One

               Ancient trees towered all around him, fluffy lichen clinging to their thick trunks. The sun was out but barely penetrated the thick canopy of leaves hundreds of feet in the air, providing very little sunlight illuminating the rough forest floor. The air overflowed with birdsong and the rustling of leaves as a stout breeze filtered through the towering conifers.

               Marcus just lay there, his eyes following the thin branches of the trees as they swayed in the wind and the small animals that flitted through them. His arms were splayed to either side of him, and his legs rested uncomfortably on a large rock that jutted sharply from the ground, still, he didn’t dare move. He didn’t want to attract the attention of whatever it was that had roared only a few minutes ago.

               He had woken up in this position. At first, he was sure it was a dream, as he had fallen asleep in his apartment just the night before. He had been having increasingly vivid dreams as of late, all of which involved a forest much like this and all the sights and sounds accompanying one. He would glide through the trees like a specter, able to see everything around him and unable to interact with anything.

               It would always start out peacefully, but quickly devolve into a nightmare. The forest would begin to decay, the trees rotting from the inside out, and their leaves turning into ash that was carried away by a foul wind. The animals would fall from the branches, screeching in pain as tumors overtook their bodies, transforming them into hideous monstrosities that made a mockery of what they once were. Then, as the world decayed all around him, he would see it...

               The roar came again, thankfully, this time much further away. Letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding in, Marcus lifted his head. He could see his heaving chest as he scanned the forest immediately around him. The lack of any visible threat worked to calm his frayed nerves.

               But he had no idea where he was.

               Slowly getting to his feet, he brushed the brown, dried needles from his naked upper body. He checked his pockets, knowing that his pajama bottoms wouldn’t hold anything useful, but still going through the motions. You never know…

               Not finding anything, he tried to remember what had happened the night before.

               He had worked the previous night, bouncing at the Velvet Cloud. It called itself an upscale gentleman’s club, but everyone around knew that it was nothing but a seedy strip joint. Still, it paid good money, and it was easy work. Sure, sometimes there would be someone who got a little handsy after a bit too much to drink, but with his intimidating size and gruff demeanor, they would always decide to leave quietly.

               Once he had finished his shift, the sun just breaking over the horizon, he made his way back to his very tiny and extremely depressing apartment. It was barely big enough to be considered livable. In fact, it more closely resembled a refurbished shipping container than an actual residence. His bed unfolded from the wall right into his kitchen, a mini-fridge took up residence on his very limited counter space, a hotplate and toaster oven were the only means for him to cook his meals, and his shower and toilet were somehow molded into one single piece.

               But it was what he could afford. He was only biding his time, saving money from his ‘security’ work so that he could move out of the city, preferably to somewhere with much more nature and much fewer people.

               Still, this amount of nature was a little much for what Marcus had in mind.

               He started to walk in a random direction, the brittle needles crunching underneath his bare feet. Marcus still wasn’t certain he wasn’t dreaming, but as he stubbed his toe upon a hidden rock he quickly came to the truth of the situation.

               “Ah, Goddamnit!” Marcus shouted out in pain as he stumbled forward. Catching himself before he hit the ground, he snapped his mouth shut to avoid making any more noise. He hadn’t heard whatever it was that roared earlier for some time now, but he still held a healthy dose of fear in his heart from it. Once the sharp pain in his foot faded to nothing but a dull throb, he started walking once more, this time paying much more attention to his footing.

               The already dim light within the forest darkened as the sun traveled across the sky. Marcus knew that he had been walking for a while, but without any way to keep track, he was uncertain exactly how long. He didn’t know exactly when it happened, but Marcus was suddenly aware of the difference in vegetation as he made his way forward. The barren, needled-covered ground was suddenly replaced by sporadic small bushes and green, leafy weeds that reminded him of Romain lettuce. The trees themselves were more spread out as well, allowing much more light to bathe the forest floor; unfortunately, as night quickly approached, that fact didn’t help Marcus navigate the forest.

