Upside Down In The Middle Of Nowhere Novels & Stories

JASMINE. - I'm so cold, my body numb and trembling. Hunger pangs gnaw at my stomach, and my throat feels parched, desperate for a drop of water. The night is wearing on, and I've lost all sense of direction. The convenience store manager's words echo in my mind: "You're miles away from Maple." The reality hits me like a ton of bricks. I'm stranded, alone, and scared. This place is unfamiliar, its streets twisting and turning in ways that make no sense. I don't know how to navigate these dark alleys and deserted roads.

I took a quick glance around, a mixture of confusion and curiosity etched on my face. I have been to different places— places people didn't even believe existed but never in my life have I ever experienced this. I was standing in the middle of nowhere. It was like a desert— at least it looks like one. The only difference is that it was an endless gray, cold and creepy place. The sky above me was dark and empty. There was no sun, moon, stars or anything but somehow there was light. If you just narrowed your eyes into a pinprick, ignoring the sand trying to blind you— you will see just fine.

I saw the pavement below us. Saw the blue sky above. Saw Miguel's hands frozen on the steering wheel. Saw Carmen's face, twisted in terror. And I thought, with absolute certainty, This is it. This is how I die. Not in the warehouse. Not at Grace's hands. But here, on a Missford street, so close to home I could probably walk there. The truck completed its rotation — one full, impossible flip — and slammed back down onto the road. Right side up.

My feet slid backward on stone and the world turned upside down. I screamed as wind tore the sound out of my mouth. When my feet hit dirt, it wasn’t cold and smooth like the cave floor. It was rough. Dry. Grainy. I stumbled forward blindly and nearly fell. I looked down. There was nothing under me. Nothing. Just a black, endless fall. My heart slammed into my throat. “SHIT—” I pivoted and threw myself backward, stumbling away from the cliff’s edge as my legs shook violently beneath me.

The silence following the "99% Crash" wasn't peaceful; it was unformatted. The air in the valley was a thick, grey haze of Dead Pixels and static. Every time the wind blew, it made a sound like a corrupted audio file—a rhythmic, digital stutter that scraped against my nerves. I didn't wait for the elevators. I threw myself from the command center balcony, using a localized Gravity-Bypass to slow my descent as I soared toward the glassy crater where Xander lay.

I take the wheel. I pull it hard to the right. The car spins. The world turns over. And I see the sky. "Are you ready?" "No." "Good." "Because we’re almost home." The car hits the barrier. And everything goes dark. "Aiden?" "Yes?" "I can’t feel my legs." I look at him. "That’s okay." "We don’t need legs where we’re going." "Where are we going?" "Anywhere but here." The room goes dark. And I’m standing in the center.

Standing there like a moron, shielding my eyes against the sun as I looked around for signs of life, it was beginning to look like there was nobody home. Great. Here I was, stranded in the middle of nowhere, no cell phone, no money, no water or food, and no ride home. This was not a great start. Pressing my nose up to one of the windows, I tried to peer in, but they were darkly tinted and gave me only shapes and lines of what promised to be lurking inside.

He had a cut on his forehead that was bleeding; his expression was tense, anxious. "Wh-where are we?" I murmured, still clinging to his arm. Noticing that I was conscious, he abruptly let go of me. I fell backward, my head hitting the damp ground. "Ow!" I cried out, more hurt by the contempt than the blow. "We had an accident," he growled. "We are in the middle of nowhere. There's no signal, and the car is useless for getting out of here." I hugged myself, feeling the cold, and also the fear of the dark. I got up as best I could; the car was still overturned among branches and mud, barely illuminated by the moon.

I could not take another crushing blow like that. Emily had to give me directions to the home as it could not be found using modern navigation. It was a bit farther from town than I had thought to live, but I did not mind a little more countryside. It was peaceful and I liked that it would be difficult for Jax to track me down. The home itself was located on a private road, owned by local farmers and ranchers.