A Slice of Love and Monsters

The Escapade

The Escapade

The big bell in the Central tower clanged Richard back to reality as he sigh deeply at his reminisce. It's been three months already since they arrived. The reluctant Amanda has come to love it here, except for the recurring nightmares that refuses to go away. He heard her whining and turned to see her stirring in her sleep, her face, already in a grimace. Sighing, he dropped his glass of water and hurried beside her. He touch her slightly, as if to coo her to ease, it worked. He climbed back to bed and wrapped her in his arms. And as he slept, his thoughts stayed awake.

One faithful night, while Amanda sleeps, Richard stormed Federick's room. It was barely a month since that night. He and Richard has had private discussions about the other dimension, and now with the non-stop nightmares from Amanda, he couldn't take it anymore, he was leaving.

Frederick woke up with a start, surprised to see him that late in the middle of the night and thought something must be wrong. He scurried towards Richard.

"Is everything all right Rich?" he asked anxiously with his hands widespread.

"No bro, everything is not all right," he sat down on the bed with his hands on his head." Are you done with the thing we discussed earlier?"

"Yeah Rich, I'm all set, ready when you're ready," replied Frederick with a sigh, he thought something bad had happened to Amanda, good Lord , Richard has got to stop doing that.

"Good. Let's do this quietly, we don't want to wake the sleeping beauty," he said this while putting things inside a backpack.

Frederick got set in motion as he mixes one chemicals to another and within the next seconds a part of the room was engulf by a fire-like circle, it was a portal leading to their real world. Just when Richard was about going through it, Frederick stood beside him with his own backpack.

"I'm ready too, let's do this," said Frederick as he rubs his palm excitedly.

"Ready? What are you talking about?" In surprise, anger was beginning to build up inside Richard.

"I'm coming with you, I left Amanda a note, she'll be fine, totally", he assured.

"Oh no, you're not coming with me. You are staying here with Amanda," this was not what they discussed, Richard exhaled, he didn't have time going through this again. The thought of leaving Amanda here all alone was shuddering.

"Dude there is no way I'm gonna let you do this alone," Frederick was not giving up easily, "Either I'm coming with you, or we're all going with you," he threatened.

"Fred are you crazy? Did you forget too soon of Amanda's mental health? She can't go there, and neither are you".

"Well that's damn risky bro, Amanda's not gonna like this when she wakes up and see you're gone to die in that hellish world," emotional blackmail was one thing that usually works on Richard, thought Frederick.

"You don't think I know that? I'm doing this for her!" At this moment he felt like exploding. "I want to be the man she dreams of Freddy, not some monster animals gobbling us up".

"What do you mean?" He stopped in his track to face the already wrinkled-faced Richard who was trying so hard not to loose it.

"I thought she was gonna be happy here Freddy," he started, with an anxious pacing about the little space available in the room. "Oh God knows she tried, but the nightmares never stopped. so I need to do this, I need to give her a happy ending. Besides we can't stay here for long, there's a war coming in this part of the world".

"A war? What war?" Frederick was thinking this, to be a means to deviate from the subject at hand. He was not having it. "I know no wars in this time of date and place"

"May be if you'd focused on your history class, you'd know there's an English civil war looming our way!" There was a long silence there, perhaps to let it sink in on Frederick. "So please, while that is going on, take of care of my girl till I figure a way to end all these," he concluded with a plead in his eyes.

"But we can still do this together Ric--" he was about trying one last time, but was cut short.

"Are you even listening to me? Give me that!" Richard snatched Fred's parcel, took a few things from it and threw the bag on the bed, "Now tell me again what I need to know fast, before Amanda wakes up."

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When Richard arrived the dimension, the city was in peril: buildings were collapsed, cars were battered and scattered about, vultures and crows filled the area, the tarred streets reeks of staled blood, and except for some decomposing bodies here and there, the place was empty. He was glad Amanda was not here to see these. He walked slowly with caution, he didn't want to alert the mutants wherever they are. He didn't know if they are rampaging or hopefully asleep, for he carried with him, only bread and apples - no weapon whatsoever, because trying to fight a monster you can't kill is a losing battle, even for a hundred soldiers. And that was why he carried light.

A honk from a nearby car alerted him and he peeped to see that a giant lizard was tearing apart a police car. He was about to leave when he spotted a lad of his age inside the police car.

"Christ!" He exclaimed, as his heartbeat accelerated. "Okay Richy, don't t be scared, you wanted to be a hero, well here is your chance," he said encouragingly. "I just need to cause a diversion," he thought aloud. Opening his backpack, he brought out the bread he had, he will lure it with food . He reasoned.

"Hey over here!" Shouted Richard as he threw the crumbs far off. The monsterous lizard rushes towards it, unconsciously knocking down buildings with its tail.

Richard hurried to the police car and helped the injured lad and they both left the scene. The young man was grateful, he introduced himself as Chris. He was amongst those asked to get supplies from shops on the ghastly-looking street. They hurried to the underground military base, housing him and a few others, where they were attended to.