               The chill of the night quickly enveloped him, sending uncontrollable shivers down his uncovered body. Marcus vigorously rubbed his arms with his large hands, but nothing he did helped to warm his exposed skin. He wanted nothing more but to stop and rest, but he knew that if he didn’t find shelter soon, he ran a real risk of freezing to death. Begrudgingly, he continued on, stumbling through the now nearly pitch-black forest, his teeth clattering against each other.

               Just as he thought he wasn’t going to make it and turn into an overgrown popsicle, Marcus found himself in a dense clearing. The forest had been thinning out for a while now, but the sudden shift told him that the clearing wasn’t natural. Also, the towering silhouette of a ruined tower in the center of the clearing added to that assumption.

               “Oh, thank God…” Marcus exhaled between his chattering teeth as he hurried forward.

               The ground was mostly flat, but the brambles were thick and full of thorns, many of which caught on his thin pants and ripped them to shreds. His skin didn’t fare much better, but he ignored the stinging pain, keeping his eyes on the crumbed wall in front of him. Most of the wall still stood, but a large section of it had collapsed, leaving large stones littered across the ground. Taking advantage of the hole in the wall, Marcus clambered over the pile of stone and through the wide opening.

               On the other side of the tall stone wall, nothing of immediate interest greeted him. The ground was hard packed dirt with cobblestone embedded into it, preventing the invasive weeds from taking over the grounds. The remains of small wooden buildings were scattered across the wide courtyard, but they had long ago deteriorated into nothing but rotted heaps. Marcus doubted there would be anything left that could help him. But what really held his attention was the foreboding structure directly before him.

               A stone tower resembling a squat turret from a medieval castle loomed menacingly in the night. It appeared much more intact than the wall that surrounded it, although Marcus did have a hard time seeing it in the dim starlight. Dark, empty slits lined the top of the tower, giving those that once manned this outpost a clear view of the entire area; they were tall and narrow, just wide enough that he might have been able to squeeze through them if he were to turn sideways.

               The only other opening on the tower was a gaping hole where a thick, wooden door once hung. It was just as dark and imposing as the window slits, only much more terrifying as it reminded Marcus of a hungry maw waiting to gobble him up. He suddenly had second thoughts about venturing inside, but as a sudden gust of wind buffeted him as he stood there, driving what little heat remained in his body out, he steeled his fraying nerves and pressed on.

               He paused at the void-like threshold, willing his eyes to pierce the intimidating darkness but failing to convince them to work the way he wanted.

               “Hello…” Marcus called out, his voice trembling just as much as his body. “Is anyone here?”

               He knew he wouldn’t get an answer, he just wanted to make some amount of noise to scare out any wild animals that might be making this tower their home. The last thing he wanted to do was surprise a family of raccoons and be on the bad end of their sharp, pointy teeth. Satisfied by the lack of noise coming from inside, Marcus slowly made his way into the darkness.

               It was dark, extremely so. It wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t see at all, but if there were any hazards within the building, he would have to move very slowly in order to avoid them. Shuffling his feet, he made his way deeper inside. He was looking for anything to help him keep warm as the temperature outside continued to drop. He knew he wouldn’t be able to start a fire, but even a small hole that he could crawl into would be better than staying out in the openness of the tower.

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               The outlines of large mounds populated the inside of the tower, and when he touched one, a shiver ran down his spine. Bones. Piles of bones just as tall as him surrounded him. Marcus barely contained his shocked yelp as he clamped his hand over his mouth. He could feel his heart beating vigorously in his throat, and his skin prickled with beads of sweat as he took several steps back.

               He had to run.

               There was no telling what sort of vicious predator had made a den inside the tower, and he could only count himself lucky that it wasn’t there as he wandered inside. He could imagine a colossal grizzly bear or a dozen snarling wolves stalking the forest around the tower during the night, coming here during the day to rest. Suddenly, the cold didn’t seem to bother him nearly as it had only moments before.

               He held himself back from tearing out of the tower, terrified that any noise would attract unwanted attention. He mentally berated himself for calling out the way he had when he first entered the abandoned tower. That easily could have been the last mistake he ever made.

