The Watch – Part 148:

I walked outside before I was pushed out. A loud echo boomed around the street as Amy slammed the door behind me. A couple of people who were walking by turned their heads to look at me with a puzzled expression. A woman across the road shook her head with disgust as if I committed an offensive action. Of all the differences that could have happened when I created a new timeline, Amy not knowing me had to be the one. I wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible so I started to walk away with my head bowed and my tail between my legs.

When I was in an excluded location, which was down the alley leading towards Amy’s house – or the house she used to live in – I set about working out how to fix this. I knew what happened: Due to my repairing the world, I created yet another new Parallel Universe. Everything that happened before Magician teleported me to the salt plains happened. That’s why Amy is living at my house now, because she was there when I disappeared, and when a new Parallel Universe is created, there has to be at least one difference between the two. Unfortunately for me, that difference is Amy doesn’t have a clue as to who I am. I know I know all of this, but I need to explain it to myself again so that I can get a clearer picture in my head of how to fix it.

An idea formed in my head. The moment it came together, I knew how impactful the idea would be.

‘I can’t do that,’ I said to myself, pacing backwards and forwards in the alleyway. No other thought took the place of that idea. I tried finding another way, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.

‘If I did that, everything will be fixed. Then I can carry on as if nothing changed.’ I don’t want to go back to that apocalyptic world every again. I can’t bare another second looking at a world that is in ruins, with so many people dead, so many lives ruined, with no hope. I can’t go back there. I just can’t. There has to be another way? There isn’t. I have no choice. I have to do this.

***

A peaceful world. No one knows of the dangers that are about to come. No one knows of the Monsters that are waiting to lay their ‘hands’ on them, destroy everything around them, tare this world apart, bring it to its knees. The calm before the storm. So many poetic thoughts running through my head. I watch as people go about their business, cheerful. Knowing the future is a dreadful experience. I can’t bring myself to smile. I know they are alive in another future, but it’s not the same. I might have saved them, but it still happened. They still die. All of them. The sooner I can get back to that new world that I created, the better. I can’t stand another second in this world. I can’t stand another second knowing.

I’m standing outside my house, hesitant. I must do this to save Amy. There has to be another way. Maybe I can change the future somehow. How? I don’t know.

I can see Amy sitting in the living room, processing what has just happened. There has to be another way. I have to do this now or it’ll be too late. Wait, that doesn’t make any sense, I can do anything, so surely I can wait around for a bit until I’ve thought of another way? Surely?

Create another parallel universe. Yes, it’s that simple. I don’t have to do much, just show up in the middle of the battle between me and Magician. That difference will change the future. It’s as simple as that.

But what if the same thing happens again. What if Amy returns to not knowing who I am? Can I risk that? I’m not sure if I can. I have to do this.

I walk along the garden path and place my hand on the handle, turning it gently, still mulling things over in my head whether or not this is the best thing to do. I step inside.

‘Sebastian,’ Amy’s hysterical voice called through. She appeared in the hallway, her face full of worry, stress and shock. ‘What happened? Why did you disappear like that? Where did you go?’ she asked quickly before noticing the many images inside my eyes. Her shoulders dropped, her intensity quickly changed to sympathy. ‘What happened?’

‘It’s a long story,’ I said softly. I wasn’t smiling. I imagined coming through this door with a massive grin on my face, reuniting with Amy with a hug.

‘Come here,’ Amy said, holding out her arms, inviting me closer. I ran towards her, leaping into her arms. I held her tightly as if I was hoping that she would automatically understand everything so I didn’t have to tell her. Tears ran down my eyes. The shock is finally coming out of my system. Having Amy back is the best feeling in the world.

‘Hey,’ Amy said softly, stroking my back to relieve as much stress as possible.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said.

‘Sorry for what?’ Amy asked curiously. ‘What happened when you left?’

‘I can’t explain. Not yet. To do so would take too much time and we haven’t got a lot of it left.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ Amy asked, worry filling up her eyes once more.

‘Do you trust me?’ I asked.

‘What?’ Amy asked, shocked at the sudden question.

‘Do you trust me?’ I asked again, more seriously.

‘Of course I do. Why wouldn’t I?’ I broke the hug and looked at her in the eyes. ‘Take my hand,’ I said. She did so without hesitation, signifying the bond we have together, making this much easier to do. I inputted the necessary commands into the watch and readied to press the button.

‘Brace yourself,’ I said, sniffing, ‘we’re going to take a trip through the Void.’

‘We are?’ Amy said surprised. ‘What for?’

‘You’re going to experience some strong side-effects,’ I explained without answering any of her questions. She listened intently, her curiosity growing tenfold.

‘OK,’ she said simply. ‘Where’re we going?’ Just then, we both heard the sky opening up. We’ve only got a few seconds, maybe less, before the Monsters tear this world apart piece by piece. I didn’t wait for Amy to brace myself. I pressed the button.

***

We arrived in the new world in the alleyway where I was before. I’m starting to get used to my body being dismantled and reassembled so it only took a few seconds before I was able to find my balance and stand up straight, but this was Amy’s first time travelling through the Void, and as a companion, so the side-effects were even stronger than mine were when I first travelled through the Void. All her energy had been sucked out of her causing her to collapse onto the ground.

‘Sebastian?’ she said before her eyelids closed and she passed out. I wrapped my arms around her as I gently lowered her to the ground, making sure she was in a comfortable position.

‘Will she be alright?’ I asked Interface who appeared beside me.

‘She will be fine,’ he said simply, ‘but as she was not wearing the watch, it will take a lot longer for her to recover.’

‘OK.’

And now for the second part of my plan…

TO BE CONTINUED…

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonyHadNouns)