A chill swept down her spine. Breezing all the way to her toes. She opened her eyes to find herself in an unknown.

Darkness all around. Drips of water heard in the distance. The smell of sulfur entered her nose.

She glanced around, trying to figure out how she arrived here. But everything was coming up blank. It was perpetually dark, but she could still make out all the shapes around. Only the color and texture seemed to be missing. She tried recalling her memories, but they were missing. ‘Name? I... don't know.’ Faces flashed in her mind, too quick to catch ahold, but with it came a word.

“Family.” Her voice sounded foreign to her, almost hollow. She brought a hand up to rub her eyes. Panic was starting to set in and her next discovery didn’t make the situation better. Her hand was missing flesh, only bone was there. She screeched while falling on her back. Taking a closer look only brought more confusion. The tips were clawed, short, but seemed dangerous. Making her way back up into a stand, she looked down. Her body was much the same. A skeleton, but something was very obviously wrong. It was human-like, but not close enough to be considered human. The joints came out into points and on her shoulders, bone formed natural shoulder pads. The bones seemed too thin, but she could feel they were dense, strong. She reached her bony hands to her face to get a feel for it. Elongated forehead, six holes running their way up. ‘Eyes,’ her brain supplied. Cheekbones too high, too pointy. Bones sticking out the side of her head, but seemed to made out of a different material than bone. ‘Horns,’ her mind helped again. Her panic was rising, but just as quickly it was gone. Logic took over, and she made a couple timid steps forward. Testing her new limbs. The ground was rough, but traversable. So she made her way through the dark. ‘Survival,’ screamed out. The tunnels spiralled in a confusing mess and she walked for what seemed like hours. She tried mapping it in her mind, but still continually came across the same walls. A light caught her eyes and she desperately made her way towards it. Coming out in a jog, the light temporarily blinded her, but once her eyes cleared. The sight would of taken her breath away, if she had any. Ceiling too high and walls too wide. She estimated an expanse of at least two miles. Vegetation consuming the area. Tall trees almost reaching the top and streams splitting off every which way. Looking down the trail, she started her way down. In some areas it was too steep, so she had to make do with climbing. It came easy and she was surprised by the strength of a body without muscles. She reached the bottom and made her way through the vegetation. The vines reached to her thighs, but she didn’t seem to tire. Turning around a rather large tree, she saw a tent. Hope filled her and she sprinted towards it. Only to find it empty of life. It did hold a small collection of books, so she gently picked one up, hoping to find some kind of information. Sadly, she couldn’t read the letters on the book. Sighing to herself she placed it back where she found it and searched for anything useful. By the end she found herself a nice backpack and pots. She decided to leave the tent, in hopes that the person that owned it might return. She made a mental note to revisit this place at a later time.

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She made her way back out again. Desperate to find some kind of society. She didn’t even care if it was hostile. The hours alone and without answers were taking their toll. She marched through, and hours passed once again. The only sign of life were the tiny critters hovering over her in the trees. She wasn’t sure what to make of them. They seemed harmless enough, but every once in awhile, she would notice them send curious glances towards her. Deciding whether she was edible. Fortunately, she couldn’t see any animal wishing to eat her. ‘Unless possibly a dog.’ The statement confused her for a split second, and she had to search herself for what exactly a dog is. The image came shortly after, but still didn’t give her the answer she was looking for. It was frustrating her, so she shrugged it off and continued on her walk.

Further ahead, she happened upon a structure. Dome like in shape, and seemed to be in ruins. Despite that, it screamed man-made to her, and excitement filled her chest. She jogged up to it in a hurry. Not seeing an entrance from her point, she made her way around. Fear gripped her and she couldn’t move. On the stairs entering the building were two bodies, slack and lain across the stairs. ‘Humans.’ She instantly knew. Timidly she approached. If there was something dangerous nearby, she’d rather face it with a weapon. She searched the bodies, but couldn’t find any sort of weapon to defend herself with. Hiding on the side of the building, she opened her backpack and took out a pot. Answers demanded her go in and she didn’t know enough to not listen to the instinct. Holding the pot tight to her chest she made her entrance. It was surprisingly small, without separate rooms. There was a simple wall that spiralled around the dome, opening up in windows every two feet or so. While not big enough to fit through, it was big enough to see what the dome contained. In the center, a creature, or woman. She couldn’t decide. It was made entirely of wood, and right when she entered, it turned towards her. The air tensed and seconds passed by without a movement. An explosion of sound, movement too fast to track. 

Crack.

Bones spread across the floor.