Tessa Were

When I step out of the portal, only darkness greets me.

I check my readouts. No visor malfunction. Oxygen levels good. I look around. Every atom of the planet is devoid of colour, like the oppressive black of the night escaped its bounds and infected the world. No moon. No stars. No life.

So why can I feel the burn of a thousand avaricious eyes?

Something’s wrong. This isn’t where Control was supposed to send me.

Heart pounding, I whirl on the portal behind me.

“Wait!” I cry, but the doorway has already closed.

All around me, the darkness smiles.