Free Paraworld Zero by Matthew Peterson Page B

Empire
State Building as if she were following a trail up a tall mountain peak. Unfortunately, both
helicopters were hugging the car so closely that Tonya could hardly maneuver.
        Butch reached into his black overcoat and pulled out his ivory-handled knife.
He plunged the blade deep into the leather seat—just inches away from Simon’s face. In horror,
the boy gazed at the sharp fangs protruding from the gaping mouth of the white cobra in the
handle. He noticed the menacing snake was staring back at him with just one green emerald eye;
its other eye must have fallen out on some previous venture.
        The row of lights at the top of the paratransmitter started to go out—one by
one. Tonya screamed, and both boys turned around quickly to see what was wrong. A blazing stream
of fire blew over their heads, and a giant pigeon came into view. Tonya let go of the wheel and
covered her eyes as she collided with the massive bird in midair.
        At that exact moment, the last light on the paratransmitter went out, and an
explosion of blue electricity erupted all around them. The car disappeared immediately, leaving
the charred remains of a fried pigeon and hundreds of scorched feathers to fall to the
ground.
        Down below, the stubby man drenched in bird turd was trying to convince a
disbelieving police officer of his predicament when the cooked pigeon fell onto the officer’s
car, pulverizing the vehicle to the ground. The officer got to her feet and gazed in utter
disbelief at the burning carcass. The short man smiled, his story suddenly gaining a new level of
plausibility. “Now do you believe me?”
        
    * * *
        
        Rivers of what looked like thick, red blood mixed with orange oil saturated
the colossal walls of the parastream. The two liquids rippled as waves of energy pulsated through
the cavern in a heartbeat rhythm. A labyrinth of large tunnels jutted in every direction—each
pathway leading to infinite possibilities. The glow of electrical blue light flickered on their
faces as the momentum of the wormhole pushed the car along with tremendous force.
        “What have you done?” yelled Tonya. “The mobile paratransmitter wasn’t
designed to transport this much weight!”
        While being propelled through the vast maze of tunnels, the black convertible
vibrated as though it were about to fall apart. Simon wondered if the journey would ever end as
they passed though dozens of conduits at breakneck speeds.
        Tonya experienced a feeling she had never felt before: car sickness. Butch
and Simon, on the other hand, continued to fight over the magical book. Neither of the boys paid
much attention to the countless passageways that zipped past them.
        “Let go,” Butch growled, raising his knife above his head.
        With his black overcoat outstretched, the sophomore looked like some sort of
demon, especially while standing on the seat and hovering over the boy. Simon’s eyes widened, not
because of the sharp knife but because of the sudden drop he saw that the car was about to make
as it followed the pathway of the slipstream.
        Simon let go of the paratransmitter. “Okay, it’s yours.”
        An evil grin of triumph appeared on Butch’s face as he clutched the magical
book.
        “See ya later, Francis ,” Simon said, grabbing his seat belt with both hands.
        Confused, Butch turned around just in time to see the car take a nosedive.
The young man soared out of the convertible—along with the paratransmitter—and was swept into
another tunnel.
        Simon dangled in the wind, desperately holding on to the seat belt with all
the strength he could muster.
        “Hold on, Simon!” screamed Tonya.
        She hit the brakes, but nothing happened.
        “ Passengers should always wear their seat belts, ” informed the digital voice of the