THE MOMENT
"I should've just deleted it," Molly whispered to herself between heavy pants. The 25-year-old woman crouched in an alleyway behind an overflowing dumpster. It was night time but a multitude of neon pinks, blues, and reds kept the darkness at bay; it was hard finding a shadow to hide in even in the alley.
When Molly first found the destination labeled 'Paradise' on her used 'Sharp Travel - Instant Transmission Module' she considered it a joke. No matter what the label said she assumed it would take her to somewhere ridiculous. She considered deleting it for a brief second; then, instead decided to get it over with and find out where the mystery location was.
That was 20 minutes ago. She expected to find a return Module at her destination. Molly found herself in the middle of a neon city at night with no hint of a return module anywhere. Crowds of pedestrians flowed around her and she approached the closest person.
When the rotting zombie turned to face her, Molly didn't scream immediately. She thought it might be a great costume for some reason. It wasn't until she noticed the rest of the crowd were also zombies Molly shrieked and bolted as fast as she could away from them. She was glad they seemed to be the slow variety of zombies.
Molly ran and turned down random streets and alleys hoping to lose them and she finally felt safe enough to stop and catch her breath behind a dumpster.
"You're safe, they're pretty easy to run from," a woman said. Her voice sounded dry and almost gravelly. Molly looked up toward the voice, then she jumped back; banging herself into the alley wall. A short, green-skinned woman with broad triangle-shaped ears stood across the alley from Molly. Even though Molly was crouching, the standing goblin met Molly's gaze eye to eye. The goblin smiled and giggled.
"Well, you're safe from them; it seems you're still a danger to yourself. Good luck," the goblin waved and proceeded to walk toward the alley's exit.
"Wait!" Molly said. "Can you help me?!" The goblin stopped walking, then turned to face Molly with a nod.
"If I can't, I'll help you find someone that can. What's the trouble?" she asked Molly. "You can call me, Risa, by the way."
"I'm Molly. Thank, Risa," Molly replied with a nod. "I don't know where I am or how to get home," Molly said.
"Oh, that's cake," Risa grinned and closed the gap between them. She stuck her hand out as if offering Molly a handshake. "You're on the Paradise server in the AlterNet." Molly grasped Risa's hand. She did not feel anything but she thought she saw a small, dim pulse of purple light pass between their hands.
"This horrible place is actually called Paradise?"Molly asked. Risa shrugged, then wiggled her fingers at the air.
"I didn't name it," she said as Molly watched a black portal appear in front of her. Her eyes widened as the hole grew tall and wide enough for her to walk through it. "This is an odd question, but is it okay if I visit your house?" Risa gestured at the black hole. "I like seeing new places."
"My.., that's my house!?"Molly asked. Risa nodded. "Of course! Come in!" Molly dashed through the portal and found herself in her basement with the Sharp Travel module installed in the corner. She sighed with relief then turned around to greet her goblin guest. Risa walked out of the portal as a tall, fair-skinned woman with the same light brown hair as the goblin. "You're a shapeshifter!?" Molly asked. Risa shook her head.
"I'm human, the goblin is my AlterNet character. I thought you'd like help making yours. Now that you've discovered the multiverse, there's a lot out there for you to see."