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Location: ??? / Time: ???

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The crunching sound of leaves being stepped on brought Artie into consciousness. The feeling in his body had returned, and he felt whole and solid. Delirious, Artie jolted up, wearing a furious expression.

"Stop stepping on my salad!"

Another minute passed before he could make out his surroundings. The tower's light was gone, but it was still bright. Amazed, he whispered to himself.

"It worked."

Artie's eyes were wide, and his mouth agape. No smoke or poisonous fog cloaked the beautiful bluish-green sky. Nor did any clouds cover the pale blue and green moon that hovered closely above like clingy spouses. Stunned, he slowly stood and scoped out more of the new environment. Artie gawked at enormous trees, which were even mightier than towers on Earth-One. The bushes, grass, everything had looked colossal compared to the norm.

The tree's fullness only spared a little room for him to peer through, but he looked and pointed at the sky.

"Hold on a second. If that's the sun, then, one... two... There are two moons!?"

He spontaneously hopped in place twice. Through his excitement, an old, unusual quirk had resurfaced. He was shocked and delighted to be alive on such a pretty and exotic planet. Artie shouted at the top of his lungs, and tears began to stream from his eyes.

"We made it; we're here!"

"That or we all died and arrived at heaven."

He lifted his head and arms and took a deep breath, inhaling the clean air and smell of the wilderness. Satisfied, he glanced around more, spotting differences from the old world. His favorite was the weather, cool and breezy, just as he imagined.

The trees towered close together, yet they were different shapes and sizes. There was also a broad spectrum of colors, as if every breed existed there at once. Orange's, pink's, yellow's, red's, the vegetation took on so many different appearances that it was mystifying. Artie did, however, find the lack of wildlife worrying. It was a beautiful lush land after all.

"Are we supposed to just eat leaves… Though even that doesn't look healthy to eat, the red trees look spicy."

"I doubt the snacks in my bag will last very long-"

Artie twisted and turned in circles looking for his luggage, but there wasn't a single article of baggage in sight. It bugged him, but he quickly put it past him. Making it there in one piece was a miracle enough; he didn't care if he had to eat leaves, mushrooms, or whatever else.

Basking under the sunlight, the sound of crying, laughter, and cheers continued. Artie had a mess of thoughts racking his brain. He wondered what he'd do to find his place in the new world. Perhaps gather resources, become a hunter? He wasn't in good shape, but now that there was an "outside," he could beef up, become a village chief or something. He giggled at the thought for a while, then moved on.

"Soo… this is nice and all, but what now?"

Reaching into the pocket that he deemed his "phone pocket" many years ago, he felt nothing.

"Right, if our luggage didn't make it, then phones must be out of the picture too."

Suddenly, a massive gust of wind blew downward from the serene sky. It was bizarre that air would be directed that way, so Artie glanced up into the atmosphere.

High overhead, he saw millions of pink leaves starting to float toward the ground. It was an unexpected phenomenon that captured the attention of all present.

Holding out his hand, a single cheery blossom fell onto his palm. A plant that had long since become extinct rained down in abundance, breathtaking enough to cause him to weep.

"Welcome to Earth-Two," communicated a robotic voice.

Gasp and the sound of bodies recoiling followed the message. Heads swayed from left to right, scanning for the source of the sound, but there was none.

After half a minute, the invisible voice continued.

"Heeding my mission, I have extracted all non-essential entities from your belongings."

While listening, Artie held the flower to his nose and nonchalantly sniffed it while tapping his foot on the floor.

"To further ensure the sustainability of humanity, I have engineered the natural elements of this world to be more impervious. The atmosphere, plants, and water will now withstand the harshest toxins and pollution produced by humans."

There was a pause in its announcement, so people cheered and rejoiced. Not just there, but this event was occurring all over the new world.

Leaping in excitement, Artie's head got a glimpse of all the bodies in the area. When he landed, a noteworthy thought crossed his mind.

"Was there really this many people at the transport zone?"

Human figures covered the forest in mass numbers as far as he could see. Millions of men and women in tight-knit celebrated with one another.

"However," the mechanical voice resumed.

"It is necessary that we rectify the errors that led to the downfall of Earth."

After its comment, a distant, sharp scream echoed across the forest. Due to the old world's poisons, Artie had poor hearing and missed it entirely.

"According to my data. To ensure survivability, we must reduce the human population by 75%."

There was confusion among the masses as they mumbled to one another. All the while, far away, yelling continued and grew closer.

"PLEASE, HEL-"

More ears were met with this thundering scream, and heads turned in fright. The land had fallen silent, with everyone facing the direction of the dreadful sound.

It was difficult for Artie to see what was happening. Still, outside the crowd, an athletic woman soaked in blood bolted from between the trees. She'd looked like the devil himself was chasing after her as her legs carried her like chariots.

"What the hell is going on?!" Cursed Artie, almost shoulder to shoulder with the gathering of people near him.

He could not see what was happening, but he knew there was danger. Not wanting to find out what, Artie began to shove his way through the dense mob.

