Chapter 3: Marty Flynn

Marty woke up startled as he tried to observe his surroundings. He was surrounded by low hanging trees that sported thick bushels of red leaves, as well as orange fruits. He found it hard to make out his environment completely as his vision was blurry, especially without his glasses.

“Shit. shit. Shit.”, Marty muttered as he began frantically searching for his backpack.

“We fell into the anomaly, the electromagnetic field somehow shut down our nervous system as well as rendered us unconscious”, He said, trying to stand up. He felt the disorientation slowly fading though he still wasn't able to completely focus.

Marty found his glasses on the ground, and he quickly grabbed them. The lenses had been cracked though Marty was relieved they were still mostly intact.

Marty was able to see the environment much better now. The ground was covered in a spongy moss substance that broke his fall. “Some kind of living sponge”, Marty thought. “I wonder if it is in the Fungi family of eukaryotes”.

He could see the pillars of blue light breaking through the canopy of the forest. The lights came from the streaks of blue material connected to the cavern roof. “A bioluminescent flora that provides light or maybe it's a type of algae”.

“Wait, now isn’t the time for speculation. I gotta find Damien and Judas. If I survived then they definitely did”, Marty said. He pushed his doubts to the back of mind. Marty knew he needed their help if he was going to get out.

Marty could see his backpack hanging from a tree branch. He started to climb the base ineffectively. Marty cursed his lack of physical strength. He spent most of his years in a lab studying rather than in the field.

Marty got to the branch and began reaching for his backpack. It was just out of his grasp no matter how he stretched his arm. Before Marty could try any further the branch snapped causing him to crash into the ground headfirst.

The backpack flew into a rock, a loud crack being sounding from within. Marty shot up, seemingly ignoring the pain, and ran towards it.

“Please don’t be broken”, Marty whispered to himself as he wrestled the bag open. To his dismay he pulled the battered computer out. The screen was shattered, and its shape was hardly recognizable.

“Dammit”, Marty shouted as he threw the computer to the ground. In his rage he stomped on it until there was nothing left but pieces.

“What am I gonna do, how do I find-”, before Marty could finish a drop of blood fell in front of his feet. Marty quickly grabbed his head only to find his hand covered in blood. The fall from the branch caused a large gash in his forehead.

“And now I'm bleeding from the head”, Marty shouted. “Fuck, I'm gonna die here, I'm gonna die”. Marty sat down, head in his hands. His frustration only grew as he tried to ponder what to do.

“You are lost child but fear not”.

Mary looked around frantically upon hearing the whisper. It was as if it came from his own head. Marty backed himself into the base of a tree as he searched.

“Who’s there?”, Marty said. The crack in his voice gave away the terror within him.

“Do not panic, I wish to help you Marty Flynn”, The voice whispered back to him. Marty still could not make out where the voice was coming from. It was as if he had a microphone in his head.

“How the hell do you know my name?”, Marty asked. Despite his fear, Marty placed his hand on a decent sized rock that sat next to him. Violence was not something Marty was accustomed to, but his nerves got the better of him.

“I know many things, Marty. I know you are a biologist, second of your class. I know you try to hide your fear with science and reason. I know your family orphaned you when-,”

“Shut the fuck up”, Marty shouted, interrupting the voice. He sat shaking, unable to comprehend what was happening. “I’m going crazy, you're just a voice in my head”.

“My apologies Marty, I meant no disrespect. How about I prove to you that I am no mere figment of your imagination”, The voice continued. The voice’s tone was always that of a whisper though it spoke with an unusual dialect, almost as if English was not its first language.

“Take the rock in your hand and break one of these fruits open. Rub its juices upon your wound but do not eat it.”, The voice continued.

The feeling of hesitation about the task grew in Marty. However, the gash on his head continued to gush blood and needed to be patched quickly. He worried that the infections and bacteria of this anomalous place were the bigger threat than the voice, at least for now.

