This is the first part of a multi-part short story, which I plan to post in installments over the next month or two. Enjoy!
Not ten minutes ago, Ellie had seen a woman sprint her way into the restroom in that downtown bar. She had certainly been in a rush, moving far too quickly for Ellie to get a good look at her or figure out what the woman’s problem was. Now, Ellie waited as patiently as she could by the door. She swore under her breath, praying that the woman would get out fast, before Ellie’s bladder exploded.
“Okay, this is crazy.” She reached up and knocked firmly on the heavy oak door.
***
“Are you there? . . . . Ugh. Come on,” Laurin muttered into her mouthpiece. “Let me through!”
The portal wasn’t working for some reason. She pulled her fighting gear up off her stomach to assess her wound in the ugly fluorescent bathroom light. The tough, spandex-like material hugging her abdomen had a clean slice through it. Had the jab been the slightest bit higher, it would have simply grazed off the bullet-proof plate protecting her chest. The injury was nothing horrific, but the knife slash still hurt like heck, and her head spun from where the thug had punched her jaw.
That was a fight she had not been expecting out of someone so scraggly looking. To top it off, running the few blocks to get to the bar—the only place open at one in the morning in tiny Graceville—in search of access to a mirror hadn’t helped her injuries.
“Lee,” she said into her mouthpiece and slammed her palm against the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. The glassy surface of the mirror held firm under her hand, a rarity for anyone who worked for the Parallel. “I’ve literally been stabbed. I need back through. Please”
Laurin heard a rapid knocking at the door and jumped. “It’s occupied,” she growled, the aggressiveness in her voice surprising herself. She switched radio frequencies and attempted to contact Truman instead.
A response came right away: “Sorry, I got you,” he said.
Laurin sighed. “Thank you.” A few seconds later, the mirror gave way under her hand, throwing her off balance. She righted herself, and quickly, gratefully passed through the portal to return home.
***
“Okay, seriously?” Ellie grabbed the door handle and pushed, expecting it to be locked, but it swung in, no problem. “Oh, sorry! I—” She stopped her apology when she saw that the restroom was completely empty. “What. . . . ?” She looked around. No one.
“Alright….That’s enough drinking for tonight,” she muttered, her bladder momentarily forgotten, as she stared at her own confused face in the mirror.
Part Two coming soon.