Fog, foul stench, and the woods. Four people lay barren, almost lifeless, but then, one awakens.
Shifting from his unconscious state to a dreary state, the young teen sits up. Looking around, he starts to wonder.
Where am I? I was walking home from school, passing the crosswalk, when someone's voice suddenly caught my attention, and then I woke up here. Where is here?
While thinking to himself, he noticed the others, but instead of trying to figure anything out, he walked away. As he walked, he came across something. Something that wouldn't let him say a word, only a scream. Then the others awakened.
Waking up one by one, the first was a man, then a woman, then a boy. All were confused, drowsy, and feeling a sharp pain in their heads.
As the three looked upon each other, they all distanced themselves. The man, in particular, was taking note of everything.
Who are these people? Why am I here? Should I leave?
His feet moved.
Wait—
They moved again.
Why am I…?
He stopped.
I didn't decide to do that.
This… isn't normal. Why would I want to split up? I don't know where I am, and from the looks of it, neither do any of them—
When he looked back to see the woman and young boy, they were already gone.
Where did they go? They were just here a moment ago, then just gone.
Standing, his eyes closed in thought, not paying attention to his surroundings. He suddenly hears a scream echo throughout the woods. It was a woman's voice, but instead of lending a hand or calling to help her. He continued to stay still and kept thinking to himself.
shouldn't have separated... only a fool would think to help in a situation like this. Anyway, why did I walk earlier? I didn't even realize it, and I had to stop myself. Shit, this isn't Earth, is it?
While standing still, he noticed that the fog surrounding him wasn't hitting him, wasn't doing anything. It was stagnant, as if it had been frozen in time.
The fog isn't wetting me; it's not doing anything. Then again, I already determined this world not to be Earth. No telling what's happening. The fog, my movements, all of it's strange.
After some time, he realized that something was amiss.
If this place can influence someone without them even realizing it. How did I stop it?
After everyone walked off on their own, I only heard a woman scream. But that young boy, not a peep... is he the one responsible for all of this?
Somewhere in the fog, the young boy runs from an unknown entity.
Running, panting, his arm cut into shreds, as if a razor went haywire. But he didn't stop, he ran and ran until he tripped over something.
huff. What did I trip on?! I need to get up quickly—
As he began to regain his footing, he slipped, then slipped again, then slipped once more. When he looked down, the fog revealing everything, he saw red, crimson liquid cascading over the ground, his knees, legs, and hands. However, that wasn't all there was, as when he looked to see what he tripped on. It was human remains, the woman from before.
"Ahhhhhhhh!"
All he could do was scream; he was but a child. A child covered in blood, screaming, experiencing trauma, fell unconscious.
However, as he fell unconscious, someone appeared before him.
Moments before, the man was still standing, thinking to himself, and he started to walk again. But this time, by his own volition.
I don't think it was that boy after all, the shirt he was wearing was of my own childhood hero. Wouldn't make sense, unless the boy isn't human and can peer into my mind—
Hearing the boy's harrowing scream, his thinking stopped, and he ran.
fuck! I can't just stand by and do nothing after all. I apologize to that woman, but I had to know first whether this was truly real, or if that boy was even human!
Present, panting, out of breath, he finally arrived to see the boy. Looking at the boy, he saw his arm in shreds.
Some time later.
Luckily, I was able to find this cave in the midst of the fog, but that doesn't mean we're out of danger. First, the boy's arm. What cut it? Secondly, the woman's body that was next to him. She was the woman from before, so what caused her to scream also led to her death. Just what is happening? There's fog, making it impossible to see, and then the woods were in. Not Earth, so it's another world. Considering this world has wood and fog, it's within reason to estimate that this world has earth-like qualities. Meaning, this fog should die down soon; we just have to wait.
Whilst thinking to himself, he hadn't noticed that the young boy had woken up from his unconscious state. He didn't scream, didn't move, just frozen, frozen in shock, trauma, and pain. This numbed the sensation of his shredded arm, numbing all things, making him a husk of a child.
Looking back to see the boy's tattered arm, the man ripped off the sleeve from his suit. Wrapping it around the boy's arm, the blood already dried, he couldn't help but look ashamed of himself.
Damn, worthless suit wasn't worth anything anyway. I wasn't gonna get that job to begin with, just wasting space. Heck, when I took all those pills, who knew I'd end up here...
