Damien Crowell

As he came out from the tunnel, he found himself in another world.

The thought crossed his mind as he took in the unfamiliar sight before him.

His name was Damien Crowell. Just moments ago, he had been walking through a small tunnel, the one that he had grown accustomed to. It was a path he took regularly, because the school was within walking distance from his home.

The tunnel was nothing special—it was just a part of the school route. He had passed through it countless times, even before it became part of his commute.

Although, there was a time when the tunnel was the subject of local gossip. They said it was a haunted spot that was tied to an old legend of people mysteriously vanishing. But those stories had long been forgotten.

He entered the familiar tunnel as usual, walking through the dimness he knew so well. However, when he stepped out of the exit that seemed brighter than usual... it was a forest.

It made no sense.

Beyond the tunnel should have been the same path he always took, leading to a familiar view of the school just up ahead. That's how it was supposed to be. That's how it had to be.

But instead, it was a forest.

As far as he could see, there were only trees—tall, thick trees, not the kind you'd find in a park. Even the slimmest ones looked as if they would be difficult for him to wrap his arms around. The dense canopy above blocked out the sky, casting a gloomy shadow over the area. Behind him stood an enormous tree, much larger than the rest, so thick he couldn't even guess how many people it would take to fully encircle it.

Once again, Damien thought to himself.

None of this made any sense.

Damien Crowell thought it might all be a dream. He lay down on the soft, fallen leaves, closed his eyes—though the leaves felt oddly comfortable—and pinched his cheek as hard as he could. But the scene before him didn't change.

All that happened was that his uniform got dirty, and his cheek throbbed with pain.

The confusion made his head spin.

"I guess I'll just walk," he muttered to himself.

After sitting there, stunned, for what felt like an hour, curled up with his knees to his chest, that was the only idea that came to him. The trees around him were so thick that they blocked out the sky, leaving him clueless as to where the sun was, let alone any sign of a building nearby.

He had no idea which direction to go, or even where he was.

Still, he decided to walk.

He remembered hearing once that if you get lost, the safest thing to do is either retrace your steps or stay put and wait for rescue. But there was no path to retrace—just the enormous tree standing behind him—and he had no hope that anyone would come to save him.