Exodus to a Brave New World

By Davin Owen

Mother Earth is destroyed when the sun mysteriously goes supernova and obliterates the solar system. Fortunately, the seeds of Old Earth when the animals and specially chosen groups of humans flee through unexplained portals that open all across the globe.

These few lucky people emerge on a new world that is remarkably similar to their old home, but with some startling differences. The remnants of humanity quickly set about rebuilding their destroyed society. Their efforts bear fruit all across this new world, until the evils of Old Earth unexpectedly rears its ugly head and threatens to destroy humanitys new home world.

Gavin Tolen, his boyfriend, Topher, along with their family and friends band together to fight the evil humans that snuck through the portals alongside the chosen people. They use their special powers to combat the fiends that would bath humanitys new home in blood and fire. The desperate fight for survival is on, and the stakes couldnt be any higher.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514485484

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by Davin Owen.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016906311

   ISBN:   Hardcover   978-1-5144-8550-7

      Softcover   978-1-5144-8549-1

      eBook   978-1-5144-8548-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 05/05/2016

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Contents

Brave New World

Trouble On The Horizon

End Game

It was a

sunny, warm July day in what had been an atypical month. Julys in Missouri were usually warm and sunny, interspersed with thunderstorms that were loud and sometimes incredibly dangerous. But this year it had been cool and damp with excessive amounts of rain, numerous cloudy days but relatively few thunderstorms. Fortunately the strong steady wind that they had had for a few days now had dried out the ground from the last heavy rains a week ago. So when this day dawned warm and sunny everyone was pleased and tried to take advantage of the pleasant weather.

The tall, bald, tanned green eyed Gavin Tolen was enjoying the break in the weather, he along with his brother Dax were going to work in the garden today to try to catch up on the various chores that the crappy weather conditions had interrupted. He had taken the day off from the antique and collectible store he owned and operated with his parents. So he was at home on the family farm working with his brother who also had a day off from his factory job. But before he could get started with the garden chores, he needed to tend to the animals.

He was on his way to the barn when something strange caught his attention. The air around him was full of swarming insects. Wasps, dragonflies, bees, flies, butterflies, moths (including the giant Luna and polyphemus moths), damselflies, beetles and other flying insects were buzzing around by the millions or possibly even the billions. They were swooping, floating and fluttering around. Sometimes they were in different sized swarms made up of a single species, but more often it was just individuals of different species all intermingled in a multicolored cloud.

It was actually pretty sight with all of the different brightly colored species, especially the moths and butterflies flying around. Of course, flying insects at this time of year were hardly unusual, but this many in one place forming a massive mixed species swarm was noteworthy and unheard of as far as Gavin knew. This bizarre sight stopped Gavin in his tracks. While he looked around his mind was cataloging all the different species that he saw. He was fascinated by the unprecedented spectacle.

Gavin had always had an interest in the natural world which was why he had studied biology and ecology in college. For all his experience and education he had never heard of anything like this before though and he was perplexed by this mysterious occurrence.

He stood there in the barnyard gate closest to the house and looked around. As he did this he started to notice other things as well.

On top of the barn was the resident multicolored pigeon flock, that numbered between 60 or 70, birds and the usual compliment of house sparrows and starlings. Among the common barn birds there were some unusual species not normally seen around the farm. There were tanagers, grosbeaks, warblers and woodcocks, all of whom were normally woodland dwellers. There were also nocturnal nighthawks, whip-poor-wills and several barn, screech, barred and great horned owls. Scattered amongst these birds were hundreds of cardinals, finches, chickadees, titmice, buntings, bluebirds, native sparrows, crows, blue jays, orioles, blackbirds, mourning doves, wrens, robins, mockingbirds, catbirds, brown thrashers, grackles, meadowlarks, Eastern kingbirds, shrikes and woodpeckers, all perched on any available tall object.

Just like the huge insect swarms, the huge mixed species flock all congregating in this one small location was a new and unexplained mystery. Just like with the insects Gavin's mind was busy taking inventory of all the bird species all around him, as he pondered the implications of the occurrence.

The roof of the barn wasn't the only place covered by birds. Every tall object that Gavin could see was host to massive flocks of birds; including his parent's house, his and Dax's guest house, the trees, every farm building and the power lines were all covered in birds.

The air above the farm was also filled with wheeling flocks flying in continuous circles. Many of them were the same species that were perched. They were flying because there obviously weren't enough perches for all of them. But there were other species here as well; purple martins, three different kinds of swallows, peregrine falcons, chimney swifts, vultures, hawks, bald eagles and American kestrels. Most of these species weren't perched anywhere instead they were just flying around in continuous circles.

Zipping in and out of the insect swarms closer to the ground were a few hundred ruby throated hummingbirds.

As he gazed in wonder at the spectacle before him the swarms and flocks continued to increase in size as more insects and birds joined the throngs already flying or perched around the farm. It was an incredible and magnificent sight to see but its cause was a complete and baffling mystery.

A low growl drew his attention back to ground level. As usual he was followed closely by his four shelties, his old sable and white male Zandy, Zandy's dark, curly haired daughter Zabba, black and white female Temptation (Tempe for short) and his blue merle female Lazuli. He also had two of his brother's shelties with him, Patches, a white female with brown and black spots and Bacca, a sable and white teddy bear-like female. It was the over protective Zabba who had growled.

