text: Word count: 1,275 This was for an english assessment about time travel. Opinions? (I submitted the assessment a while ago, just wondering what others think of it) The piercing screech of train wheels grinding against metal rails jarred me awake violently and I lifted my head from its resting place in the crook of my shoulder. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone to check the time. The screen was black. I tapped it repeatedly in frustration but it refused to exhibit even a flicker of life so I slipped it back into my jeans, assuming it must have died while I was sleeping. The inside of the carriage was abnormally absent of human noise, the usual hum of chatter and shuffling erased completely. My commute to work was generally packed full of people, shoulder to shoulder with total strangers but as I looked around I came to realise that I was entirely alone. Perhaps everyone had got off at the last stop? I racked my brain for other possible scenarios but none came to mind. My train of thought was hindered when a muffled automated voice sounded over the speakers, "This is the last stop. Please remember to take all personal belongings with you as you exit the vehicle." The announcement was perfectly normal, aside from the static noise that enveloped the words and made them significantly quieter. The double doors in front of me hissed like a viper about to attack as they slid open to reveal a bright white light that beamed into the carriage and directly into my eyes. I instinctively shaded my vision and squinted, trying to make out anything besides the blinding glare. A slight smell of burning crept up my nostrils and I searched around with my eyes, looking for the source of the smell. It seemed to be coming from the door. I stood myself up hesitantly and grabbed my backpack which was sprawled out on the seat next to me. I threw it over my shoulder, the loose items inside jumbling around and crashing into each other noisily. My whole body was shaking and my heart was thumping like a caged animal, a feeling of impending doom washing over me. I stepped towards the searing glow and a feeling of warmth surrounded me, like someone had opened an oven directly in front of me. A surge of adrenaline shot through my veins and before I could stop myself, I advanced out of the doors and into the world outside. As I left the carriage, it was like I stepped through a thin veil of heat but as soon as I was out the temperature cooled down immediately. The bright light seemed to have burnt little stars onto my vision and I rubbed my eyes roughly to try and get rid of them. Before I could look back, the hissing sound returned, the doors closed and the train hurtled off creating a sudden gust of cold wind that whipped my hair to the side, pricked at my skin and made my eyes water slightly. The platform I was standing on was entirely empty of people, eerily silent. The walls were white painted brick and the sharp tang of antibacterial spray attacked my senses. Aside from a tall set of stairs ascending out of the underground, the room was sparse and plain. There were no marks or blemishes on the walls, no signs or indications of my whereabouts; the whole place was pristine and untouched as if I was the first human to ever discover it. Wherever I was, it was not my intended destination. I decided to venture further and initiated the climb up the ivory stairs that lay in my eye line. One step at a time, I clambered up, the sound of life getting louder and louder as I got closer to the surface. The air started to smell of pollution, an intense scent that gave me no choice but to cough and splutter in response. The stairway ended at a rectangular opening in the ground and I began to obtain an obscure view of the world that waited beyond me. The sky was a swirling light grey colour, like liquid marble and the Sun that had shone so brightly just this morning had disappeared entirely behind the thick blanket of ash. As I escalated further, the atmosphere began to reveal more of itself and soon I was stood in the open air. Everything was different. Everything was bigger. Magnificent elongated skyscrapers towered above me, their architecture bold and unusual. They were all unique to one another, carefully designed down to the trimmings of their windows. Freshly groomed greenery decorated the landscape, neat rows of exotic plants lining the towers edges. I had never seen plants like the ones I was seeing now. One flower was a vibrant shade of indigo with strange yellow feathers below its petals, another a soft baby pink with tiny buds sprouting from the stem and huge spiked leaves that stuck out at odd angles. The thick polluted air that I was still not used to felt as though it would not support plant life as succulent and prismatic as this and yet they were healthier and more luscious than any I had ever encountered. I took a step backwards, expecting my foot to land on the staircase I had just emerged from but to my surprise it was gone. There was no trace of it ever having been there, the ground was flat and perfectly blended with the rest of the concrete. I picked and pinched at the skin on my arm and tried to convince myself that this was all some bizarre dream, that any second now I would wake up. But I didn't. It was just then that I noticed the people that were scattered around me and I couldn't help but gasp in shock. Just like the buildings, they were ridiculously tall with legs that came close to matching my entire body height. They must have been at least eight feet in total and I found myself gazing up at them in awe. They walked with elegance and pride that I could only dream of; as if an imaginary string was attached to the crown of their head, pulling at them lightly and creating their graceful posture. They all had brightly coloured hair in various shades of violet, fuchsia, crimson, sapphire and emerald; styled into crazy patterns and shapes, resembling the colourful plants I had seen before. They looked like Gods. I caught a glimpse of one of their faces and had to do a double take. Slanted feline eyes stared back at me, their pupils changing shape as they took me in and tried to work out who or what I was. The colour that surrounded was a startling mix of green and yellow, like a lime that had yet to ripen. Their features were sharp and high, with stunning, pronounced cheekbones and their hair was an aggressive shade of amber and gold, tied up in a grand style that resembled a halo. They tilted their head in confusion at the sight of me and narrowed their eyes. They began speaking vehemently in a language that was completely alien to me. Their words were abrupt and abrasive, spitting violently at me like I had caused them deep offence. Suddenly, everybody's heads had twisted around to stare into my soul, like hungry lions about to pounce. Hundreds of intense glares were being directed straight at me. Multiple of the people began speaking at once; unknown and confusing words were being tossed around in accusatory tones. Their voices all blurred into one and I realised they had all formed a circle around me, caging me in so I could not escape.