Another scream resounded even closer. So close that Artie could tell the exact moment that person's life had ended.

The unknown voice reappeared once more. And in the same dry and robotic tone, it said-

"Good luck."

Its gut-wrenching message left many petrified. However, the crowd quickly regained their senses and began to shuffle about. Unfortunately, the time to act had passed, and a dark beastly figure emerged from in-between the trees. First one, then ten, then hundreds more followed.

Shadowy wolf monsters steered towards them. At six feet tall, they charged at 30 miles per hour. And, despite their size, their steps were hushed. If not for the screams of their past victims, no one would have heard them coming.

Their fur coat was jet black like ink, and they locked piercing yellow eyes onto the person they targeted. With sharp fangs and claws, the beast quickly slew their prey.

The outer wall of the humans was dispatched quickly by the sudden attack. As soon as Artie could see the massacre, he became fear-stricken. His body became loose of any tension, and his arms dangled as if boneless. Sweat rolled down his back, and the white shirt we wore became damp and stuck to his frail body.

Heart racing, Artie could not move or think. He stood, watching his demise grow closer until there it was. Close enough to smell the blood on their fur, to see the ferocity on their faces. They looked like overgrown wolves, except for horns placed behind their ears.

It could have been the stale chips he ate earlier, but his stomach churned and ached; He felt sick.

Shoving and pushing erupted as the closely packed group of humans tried to untangle themselves from the predicament they were trapped in. Artie had budged, but not of his own will. His limbs felt like jelly, so others roughly pushed and shoved him with the flow.

It couldn't be seen, but he could hear the tearing of clothing and flesh as he was carried by the crowd. Terrible, atrocious sounds filled the air as the black monsters hunted their prey swiftly and mercilessly.

As the mass of people continued to run and scatter, Artie felt the weight of his own legs. Fewer bodies pushed him, and he was no longer knocked around like a pinball. His mouth moved, it didn't produce a sound, but he'd wanted to yell. At himself, at those around him, at the trees that stood so close together.

"Move."

He had to run. With one foot in front of the other, his thin legs managed to pick up an unsteady pace. The screaming did not fade as he escaped further away; quite the opposite. They were now appearing from the left and right of him. Before Artie could consider the possibility, they made themselves known. Even more shadowy beasts were En route and clawing down humans as they ran.

Within a minute, the crowd had thinned out even more, and Artie could no longer see the back of someone's head. Individuals began scattering among the trees and shuffling to get out of sight. The one advantage humans had was their ability to quickly decelerate and juke in different directions. If not for the close grouping of trees, there would be no chance of survival.

"No more."

His breath had nearly depleted as he slowed into a walk. The sounds of ravaging still followed but not as close. Once others realized this, they stopped to catch their breath, recovering with worn and tear-soaked faces. Artie fell to his knees near a tree and emptied his stomach, puking for half a minute until nothing was left to expel from his body.

Using his shirt sleeve, he wiped his mouth and then dried his tears. After, he rose to his knees, thumped his forehead against a tree, then crossed his arms as he attempted to warm himself. Shivering violently with chattering teeth, he listened to the voices around him.

"Dammit, dammit. I'll kill you all!"

"My wife… My fucking wife!"

Artie lifted his head and turned to witness a male in baggy work slacks and a half-tucked collared shirt. His red face had an actively bleeding wound reaching from ear to ear.

"I'll kill you all!" He raged, gathering things off the ground.

The man held a stone in one hand and began sharpening the tip of a thick branch until it was at a fine point. Further, he tore his shirt and used the cloth to tie another stick to the bottom of the sharpened one. The finished product was a firm, makeshift spear.

A younger woman wiped the stream of tears from her face and began to follow what the man had done.

"To hell with this. If we're going to die anyway-"

She picked up fallen branches, sharpened them, then tore her dress and used it as rope. Within two minutes, she was standing with a weapon of her own.

More people whined and cried, but their bodies also acted, and they began preparing a means to fight back.

Artie had not commanded his arms to do so. Still, he also scooped up a pile of random materials before collapsing in front of them. He stared at them for minutes before scanning for someone he could mimic. Almost everyone near him either lost the will to fight or struggled to make anything worth being called a weapon.

Still crouched, he turned clockwise to check the people behind him. There, he spotted a man he worked with on Earth. The worker was known to be terrible at building anything; Artie even heard the man failed to finish a 100-piece Lego set. So, it was inconceivable that he could fashion up wooden spears with such ease.

Even after observing him do it many times, Artie could not manage a single usable weapon. Whatever he touched ended up resembling children's arts and crafts.

"If you aren't going to use it correctly, let me," said a thick-armed stranger, motioning Artie away.

The man was blunt, but he wasn't mistaken. Artie took a step back, and the stranger practically threw together the materials and produced a sharp weapon.

"Get going, kid," he said, handing a wooden spear to Artie.

He accepted the gift and nodded shakily before walking away. And by away, I mean away from the sounds of horror. The beast had gotten closer to what appeared to be nature's workshop, so he fled. While vacating, he witnessed everyday people racing towards peril, armed with handmade weapons.

