A soft pattering sound—like footsteps.
Not human footsteps.
The bushes trembled. Leaves fell. A faint growl—not aggressive, but curious—vibrated through the air.
Then it appeared.
A creature stepped out from between the trees.
It was about the size of a wolf, but slimmer, with a sleek body covered in fur that shimmered between pale silver and soft blue.
The glowing creature paused at the edge of the clearing, its golden eyes narrowing. What had seemed moments ago like cautious curiosity suddenly shifted. The air around it grew colder, heavier—charged with something sharp that prickled at Ayes's skin.
Kai stepped closer to Ayes.
"…Did its eyes… change?"
Ayes didn't answer.
He couldn't.
Because the creature's fur, once a soft silver-blue glow, darkened. The bioluminescent streaks on its spine brightened into a fierce electric color, like sparks about to fly. Its ears flicked backward. Its muscles tightened.
Before anyone could react—
It lunged.
Ayes barely had enough time to shove Kai back. The creature struck the ground where Kai had stood a second earlier, its paws sending moss flying in every direction. The impact shook the earth.
People screamed. The group scattered instinctively, stumbling behind fallen logs, trees, or each other.
"Get back!" Ayes shouted.
But the creature was already turning toward them.
Niva, a slim girl with braids and sharp eyes, grabbed the nearest branch—a long, sturdy one. Her hands trembled, but her stance was solid.
Melisa, taller and quick-thinking, pulled another unconscious student behind her while keeping her eyes fixed on the creature. "Don't let it get close!" she yelled.
Ovi rushed to Ayes's side, breath shaking. "What do we do? What do we do, Ayes?!"
Ziam—usually quiet, but steady—stood beside Kai with a wide stick, gripping it like a spear.
The creature snarled—a deep vibration that rippled through the clearing.
It wasn't a natural predator's growl.
It was… distorted.
Like something twisted by the strange energy of the forest.
Ayes forced himself to breathe.
"We stay together. We move slow. Don't run."
But the creature had already chosen its target.
It leaped again—straight at Niva.
"Niva!" Melisa shouted.
Niva dodged left just in time, rolling across the moss. The creature skidded, turning sharply, its glowing fur flaring brighter with each movement. Its speed was unreal—quick bursts like lightning.
Ayes grabbed a broken piece of the bus metal they had carried—a flat, jagged piece, maybe once a part of the luggage rack. Not a weapon, but a shield.
He stepped between the creature and the others.
"Ayes!" Kai called,panicked.
But Ayes knew he had no choice.
The creature lunged at him.
Ayes raised the metal piece—
The creature's weight slammed into it—
And a burst of energy pulsed through his hands, like sparks dancing under his skin.
The shock didn't throw the creature away—just stopped it long enough for Ovi and Ziam to charge from the side, swinging their sticks.
Ziam struck the creature's flank with a loud thud—not enough to injure it badly, but enough to knock it off balance.
Ovi grabbed Ayes's arm. "Move!"
They jumped aside as the creature recovered, its golden eyes locked on them. It wasn't confused. It wasn't frightened.
It was hunting.
Niva stood again, panting hard but determined. "We can't keep blocking it forever!"
Melisa pulled a thick vine from the forest floor—strong and rope-like. "Then we trap it!"
Ayes looked at Kai. They had known each other since childhood. One glance was all it took.
Kai nodded. "We lure it toward that big root. The one sticking up."
If the creature tripped, even for a moment, they might restrain it.
Ayes tightened his grip. "Everyone—circle around it. Don't get too close."
The group didn't argue. Despite fear shaking their legs, they closed into a loose formation. The forest seemed to dim as they moved—the air buzzing with tension.
The creature paced in the center, fur flickering like a storm ready to break.
Ayes stepped forward first, slowly.
The creature noticed.
It lowered its head—
Its muscles tightened—
And it charged.
Ayes sprinted to the side, heart hammering. The creature chased him with terrifying speed, snapping its jaws inches behind him. Ayes could hear it breathing—sharp, rhythmic, focused entirely on him.
He dodged around the giant root.
The creature followed—and its paw caught on the thick surface.
