Once Daniel stepped clear of the portal, something became clear to him.

Alarstardes was underwhelming.

The temperature and climate were the same as it was under the bridge. It all looked and felt so familiar. Like they had just stepped out onto an ordinary field. For all he knew, it could have been the one near his apartment that people walked their dogs on. When he’d pictured stepping through into an alternate magical world, this wasn’t what he’d had in mind.

Daniel was beginning to have reservations. Sure he wanted magic powers, what person wouldn’t? But he also had a lot of questions. About his ancestors, about this enemy that had chased them out, and more importantly, why John Smith cared about any of this. He was desperately short on information, and that was the first thing he intended to remedy.

John Smith stepped through the portal. It winked out of existence the moment he was clear of it. The portal vanishing had left them in darkness. Though Daniel could hear John Smith’s footsteps moving away from him.

No going back now, he thought.

“Helena, how long?” John Smith asked.

A twin pair of headlights flipped on from what looked like some kind of van. Daniel squinted. No, it was an ambulance. There was a woman in the driver’s seat, presumably Helena, who was pulling out wires from under the steering column. She had olive skin and wore a baseball cap with her dark hair tied back in a ponytail. There was a small smudge on her cheek of what looked like oil. Daniel figured that she was some kind of mechanic.

They have cars in this world?

“I still need to do more calibrations,” she said.

John Smith cast a nervous look around. It was the same look he’d had when he accidentally set that car on fire. “There was an accident before the transfer,” he explained. “We need to hurry.”

“We can’t go anywhere until it's fully integrated.”

Daniel didn’t understand what they were talking about. He stepped closer to the ambulance for a better look. An unfamiliar set of screens and cables had replaced most of the front dashboard. It looked haphazard, like someone had hastily tacked it on at the last minute. One of the screens displayed writing in a language that looked alien to him.

Wherever he was, these people had technology that was far beyond his earth.

“Hey, I’m Daniel,” he said, waving. He moved around the front of the ambulance to greet her and that’s when he noticed it.

The license plate. It was the same type everyone in the UK used. That’s when he knew for certain that this wasn’t Alarstardes. He hadn’t even left the country. Localized portal travel the man had said. It was right in the words.

Daniel almost groaned. They’d probably only moved to the other side of town. But it didn’t make sense. The magic was undeniable, so why would they lie about where they were going?

Helena looked up at him and furrowed her brow. “Why haven’t you dosed him yet?”

Daniel felt a sharp pain in his neck. On reflex, He flung his arm out, which knocked the syringe from John Smith’s hand. It hit the ground and shattered. Daniel took a few steps back and then faltered. He felt woozy and had to concentrate to stay awake. All he knew was that he was in danger and he had to get away.

John Smith looked at the shattered remains of the syringe and swore. “He only got a partial dose. Help me carry him into the back and strap him down.”

Helena pursed her lips but did as he asked. The two of them closed in on Daniel from two angles slowly, like they were approaching a startled animal. He tried to run, but his legs grew numb until they buckled and he fell to his knees. John Smith and Helena each grabbed an arm and dragged him over to the ambulance.

“What happened to we need to leave soon, huh?” She grumbled. “You know we can’t go anywhere until these calibrations are done. Collection is supposed to be your end of the deal, not mine.”

“Me? This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t spooked him by telling him what I was going to do. I had him in the palm of my hand,” he said as they lifted Daniel into the back of the ambulance. “The whole chosen one schtick with a fireball works every time.”

Police sirens clamored in the distance, growing louder by the second. They let go of Daniel and peered outside.

“What was that about an accident?” Helena asked, smugly.

Daniel had to act fast while their backs were turned. He rose to his feet and took an unsteady step away from them. If he could just slip out through the passenger side door and make it to the trees, they’d never find him.

“Oh no you don’t,” said John Smith, grabbing at him.

Daniel slipped out of his grip and fell into the side while knocking over a tray of surgical tools. They clattered to the floor and this time; Daniel fell down on purpose. He stole a scalpel and hid it against his wrist before John Smith got a hold of him. Whatever they’d injected him with had left Daniel’s muscles weak and unreliable. If he was going to fight back, then he needed to pick the right moment.

Together, the two of them lifted Daniel onto the gurney and tied him to it with wrist and ankle restraints.