An armadillo had gotten too close to them, so Zabba had to chase it off by growling at it. Gavin had been so transfixed by all the birds and insects that he hadn't noticed what was going on at ground level.

He was surprised to see an armadillo, because he hadn't seen a live one in this part of the country, only dead ones at the side of roads. This wasn't the only armadillo either, there were nearly a hundred of them in front of the barn. The armadillos weren't alone; there were several other species present as well.

The ground in front of the barn was a mass of seething movement, of millions of small animals all heading in the same direction. The focal point of all this movement was the small gate and fence that separated the barnyard from the south pasture. The highest concentration of animals was right around the gate on both sides of the fence.

Normally the dogs would have chased some of the small creatures, but today they just stood beside Gavin and watched, or occasionally growled at anything that got too close. The strangeness of it all probably made them uneasy and protective, so they didn't behave normally.

Gavin decided to investigate, so he and the dogs started to move towards the gate. They had to go slowly to avoid stepping on any of the small creatures that were moving all around them. Gavin had never been the type of person to stomp on innocent animals; he considered it cruel and inhumane.

The animals furthest from the fence were mainly larger ones like raccoons, skunks, opossums, hispid cotton rats and groundhogs. There were also several foxes and a couple of badgers. But by far the most numerous were cottontail rabbits and squirrels that were darting about in their usual frantic way. Quite a few of the females had babies in tow.

As well as the mammals there were also a few crows, meadowlarks, vultures and bobwhite quail on the ground, dispersed amongst the mammals in front of the barn and in the south pasture.

Everywhere Gavin looked there was a different species of animal. It was pretty obvious that they were waiting for something to happen. Because none of the animals were completely at ease; all of them were shifting around, watching and/or sniffing, this was behavior that clearly indicated that they were all waiting. As more wildlife arrived the ones who were already there moved over to make room for the newcomers, occasionally growling or snarling when an individual of a different species got too close.

On the other side of the fence mixed amongst the previously mentioned animals were large flocks of bobwhite quail, about five hundred wild turkeys and several killdeer with chicks. The two resident pairs of Canada geese and their combined brood of fifteen goslings, a large flock of cattle egrets, three dozen great blue herons and several flocks of wild ducks including; mallards, green-winged and blue-winged teal moved around impatiently. A few of the wild ducks, quail and turkey hens had youngsters in tow and were a little nervous out in the open.

In front of the barn the Tolen's flock of 35 adult geese shuffled around uneasily, as they crowded closely together, hissing at anything that got too close to their 27 goslings. Also in the barnyard were most of the other free range domestic birds that lived on the farm. There were Dax's ducks; his 33 mallard call ducks, 15 ducks of assorted colors and the hundred or so Muscovy ducks. Seventeen of the call and colored ducks and 25 of the Muscovy duck hens had clutches of ducklings of various ages clustered around them. Most of the farm's large mixed chicken flock were present as well, including all twelve of the hens that had chicks. None of their 75 guineas were visible, but Gavin could hear their loud piercing calls from other areas that were out of his line of sight.

Gavin was completely mystified. Normally he would have grabbed a gun to shoot the foxes, skunks and raccoons that often preyed on their birds, especially the females with young. But none of the predators were paying any attention to what would normally be prey, instead they just sat there waiting for something. None of these wild animals were behaving normally. They weren't even paying much attention to Gavin as he approached, just moving slightly out of his way when he reached them.

When Gavin was about six feet away from the gate he had to stop, because of the sheer number of animals, he couldn't get any closer. In the area around the gate was a host of smaller crawling creatures; there were deer and house mice, wheel bugs, voles, shrews, chipmunks, blue-tailed skinks, toads, box turtles, flying squirrels, fence lizards, wolf and garden spiders, tree frogs, tarantulas, ground squirrels, millipedes and centipedes. There were even mole tunnels that were laced with earthworms and other burrowing invertebrates in the resulting loose soil. These tunnels aimed straight at the gate and radiated out from there like the spokes of a wheel.

The vast majority of the animals closest to the gate were crawling insects and other invertebrates. Under the edges of the rocks, plants and feed troughs lining the fence were slugs, several different kinds of snails, pill bugs, a dozen spider species, sow bugs, five species of crickets, cockroaches, hundreds of beetles from several different species, and a bunch of grassland crayfish that usually didn't travel far from their burrows in the pastures. There were even a few salamanders crawling amongst the assorted bugs. In the more exposed locations there were thousands of grasshoppers and katydids of different species, larger beetle species, the red and black velvet ants, praying mantis, stink bugs, caterpillars, daddy-long-legs and walking sticks.

All of these creatures jostled and scurried about trying to keep out of each others' way as even more animals arrived. Some of the box turtles that were ambling around in front of the gate had invertebrates perched on top of their domed shells which made them look like a small comical reptilian bus.

On the fence posts and top wires of the fence were cicadas, leaf hoppers, plant bugs, planthoppers and thousands of smaller climbing spiders; such as crab, jumping spiders and the various web weaving species that were common around the farm. There were also winged termites, which were an uncommon sight, perched or fluttering around the fence. Every species of crawling insect or invertebrate that Gavin had seen in the area was represented, either on the ground or on the fence.