Marty approached the branch that he snapped off while climbing. He ripped one of the orange fruits from the end and observed it. The fruit was a dark hue of orange and sported several small spikes at the bottom.

Lifting the rock in his hand Marty brought it down hard cracking the fruit in half. The inside of the fruit was full of a wispy gray liquid. As he scooped the substance in his hand, he noticed that it clung together and slowly swayed back and forth. It was as if he were holding a cloud of smoke but in liquid form.

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Marty smeared the substance across his forehead and the blood immediately stopped gushing. It felt unusually cool to his forehead, almost like how menthol does to the tongue.

“What is it doing to me?”, Marty asked. He felt a bit weird talking out loud with nobody in sight.

“I believe in your expertise you would call it coagulation. The fruit's flesh is causing your blood to clot and is promoting your cells to divide faster.”, The voice responded.

“Are you some kind of scientist or computer chip the government put in my head?”, Marty asked.

“No child. I am a forgotten presence, one of the sleepless offspring of a land you may not tread, at least not yet”, The voice responded.

“I'm not falling for the religious shit. Heaven and hell are just tactics used to keep the sheep in line”, Marty said bitterly.

“If you have no faith, then why did you follow my instructions?”, The voice asked.

“I. I just. Uh…”, Marty was at a loss for words. He had no reason to trust this voice, yet he did what it asked.

A snapping of tree branches in the distance halted Marty's train of thought. It was followed by a low pitched yelping noise that echoed throughout the forest.

“What you believe is not my concern Marty. However, if you stay here the ‘PrekNitualen’ will kill you. Take refuge in the ruins ahead or perish”, The voice said.

“The what will kill me?”, Marty asked in a panicked tone. The voice did not respond, only adding to Marty's distress.

The yipping grew closer as Marty began to run in the opposite direction. The spongy ground made it harder for Marty to keep his footing. His heart felt as if it were about to explode out of his chest as he ran.

Marty could feel a presence right behind him gaining on him. He could hear whatever it was making noise almost as if it were speaking.

“Thrilk velhim, chimac teltubar-cudo”, It shouted, as Marty could feel heat behind him and see a light out the corner of his eyes.

Marty quickly ducked behind a tree and watched as a wall of fire ripped through the path he was previously running. Marty just narrowly avoided the blast, his coat sleeve caught in flames. He quickly took the coat off and stamped out the flames.

“Was that some kind of chemical reaction”, Marty thought as he hid behind the tree. “Or was it a bomb”.

“Welkivo chim thrill velhim”, a creature behind the tree shouted. As soon as the words were spoken the wall of fire dissipated.

Marty inched forward to see what was behind the tree, his curiosity getting the best of him. As soon as he did so he could feel his heart rate spike.

Standing a few trees away was a man wearing large robes seemingly made of plants. He was tall and covered in swirling red tattoos that seemed to move across his body. He held a spear in his right hand that was decorated with jewels.

What intrigued Marty the most was his left hand. Despite the lack of any weapon his hand glowed red hot, the same color of molten steel.

“Flacreto thrill strovit”, The man said as he lifted his left hand. Almost on cue, a small ball of flame swirled around his hand. The man then threw the ball at a tree near Marty causing it to erupt into flames.

Marty was overcome with terror and wonder. “How could a person like this exist? Is this some kind of sub-human species?”, Marty thought.

The man turned around and threw another ball at the tree behind him. The tree was engulfed in flames and turned to ash in seconds.

“He’s looking for me”, Marty thought as realization washed over him. This man was one of the threats the voice spoke of. Now it was trying to kill him.

“It’s now or never”, Marty thought as he grabbed his coat. He ran from behind his tree towards The man's direction. The man turned around with a shocked expression that turned into a look of anger.

“Thrilk velhim, chi-”, before the man could finish his sentence Marty threw his coat over the mans face and tackled him. Both Marty and the man tumbled towards the ground creating small cracks upon their landing.