“Wait,” said Daniel. “There’s no need for this. Please, just tell me what you want.”

“Gag him before he revokes consent,” she said.

A rough fabric was stuffed in Daniel's mouth and tied around his head before he could say another word.

“There,” said John Smith. He reached up and removed his beard and hair. It was a disguise. The man now was bald and without the beard looked closer to fifty than seventy. Posing as an old homeless man must have made him look like less of a threat.

One thing had caught Daniel’s attention. What was it he’d said? ‘They always fall for it.’ So this was some kind of con. One that they had run successfully on others in the past. They were using Daniel for something and whatever it was, they figured he wouldn’t go along with it willingly. Daniel said something unpleasant but unintelligible through the gag.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

John Smith laughed as he threw the beard and wig outside. “The wise old wizard mentor always works. You can never go wrong with a classic.”

The flashing blue lights from the police cars were now visible in the distance. He scowled and closed the back doors. “Damn it. We need to go now,” he said, pacing back and forth.

“It’s not ready,” she insisted.

“Start driving. We’ll do it on the move.”

Helena groaned. “This is going to be a technical nightmare,” she said, shaking her head while starting the engine and flipping several switched on the console next to the steering wheel.

“Portal activation in three minutes,” a robotic voice announced.

“There, see. No calibrations needed,” said John Smith.

“It’s for our safety,” she muttered to herself. He ignored her and kept watching the police cars.

Meanwhile Daniel sawed at his restraint with the scalpel. Every second they weren’t looking at him was vital. If he could cut his way free then he might have a chance. But it was harder than it looked in the movies and it didn’t take long before his wrist started feeling sore. He ignored the dull, growing pain and kept cutting.

The ambulance lurched into motion and John Smith nearly stumbled. He cursed and grabbed ahold of a nearby railing.

“I don’t know if I can lose them,” Helena said.

“It doesn’t matter. We only have to delay them. As long as we can keep this thing moving, we’re fine. If they decide to follow, then that’s on them. I’ll get started on the process while you keep em busy.”

He went back over to Daniel and started pulling out medical equipment. The first was a metal stand that he hung an empty IV bag on. He attached a tube to the bag and held up the other end which had a needle on it. Daniel panicked and struggled against the restraints but he was locked down tight. He tried murmuring through the gag but John Smith ignored him and rolled up Daniel’s shirt sleeve. He roughly shoved the needle into his arm. Daniel watched, helpless as his blood slid down the tube and into the bag.

It was scary but Daniel only became truly frightened when John Smith added a second empty IV bag to the stand. That removed all doubt. They weren’t just taking a blood sample or a donation. They were going to drain him entirely.

For what purpose? Daniel couldn’t even begin to guess. As far as he was aware, there was nothing unique about his blood. He shook his head. Those questions could wait till later. Right now, he needed to focus on escaping.

Daniel pretended to fight against the restraints again and moaned through the gag for help. John Smith merely nodded to himself, satisfied that Daniel wasn’t going anywhere, and turned away to check another medicine cabinet.

Daniel had to move fast. There was no way of telling how much blood loss it would take before he was too weak to fight back or before they drained him completely. Judging by the weird robot voice announcement, he guessed he had about two minutes left till portal activation. And Daniel knew one thing. He did not want to go wherever these two were going, magic or not.

Helena glanced in the rearview mirror and cursed. “I could use some assistance,” she yelled.

The cop cars were rapidly closing the distance between them. John Smith threw open the ambulance back doors. The wind rushed in and he had to grab onto the edge to stop himself from falling. With his other hand, he gathered his power and summoned a fireball.

Daniel looked back. There were three police cars in total now racing behind them. John Smith fired at the closest car. The driver had just enough time to see a fiery object coming towards them and swerved the car away. John Smith cursed and summoned another.

With the noise of the sirens and rushing wind, Daniel no longer had to worry about making too much noise. He began frantically sawing at the restraint until he finally felt it come free.

For the second shot John Smith took his time, measuring the distance for a kill shot. One cop car to his left was edging forward, attempting to bypass them and cut the ambulance off. He targeted that car next and launched his attack just as the ambulance swung hard to the left. Daniel and the gurney tipped over onto its side while John Smith hit the wall. The fireball flew off target but still hit a glancing blow to the back tire, causing the car to spin away from the rest.

