“What is this place…” Ash muttered.

He stood on a glistening path that stretched far beyond the horizon. A trail of stars wading through waves of darkness. Each time he turned, a new vision popped into frame. The clouds swirling into temporary portals, each revealing a wondrous realm. Before he could process what he saw, it was quickly replaced with another visage. Even the ground itself seemed to shift, one moment gravity was fine, the next the world inverted. Gravity tugged at him from all sides as the perspective kept shifting. His head was throbbing from the madness, falling to his knees he tried to shut out the sights. But it didn’t stop, no matter how much he tried the visions were hammered into his skull. Blood trickled from his nose, tears streamed from his eyes, and the pounding migraine had him nauseous.

Curled up in a ball, he tried to focus. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but his brain partially adjusted to this terrible realm. It wasn’t so much as understanding, but learning how to filter out the madness. As long as he kept staring at the star-lit path, he could stumble forward. Even the space itself was an illusion. A portal passed by revealing an idyllic cottage, two faceless farmers tending to viney crops. As he reached out, the threshold perpetually left his reach. It was a cruel trick, no matter how hard he tried to escape it was just too far.

Strangely Ash didn’t feel tired nor hungry, he was in a perpetual state of content. All he could do was keep his eyes on the path ahead and continue onward. Nothing was true, yet it was all quite real. His mind did its best to understand the various discrepancies. A human mind forcing earthly logic onto a magical realm. On occasion he saw other…things appear on the path, only to disappear moments later. Strange creatures of inhuman proportions. Some he could swear “looked” at him. As Ash tried to find a way to communicate, one of the shadowy beasts passed through him.

Glistening lights swirled through the air and a cacophony of sounds flooded the skull. The slamming of a gong, the high pitched violins, the screams of battle, explosions of magic, boring lectures from the mage tower, it was everything and nothing at all. Anytime he tried to focus on one source, it was silenced and replaced with more noise. Nothing could stop the blaring sounds, even blocking his ears with cloth was futile. He wanted to scream, he begged for it to stop, but it only intensified with each passing moment.

His stomach twisted and he stumbled to the side to vomit—but nothing came out. Instead he froze, a feeling of wrongness crept up the spine. His legs shackled and unmoving from the terrible sight before him. It was nothing, and it was everything. A swirling mass of chaotic darkness sucking in anything that approached. Magical lands torn apart and swallowed down. Yet for every space destroyed, a new one was spat out. Strange denisons flying past and slamming into one of the floating worlds. A constant turmoil of creation and destruction.

It had a…intelligence behind it. Something that thought on levels higher than human consciousness. The ever-changing mass seemed to turn. Suddenly a terrifying power rushed into Ash. His mind tore open and splayed out for the thing below. Nothing was sacred, his very essence violated by the probing being. As the writhing darkness tinkered with his soul, entire lifetimes flashed before him. He tried to pull away but was trapped, some many experiences he was forced to endure. The rush of first love, the pain of death, the taste of steel in the stomach, the betrayal of his greatest friends, the joy of innovation, each one experienced many times. Yet nothing stayed, his brain couldn’t process it all. It was too much to comprehend and he begged for it to stop.

The abyss grew, the stars dimmed, and the world faded. Whatever it was, it wanted him. It wanted his essence, his very being, and to add all his memories to its ever growing self. Promises and threats were imprinted into his brain. He could be one of many, experience anything he wished for. While others threatened his very existence, how he would be destroyed if he refused. Not just his soul, but his very existence. It would be as if he was never born at all. Yet how could he resist? It was a tempting offer, an easy way out from all the pain. Just one simple step and it was all over. One measly motion and all hardships were a thing of the past.

“NOOO!” He slammed the remains of the relic into his thigh. A sharp pain running up his leg shattering the trance.

Stumbling back, he covered his ears.

“GET OUT OF MY HEAD! STOP!”

It listened, the world went silent. Instantly, everything was cast into darkness. g. But this wasn’t just darkness, it was the essence of nothing. This was the absence of all, there was nothing to sense. Only his thoughts keep him company. How many years before he’d go crazy? As the horrific realization set in, his mind finally cracked. All the grief and sorrow rushed into his head. His parents were gone, his brother was dead, and he was trapped in this hellish world.

“Oh jeez, can you stop being such a baby?” A harsh female voice said.

Ash perked up and tried to find the source. But the reverberating sound surrounded him.

“Please, can you help? I…I don’t know what to do” He called back.

“Sure, just like all the other lost walkers. Look, ya messed up and it’s over. Maybe in a few hundred years somebody might find ya. Good luck buddy” The girl taunted, her voice fading.

“No please! Don’t leave, I can bargain. I’d do anything…”

Suddenly, a harsh light took hold. A single white light penetrated the darkness–blinding him. As his eyes adjusted, he saw a girl standing before him. She was dressed strangely, a white petticoat and black blazer. Her hair dyed pitch black and her face like porcelain. With each step, the sound of her heels filled the space. The white tights were unblemished and the black shoes perfectly polished.

“You really are stupid aren’t you. Well if you say anything then I accept.”

SNAP

The light faded and the darkness began to shift. Slowly, the world came into being once more.

“What the…” Ash was beyond confused.

Stolen novel; please report.

He felt himself sinking, the ground soft and wet. Pulling his leg free, he noticed a few torches along cobblestone pathways. The sky showed no stars, yet it had two full moons. But the worst were the graves. Hundreds upon hundreds of tombstones lined the roiling hills. Some small, some massive mausoleums. A cold sweat made his skin clammy while his blood filling with adrenaline. He needed to get out. Glancing around, he noticed a large metal fence surrounding the graveyard–but no gate was in sight. Walking over, he noticed they were nearly twice his height and topped with a rusted tip. It was futile to try and climb that, he’d need to find some other way. As he moved to the pathway, he felt the first droplets of rain.

