Without warning, Zelly found herself plummeting through a seemingly endless void. She was dropping at a terrifying speed, her hair whipping around her face, her clothing fluttering violently against her body. The air roared in her ears, yet her own screams seemed to hang in the void, echoing and stretching out unnaturally long. She was falling, falling and falling; her heart pounded in her chest, her breath coming in short gasps as a gut-wrenching fear consumed her.
She reached out, her fingers clawing at the nothingness, desperately seeking something—anything—to grasp onto. But there was nothing. She was alone, hurtling towards an unseen bottom. She screamed again, this time for Zac, but her call echoed back to her, unanswered. The world spun around her, her vision blurring as everything began to fade to black. And then, just as abruptly as it had started, she collided with a solid surface, her consciousness slipping away as quickly as a blown-out candle.
When she woke, it was to the sensation of something wet and slimy prodding her cheek, slithering around her face like a large worm. Blinking open her eyes, she was met with the sight of a strange-looking creature. It was an unusual shade of red and appeared to be a bizarre cross between a dolphin and a lizard, its silver eyes twinkling with what could only be described as curiosity. A long tail twitched behind it, and its tongue flicked out, leaving a trail of slime on her face.
Zelly recoiled instinctively, her heart pounding as she yelled out, "Get away!" The creature, taken aback by her reaction, emitted a high-pitched noise before scurrying off, disappearing as if it had been swallowed by the landscape. Zelly wiped at her face, grimacing at the residual smelly slime left by the creature's tongue.
As she picked herself up from the ground, her surroundings came into sharper focus. She was on a beach, but not like any she had ever seen. Instead of the golden or white sands she was accustomed to, she stood on a soft carpet of pink grains, speckled with tiny sparkles that caught the light. The ocean lapped at the shore, but instead of the familiar blue, it was a beautiful, ethereal purple.
Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the sheer beauty of the scenery, the magical aura of it all. It was at once alien and mesmerising.
"Where on earth am I?" she wondered aloud, her voice a shadow of a whisper. It was then that she chanced a glance upwards, and her breath hitched in her throat.
The sky was a deep, dark blue, deeper than any night sky she had ever seen. But what truly caught her attention were the celestial bodies that adorned it. A sun, eerily similar to Earth's, hung in the sky, casting a warm glow over everything. And scattered across the expanse were not one, not two, but ten moons, each seeming to float in a slow, mesmerizing dance.
"Zac! Zac!" she called out, her voice echoing in the vast, empty beach. The only response was the gentle sound of the waves lapping against the shore. Zac, her womb-mate, her twin, was nowhere to be found. “I’m all alone!”
A wave of fear washed over her, followed by a moment of absurdity.
"I must be dreaming," she concluded, giving herself a pinch. She yelped at the pain. "Ouch! Guess I'm not dreaming. But where am I? The last thing I remember was playing Mom and Dad's game, and then...I got zapped into it? But how?"
She stopped herself, her brow furrowing.
Zelly stood at the edge of the beach, her heart pounding in her chest like a drum. The sky overhead, once a radiant blue, now darkened ominously, roiling with storm clouds that looked heavy with rain. An electric prickling sensation swept across her skin, the atmospheric charge before a bolt of lightning. Zelly knew she had to leave the beach – and quickly.
No sooner had the first droplets of rain begun to fall than a thick fog rolled in from the sea, blanketing the beach in an eerie, disorienting mist. It swallowed the landscape, leaving her surrounded by a sea of grey, unable to discern where the sand ended and the sky began. She quickly ran, and ran and ran, trying to escape the downpour as thick fog engulfed the area.
Zelly inhaled deeply, her breath shuddering in the silence of the fog. "Come on, Zelly. Keep going. You can make it," she murmured to herself, her voice swallowed by the dense mist.
Her first step into the fog felt like stepping off a cliff. She moved forward, the world around her swallowed by the fog, replaced by an unknown terrain that seemed to stretch on endlessly. She was alone, or so she thought, until she heard it: a low, menacing growl, resonating through the fog, a sound that chilled her to her very core.
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Fear surged through her like a current, pushing her forward. She ran, the fog swirling around her as she sprinted blindly. The growling grew louder, closer, and she chanced a glance over her shoulder. Out of the fog emerged a monstrous green face, distorted and terrifying. Its eyes glowed an eerie yellow, its sharp, jagged teeth glistening with a mix of saliva and what looked ominously like blood.
Her foot caught on a hidden stone, and she stumbled, falling to her knees. The growls were getting closer now, the green, monstrous face emerging from the fog was just meters away. Her heart hammered against her ribcage, her breaths coming in ragged gasps. She was paralyzed with fear.
Just as she thought it was over, a hand reached out to her, pulling her back up to her feet. She looked up, meeting the gaze of a man with a face that struck a chord of familiarity within her. His eyes were filled with a burning determination. She was hoping it was Zac, but this was a much older man.
