In the dead of night, a woman could be seen running down the street, blood dripping from her arm. She recklessly crossed the road as the sound of horns bred, followed by curses as a driver nearly ran her over. She simply stared at the man while holding her arm, then continued to run. She turned into an alleyway, but it was a dead end. Cornered like an animal, she looked around for an escape.

  “This is it! It’s over, Adeline.”

  She turned to face the voice as a group appeared, holding various weapons like pipes, knives, and knuckle dusters.

  “Tsk.”

  She cursed as she summoned her st remaining strength. She raised her shaking hands, ready to face her foes.

  “How the mighty have fallen. The fabled huntress reduced to shaking like a damsel.”

  “When you go to hell, ask your brother if I was a damsel.”

  An evil smirk appeared on her face as her eyes suddenly sparked. The man's face contorted in anger as he slowly approached her.

  “I will enjoy this moment.”

  Holding his pipe, he commenced his attack as blow after blow nded on her already frail body. Unable to defend herself, she colpsed to the ground, but the man did not stop.

  ‘Pain, so much pain.’

  Her mind screamed, but she was too weak to even move her eyes. The sound of bones breaking and blood spurting filled the alleyway as the rest stood back and watched in horror.

  “You’re still alive? Just die already.”

  The man screamed in frustration as he took a break and wiped the blood and sweat from his face. She weakly raised her eyes to face him, urging him to get closer.

  “Is this your final words?”

  The man got closer as he kneeled to hear the weak whispers from her mouth.

  “See you in hell.”

  Her voice slowly faded as Adeline's vision darkened, and the pain slowly faded away, and her thoughts became clear. Adeline never lived a decent life. Born an orphan, she had to fight for everything. It became part of her ferocious personality: you were either with her or against her. Her violent nature was backed by her ability to fight, as multiple gangs and other delinquent groups fell at her feet. In a shocking twist of fate, she was betrayed and mercilessly hunted down by a rival, and now y dying in a dark alley alone. Minutes felt like hours as her life vividly fshed through her mind, but she had no regrets, for she had lived.

  ‘I can finally rest.’

  Adeline accepted death with a small smile. To her surprise, she was still conscious and started to wonder if this was what death felt like—just stillness.

  ‘This is not bad, actually. No loud noises, no responsibility, and no fighting, just me and my mind.’

  ‘What if this is how hell is? Or is it heaven?’

  ‘Pssh, why would I be in heaven? I am good for nothing.’

  Adeline continued to converse with herself, but she started to feel a bit cold, and various scents rushed through her mind.

  ‘Do they have a bnket or something in hell? It’s kind of cold. Also, is that the smell of blood?’

  Adeline frowned as her peace slowly started to slip away. Soon, she started to feel something breathing on her, making distinctive grunting sounds. Her eyes shot open and came face to face with a green monster with rge, protruding fangs. Instinctively, she unched a strong punch as the monster flew across the room, green blood coming from its nose. In a panic, she started to survey the room, lit by cracks of sunlight. It was filled with bones and decayed corpses of humans and other odd creatures.

  “Forgive me, Master Chwik.”

  The green monster quickly bowed in front of her and did not dare to look at her.

  “Don’t eat me, Chwik.”

  Tears started to fall as Adeline remained stunned, not knowing what to do.

  ‘Is it crying? Where am I?’

  “I won’t kill you.”

  She naturally answered as she composed herself.

  “Thank you, Master Chwik.”

  The green monster bowed deeply, then slowly got up.

  “Are you hungry, Chwik? I can bring st night’s leftovers.”

  It then pointed to one of the corpses at the edge of the room, with flies flying around it. Adeline covered her mouth, trying not to puke.

  “No need for that. Where are we?”

  The green monster slightly tilted its head and stared at her bnkly.

  “We are home, Chwik.”

  “In what town or continent? Is this North America?”

  “North what? This is Master’s cave, Chwik.”

  “What is the nearest town?”

  “Town is bad. We are in forest, Chwik.”

  “What’s the name of the forest?”

  “The forest is called ‘forest,’ Chwik.”

  Adeline started to slowly get upset at the answers as she frowned. The monster ran away, trying to hide as it covered its face.

  ‘Am I that scary?’

  She raised her hands, revealing sharp nails on her porcein-smooth hands. Her legs were smooth with no hair, but her feet were odd. They were simir to that of a goat but had human-like appendages. She slowly got up to explore this new body. Her body was slightly rger than a human but had more muscle mass. Apart from her goat-like legs, she looked very human.

  ‘I look like those creatures I saw in a book when I was young. Actually, cool.’

  ‘Wait, I am naked.’

  She quickly scrambled, looking for any clothes, and settled for a worn-out shirt and tore up the trousers just to cover her private area. These clothes most likely belonged to one of the corpses. She was very pleased with this, but that’s when she noticed her wagging, long tail. She tried to get a hold of the tail, but it always seemed slightly out of reach, and before she could realize it, she was running in a circle chasing her tail. Once she realized it, embarrassment set in, and she cleared her thoughts.

  “I will be leaving for a walk. Don’t follow me.”

  She slowly made her way towards the exit of the cave. The tunnel was a bit tight, but she was able to manage. The light started to get brighter, and soon she was outside. Various pnts and trees surrounded her, with the sight of deer grazing together with other animals. It truly felt peaceful as she took in the scene and breathed in the fresh air. Her instincts suddenly screamed at her as a cold sweat ran down her back. Shortly after, the animals ran away in all directions. A rge bck snake, the size of a car spanning several feet, appeared. It constricted as it towered in front of her and let out a powerful hiss.

  ‘I should have stayed inside the cave.’