Just a slip.
Just one second.
But it was enough.
"NOW!" Melisa shouted.
Ziam and Ovi rushed first, swinging their sticks down toward its legs. Niva jumped onto the elevated root, using the height to guide the vine around the creature's neck. Melisa pulled from the other side.
The creature roared—loud enough to shake leaves from trees.
Ayes threw his weight onto the vine beside Melisa.
Kai grabbed hold too.
Their feet slid in the moss—
The vine burned their hands—
But they held on.
The creature thrashed, trying to break free. The glow from its spine pulsed violently as if reacting to stress, lighting the forest in bright flashes.
"Hold it!" Ayes shouted—even though his own arms felt like they might tear apart.
The creature twisted, nearly ripping the vine from their grip.
But Ziam leaped behind it, grabbing its hind fur and pulling with all his strength.
Ovi rammed his shoulder into the creature to stop it from turning.
Niva tightened her grip and anchored her feet into the root.
And finally—
The creature collapsed onto the mossy ground, restrained.
It wasn't defeated.
But it was trapped—for now.
The entire group stood frozen, panting hard, staring at the glowing beast struggling beneath the vine.
Melisa's voice trembled. "Is it… going to break free?"
Ayes shook his head, though he wasn't fully sure. "Not right away. But we can't stay here."
Kai leaned close. "It could have killed someone."
"I know." Ayes's voice was quiet. "And something tells me this creature isn't acting naturally."
Niva, still gripping the vine, nodded. "It looked calm when it first approached us. Then suddenly it changed."
Ziam added, "Something pushed it. Or controlled it."
A strange wind blew through the forest then—soft, but cold enough to raise chills across their skin.
Ayes looked deeper into the trees.
The shadows there seemed… thicker.
As if something had been watching the entire fight.
Something bigger.
Stronger.
Smarter.
He swallowed hard.
"This forest isn't just dangerous," he said quietly. "It's alive. And it knows we're here."
The group shivered.
The creature, still glowing faintly, let out a soft, almost pained sound. Not rage. Not aggression. Something like… fear.
Ayes's heart tightened.
Whatever had made it attack them—
Whatever energy twisted it—
Was somewhere ahead.
And to survive, they'd have to face it.
"Everyone," Ayes said firmly, "we move. We stay together. We follow the safest path we can find. And we don't look back."
Nineteen frightened people nodded.
Their journey into the depths of the unknown world had begun—
and they already had their first...
The forest slowly returned to silence after the terrifying encounter. Leaves still trembled from the chaos, and the air carried a faint metallic smell left behind by the cosmic lightning. The defeated wolf-like creature lay still beneath the fallen branches, but no one dared approach it again. Fear lingered like a heavy shadow over the group.
Nineteen people remained—including the bus driver, a small baby girl wrapped in a blue blanket, several terrified adults, and Ayes's close companions. The group gathered in a loose circle as they checked one another's injuries through the dim light filtering between the giant trees.
Two adults were badly wounded—one man could barely stand, holding his side with trembling hands, and another woman kept her eyes half-closed as she leaned against a tree trunk, breathing unevenly. The scratches on Kai's arms had already turned red, though he tried to hide the pain with a forced smile. Several people were shaking uncontrollably, their bodies reacting to fear and exhaustion more than anything else.
Ayes himself felt a burning sting in his right hand—
the same hand that had been touching the bus window when the purple lightning struck.
The pain pulsed like a heartbeat, spreading warmth through his arm whenever he moved his fingers.
But he ignored it.
They needed organization.
They needed clarity.
From the broken remains of his bag, Ayes pulled out a slightly bent notebook and a half-crushed pen. The pages had survived the crash. That alone felt like a small miracle.
"Everyone… gather close," he said softly but firmly.
The group shifted around him. Their faces were pale, filled with shock, dusted with dirt and sweat. The crying baby quieted as her mother gently rocked her.
One by one, Ayes began writing down everyone's identity for proper tracking.
"Name?" he asked gently.
The bus driver stepped forward first. "Habib… Habib Hossain."
Ayes wrote carefully, keeping his hand steady despite the pain.
