I tumbled and ended up right smack in a trashcan, grappling and wriggling to free myself from its clutches. But no matter how hard I fought, escape eluded me. Then, like a glimmer of hope in the darkness, I spotted a hand reaching in, extending its aid. Without a moment's hesitation, I seized the hand and hoisted myself out of the trash can. And there she stood before me, a young maiden of exquisite beauty, her raven-black tresses cascading down. In her left hand, she held a sawn-off short gun, a symbol of both danger and protection. With her right hand, she pulled me up, rescuing me from my predicament.
As I cast my gaze around, a profound sense of disorientation washed over me. The landscape before me was nothing like the world I had fallen from. Though it bore a resemblance to my familiar realm, with its towering cities and grand houses, the devastation that lay before me was undeniable. The structures stood in ruins, their once majestic facades now reduced to rubble and debris. It was as if an apocalyptic force had swept through, leaving destruction in its wake. My heart sank as I searched high and low, desperately seeking any trace of Gina, Amma, and Logan, but they were nowhere to be found.
The pretty girl's eyes sparkled with curiosity as she remarked, "You ain't from 'round these parts, are ya? How in the world did ya find yourself here?" I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts before replying, "To be honest, I ain't entirely sure myself. It's like I stumbled upon this mysterious portal that just whisked me away to this very spot." The girl's brows furrowed in confusion as she asked, "Portal? What on earth is that?" Her question caught me off guard, and I pondered for a moment, realizing that she might have grown up in a world devoid of magic. "Well, you see, a portal is like a magical doorway, a sort of enchanted hole that can transport you to any place your heart desires, whether it's within this world or beyond," I explained, hoping to shed some light on the concept for her.
The pretty girl's eyes widened in disbelief as she exclaimed, "Magic? Is magic actually real? I always thought it was just a bunch of hocus pocus, you know?" With a weary sigh and a hint of confusion, I couldn't help but respond, "Gosh darn it! Are we stuck in some sort of time loop or what?" The girl's face scrunched up in puzzlement as she asked, "What in tarnation do you mean by 'generation'?" My frustration grew, and I couldn't contain my anger any longer as I blurted out, "Aaarrrggghhh!!!... Where in the world are we? What's the name of this blasted place?" The girl, with a look of uncertainty, replied, "This here place is called DOOM." The name of the place itself seemed to explain why the girl seemed unfamiliar with my words. It appeared that education and proper schooling were scarce in her time. Trying to lighten the mood, I remarked, "Well, now, ain't that a cheery name. Say, what brings you out here all alone, my dear?"
The girl's determined voice rang out as she declared, "I managed to survive all on my own, and I'm out here to seek vengeance for my mother's death." Suddenly, with a sense of urgency, she yelled at me, "Look out!" Acting quickly, she pushed me out of harm's way, swiftly cocking her sawn-off shotgun and firing three shots at a massive spider with a human head and legs. The spider collapsed to the ground, its head shattered into pieces. My voice trembled with shock as I stammered, "Holy crap... Wha... Wha... Wha... What in the world is that?" Trying to catch my breath, I gazed at the gruesome sight before me. The girl calmly replied, "That there is the killer spider. They ain't friendly creatures, always ready to devour anything in their sight." She walked over to the lifeless spider, retrieving a small dagger from her bag.
"You're not seriously considering going near that thing, are you?" I asked, my voice trembling with fear. The girl responded with a determined tone, "To defeat these monstrous creatures, you have to locate their heart and strike it down." With unwavering courage, she plunged her weapon into the chest of the killer spider. Suddenly, the supposedly lifeless spider let out an ear-piercing moan, causing us both to freeze. Ignoring the danger, she swiftly extracted its heart. "We must leave this place immediately. More of them will be here any moment now," she insisted, urgency lacing her words. I hurriedly caught up to her, my curiosity piqued. "By the way, what's your name?" I inquired. She glanced at me, a hint of sadness in her eyes, and replied, "I don't have a name. My parents were taken from me when I was just three days old." Feeling a pang of sympathy, I responded, "I'm truly sorry to hear that." She shrugged and replied, "It's alright. They sacrificed themselves to protect me. And you? What's your name?" I hesitated for a moment and then replied, "I'm Jordan..." Before I could continue, she burst into laughter and exclaimed, "Jordan? Haha! Is Jordan even a name? That's more like a name for boys!"
