AJ remained motionless, his senses stretched to their limits. The familiar presence behind nagged at him, urging him forward, but the other presence—unfamiliar and unpredictable—triggered every survival instinct, telling him to stay hidden. Time was slipping away. If he hesitated too long, he risked being found by the wrong person first.
He made his choice.
He slid past tree roots and rocks, keeping low to the ground. His body absorbed the shock of the uneven terrain as he moved toward the familiar presence. If this was one of his teammates, he needed to reach them. If not… he'd have to think fast.
---
Lily moved stealthily through the underbrush, her breath slow and controlled as she followed the trail. The flattened grass led her forward, her senses heightened. Every sound and shift in the air made her heart hammer in her chest.
Then, just ahead, something moved.
Her muscles tensed, ready to react.
The figure was small, shifting in the dim light. Her first instinct was to flee, but something about the way it moved—it wasn't like an animal or a mindless creature.
Then it stopped.
For a brief moment, Lily and the creature seemed to look at each other. Something deep in her gut twisted. Recognition.
"…AJ?"
The moment she spoke, the air shifted. A rustling came from further ahead, the sound of rapid footsteps. Another presence—closing in fast.
AJ didn't hesitate. He surged forward, his body slipping across the ground toward her. Lily, snapping out of her shock, stepped back and quickly assessed their surroundings. Whatever—or whoever—was coming didn't sound friendly.
"Run!" she hissed, grabbing a nearby branch to part the dense foliage. Without waiting for confirmation, she scooped up AJ as she darted through.
The terrain became more challenging the further they went. Massive, twisting vines loomed overhead, their bulbous tips pulsating with an eerie glow. Spore-like particles drifted lazily through the air, carrying a faint, foul odour. Every instinct in Lily's body told her to keep moving.
Behind them, the other presence crashed through the undergrowth, relentlessly chasing.
AJ, in her arms, felt something in the air shift—a pulse of energy. His body quivered involuntarily. Something was wrong with this place.
Before he could find a way to warn Lily, the ground beneath them trembled. The vines above, previously still, snapped to life. One lashed downward, striking dangerously close to Lily's leg. Another whipped through the air, slicing clean through a tree trunk.
"Shit—hold on!" Lily shouted, ducking low as another vine lashed at her head. As she ran, dodging obstacles both on the ground and in the air, AJ crawled up to her shoulder and flattened out his body, trying to maintain his grip.
More vines snapped and lashed at them, their movements erratic and predatory. The glowing bulbs at their tips pulsed violently, releasing clouds of spores that stung Lily's skin on contact. She gritted her teeth and pressed forward, refusing to slow down.
The footsteps behind them faded momentarily, but she didn't dare look back.
---
Maria trailed the lone figure through the transformed landscape, her movements quiet and measured. She moved like a hunter now. She had no weapons, no plan—just instinct and the desperate need to survive long enough to find her children.
The figure ahead moved cautiously, pausing every few steps to glance around. They were clearly aware of their surroundings, maybe even searching for something themselves. Maria's grip tightened around a small, sharp rock she had picked up.
Don't be stupid, Maria. You don't know what they're capable of.
Part of her whispered that she should turn back, focus on finding her children. Every second she spent here was a second they remained lost. But another part of her, the part that had learned to survive, knew that information meant survival. Understanding who was out here and what they were capable of could mean the difference between life and death later.
Her decision was made.
She would follow—just a little longer.
---
Ethan's stomach growled as he moved through the forest, the dull ache putting food at the forefront of his mind. He scanned the undergrowth for anything edible. Berries, nuts—hell, anything that looked like it might not kill him.
His hands brushed against the bark of nearby trees as he moved forward, noting anything that stood out. The sounds of this new forest filled the air—distant rustling, the occasional snap of a twig, strange calls from creatures he couldn't identify.
A break in the trees caught his attention. Beyond it, a small clearing opened up, scattered with clusters of mushrooms and low-growing bushes. He approached cautiously, kneeling beside one of the bushes. The berries looked similar to blueberries.
These might be safe.
