Chapter 2: Awakening in the Void

At first, all Soham knew was darkness. His thoughts felt sluggish, as if wading through waist-deep water. Slowly, awareness returned to him. He gradually perceived that he was lying on his back, staring up into infinite blackness. Struggling to reorient himself, he called out hesitantly.

"Mom? Dad?"

His voice sounded small and hollow, swallowed by the vast void surrounding him. No matter how hard he strained his eyes, he could not make out any shapes or details in the ebony expanse. It was like being suspended in an empty vacuum.

As his mind cleared further, hazy memories started to solidify. The family trip...the hike in the mountains...getting caught in the storm. The landslide barreling down towards them. Soham reeled as the horrific events flashed back in full force.

"Mom! Dad!" he cried out more urgently, lurching to his feet unsteadily. He wheeled around in every direction but saw nothing except the same pitch emptiness. Panic bubbled up in his chest as Soham realized his parents were nowhere to be found.

"Where am I?" he shouted, fear evident in his quavering voice. "Can anyone hear me?"

His pleas reverberated briefly before being swallowed by the void once more. The complete lack of sensory information began to unsettle Soham. He could not feel anything solid beneath his feet, though he appeared to be standing on some surface. He noticed his body gave off a subtle glow, the only light in this darkened limbo.

Turning inward, Soham struggled to recall what happened after the landslide descended. The memories felt just out of grasp, like a word on the tip of his tongue. He concentrated hard, and it came back to him in flashes. The crushing weight...his fading vision...a final gentle breath.

"Does that mean...I'm dead?" he wondered with a chill. That would explain this empty purgatory he found himself in. "Mom and dad must be too," he thought dejectedly.

As the reality of his situation sunk in, Soham dropped to his knees. Tears that seemed to fall forever into the abyss below gathered in his eyes. He was utterly and completely alone. Overwhelmed by grief, Soham hugged his shoulders tight, letting out gasping sobs that echoed endlessly into the shadows.