroom was an area of pure blackness that the light couldn’t pierce.

Nick narrowed his eyes and moved forward. As he neared the blackness, the light from his flashlight seemed to enter and then dissipate as if it was being sucked into the dark spot. He moved his light in a circle and saw wood, wood, blackness, then wood again. For whatever reason, he couldn’t see into this darkness at all.

Nick turned and threw the light out, looking for a pole or something he could use to invade the spot. The light revealed a baseball bat and gloves lying innocently near a tub that must have been full of old clothes. Marie never threw anything out.

He moved slowly over the studs and reached down, grasping the firmness of the bat into his right hand. He hefted its weight and felt secure with a weapon, any weapon.

In moments, Nick was back in front of the darkness, bat now in hand. He held it out in front of him like a spear and thrust it into the darkness. And, just as he had suspected, the tip of the bat entered the darkness and disappeared.

Empowered by his success, Nick thrust the bat further into the darkness. But suddenly, he could feel someone or something grab the bat from the other side and yank on it. Nick was not about to release his only weapon, and he pulled hard. As he pulled, the other must have released their end, sending Nick flying backward, his bottom slapping hard between two studs.

He sat in amazement for just a moment, then rose unsteadily to his feet. He looked at the bat, wondering what had been on the other side of the darkness. Finally, Nick made a decision.

When he poked his head out of the attic opening, Nick noticed his son, alone and still on the bed.

Robbie.

The boy looked up expectantly. Did you find him, dad?

No son, I didn’t. But I’m going to. I think I know where to find him. I just wanted to let you know that it might be a little bit before I come back down.

Robbie’s lip trembled just a bit. Where are you going?

Nick smiled reassuringly to his son before continuing. I’m going to get your brother back. You be brave now, okay?

Robbie smiled back. Okay, dad.

Nick lifted himself up into the attic once more and glanced down at where he knew the blackness lay waiting. Okay, he thought, let’s do this.

And he was back in front of the darkness and, like the time he was on the high dive, Nick was weighing his options. I could go back down and wait for the police to get here, he thought. But if I do that, Christian may be lost forever. Or I could jump into God knows where and take my chances.

There really never was a choice.

* * * * * *

A few moments later, Marie wandered back into the boys’ room. She walked over to Robbie, who was still in the center of his bed, using his blankets as a shield.

Where’s your father, she asked, her voice containing a slight edge.

He’s going to get Christian. Robbie said.

* * * * * *

As Nick fell, he traveled through darkness for what seemed like an entire age. Then the darkness opened up and he fell through stars.