The crater had collapsed deep into the stone floor of the Garage. At the center of the crater, atop a mound of rubble laid what seemed to be the cause of this cave-in. It even poked out from the top of the hole by a few feet. The man suspected it to have caused the quakes as well. In fact he knew it was.

It was exactly what he hoped for.

A towering obelisk bore deep into the ground at crater's center. The man was frozen at the sight of it, but quickly began sobbing and started climbing down to it.

It was a gateway to the real world.

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The gate was ancient in appearance. Otherworldly ancient. It was constructed with massive black stone blocks and had a sort of hieroglyphic writing etched in rows along every edge and curve per block.

The stone was as smooth as glass and beautifully reflected the neutral stale tones of the electric lights overhead. Along with the textual carvings were shapes of marble vinery that had seemingly been sculpted into the slabs, as if to make it look earthborn. Yet somehow, despite its inanimate inorganic state, blue luminescent flowers bloomed from the stone vines and emitted a haze of vibrant particles in the air. Yes, real flowers!

The man sighed upon seeing each detail of the monolith, proving what his eyes were seeing was indeed real. It was a sigh of peace. The man was finally at ease. Calmed by not only the presence of the gate, but likewise it's ambience.

He sat upon his knees and he gazed longingly at every detail of the structure. A particle of the blue pollen drifted into his ear and he gently cupped it. Holding it in his hands he watched the lifeline dim into obscurity like a cold night's ember. The gate exuded life itself..! He shed tears once more.

Many years. Many. Many. Many years had he spent searching for this great treasure.

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He was lost. No more physically as he’d been for so long, now it was in thought. His mind had lost its ability to think above survival instincts, now he was regaining what he long had left behind.

Although his mind was at peace, his fears started re-emerging even amidst the presence of the gate.

He didn't think about the implications of his journey. There was no telling how a gate got here…

Truly he didn’t really know where they came from in the first place, but they usually weren’t found. They found you in most cases.

He’d imagined he was the first to have found a gate from the mere sound it made.

But there were other ways, strange other ways, most of which he had no access to in all these long years and likely would never have access to.

Once the man gathered himself, he began to speculate the circumstances that had to be given to spawn a gate into existence. Even as mysterious as they were, some knowledge was clearly ascertained from them, knowledge that he would have to dig for from the depths of memory. They’re space-time anomalous structures of non-human origin that bridge alternate physical realms. Something along those lines, but also far from an exact description.

It was all he could muster from long unused memory. There's more than one, of course. Gates.

Different types, Gates that lead back to the real world were the most uncommon of these ancient monuments. However, the gates that lead to this world from the real world were strangely abundant. Thankfully he could tell that this one was of the rare kind, simply because of its color.

But... The man froze in contemplation. He wasn't aware of any gates that situated themselves in large craters... They’re usually located in less hostile locations, which this would be except for the glaring wide crater. It was almost as if it was dropped from up high in the sky…?

Peering up, he saw how far this portion of the garage ascended. Clouds drifted in the "sky", pushed on by wafts from ventilation ducts. Although this world doesn't age or degrade, which would otherwise lead to natural cycles that you would see on Earth—it can sometimes create weather in its vastness. Quakes, floods, rain, and lightning storms. And it likewise doesn't follow standard earthly laws of physics, but at times it allows for exceptions such as gravity and momentum.

So in turn that means—The gate was dropped from the sky!?

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....

He changed his mental course. Less on the specifics for now. What mattered more was how to open it?

How to leave this world for his home world? There was hardly a recollection in his spiraling memory of what he was supposed to do.

All those memories telling him what it was and none to explain how it works! He was eager to open a portal and escape!

It was barely a figment of a dream that he could ever leave this wretched realm again. But here it was.

In his reach, but utterly useless without the knowledge to open it, if there was even a way to open it at all!? He paced in circles in hopes of rehashing a memory of how to open a rift to the other side.

He then climbed into the threshold and began feeling his hands along the inner walls. It seemed hopeless, his efforts. He was getting antsy and impatient. Nerves were kicking in as his paranoia loomed—that he most likely wasn't the only one to be looking for this gate! Called by the sound of the quakes and the destruction, anything could fall down this crater in a mad dash of hunger and/or the simple desire to destroy!