Next came a middle-aged woman holding the baby.
"Nila. And her name is Sara," she whispered, lifting the infant slightly.
Then Ovi, the tall young man with a protective nature.
"Just write Ovi," he said, still catching his breath.
Ziam followed, pressing a cloth over his bruised shoulder.
"Ziam Rahman."
Several adults spoke softly, some choking on words as fear overwhelmed them. Ayes noted every name, age, and any injuries they had. His handwriting shook sometimes, but he kept going, determined not to lose track of anyone.
Kai sat beside him, watching.
"You sure you're okay? Your hand looks… weird," he murmured.
Ayes glanced at his right palm.
Thin violet veins glowed faintly beneath the skin—but only for a moment.
He quickly closed his fist.
"I'm fine," he lied.
They had bigger problems.
When he finished recording all nineteen identities, Ayes took a slow breath and looked around.
"We can't stay here," he said. "The wolf attacked us once—others might come because of the noise."
Everyone knew he was right.
The forest around them was unfamiliar—gigantic tree trunks, leaves that shimmered faintly even without sunlight, and strange vines that pulsed as if carrying energy. Nothing felt like Earth.
Earlier, before the wolf attack, Ayes had noticed something carved into the bark of a massive tree—a symbol glowing faint purple. It looked almost like an arrow woven into a spiral pattern.
Now, standing in front of everyone, he turned toward that same tree.
"There's a sign here," he explained. "It could be a direction or a warning… but it's the only clue we have."
Kai stepped next to him, wiping dust from his face.
"So we follow it?"
Ayes hesitated only briefly.
They were lost, injured, exhausted, and surrounded by an alien environment. But leaving people scattered and unorganized would be worse.
"Yes," he finally said. "We follow it. Carefully."
Rina shifted her baby to her other arm.
"Is it safe?" she asked, voice trembling.
Ayes didn't have an answer.
But he had determination.
"I don't know… but doing nothing is more dangerous."
The group slowly began moving toward the marked tree. Every step felt heavy; dried leaves cracked under their feet, and small glowing insects drifted away as they approached. A strange rustling sound echoed from far off, but it didn't seem close enough to threaten them.
As they reached the glowing symbol, Ayes placed his right hand against the bark—
and the spiral lit up brighter, sending a faint pulse outward.
Kai took a step back.
"Whoa… it responded to you."
Ayes didn't understand why.
But the moment he touched it, he felt something—
a direction, a pull, like the symbol wanted them to go deeper into the forest.
He turned to the others, confidence returning to his voice.
"This way. Stay together."
Slowly, nineteen survivors stepped beyond the carved tree, moving as a single unsure but determined unit. Behind them lay fear, confusion, and the memory of a deadly creature.
The purple-marked tree guided them deeper into the forest, the symbol glowing faintly each time Ayes stepped close. The air grew colder, and the forest that once resembled Earth slowly shifted into something far stranger—trees thicker than walls, leaves taller than a man, and vines that pulsed faintly with energy like living veins.
Everyone walked silently, too tired and too frightened to speak. The earlier wolf attack had stolen most of their confidence. Now all they had was hope… and Ayes's instinct.
After nearly an hour of walking, the path narrowed into a stony slope. The ground dipped downward sharply, forcing everyone to move slowly and cling to roots and trunks for balance. The air here smelled different—cooler, cleaner, like rushing wind.
Kai, who walked beside Ayes, frowned.
"Do you hear that?"
Ayes listened.
A low, constant rumble echoed from somewhere ahead—like wind trapped underground, or… something alive breathing in the dark. It sent a chill down his spine.The path finally opened onto a wide clearing. At the far end stood the entrance to a massive cave, carved naturally into the cliffside. The mouth was huge—big enough for the wolf they fought earlier to walk through without lowering its head. Strange glowing moss covered the edges of the cave, emitting dim blue light.
Ziam looked uneasy.
"Are we supposed to go… inside that?"
Before Ayes could answer, Ovi stepped forward to inspect the entrance. "This place doesn't feel safe." He kicked a small pebble toward the cave opening. The stone rolled for a moment, then disappeared into darkness without a sound.
