4338.209 · July 28, 2018 AD
Hunted in the Dark
Landing in Clivilius should be a beginning. Instead, it's a hunt. Blind in absolute darkness, bleeding and bound, Beatrix searches for her lost shoe—and finds something worse. Black fur. Glinting eyes. Claws that rake flesh. The Shadow Panther stalks through the dust storm. Light is her only weapon. The Portal offers escape—but first, she has to survive long enough to choose a destination.
"Welcome to Clivilius, Beatrix Cramer."
The greeting is cold comfort. The Portal's light dies, plunging her into absolute darkness. Wind howls. Dust chokes. Her phone's torch reveals something in the shadows—massive, furred, intelligent.
The creature strikes. Blood blooms on her forearm. She runs.
The Portal flickers back to life—a roulette wheel of destinations cycling too fast. The casino room appears. Not that one! Then Luke's study—warm, safe, familiar.
But the beast is faster. It launches. She leaps. Claws tear her leg as they both fall through—
Into Luke's study. Books explode from shelves. The Portal winks out. Darkness returns.
And the Shadow Panther is still in the room with her.
Light bulbs shatter. Camping gear scatters. A kayak becomes an obstacle course.
She runs through Luke's house, bleeding, bound, hunted.
Outside. She just needs to reach outside.
