Jason's eyes fluttered open, his breath shallow and quick. The ground beneath him was cool and damp, and the air smelled of earth and something faintly metallic. He sat up, disoriented, and took in his surroundings.
He was in a dense forest, its towering trees stretching endlessly upward. The sky above was a deep, unnatural shade of purple, streaked with swirling clouds that seemed to pulse like living veins. A faint, eerie light bathed everything in a ghostly glow, though its source was nowhere to be seen.
"What the hell…" Jason muttered, scrambling to his feet. His hands brushed against the mossy ground, and he realized it wasn't moss at all—it was a dense layer of writhing, root-like tendrils. He yanked his hand back, shuddering.
The last thing he remembered was signing the contract and the blinding light. Now he was here, wherever "here" was. His mind raced, replaying the figure's words: "A new world, filled with challenges and possibilities."
"Some kind of twisted dream," he whispered. But as he pinched his arm hard enough to bruise, the dull ache confirmed otherwise.
A sudden rustling nearby snapped him to attention. He turned, his heart pounding, and saw movement among the trees. Something—or someone—was watching him.
"Hello?" he called out, his voice trembling.
From the shadows emerged a creature unlike anything he had ever seen. It stood on two legs but was hunched and grotesque, its pale, translucent skin stretched tight over a skeletal frame. Its eyes glowed faintly, and its elongated fingers twitched as it sniffed the air.
Jason stumbled back, his pulse racing. "Stay back!" he shouted, though his voice carried no authority.
The creature tilted its head, as if studying him. Then, without warning, it lunged.
Jason barely had time to react. He threw himself to the side, crashing into the roots and tendrils. The creature's claws slashed through the air where he had just been. Scrambling to his feet, Jason ran.
The forest seemed to shift and twist as he sprinted, the trees closing in and the ground rippling beneath him. He glanced over his shoulder, his chest heaving, and saw the creature pursuing him with unnatural speed.
His foot caught on a root, and he tumbled forward, hitting the ground hard. Pain shot through his knees and palms, but he forced himself to turn and face the creature. It was almost upon him, its glowing eyes locked onto his.
Jason grabbed the nearest object—a jagged rock—and held it in trembling hands. As the creature leapt, he swung with all his might.
The rock connected with a sickening crunch, and the creature let out a shriek that echoed through the forest. It staggered back, its head twitching unnaturally, before collapsing into a heap.
Jason sat frozen, clutching the blood-streaked rock, his chest heaving. The world around him seemed to hold its breath.
Then, from the shadows, more glowing eyes appeared—dozens of them.
Jason's grip on the rock tightened. He wasn't in a dream. He wasn't on Earth. And he was far from safe.