               With hurried but silent steps, he made his way back to the open doorway. Suddenly, and without warning, the ground beneath his feet vanished. Marcus felt his stomach lurch up into his mouth as he dropped down, and then a sudden blow assaulted his chin as it made contact with the edge of the pit he had fallen into. His vision went white with pain, and stars exploded into being all around him as he continued to fall.

               “Ugh…”

               Marcus didn’t know how long he had been out, but one thing that he did know for certain was that the only thing that hurt worse than his face was his leg. With a great amount of effort, he rolled over onto his back. Opening his eyes, he stared up at the long, vertical shaft that led back up to the surface. It was nothing more than a pinprick of light. The sun must have risen while he was unconscious.

               A burning began to crop up behind his eyes. It wasn’t a feeling of despair or fear but of anger and frustration. He had tried to put his strange situation to the back of his mind as he made his way through the forest, thinking that when he found someone, they would have answers to his many questions, but as the day turned into night, his thoughts were only filled with finding someplace to get warm. Then he had found the tower, then the bones… and this fucking hole.

               He was mad… He was pissed.

               What the hell was going on? Not only had he woken up in a strange forest, completely lost, but now he was at the bottom of a shaft with what felt like a broken leg and a few missing teeth. It was bullshit!

               Forcing himself to his one good leg, Marcus swallowed the anger bubbling up from his chest. Throwing a fit wasn’t going to help him, and he’d be damned if he would allow himself to die in some fucking hole in the ground.

               Using what little light filtered down the narrow shaft, Marcus took stock of his situation. His leg wasn’t bent at a funny angle and no bones were sticking out, so he took that as a good thing. Maybe he had just sprained it during his fall? But as he tried to put weight on it, Marcus quickly decided that it was definitely broken. Moving past his leg, he ran his hand over his face, feeling the large knot that had developed right underneath his chin. A long gash the size of his finger ran over it, and although it had scabbed over, blood still seeped from the nasty wound.

               It could have been worse…

               At least, that’s what he told himself as he hopped to the only opening he could see, wincing at the pain that shot up his broken leg with each little movement.

               The shaft he had fallen into looked to be some sort of cellar. At least, that’s what it looked like to him. A rotted ladder led back up to the surface, but only a few of the iron rungs remained, trapping him down here and leaving him only one way forward. Once he entered the tunnel, he was once again deprived of the light, cloaking him in complete darkness.

               Marcus stopped bouncing, the fresh memory of falling causing him to get down on his hands and knees. Although it was a little demeaning, without the ability to see the hand in front of his face, he thought it best to crawl forward. At least it was easier on his leg than hopping on one foot.

               He moved down the tunnel at a snail’s pace. His fingers and toes lost all feeling as he scrabbled over the wet but frigid dirt. Under the ground was even colder than it was the night before, and Marcus had to fight for every inch as his body started to tremble uncontrollably.

               He was dangerously close to hypothermia.

               After what felt like an eternity, Marcus’ numb finger struck something solid. He had been following the tunnel blindly but making sure to check for any rooms that might have lined the walls by stopping periodically to feel for any openings. He was afraid that he had found the end of the tunnel.

               “Damnit…” He let out a tired sigh. “This is it, huh?”

               Marcus was exhausted. He had been crawling for what felt like hours, and his body had been shaking for just as long. He knew he wouldn’t have the strength to turn around and make his way back to the shaft and try to climb out… somehow. He shook his head as he leaned against the end of the tunnel. That’s when he felt the difference.

               The wall felt slightly warmer than the cold stone that made up the other walls. Investigating closer, he noticed that instead of stone, this wall was made of metal. A small spark of hope suddenly ignited in his chest as he felt around for a handle, praying that the door wasn’t locked.

               It felt as if his hands were wrapped in thick gauze as they traveled across the door's rusted steel. Unfortunately, from his position on the cold, hard ground, he was unable to locate anything that would help him open the door. Marcus struggled up onto his one good leg, fighting against the uncontrollable shakes that wracked his battered body. His numb fingers frantically searched through the darkness, the thick grooves carved into the flaking iron barely registering as he finally found a thick metal loop.