On the horizontal sections of the fence wire were numerous lines of ants of several different species each of them were carrying their larva and pupae. But the lines weren't moving. Like many of the other animals they appeared to be waiting for something to happen. At the time Gavin couldn't figure out what they were waiting for, but he was about to find out.

Gavin was about to call for his mother, who was out in front of the house, when all of the animals started to become agitated. There was an increase in movement as the gathered animals started to jostle each other even more. To Gavin it looked like they were fighting for position at the starting line of a race.

The sound level increased by several decibels as well. Every animal that could make any kind of sound were sounding distressed. There were grunts, hisses, squeals, honks, chirps, screeches and barks. Even the animals in the pens were having a fit. The pot-bellied pigs were squealing and banging on the sides of their pens. The rabbits were thumping and running around in their hutches. The chickens were squawking, the ducks were quacking and the pheasants and swans were flapping and running around their pens and the guinea's and peafowl's loud and distinctive distress calls were loudest of all of them and echoed for miles. Gavin's herd of pet zebras and the white-spotted miniature stallion Cappuccino were running around their enclosures and kicking the fences and in the zebra's case braying very loudly. The cacophony of distressed animal sounds were unbelievable and threatened to overwhelm Gavin's hearing.

Gavin, what is going on? his red-headed mother Ruth asked in a near scream.

She was standing in the gate of the barnyard looking perplexed. As usual she was surrounded by shelties; the three-legged female Fifty-seven, the blue merle males Sailor and Sinbad, the plump and fluffy female Whisper, the dark female Natasha, her tiny sister Aurora and the equally small male Wiley. Wiley and Aurora actually belonged to Gavin's father Rory who was working at the family's antique store.

They were also accompanied by the white, fluffy, deaf tomcat Puff and the two tiny, yellow male kittens DD and Whitefoot.

I'm not sure? he answered, It was like this when I came down. Every time I turn around more animals arrive.

"Gavin, look!' his mother exclaimed, pointing at the gate.

He spun around and gaped in astonishment. Between the tall gateposts the gate had vanished to be replaced by a blue-green and silvery apparition that looked like an upright pool. At first it was indistinct and somewhat transparent, but it was quickly becoming more distinct and opaque. Right before the apparition fully coalesced the racket caused by the animals abruptly ceased. The unnatural silence was deafening and unnerving. Gavin and his mother exchanged glances unsure of what was happening around them.

An unexpected and strange bell-like sound drew their attention back to the gate, it was loud and its echo reverberated for miles. The sound seemed to be the signal that the apparition was completely formed and was also the sign that the congregated animals had been waiting for. In a rush they began to hurry through what was obviously some kind of portal from both sides of the fence. In spite of their desperate need to get through the portal, the animals were surprisingly orderly about it. The smaller slower species moved through the portal at the edges, while the larger faster ones went right down the middle. All of them did their own species' version of running. Gavin watched in awe as countless animals ambled, scuttled, slithered or ran through as fast as they were able.

It wasn't just the animals he had noticed previously, other unnoticed species began to appear as well; including rats and snakes. All the common and a few uncommon snakes emerged from holes and from underneath various objects to slither through as fast as they could. There were large black snakes, tiny ring-necks, worm, earth and smooth green snakes accompanied by prairie and speckled king snakes, hog nose and garter snakes. There were a few copperhead and rattlesnakes as well, which Gavin had never seen in their area.

It was fortunate for Gavin that he was standing off to the side instead of directly in front of the gate; otherwise he would have been covered in bugs just like the grill of a car. Like on the ground, as soon as the portal fully opened, the roiling, monstrous swarms of insects tumbled and zipped through along with the hummingbirds. It actually looked like they were being sucked in, almost like a giant vacuum. Even more insects took to the air from concealed perches surrounding the farm and tripled the size of the monstrous swarms.

Gavin and Ruth were standing there frozen as if hypnotized, watching the assembled smaller creatures hurry through the portal as quickly as they could. They were totally absorbed by the spectacle and unaware of passing time. It wasn't until the last of the slower animals had departed did they realize that the any time had passed.

As the hordes of smaller creatures began to clear out the medium sized species began to push forward towards the portal. The first of the mob were the female mammals and birds with young, including some of the domestic species. They herded their youngsters through as quick as they could; often stepping over or around some slow moving species in the process.

After about forty minutes the last of the large insect swarms and vast majority of the slower terrestrial animals had gone through, when strange and eerie multi-colored aurora borealis-like lights began to appear in the sky, followed closely by unholy and bizarre sounds. From horizon to horizon the strangeness filled the sky. When the apparitions started the animals got even louder than before and their antics became even more frantic.

Apparently this was the cue the birds and larger animals had been waiting for. Although a few of the birds had flown through, most were still perched or flying around. All at once the remaining perched ones all took to wing and began spiraling through the portal. They weren't alone either, they were immediately joined by bats that been hiding in most of the buildings.

The crows, vultures, owls and other large birds of prey were an impressive sight as they folded their wings and dove through the shimmering gateway. The domestic ducks, geese and chickens began running through the portal along with the wild quail, turkey, geese, ducks, herons and the killdeer and their chicks.

The large flock of cattle egrets took a few minutes to pass through because there were quite a few of them and they didn't run as well as the turkeys. The guineas, including three hens with chicks and the rest of the loose chickens came rushing out of the pasture with foxes, coyotes, bobcats, a hundred or so deer and a female cougar with her three cubs all running towards the shimmering portal.

