"I-is this real?" Alex groans as he sits up on his knees, moving in a daze.
The Missouri River flows lazily to his left, the water gleaming as streetlight reflects off it. The opposite bank can be seen just barely in the shadows of the night, innumerable trees blocking the view of what's beyond. Even the lights can't penetrate the wall of timber.
Those same streetlights fully illuminate the sprawling city to his right. Colossal glass monoliths stab into the sky and tower over the ant-like humans below. Those humans, despite it being night, rush along the sidewalks and streets, hurriedly conducting business or moving from one building to another. Unlike Northern Rifield, which is a lawless slum, Southern Rifield is a corporate false utopia.
Alex inhales deeply, an uneasy feeling proliferating within him.
By all accounts, it shouldn't make sense. Alex was all the way in Tetanus Town, deep in Northern Rifield. But the Missouri River only flows along Southern Rifield. There are skyscrapers all around, but Northern Rifield has no buildings this tall. It absolutely cannot be denied, Alex is in Southern Rifield, resting on the bank of the Missouri River.
But that makes absolutely no sense! The laws of physics and space can't simply be ignored! Tetanus Town is miles away from the Missouri River. Alex would've had to tumble at the speed of sound to reach here so fast! Or he would've had to fall through a wormhole! But if either of those happened, he would be dead long before reaching here!
Did I teleport? That's not possible, is it? A hundred different questions and conjectures swirl in his mind.
The only possible way for Alex to reach the Missouri River so fast without even realizing it is if he teleported. But that's impossible, that should be completely and utterly fictional. Instant travel is something only found on TV and in books!
Alex can't wrap his mind around it. After all, he's still just a human; his mind craves a logical explanation to the illogical. When faced with something utterly inexplicable, it's human instinct to deny and reject it. The inexplicable is the natural enemy of humanity. This species works by identifying the causes of an effect and replicating them for their own benefit. So when no causes can be found, they naturally fear the effect.
Alex's teleportation is just like this. One moment, he was rolling across the ground, getting bruised and battered, and the next, he was lying on the Missouri River's bank. The cause of this was that he was teleported there, but what was the cause of the teleportation? At first thought, it might've been Silas's doing. But he was both far away and dealing with the panther, so how could he have possibly teleported Alex all the way here?
There is simply no logical answer for why Alex teleported! And that fact undoubtedly fills him with fear. That primal fear of the unknown, that rests deep in every human, courses through his veins and soaks him in dread.
"Ah, to Hell with it!" Suddenly, Alex grits his teeth and weakly slams his fist against the ground, straining to slowly stand on two feet. "Who even cares! At least it didn't take me directly to a volcano or something!"
As frightening as it is, worrying about it doesn't matter. Was the teleportation inexplicable? Yes. Is that terrifying? Also yes. But, in the end, all that matters is that Alex is alive and isn't stagnant. So, caring about things like that is useless at the moment; what's important is to keep moving forward. Alex's goal right now is to leave Rifield, and he'll be damned if he's not going to!
Since the teleportation was neither harmful nor explainable, there's no point in trying to find its cause. Maybe when he's out of danger, Alex can take the time to think about it, but right now, there are more important things to do!
Alex stands up straight and stretches to shake off the last of his tremors and aches and revitalize himself. Obviously, his wounds are numerous, and his injuries subject him to constant agony, but he can deal with that. As long as he can move, a mixture of adrenaline and willpower is all he needs.
Now, where am I? Alex looks back at the directional sign, but before he can read it, a relieved shout cuts through the air from behind him.
"Alex!" Alex recognizes the voice immediately and turns to look at the speaker.
A dozen feet away, Jack sprints through the grass towards Alex, a relieved expression on his face.
After rejecting a hug and settling his surprise, Alex gets Jack's retelling of the event in Tetanus Town, and combining it with his own, is able to create a semi-coherent timeline of what happened.
During its fight with Silas, the panther was injured, as evidenced by the gash in its side, and couldn't attack Alex directly. So, it melted the base of the Tower of Rust so that it would collapse over Tetanus Town, creating a massive smokescreen and widespread panic and dust clouds. Then it would hunt down Alex in the dust and finish him off before Silas could find them.
Frankly, it was a simple plan, but incredibly effective. If the panther hadn't wanted to gloat, it would have surely succeeded. Luckily, Alex's… maniacal, according to Jack, laughter allowed Silas to find him. He teleported Jack to the riverbank, then he teleported Alex nearby. Right now, he's probably fighting the panther again.
What's really interesting, though, is Jack's description of the teleportation. According to him, it was like existence was torn in two places, and he went through one rip and out the other. Although Alex takes this with a pinch of salt since, upon further questioning, Jack admitted that this was merely a gut feeling of his. Right or wrong, Jack was teleported a few dozen yards behind Alex, which is why he only noticed Alex after Alex stood up.
Looking at the flowing Missouri, Alex puts his fist to his chin. Well, at least we're still together. I don't like my chances against that thing all on my own. Of course, in a fight, it would probably take the same amount of effort for the panther to kill both him and Jack, as with just Alex, but Alex chooses to tactfully ignore that fact and revel in false hope.
"Uh, Alex?" A finger taps lightly on Alex's shoulder.
"Huh? What is it?"
Jack smiles sheepishly, his wool-like hair only deepening the impression. "It's just that you spaced out for a few seconds after I told you what happened. Are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh! Yeah, of course!" Alex grins back brilliantly, concealing his embarrassment. "I just got a little lost in thought. After all, I'll need a lot of it to survive the night!!"
Jack tries to chuckle, although it comes out more as an exhausted, slightly pathetic cough. "Heh, honestly, I'm a bit amazed."
Alex raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it's just… you're still as energetic as ever? Even though you're being hunted by a monster with lava powers. One that's already set two buildings on fire, blown a lot of things up, and even knocked down a metal tower, all just to kill you. Then, just before it can kill you, you're teleported all the way to the other side of town!" Despite trying to stay calm, Jack starts rushing his words and gets louder as he speaks. "I wasn't there for some of it, and your injuries are worse than mine, but I can barely compose myself! How are you not freaking out!?
"This is the most dangerous thing I've ever been a part of! I'm amazed I'm still alive! I'm even more amazed you're still alive! My entire body feels like it's about to fall apart! But you're still making bad jokes!"
Alex waits for a moment as Jack breathes heavily, before responding, his tone devoid of its usual mirth and his eyes deep. "First of all, I'm hilarious, never suggest otherwise. And secondly, I'm terrified."
"I-what?" Jack is caught off guard, but Alex doesn't let him respond.
"I've been skirting on the edge of death all night. There have been a few times when I would've died if I were just a fraction of a second slower. So of course I'm scared! Death is the one universal fear after all. Only a liar or an idiot would claim otherwise. But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up and break down!
"The old witch told you that there's no point in being sad. Well, the same is true for fear. You're allowed to feel fear, but you can't act on it. Survival is the most important thing in the world, and when that survival is put in jeopardy, everything else needs to take a back seat."
A determined glint appears in Alex's eyes. "So ignore that fear, Jack. Press it down and cage it in the depths of your heart; we simply don't have the time or energy to be afraid. Everything should be to further your own survival, every step, every thought, and every feeling.
"Death is the end; everything you have done and want to do means nothing in the face of it. So, the ultimate goal in life, my only goal in life, is to survive. If that means killing a lava panther, well, so be it."