He plucked a few, turning them over in his hand. Taking a cautious bite, he chewed slowly, waiting for any reaction. The taste was slightly tart, but not unpleasant. No immediate burning, no numbness—so far, so good.
He exhaled in relief. At least he had something to take the edge off his hunger. With a quick glance around, he grabbed a few more before moving on, determined to find something more substantial.
---
Walter moved slowly, his makeshift cane tapping against the uneven ground as he followed a river upstream. The sound of rushing water was soothing, a welcome reprieve from the unfamiliar chaos of the land around him. His breath came steady but laboured, his body protesting the effort.
He wasn't in immediate danger—not yet—but he knew better than to assume safety. The river was a lifeline, offering water and hopefully, shelter. If he could find a cave or even a thick cluster of trees to rest in, he'd count it as a small victory.
The further he walked, the more the environment changed. The trees grew denser, their roots twisting into the riverbank. The water itself remained clear and fast-flowing, but something about the whole area felt... different.
Walter sighed, rubbing his fingers against his temple. Paranoia was an old companion, but he'd learned to trust it when necessary.
For now, he would follow the river. One step at a time.
---
Lily's lungs burned as she sprinted forward, AJ clinging tightly to her shoulder. The dense canopy above began to thin, patches of sky visible through the twisted branches. Hope pushed her legs to move faster.
Then she saw it—a break in the trees ahead. Open space.
"We're almost there!" she gasped, barely able to hear herself over the pounding of her heart.
The ground beneath her feet shifted from damp earth to firmer terrain, the tangled roots and vines thinning out. But as the trees parted, a wave of intense light hit her. The sun, no longer filtered by thick foliage, was blinding. She squinted, her vision adjusting as she pushed forward.
The spores from the forest clung to her clothes and skin, leaving a sharp, almost rotten scent. It was suffocating, thick in her throat. She coughed, trying to force the sensation away, but it lingered.
Behind her, the sounds of pursuit had faded, but she didn't dare slow down. With one final step, she broke free of the treeline.
Lily barely had time to catch her breath before AJ released his grip on her shoulder and dropped to the ground. The moment he landed, his body lost all structure, spreading into a flat, familiar shape.
A pancake.
Lily blinked. "Oh my god."
Then, despite everything—the chase, the exhaustion, the danger they'd just escaped—she laughed.
She crouched down, poking at his flattened form before carefully trying to nudge him back into something rounder. "You okay in there?" she asked between giggles.
But as the laughter faded, concern crept in. AJ wasn't responding. He wobbled slightly when she poked him, but there was no sign of the purposeful movement she'd seen before.
Her stomach twisted. "Uh… AJ?" she tried, her voice uncertain.
Maybe he'd hit the ground too hard? She frowned, gently pressing her hand against his surface. His form shifted slightly under her touch, strangely pliable, like pressing on thick gel.
"Hey, come on," she muttered, her pulse picking up. "I just carried you all the way out of there. You're not allowed to die on me now."
Still no response.
She glanced around, suddenly feeling exposed in the open space. If something else showed up, she had no idea how to defend both of them.
"Okay, maybe you can't move right now," she reasoned, still hoping he'd snap out of it. "Can you… do anything? Any kind of sign?"
From AJ's perspective, the whole situation was a nightmare. He wasn't in pain, but his entire body felt loose, unstable, like every part of him was disconnected. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pull himself back together.
He could hear Lily talking—her voice slightly muffled, like sound travelling through water—but he couldn't respond. He tried moving, but his body barely reacted, just giving a weak, sluggish wobble.
This is ridiculous, he thought, embarrassment burning through him. I'm supposed to be a super adaptable slime but I've become a puddle on the ground.
Lily, still crouched beside him, exhaled slowly. "Okay," she murmured, steeling herself. "This is fine. We'll figure this out."
She ran a hand through her hair, mind racing. Maybe he just needed time? Maybe this was temporary? But if it wasn't… what was she supposed to do?
After several more attempts at getting him to react—questions, gentle prodding, even lightly shaking his form—it finally sank in.
He was completely out of it.
Lily sat back on her heels, staring at him.
"Oh, this is gonna be complicated," she muttered.