Mars the Divine (Empire of Time Series) by John Argo

Page 31.

Chapter 15. Washington, Indiana

Coming around the corner, we saw before us a train station. We were looking into another world. It was night there, in the middle of nowhere. Stars shone abundantly in a sky with a single large scythe of bright yellow light. The station consisted of a single concrete and brick platform, and a single pair of rusty steel rails laid over a bed of heavy ballast gravel and bolted to heavy wooden ties soaked in tar.

"What is that?" Trini started to say, pointing at a blue metal sign that hung from weather-shelter overhang. In white letters, we saw the legend Washington, Indiana.

"What does that mean?" I started to say, but the air was thick, too thick, and we started to gag.

"An illusion?" I started to say. I doubled over, coughing.

"No, this is real. I smell...vegetation."

"It's like...hydroponic," Trini said. She holstered her gun. She choked and her face turned purple. Our eyes were enlarged as we stared at each other in panic.

"Back! Back!" Trini said, pulling us each backward by our belts.

I started to turn, so I could run back faster. Sindi fell to one knee, and Trini and I towed her with us. All this happened in seconds. We did not, however, make it back to the giant machine under Mons Olympus on Mars. This was another moment, like in the turret, when everything changed. For me, I mean literally the universe would never be the same again, because my eyes were opened to truths at which the good religion of Mars the Divine could only hint.

We would only gradually learn what happened to us in that brief moment as we stepped into the Temporale.

Thank you for reading. If you love it, tell your friends. Please post a favorable review at Amazon, Good Reads, and other online resources. If you want to thank the author, you may also buy a copy for the low price of a cup of coffee. It's called Read-a-Latte: similar (or lower) price as a latte at your favorite coffeeshop, but the book lasts forever while the beverage is quickly gone. Thank you (JTC).

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