We were lost in the mist.
Knitting my brows in frustration, I glanced toward Steph.
Her hand was still tightly gripping mine, her fingers betraying the fear she refused to show.
So, I smiled.
“Let’s get moving.
Even if we practically can’t see anything, standing around like idiots won’t do us any good.” Steph, however, didn’t seem to share my forced optimism.
I could feel her body tense as the thought of walking blindly into who knew what kind of horrors lurked within these cursed lands sent a shiver through her.
Her expression twisted slightly, not from fear alone, but from frustration at her own helplessness.
Still, she steadied herself and let out a quiet, exhausted sigh.
“…Okay.” As her hand tightened around mine, I firmly returned the gesture.
We had no idea what awaited us beyond the veil of mist.
We had no idea what kind of horrors called this place home.
But standing here would only guarantee one thing.
Death.
So, together, we took our first steps forward.
And in the next moment, the endless white haze swallowed us whole.
Walking deeper into the mist, I staggered over the uneven ground more times than I cared to admit, nearly planting my face into the rocks every other minute.
Thankfully, Stephanie was always there to catch me before gravity could claim another victory.
“Watch where you’re walking.” “I can’t though…” Even in this cursed place, she still found the energy to scold me.
After wandering aimlessly for what felt like forever, the world around us slowly began to reveal itself.
Dark silhouettes emerged one after another from within the mist.
Trees.
Or…
what remained of them.
Every single one looked just as dead as the tree I’d crawled out of.
Their trunks were blackened with decay, their branches twisted into skeletal claws that reached silently through the pale haze.
Not a single leaf remained.
They stood motionless, like countless corpses refusing to fall.
The ground wasn’t much kinder.
Massive boulders, each as large as a transport vehicle, were scattered throughout the forest as though giants had hurled them there ages ago.
More than once, I walked straight into one before Steph managed to pull me away.
Even with her enhanced senses guiding us, it barely helped.
The mist swallowed everything.
There was no north.
No south.
No landmarks.
No sense of distance.
Just endless white.
I couldn’t even see the sky.
…Assuming there was one.
Then, as I absentmindedly took another step…
The earth vanished beneath my foot.
“AH!” My stomach lurched.
Before my body could disappear into the emptiness, Stephanie yanked me backward with enough force to nearly dislocate my shoulder…
again.
I collapsed onto solid ground, breathing heavily as my heart hammered against my ribs.
“…Thanks.” Still kneeling, I carefully reached a trembling hand toward where I’d almost stepped.
I felt no ground.
That was when I realised what it was.
A ravine.
A massive one.
A cold shiver crawled down my spine.
Few…
I let out a long breath and rubbed my face.
With the state my body was in, climbing out of something like that would’ve been nearly impossible.
Well…
Unless Steph carried me.
…
Yeah.
I’d rather die.
Chuckling to myself, I grabbed her hand again and led us away from the drop.
Or…
At least, I hoped I did.
Only a few moments later, my foot slipped once more.
Steph caught me before I could fall.
Again.
“…Thanks.” “You’re not welcome.” She folded her arms.
“Watch your steps.” I frowned.
Then…
A thought quietly settled into my mind.
“…Ah.” My smile slowly disappeared.
We weren’t standing beside a ravine.
We were standing on the edge of an enormous cliff.
The ravine hadn’t been a crack in the earth.
It was the end of it.
A terrible feeling settled in my stomach.
I’d been wandering without direction this entire time.
For all I knew, I had only turned slightly before walking away.
There was nothing stopping me from unknowingly heading toward another edge.
Nothing.
The mist erased every sense of direction.
“Damn you…” I muttered.
Steph blinked.
“…Who are you talking to?” “…No one.” Great.
First I was insulting a tree.
Now I was cursing at the mist.
I let out an embarrassed sigh and continued walking.
Three steps later…
My bare foot suddenly caught on something and I stumbled forward, nearly kissing the rocky ground for what felt like the hundredth time today.
“…Damn it.” I clicked my tongue in annoyance.
“Another pothole…” I steadied myself and instinctively rubbed the sole of my foot.
These damned lands seemed determined to make walking barefoot as miserable as possible.
I was already preparing myself for another lecture when I realised Steph hadn’t said a word.
“…Steph?” No answer.
Frowning, I turned toward her, only to find her standing dead still.
Her eyes were wide, an expression of terror carved onto her face.
She wasn’t looking at me.
She was staring at the ground beneath my feet.
Suddenly, a cold feeling crept up my spine.
Slowly…
I lowered my head.
And as I did, I felt my heart stop.
That…
That wasn’t a pothole.
It was a footprint.
An enormous footprint.
Far too large to belong to any human.
Its shape was grotesque, almost wrong, with six enormous toes…
or perhaps they were fingers.
Each one had sunk deep into the earth, leaving behind an imprint so unnaturally clear that my stomach twisted.
For several long seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then, almost absentmindedly, my foot scraped across the ground.
The soil shifted with barely any effort.
Soft…
My face slowly drained of colour.
No…
No, no, no…
Footprints only remained this clear if the ground hadn’t had enough time to harden again.
Which meant…
Whatever had left it…
It had passed through here not too long ago.
Which meant that it was still nearby.
My lips trembled.
“…An Urban.” The words escaped my lips as nothing more than a whisper.
God…
Without another thought, I grabbed Steph’s wrist and pulled.
“Move.” She didn’t question me.
The moment she saw my face, she understood.
Our pace quickened.
Then quickened even more until we sprung into a full on sprint.
Our bare feet pounded against stone and loose soil as we fled blindly through the endless mist, weaving between dead trees and jagged boulders.
I had no idea where we were going.
But I did know where I wanted to be.
Away.
As far away from that footprint as possible.
Steph’s enhanced senses would notice another cliff before I did.
At least…
I prayed she would.
Then…
My injured leg gave out beneath me.
“ARGH!” “Brother!” I crashed hard against the rocky ground, the impact sending fire through every wound the struggle against Lee had left behind.
Before I could even grit my teeth and force myself back up, Steph was already kneeling beside me, desperately trying to pull me onto my feet.
Then…
She froze.
Her grip tightened until it started to hurt my hand.
I watched as every muscle in her body became rigid.
A suffocating silence swallowed us whole.
…
Thump.
A heavy footstep echoed somewhere beyond the mist.
Then…
Another Closer this time.
The ground itself seemed to tremble beneath the weight.
My blood turned to ice.
Slowly…
Very slowly…
I began pushing myself upright when…
A deep guttural growl resounded from within the haze.
Right…
behind me.
Steph’s body became as still as a statue as she held her breath for dear life.
I held mine aswell.
As the sound of earth-shivering treads drew closer and closer, I let out a cold breath.
Then…
Ever so slowly, I lifted one single finger and pressed it hard against my pale lips.
“Don’t…
move.”