CRACK

Lighting shot across the sky followed by a resounding boom.

“Holy!” He stumbled in the soft mud and ended up tumbling down a hill.

The rain only continued to intensify as the time passed. A deep shiver began to took hold as the cool water sapped his strength. Trudging through the mud, he ended up stepping into a deep pit. Cursing, he tried to pull out his foot only to lose his boot. A raging inferno began to grow inside him. He was done playing stupid games. Wiping the mud from his brow, he yelled out.

“ENOUGH! WHERE ARE YOU?”

CRACK

The rain stopped as another flash of lightning illuminated the realm. Nestled in the bright light was the dark silhouette of the girl. She slowly walked towards Ash, her lips parting into a sinister smile. But unlike him, she traveled across the mud with ease. Not a single piece of grime stuck to her shoes nor did the rain dare to touch her clothes. It was then Ash realized the rain hadn’t stopped, instead it curved around her presence. Old stories arose from his deepest memories. This his dad would tell to get him to sleep. She wasn’t human, but something…other. He dared not to move as she approached. This was HER realm and he didn’t want to be offended. WIthin moments, she was standing in front of him. She was tiny, nearly a foot shorter yet her presence was one of a titan.

“Ash, I accept your bet of “anything”. If you succeed, then I will help you escape the darkness. If you lose…well I’m sure I can think of something” She ended with a little giggle.

He was beyond screwed.

“Wait, no. I didn’t mean” But a single finger silenced his pleas.

“Blah blah blah. Look, this aint anything special. We will have a simple duel.” She snapped her fingers and the world shifted.

Ash watched as the ground split up and a new tombstone rose from the earth. Sitting six-feet deep was a fresh wooden coffin. The door opened wide waiting to take in the next body. She couldn’t be serious about this? Panic set in and he tried to back away from the grave. But the girl was quick, she snatched his wrist and held him still.

“No running buddy. Did you skip class or something? It’s basic not to make deals if you can’t back em. Guess the old man getting caught set ya back. Good riddance” She spat.

“Wait I don’t know what you are”

“Shut it. Game is simple. First one to go in the coffin loses. Got it? Good. We start in 3…2…1…”

CRACK

She disappeared in another flash of lightning only to reappear beneath him. Her body twisted as she slammed an elbow into Ash’s stomach. The farmer was sent flying as spittle left his lips.

“Hmmm, no protection either…” she mumbled

“Ooof” Ash doubled over as he tumbled along the ground. His elbow cracked against a tombstone in the process.

He couldn’t die like this. Standing up, he held his limp arm and waited.

CRACK

Another flash and she appeared once more. A single fist slamming into his jaw with such force it knocked out a tooth. He stumbled back as stars filled his vision. He tried to retaliate with a right hook, but she easily dodged and smashed a knee into his thigh. Ash didn’t even have time to groan before he took a kick to the back. Each flash of lightning resulted in another hit. Her rapid assault knocked him back and forth like a ragdoll. With one final blow to the knee, he finally fell.

“Come ON FIGHT” She yelled.

He stumbled back to his feet once more. His eye was swollen shut and lips bleeding from the punches. Her leg slammed into the back of his knee and sent him falling once more.

“What tricks do you have? Huh? Give me something! IT’s been years since I got to fight”

The girl lifted her leg into a split before swinging it downwards. This was his only chance. He felt a rib crack as the heel made an impact. But it gave him the opening he needed. Grabbing her ankle, Ash pulled.

With his weight, he twisted and slammed her to the ground. Before he could pin her, she quickly contorted out and backflipped to safety.

“Now that's what I’m talking about” She put up her fists once more and shuffled in.

Ash did his best to parry and block the punches. But she was too quick; even when he thought he’d hit, it was only an afterimage. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to last. He was one punch away from passing out and went for a desperate gambit. The girl saw the feint and went in for the kill. However, luck seemed to be on Ash’s side. As he stepped into the punch, his leg sank into the mud. Her first shot through the air gave Ash just enough time to wrap his arms around her. Squeezing with all his might, he lifted his opponent into the air.

While he wasn’t a fighter, all those years on the farm gave him plenty of muscle. With his opponent trapped in the crushing bearhug, he stumbled towards the coffin. He could feel her kicking his thighs and trying to bite his shoulder…but he ignored the pain. He had to return home, he had to see his family. Only 10 steps and he could escape this hell. His legs wobbled and he nearly fell stepping into another mud pit, but he held on. 5 more steps and it was over. It was then she stopped fighting.

“Hey Ash, I think it’s time you learn something…” He ignored her.

“We don’t play fair…”

A cold grip wrapped around his ankle. All warmth was gone and his foot gave out. As he fell, she easily escaped his grasp and tumbled out. Ash turned to see what stopped him, what he saw was horrifying. A single hand reached from the grave and held on tight. Ash kicked and kicked until the fingers broke and he could pry himself free.

“HA HA LOOK AT THAT STUPID FACE DID YOU HONESTLY THINK YOU COULD WIN!” She taunted.

One by one, more hands appeared. The various victims clawing out from their tombs and shambling towards him. Zombies in various states of decay began to fill the realm. Ash tried to find an opening in the mob, but nothing appeared. The stench of death filled the air as the group closed in. He tried to fight back. Shoving some to the ground, kicking others back, but it was futile. Within moments, dozens of hands pulled him to the ground. Ash began to thrash about, he couldn’t die like this. He should have accepted the abyss thing’s offer. His fingers began to bleed as he tried to claw free. Yet it was one man versus many. He was dragged across the soil and quickly tossed over the side. As he struggled to get out, he saw the face of the girl above.

“Looks like I win” and the coffin slammed shut.