Beep! Beep! Beep!

A rough, callused hand slammed onto the bedside table, smacking around in search of the alarm clock.

Beep! Beep!

With the alarm clock silenced, the man grumbled as he got out of bed. Running his hand through his scruffy beard, he turned the corner into his bathroom.

Psss.

Ah, that’s better. Shaking himself off, he scrubbed his hands under the running water. Taking his clothes off, he tossed them into the basket laundry basket before hopping in the shower.

Yesterday was pretty busy, I should check to see what I’ve got left out back. Lathering his body in soap, his mind trailed off to what he’ll do today.

Turning the shower off, he continued on with his usual morning routine. He brushed his teeth, trimmed his beard, and threw on a fresh set of clothes before heading downstairs.

Damn. Looks like I’m gonna have to head out today. Staring at his stock, Joe found it to be much lower than he expected it to be. Might as well get started now. Heading into another room, He chucked on his hunting attire and made sure his backpack was packed with everything he might need before heading to the front of the shop.

Picking up a pen, he wrote down a quick notice saying that the shop will be closed all morning. Taping it to the inside of the front door, he stepped outside and locked up the building. He wiggled the door handle once more to make sure it was locked. Good. Now where should I hunt tod-

Turning around, he was completely stunned by what he saw before him. Instead of seeing the familiar sights of the grocer and florist across the street, he found himself directly across from a medieval looking blacksmith. What the fuck?

He couldn’t feel the sturdy footpath beneath his feet, and when he looked down he found himself standing on a dirt path. The tarmac road had been replaced by a rough cobblestone road. The entire thing made Joe feel as if he had been transported back in time.

Hearing the sound of hooves striking stone, Joe turned his head to see a valiant knight galloping down the street towards him. The horse was as black as night, with a well-groomed mane. Even from a distance, Joe could see the terrifying muscles of the beast, and knew that it could end him with a single kick.

The knight that was riding on it was just as imposing. Decked out in a full set of plate armour, Joe couldn’t make out any of the person’s features. As the knight rode past him, he could see that both the man and the horse towered over him.

Where the fuck am I? Incredibly confused, he rubbed his eyes, thinking that he must’ve been dreaming. Looking at his store front, it looked exactly as he remembered it. Meaning that it was so incredibly out of place in this new environment that it looked ridiculous.

“Good morning, Joe. Over your time as a butcher, you have sinned several times. You have hunted and killed illegally, violated health regulations, and lied to your customers about what they are buying. You deserve to be punished, and this is your last chance to see the error of your ways. I have brought you to a world that is far more stringent than yours when it comes to the law. If you break the law, you will face the consequences.

Your goal is to satisfy the needs of the vast majority of your customers today, and this day promises to be a busy one. So, make sure that you have enough supplies to satisfy them. Good luck, Joe.”

“Who said that? Show yourself!” Joe shouted, looking around to try and find whoever spoke. He searched around the entire street, but couldn’t find anyone. What is going on? Scared, he stepped back into his shop, locking the door behind him.

Carefully clutching onto his gun, his eyes darted across the front glass window, as he scanned the passersby on the street. No matter what they looked like, whether they were young or old, healthy or riddled with disease, he felt an overwhelming sense of danger when he looked at them. Trapped in this strange environment that he knew next to nothing about, everything beyond the confines of his walls felt dangerous to him.

Maybe I can just wait all of this out? I’m perfectly safe he-

Bang bang bang. BANG BANG BANG.

A heavy knocking came from the door, making Joe jump. Someone was staring at him through the glass door, all the while knocking with increasing intensity. The doorframe began to shake under the intensity of the pounding, and fine cracks began to form on the glass.

Doing the first thing that came to his mind, Joe rushed to the door, opening it so that the person would stop knocking. Despite feeling like he was being stared down by a vicious predator, Joe held his ground and tried his best to appear calm.

“How may I help you today?” Joe asked.

“I would like to buy some sausages please.” The man walked past Joe, heading directly to peruse the meats in front of him.

Trying his best to appear natural, he walked to the other side of the counter, simultaneously keeping an eye on the man and the street outside. “What kind of sausages are you looking for?”

“Hmm, these ones look good, what’s in them?” The man asked.

Looking at the sausages, Joe was about to instinctively say Pork, but remembered what the voice said earlier. “They’re a mix of pork and rabbit.”

The man stood there for a moment, scratching his chin. “I’ll take ten of them.” He nodded.

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Bundling up and packaging the sausages, Joe rung up the man’s order and quickly sent him on his way. Hearing the door close behind the man, he heaved a sigh of relief.

Over the course of the next hour, several customers entered. Watching as his stock quickly dwindled, he was forced to make a decision. I have to go out to get more meat.

Noticing a small lull in customers, he disassembled his hunting rifle and stuffed it into his bag. Leaving a note on the door, he quickly left before anyone else could show up.

Waving down a random passerby, he got directions to the nearest farmland and went on his way. Let’s hope they have something I can buy.

Walking further out of town, he found the whole place to be far smaller than he expected it to be. It was more of a village than anything else. It wasn’t long before he made it to the outskirts and found himself wondering into farmland. Despite finding himself in a strange new world, laying eyes on the fertile soil and large flocks of cattle made his heart feel at ease.

Seeing someone tending to the animals, he waited for them to finish their work before waving them down.

