~ excerpt from Among the Wildflowers by Andria Toskoshi Date Unknown Location Unknown Iteration Unknown Sunlight burned Sam’s eyes. She had been expecting night and the cover of darkness. Heart racing, she rolled away from the portal, still clutching the machine. It seemed her grip was loosening. She looked down and saw the metal dissolving, steaming into the air like dry ice on a hot road. Mac scrambled to his feet beside her. “That’s not supposed to happen, is it?” “This plan didn’t come with a training manual.” They watched it vanish until there was nothing left but a glass tube with a metal fitting on each end filled with a viscous purple liquid that moved like mercury. Sam looked up at Mac. “Thoughts?” “Don’t break the tube.” “Good thinking.” She tucked it into her pocket and looked around. “This . . . could be Alabama.” “This could be anywhere.”
