Chapter 14: Into the Unknown
Later that evening, around ten, Bright's phone buzzed with a message.
Emily: Sorry I hadn't called.
Bright, already on his phone, replied instantly.
Bright: Madam, no need to be sorry. This humble servant will wait for you all his life.
Emily: Funny. 😑
She added another message right after.
Emily: I had to accompany my mom all day. She's really worried about her husband.
Bright smirked at the wording.
Bright: You mean your father? Why are you too shy to type that? Hahaha… Papa's sweetheart.
Emily: Mr. Brooks, you're fired.
Bright: Sorry, sorry.
A short pause. Then he added:
Bright: What do you think?
No reply came for a while. Then—
Emily: You shouldn't go near them.
Bright frowned at his screen.
Bright: Umm…
Emily: Bright, I'm serious.
Bright: Why?
Emily: There's no real reason. I don't know anything yet, and neither do my parents. But they know a lot, and I'm sure they'll get some information soon. Until then, maybe you should come over or find a secure place… I don't know, like under your bed?
The last part had a questioning tone, as if even she didn't believe what she was saying.
After that, their conversation drifted to other things. They joked about how a bunch of monkeys with guns might come out of the portals or how people were acting like they were in some post-apocalyptic movie.
Neither of them brought up yesterday—the revelation, the kiss. It seemed like a silent agreement.
For now.
---
The Next Day
Though the tension from the portals hadn't completely faded, people were getting tired of waiting for the world to end.
No floods. No fire raining from the sky. No zombies, no skeleton armies marching onto city streets.
After the initial panic, people were settling back into their routines, treating the portals as another weird, unexplained thing that the government would handle eventually.
Some were still cautious, avoiding the sites entirely. Others had gotten too comfortable, passing by the portals like they were street decorations.
The government had gone quiet.
They weren't giving much information, but Emily had mentioned something last night—something big.
The military was preparing to go in.
Bright had been curious from the start, but this? This changed things.
Every story he'd ever heard about portals followed the same pattern: the second they appeared, something bad crawled out. A monster, an army, an eldritch horror.
But this time?
Nothing.
Hours had passed. Days. And still, the portals just… sat there.
Unmoving. Silent. Waiting.
It was unnatural.
And unnatural made Bright's skin itch.
So, he decided to check it out himself.
---
Nightfall
Bright sat by his window, staring at the portal in the distance.
It hovered in front of a small roadside shop, its deep blue glow pulsing faintly, like something was breathing on the other side.
A few pedestrians passed by, barely sparing it a glance. Some took pictures. Others didn't care at all.
People adjusted to the bizarre way too fast.
There were three guards stationed nearby, chatting casually. Usually, there were at least eight. Where were the rest?
Bright checked his phone.
9:42 PM.
He had told Emily earlier that he'd be going to bed early.
She had, of course, teased him mercilessly.
Now, as he sat in the dimly lit room, he twirled a gun in his hand, checking the magazine. Fully loaded. Two more rounds in his pocket.
Emily had given him the gun after he had improved slightly at shooting. He still wasn't great, but at least he could hit something if the barrel was pressed directly against it.
He chuckled at his own joke.
He and Emily had wasted an entire round just fooling around at the range.
But now… this was real.
---
Meanwhile, at the Portal
The guards had been standing around for hours, doing nothing.
At first, they had been alert—watching, waiting, hands near their weapons.
But boredom was a dangerous thing.
The longer nothing happened, the more relaxed they became.
Now, they leaned against their cars, chatting idly, their backs turned to the portal.
They didn't notice the shadow moving in the distance.
A single figure slipped through the dimly lit street, crossing the short distance in seconds.
No hesitation. No second thoughts.
And then—
They stepped through.
---
Bright & The Portal
Bright stood in front of it, his heart hammering in his chest.
The glow was hypnotic up close, rippling like water but with a weight that made the air feel heavier.
He reached out.
Expected to be sucked in immediately.
Nothing.
His palm pressed against something smooth and cold—like a fragile layer of plastic wrap.
Then—
It broke.
The second he stepped through, he shut his eyes.
No twisting stomach. No feeling of being pulled apart and put back together.
It felt just like stepping into another room.
Bright opened his eyes—
And his stomach dropped.
He shouldn't have come.
The portal had been on a city street.
But now?
Now, he was standing inside a massive cave.
The air was damp and cold, the faint scent of moss and stone filling his lungs. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, sharp and jagged, while the walls stretched endlessly into the darkness.