Wet is all I can feel, powdery and sludgy. I open my mud smeared eyes to a black swamp. Beings creep through the marsh I find myself in, while I weakly get up from my sunken grave. Peering onto a shore and the woods behind, I see a pier extending to about 50 meters in front of me.

‘That seems to be the way – always a place that’s a little greener than the one I’m on, I guess’

The sludge before my submerged feet raises in temperature as I see the moisture being cooked off and the mud forming dry cracks. The sudden explosion that followed had dry soil raining everywhere in a brown dust cloud.

‘So dramatic?’ I said to my three orb friends. Blue: ‘Statements warn any onlookers;’ -‘And attract attention.’ I react back.

‘They have always known we were here somewhere.’ – The only response.

Before I make my way towards drier area I look around; An extended lake that deepens towards a dark green horizon is all my view contains, trees growing in the water form its barriers; left and right. A white glow at the rivers end fades into bright stars pinned to the green-black ceiling of my imagination.

‘If that’s salvation, then why am I going through the dark forest?’

A splash nearby triggers my awareness. The trio start moving; I stay behind to find mere ripples on the waters’ surface a few feet away.  Something’s in there – hope it’s just a fish. I turn around to find my friends near the embankment already; as my jeans catches on something down at my ankles, forcing a near stumble. Looking back I see nothing strange after having regained my stance. Weird.

And eerie. Time to leave; the beach harbours course gray sand that crunches underneath my feet as I ascend to the black and green mossy woodland plateau. A last glance at what might be the prettiest sight I will see in a while. Turning around towards the trees I take a deep breath before entering the darkness. Yellow will light the way.

Thick bark on trees reminds me of tough outer shells, like shields against the elements, that are built up through years and years of counter measure. A monster would have to battle these to deal any damage. Climbing over enormous roots conjures up a map of doors and pathways through the endless maze of mystery this wood seems to be.

Following the lights – the basic need I guess. Crumbled remains of stone stairs ease my walk here and there, sights of concealed entrances catch my eyes as the only things that interest me. Confusing conversations and distracting, meaningless answers annoy and deviate my attention from what’s most important right now. Cryptic orbs.

This place is getting creepy. Bad thoughts are the seeds of bad thoughts, but bad is all there seems to be here. Something tells me I need to be vigilant; swift if need be. Yet paranoia is also in the air – contagious. I heighten my pace to get some blood pumping just in case – in case something goes wrong. Rather be equipped with awareness by focusing on the little things along the way.

And pre-emptively contemplate readiness. Entertained and safely in my own control. Practise might deem necessary, the theories there – along with passive experience. Muscles warmed up and loose; just as I get bored of leaping from boulder to tree to dirty slate floor, I see something flicker in the corner of my eye. Telling the others to halt I turn around, hiding my silhouette in the form of a trunk.

There was definitely something there – the thought that emanated in my mind. Trustingly I focus on the vertical bars of light that represent the sunrise. Another flicker on the edge of my view confirms my notions; something’s coming and its getting closer. There! Again! Almost in viewing distance; the next glance I get reveals a jumping crab like thing – reminds me of an imp.

Not too far away from me I hear rustling; digging – frantic digging. Must be a broken down tunnel beyond one of these doorways I keep finding in the crags and knots that form this forest floor. The time to run is now! Before I land in a situation even worse. These things are probably not friendly.

I turn my head back at the first chance I get; I hear skittering and the sound of demented singing coming nearer. This stuff’s out to get me and they seem to be multiplying; there are three now. They seem to be some kind of freak experiment between lobsters and locusts, with horns like spikes protruding as antennae. If these things were also producing the vocals of insanity in my ears – then I do not want to meet them up close.

Now nearly sprinting over and under fallen trees and dodging dead ends I find myself with nowhere to go but away from the voices. Blue, yellow and gray have formed a protective shield around my upper body; versatile, flowingly orbiting my heart – always there where needed most. Trustworthy tools of defence. Pity they don’t shelter the mind so well.

I reach a nestled spot in the shadow of a giant dead oak with a small overlook above the ground. Faint whispers remain of what was sung so horribly before, I need to find a way out while I can, but all I can see is pale mist between enormous dead vegetation. The only thing green on these trees are the parasitic vines that killed them and now flourish as treetops.

