Hybrid

Chapter 1: The Newcomer

You don't understand what's happening. You were laying in your bed, wondering if you should take that job at the local library when a thic black smoke crawled under the kitchen door.

You jumped out of bed, scared that you forgot to turn the oven off and it will burn the entire building down.

You open the door promptly to see only black smoke everywhere. Carefully, you enter the room, face covered by your shirt, and try to find the origin of this mess.

One step.
Your eyes and throat sting and you feel the urge to cough.

Two steps.
You feel dizzy, nauseous, the world start to spin in a way that defies physics laws.

Three steps.
It's spinning faster and stronger. You're having a hard time keeping your balance. Breathing hurts.

Four steps.
You fall on the ground. Heavy, numb and pale.
It spins more and more. It hurts too. You can't breath anymore.

Was that a gas leak?

It's too late to ask. As you feel your consciousness slowly slumber into the void, only one thought remains.

I don't want to die.

I don't want to die.

I don't want to die!

I DON'T WANT TO DIE!

I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!!

...

...

I don't want to die.

...

...

When you think the end has come, a voice resonate in your head. You don't understand its words, it's using a language you never heard about. But strangely, you understand it's message.

You are the new hope feeder and the first to cross the line of both being a prey and a predator.

What ever it is, it doesn't give you enough time to put sens with those words that you feel yourself fall.

After a bit, you land somewhere, in the dust. The fog get thinner and thinner and finally dissappear.

The first thing you see is a bright light. Too bright for you. You take a couple of secondes to accommodate.
The light source is a campfire.
Now your eyes can focus, you start to see trees being the flammes. Many trees. Clearly a forest.

Some trees are moving.

You need to focus a bit more to realise that you are not alone. In fact, a large groupe of people is surrounding you.
None of them are moving yet, they just stare at you in silence, like they are waiting something from you. Maybe a sign, something to tell that you are alive.

As you start feeling your body again, you try to stand up ; but it's quite hard when you're still half paralized. Someone approaches you and hold your arm to give you support. Another one join on the other side and you are now on your feet.

Since you can't keep your balance, they gently bring you to a nearby log to sit you on.

You take a couple minutes to deep breath and wake yourself up before trying any type of interactions with the strangers around you.

" Where am I ? " you finally say.

" You want the optimistic or the pessimistic version ? "

" The realistic one. "