I feel myself falling down and nding my butt, causing me to blink a few times out of utter confusion.

  "What the heck?" I look around and wait for my eyes to adjust to the brighter environment. And when they do, I no longer see my cssmates, nor do I see any science equipment.

  Instead I find myself sitting on the grass in a very tranquil looking meadow. The warm sun is shining on my face and white fluffy clouds are slowly moving overhead in a calm blue sky. A gentle summer breeze carries the smell of grass and flowers.

  It's quiet....eerily quiet. Whatever happened, I'm suddenly all alone. I hear birds singing in the distance and crickets are chirping all around me, but otherwise it's really quiet.

  "Hellooooo?" I shout, but I get no reply since I'm all alone. "Where is everyone?"

  When I finally remember to check my card, I notice that it has indeed turned blue. So whatever was supposed to happen probably worked as expected. I still have my backpack, so I switch my warm winter jacket for my summer one and carry it all with me.

  Sitting here all the time won't get me any answers, so I walk towards a line of trees. Thankfully I see a sandy road and decide to follow it. Wooden farm fencing posts are scattered throughout the area, but this pce definitely looks abandoned.

  The thought occurred that I might have died and ended up in heaven, but I quickly dismissed the idea when I smelled something disgusting like manure. And yes, I quickly found the source on the road....definitely excrements left behind by something the size of a cow.

  I tried calling Ky on my phone, but got no signal, so I put it back in my jeans' pocket.

  "Kaaaaaa kaaaaa" a strange sound startles me, and it originated from high up in the sky. Whatever it is....it is huge! When it flies through the sunrays, it creates a shadow around me, meaning that it's really big.

  I instantly seek cover between tree trunks and thankfully the thing flies away without attacking me."Oh my god......what was that thing?" Sure, I read many fantasy "isekai" novels, where ordinary people are transported to other worlds. But...c'mon...surely that didn't really happen to me, right?

  My assumption of being transported to a fantasy world is supported when I see more unusual beings. I see huge bat-like beings flying over but they have shown no interest in me. But my hope of surviving this area evaporates when I see one heck of a huge blue spider-like thing walking in the distance, about twice the size of a horse. I suddenly feel really, really uncomfortable.

  "This is bad...really bad." I can feel my heart throbbing in my chest and try to calm down.

  After carefully walking from tree to tree, always hiding, I spot a huge fallen tree blocking the road. I climb over it, but then see all sorts of tiny crystals lying near the tree's trunk."What...the....heck? Gemstones? Crystals? Did someone rob a jeweler?" They look well polished, ready to sell for a huge amount of money.

  I decide to pick them up and stuff all of them into my pockets. Diamonds are a girl's best friend right? If this pce, how remotely impusible it may be, actually is in another world, I might need the cash to survive.

  I've been walking for about ten minutes and notice that I soon won't have the cover of trees anymore. There's a clearing ahead, and only a very strange looking blue rock could give me any cover. Its many holes make it look like brittle pumice, but due to the size still seems rock solid, pardon the pun. It's a huge rock, at least 50 feet wide and 10 feet tall. It's halfway towards the next line of trees, so I really need it for cover.

  I keep watching the spider, waiting for it to leave the area so that I can reach the rock. Wherever I am...I really hope that someone can help me, or I'm dead!

  Unfortunately for me I see two more spiders approaching and the beasts are now cshing, probably dispying mating instincts....or perhaps about to perform an act of cannibalism? When one of those mega huge birds tries to pick one up, an epic battle unfolds right before my eyes. The bird didn't get very far and is already being ripped to pieces by both spiders.

  Did I perhaps travel back in time? Is this like the Jurassic Park movies? God, I hope not! No, that can't be, because dinosaurs had no use for gems, right?

  When I see another shadow moving overhead, followed by something big and fast, I'm almost scared to death, because not even a second ter I hear the roaring sound of a jet engine. I can even identify the thing as a retively old F-16 fighter jet.

  "Sheesh! My god! What the heck?!!" Well, it at least confirms that I'm still on Earth and did not travel back in time either.

  I don't even have the time to see what's going on, and can only witness the spiders being destroyed by gunfire. The sound of machine guns is deafening and only sts a second!

  Call it foolishness, or the desire to survive, but I immediately left my hiding spot and started gesturing, hoping the pilot would spot me. These fighters can be stationed hundreds of miles from here, and I'm not in the mood to walk that far, nor can I even. But I forgot one thing....these fighters are fast, and it's already far, far away by now. It even used its afterburner and a loud sonic boom followed not much ter."Baboooooom."

  Now imagine my surprise when I suddenly hear the loud sound of a helicopter approaching, sneaking up from behind me. My heart can't take many more of these surprises, but thankfully I still manage to wave with both my arms at the helicopter, while praying that nobody is going to shoot me. I think it's an Apache attack helicopter. Yes, now I'm absolutely sure of it. Did they see me, or are these the clean up crews to hunt any surviving beasts?