you're right, girls typically don't have names like Jordan because it's more commonly associated with boys. When I revealed that I'm a boy, she was taken aback and couldn't believe it. She examined me closely, trying to process this new information. "Wait, what? You're a boy?" she exclaimed in surprise. I nodded silently, confirming her observation. Her face lit up with excitement and she rushed towards me, enveloping me in a tight hug. In that moment of confusion, I couldn't help but think of Amma, someone dear to me, and the words "I love you Amma" slipped out unintentionally. To my surprise, she responded, "I love you too Jordan, and Amma is such a beautiful name. Thank you for giving me such a wonderful name, Jordan." It was then that I realized my mistake - I wasn't hugging Amma, but a stranger I had just met. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly explained the misunderstanding while still holding onto her. "Oh, I'm so sorry for the confusion. You're not Amma, and I didn't mean to name you. Amma is a friend of mine, and we were supposed to meet here, but I don't know where to find her."
She gently pushed me away, her expression filled with surprise. "Wait, you have a girlfriend?" she questioned. Feeling the need to clarify, I explained, "No, she's not my girlfriend. There are actually four of us who came here through a portal, but I think we ended up in different locations. I really need your help in finding the others," I pleaded with her. Curiosity gleamed in her eyes as she asked, "Do you have feelings for her?" I hesitated for a moment before responding, "Well, I do have feelings for her, but I haven't told her yet." She nodded in understanding and inquired, "How many of you are here?" I quickly replied, "There are four of us in total." Determination filled her voice as she declared, "Alright, I'll help you find the rest." With that, she began to walk off into the distance, hoping to find a boy for herself. I couldn't help but wonder why she was so fixated on finding a boy. I ran after her, managing to keep up, and asked, "Why are you so obsessed with finding a boy?" She sighed sadly and replied, "In DOOM, there are no boys left. The monsters have taken all our men and boys. They even killed all the pregnant women carrying baby boys. This chaos has been going on for thirty years." My heart sank as I said, "I'm so sorry to hear that, Elfin." Confused, she asked, "Who's Elfin?" I smiled and answered, "That's the name I would like to call you." A spark of joy lit up her face as she exclaimed, "Wow, I love it! It sounds really nice." And in that moment, we both lost ourselves in the vastness of the unknown.
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Gina POV: "I couldn't believe my eyes! Where on earth am I? And where are we, Jordan? Jordan!!?" I frantically searched, but he was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, I witnessed someone descending from the sky and landing on the ground, causing a cloud of dust to engulf the area. Without hesitation, I dashed into the dust, hoping it was Jordan. As the dust settled, I realized it was Logan. "Logan!..." I hurried over to help him up. "Uhhh, my back," Logan groaned in pain. Concerned, I asked, "Logan, are you okay? Where are Amma and Jordan?" Impatiently, I awaited his response. "I don't know. They went through the portal before us. I was the last one to enter. But don't worry, I have an idea of where they might have landed," Logan explained. "Okay, Logan," I replied, relieved that we had a lead. As Logan regained his footing, I couldn't help but wonder, "Where in the world are we?" Confusion clouded my thoughts. Suddenly, Logan's face lit up with realization. "Wait... Could it be? Oh yes, it's real!" he exclaimed. Intrigued, I inquired, "What is it, Logan? What's real?" With a smile on his face, Logan replied, "This is the legendary town known as Doom, where only women exist, no men at all." I must admit, a tinge of jealousy washed over me upon hearing this, but I pretended not to be affected.
"Hey, where do you think Jordan landed?" I asked eagerly, a smile playing on my face. "He actually landed on a trash can not too far from here. We need to hurry and find him before the monsters in this world do," Logan replied, leading the way in a specific direction. I followed closely behind him.
Finally, we arrived at the spot with a massive trash can, but Jordan was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that caught my eye was the magical pendant that Master Shi Nacko had given him. Tears welled up in my eyes as I bent down to pick up the pendant. Logan stood behind me, offering his support. With a trembling voice and tears streaming down my face, I asked, "Logan, is this really Jordan's pendant? Is he okay?"
"There's only one way to find out, Gina. We have to explore this abandoned city of Doom. That's our best chance of finding them," Logan replied. Suddenly, a loud groan echoed through the air. It was a gigantic fish with eyes all over its body, known as the land fish or land eater. We sprinted as the fish chased after us, seeking refuge behind a broken-down car as the fish slowly approached.