Stranger in a Strange Land
The silence was suffocating. Alex trailed behind the stranger, his towering silhouette cutting a menacing figure against the backdrop of the crumbling cityscape. Every instinct screamed at her to run, but where would she go? The landscape outside the building was a twisted, decaying labyrinth. And those things—the creatures—were still out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting for her to make one wrong move.
"Keep up," he barked without looking back. His voice was low and harsh, laced with a chilling indifference that sent shivers down her spine. "If you get lost, I won't be coming back for you."
There was no concern, no pity—just a matter-of-fact coldness that told Alex exactly where she stood in his eyes: a liability. Someone who didn't belong.
"Okay," she whispered, quickening her steps despite the painful throbbing in her limbs. Her legs felt like lead, and every muscle screamed in protest, but she couldn't afford to show weakness. Not in front of him.
Her thoughts were a chaotic swirl of confusion and disbelief. One minute, she had been safe at home, battling monsters in her favorite game, and now…now she was here. Wherever here was. This place looked like something straight out of a horror game, complete with dark alleys, crumbling ruins, and skies tinged in a sickly red hue.
"What…what is this place?" she dared to ask, her voice trembling despite her best efforts to sound steady.
The man—Reed, he'd called himself—glanced at her briefly, his expression hard and unforgiving. "Your worst nightmare," he said flatly, turning away before she could respond. "And if you want to stay alive, you better learn to shut up and follow orders."
The words stung, but Alex bit her tongue. What choice did she have? He was the only person she'd encountered who hadn't immediately tried to kill her—or worse. For now, that made him her best, and only, option.
They moved through the ruins in tense silence, Reed's footsteps confident and unhesitating, while Alex stumbled behind him, barely able to keep up. Everything about this world was hostile—the eerie silence, the distant howls that echoed through the empty streets, the oppressive air that made it hard to breathe.
She could feel it—the weight of it pressing down on her, making every breath a struggle. This place… It was like the very air itself was poisoned with malice.
"Where are we going?" she finally asked, her voice a hoarse whisper. She hated how small and scared she sounded, but the words slipped out before she could stop them.
Reed didn't slow his pace. "Safehouse. If you can even call it that."
"Safehouse?" Alex repeated, tripping over a loose stone as she struggled to keep up. "Wait, so…this place, this world—is it…like my game?"
At that, Reed did stop. He turned to face her, his gaze piercing and ice-cold, and Alex felt her blood freeze. "Your game?" He spat the word out like a curse, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "This isn't a game, girl. This is hell. A place where people like you die screaming in the dark because they think they're invincible. Because they think they can 'beat' it."
He took a step closer, and she instinctively flinched back, her heart pounding. "You're nothing here," he hissed, his voice low and venomous. "Just another piece of meat waiting to be torn apart. So if you're expecting some grand adventure, some heroic quest—forget it. Out here, you either learn to kill, or you die."
The intensity of his gaze pinned her in place, and for a moment, Alex couldn't breathe. There was something in his eyes—something dark and merciless, a look that told her he'd seen more death and suffering than she could ever imagine.
And he didn't care.
"I—I get it," she stammered, taking a shaky step back. "I—I just…"
But Reed was already turning away, dismissing her as if she were nothing more than a nuisance. "If you're smart, you'll keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way. I don't have time to babysit idiots who think they're in a fantasy world."
The words were like a slap to the face, sharp and stinging. Alex bit her lip, fighting back the urge to snap at him. He was being cruel—unnecessarily so—but deep down, she knew he was right. This wasn't a game. It wasn't some virtual reality she could just log out of. This was real.
And if I die here…
She swallowed hard, a chill running down her spine. If she died here, there would be no respawning. No second chances.
Just…death.
"Fine," she muttered, glaring at his back. "I get it. I'll do what you say."
"Good," he said without looking back. "Then maybe you'll last long enough to be of some use."
They reached the so-called "safehouse" just as the sky began to darken. It was a small, nondescript bunker half-buried in rubble, barely visible from the outside. Reed pushed open the rusted metal door with a grunt, glancing around warily before motioning for her to enter.
"Get in," he ordered curtly.
Alex hesitated, staring into the dim, musty interior. The place looked like it hadn't been used in years—dust and grime coated every surface, and the air was thick with the stench of mildew and decay. But Reed's expression brooked no argument. Clenching her jaw, she ducked inside, trying not to gag at the smell.
The room was cramped and cluttered, filled with scattered supplies and makeshift bedding. A small fire pit stood in the center, surrounded by piles of what looked like broken furniture and rusted tools.
"Sit," Reed said, gesturing to a small, rickety stool in the corner.
Alex obeyed, sinking onto the stool and hugging her arms around herself. The air was damp and cold, and the silence was oppressive. Reed moved around the room with quick, practiced efficiency, checking the supplies and muttering under his breath.
"So…what now?" she asked hesitantly, watching as he set up a small camp stove and began heating what looked like a can of soup.
"Now," he said flatly, not bothering to look at her, "you shut up and listen."
Alex blinked, taken aback by the harshness of his tone. "But I—"
"Didn't you hear me?" he snapped, his gaze sharp and dangerous. "I don't care what you want to say. Out here, talking gets you killed. Thinking gets you killed. You follow my lead, do what I tell you, and maybe—maybe—you'll make it through the night."
His words were brutal, each one like a knife to the gut. Alex bit her lip, her chest tightening with a mix of fear and anger. But she stayed silent. What else could she do?
"Good," Reed muttered, turning back to his task. "Keep it that way."
For the rest of the night, Alex sat in silence, staring into the flickering flames of the small fire Reed had built. She wanted to scream, to demand answers—but the look in his eyes told her all she needed to know.
This world was cold, unforgiving.
And so was he.