It was getting colder. Wet leaves rustled under my bare feet. Of course, wrapped in just a blanket and nothing underneath, I will be cold. I no longer held Ivy’s hand. The black shadows of the trees thickened above us and to the sides. From there, a path formed under our feet. Such an unpleasant feeling from the fact that the dirt was sticking to my feet, every time a shiver spread through my body. Looking at Ivy’s black shoes, I was surprised. There was not a single stain on them, they were still as shiny as new. It seemed strange to me, but I didn’t attach any importance to it; in this world, the laws of logic can work differently.
But it’s not for me to judge, because I myself don’t remember what “normal” logic is for me, although my consciousness sometimes suggested that something was wrong here. We have been walking through this endless forest for about 2 hours, silently, sometimes exchanging glances. We stopped several times along the way when we heard the rustling of bushes or grass. I never saw what was in the bushes, and sometimes it walked on the ground right next to us. But I clearly heard footsteps and saw the bushes moving. Perhaps these creatures were scared away by the luminarium that Ivy held in her free hand. She seemed to be constantly smiling, as if she felt comfortable in this cold and quiet place. It was too quiet for my ears. This silence pressed on my ears, which made my brain uncomfortable. It was also awkward because of the silence between us. Deciding to break the silence, I asked:
- Um… could the horm be here in the forest?
- No, they only live in abandoned buildings.
I nodded, showing understanding. Before I could ask the second question, Ivy stopped again, this time looking more serious and tense.
- Don’t move.
She ordered in a whisper, looking forward. Listening to her, I stopped and looked forward. I didn’t see anything, but I heard distinct, heavy steps heading towards us. I tensed, preparing to see what kind of creature was walking towards us. But the steps became louder and closer, and I still didn’t see anything until I felt breath on my cheek. Near my ear I heard as if a large dog was sniffing me.
- Don’t make sudden movements.
Ivy ordered. I stood rooted to the spot. I felt uneasy because the invisible creature was so close to me. The rustling in my ear stopped, and so I calmed down. But then something growled loudly next to me, a low and nasty roar. Before I had time to think what to do, Ivy screamed.
- Carefully!
I ducked down and covered my head with my hands, preparing to attack. But Ivy extended her hand forward and a bright light poured through the trees. The invisible creature barked loudly and ran into the depths of the forest. Ivy took my arm and spoke sternly.
- We need to run. It will return with the flock.
- What will come back?
We heard dogs howling in the valley. Ivy led the way, running quickly. My legs picked up her rhythm, and so we ran in unison, hearing a crowd of dogs running after us. I turned around to see what kind of dogs they were, but Ivy said loudly.
- Don’t look back, just run!
I nodded, but didn’t see the tree root under my feet. I stumbled painfully, tangling my legs, and fell to the ground. Feeling the vibrations of the ground from the paws running after us, I didn’t know what to do. Lying frozen on the ground, I waited for something. Ivy ran up to me and put out her hand with a luminarium. The bright light scared away the invisible creatures, causing them to whine. She grabbed me by the forearm and helped me up, and we ran again. I ran as fast as I could, hearing furious barks and growls behind me, terror forcing my legs to move faster. We couldn’t stop, and luminarium alone certainly wouldn’t save us.
- What kind of creatures are these!?
I screamed loudly, gasping for air.
- Hounds. These are invisible dogs that live in such forests. Without luminarium, they are not visible.
She seemed not to be tired of running at all, and her breathing was normal. The trees quickly flashed past us, but it seemed the forest did not end, and the dogs did not get tired. I was starting to get tired and ran a little slower, only the clicking of jaws behind me forced me to continue running. When I was ready to fall exhausted, they helped me. One of the dogs bit me on the leg and I fell. The dog furiously tore at my leg, teeth digging deep into the flesh. I screamed from the pain that pierced my body with every second. It was terribly painful and terribly disgusting to listen to my skin and muscles being torn apart by sharp teeth and strong jaws.
Ivy jumped up to me again and scared the dogs away with the light of the crystal, but from the other side a second group of dogs ran up to us. One of them bit Ivy’s hand in which she was holding her plush toy. She screamed in pain, and scarlet blood splashed onto my face. I was gripped by growing fear and burning pain. I tried to fight off the dog with my other foot, but because this creature was invisible, I sometimes missed. And when I was able to hit the hound, it bit my leg with renewed vigor. I screamed and cried in pain, the muscles tore like old fabric, long and viscous.
