A Demon's Mark

Chapter One - Sam

In hindsight, Sam should've known not to step through the portal that had suddenly appeared in her living room.

She wouldn't have found herself lying face-down in the middle of a forest if she decided to leave it well enough alone. Her bruised limbs, aching ribs, and blood running down the side of her arm—all easily avoidable. But Sam had done enough avoiding in her life, so she took the chance, and nearly gave herself a concussion in the process.

As she lay on the forest floor, her face pressed against the cold dirt, she wondered if this was where she would die. Some animal would smell her blood and find her, then tear through her flesh like she was nothing more than a piece of meat. The thought sent her into what was her fifth panic attack within ten minutes, and she forced herself to stay calm, in case anything heard her rapid breathing.

Another ten minutes passed. Or twenty. Sam's watch suffered from the fall more than she had, which only made her want to break down crying. Her dad had gotten her that watch for her nineteenth birthday, and here it was, broken after only a couple weeks of owning it. As much as she hated the idea of having to tell her dad about it, the least she could hope for was to see him and the rest of her family again.

Stupid portal, Sam thought to herself, but she knew that it held no blame in this situation. The portal didn't lure her in. The portal didn't force her to walk through. It was all because of her.

There wasn't any point lying down any longer. She got herself into this mess, so she'd get herself out of it. Sam pushed herself up to her feet as carefully as she could, and looked up at the forest canopy, where rays of sunlight peered through the leaves. She scanned the area around her in case the portal remained, but all that surrounded her were trees, leaves, and dirt.

Nothing to tell her exactly where she was, or how far from home the portal had taken her. If she wanted to get out of the forest, she wasn't even sure where to start. Except...

Sam walked over to the tree closest to her, where a low-hanging branch gave her a semblance of hope. She grabbed the branch and, after a failed attempt at pulling herself up, pressed her shoes against the tree and began walking them up until her legs hugged the branch. Using the additional support, Sam pushed herself onto the branch, and swung her feet over the edge as she managed to sit down.

"One down," Sam muttered to herself, looking up at the rest of the tree that towered over her. "Way more to go."

Still, desperation did wonders for someone as unmotivated as she was. Sam climbed from branch to branch, jumping when she needed to, despite the growing fear that the height would kill her. It probably would. Sam glanced down in order to place her feet firmly on the branch, and took a look at the ground.

Oh, god. Sam's head felt light, and she pressed her hand against the trunk to steady herself. She couldn't get as high as the canopy, but it allowed far greater visibility. Sam's eyes followed the paved trail through the trees, and narrowed when she saw movement in the distance. From the way they moved, they had to be people. Three figures shrouded in darkness, but people, nonetheless.

"Hey!" She called, using her free hand to wave over her head. "Hello?"

The figures stopped walking and fear spiked within her. What if they weren't friendly? What if they'd come here to find something, or someone to kill?

One of the figures suddenly ran in her direction, and beneath the thin rays of light, Sam could finally see who her potential savior—or killer—was. She took a deep breath and forced herself to look directly below.

There, clad in black and gray, was a young man looking right back up at her. Sam couldn't see that much of him, except for his dark brown skin and tall, athletic build.