  The helicopter moves in closer, producing strong winds that push me down into the grass. The pilot waves and waits for me to acknowledge, then points down. Yeah, I got it....hide. I give him a thumbs up and hide down in the grass next to the blue rock, which smells disgusting like sulphur.

  At least I'm no longer alone, and this pce is definitely on Earth. Maybe I ended up in a secret military test range?

  The helicopter increases in altitude and moments ter I hear another machine gun, this time even louder. Another huge bird is no match and falls out of the sky...dead.

  Not sure, but I feel a warmth emanating from the rock and it's like I feel a static electricity nearby. Getting electrocuted was not on my to-do list today, but that's basically what happened next . The damn rock just zapped me!

  The helicopter pilot returns to me and is now pointing at the distance, probably signaling the way for me to go, so I give him a thumbs up. I guess that my dad's teachings about military stuff were useful after all...

  But when I walk into that direction, he crosses his arms into a big "X" signaling me that I didn't understand. He points again and then gives me the "T" gesture for a time out. Okay, got it. Another thumbs up does the trick, so I sit down again, after which the pilot leaves the area.

  I got the message this time. He wants me to wait here and something is coming from that direction. The question is...what?

  I still have my backpack and am carrying my paper bag as well, so I force the bag into my backpack to make my life a bit easier.

  After about five minutes I hear a loud noise approaching from the direction the pilot previously pointed at. It's....a tank. Or more precisely, an M113 armored personnel carrier. It's embarrassing to admit, but I can actually use my dad's knowledge to my advantage. All those hours listening to boring stories and watching pictures...actually paid off.

  I stand up and gesture wildly so that they don't run over me. The thing is loud as hell but thankfully stops quite a distance away from me. Moments ter I see 5 soldiers in camoufge uniform rushing over to me.

  "What the heck are you doing in a red zone?" The nearest one shouted.

  "Sir, I don't know!" My dad told me again and again to be ultra polite to them. Especially when they are carrying rifles....like they are doing now.

  "We'll talk ter, get inside and we'll take you to the nearest evac zone."

  I nod and run after them, but find it's difficult to keep up with them.

  The M113 has benches against the interior walls and I'm seated in no time. The armor-pted access ramp closes and that's the only door. It's keeping us safe from whatever is going on outside.

  I still have no idea what's going on and try to keep myself from freaking out. The loud noise of the tank's tracks isn't exactly helpful either.

  One of the soldiers actually seems to be a dy and she's not even carrying a rifle. Her uniform shows a big white square with blue capital letters "PRESS."

  Her helmet shows the familiar "CNN" logo, so it's not exactly hard to figure out what she's doing here. The small video camera mounted on the helmet removes the st bit of doubt I had.

  The dy raises her voice, so I can hear her voice through the loud noise which the tank's tracks are producing. "Hi there! I'm Lindsey Bennet from CNN and you're Live on TV. Can you tell us how you got here?"

  "I don't know! I just appeared here out of nowhere! Why are all of you here anyway?"

  She frowns, but still answers the question. "Me and 9 other reporters are joining the extermination squads once a day to show the people back home what's happening in real time. When we heard that they had found a civilian, I joined this squad.

  So how did a civilian dressed like that end up in a battlezone?" She pointed at my jeans.

  "Seriously...is this a prank? What's going on with the creatures from hell?"

  "You entered a restricted area. Now answer the question. How did you get here?" A soldier asked. "We need to know if we forgot to cut off access to this new red zone."

  "Okay...okay, gimme a moment, okay? I'm Diane Nicholson and I was in Boston visiting a science experiment. Something fshed and I suddenly nded on my butt in a meadow. Is that enough detail?" Sorry, but it's time to get some answers already. Can you bme me for being frustrated? Why doesn't the public know about these beings?

  "Boston? Now that's a name I haven't heard in a loooong time." Another soldier said, while his buddy obviously thinks that I'm a complete nutcase.

  "Emm...did something happen today? I mean, this is Boston, right? Where are the buildings?" I asked.

  The CNN dy then thankfully answers my question. "Diane, this used to be Boston....until 3 years ago. Did you perhaps survive in the wild all that time?"

  "No, miss, I swear, I just appeared in that meadow. And what do you mean, USED to be?"

  "My god, you really don't know, do you?" Lindsey asked.

  "Know what?! Can someone tell me what's going on already?" I look at the others, but they all seem to think that I'm nuts.

  Lindsey nods, "Long story short...3 years ago monsters started appearing, and we've been at war ever since."

  "You mean...those big birds and spiders?" I pointed behind me.