It seemed as if the trees were bending from our scream that was carried by the wind. It mixed with the roars and barks of hounds. There is no salvation for us. Pain shot through my leg again and again, with each bite of the powerful jaws, like rusty nails pierced my leg. The hound let go of me, the throbbing pain growing stronger. Cold sweat flowed from me in a stream, as did tears from my eyes. I glanced down. There was a pool of blood under my leg, the bites were deep and ragged, and I think I saw my leg muscles moving. Losing such a volume of blood made my vision darken. Now it didn’t feel like a dream at all. The primal fear of death fell on me like a stone from a cliff.
Trembling, I tried to crawl away, hearing Ivy screaming and trying to fight off the dogs. Her arms and legs were covered in blood and bites, and she could no longer stand on her feet, falling powerlessly to the ground. The temples were pulsating, and the energy completely left the body. But adrenaline made me crawl towards Ivy, looking for salvation in this creature. Ivy jumped up to me and shielded me from the hounds, preparing for the next attacks. The barking of the dogs stopped as soon as they heard the rustling of the trees. Because of my blurred vision, I only saw a white silhouette on the tree. Here the clearing was illuminated by a very bright luminarium light. The hounds immediately whined, but I didn’t hear them running. Apparently the light killed them, as Ivy told me.
- Ivy!
A soft female voice screamed, in unison with a hoarse male voice. Two figures ran up to us. I passed out from the lost blood.
- No, no, no, don’t sleep!
Ivy screamed before I closed my eyes. As I was about to pass out, I felt something small and cold being applied to my forehead. I felt as if something was holding my consciousness and not allowing it to turn off. But it didn’t give me any strength. All I remember before my next blackout was that many shadows were spinning around me, and it was as if I was being carried somewhere. Then they laid me down on something soft and finally allowed my consciousness to turn off.
After some time, I opened my eyes again. The ceiling was stone and old. It was covered in dark, green streaks. This place was also abandoned. When I tried to get up, I felt pain in my leg. Looking at my limb, I breathed a sigh of relief. My leg was still there and was wrapped in a bandage. So where did I wake up this time? This time I was lying on a bed, soft and comfortable. Covered with clean sheets. Sitting up on the bed, while writhing from a slight pain in my leg, I began to look around the room. Everything was stone, in a dirty gray shade, with all sorts of smudges and dirt on the floor. There were no windows, and next to my bed there was an IV inserted into my vein. Where can such medical equipment come from here? There was also an old nightstand next to my bed, but it was still in good condition. Clothes were neatly stacked on top of it.
Taking a black long-sleeve sweater, I examined it. It was clean, although slightly torn at the edges, and on the back of the sweater there were two oblong holes for my fins. I assumed these things were left for me. Quickly, taking the IV out of my vein, I put on a sweater and gray loose pants with lots of pockets and got out of bed. There was also a hole in the back of my pants for my tail. Now it was slightly warmer and more familiar. Although the clothes seemed to be worn out and old, it was better than walking around naked. My leg still hurt when I stepped on it, so I walked slowly and with a limp.
Opening the old metal door, a corridor with three doors opened in front of me, and turning to the right, there was a continuation of the corridor, but after a few meters there was a dead end and a staircase going up. I decided to go ahead. I think I heard voices coming from the door that was right ahead. Slowly approaching and opening the door, I looked into the doorway. There was a large room with a sofa in the middle, a table in front of it and several chairs around. Ivy was sitting on the sofa, next to her was a girl with long black hair who was sitting with her back to me. And on the chair opposite the sofa sat a man, about 25 years old, maybe older. On his head was a tin helmet, from under which black, greasy hair peeked out. His sharp face had light stubble, and his eyes were bright green. The skinny torso was bare, there was one large fin on its back, and two small ones on the sides of its shoulders. His skin was the same grayish as mine, only slightly greenish, and on his neck there were the same stripes that swelled when he breathed. He also wore brown trousers with rough boots. The three were talking about something until the man turned his gaze to me. I quickly hid behind the door, but it was clear that they had noticed me.
- Come out, don’t be afraid.