The assorted wildlife came darting in from every direction, some even ran through the front yard. Gavin heard his mother exclaim loudly when a bobcat ran in front of her and vaulted over the yard fence. The massive throng of mammals were an impressive and unprecedented spectacle as they jostled each other as they ran through the portal.

Their pigeon flock was very conspicuous among the other birds by forming a very tight group as they took to the wing and wheeled in concert over the south pasture, so they could get lined up to the portal. They were a magnificent sight as they soared through to safety.

About fifteen minutes later their big horses made their presence known. They came charging up from the south pasture on the far side of the pond running full tilt, neighing and whinnying loudly. Leading the herd was Gavin's palomino mare Easter followed by the paint stallion Paiute, the palomino gelding Leopard, sorrel gelding Roosevelt, the gray mare Cloud, the sorrel mare Lalia and the paint mares Precocious, Tequila and Ce'Nedra.

They weren't alone either; they were accompanied by more coyotes, foxes, deer, bobcats and a few more turkey.

They barely slowed down when they reached the portal, instead they cantered through one or two at a time without pause. Fortunately most of the birds and other small animals had already gone through the portal and were safely out of the way or they would have been trampled by the horses' thundering hooves. The wildlife that were accompanying the horses were hot on their heels making a mad dash through the portal.

Their herd of miniature horses were already crowding against the north gate leading into the barnyard frantic to get through. The five ponies that their mother had put on chains along the road to graze, pulled frantically against them trying to escape, as they neighed in fear.

The sunroom door swung open and Dax, Gavin's shorter, dark-skinned brother came rushing out followed by the rest of his dogs; the baby-faced male Orion, the taller, blue merle female Hallie and the dark, clumsy female Gutsy. Lavender, their gray tabby house cat came out with him, too.

What the hell is happening out here? he yelled over the din. Everything in the house just disappeared.

What? their mother said.

The furniture, T.V., aquariums, books, even the plants in the sunroom and greenhouse, they aren't there anymore. Dax answered.

With this announcement Gavin and Ruth began looking around. It wasn't just happening inside either. Everywhere they looked outside; objects were vanishing, or had already vanished in auras of shimmering lights; tools, equipment, animal pens, the giant white oak tree out back as well as most of the other trees around the property, supplies, garden plants and yard ornaments. Anything they might need or want disappeared before their eyes.

The three of them came to the same conclusion simultaneously and they sprang into action.

We have to go through the portal. Ruth said.

Agreed Gavin said. Mom, grab the sport track and load up the cockatiels and guinea pigs. Dax, get the terrariums and the animals in the sunroom. I'll turn loose the animals down here.

What about the rabbits and the baby birds in the brooders? Ruth asked.

Just turn them loose. They should go through on their own. he answered.

His mother ran to the rabbit pens and began setting all of the rabbits on the ground, while Gavin was opening the five bird pens along the yard fence. He glanced at the twelve bunnies as they hopped towards the portal. They were joined by the Lady Amherst, golden and ring-necked pheasants and the Japanese and polish chickens, Gavin's five fancy pigeon varieties and Dax's Mandarin and wood ducks. All of the animals frantically ran, hopped or flew through the portal as fast as they could.

Whoa! Ruth exclaimed.

What? Gavin asked.

Right after I tipped over the two brooders and the babies ran out, both of them disappeared. she said shaking her head. I better get the Sport Trac, because I don't think we have much time.

The same thing happened to the pens that Gavin had just opened and the rabbit pens as well. But they couldn't really stop and ponder these mysteries, because none of them really knew how much time they had left. The only thing that they knew for sure was that they were in mortal peril and they had to escape just like the animals. Gavin's anxiety had started growing as soon as the strange lights and creepy sounds began. He had the strong impression that the lights and sounds might herald the end of the world and he didn't want to be here if that happened. These thoughts were going through his head as he hurried to the two swan pens attached to the front of the barn.

His four dogs refused to leave his side, but Patches and Bacca had joined his mother. While DD, Whitefoot and Puff had joined him along with two female cats, the black and white Gem and the fluffy brown calico Snuffy. All of the other farm cats; Tudie, Rattler, Jellybean, Dot, Zipper, Kramer, L.G. and Momma Kitty came running from different areas around the house towards the portal followed closely by their pet chickens Mary Bell, Maggie, Mague, Stumpy, Crip and Rilla who came darting out of the yard. The mixed flock of 78 baby birds consisting of ducks, chickens, swans, quail, pheasants, peacocks and guineas that Ruth had released were all starting to go through the portal as fast as their tiny little legs could go.

Gavin had reached the two swan pens and flung open the gates allowing the twenty mute and black swans, that belonged to their father, to make a mad dash to the portal. After he released the swans he waited while the swans and the rest of the young birds and rabbits passed through before going to the barnyard gate where the miniature horses were impatiently waiting.

He could hardly open it before the colorful little horses started pushing through; he had to step back for a couple minutes while all 23 of them ran by. The two kittens were almost trampled and were forced to run behind Gavin for protection. As the last of the miniatures ran past, Gavin with his dog and cat escort slipped in behind them so they could get to Cappuccino, the miniature stallion and the zebra's pen. By this time all of the wild animals seemed to have gone through with only the occasional straggler showing up.