  "Exactly. But those are only the small css monsters and are easily exterminated. They get much worse, and we're having difficulties fighting those off. Most people still live in cities like before the war, but we're evacuating more and more tely as the front lines get closer."

  "My god......that's awful!" I really should start watching the news more often.

  "Diane, tell us more about yourself. How did you get here? The military needs to know if there are more civilians here."

  "I didn't see anyone else when I was hiding from those beasts. But again, I don't live here, I was on a school field trip."

  "A field trip? Are you sure about that?" Lindsey asked, sounding very, very doubtful.

  "I swear it's the truth! My parents can't afford a holiday, so I visited a school funded science experiment...thing. I saw a fsh and ended up here. I tried calling my parents, but I guess we're out in the boonies...I got no signal." I take my white iphone out of my pocket and briefly show it to her while tapping my phone app.

  "What is that thing?" She asked, looking genuinely interested.

  "Ehhhhh.....just a phone? Ahhh.....I see what's going on. C'mon, stop acting. I know you are in on this. This prank has sted long enough. I just want to go home."

  "No, we're very serious, Diane, trust me. Nobody is trying to prank you. Let me see that thing. May I?"

  "Em...sure?" I gave it to her.

  She pushed a button on her helmet mounted camera and studied my phone. She also tapped her wired earpiece, telling me that she was listening to someone. "Incredible......the tiny dispy responds to touch input. Can you show us how it works?"

  She returns the phone so I can show her how it works. The soldiers next to me seem to be interested as well. "Sure...but it's just a regur iphone?"

  "What does it do exactly? Is it a military device?" She asked, but all the soldiers seem to be shaking their heads.

  "Is this a joke, miss?" I asked.

  "Not at all. Tell me, and the people back home what it is."

  "Okaaaay. You unlock the screen like this. First use your fingerprint, or enter a pin code. You can also use facial recognition, but I prefer the fingerprint method. This is the main screen. Next you tap the phone app, select a number in your address book, and push the button to dial the number. Don't you have iphones in Boston?"

  "No, we don't, Diane. So you can call people with that thing as well?"

  "Of course! But I can also use Google Maps, and of course the usual Apple apps. It's connected to the internet....except not right now as I have no signal."

  I zoom in on a photo I took earlier from the science building's exterior and show how it looks by using zoom gestures.

  "So it's even connected to the internet?"

  "Usually it is, yes. But aren't most cell phones these days? I can use either cellur network or WiFi. What do you use to call someone?"

  "These things." She shows me a device that looks like two thick permanent markers attached to each other. She pulls them apart, and a screen unfolds.

  "Wow....that looks so cool! Is that a foldable screen?"

  "Foldable? I guess so. But you can see and hear whoever you are talking to, but you can't use the internet on this."

  "But.....doesn't video calling use the internet?"

  "Not sure how that works..perhaps. Did you design this thing?"

  "Design? Lady....I'm 17 years old! I don't even know how this thing looks on the inside!"

  "Hahahaha." She appreciated the humor and ughed politely.

  "So you are not pranking me?"

  "No, Diane, none of us are pranking you."

  I put my phone back into my pocket."Great. Just great. So those monsters out there are actually real?"

  "Yes, and let me ask the same question... Are YOU serious? Or are you pranking us on live TV?"

  "Huh? No, miss. I swear by all that's holy.....I'm absolutely serious. How could I miss this kind of news? I went on a school field trip during my summer holiday. And suddenly I see those creepy spiders!"

  She sees that I'm nervous. "It's okay, no need to be nervous, you're doing great.

  We're covering a protest next, about the increased monster activity in the former Boston area. Many people in nearby cities are being relocated forcefully and are wondering about humanity's future. They demand better weapons to kill those things among other things. But of course things aren't as easy, hence why we're joining the military Live on air.....to show everyone what's going on. Thankfully we haven't seen as many bugs with shields in this area, like on the west coast."

  "So monsters and bugs are the same? Or are there more kinds of them?"

  "Yes, there are many different species, but bugs and monsters are synonyms."

  "Oh...okay. But some of them have shields? As in star trek?"

  "Exactly. And in 20 minutes, people will gather to discuss the situation with the local mayor. President Evan T. Harris will be attending as well. So you might want to stick around."

  "Eh....who? What happened to president Mitchell?"

  "Huh?" She replied, looking totally surprised.

  "Whatever, nevermind that. So....those things are everywhere?"

  "Not everywhere, but for now we're safe. Today's debate is all about keeping us humans safe from them."

  Then I lost it. These people are totally nuts! "Hahahahahaha! This is the best prank ever! Those were Hollywood remote controlled monsters, right? And I fell for that! I'm such an idiot!"

  "Diane, this is no ughing matter! People are dying!"