Thinking about his life, he realized it couldn't be called one. It was dread, an existence meant to fail, to fall, to never be more. And so, he laughed, not because of his life, or what he tried, but because of the absurdity of it all.
hahaha, getting a second chance in a new world isn't so bad, is it?
Hearing his laugh, the boy finally got up from where he was lying, then he looked at the man. The boy had a scared, almost fearful look, while the man had a dumbfounded expression. However, that look quickly vanished as he then asked the boy something with stern vigor.
"H-hey, I'm Edward Baskins. May I know who you are?"
Having asked that, the boy's face softened, but then it came back to fear, as when he was going to say his name. Something appeared in front of them, making no sound, just suddenly appearing. Then it roared, but before it could do anything, Edward grabbed the boy, put him on his back, and ran out of the cave.
shit, what the fuck was that?! It looked like a monkey, but it didn't look like one I've ever seen!
As they were running, the boy's fear grew more, and then more roars from all directions came. There was no way of telling how many there were through the fog.
fuck, what do I do?! If worst comes to worst, I might have to abandon—no, I can't do that. Shit, just keep running and hope to avoid all the monsters, but why does it sound like they keep getting closer?!
Edward, running, starting to lose energy, is suddenly halted by a massive spear-like object that is hurled right at his feet. However, the fog was cascading around the monster holding the spear, but that wasn't for long. As the fog started to disperse, as if on demand, Edward saw it, and so did the boy. Of monstrous size, fur, and canine teeth, yet it resembled a human body. But what truly made it a monster was its face; it was Edward's own face. While Edward was concerned by seeing himself, the boy saw someone else, a figure of authority, and this caused him to turn his head away and finally tell Edward his name.
"Mister Edward! My name is Leo, please help me! I don't want to die!"
shit, why does it have my face?! And how am I supposed to defeat that?!
His mind running at a pace, he realized something.
Wait, this is a new world! If I'm not mistaken, people who go to other worlds often get special abilities… so… how do I check?!
Edward, unfortunately, had no time to check, nor the time to conceive the hit that had now torn off half of his torso.
Leo, flying off into the distance by the hit, Edward, now struggling to stay in place to protect Leo.
An indomitable will, a force so strong he wouldn't go down. As his body stood still, he looked down, then looked up, then spoke.
Is this death? Is this what I truly wanted? A death so insignificant that I would even go out on pills? It's funny, I see myself here killing myself, me killing myself. I get it now... I only ever rotted after she left the world without me. I never once thought for a moment about myself. I wasn't selfish enough to want to live, to want life. However... I think I understand how this monster works. It's my own doubt, and it's using it against me. It's comical.
Those words were all he said, as when he looked back at the monster, it was no longer wearing his face. All Edward saw was a blank-faced monster, casting a shadow onto the ground. That of which Edward could only see now. This monster had ego, selfishness, and a drive, something Edward had long forgotten.
Leo, witnessing Edwards' mangled body, couldn't help but shut down once more. But then Leo saw something, a blinding light coming from Edward. It was bright, as if a star had just come into existence. But that wasn't all that Leo saw, as when he looked at Edward more, he saw an angelic existence, a woman of extraordinary beauty hovering above Edward. She was a brilliant light, a figure of pure grace, and she, too, noticed Leo's gaze. When she turned her head to Leo, she put her hands to her mouth in the gesture of keeping a secret. To which Leo couldn't speak, nor could he articulate what was happening. All he could do was look upon the man who lost his own body parts to protect him.
Edward, now lighting the surroundings, saw a stick on the ground. When he picked it up, he swung it down, but it did nothing. It was the pathetic last attempt of a man clinging to life. But something happened, not to the ground, not to the air, not to anything, but to the monster. And the monster itself, it hadn't realized it yet, but it had already died. When Edward swung the stick, it wasn't that it was pathetic, but that it had meaning to it. The intent to live, intent to be free.
The monster stopped, as its body split into two. Then into four, then into 8, then into 16... and so on; however, its body wasn't left, it was reduced to nothing. Edward, on the other hand, his blown-off torso had recovered.
Leo, seeing the miracle happen before his very eyes, ran to Edward. But all he saw was a man full of emptiness, eyes that had dread, a body slumped with pain. A body that had given up long ago, barely holding on. As fragile as the stick in his hand, but he still didn't go down. That he had grasped onto, it wouldn't falter.
All Leo could do was wait until Edward came back to his senses.