Even though most of the terrestrial animals had gone through there were still quite a few birds and flying insects that were arriving from every direction. Gavin kept ducking to avoid getting hit by an incoming flying animal, including a large flock of bats numbering several thousand strong that flew in from the northeast.

Cappuccino was fairly calm as Gavin approached. He was just pacing back and forth in front of the gate neighing softly like he usually did when he wanted something. It wasn't too surprising to Gavin because the little stallion was pretty mellow and easy to deal with. As soon as the gate swung open he trotted sedately to the portal and passed through.

The zebras on the other hand were a little wilder. Masai, the stallion was rearing and braying loudly. Gavin rarely had any problem with them because they were pretty gentle, tame and adored him, but they were panicking and he was worried that they might trample him. Fortunately, that didn't happen when he opened the gate. Instead all thirteen of them including the four colts trotted by quickly and not one of them came close to stepping on Gavin, the dogs or the cats. He turned and watched as each of the zebras disappeared through the portal in pairs followed closely by three or four hundred more whitetail deer approaching from both sides of the portal.

He was walking towards the pig pens, when an explosion of green, pink and orange lights ripped across the sky. This was followed by a deafening boom that made all of them jump. Gavin knew that the dogs were barking and howling and that the cats were hissing and yowling, but the intense screeching that followed the boom was nearly as loud and he could barely hear. It was at this point that Puff, Gem and Snuffy had had enough and ran off so fast that they appeared to have teleported. The sound gradually tapered off and became a persistent rumble in the background, almost like the sound of a busy highway. But the explosions of lights in the sky kept on going, it was like a freakish Fourth of July. Fortunately his hearing returned quickly because the animals in the pens inside the barn were desperate to get free. The extremely bright freaky light show had caused spots in his vision but at least he could see. Fortunately he only had two more pens left to open.

He opened the outside door of the smaller of the two pens. This was the pot-bellied boar Cookie Monster's pen, he, his four sows and their seven piglets came darting out and made a mad dash for the portal squealing in fright. The twenty frizzle chickens that shared their pen were hot on the pig's heels and followed them through. Gavin's frillback pigeons that lived in this pen flew frantically out of the open door and soared in a graceful arch over the south pasture and into the southern aperture of the portal.

Gavin was heading for the other pen when a car honked. It was his mother in the green Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The bed of the little truck was full of bird cages with finches, parakeets, cockatiels, lovebirds, doves and button quail with Dax's turtles and tortoises tucked in between the cages. In the back seat were five terrariums, a pen with nineteen guinea pigs, four pet taxis with Gavin's Chinchillas, spiny mice, sugar gliders and hedgehogs and about a hundred smaller plastic animal carriers with invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians from the sunroom.

The front passenger seat and floorboard was full of dogs. Sinbad, Whisper, Sailor, Wiley, Natasha and Aurora were jostling for position. Fifty-seven was perched in her lap and Lavender their house cat was perched on top of one of the pet taxis in the back. She also had her white pony mare Sky tied on the back corner of the truck. Sky's filly colt Moth was right behind her along with their big black and white female farm dog Menolly and the three ten month old Great Pyrenees pups, the male Toth and the two females Belle and Poreen.

Is that all of them? he asked. Did you get everything else?

No! Dax has the rest of animals in the trailer behind the riding lawnmower. she said. And everything else is already gone including all the food and clothes, the other vehicles, the fruit trees in the orchard and even Dax's water gardens.

That's good, several less things we have to worry about. Where is Dax?

He's turning the ponies loose. she said.

She was pointing to the road. Dax was driving down the road in front of their property on the lawnmower escorted by Orion, Hallie, Patches, Bacca and Gutsy.

Your father called a few minutes ago. she continued. He said everything in the store had just disappeared. He needed to call and check on us before he went through the portal that appeared at the front of the store. she paused and sighed deeply. I just hope we end up in the same place on the other side.

Meanwhile Dax had stopped the riding lawnmower by the gate that opened onto the road which he opened so the ponies could escape.

Gavin look. she said pointing again, but this time directly south instead of towards the road.

Coming straight towards them were twelve large swarms of honey bees. The bees obviously belonged to their neighbor Marie North, who was an avid beekeeper.

Damn! That means John and Marie don't have a portal at their place. Gavin said. Go on through Mom while Dax and I go get them.

Alright. she said. But please hurry. Who knows how long we have before everything goes to hell.

Oh, Here! Gavin said reaching down and grabbing the two little yellow kittens. Take the boys. I don't want to leave them behind.

Come on, babies. she said as she took them from Gavin. I'll see you guys on the other side. I hope.

With that she drove on through the portal followed by the two ponies and the four dogs. At the same time the bee swarms started flying into the portal on the opposite side from Ruth.

Gavin turned around and went to open the last pen. This pen contained the rest of the pot-bellied pigs which rushed out as soon as he opened the gate. The older black sow Puppy Cat and the white boar Mister Rogers led the pack followed by six other sows and 20 piglets. The nearly two hundred silkie chickens, 15 silver pheasants and forty peacocks, that also shared the pen came pouring out as well. In their haste they were stumbling over each other and occasionally falling down.