Too deep. Too silent. Too unnatural.
Ayes turned to warn everyone to step back—
But the ground shifted.
The soil beneath them crumbled suddenly, as if something hollow had collapsed. Two boys—Rafi and Munim—who were standing near the edge, screamed as the ground cracked apart beneath their feet. They tried to grab onto roots, rocks, anything—
"Ayes!" Kai shouted.
Ayes lunged forward instinctively, grabbing Rafi's wrist for a brief second. But the soil slipped away too fast, and Rafi's hand slid from his grasp. Both boys fell into the shallow pit formed at the cave's mouth—it wasn't deep enough to kill, but deep enough to hurt.
A dull thud echoed.When the dust settled, Ayes peered down.
"Are you two okay?!"
Rafi groaned, clutching his ankle.
"I… I think it's sprained."
Munim tried to sit up, wincing. "My shoulder… hurts."
The adults climbed down carefully. They lifted the boys out of the pit and laid them against a rock. Several members of the group were now seriously injured—legs twisted, arms bruised, cuts along their hands from scrambling to safety. The fall had worsened their already fragile condition.
Panic rippled through the group.
"What now?" someone whispered.
"We can't keep moving with injured people."
"We need water…"
"We haven't eaten since yesterday…"
"My baby is crying—I have nothing to feed her…"
Reality crashed down on them.
They were nineteen survivors in an unknown world, surrounded by dangers they didn't understand, with injured people, no food, and no clean water. The forest seemed endless, unforgiving, and frighteningly alive.
Ayes took a deep breath.
He knew he had to act before the group fell into chaos.
"Everyone, listen!" he called out.
His voice steadied the trembling group."We can't stay near the cave's entrance. The ground here is unstable. But we also can't keep wandering aimlessly. We need water and food first. Without that, no one will survive—not tonight, not tomorrow."
Habib, the bus driver, nodded solemnly. "He's right. We need to organize."
Ayes quickly opened his notebook again, flipping past the list of names.
"We split into five groups," he said.
"Two groups will search for water.
Three groups will gather fruits or anything edible."
He pointed to the stronger adults and young men.
"Kai, Ovi, Ziam—you three lead the water search teams. We need water more than anything."
Kai shook the dust from his shirt and nodded.
"Understood. But we should stay within shouting distance. No one goes far."
Ayes continued, "Niva, Melisa, and the uninjured women will form the fruit gathering groups. Stay alert. If any creature appears, shout and run back immediately."
Niva, holding her long hair back, answered bravely, "We'll be careful."
Ayes then assigned two adults to stay behind with the injured, including Rina and her baby. They would guard those who couldn't walk and keep watch near the cave area—though Ayes strongly cautioned them not to enter the cave under any circumstance.
Before letting the teams depart, Ayes added one final instruction:
"No one travels alone.No one separates from their group.
We survive by staying together."
Everyone nodded.
Fear still lingered, but now there was purpose—structure.
As the groups prepared to move, Ayes glanced at the cave once more. Something about it felt wrong. The darkness felt too deep, too quiet, as if swallowing the light from the glowing moss. The rumbling sound continued faintly, almost like breathing.
His right hand throbbed again—the same burning sensation from the lightning strike. It pulsed once as he stared into the cave.
Kai noticed.
"You okay?"
Ayes lowered his hand quickly. "Yeah… just sore."
But deep inside, he knew something serious was waiting deeper in this forest—something tied to the symbols on the trees, the strange creatures, and the cosmic storm that brought them here.
"Let's move," he said.Five groups split apart, stepping carefully into the unknown, searching for the basic things that determined life or death:
Water.
Food.
Shelter.
Hope.
The forest watched them silently.
The cave behind them breathed softly, waiting.
**Water and food search group five terms
1.Kai, Ovi, Ziam
2.Bus driver Habib, a young women(Fors), a young boy(Abyes)
3.Ayes,a adult women(aimi),a youger boy (Rezik)
4.Melisa,Nieva, another adult women
5.Three adults staying colse to clearing
The remaining three—including the woman with the baby and the two badly wounded—stayed at the center to rest and stay safe.