Time Travel Sucks

Another short story I've been messing with:

I looked at my phone "fuck, no service". I keep forgetting, it's just habit at this point. Check Twitter, browse Instagram, Google who's the president. I suppose I could just pick up a newspaper, there's probably a story about him. After all, 1977 is a lot different than 2017, but here I am and I have no clue how to get back.

Why did I build that stupid machine? I didn’t think it’d actually work. It was just a joke, a novelty item. I bought it from that junk shop in China Town. Come to think of it, there was a warning on the box...regardless. Ok, first things first, I know I’m in 1977, but WHERE am I? This didn’t exactly look like Syracuse anymore. I know it’s kind of a backwards town so there’s no way it has changed this much. I exited the alleyway in which I had materialized, took a look down the street. Lots of old cars, err, well, new for them I suppose. But, as I looked more and more...where were the people? In fact, the cars weren’t moving and all were empty. Almost, abandoned. Some in the middle of the street, some off on the side of the road as if hastily exited. “Well, fuck” I said far too audibly. It was too quiet for a city street, or a city, or, well...Earth.

I began walking right of the alley. I always felt right was a correct way to go. As ‘ways’ go, it seemed to be the best one. The sky was empty, not a cloud to be seen, or planes or birds. That’s not a good sign. Ah, yes, SIGNS! Let’s get a bearing. I started paying attention to more details, looked for a sign of some sort. A street sign, anything. The first street sign was straight ahead. It must be too far away, I couldn’t make out the letters. They seemed, jumbled. I wasn’t dyslexic so why can’t I read this? I was directly in front of it now, staring up in confusion like a child would seeing an Elephant for the first time. My mind must be all shaken up still from the travel. I can’t focus, I’ll just move on. Maybe it’ll clear up shortly. I was hungry, that probably wasn’t helping. Dammit, I remembered that stupid warning label did also mention not to use on an empty stomach. Ugh, why did my Dad instil not reading instructions in me? My male hubris failing me.

“Let’s keep walking” Once again I audibly speak. It was awkward to speak out loud here, like interrupting church or something. I reached a part of the city street that seemed to be where stores were. Windows were now ground level. I walked up to the first one on this block, looked up at the sign...nope, still gibberish, I peered into the window to try to make out what was inside the darkened shop. It appeared to be an older style pharmacy. I think they called them apothecaries back then or something. It was empty, shelves were torn apart almost like a riot had occurred. This was getting weird. “Ha, GETTING weird?” I laughed to myself, then nervously looked around. Didn’t want anyone catching me talking aloud to myself. That would be embarrassing, well, if there was anyone around to be embarrassed about.

*CRAASSSHHHH*

I nearly jumped at the booming sound. Like a steel beam hitting a tractor trailer. But it was a plane, smashing into the building across the street. Wait, that’s not a plane, but it is a ship of some sort. I froze as the carnage began. Out of nowhere people came rushing out, brandishing weapons I’d never seen before rushing toward the crash site silently. The wreckage was ablaze, pieces of the building still falling everywhere as the doorway to the ship opened up. My face must have turned perfectly pale, dumbfounded as they emerged from the ship leaping into the air, much higher than anything I’d ever seen. They looked...human, almost. There was something just slightly off. Their legs far too long, their arms far too thick. They moved like insects up the building jumping and evading the other, more primitive looking humans shooting...well, lasers at them.