Emmet definitely didn't know what to think. Judging from the angry red sun and green tinged sky, he was somewhere not on Earth. He had been alone, except for a vague hooting in the distance, but now there were five other people knee-deep in swamp water with him.

One was his substitute geography teacher and another was Vanessa Ferrer. Vanessa Ferrer who was so pretty he could actually feel the spit vacating his mouth. It was probably why he was still hiding behind a rock.

She was two years older than him and he was pretty sure she didn't even know he was alive. To be fair, most people didn't know he was alive, except his parents, who he kind of sorted wished didn't.  

One of the five, a skinny man with glasses and the same unruly brown curls as Mr. Balinski was holding his phone out and turning in circles.

"Come on, Ian," Mr. Balinski said. "Get us a read."

"Yeah, I'm trying," Ian replied. "The magnetic field on this planet is messing with my murder scope."

Emmet was pretty sure he had heard that wrong. Or at least he hoped he had.

"Keep that on, Shane," Mr. Bolinski said to the asian kid with blue hair who was unclipping a rope from his harness. "Just loop it around, we might have to fast jump. He could be five or six rifts ahead of us by now."

A hooting noise sounded from the left.

A well-built black man spun to face it.

"Oh, tell me this isn't Pravia," he said, his voice a rich baritone.

Mr. Balinski bent, dipped his finger in the water and sniffed the residue. Tentatively he licked it.

"Ew gross, Brock!" Vanessa exclaimed.

Mr. Balinski ignored her.

"Copper and salt," he said. "Could be Pravia."

The hooting noise came again.

"Might be a good idea to run either way," Brock said. "Ian we need to move, which way are we going?"

"Uh, North," Ian replied, "maybe 2 miles."

"Alright, let's move," Brock commanded.

Emmet knew if he didn't say something now, he'd be left here alone again. Stepping out from behind the rock, he swallowed what saliva he had left.

"Uh. M-m-m-mister Balinski, sir," he said.

***

Brock recognized the face but had to dig for the name.

"Emmet?" he said. "What are you doing here?"

"I f-f-fell in, sir."

Brock glanced at his watch and bit off an oath.

"Okay, let's get you out of here," he said. "Lloyd pass me the grapple hook."

The hooting came again, closer and more vocal. It sounded like more than one.

"I don't think we have time," Lloyd said, eyeing the horizon nervously.

"I think you're right," Brock agreed.

He turned toward Emmet. "Listen. We're going to have to run. Come with us, and I promise I'll get you home as soon as we can."

Emmet’s mouth moved as he tried to form a response, but nothing came out. Brock could hear splashing in the distance as several sets of feet hit the water.

"Nevermind," Brock said, grabbing Emmet by the arm. "Run!"

Brock was worried Emmet wouldn't be able to keep up, but as it turned out, his fears were unfounded. Once Emmet got over his initial shock, he took off like a bolt, almost outpacing Shane, who was their best sprinter.

Behind them, Brock could hear snarling. He didn't have to turn around to know what he would see.

"Ian!" he called.

"Yeah, I'm thinking!" Ian shouted back.

More hooting came from the east.

"Crap!" Vanessa said.

"Try this!" Ian said, tossing a purple disc at Brock.

Brock caught it smoothly. "What do I do with it?"

"Whip it at them." Ian yelled over his shoulder.

Without slowing, Brock whipped the disc straight into the face of the foremost beast. With a bang, it exploded, causing the remainder of the pack to pull back.

"What the--Why would you throw that at me!?" Brock shouted at Ian.

"Relax," Ian said, "it only explodes at high velocity. Veer left."

"We have more coming from the left," Lloyd said.

"Well, let's hope we get there first," Ian replied.

"There!" Shane said. "I see it!"

The pack behind was gaining on them again and just ahead, Brock could make out another six or seven.

"We're going to have to do a blind jump!" Brock said.

"What?!" Shane exclaimed. "Are you crazy?"

"I don't know, Shane. If you want to stick around and ask one of these guys to hold the rope for you, be my guest."

"Very funny! I'd die laughing if I wasn't about to split my skull open on the bottom of a canyon!"

And with that he leapt into the next portal.

***

Shane plunged through the rift and landed face-first in a tree. There was just no good way to jump through a portal.

"Why do I do this?" he muttered to himself, picking leaves out of his mouth.

Gingerly, he touched his lip and checked his finger. Blood. Great. Another split lip.

He heard the rest of his team hit the ground.

"Everyone alright?" Brock said.

"Where's Shane?" Lloyd asked.

"I'm up here," Shane replied.

"In the tree?" Lloyd said.

"Yes. In the tree. Stop laughing. It's not funny."

It didn't do any good. Lloyd’s rich laugh floated up from the base of the tree.

"Seriously, Lloyd," Shane said, trying to extract himself from a tangle of branches, "just help me down."

There was a rustling of leaves below him, and Lloyds head popped up into view. He was still smiling.

"You have the worst luck," he said, reaching out to help Shane.

"Tell me about it," Shane replied. "I don't even know how I ended up with these people."

He pulled his foot out of a split in the branch.

"Me either," Lloyd said.

Straightening into a seated position, Shane brushed more leaves off his jacket.
 
"Well you," he said, "just couldn't resist a pretty face."

Lloyd smiled and reached out to tug a twig out of Shane's hair.

"You sure think a lot of yourself for a guy with a fat lip," he said. "Now are you going to climb down, or do you want me to carry you."

"Oh, just get out of my way," Shane snapped.