Ari took a deep breath. The peace and quiet, calm and coolness, of the late evening air rejuvenated her bones and mind. Normally she wouldn't go out this late, but she had been busy, and with all the stress of financial planning she had forgotten herself. With a hike, she could find her peace of mind again. The sky peeked through the mountain ranges, speckled with stars.<br/><br/>The lead resting in Ari's hand tugged; Basco was attempting to scurry down his favourite side trail, instead of the main path. The brittany had been in high spirits all day, playing and jumping. Ari pulled him back instinctively, giving out an assertive, "hey you!". Normally she would take the dogs down that trail, but due to the time of night she felt much more comfortable on the wide, well-groomed gravel path than the more romantic, snaking tracks. She brought Basco to sit by Hollie, the other dog she was walking that evening. Unlike Basco, the golden retriever didn't seem to care where they went. She had always been more cautious and observant. Despite their differing personalities, the two dogs were good walking buddies.<br/><br/>Ari crouched down to be eye-level with the two dogs. She was an awfully lucky person to have gotten her dream job straight out of house school. As her parents said, she had a talent for the business of understanding canines. If only she could do the same for her own kind. A dog expressed exactly what they were feeling with no deceit. People were a lot different. They said things they didn't mean, did things they didn't mean. Sometimes these lies were so obvious, but expected to be ignored. It wasn't that Ari was purely honest at all times either, but lying was difficult to her. She said what she thought in almost a filterless, careless manner. Was it insulting to point out the spinach in one's teeth, or the crookedness of another's nose? It seemed to be.<br/><br/>Hollie Basco wiggled in his place, anxious to begin walking again. Ari dusted off the thighs of her bright orange leggings before lifting into a standing position. "Let's go," she said, giving the two leads a gentle tug. The two dogs complied happily, and Ari decided to increase the pace slightly. Her feet slapped the ground as she went into a pleasant jog, the cool mountain air quickly bringing blood to her uncovered face. the went several paces before both dogs halted with no warning, nearly pulling Ari's arms out their sockets. She turned to find both animals rooted into the ground, hackles raised and fangs bared. Hollie let out a frightened, booming bark, gazing straight into the sky with wild eyes. The bark set off Basco, who began baying and growling. It was as if they had both gone completely wild.<br/>Ari stepped toward them, trying to hide her own fear. What was wrong? Did they see something that she didn't? Perhaps their was a predator around. If so, there was no chance in hell they should be staying put, but her gentle tugs to the leads were fruitless. Her calming voice was ignored, even her hands placed gently on their shoulders were disregarded. The dogs seemed to be completely ignoring her, as if she didn't exist.<br/><br/>Then the sky began burning with the force of a thousand suns. Ari screamed in fear, throwing herself to the ground as if in preparation for an earthquake. The dogs bolted, ripping the leads out of Ari's hands so ferociously that her palms burned. She refused to look up, her face set firmly to the ground, breaths shallow and panicked. So this was how she would die.<br/><br/>Sounds of destruction echoed around her, trees cracking, ground splitting, buildings collapsing. The screams and sirens traveled far out of the city. Her cries joined the ones of those far away. In that moment she felt more alone than she had in her entire life.<br/>Something touched her shoulder.<br/><br/>Ari's body tensed, ready to run to nowhere. She planned a million escapes from the touch, but couldn't leave it. She couldn't even turn around. The sounds of the world became muted, replaced with a deep, musical sigh. She no longer felt the gravel digging into her arms and legs, didn't feel the mustiness of her own captured breath. She was far away.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">A new world, orange and scorched, far away yet so close. Life was being leeched from it by beings that were... wrong. Ari longed to escape them by following the beings that were preparing for a journey, far away yet where she was. Earth.</span><br/><br/>Ari's tears were no longer of fear. They were sobs of great sadness, of destruction and loss. The emotion was so deep and so heavy that she felt like she was drowning.<br/><br/>Ari heard gravel crunching and shouts. The touch receded, and the corners of her consciousness receded into themselves, suddenly falling into an uneasy sleep, with dreams of fire rain and demons.<br/><br/>-<br/><br/>Ari woke in a cold sweat. Everything that had happened still felt like the present, as if she hadn't been laid to rest.<br/>Everything was wrong. Ari wasn't on a gravel path in the mountains, she was on a bed in a plain, nondescript room. she threw off the covers, eyes darting around in fear. She had the same clothes on as she had had in the mountains, which was a small comfort.<br/>The room had no windows, and was painted a mind-jarring white. Ari wasn't claustrophobic, but the room made her skin prickle. A tray of food was lying on the floor. She sat up and headed towards it in a complete daze. All of this was surreal. There was no time to panic, only to eat. She realized her mouth was dry. The water went down her throat in several greedy gulps. The bread was devoured, as was the rest. She hadn't bothered to pick up the tray, instead eating off it like a dog.<br/><br/>Her dogs. They had gone into the woods. Ari's hands burned where the leads had been ripped out of them. She stood up, unable to cry. The door in front of her was white, and heavily reinforced. Like a prison. Her fist slammed into it, pain ricocheting down her arm. Bang, bang, bang. "HEY!" she shouted, her voice loud but disturbingly calm, "HEY! MY DOGS, WHERE ARE MY DOGS?" Basco and Hollie. They were what kept her sane in this situation. If she could just see them, everything would be fine. She slammed at the door until the pain in her arm became unbearable. She switched arms. She would keep banging at the door until it opened, or she died.