Marty tried to throw a punch, but the man swiftly dodged it and kicked Marty in the face. Blood spurted from his nose as he fell back. The man quickly jumped to his feet and hit Marty with a hook to the jaw.

“Chitam kel vuko, chtapuki”, the man said as he stood over Marty. The man's face was blank as he lifted his spear towards Marty. Marty tried to move but he was still dazed from the punch.

“Wait, we can talk about-”, before Marty could finish his plea, the cracks in the ground from their initial fall began growing. The ground gave way causing both of them to fall into a small cavern below.

Mary fell onto the stone surface, the impact causing a crack in his arm. Marty let out a yell as the pain from his broken bone began to take his mind.

“Don’t go into shock, just hold on”, Marty grunted to himself.

Marty laid on the ground for what felt like hours. The only light was from the hole in the ground they fell through. As Marty came to his senses he began to stand up and observe his surroundings

The walls were covered in unusual hieroglyphics and symbols. Marty wanted to be excited for the discovery but all he could think about was the pain as he clutched his arm.

Groans could be heard behind Marty causing him to jump. He turned to see they were coming from the man who attacked him. He fell on a jagged formation of rocks that impaled him through the torso in multiple places.

Marty felt a swelling sensation fill his chest. It was as if he had taken down a monster with his bare hands.

“Fuck you”, he said, the pride in his voice overflowing. The man looked him in the eye with an expression of sadness.

“You have survived Marty, and you have reached the ruins. Just as I said you would”, The voice said.

“Where have you been? I could have used some help”, Marty responded.

“You did not. You are alive and victorious. However, you have another step to take”, The voice added.

“And what's that?”, Marty asked.

“The step all creatures of this world must take. When you kill you must not waste.”, The voice said.

A chill ran down Marty's spine as he heard these words. Marty began to question if the voice was real and if everything happening was just a dream. A few solid blinks and the pain in his arm reminded him of the situation's reality.

“Wh- What the hell does that m-mean”, Marty stammered.

“You know exactly what it means, Marty. You are the victor and thus the hunter. He is your prey, and no beast wastes a hard-earned meal”, The voice responded.

Marty felt bile rise in his throat at the thought. He tried to hold it down only to vomit across the floor.

“I am not eating a person”, Marty shouted, wiping the vomit from his mouth.

“You do not have a way out of these ruins yet and your next meal is not guaranteed. If you want to get out of here then you will eat”, The voice responded in a deeper tone than usual.

Marty paused as he pondered the thought. His mind split at the idea. “I have to keep my strength up somehow. No, I can’t do it. But many people in history have done it to survive. But… but…”.

Marty stared across the room at the spear that laid on the ground. It had fallen there after he and the man landed. Marty walked over and picked it up with his good arm.

“I’m sorry, I am so sorry”, Marty sobbed as tears gushed from his eyes. He walked towards the man; his mind trying to race and find another way out.

The man stared at Marty with the same sad expression. He was unable to move as blood pooled beneath the rocks.

Marty lifted the spear above the man’s head as he continued to sob. The man stared at him, his eyes beginning to fade.

“Chimalku vultip-”, Before the man could finish Marty brought the spear down over his head. The man’s skull fractured as his brain matter splattered across the floor.

Marty closed his eyes and began biting chunks out of the man's corpse. With every bite he felt himself on the verge of vomiting. However, to his alarm, he never did as he continued to feast on the corpse.

“What the fuck am I”, Marty thought as he chewed a piece of the man's brain. He hated the fact that he was beginning to enjoy the taste, even growing a preference for certain parts. “I’m a fucking monster. I’m a terrible thing to exist”,

“Very good child. Once you finish your feast You must journey deeper into the ruins. There you will find salvation from this fate”, The voice said.

Marty’s sobs began to change as they became higher pitched. Soon he found himself giggling, then all out laughing.

“I will walk the path to salvation”, Marty shouted through tears as he took another bite from the corpse.