Tommy awoke as a creeping cold settled into his skin. Shivering, he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. He was laying on the ground in the middle of a forest; a full moon hung in the sky, it’s light like a spotlight on the forest floor. The scene was painted like a black and white photo, the shadows ink on an empty canvas.

A stiff breeze rippled through the night air, rattling the barren tree canopies overhead. A heaviness clung to the air and Tommy got the distinct feeling like he was being watched. Glancing around and seeing nothing, he picked himself up and off the forest floor. He had no idea what to make of the entire situation, but he was not about to stick around to find out.

He set off through the forest, searching for anything that might help him. The forest seemed endless, but familiar in a way he couldn't quite grasp. As he wandered aimlessly he took note of the lack of animals in the vicinity.

That was never a good sign.

Step after step, he kept walking; the only sounds coming from the wind in the trees, and his steps echoing off the forest flow.

I thought this was some sort of test…what’s going on? Tommy questioned. Mentally exhausted and physically drained, every step he took seemed to lead him further from any sense of clarity. His sense of confusion and frustration from the past few days was slowly turning into resignation. Maybe I really am just going insane, he thought, wandering aimlessly through the forest, the feeling of being watched ever present.

He could picture it now; he was sitting in a padded cell, arms bound to his chest, eyes staring off into the distance.

SNAP

Tommy stopped everything as his attention returned to his immediate surroundings. Holding his breath and feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up, he slowly turned, eyes scanning the area. After waiting a few minutes and seeing nothing, he continued through the forest.

He didn’t want to be easy prey for whatever lurked in the shadows and figured a slow walk was better than an all out sprint.

The trees here appeared more spaced out but were far larger than their counterparts. He thought he might have been making his way out of the forest, but now he wasn’t so sure.

Mid-step, Tommy felt a sudden shift in the environment. Every nerve in his body felt on fire, and a voice in the back of his mind screamed at him that something was wrong. Listening to that voice, he took cover under a crooked oak that had formed a shelter of sorts. Every sense on alert, Tommy hunched down and waited, sure his impending doom was upon him. After a long, tense silence where he sat under the tree listening, he decided he needed to keep moving. Nothing had moved or shown it's face, but that didn't mean nothing was there.

A feeling at the back of his mind was constantly firing, telling him something was off. Tommy had always been a cynic of mediums, but he couldn't ignore this feeling.

Something was coming for him.

Threading his way through the trees at an all-out run this time, he tore through the night looking to be anywhere but there. A branch directly overhead rustled, and Tommy dove to the side, fearing whatever creature lay in wait for him above. His body hit the dirt and he immediately tucked and rolled behind a tree. Heart hammering in his chest, every action feeling like it could be his last, he glanced around the trunk.

What he saw left him breathless and weak-kneed.

A pair of yellow eyes bore into him from the shadows of the branches; eyes that felt like judge, jury, and executioner. The sense of dread that had been building like a fire in his chest blossomed, spreading icy tendrils of fear to each of his limbs. He couldn’t move, couldn’t hear, couldn’t see anything except for those eyes.

He watched as the monster crawled out from the shadows themselves, pulling its shadowy body onto the branches surrounding Tommy. The creature studied him from above, gazing down like an ancient judge on his bench, waiting to pass judgement.

Like he was reliving a nightmare, Tommy turned and ran as fast as his trembling legs would carry him. He felt like his mind might snap at any moment, the panic, confusion, and anxiety from the past several days rolling over him in a tidal wave. His only thoughts on getting to safety, he ripped past trees, branches tearing at his face and body as he raced through the foliage. The only sounds coming from his feet slapping on the ground beneath him and his ragged breath as he wheezed his way through the night. And then the laugh came. A low, grating laugh. Guttural and full of pain, that laugh followed him, never seeming to drift too far away on the wind as it whipped through the trees.

Tommy felt as if he had officially lost his mind when he saw the shadows around him start to twist and writhe. Tendrils ripped out from the inky dark, aiming for his legs and feet. Stumbling as they wrapped around him he tripped and rolled downhill, his body like a ragdoll. Tommy came to a stop at the bottom, his heart was pounding in his chest feeling like it would burst out at any moment. His ribs screamed at him as he gasped for air, trying to recover before that thing caught him.

Forcing himself to stand, he stumbled onwards, the laugh following him like a whisper in the night. It seemed to echo off all the trees around him, giving him the surreal feeling of being surrounded.

WEAK

The voice boomed next to Tommy as he entered a small clearing in the woods, the area lit up in dazzling moonlight. The shadows clashed with the light, giving off the appearance of teeth gnashing down on its lunch. He came skittering to a stop, lungs heaving for oxygen. His legs were like noodles, hardly holding him up, and sweat drenched every ounce of his clothes, pouring from him like water from the tap. Battered and bruised, he shuddered as the breeze ripped through the clearing, causing an icy sensation throughout his body as his clothes whipped in the air.

And standing across from him came the monster. Tendrils of shadow spooled off the trees, collecting into a mass that grew before his very eyes. A creature eight foot tall towered over him, arms stretching towards the ground ending in sharp claws. The shadow was pitch black, with eyes that glowed red. Tommy could only recall one other time that he had felt eyes so cold. Somehow, he was reliving his worst nightmare. The demon took a step towards him. And then another, and another, each one bringing death an inch closer. Ragged breath by ragged breath, Tommy watched as his nightmare came closer, feet away now. The claws reaching out, aiming for his throat, inching closer and closer. Tommy managed to tear his gaze away from the claw to look his attacker in the face.

And time stopped as the two locked eyes.

In that instant something inside of Tommy surged. He was tired of feeling like this. Tired of feeling helpless, scared, and alone in a foreign land. Of feeling the resignation that his life was forfeit to the situation he found himself in. Sure, he may not have had the best life before coming here. Hell, he would even go as far as to say he might have led a lonely life. But at the end of the day, he had at least some measure of control over it. He had been safe and had family to back him up. But ever since he had appeared here, he was met with confusion, fear, and an overwhelming sense of being alone and helpless.

A wave of white hot anger overwhelmed him. He wouldn't die without a fight.

And with that thought, Tommy sensed something else. A flicker of power sitting on the edge of his perception. Looking inwards, he sensed a small ball of light sitting in his abdomen, slightly above his stomach. Reacting on instinct, he reached for that ball of light and felt a surge of icy fire ripple up inside of him. Taking it, he directed it towards his hands, the light following hidden channels in his body. Tommy could almost see as the power surged from the core above his stomach along paths leading into his arms and hands. The light collected between his hands, building with the power Tommy fed it.

Still looking at the shadow, he took aim and released it.

A jagged, arc of lightning ripped away from his hands, screaming towards the monster. With a flash, the clearing was lit up in a bright, blinding light as the bolt collided with the demon. The light built brighter and brighter until he found himself squinting to see at all. Shock was written across the monster’s face as it was blasted backwards. Oddly, when the creature slammed into the trees, he seemed to ripple away into the surrounding shadows.

Tommy stood there in the clearing, waiting for the next attack. Every nerve was alert, waiting for something, anything, to happen. But nothing did.

And then he realized he was having a hard time standing on his feet. The standing was quickly turning into more of a drunken stumble as his energy seemed to leave him all at once. Falling to the ground in the middle of the clearing, he was straining to keep his eyes open. Fearing he would fall prey to the creature if he fell asleep, he looked inwards, towards where that power lay in wait.

And he found the ball empty.

And with that, went his hope.

Allowing exhaustion to consume him he fell asleep.