She took two steps forward, ignoring the pain that accompanied her movement, and waved her hand through the air where he had been standing just a moment ago. Straining her ears, she couldn't hear a thing. It seemed he hadn't turned invisible, but rather truly vanished. Teleportation?
Rose's eyes glistened at the thought. That would have been immensely practical for entering the realms. Why hadn't he given her one of those devices?
She turned the object over in her hands again. It looked distinctly different from the device he had activated before his disappearance.
"He could`ve at least told me his name or how to contact him," she mumbled half annoyed.
Rose sighed, realizing she had missed her chance to learn more about this mysterious benefactor. She examined the object he had given her more closely. It was a small, cylindrical device made of a silvery metal she couldn't identify. There were no visible buttons or markings, just a smooth surface that shimmered slightly in the light.
"What am I supposed to do with this?" she muttered.
"Hey!" she shouted at the empty air in exasperation. "You didn't even tell me how to use this!" Predictably, silence was her only answer.
What use was this thing to her—whatever it even was—if she couldn't use it? Silly alien, if you decide to be generous, at least do it properly!
Pursing her lips, she decided to store it away for now. Maybe she would discover its use in the future. Even if not, given that its material was pretty robust, she could still use it to hit someone on the head, right?
A soft sizzle drew Rose from her thoughts. As if making good on its promise, the sky opened up, the raindrops growing larger and more frequent by the minute. Within moments, Rose was drenched, her mood sinking with each drop.
She still remembered the rain from her past life. She'd hoped to stay dry today, but her exhaustion, wounds, and the unexpected encounter with the alien man had delayed her. Now here she was again, soaked to her skin. At least the cool sensation offered some relief to her aching body.
It was better to get moving.
Looking around, she tried to orient herself. Right now she was in the middle of the woods, on the outskirts of town. She had been on a hike, when stumbling on the portal. Her car was parked about one and a half miles to the south. In her state it would surely take her quite some time to make it there, but she couldn't very well stay here in the middle of nowhere. The rain wouldn't let up soon, and even the trees wouldn't provide enough shelter.
Not keen on getting sick on top of being weak and wounded, she set off.
Trudging through the muddy forest floor, her shoes squelched with each step. The rain pelted her relentlessly, washing away the dried blood from her wounds but also chilling her to the bone. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself in a futile attempt to conserve warmth.
As she walked, her mind raced with questions about the alien and his strange gift. The weight of the cylindrical object in her pocket seemed to grow heavier with each step, a constant reminder of the bizarre encounter. She found herself reaching for it periodically, half-expecting it to have vanished like its giver.
After what felt like hours but was likely only forty-five minutes, Rose spotted a break in the trees ahead. Happiness flooded through her as she realized she was nearing the parking lot where she'd left her car.
Sighing with a mixture of pain and relief, she climbed into the driver's seat, immediately starting the engine and cranking up the heater. Her lips and fingers had already turned blue, and her teeth chattered uncontrollably.
This really wasn't how Rose had envisioned things to unfold. Having been granted a second chance at life and transported back in time, she had vowed that this time around would be different—better. With her foreknowledge, she believed she could ensure her own survival as well as that of her loved ones.
Step one—the crucial first step—was to acquire her invisibility ability, just as she had in her past life. This would give her an enormous advantage. In her previous existence, she hadn't fully grasped how to wield this power effectively or make the most of it until she was close to her death. Now she knew better, but to her dismay, she hadn't regained that ability. Instead, what had she gotten? Speed! And if that wasn't already disappointing enough she was suffering from backlash and got wounded.
She could only smile wryly at how fate had played a trick on her.
Having warmed up enough to have sufficient control over her limbs, she parked out and steered the car on the road towards the town she called her home.
Well she would have to make the best out of a shitty situation. She felt as if that could be a slogan for the apocalypse.
'Make the best out of it or die trying.' Ha ha.