Chapter 1: A New Beginning

The sun streamed through the window behind Cal, casting long shadows across the room. Dust particles floated lazily in the beams of light, and the warmth of the sun contrasted with the cool morning air that still lingered inside. He grumbled and covered his eyes in annoyance. With a reluctant sigh, he forced himself out of bed, yawning as he stretched deeply. Today was going to be a busy day.

Cal stood and headed to his closet. His reflection in the mirror showed a lean figure, his muscles subtly defined beneath his skin—a body shaped by years of wrestling. His black hair was slightly tousled, catching the morning light as he ran a hand through it. He wasn’t a big guy, but he was fit; his high school wrestling days had taught him how to maintain his weight, even though those days were over three years ago. Today was his sister Abigail’s graduation party.

Cal pulled a T-shirt over his black hair and slipped on a pair of shorts over his boxers. He gave his armpit a sniff and shrugged. Not too bad—deodorant should be enough; no shower needed.

As he reached for some socks, his cell phone started ringing from the charger by his bed. Cal unplugged it and looked at the screen. It was Abby. Answering the call and holding the phone to his ear, he said, “What’s up, sis?”

“WHERE ARE YOU? You were supposed to pick me up an hour ago! I TOLD YOU TO SET AN ALARM, I’VE CALLED 8 TIMES.”

“Calm down, calm down. I’m just now leaving. I’ll be there soon.”

“Well, hurry up!” Abby's voice wavered between sadness and anger, and a sinking feeling settled in Cal’s stomach. Abby’s words stung more than he cared to admit, a knot of guilt tightening in his chest as he realized how much he had let her down.

“Sorry, Abby, I’ll be over right away.”

“Okay, I love you.”

“I lov—”

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A voice interrupted Cal mid-sentence. It shook his entire body and seemed to come from inside his head, though it was definitely not his own. It was feminine.

“I choose you.”

“Abby? Did you sa—”

Without warning, a sharp pain lanced through his skull. The pain struck like a lightning bolt, sharp and searing, as if his skull were being split open from within. Cal staggered, clutching his head as his vision blurred. The world around him rippled as if reality itself were being torn apart. He fell to his knees as the ground beneath him dissolved into nothingness. The agony was overwhelming, each spike of pain like a white-hot needle driven into his mind.

Suddenly, images flashed before his eyes—blurred, indistinct faces, their features impossible to make out. Voices, too, muffled and distant, echoed in a vast chamber. Each glimpse brought another spike of pain, penetrating his mind. He could no longer feel his body; it was as if he were a brain floating in water—no sensation, no control. He tried to breathe but couldn’t. Panic began to set in, but it was immediately crushed by the impossible pain.

“He will do,” one voice murmured.

“No, another,” another countered.

“We must test him,” a third insisted, cold and detached.

The pain intensified, searing through his very being. Cal’s mental scream turned into white noise as his consciousness flickered. He felt as though he were being torn apart from the inside, his very existence scrutinized and weighed.

Then, through the agony, one voice cut through the chaos—a soft, clear whisper, unmistakably feminine.

“Live… stay alive,” the voice urged.

“You must live,” it repeated, a command that resonated deep within him, a lifeline in the storm of pain.

With one final, excruciating surge of agony, the world collapsed around him. He screamed, the sound tearing from him as he plunged into darkness.

Cal awoke with a start, his body trembling uncontrollably. He was lying on cold, hard ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The darkness around him was absolute, the air thick with damp, musty earth. Panic surged through him as he realized he was alone in a place that felt nothing like home. He had no memory of how he had gotten there, no recollection of anything beyond that voice when he was on the phone: “I choose you.”

Yet, deep inside him, something stirred. A single, unshakable thought pulsed with every beat of his heart: Stay alive.

He couldn’t remember where the thought came from or why it mattered so much, but it was there, rooted in him like a primal instinct. Cal knew one thing for certain—he had to survive, no matter what.

Everything was silent except for the echoes of his own breathing. The last remnants of the voice that had urged him to live faded into the depths of his mind, leaving him entirely alone in the darkness.