After all, there is no one left...

I don’t know how long I lay unconscious. When I woke up, I looked around. I was sitting on the edge of the forest, leaning against a tall, massive poplar. I looked up. There wasn’t a single cloud in the sky, and the sun was shining. But something didn’t give me peace. I looked around and fixed my gaze into the deep forest. A dense, terrifying and impenetrable forest disappears into twilight. The trunks of huge trees are covered with moss, mushrooms and climbing plants. They look like the decoration of a majestic theater of ghostly creatures, ready to take off at any second. The aroma of pine needles and moisture envelops everything around. The tops of various firs and pines disappear into the sky, completely obscuring the rays of the sun. The soil here is always saturated with moisture, covered with fallen needles and tangles of roots. Seeping through this thick carpet, moving forward here is a real test for the brave. There is deathly silence in this forest. It was incredibly scary. I realized that I was on the border of light and darkness. And here, like a magical portal, you can immediately feel the unique atmosphere that transports you to a fairy-tale reality. Majestic trees frame the edge, creating a protective shield for privacy and immersion in serenity. Spreading their branches above their heads, they barely let in the penetrating light, which shimmers and creates a charming play of shadows and rays. Against the background of dense greenery, buds that have not yet blossomed appear, indicating the onset of spring, or lush crowns with autumn colors, intertwined in the unity of beauty. Carpet grass spread across the ground, as if created to rest the soul and sharpen the perception of the surrounding world. It’s as if hidden here are endless stories about life and death, about battles against the wind and greedy branches, about the desire of trees for light and the intractability of time. Here you can hear the whisper of the wind, as if it reveals the secret of the past and present, allowing us to see the forest in all its many shades. I closed my eyes, relaxing, but a strange sound, similar to… it’s unclear what, made me perk up. If just a minute ago I was completely alone, now a girl was sitting opposite me. Her eyes, framed in pupils as bright as the ocean depths, were surprisingly penetrating and bright, as if the brightest ray of the sun sparkled in their depths. The eyebrows, carefully emphasized with light and graceful curves, demonstrated her persistent and strong character. Their dark shade caught your eye, like an invisible thread that drew you deeper and deeper. The girl’s skin is impeccably smooth and graceful, like the final touches that skillfully create a harmony of integrity. Her blush — gentle and natural — seemed completely natural and an integral attribute of her beauty. Snow-white teeth gave her smile a sincere and pure look. The lips, with their delicate shade, devoid of any artificial decoration, attracted attention and created a special charm. The girl’s blue-black hair is the main visual work of art that she was ready to present to the world. They fell in smooth, luxurious curls, like millions of threads. The girl’s figure was perfect and uniform, as if nature itself had granted her this grace. But there was something repulsive about her. Taking a closer look at her face, I realized it was a smile. It seemed that she was tense, completely inconsistent with the general image of the girl. She… looked like a grin. — Who are you? — I plucked up courage and asked. My voice sounded strange even to me; apparently, the long silence had its effect. — I, — the stranger began slowly, smiling slightly, — Emptiness. — What? — I didn’t understand. — How is that? Where I am? — In the Void, — she explained calmly. — Don’t you remember anything? You yourself came towards me. The image you see now is just my projection. In fact, I’m completely different. I began to understand something. — And what do you want from me? — I asked, frowning. — Nothing special. Just talk. Question one: how did you live in my world? — she began. I realized that I just need to do what she wants. — So you created it? Well, in principle, not bad. It was hard at first. It was scary, but I somehow managed. Then I realized that I was going crazy. This was probably the most terrible part of my stay in the world, — I said. — I know that. I would like it more from an emotional point of view. Let me be more specific. First, you committed suicide twice. Why? — I was confused, — I said, as if listening to myself. — I thought about it a lot later. I don’t know. Perhaps I am too weak in character. Nothing like this has ever happened in my life, you understand that yourself. Perhaps my intuition helped me. I realized that I would not get out, and a lot of bad things would await me. I didn’t see any other way out. — Well, that’s understandable. Now for the monsters. How did you arrive at the scheme of dead-resurrected-moved-living in peace? I did not understand well. - OK. The fact is that after the giant, when I moved to the neighboring house, the next monster began to destroy my old house, and not the one where I was at that time. This brought some clarity to my situation. That’s how I came up with this diagram. True, during the first cycle I was still afraid that the system would fail, but then I got used to it and calmed down. — It’s clear. Further. Why did you start hallucinating? — she asked and, seeing my puzzled look, explained. — It wasn’t me who sent them. They were a figment of your imagination. — It’s true, — I frowned, — I thought it was your merit. More precisely, this world. It doesn’t seem to make any difference though. In general, most likely, I just missed them very much. Like I said, I was starting to go crazy. It was probably so bad that I started hallucinating. — Sorry, — the girl whispered, looking down. — For what? — I didn’t understand. — Well, now I have to tell you everything. This was all my experiment. The fact is that you were my first test subject, and the world itself is not perfect. Therefore, there was a glitch in the form of the monster being attached to the location. But you showed a lot. The next person will live in even more difficult conditions, but it will be more like what I want, — she said. — And what do you want? — I asked. She continued. — Do you know anything about other worlds? Although what am I asking, of course not. I learned that boundaries are blurring. Soon the monsters living there will break out into your world. They are strong and merciless. I needed to understand how ready people are for this. At least some. After all, the extinction of humanity can lead to dire consequences. We need to make sure that at least a few hundred survive. I wanted to test your endurance on you. And to answer your question, you were chosen at random. Seriously, I just loved your story, your moral character. You’re a good contender. There are not many people like that, — said Void. I was just silent, trying to digest what was said. Have I been through so much to find out this? Although, in principle, the purpose of my stay in that world was noble. But it was still very disappointing. — So what now? — I asked somehow indifferently. — The experiment is not finished. There’s something else you have to do, — her smile turned into a grin again. — In terms of? I will do everything you could want. Even though I was a failed experiment, you must let me go! — I exclaimed. — You did not understand. You have to die, but I want you to live happily. I will send you to another world, to your family, — the girl explained. — Then, it’s OK. I’m ready, — I said. The void grinned, cupped my face with its palms, closed its eyes and muttered something. My consciousness was once again shrouded in darkness. But now I was not afraid of the unknown.