One of the mature male peacocks, Zeus, flew off his perch directly into Gavin's arms nearly knocking him over in the process. In spite of the seriousness of the situation Gavin started to laugh as he held on to the gorgeous struggling bird. He couldn't help but laugh at their antics as they tripped and stumbled over each other. Fortunately, each of them managed to regain their footing when they got out in the open and none of them seemed to be injured. He sat the male down on the ground so he could join the throng and he sped off towards the portal with the rest. Just like the residents of the first pen, most of these animals went through the portal from the north side. Gavin's huge flock of fantail pigeons that also lived in the pen flew safely and sedately over the top of their clumsy pen mates and soared serenely into the portal from both sides.

His dogs sprang into action when all the animals tumbled out and they started herding the pigs, pheasants, chickens and peacocks toward the waiting portal, barking and snapping at them. Before this they had stood back and watched, but this craziness was apparently too much for them and they decided to remedy the situation. They did an excellent job of herding, too. The four of them chased every single animal into the portal without losing a single one in the confusion.

By the time three chickens, a peahen and four piglets, which were the last of this group went through, the first pony that Dax had released had reached the portal on the other side and was going through. It was the blue-white mare named Starla with her gelding brother Dissy right behind her. About thirty or forty feet behind them was the other two pony mares, slender, black pregnant Bootsie and dabbled gray Taiba. Directly above their heads the last of the honey bee swarms were passing through the portal.

Gavin jumped over the fence while his dogs darted underneath it. They ran down to meet Dax who was coming through the gate by the road. While he was hurrying to meet Dax he noticed that the pond was shimmering in a similar fashion as the portal. He assumed that the water was performing the same function as the gateway by the barn. He also assumed this was how all the aquatic organisms were going to get away safely. It also explained why the aquariums were teleported and the terrariums didn't.

They reached Dax and his dogs before they got very far into the pasture. The trailer had three terrariums including Gavin's 100 gallon community terrarium full of lizards and frogs. And squeezed in among the terrariums were forty small plastic animal carriers with more animals from their sunroom and the greenhouse.

We have to go get John and Marie. he said to Dax.

We do? he asked. How come?

I don't think they have a portal at their place. Mom and I saw Marie's honey bees going through our portal.

Okay, let's go get them. Dax said. They are good people and great neighbors and I'd hate for anything bad to happen to them.

Dax turned the lawnmower around and they headed up the road towards the North's place. Along the way the lights in the sky were becoming more intense and strong erratic winds sprung up suddenly, kicking up dust and debris.

They had reached the crest of the hill in front of John and Marie's house in a couple of minutes. The couple were walking quickly up their driveway towards the road. They were surrounded by their six cats, Marie's large flock of pet chickens and their male beagle Max. The animals seem to be herding them towards the road.

John was British with gray hair and his wife Marie was tall and slender with short dark hair and a sweet smile.

What's going on? John called to them. All of our stuff disappeared and the animals are going nuts.

Something really bad. Gavin said. Probably the end of the world.

Are you sure? Marie asked her voice shaking with fear and uncertainty.

As sure as we could possibly be. Dax said. All we know for sure is that all the animals fled through a portal at our place, including all the wildlife. For your own safety you better come with us.

Okay. John replied. I'm going to turn loose Pharr, Dolly and Maize.

I need to get my other hen and her chicks. Marie exclaimed.

John ran to the pasture to release the three mares, while Marie went to the cage that contained her hen. She scooped the black hen and her six chicks into a box and carried them back to Gavin and Dax. As she was hurrying back, dark brown Maize and the sorrels Pharr and Dolly ran by at break neck speeds with John following some distance behind them. When John rejoined them Dax asked.

Is that everything?

Yes. John said as they started to hurry down the driveway.

Their entourage had reached the edge of Gavin and Dax's family farm when an earthquake struck. They all stumbled and John had to catch himself on the lawnmower. When it subsided they and the animals started to run as fast as they could. Dax put the mower into high gear after Marie had placed the box with the hen and chicks in the trailer with the other animals. Several smaller tremors hit before they reached the portal. The background noise and lights in the sky were becoming even more intense, almost to the point of being painful to their senses.

They knew Maize, Dolly and Pharr had already gone through because they saw them do it right before the first quake, so none of them were concerned about the three horses. Their main concern right now was their own safety and survival.

They had just reached the portal when the worst quake imaginable hit. They were all knocked to the ground and even the animals stumbled and fell. Dax was about to drive through the portal when it hit, but he stopped to look back and check on them. The six cats and all the chickens managed to regain their footing despite the massive earthquake and darted around the lawnmower into the safety of the portal. All the dogs on the other hand stayed right by their sides even though they were terrified.

Go! Hurry! Gavin yelled to Dax over the din. We don't have much time!

Dax nodded and gunned the engine. He vanished into the portal followed by his five faithful and loving dogs. As soon as they were gone Gavin helped John and Marie to what was obviously their sanctuary. While they were struggling to safety the quake was intensifying, from the damage Gavin observed, he estimated that it had easily surpassed 9 on the Richter Scale by several degrees.

The house and all of the other buildings collapsed and massive fissures began to appear in the pasture. One big area behind the barn exploded up into the air with massive force. Finally John and Marie ended up crawling through the portal with their sweet little Max in between them. Gavin finally managed to stand up on shaky legs and looked around. He watched in astonishment as the pond disappeared in a halo of shimmering lights just like all of their belongings had done earlier.