Ivy said in a soft voice as usual. Slowly I came out of my peculiar hiding place. The girl with long hair turned in my direction. Her eyes were yellow in color, with vertical pupils, and under her eyes were scales of dirty green shades. Slowly approaching the table, my eyes darted between the two. For some reason I felt awkward. Is my skin too gray? And my hair is disheveled, God, I didn’t even tidy myself up. Coming closer to the sofa, I saw that the black-haired girl had a snake’s tail instead of legs. It was large and long, dirty green in color with dark green spots. I tried not to stare at her peculiarity, because I myself had fins and a tail. But it was difficult. I was about to introduce myself, but I remembered that I had forgotten my name. It was as if I had been doused with ice water, I shrank and my gaze ran across the floor, out of shame.
- Did you swallow your tongue?
The man asked in a hoarse voice.
- Don’t put pressure on her.
The snake girl countered softly. She moved to the edge of the sofa and said with a gentle smile:
- Have a seat.
Her voice seemed even softer than Ivy’s. I nodded in gratitude and sat down on the soft sofa, between Ivy and this girl. The man’s sharp gaze burned a hole in me. I looked away from the sudden shame that arose again.
- Do you even have a name?
He asked rudely, but in a softer voice.
- I don’t remember my name. So… probably not.
I answered timidly. Looking at the floor.
- We can come up with a new name for you.
Ivy said, placing her hand on my shoulder.
- We all got names here.
The snake girl said, looking at me with a kind look. I nodded, approving the proposal. The room fell silent again as everyone thought about what name they could come up with for me.
- Marie?
The snake suggested, I shook my head.
- Kira?
The man asked.
- No.
- Barbara.
Ivy’s proposal caught my attention. It sounded good.
- I like it.
I said with a soft smile.
- Nice to meet you, Barbara!
They all said at the same time.
- This is Zella and Bertholdt. They are the same foreigners from another world as you.
Ivy said in a gentle voice. I nodded.
- Do you remember anything before you woke up here?
Zella asked, and I shook my head. I tried to find at least a grain of memory, but it was all hidden behind a wall in my mind. I could not remember anything at all that could give me a hint about my past life.
- We don’t remember either…
Zella said with sadness in her voice. Grief colored her face, changing her yellow eyes to a duller color. I immediately wanted to comfort her, to give her hope that she would definitely remember her past. But how could I give hope for something like that, if I myself could not remember anything and did not know how to remember. Bertholdt shook his head, his face also darkened. It all seemed a little strange to me. Three people who lost their memories before they woke up in this world, it sounds strange.
- Funny…
Bertholdt began thoughtfully, his face darkening.
- How paradoxical it is that all of us except Ivy ended up in this incomprehensible world and lost our memories. This is clearly not our world, but then how did we get here?
His words gave me food for thought. Indeed, how did we get here. Clearly not by accident. What could have dragged us here and what events erased our memories?
- Do we have a goal? That’s what worries me.
Bertholdt’s voice was stern and sharp.
- And what is the goal of the one who dragged us here?
- Why do you think it was someone? Do you have any grounds?
Ivy asked, with some kind of vague doubt in her voice.
- Maybe indirect.
Bertholdt answered, with annoyance in his voice that Ivy caught him on this.
- Don’t think so much. You got here, which means you must survive here and find a way back. I will help you all with this.
- How good-natured… Stop being so kind, it’s annoying.
Berthold muttered through his teeth, with obvious irritation in his voice. This outraged me.
- Without her, you would already be lying on the street, and the hounds would feast on you.
I answered with contempt in my voice, giving a burst of my heightened sense of justice. Still, it was wrong to address the person who saved you and gave you shelter like that.
- Shut up, newbie. What do you even know? You’ve only been here a day, and you’re already behaving so insolently.
Berthold answered in a rude tone, looking at me sarcastically.
- But nothing gives you a reason to treat someone like that, who gave you so much, and selflessly. Don’t like it? Go outside and survive yourself!
His behavior began to infuriate me. So arrogant, but here he sits – here in shelter under the protection of Ivy. Ungrateful.
- Go to hell, you-
- Stop it!
Ivy said in a stern voice, looking first at Bertholdt and then at me. I didn’t want to continue this abuse, so I fell silent, looking at Bertholdt with malice in my eyes. Bertholdt also fell silent and abruptly got up from his chair, leaving the room.
- Show-off…
I muttered through clenched teeth. The room remained in awkward silence. Although Bertholdt’s words were rude and his accusations groundless, there was some truth in his words. All this was really suspicious. Even Ivy began to seem deliberately kind to me. But I was grateful to her for saving me, and therefore did not think there was a catch in her.