               Marcus didn’t know if this was the handle he had been searching for, and in his nearly delirious state, all he could do was start tugging on it desperately. Nothing happened. The door didn’t budge an inch. This only fueled his desperation. He wrenched on the door, his muscles bulging as he fought against the stalwart iron barrier. He screamed into the darkness as his numb fingers lost their purchase, and he jerked backward, tumbling to the ground in a heap.

               The stabbing pain that shot up through his leg served to clear his mind. He knew he had to remain calm and was slightly embarrassed that he had so easily lost himself to his own fear. Getting back up, he easily found the large metal loop once more. This time, he gave it a probing tug, then twisted it one way, then the other. He felt it turn slightly on the second turn, the rusted metal creaking with the short motion.

               A small smile found its way onto his face, his cold muscles feeling stiff as he put more of his strength into twisting the metal loop. With both hands, he grunted as he put his full weight into it, the creaking metal turning into a piercing screech as the handle broke loose from its corroded cradle. He felt a large thunk travel through the handle, and with overwhelming anticipation, Marcus tugged on the loop once more.

               Nothing.

               The door refused to move. He yanked on it again and again, the previous calm he had forced himself into nowhere to be found as he furiously pulled. He only stopped when he felt the warmth of his blood dripping from his fingers.

               “…I’m going to die…” Marcus exhaled; his tone was one of defeat. He gritted his teeth as he drew back, his bloody hand balling up into a fist. Without concern for his own wellbeing, Marcus struck the door with as much force as he could muster. Fiery pain exploded up his arm as the small bones in his hand shattered, but as a sliver of light seeped into the absolute darkness surrounding him, Marcus hardly noticed.

               Without thinking, he pushed on the door. The metal fought against him, but with a reluctant screech, it swung open, flooding the narrow tunnel with a blinding, turquoise light. Marcus tried to shield his eyes from the light, but the damage was already done. It took several long minutes for his eyes to adjust, but once they had, he was greeted with a magical sight.

               A circular room with a high, domed ceiling was awash with the blue-green light. The floor, walls, and curved ceiling were engraved with complex diagrams and alien sigils; they were so tightly packed together that hardly a smooth surface remained. Marcus’ eyes tried to untangle the complex patterns before him, but soon enough, a deep throbbing assaulted his mind. He didn’t know if it was from the cold or the blow to the head he had suffered when he fell, but as soon as he tore his eyes away, the pain rapidly receded into nothing.

               Skimming his eyes across the room, taking care not to linger on the etchings for any longer than necessary, he focused on the source of the light. A stone the size of an ostrich egg rested on a bowl-like pedestal. It was directly in the center of the room and almost hummed as the warm light bled off from it. The pedestal it sat on had just as many engravings as the rest of the room, the only difference being the long, jagged fissures running through the stone that cut many of the carvings in two.

               Nothing else was in the room, only the smooth stone that radiated light and warmth. Marcus hobbled closer, his body soaking in the heat filtering through the room. He paused for a moment, thoughts of radiation poisoning flitting through his mind as he stared at the bright rock. He knew that anything that glowed probably gave off some harmful energies, but as another shiver ran up and down his body, he quickly pushed those musings aside.

               Reaching out, he cupped the smooth stone in his hand, plucking it off its plinth. Pleasant heat sunk into his skin as he cradled it to his chest, driving back the frigid cold that had chilled him to his core. Long shadows danced across the ground and crawled up the walls as he moved, sliding down onto the ground with his back against the chest-high pedestal. He was terribly exhausted; his leg and hand throbbed in pain, and his headache was coming back with a vengeance. All he wanted to do was rest, and now that he wasn’t fighting against the cold, his body started to give in to its needs.

               Marcus’ eyelids grew heavy, and his breathing slowed as his body bathed in the warmth from the stone. He squeezed it tighter to his chest, almost afraid to let it go as his head bobbed. Finally, unable to fight it any longer, Marcus gave himself to the darkness.