The City of Babel

Awakening

Heavy breathing and a cough spitting blood stained the already dark sand below Mathews mouth. Pushing himself up he tried to regain his breath only to be met with a stinging pain in the back of his throat. He cussed at himself gently rubbing at the pain and taking a look at his surroundings.
"My platoon...god where am I...?" The first thing noticed by Mathews would be the never changing black eclipse with a blood red ring around it that hovered in the sky of black clouds and the seemingly alive sky... like it was a skin barrier then the eclipse started to seem like an eye more than a moon the more he looked at it. Behind him opposite of the seemingly normal sea he could see towers and a large city in the distance. There has to be people he would think or why would there be structures like those?

After almost an hour's walk Mathews found himself staring up at a wall of thorns and branches as if the city folk were using this as their border. Murmurs could be heard on the other side which gave Mathews the bit of hope he needed for this strange land he was In. Could he be dead? This sure looks like it could be a sort of purgatory and maybe even hell, he just hasn't gotten to the worse of it yet.
"Hello?" He would try to greet himself through the bushes where he heard the murmurs and suddenly they stopped. "I'm only here because it seems I might have lost myself. Last place I knew was on the boats to our supposedly last charge against the German forces...I am US marine private Mathews. I'm just looking for some answers." Mathews speaking continued to hurt his throat like from before but he paid no mind to it.
"Is he another one of the lost?" One quiet voice spoke to whoever else was with it.
"Should we open the passage? It will surely not survive long enough out there."
"It is lucky they arrive during the day." This caught Matthews attention and he took a look at his surroundings just now noticing the eclipse eye lowered to a sunset of sorts.
"Damn, that's not worrying at the very least..." Mathews looked back to the bush like wall. "Is there any entrance to this I can enter through-" as he finished his sentence the bushes seemed to start shifting into a little arched path way for him, into the unknown city. He could see two small frail seemingly human children waiting for him on the other side.

Being a bit cautious he slowly began to make his way into the entrance and made it to the other side.
"So...who are you two? Where are your parents?" Mathew looked down at the strange kids who were at least only 4 feet tall but identical. They both wore ripped up coats  covering their main body and had their own necklaces representing a sort of ying yang sort of symbols but more cryptic in texture, coloured black and red with what seem to be eyes on the holes.
"Certainly a lost one, it's blind to our generosity." The one with the red necklace spoke then the one with black slapped the other on the head.
"Shush, we must bring it to mother. She would find great use in this one. Just look at what artifacts it brings." The one with black gestured to the equipment that decided to stay on Mathews from the boats. He had not done an equipment check any time since he arrived at this strange land so his rifle and handgun might have water damage of sorts but his combat knife and medical gear would have been in peak condition hopefully, as long as the water didn't fill of his bag. But why call them artifacts? Is he really not just going insane? Did Mathew somehow get himself dragged into something else? A new world he could not fully comprehend?
"He's not speaking. Do you believe we broke him?" The one with red spoke seemingly being sarcastic. Mathew sighed, almost scratching his head at what his next move was.
"Where am I at the very least you...kids?" He saw the both of them snicker and shake their heads.
"Our answers mean nothing to you. Mother will give you them."
"Yes yes now follow before we all lose our heads to them tonight." The both began to walk side by side down the cobblestone path and Mathews followed behind. He observed the seemingly abandoned buildings. Wood boards hanging by singular nails and rotting pieces withering away. He could have also sworn eyes watching him through some of the buildings he focused on but none fully emerged out of the shadows. This place looked dead but Mathews had a feeling it obviously had more to it then just being a ghost town. He has a feeling this experience is gonna worse then meeting his death properly.

(Hello, this is my first start to a story I'm going to be working on here and there. I'm completely open to constructive criticism open for questions. Just felt I want to get some story ideas of mine out there you know haha!)