  "On the contrary! It's hirious. Hahahaha. From my point of view you are totally nuts! Insane! The only monsters are the spiders in my bedroom! You have to see my sisters when they're panicking. Hahaha! Stop this prank, you are too obvious. What do I get? Is there a reward for me for putting up with this crap?" A few tears were rolling over my cheeks after ughing this much.

  "Not a prank, I swear! Diane, the visitor's badge on your blouse.....what is it for?" She tried to change the subject, since she realized that I wasn't believing this one bit.

  "Huh? Oh that thing? As I said, I was in Boston on a school field trip. I witnessed a science experiment and that happened about an hour ago, I guess. I saw a fsh and fell on my butt in a meadow close to where you found me. I don't know why or how, but I think they pranked me or something." I pointed backwards, but I have no idea where we are right now since this thing doesn't have windows.

  "Tell me about the experiment." Again she's not ughing, but is very serious instead.

  "Um...okay, sure.. why not? I was chosen as the guinea pig. Nothing dangerous would happen they said....and here I am.....losing my mind....if all of this is real."

  "Tell us more. What kind of experiment?" She ignored my emotions and stayed on topic.

  "Em.....I have a brochure and stuff right here. Some ballpoints, stickers, a notepad....and other stuff. See?" I showed them briefly to her. "Anyway, long story short, it's a new and improved version of the Large Hadron Collider they use in Switzernd. They unch a single gold atom and a single copper atom at 99.99% of the speed of light while contained in Krypton gas and when those two atoms collide, they emit subatomic particles. But only in a very confined space. This card here turned blue as a proof that I was exposed to those subatomic particles, see? Don't ask me about the details, I was only an observer."

  "Are you a scientist?"

  I blinked. "Miss Lindsey....do I LOOK like a scientist to you?" I tilted my head, unable to cope with this crap for much longer.

  "Hahaha...not really. No offense."

  I smiled, and felt less nervous. "Thank god, you still have humor."

  She smiles again. "Yes, this is quite the odd interview. You were found in a red zone, do you know what that is?"

  "Eh....if all of this is real...." I wait for her serious expression to confirm once more. "...and it apparently is. Then I guess it's simir to the front lines?"

  "Not entirely. Those zones have the highest concentration of monsters, which spawn from blue rocks."

  "Yes, I saw one of those! They are warm and smell like sulphur, right?"

  "They indeed smell like that, but...you touched them?" She frowned.

  "Sure, while I was hiding from those spiders. I felt a static electricity too, and then the thing zapped me! I thought I was being electrocuted, but I guess it wasn't that bad after all. The stuff looks like pumice."

  "Incredible. Diane...nobody can touch those because they are protected by shields."

  "They...are?" I wait for her to nod. "Okaaaay. I really did touch it...honest!"

  "I believe you, Diane. It is believed that monsters originate from those blue rocks. We call them bug stones."

  "That has a nice ring to it." I grinned.

  "Yes, hardly original, but everyone understands."

  "Miss Nicholson?" One of the soldiers asked.

  "Um....yes, sir?"

  "We're almost back at evac zone 2. We received orders to escort you for a debriefing."

  "A debriefing? Me? What did I do?" I point at myself. I'm not even in the military, so why do I need to be debriefed?

  "Just a formality, ma'am."

  I wait for Lindsey to nod, so I think I can trust them. Not that I have any other option anyway.

  The tank stops and the access ramp opens again.

  I can see that we stopped somewhere in a city, but the buildings around me all seem deserted. It's simir to Boston from earlier, but people obviously haven't lived here for months. The streets in the distance are littered with fallen trees and rubble, even grass and weeds growing everywhere.

  The next thing I see are two men in blue rain suits, like they are expecting it to start raining. "Did the forecast say that it would be raining today?" I joked. I mean, c'mon, why dress like that?

  "Very funny, ma'am. No need to be afraid, we're from MTA," one of them said. "You are safe with us."

  "Ehhhh?? What does that mean?" Something tells me that this is way too much work for a prank. I'm getting the eerie feeling that all of this is actually very real.

  "Monster Threat Assessment." He shows me some kind of ID, but I can't make heads or tails out of it.

  "You think I'm a monster???!! God help me!"

  "No, you misunderstand. We noticed your rather interesting interview on Live TV and have a few questions for you. Will you please join us willingly?"

  I look at Lindsey. "Can I trust these guys?"

  "Yes, they're from the government."

  That answer actually did not make me feel better.

  The guy nodded and then looked at Lindsey. "Ma'am, we'll keep you up to date, because the whole world witnessed this event. But we need some answers first. We'll contact you as soon as we can."

  "Let me remind you that you made that promise on Live TV," Lindsey said.

  "I know." Is all he replied. "I think that Diane needs some medical attention first."

  "Yeah, either I'm hallucinating or you are, not sure yet." I chuckled.

  The other guy took my backpack including the paper bag and then motioned me to follow them to a nearby building.