“For fucks sake! Hold it steady. There’s only two left,” shouted Smith over the roaring wind.

“I’m running out of field!” Helena countered.

“Portal activation in twenty seconds,” the robotic voice announced.

John Smith chuckled. He was clearly having fun and didn’t want to stop, but the announcement caused him to pause and reconsider. He closed the doors and went over to Daniel, who was still on his side, tied to the gurney. As he lifted it back up, Daniel lashed out with the scalpel and stabbed him in the eye. John Smith screamed and fell back while Daniel undid his restraints before ripping the needle out of his arm.

“Portal activation in ten seconds.”

I’ve got to get out of here.

Daniel ran for the backdoor, but for some reason it wouldn’t open. There was no sign of a lock, but there had to be some kind of trick to it. He heard John Smith get to his feet and turned in time to see the man grab another scalpel off of the surgical try. Daniel tried to ignore his disgust over the scalpel sticking out of his face. Both eyes were crying. One was tears and the other with blood.

“Bastard. You’ll pay for that,” John Smith growled.

He exploded forward, lashing out with the scalpel, aiming low. Daniel sidestepped the lunge and went for his eyes again. This time, John Smith was ready for it and threw up his hand to ward off the attack.

Daniel realized he was in trouble. In that brief exchange alone, he could see that John Smith was faster and stronger than him. He’d only gotten lucky the first time by taking him by surprise.

Still, the man eyed him with suspicion. Moving cautiously, waiting for the right opening. Maybe Daniel could use that to his advantage. Daniel feinted by throwing another jab at John Smith's face and when he went to block it, Daniel kicked him in the balls. Hard.

John Smith gasped and doubled over. That was it. He was finished.

Now it was time to get out of here before the next portal activates. Daniel moved past him. If he couldn’t go out the back, then maybe the front would work. While his back was turned, John Smith bellowed. Enraged, he dropped his scalpel and tackled Daniel to the floor.

He began pummeling him in the face. Over and over. White-hot pain slammed into Daniel with every punch.

Helena glanced over her shoulder with a look of concern. “Remember, we need him alive.”

“He took my eye!”

“I’ll get you a new one. Just keep him breathing.”

There was a loud beep and the robotic voice returned. “Portal activation in… 3… 2… 1.”

Daniel’s spirits dropped. That was it. He’d lost his chance to escape.

John Smith left him on the floor to bleed and instead searched the cupboards frantically. “Where are the fucking painkillers?”

“I don’t know,” Helena replied.

“It’s an ambulance. They gotta be here somewhere.”

Daniel couldn’t let them take him. Even if he was stuck in some other land or world, it was better than staying here. He put his hands on the gurney to brace himself and rose shakily to his feet.

The tube that had stolen his blood was still there, leaking onto the bed and floor. He grabbed it and wrapped a part of it around each hand. While John Smith’s back was turned, Daniel slipped the tube around his throat and tightened it as hard as he could.

John Smith’s eye bulged as he fought against the tube, his fingers slipping off it. When that didn’t work he tried for Daniel’s face. Daniel leaned back while continuing to pull.

Helena heard his choking gasps and then rolled her eyes. “Computer, open back doors,” she said.

The back doors flew open behind Daniel and let in a howling wind that set his teeth on edge. This was different from the wind before. It held a screeching tone that worried him. He risked a look back and saw only a shimmering blue void crackling with energy.

They weren’t in another world. They weren’t anywhere.

John Smith continued to struggle for breath with his hands futilely grasping at the tube. Helena got out of her seat.

She smiled. “If you can’t handle a kid, what use are you?”

Daniel sensed she was going to push both of them out into that empty space. John Smith felt the same and stopped fighting Daniel. Instead, he raised his hand.

“Oh you motherfucker,” she said.

He released a smaller fireball. Helena dove to the floor and it flew past her and hit the console. She scrambled backwards over to the glove box and pulled out some kind of gun. John Smith redoubled his efforts to get free, this time by pointing his palm behind him. Right at Daniel’s face.

Daniel let go of him and stumbled back, slipping on his own blood. He fell backward out of the van and into the iridescent blue void.