What if everyone hailed you to be a great hero who would save them from their enemies and restore their land? They believe that you fulfill an ancient prophecy. Deep down, though, you know that you aren't who they think and can't save them.

Meet Art!

Art is a scientist who has developed DNA-splicing technology to end disease and heal the sick.

Things take a turn for the worse when an ancient alien race tries to get their hands on his technology. They kill his wife. They kidnap his daughter. And force him to splice together DNA between a human and alien body.

Their goal? Create a host shell for an evil Locrylian demon. He plans to find a body, overrun the planet, and enslave mankind.

Art manages to rescue his daughter and tries to escape. But the Myxolians capture him and force him to go on a suicide mission to close down Lucien's portal.

They drop him off at the edge of a booby-trapped forest with a small team. They are immediately attacked by savage Axalot Hounds. Art learns that these are the smallest creatures that will be coming through the portal. The quaggars they truly fear will be much larger and almost impossible to kill.

Then, Art watches helplessly as his team comes under attack by snipers hidden in the forest. And to top it all off, their one chance at victory get sucked away through a portal.

Now, Art is wounded, desperate, and at wit's end.

Can he do whatever it takes to defeat the evil villain, close the portal, and save his daughter before it's too late?

What will happen when everyone realizes that he isn't the savior they had hoped for?

This is a 16,000-word short story I wrote for my ESL students who are learning English as a second language. I hope you enjoy it.

Read a longer description about the other characters on the Kindle page or get more information at https://DaveBailey.me.