A thick jungle sprawled out before him, wild and tangled, the trees standing tall like ancient gatekeepers. Branches hissed and shifted in the wind, and a few birds shot upward from the canopy, wings flapping in a startled blur.
Saro stood at the edge, arms crossed, hoodie still clinging to him despite the rising humidity. He squinted through the brush.
"So… this way should lead to the lab…" he muttered, scratching his neck absently. He hesitated, his eyes flicking left, then back at the trail. "Alright. Should I do it?"
A shrug followed.
"Whatever."
He stepped forward.
The jungle swallowed him with a crackle of twigs underfoot and the groan of branches overhead. The light dimmed quickly, the canopy above blotting out the morning sun like a curtain drawing closed. The deeper he went, the less the city felt real—like it had been hours ago, or days, or maybe it never existed at all.
Snap… crackle…
He moved carefully, half-expecting something to lurch out from behind a tree. But all that greeted him was a low, metallic hum… and then, rising ahead of him like some cursed monument—
A tall fence, electrified and shimmering with blue arcs of energy.
Saro stopped cold.
"Great," he said flatly, hands on his hips. "All this for a freaking wall of lightning."
He stared at the fence with narrowed eyes, gritting his teeth.
"Gotta be a broken part somewhere…"
His knees dropped to the dirt. He scanned the base, brushing aside leaves and vines until—
"Bingo."
There it was. A broken section, barely enough space for a person to squeeze through. Sparks flickered dangerously close to the opening.
"Just gotta squeeze real tight," he murmured, eyeing the gap. "Or I'll get deep-fried. Real nice."
Without another word, he got down and crawled in.
Sparks danced inches from his skin.
Zzzzt…
Pant… pant…
He popped out the other side, breath short, heart thudding. Dust clung to his hoodie. As he brushed himself off—
Plip.
A cold droplet landed on his shoulder.
Then another. And another.
He looked up.
"…Rain. Really?" he deadpanned. "Guess I'm stuck here now."
The lab stood just ahead, partially swallowed by vines, its roof sagging under age and neglect. A few broken glass panels reflected the overcast sky, like dead eyes staring back.
Saro pushed open the rusted door.
The inside was darker than a grave. Metallic walls stretched in all directions. Desks stood in disarray. Dead monitors. Broken consoles. Old wires hanging like skeletal vines.
"Dark as hell," he muttered. "Gotta find a flashlight or—"
His face slammed into something soft and sticky.
Splatt.
"AGHH—DAMN IT!"
He flailed wildly.
"Spider webs? Everywhere!?"
He staggered back, shaking his hands and wiping his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. He was mid-groan when—
A voice rang out behind him.
"Hands up, kid."
Saro froze.
Cold swept across his body like a tidal wave.
A shadow loomed from the darkness—a tall man in a trench coat, half-lit by the flickering light above. A pistol aimed directly at him.
Heart pounding. Limbs cold.
He was never trained for this.
Saro raised his hands slowly, fingers trembling. His throat went dry.
"P-please… I was just—just finding my apple…" he stammered. "It rolled over here…"
There was a pause. The man tilted his head slightly.
"…Apple?"
His voice was dry, half-skeptical, half amused.
"What kinda excuse is that?"
Another beat.
"Look, I'll give you one chance—get out of here and never come back. This place is not safe."
Saro nodded quickly, still frozen in place.
"Y-yes sir! Never again, sir!"
The man didn't lower the gun.
But Saro had already made his move—he ducked behind a fallen cabinet and pressed himself into the darkness. Breath caught in his throat. His back hit a wall near a busted vent, and he peered through the gap, heart still racing.
He should've run.
But curiosity had already grabbed him by the throat.
On the other side of the room, the man moved with purpose. Now clearer in the light—older, wiry frame, eyes sharp. He spoke to himself as he rummaged through drawers and equipment.
"Need the drive… sensor module… where's the damn microwave?" he muttered.
Then snorted.
"Whatever. Done here."
He turned, raised the pistol—this time not at Saro.
BZZZZK-KRACK!
A glowing blue gate exploded open along the back wall, circular and pulsating with violent energy. It spun with a low, vibrating hum that made the entire floor tremble.
Saro's breath caught.
"No freaking way," he thought, wide-eyed. "That's—what is that!?"
The man didn't hesitate. He stepped into the gate as it pulsed brighter.
WUUUMMMPH…
He disappeared.
Saro didn't think.
He leapt from behind the vent, sprinted toward the gate, heart hammering like a war drum. Just as the light began to flicker—
FWOOOSH!
He dove in.
And everything vanished.
The landing was hard. Cold metal slammed against his side. His breath burst from his lungs in a wheeze. He rolled, gasping.
Darkness surrounded him. Machines clicked and hummed softly in the shadows. The air was sharp and frigid. Too quiet.
The silence was louder than screams.
Saro sat up slowly, arms hugging his body. His breath came out in foggy puffs, visible in the dim light.
"Where am I…?" he whispered.
"…What the hell did I just walk into…?"
His eyes adjusted—barely.
A vast lab stretched around him. Strange walls, unmarked terminals, long wires dangling like black veins. And at the far end…
A single red light blinked.
On.
Off.
On.
And in that moment, the future had already found him.