A glint catches my eye on the dark horizon, as I am forced to break concentration – falling rocks and scratching on the barrier of my hearing radius. Loud chittering just a few meters off above me to the left and a sudden scraping sound to my right let me know it’s do or die. Four against three is more than fair.

My foes were waist height to me and dangerously quick. Kicking and screaming deterred them and gray was breaking some exoskeletons. Crunching sounds of a better kind, but unluckily no premeditated plan against slyness; the third wretched bug caught me by surprise and grabbed blue before fleeing to higher ground. The intermediary connection broken the other two seized the opportunity to steal gray and yellow. Their speed and cunning superior right now; even gray was captive after cracking some shell. Glad that little vermin is cripple, but who am I to talk – they’re not coming back for some reason and I’m vulnerable and broken.

A crack in the leaf roof above me exposes my worst fear before I had time to see it coming. I’m in way over head and I’m unprepared for this. Before me was the outline of what had the vilest aura I have ever felt. And instantly the only emotion I had left to feel was unbearable pain; first in my left arm and then around my neck. My skin was torn; the boiling blood running down my arm and collarbone. Screeching sounds penetrated my ears and forced the maximum production of adrenalin.

My heart was beating violently as this creatures face swam into view. Clear as day now I see this beast is the beetle from hell. Horned like a rhino in a black metallic shine; camouflaged with mossy green patches and its eyes flared with conviction and concentrated anguish: ‘Your path ends here!’ it’s undeniable voice; as it reveals the sharpest of teeth along with rugged pincers that help it devour. The pincer clutching at my neck drags me up to viewing distance for terrifying monsters; its four wings now visible in their dragonfly/bat kind of way. The shell that covers them while not in use is impeccable armour and it’s behaviour reminds of the haste and decisiveness of a spider.

‘Why are you trying to kill me?? What have I done wrong?!This is wrong and unfair! And where is all this coming from?!’ I scream. ‘Your existence is something unwanted! Your death is mandatory and I am your deathbringer!’ Is the immediate and overpowering response; a last threat before a fragmenting of bone and a shriek of pain.

A gasp of foul air gushes at me as the overgrown evil bug’s wind is knocked out of its lungs by gray, who had killed the imp holding him captive with a blow to the skull. Brains were mixing with the ground as blood was trickling down to join the mix. I fell to the ground choking like there was no tomorrow – a very possible situation.

I had to get out. I got up as quick as I could and stumbled forward into a run for my life. Crashing down of trees behind me and torturing squealing sounds in the background. A horrible array of sounds that would soon be replaced by the sound of vibrating wings. I had to find that light I saw earlier.

Scanning the edge of my view while running in this darkness was the only thing I wanted to be doing after nearly dying. Where is this light?! Stone walls with markings everywhere were everywhere and the rocky area between large trees made my situation worse. I need to find higher ground; jumping up I see a flicker of orange light in the distance. That might be it.

Close ahead I see a raised perch that I run up onto to confirm my direction of course. I hear the hum of wings coming near, the sound of crashing trees is imminent and as the thought hits, so does the shockwave of the first thick branch snapping, followed by a meteoric entrance of the beetlebeast into this forests canopy. I tirelessly sprint towards the light.

My wounds spill blood that reminds me of my mortality. The other side might be more red than green. The orange light is not too far away and so is my evil friend. As dense vegetation hinders this huge being from advancing faster than me – I gain a little ground, only to lose it once again as it tears down tree line by tree line. All that damage is going to end up in a pile in front of it. This things a live bulldozer.

This is where I gain the advantage. Swift reflexes and agile manoeuvres lend me the upper hand – I dart towards my goal; no further than 50 meters, as I no longer hear anything. Silence as I float over the last stretch of now almost clear land between me and my orange destination, which appears to also be a marker for a door, entering the ground, with a sunken entrance in the cove of a small ridge.

As I reach for the doorknob I hear the canopy break once more and await the beasts return. A moment too late I think as I close the door behind me, falling into the corridor I had reached. A smirk on my face is the last thing I remember while hearing loud scratching and banging on the outside, along with howls of anger and disappointment.