//------------------------------//
// Getting Out Alive 
// Story: Truly Alive 
// by To Define Life 
//------------------------------//

Nowadays I'm just looking. Looking for my next meal, looking for a place to sleep, that sort of thing. I finally found myself today in somewhere that looks like North Miami. When I arrived I had a bit of trouble with the 'locals', but nothing too serious. Eventually I found myself boarding up one place and crashing down on a couch, just plain old exhausted.

I checked my pack, and found some protein bars. I ate them, hating the flavor, but knowing it was good for me.

I nearly choked on the last bite as I looked over.

I saw on the couch next to me, a man who had blown his brains out.

It had been a few days, but the smell was sickening. I'm just glad I kept down my bars, they're pretty hard to come by. I swallowed and looked again. He had done a pretty good job, since he wasn't getting back up.

It didn't make sense, three years in and now he does it?

I looked over at his desk top and saw he had a computer.

"Lucky me" I muttered to no-one, "More useless information."

I walked over and touched my fingertips against it, doing a quick scan. I don't download anything, I just skim it over. I saw some really... different, things. Apparently this guy was a retired a member of AFOGG while it was still around. Turns out that he had not only done work on the HoloCube, he had done some... other work as well. He focused his research on inter-dimensional travel.

When I read this, my spirits went through the roof.

"A way out..." I thought, daring not to speak as the undead might still be nearby. My mind all of the sudden started thinking about ways I could leave this place, and just go somewhere where life was more enjoyable, easier. But my excitement died when I read it needed a whole terrawatt to work.

Yet my brain overrode my mind and commanded me to grab the HoloCube, and search for a map of Northern Miami. When it pulled up a map, I had it point out the nearest, and largest, power plant. I was lucky I was close to one, we only had about 6 in the whole country, seeing how they produced over six billion gigawatts on a daily basis. I tried not to get my hopes to high, as in the end, it may not even work.

But I had to try.

I quickly put one hand over the USB drive, and my other on the HoloCube, and began the download process. It only takes a few seconds but in that time I am extremely vulnerable. I use all my energy transferring information from the computer to me, then exporting it to the HoloCube. It took longer than I expected, but eventually I end the download and remove my hand from the drive. I sat down, envisioning the design for the device to make the whole ordeal worthwhile.

I look over the components and groaned.

"Back to the hardware store we go, Styner."

It was something my dad used to say everyone I'd ask for materials to build something from the internet. Thinking about him made me more eager to go and leave this horrible place behind. I looked through my Pac and did an ammo check. What I found disturbed me: I had a severe shortage of magazines, only four 7 round clips and two grenades. I sighed, loaded my eagles, and head out into the stale air of undead Miami.

The hardware store proved profitable, giving me anything and everything I needed: motherboards, steel, and a high-stability power valve.

After hitting the shop I thought it best to scope out the library's internet for a layout of the plant.

I had just opened the door and a zombie looked me straight in the face. I reacted by instinct, dropping low, swinging my right leg under the zombie, making it fall to the floor. I then sprang back up, un-holstering my left desert eagle, putting it against his forehead, and pulling the trigger.

Silenced weapons make no sound so it looked like someone's life just drained instantly.

I stepped over the re-deadified corpse and proceeded on my way to the main computer. I placed my hand on the drive, scanned it to get the blueprint I wanted, and walked out the front door.

Feeling lazy, I found a bike store and hacked the electronic lock. I then hopped on and started to ride down to the power plant.

I knew it was a one-way trip.

Once I arrived, I looked around for about an hour trying to find the front door.

The place was MASSIVE. You could easily fit a few smaller mansions in it. This was, however, the sole energy provider for about 13 1/2 states (Tennessee was also part of the Northeastern Atlantic Power facility). The air was stale and frighteningly quiet, so I tried not to say anything I didn't have to.

I started through the building, running into a few pockets of trouble here and there. Knowing I had low ammo, took them all out with my knife. I'd throw a rock over to another part of the room and take them out from behind. When a floor was clear, I'd keep moving up until I got to the 4th floor. The third floor surprised me, seeing how it was empty.

I yanked my knife from the skull of the last on the floor, and crept over to the MCC (main cable controls) to get down to business. I took the parts out of my pack, and started to assemble the device. When I was almost done, I took the liberty of installing about 3 bar locks and 2 chain locks on the stairway door, just in case. I retrieved the last motherboard from my Pac and continued working. As i put the last screws in the device, I began to hear pounding and groaning from beyond the door.

Crap.

I quickly took a large cable from the cabinet labeled 'main export cable' with my hands and jammed it into the side of the machine.

Double crap.

Assuming I must have forgotten to turn it on, I ran over to the MCC and flipped a large red switch. The facility hummed to life in an instant, turning a dark, gloomy plant into a bright, deadly one.

Still nothing from the machine.

A lock, the first of many, broke off of the door.

I heard their numbers, and started to realize survival might not be possible.

I started to lose it. "This is it. The end. I'm done.". I cried for the first time in a while. Full of anger for how child-like I had been, for jumping at such an impossible opportunity. Filled with emotion, I gave a swift kick to the machine.

Then it happened.

A swirl of color had suspended in the air. Not 2D nor 3D, something else entirely.

Two more locks broke off the door.

I grabbed my pack and dove through the oval. Just as I stood back up, I heard the door bust open.

I pulled a grenade out of my pocket, pulled the pin and flicked off the handle, then threw it through the color. I ran to take cover behind the nearest object: a large boulder. I heard the explosion with a loud BOOM followed by a 'voop'.

When I looked up, the portal was gone. Destroyed with the grenade was the machine as well. According to plan, of course. Couldn't have dead guys going back and forth as they pleased.

I relaxed against the rock, and closed my eyes. I have never felt more exhausted or secure in my LIFE. Feeling my worries wash away, I drifted off to blissful sleep.

I must have fallen asleep for a while because when I woke up it was dark. This wasn't a problem though, as staying in the shadows meant for me staying alive. I sprung up from my nap, and became instantly aware of my surroundings. I was on the edge of a clearing in a massive forest. Now normally, I'd pull up a map in my head, find my location, and walk out of here. Piece of cake. Then it hit me that this wasn't home, and I didn't have a map. I sat down and decided that I'd climb a tree in the morning and make for the best possible location.

Tonight however, I made shelter in a nearby cave. I sat down and considered my options. While thinking, I threw a rock into a strange, mirror-like pool. The rock went in, no splash whatsoever. Then two rocks popped out, almost hitting me in the forehead. Out of sure luck they missed me. I was too stunned to move.

"What the hell is this?

I figure it was just a coincidence, but I wanted to test this theory. I threw another rock in, and just like before, two jumped out. I'm glad I did so, because I was throwing guns, mags, and grenades in there till' I couldn't throw any more.

Realizing the security I had, I stored all my firearms and ammunition in a hole in the cave wall. I took out a piece of paper and taped 'IN CASE OF EMERGENCY' over the hole. I then gathered some leaves from outside put my head down o. There I drifted back off into a cold sleep.