Although. It had taken him weeks and still this place has seemingly been untouched. The slight comforting thought didn't sway his desperation. In a panic he recited deep memories on the means to open the gate, but to no end! It was as if his memory was stolen! No amount of time passing could allow him to forget such important information, but here it was gone! How quickly he descended into madness upon finding this gate. It was bleak.

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Amidst his frantics he heard a noise. No noise would he be comforted to hear, but this was—A cry.

He would have to abandon the gate... He was terrified. That noise resembled no human, and even if it was… well, that would be worse. But he was equally as scared that the gate wouldn't be here when he came back.

How much more eternity could he suffer if another gate never appeared again? The odds were against him with this incredibly rare occurrence. He didn't want to stay anymore than he wanted to leave. Something terrible was coming! Something that he did good to avoid all these thousands of years.

What perfect timing this was to align with his festering panic... Now of all times?!

An idea crept into his mind as his adrenaline rushed. Maybe he could hide in the rubble, peek out to keep an eye on the gate? Whatever was coming was likely—no hopefully, a low intelligence being that's only attracted to noises! The logistics in his head were clashing. Destructive mindless creature or a hungry calculated predator?! The man knew how to cover his scent... but… With such close proximity it might be ineffective. He would be caught, doomed. Why though did he fear death when this world already embodied hades?

A question he never got to ponder... The air suddenly got frigid and an electric pulse bounced through the walls that was followed by a likewise pulse-like echo.

His skin crawled. His hair stood up on end as the static riddled his skin and shot like ice at his nervous system.

It was here.

Decision was clear. He dove behind a mound of boulders and steel beams! Immediately he started grabbing handfuls of gravel and dust and poured it over his head and rubbed it over his arms and legs! He breathed to calm his heartbeat, or else it would be a death sentence. Whatever he could do to reinforce his safeguards. It got ice cold fast. He didn't particularly know why, but he did know that some creatures had abnormal environmental effects or even strange powers.

He hoped the thing would be too preoccupied with the gate to sniff him out. The man had been careful for years to not get caught by any of the things that roamed the endless sea of steel and concrete. It was a strong will that kept him going against all odds! A trait that unfortunately his former comrades did not have...

As it neared he could hear more of the noises this monster emitted. Screeching, metallic groaning, a strange cry, almost like that of a bat. And with a gush of wind followed by a thunderous boom—he knew that it had entered into the crater with him! He shivered as his heart raced, and yet he kept his breath calm, lest the beast notice him by the smallest of sounds.

A low growl persisted to remind him that it was idly roaming the crater. He occasionally got sight of it through the tiny screw holes in the steel beams he was under. Nothing more really could describe the beast he was viewing from his deep hiding spot—as it was so tall that it obscured itself! It was ginormous and ghastly.

The contour of the creature was defined by a slight green glow. In his own opinion, the man wished that he could wipe his memory of the sight of it. He could make out a mouth, brimming full of razor sharp teeth. No definitive eyes.

It stood atop the gate—its talons dug deep into it, yet thankfully causing no visible damage. It hummed a low growl.

The man was able to glimpse a long wiry tail that protruded from the creature and coiled around the perimeter of the entire crater from the top to the bottom. It was as if it was inexplicitly scanning the environment. Looking for something. Looking for him... The gate was irrelevant.

The man prayed. Not that it would not sense him but that it would open a rift through the gate...Somehow... He began to doubt it though. Maybe more entities will come to investigate following after it. Or maybe they'll gather together and fight over dominance of the gate… or over he himself.

He had knowledge that some creatures of this world had more intelligence than others. This one seemed to have a predatory curiosity but nothing more in that… thick… metal husk…

It would find him unless another entity arrived. Or if the gate opened. There's many types of creatures and phenomena in this world. It was easy to lose track of it all. But he knew all that was necessary to keep surviving. They mostly fought to take claim of being the predominant hunters of this unnatural ecosystem. Which is a fitting role for them considering—well—the man couldn't remember the exact reasoning for why that was so.

But he was left to wonder. Was it their choice or was it the curse of eternity?