Timebound abyss

A young man in his early twenties, stuck in the dull routine of college life, felt the weight of everything pressing down on him. Nothing seemed to matter anymore. As he walked into his small dorm room, a familiar emptiness settled in his chest. He threw himself onto the bed and mindlessly scrolled through his phone. He knew he had a test the next day, but the thought barely bothered him.

"F**k it. I wish I could just die," he whispered to himself, eyes heavy as he slipped into sleep.

When he woke up, something felt wrong—very wrong. The bed beneath him wasn’t soft anymore. It was cold, rough, like a wooden plank. Panic crept up as he reached for his phone, but his fingers found nothing but air. Then, he noticed the darkness. It wasn’t just night—it was pitch black, as if light had never touched this place. The air was cold and still, making his skin crawl.

Slowly, his eyes began to adjust. Shapes started to form in the dark, and the room around him came into focus.

This wasn’t his room.

The walls were made of rough, old wood. Everything looked ancient, like he’d stepped back in time. There were no modern things—just a few worn-out wooden boxes and a small, rough table. It felt as if the room hadn’t been touched for centuries.

Heart racing, he scrambled to find a door. When he stepped outside, the chill in the air bit at his skin. He was surrounded by an endless forest—tall, dark trees that stretched far into the distance. The silence was unsettling, broken only by the soft buzzing of insects. His body felt strange, as if it didn’t belong here. The eerie stillness made him feel like he was being watched.

"Is anyone here?!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the trees. But only silence greeted him. A cold sweat formed on his brow as he realized shouting might attract something dangerous.

He kept quiet after that, moving cautiously through the forest, searching for answers. Then, he heard a rustling noise from the bushes nearby. He slowly approached and found a rabbit, chewing on something. But something was wrong. As it lifted its head, he saw it—a single, sharp horn jutting from its forehead.

The rabbit froze for a moment, then bolted, disappearing into the shadows.

Confused, he looked closer at what the rabbit had been eating. His stomach twisted. It wasn’t grass or leaves—it was a dead bird, its body mangled and half-eaten.

Suddenly, a low growl rumbled from deep within the forest.

His heart leaped into his throat as he turned to see a massive wolf emerging from the trees. Its eyes glowed with an unnatural light, its fangs bared. It wasn’t just a wolf; it was something far more terrifying, like a creature ripped from a nightmare. His legs moved before his mind could even process it. He ran.

But the beast was fast—too fast. His breath burned in his lungs as he pushed himself to run faster, but it was no use. The wolf was closing in. His foot caught on a root, sending him crashing to the ground. Pain shot through his leg, and he knew he couldn’t escape.

The wolf’s snarls grew louder, and he braced himself for the end. But then, a gunshot exploded through the air.

The wolf yelped, collapsing to the ground, and a tall, hooded man stepped out of the shadows. He fired again, making sure the wolf was dead. The man was huge, intimidating, his face hidden in darkness. Before the young man could even say anything, the stranger walked up to him, looked him over, and kicked him hard in the side. Pain shot through his body, and everything went black.