"Get up, Zelly! Run!" he yelled, pushing her forward. His voice rang in her ears, a beacon of hope amidst the terror.
With renewed strength, she bolted away from the horrifying figure, towards the edge of the fog. The growls faded behind her, replaced by the rustling of leaves and the distant rumble of thunder.
As she stumbled out of the fog, panting heavily, she found herself at the edge of a vast forest.
Numerous trees populated this forest, but there was one type that stood singular in its majesty. Pine trees of such monumental height they stretched skyward until their tops disappeared into the clouded expanse. They loomed over Zelly like silent, towering sentinels, their branches swaying with an ominous whisper. Yet, the certainty of her journey was undeniable. Despite the apprehension that gnawed at her courage, Zelly knew she had no other option but to plunge into the heart of the enigmatic woodland.
As she ventured further, her eyes fell upon a curious sight. Nailed to the gnarled bark of one of the towering pines was a note. It read: 'Here Stands The Menacing Pines. Beware.' Zelly furrowed her brow, her fingers tracing the edges of the parchment. 'A note? I wonder who wrote this? Is this part of Mom and Dad’s design of the game?' She mused aloud. Then it dawned on her, a chilling realization trickling down her spine. 'Wait a second... Am I really stuck in the game? But how? And what does this note mean by beware? Beware of what? So these trees are dangerous? They look like normal trees to me. And they’re called MENACING pines? What’s so menacing about them?'
With a skeptical smirk, she reached out and poked the tree. Nothing happened. She let out a dismissive laugh. 'This must be a joke. Dad has always been a joker. Ha!'"
She then wondered what happened to the man that had helped her up. He was nowhere to be seen, swallowed by the fog and the monster within it. His face, his voice, and his words stuck with her, leaving her with a mystery to solve and a sense of dread that her journey was far from over.
“Who was that man, and where the hell did he go? Was he my guardian angel?” She thought to herself. Then she began to move on as she searched frantically for some sort of shelter; anything that she could hide under or in. Somewhere to rest. Somewhere to be safe from that thing. That green ugly thing.
As the sun began its descent, casting long shadows and painting the sky in hues of lavender and tangerine, Zelly found herself racing against the encroaching darkness. Night was closing in, and with it, the unseen terrors that haunted the vast, magical forest.
Stumbling over an unseen, thick root of a gargantuan tree, she landed flat on her back, the force of the fall stealing the breath from her lungs. "Ouch!" she groaned, wincing as a sharp pain shot up her spine.
Her gaze turned upwards, and the sight that greeted her was both astonishing and terrifying. The tree towered over her, its trunk a massive, sinewy pillar stretching high into the rapidly darkening sky. Its leaves, now visible under the waning light, were colossal, much larger than any earthly tree could boast. They were like giant green umbrellas, sheltering the world below from the heavens.
Her eyes widened as she spotted something amidst the foliage. "Could it be?" she murmured to herself, squinting against the fading daylight. There, seemingly woven into the branches, was a structure - a treehouse. It was an unusual sight; a multi-leveled, wooden edifice nestled within this behemoth of a tree.
She quickly pushed herself to her feet, eyes never leaving the sight. "A treehouse? It must be a trick of the light," she muttered, her heart pounding against her ribs. The notion of climbing the tree filled her with dread, her stomach churning at the thought of ascending such a height.
But then, the rain started. Fat droplets fell from the sky, turning the ground to a slick, black mire that clung to her clothes and seeped into her shoes. It wasn't the familiar brown of earthy mud, but a dark, almost tar-like substance that made her shudder.
The rain grew more intense, the wind howled, and the treehouse seemed to be her only refuge. "I can't climb that tree," she whispered to herself, her voice nearly drowned out by the rain. "But what choice do I have?"
Her mind raced, the fear of heights battling against the fear of the unknown lurking in the forest. "Come on, Zelly," she muttered, trying to muster her courage. "You can do this." Images of a safe, dry shelter, perhaps even some leftover food, tempted her.
With a shaky breath, she reached out to grasp the slick trunk. It was not like the rough, coarse bark of trees she knew. It was slippery, almost like snake skin. Her heart pounded as she hauled herself up, slipping back down after only a few feet. Mud splattered everywhere, the black mire staining her clothes.
She groaned, her hands and knees aching from the repeated falls. But the thought of what lurked in the forest propelled her to try again. And again. Each time, the slick bark offered little grip, the rain made everything worse. But she persevered. "Just a little bit more, Zelly," she told herself, gritting her teeth.
The journey up the tree was a battle, but the prospect of safety drove her on. With each slip, each fall, and each new attempt, she reminded herself of the alternative: staying on the ground, exposed and vulnerable. And with that thought, she climbed. Then, all of a sudden, she heard a rustle followed by a loud growl behind her that caused her to scream.