Everywhere he looked the earth was crumbling and or exploding. Blinding explosions filled the air with flashes of every color that Gavin could name and a few that he couldn't. The wind was blowing at what felt like nearly 100 miles a hour and was accompanied by massive amounts of lightning and intense blasts of heat and flame. In the distance approaching from every direction were walls of fire that were being pushed by the gale force winds. He knew they were out of time so he motioned his four dogs through the portal and quickly stepped in after them.

BRAVE NEW WORLD

Gavin and his dogs stepped out of the portal on the other side into a brand new world. It was quite literally a new and different world, but he didn't realize just how different at first. He glanced around at his new surroundings. It was mid morning of a bright sunny day.

He found himself standing at the end of a wide, long driveway bordered on both sides by beautiful rock walls. The wall on the north side was about 3 ½ feet tall and led to a lovely and decent-sized stone house with plenty of windows, a wrap around porch that started on the west side and circled around the north to the east side of the house with a sunroom on the south side. The south wall was about four feet tall and bordered a large orchard full of apple, peach, pear, cherry, plum and nectarine trees.

The portal he had stepped through was filling up the opening of a large and graceful twenty foot wide by eighteen foot tall stone archway which was still open with animals coming through. The animals on Gavin's side were mainly small domestic livestock, like chickens, goats and ducks and some smaller wild species. On the other side it was a steady trickle of larger wildlife, including bison, coyotes, elk, deer and surprisingly a few black bears. He looked to the south down the lane that the animals were traveling along and saw that thousands had arrived before him and the ones coming through now were just the stragglers. The air above them was filled with massive clouds of insects and giant flocks of birds and bats that were starting to disperse in every direction.

The ground by the walls and the walls themselves were swarming with the smaller animal species that Gavin had first noticed back at their other farm. Some were seeking cover in the rock walls, while many others were dispersing to other locations. Everywhere Gavin could see on the other side of the walls was a steady stream of mammals, ground dwelling birds and reptiles heading away from the house and surrounding buildings.

Not all of the animals were leaving though some were making themselves at home. Quite a few wild turkey, bobwhite quail, ring-necked pheasants and chukar were hanging out with the domesticated birds. He noticed squirrels bounding around in the mature trees around the house and cottontail rabbits, ground squirrels and chipmunks were running around the yard. Gavin knew this would provide hours of entertainment for the dogs, they all loved chasing squirrels and rabbits. He also saw fence lizards, skinks, salamanders, toads and some small snakes looking for hiding places in the rock walls. Most of the crawling invertebrates were already undercover, but some of the larger spiders, beetles, wooly worm caterpillars, walking sticks, praying mantises and grasshoppers were still milling around on the walls or on the ground. There was even a female groundhog with babies moving into a hole alongside the driveway.

It was at this point, as he was looking around, that Gavin started to realize this really was a new world. As he was watching the rapidly dispersing animals he noticed that there were two suns instead of just one and on the western horizon he saw the edges of two moons as they were setting. Later on he found out that this new world of theirs had three moons, two large ones and a small one.

A voice called his name causing him to turn around.

Gavin are you okay? Marie asked.

John, Marie and Max were standing together about ten feet away and they were once again surrounded by the chickens and the cats.

Yeah. he said walking towards them. I was just getting the lay of the land.

It's beautiful. Marie said.

You two weren't lying when you said it was the end of the world. John replied shaking his head. I really didn't believe it until the earth opened up and tried to swallow us whole.

I wasn't really sure what was going to happen, to be honest. he said. But the animals were running like hell to get away and over the years I've learned to never ignore them, because they usually know what's going on and how to avoid danger.

That's a very good lesson to know isn't it, honey. Marie said to John.

It's one I'll never forget. he said Especially after today.

They continued up the driveway together chatting about the farm and the world around them. They had just reached the end of the driveway when the portal closed. Gavin glanced back to the archway. He sincerely hoped that everyone that could, had managed to escape through the portals in time. The alternative was that the ones that were left behind died in the fiery chaos that was consuming Earth right before Gavin and his dogs had made their own escape.

The driveway ended in a large paved parking lot and lawn in between the house and the barn. The barn was old-fashioned, large and spacious with a rock foundation and red painted wood. The family's motor-home was setting in an open bay in the barn along side his parent's two tractors. The Sport Trac and riding lawnmower were parked by the east side porch while his mother's purple Dodge truck and his father's van and purple Desoto were parked by the northwest side of the barn on the other side of the big barn door. In the east yard was Ruth's wagons and buggies and other horse drawn equipment. The rest of the area was populated by animals, both caged and loose.

The two-storied ranch style house was spacious with a large porch that went almost all the way around. It was made of mostly rock with large windows and a chimney with a large crystal imbedded in the top. There was a medium sized greenhouse/sunroom attached to the south side as well.

The large yard wrapped around the house on the west, north and east sides and was surrounded by rock walls of varying heights, it also had several mature catalpa, oak, ash and several other kinds of trees. There were lilacs, roses and other shrubs as well as Rory's iris collection planted around the edges of the yard. West of the house was a large vegetable garden with another orchard to the north and just like the yard they were encompassed by more stone walls. The walls facing the house were shorter with metal wheels and other ornamental metal pieces built into the top of the wall, while the ones on the outside were taller and solid stone.

