Run To Earth (Power of Four) by S Mazhar Read Free Book Online

the same: scared and covered in sweat.
    “Sorry about that,” Chris breathed, turning in his seat to look at them. Aaron saw the perspiration on his face too, as well as his mum’s. “It’s always rough going through a tear.”
    “Going through a what? ” Aaron exclaimed.
    “We should move. We have to get access,” Kate said, unbuckling her belt.
    “Access? To where?” Aaron asked.
    His dad turned to hold his gaze. “To the City of Salvador.”
    ***
    Aaron stepped out of the car, staring in bewilderment at his strange surroundings. On either side of him there were what must have been hundreds of thousands of trees, standing in such perfect lines it was unnerving. They stretched along as far as Aaron could see – tall with dark brown trunks and deep green leaves, so rich in colour they looked fictional.
    Aaron was standing on a narrow, concrete path, only about a metre and a half wide. Their car had landed perfectly on the pathway. Aaron looked ahead, but all he could see was the never-ending path, lined by trees on both sides. Sam and Rose had clambered out of the car behind Aaron and stood staring at their surroundings with open mouths.
    “Where are we?” Aaron asked.
    “The Gateway,” his dad answered quietly.
    With notable strain, Chris began walking down the path, trepidation clear in each hesitant step. Kate followed behind with the same look of apprehension. Aaron, Sam and Rose followed behind them, all the while staring at the trees that were too green, the sky that was too blue or the concrete path that was too smooth.
    They walked along the seemingly never-ending road until Aaron was sure that the path led to nowhere, when a door suddenly appeared before them. It was only a door. No walls, no handle. Just a tall, plain door – a mass of glistening, shiny white that towered over them. The surface gleamed in the soft sunlight. Just like everything else here, the door looked like an illusion. It was impossibly tall, its top hidden behind the soft, white clouds. There was no way a structure this tall could stand unsupported in the way it was. The sight made everyone stop in their tracks.
    Aaron stepped closer, staring at it with curiosity. He wanted to reach out and touch the shiny door. Before his eyes, strange markings began to appear on the surface: symbols, shapes and numbers. Some were curvy and messy, like random drawings a child might scribble. Others were straight with crisp lines, etched with meticulous precision. The markings were all over the door, at least a hundred of them, seemingly in no particular order. They were scattered across the surface, some written in sequence in a line, others engraved diagonally.
    Aaron’s gaze drew upon the only set of markings he could understand. Numbers. There was a fancy three etched in calligraphy, the number seven next to it, a group of nines, and the numbers seven, eight, six, thirteen and a four scattered across the surface of the door. The more Aaron stared at the numbers, the more they seemed to shine, as if encrusted with glistening diamonds caught in rays of sunlight. Aaron looked over to his dad, to see him staring at the door with just as much scrutiny, but his gaze was more intense. His parents shared another look, mirroring each other’s hesitation.
    Chris breathed out a strained sigh and lifted a hand. He placed it onto the door, his fingers standing out against the bright white. Kate did the same, her hand small and nimble set parallel to her husband’s. She reached out, offering her other hand to Aaron. He took it at once.
    “Hold on to each other,” she instructed.
    Perplexed, Aaron reached out and took Rose’s hand, who quickly reached for her brother’s hand. Chris held out his free hand to Sam to complete the chain. Sam paused, his eyes narrowed and jaw clenched. A pleading noise came from Rose, and Sam reached out, reluctantly taking Chris’s hand.
    Chris turned to look at the door. “I seek sanctuary,” he said in a loud,