“Hey, I run a butchery in town and I’m running a little low on stock. Do you have anything by chance that I can buy?” Joe asked.

“We might have something. Follow me.” The man led Joe to a large shed behind the farmhouse.

Looking inside, he spotted a few fresh carcasses hung on meat hooks. This should be enough? Now how do I get it back to the shop without my truck?

“Looks like you’re in luck. We’ve still got some left. What do you want?” The farmer asked.

“I’ll take all of it. Do you mind helping me get it back to my place?” Joe asked.

“Don’t have your own carriage? No wonder you’re running low. Sure, I’ll help, that’ll be fifty thousand dollars.” The farmer said, waiting for the cash to be handed over.

“That’s ridiculous! There are only three carcasses here! This is price gouging!” Furious at the ridiculous price, Joe yelled at the farmer.

“This is the market rate. If you’re too poor to afford it, then get out.” The farmer said coldly while glaring at Joe.

“No! I won’t leave until you quote me a reasonable price on this meat.”

“Get out.” The man said harshly.

“Make me.” Joe said while getting in the man’s face.

THUD!

Before he could react, Joe was sent crashing through the shed door. Bouncing and skidding across the ground, he kicked up a trail of dirt and dust.

“NOW GET OFF MY PROPERTY” The farmer bellowed.

Coming to a stop in a cloud of dust, pain wracked Joe’s body. Shit! How the fuck is he so strong? Picking himself up off the ground, he ran away immediately, worried that the farmer might want another go at him.

Fuck. That could’ve gone better. At least I’ve still got my stuff. Getting back to the butchery, he tossed the bag aside and threw himself onto a chair. What am I going to do?

BANG, BANG, BANG!

A heavy knock bashed against the door, shaking the very foundations of the building. Looking up at the door in horror, Joe saw a line of people standing out the front of his shop, all staring at him. Jesus fucking Christ!

Bolstered by his fear, Joe ran to the door as fast as his legs could carry him. Before the knocking could get any more devastating, Joe quickly let the customers in.

He grew more and more stressed as his stock dwindled, but thankfully, he just barely managed to scrape up enough for the final customer in the line. With the store empty, he didn’t hesitate to grab his bag and leave immediately, afraid that someone else might come.

I have no other choice; I have to go hunting. As long as I’m careful, I won’t get caught.

Walking down the street, Joe felt incredibly anxious and worried, as if someone was watching his every move. He tried to stay calm, but he couldn’t stop himself from constantly glancing at his surroundings. Even as he reached the outskirts of the village, the dreadful feeling of being watched didn’t disappear.

It wasn’t until he stepped into the forest that the odd feeling ceased, and his paranoia eased. Staying on high alert, he dropped his bag onto the ground and assembled his rifle. All the while, he kept his ear out for any noises, in case something or someone tried to sneak up on him.

Rifle in hand, he slung the bag over his shoulder and quietly marched through the forest in search of prey.

Kneeling down in the soil, he spotted a set of deer tracks running perpendicular to his path. This is the first physical sign of an animal. I have to go for it.

Keeping his head on a swivel, he followed the tracks through the forest. Off in the distance, he heard the quiet sound of running water. As he continued to follow the deer’s tracks, the sound grew louder and louder.

Eventually, Joe stopped behind a tree at the edge of a clearing. Peeking around the corner, he saw a lone deer drinking from a river. Steadying himself, his eyes swept across his surroundings. Good. Nothing’s here to see me.

Dropping to the ground, he took a deep breath and aimed his rifle at the deer.

BANG.

Birds flew off, distancing themselves from the sound of the gunshot.

The bullet flew through the air, barrelling towards the deer. Before it could react, there was already a hole in its head.

Watching as the body dropped to the ground, Joe immediately got to work cleaning the carcass and getting it away from the clearing. I don’t know if something’s gonna show up after that, but I don’t want to be here if it does.

Dragging the deer through the forest, he stopped for a moment to catch his breath. Now, how am I gonna get this back to my shop? Will I have to prep it out here and carry it back in my bag?

Joe was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice when the forest became freakishly quiet. It was only when the feeling of being watched returned stronger than ever that he noticed. What’s going on?

He looked around in a panic but found nothing.

CRACK. THUD.

The silence was broken by the sound of a tree crashing to the floor. The forest came to life as everything inside it began to flee for their lives. Countless animals passed by Joe without even noticing him.

Off in the distance, the forest collapsed in an unending tide of falling trees.

Left completely shocked, Joe did the only thing his mind could think of. He everything he had and ran for his life.

Unfortunately, as he was running back to the village, another wave of crashing trees started, but this time it was in front of him. Completely helpless, he had no choice but to make a hard turn.

His lungs felt like they were burning, and his legs were on the verge of collapse, but he continued to push himself forward. Unfortunately, the forest didn’t give him the chance to escape. The deafening crashing sounds became all-encompassing as the entire forest collapsed in on him.

As the trees began to clear, he finally found out what was causing this destruction. He watched in fear as towering giants charged recklessly towards him.

The grocer, the knight, the farmer, and many more. All of them now towered over him. Cast in darkness by the towering figures, his body finally collapsed.

“Unfortunately, Joe, you were unable to complete your goal. Not only that, but you’ve also gone against my advice and broken the law. Now, you are about to receive your punishment. Enjoy Hell Joe. Goodbye.”