As the warmth of sunlight bathed him, Carter slowly opened his eyes to find himself lying in a vibrant green field. Confusion gripped him as he struggled to recall how he arrived in this unfamiliar place. He felt uncomfortable with the bright glaring sun and the smell of grass all over him, wondering how long it had been since he experienced so much 'nature'.
"Am I outside" he wondered. Still trying to process his situation, Carter was suddenly startled by a loud noise. Looking into the distance, he could see a figure coming his way. As it drew nearer he was able to make out, that this was a person, and they seemed to be running towards him.
The approaching figure was finally within view; a man wearing a brown raggedy shirt with short green sleeves, a patched up pair of trousers, and a brown hat adorned with a single feather, and he seemed to be yelling something. While trying to figure out what the strange man was saying, Carter saw something coming behind the man.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing, unlike the man, it's size made it easily visible from such a distance, and then he realized that the man was running away from this terrifying creature.
The creature was something the boy could only ever dream up in his scariest, most terrifying nightmares. This beast of nightmares was a Varagris, a humongous lion-like monster with a fiery red mane, sharp sword like fangs, a single curved red horn protruding from it's forehead, and a long flexible tail with spiky protrusions at the tip. Frozen in fear, Carter knew that he wouldn't be able to survive such a thing, and only one thought went through his head at this moment, "RUN".
So Carter took off running, running like he had never before, but due to his unfit body, he didn't get too far before running out of breath. As the man caught up with him, Carter hoped that he would give him a hand, but as an out-of-breath Carter put out his hand expecting some aid, the man quickly blitz past him as though he hadn't noticed the poor boy.
Stunned by the utter cruelty of this act, he murmured "that jerk" but his attention suddenly shifted to his impending doom whose steps he could now hear; the thunderous sound the creature's legs made as it drew closer only added to it's already horrifying existence.
He tried to run, forcing his already tired body to push forward regardless of how futile it seemed. With each step taken, the creature grew ever nearer until it had gotten so close to him that he could feel it's breath over his body; it's disturbing, scorching breath which felt like an open incinerator giving off an unbearable stench like a whole morgue's worth of rotting corpses had been tossed into it.
"Please I don't want to die!!" Carter said with tears in his eyes.
He suddenly felt his heart stop for a second and immediately start up again, but this time he could feel it beating faster than ever before. His body felt lighter and full of energy, making him feel like he was unstoppable. Pushing himself onward, straining his legs, and calling upon all of his body's strength, he suddenly sprinted at a speed that would have been impossible for an average person, and in no time he was able to get far away from death's embrace.
Carter was gladdened by the miracle that had just occurred, so continued to get as far as he could hoping he would see some help on the way, but his curiosity remained piqued as he still couldn't fathom any of the strange things that had happened.
Moments later, he began to feel weak and tired as the overwhelming strength began to fade away and an excruciating fatigue soon taking its place. Luckily he spotted a tree nearby,"Shade!! Thank God" he thought, as he approached it hoping to get some rest.
Upon reaching the tree, he found a man already lying there. Taking a good look at the man's clothes, a memory flashed through his mind; it was the same stranger who left him to get eaten by the monster.
"This jerk" yelled Carter angrily, but his mood soon changed upon getting a closer look at the man's condition. "Damn, was he this bruised up when he left me? I guess since I barely even got a good look at his face, I wouldn't have noticed" murmured Carter as he looked at the unconscious man covered in cuts and bruises.
Despite being pissed at this person, Carter couldn't help but feel bad about his injured state. He suddenly felt a vibration in his pocket, which stunned him at first, but he soon realized that this was his phone. His heart gladdened by the thought of being able to use the phone to call for help, but upon reaching into his pocket, he couldn't recognize the 'object' that he was holding.
He brought it out, only to see something totally different from his original phone; his blue featherweight touchscreen phone, was now much bulkier, with a shimmering crystal screen, a blue stone-like body with strange glowing green carvings all over it.
Still trying to comprehend the change to his phone, he suddenly felt a strong grip around his leg. Startled at first, he turned to see that it was the tattered stranger, who although had regained consciousness, was still weak and struggled to get his words out. Carter bent down to hear the vague words, but once he got close enough, the man furiously grabbed him by his collar, pulling him down with great force.
The stranger began shouting at Carter in a strange language, despite not knowing what the man was saying, he could tell that he was angry by the veins bulging from his head. Thinking of a way to communicate at first, Carter's confusion quickly changed to terror, as he heard the roar of the monster he had evaded earlier.
"It sounds hungry"