Sadly, the number of dead was already immeasurable. No matter how many beasts they killed, it would never equate to their losses. They could clear out the entire forest, nay, the whole country, and they would never get close.

"Stronger together" was a simple human concept, but he'd lived alone for so long that it didn't apply to him.

There wasn't a fraction of guilt as he fled, never looking back.

 

<>

 

After diving deeper into the forest, his getaway was foiled by the sound of something fast approaching. Worried it was a monster, he quickly ducked behind the nearest tree.

"Why here," he thought, wondering why the beast would venture so far out when plenty of prey occupied the workshop.

Several yards away, he made out a woman's figure. She carried a small body in her arms while she ran with great resolve and sprinted along the uneven ground.

As they'd gotten closer, Artie's face sunk. He involuntarily inched from behind the tree as his body asked, not begged, but asked him to help them.

It was the siblings he'd met before arriving there. Both Freddy and his older sister, whose long light brown hair bounced in all directions as she ran barefoot with torn clothes.

Artie fearfully scanned the area behind them, catching the sight of a lone monster.

"Please."

His body wanted to move, to act, but he'd been glued to his hiding spot.

"Please"

Artie's eyes welled with tears while he watched the siblings, then the beast, dash by. He trembled, tightly grabbing his upper arm while thinking-

"Please, move."

His thoughts were pure and honest, yet his body only moved inches.

Artie's thoughts were summoning forth visions. Memories of the faces he'd seen only hours ago. The young, awkward boy and his sister's image made his heart pound more. They were strangers, yet he wanted to save them.

He couldn't identify if it was because of the guilt he'd feel if they were killed or if he wanted to repay them for speaking to him when he was alone.

It didn't matter

"RUN!"

Artie yelled as he forced himself up and raced after them. It wasn't the most graceful charge, no. But he ran, stumbling and crashing against trees along the way.

Dehydration crept up on him quickly, but he managed to keep up. He'd often see the beast's hind as it crashed into narrow tree openings that the girl had no problem slipping through.

After a short chase, Artie began to smell and hear rushing water. When he exited the gang of trees, he arrived at a small clearing where a crystal clear green waterfall streamed.

The young boy, Freddy, stood on the ground behind his older sister's leg, sobbing and holding onto her tightly while they were backed to the edge of a cliff. The sister swung her arms wildly against the air, yelling for dear life-

"Go away!" "Rah!" "Leave us alone!"

It was a futile attempt to scare the creature away. It paid the woman no mind and stepped closer with its fearsome fangs bore. The beast leaned back on its hind legs, then it charged.

The older sister kneeled, turned her back to the monster, then sheltered her brother's tiny body. Time stopped for them, only the sound of the running water and bolting footsteps remaining.

...

Stretching his jaw, Artie screamed as he hurled his body forward with the spear he carried. With a solid thrust, he straightened his arms and pierced the upper body of the beast, propelling the weapon in as far as it would go.

Blood splattered onto his shaky face, and the beast roared in pain. Its neck cracked with how quickly it snapped its sights to Artie. He'd been trembling and holding back puke that'd made a home in his throat, but he hadn't given up.

With a desperate look, he let out a fierce roar of his own before jolting back and dislodging the spear from the monster's body. Once free, Artie raised the spear above his head and aimed to stab the creature again.

First crackling, then sparks of light emitted from the monster's horns. It was subtle at first, but then it grew brighter. The brightness was physically painful for someone who'd scarcely experienced such radiant light.

Momentarily blinded, he held the spear above his head with one hand and covered his eyes with the other. Unable to see it coming, electricity surged and projected from the horns like a connected string of veins. The attack struck Artie's hand, electrifying him and burning the blood-covered weapon at the hilt.

Half the spear caught on fire, and he became paralyzed in fear and, quite literally. The attack was aimed at the weapon itself, but what little electricity did make contact with his body afflicted pain and burns.

There was severe discomfort as his limbs stiffened like a wrapped mummy; he became unable to balance he fell down. Artie's eyes flickered, and his whole body shook violently. He watched with no means of defense as the beast opened its mouth wide and aligned it to his throat.

"N-Not yet; I have to hold on longer..."

His intention was to keep the creature occupied while the pair escaped, so he endeavored.

Just as the monster's mouth swooped in to bite, Artie rolled himself like a human burrito outside of the attack. The wolf-like monster munched on dirt and grass but immediately darted after Artie.

It wasn't as agonizing as he'd expected. He was never tased, but he imagined it to be similar to what he was undergoing.

After rolling around directionlessly, his spine slammed against the hard bark of a tree. The outside pain helped him recover some feelings, and Artie learned that the siblings had safely escaped. He let out a relieved exhale, then began to fidget with his pocket in front of the cautious beast.

"Of Course, that device took my pocket knife too..."

Artie could smell the blood on the monster's breath as its mouth opened wide; felt the heat it produced. Exhausted, he closed his eyes, then dropped his head.

"If there is such a thing, I hope I can reincarnate as one of you..."