Defiance of the Fall Chapter 4: Alone

A sense of dread washed over Zac, prompting him to consider searching the immediate area for any tracks or indications of his friends' whereabouts. However, a sudden wave of vertigo forced him to prioritize his own survival. Stumbling, he reached the car and retrieved a small green first aid kit from the trunk.

He limped toward the camper, finding the door slightly open, and stepped inside with caution. The interior was deserted, showing no signs of a struggle or any presence of friend or foe. Fearing the scent of his blood might draw more predators, he shut the door tightly. It was a rare stroke of luck that the camper remained largely undamaged by the demonling's assault. Zac collapsed onto the sofa, indifferent to the bloodstains spreading across the cushions.

Placing the kit on the small dining table, he opened it and seized a bottle of surgical spirit. Sweat poured down his face from the agonizing pain, and his hands had begun to tremble violently. He lined up his supplies, bracing himself for the task ahead.

With painstaking care, he stripped off his shirt and trousers. Fortunately, the blood remained wet and hadn't yet crusted over his wounds. Even so, the sensation of removing his clothes was far more excruciating than tearing off a bandage.

The creature's talons had carved a deep furrow across his waist, along with three smaller gashes on his left thigh. A final wound marred his right calf. Though they looked gruesome, the injuries weren't as catastrophic as he had anticipated. The cuts were straight and clean, and the heavy bleeding had subsided into a sluggish drip. He hoped this was a sign of natural recovery rather than a lack of blood left in his body.

Anticipating the coming torture, he nearly let out a whimper as he reached for a water bottle and some gauze. He gingerly rinsed the dirt and blood from the waist wound, the searing pain nearly causing him to lose consciousness. Clenching his teeth and blinking back tears, he applied the alcoholic solution directly to the gash. While there were no signs of infection yet, he didn't dare skip this step, even if the alcohol felt like it was tearing his body in half.

His complexion turned a deep crimson, veins bulging from his forehead as sweat drenched him. Finally, he used surgical tape to pull the edges of the wound together before wrapping several layers of bandages around his midsection.

With the first task finished, Zac sat gasping for breath. As he closed his eyes, a crushing wave of fatigue hit him like a physical blow, nearly knocking him out. However, knowing he still had wounds to dress, he forced himself to remain upright with a surge of willpower.

Zac repeated the agonizing process on his legs. By the time he finished, his face had drained of color, turning a ghostly pale. His tremors were so severe he could barely hold the water bottle, though he managed to drain it in several frantic gulps. Drained of all strength, he crawled to the bed in the rear of the camper. The moment his head hit the pillow, he drifted into a deep sleep, despite the sun still hanging high in the sky.

The sun was still shining through the window when Zac finally stirred. He wondered if night had ceased to exist now that a second sun occupied the sky. Stretching cautiously, he realized that while he was far from fully recovered, he felt significantly stronger. His bandages were stained dark red but dry, indicating the bleeding had stopped. The sharp, rhythmic agony had faded, replaced by a dull, manageable throb.

He still struggled to put weight on his left leg, stumbling as he made his way toward the refrigerator. Along with his physical improvement, a ravenous, primal hunger had taken hold of him, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

He reached the fridge only to find it dead; some of the food inside had already begun to turn. The beast had likely damaged the electrical system during its rampage against the trailer. He salvaged some sausages they had cooked the previous day and a few slices of bread. Zac devoured the meal like a starving ghost before finally washing it down with a bottle of water.

There was still no sign of the others. Zac feared they were either dead or had abandoned him in their flight. Both thoughts were grim, but the idea of being left behind left a bitter taste in his mouth. He pulled his phone from his pocket, but it was a shattered, bloody mess—likely destroyed during his desperate struggle.

Fortunately, they kept an emergency phone in one of the camper's cupboards. He retrieved it and found it functional, but there was no signal. It was bizarre, considering they had a solid connection just a day ago. Even while camping, they wouldn't have stayed in a dead zone, as no one in the group was willing to go a day without their smartphones.

Checking the time, he realized with a shock that three full days had passed since the world fell into chaos. He had been unconscious for much longer than he thought. This realization further dimmed the hopes of Hannah or his friends returning. On the bright side, it suggested the monsters might be territorial and weren't roaming as freely as he had feared. He wasn't certain he could survive another encounter with those demon dogs, even knowing their weak points.

With his hunger sated and no immediate threats, he began to process the reality of his situation. The sheer insanity of everything finally crashed down on him, leaving Zac staring blankly into space, paralyzed by uncertainty.

A distant, guttural roar snapped him back to his senses. This was no time for a breakdown; he was still in grave danger. He was trapped in a forest crawling with nightmares, and that luminous pillar continued to glow in the distance, a constant reminder of the threats to come.

He wondered if that pillar was a gateway to some hellish dimension, allowing demons to pour into his world. Or was this an extraterrestrial invasion? The creatures reminded him of the Zergs from a video game he used to play.

Then, he recalled the strange, mechanical voice he had heard and the cryptic messages it delivered before its twisted gambling game nearly ended his life.

"Welcome to the multiverse," he whispered. Based on the fiction he had consumed over the years, a multiverse implied a network connecting various worlds, galaxies, and planes of existence.

If the voice was telling the truth, Earth had been integrated into a massive system, explaining why demons were suddenly stalking the woods. But that didn't mean demons were the only threat. What about other beings? Would he soon encounter elves in the canopy, picking him off with supernatural archery?

The voice had also mentioned "initiating incursions." It seemed likely that the massive pillar was the source of the incursion, supporting his theory of a demonic portal. When it manifested in the forest, the demons arrived with it.

However, the monsters weren't confined to the pillar's immediate vicinity, as one had already been waiting at the camp. It was difficult to gauge the distance to the pillar, but it looked like it would take hours to reach on foot. Furthermore, something called a "herald" had manifested right in front of Zac, triggering the most terrifying moment of his life.

Lastly, he had grown inexplicably stronger through these changes. Both his agility and raw power had been enhanced by whatever the voice had done. It felt identical to a power-up in a video game, which aligned with the floating windows he had seen in that dark space. He still couldn't fathom why the interface looked like an old-school RPG. Was his own mind projecting a familiar framework onto an incomprehensible reality to maintain its sanity?

Monsters from myth, magical gateways, and game mechanics. If the world was becoming an RPG, what else had changed? There were no health bars over his head, and the demon hadn't displayed any floating text. In truth, the game-like elements had only appeared while he was in that void with the voice.

He scanned his surroundings, but his HUD remained empty; he saw only the blood-splattered interior of the trailer. Tyler’s parents were going to be furious about the state of their camper, he thought with a dark, involuntary smirk.

If they’re even still alive, he realized, his mood turning somber. If his current location had turned into a hellscape, what had happened to the rest of the world? Was it any safer elsewhere, or was the entire planet in ruins? What about his home?

The faces of his father and little sister flashed in his mind, sparking a desperate sense of urgency. If this was a global catastrophe, no place was safe. Zac was still in the dark about many things, but he would have to find those answers on the move.

He had to get home.