This beautiful rock house and barn which obviously belonged to Gavin's parents weren't the only buildings here either. Scattered about the bucolic landscape were several other stone houses and other buildings, some of these structures were made with other materials besides rocks. Most of the buildings that Gavin could see were encompassed by more rock walls.

The three visible houses, the giant greenhouse complex and the other buildings were connected by a winding lane that looped around in a rough oval that lead back to the road and the main gate on the east side some distance from the parent's house. Another lane headed southwest from the loop past the large main irregular-shaped pond through a densely wooded area. Gavin found out later that there were guest houses along the southwest lane.

The main pond was connected to five other smaller ponds by a series of canals. Several of these picturesque waterways were crossed by lovely stone bridges.

The rolling pastures surrounding the ranch compound were dotted with hundreds of mature trees of several different species. Many of these trees were huge. The large white oak tree from the old farm was now located at this ranch's main gate along with a couple of large bur oaks, a huge Norway spruce and a grove of short-leaf pine trees. Gavin noticed several other large and distinctive trees he was familiar with, including a squatty sycamore with a massive trunk and a sixty foot tall cucumber tree from Old Earth, that were now planted on this ranch. These two distinctive trees were growing next to a series of buildings just west of his parents' house. The other trees that he recognized were growing elsewhere, including the yard in front of him. Some might think it strange that Gavin recognized individual trees, but as an avid gardener he appreciated and valued the beauty and magnificence of a tree that was large, mature or had an artistic shape.

The entire area that Gavin could see was incredible and breathtakingly beautiful with its rolling hills and valleys.

At the end of the driveway by the house, Gavin's mother and Dax were standing there with his bald, bearded father Rory and his tall blond brother Kip, his buxom, pretty red-headed wife Rahnee and their seven year old daughter Karrington. All the shelties, Menolly and the three Great Pyrenees puppies were there; including the sable and white female sheltie named, Leddy, who belonged to Karrington. The bouncy little female rarely leaves her person's side. The farm cats were also present and perched on the cars, walls and the porch. Menolly and the Great Pyrenees pups were spreading out to explore the yard and nearby pastures.

Uncle Gavin! Karrington squealed running to him with Leddy right behind her. I was worried about you.

I'm okay pest. he said bending over to give her a hug and kiss on the cheek. I'm so happy that you're here and safe. Hi, Leddy. he said petting the sheltie with his right hand.

Zandy, Tempe, Lazuli and Zabba were bouncing around her and barking. All the dogs adored Karrington and they were demanding attention from her.

Hi, kids. she said kneeling down to hug and love on them. Hi. she said to John and Marie.

Hi, Karrington. Marie said It's good to see you.

The rest of the family came over for a happy reunion with hugs all around. And to Gavin's surprise they weren't alone, with them came his long distance boyfriend, Topher Cotton. The prodigy Topher had blond hair, blue eyes and was average height. To Gavin, Topher was incredibly sexy with his sweet endearing smile, cute nose and bubble butt.

Oh, Baby! he cried sweeping Topher up into an embrace and twirling around with him. I didn't think I'd ever see you again. How did you get here? he said almost in tears. Where were you? I didn't see you when we walked up. he asked releasing Topher from the embrace.

I'm so happy to see you too. I was in the barn putting some animals up. Topher said as he bent down to love the dogs who were clamoring for his attention. And as for how I got here, I'm not really sure. But I'll tell you about my harrowing adventure later.

Hi, Rahnee he said to his sister-in-law as she came up to them to get a hug. Where are the twins?

Since he hadn't seen his 10 month old nephews Hunter and Isaac he was concerned.

They're asleep inside. she said. What took you so long to get here, there is stuff to do and you've been slacking. she said with a smile.

Cute. Gavin said kissing her on the cheek.

Well, we know where you guys live. And it is very nice by the way. John said. Do you have any idea where our place is?

That's an easy answer. Ruth said pointing to an area southeast of the ranch. I saw Marie's honey bees land over there in that cluster of trees. So naturally I assumed that is where your house is.

That's good to know. Marie said. Do you guys need help catching the animals?

I don't think so. Rory said. They are being pretty easy to catch. So we should be fine. Thanks for asking though. Besides your place is probably a mess just like ours.

You've got a point. Marie said with a laugh. It will probably take a while to get everything straightened out.

Do you want to take Pharr, Dolly and Maize with you? Ruth asked. You can leave them here for awhile if you like.

I'm not sure where we're going to put them yet. John said. So we'll check out our place first and come back and get them later.

That'll be fine. Ruth said. And if you need anything just let us know.

Thanks for everything. John said Especially for the rescue. he said nodding to Dax and Gavin.

Bye. Marie said as they started to walk down the drive.

Marie was carrying the box with the hen and her chicks cradled in her arms. Max as usual was at their sides. Five of their cats were trotting along beside them. The other cat, a chunky gray tabby with white markings, was pacing them on top of the north wall. Gavin thought they might have to catch Marie's pet chickens, but surprisingly they disengaged themselves from the Tolen's flock of chickens and ran after her just like little two-legged, feathered dogs.

We should probably catch the rest of the animals. Rory said turning back to look at the assembled animals.

Is it my imagination or do we have way more animals than we started out with. Gavin said bending over pick up some very docile pigeons. Hey, these aren't my pigeons. I don't have any Xaqlibans.

Yeah, we have a lot of new animals. his mom said. "We