Lost in the Fog

New Struggles and Saviours

It is said that God works in mysterious ways. When Izuku woke up, he couldn't believe what had happened, and thought that some kind of quirk had kicked in. Their world didn't consider god anymore, save that unique vine-haired child. But I digress. Look through Izuku's eyes: He was walking home in a city, being attacked by a sludge villain... only to wake up here, in the middle of a fogbound forest. The moon shone clear and gazed upon the wood he'd awoke in. His first thought was completely rational:

Where am I?

He got to his feet, his body still aching from the beating he received from... Bakugo. Bitter about the memories, he wandered through the woods. So far, there was nobody here. Nothing but him. And yet he still felt as if he were being watched.

If only he knew how right he was at that moment.

However, the lack of sound made every other noise that much louder, that much more accentuated. His senses adapted to the lack of stimulation by noticing things he wouldn't have otherwise. His ears heard more, his eyes saw more, his nose smelt more. It was almost like an awakening of his primal instincts. As he wandered, a crow flew off from a tree. It startled him, making him jump back and bumping into something made from metal. When he turned to see what he bumped into, he was shocked to find a large post with a hook dangling from it.

Horrified by the implications of such a device, he tripped on a stick before hearing a scream in the distance. It was piercing, clear, and striking enough to spook a murder of crows. They flew up past the moon. Fear gripped him, much worse than anything his bully could ever do to him. His thoughts still defaulted to his Terra's mindset: A villian is in the woods.... And there is no hero to stop them. He looked around, searching for shelter, when he found a shack. It was made from wood and of poor quality. Regardless, he approached it, reflexively out of fear.

It had no doors. There was a few boxes by an entrance, with a slab of wood... no, a pallet, precariously leaning against them. A window without glass, and a second door. There were stairs leading down. Izuku was going to go down there when a gut feeling whispered that danger awaited down there. So, he didn't enter.

However, the boy soon heard a person running. Someone was snapping twigs and moving quickly. Not wanting to be caught out, he searched his environemnt for a hiding spot, noticing the large people-sized lockers. They were red, with faded, peeling paint, and hingest that creaked as he moved their doors. Hiding within the box, I watched through one of the grates on the front as a dark-skinned woman ran past with a hulking behemoth of a man following close behind. Her hair was styled in dreadlocks, and she wore taped up glasses to see. Meanwhile, the man wore a mask, made of white material. It had small eyeholes with a large grin decorating the front, sharp teeth protruding out of it. There were pieces of metal and hooks embedded into his skin, making the boy terrified by his resilience. The man held a machete made from scrap metal, with obvious intentions to use it on anyone else he could find. Frantic, with adrenaline coursing through his veins, reactions due to a lifetime of torment, his hearing became muffled by his own heart pounding in his ears. Unable to watch, but unable to look away, Izuku witnessed her being struck down. Her scream pierced his heart, and I had to physically stop himself from crying out, with his own failures. All he could think was: I couldn't do anything to help this woman, and there were no heroes to stop them.

The man wiped his blade on his bloodstained forearm, and he strode over, picking her up onto his left shoulder. At that moment, a sound in the distance, almost like a chime, could be heard, seemingly annoying the man, as he carried her downstairs. A moment after he was out of sight, Izuku heard a scream, then continued to hold his breath as the man exited. He looked around, before leaving the building. Having waited several moments, and not hearing his return, the boy finally decided to leave the locker. Considering his options, he went downstairs carefully. He didn't know the man's quirk. When he arrived, Izuku had to watch his step, as there was a large bear trap, clearly left behind to catch anyone who was rushing there unawares. Avoiding it, Izuku saw how she was hanging on the hook, and, more importantly, still alive. He would have to lift her up in order to get her off of the insidiously simple torture device. So, preparing his strength, the boy did as he planned, carefully lifting her up and setting her down on the ground. She was lighter than he expected, but before he could ask her anything, she immediately bolted towards the exit, avoiding the trap. Without any knowledge of the area, Izuku followed close behind, his singular thought noble, as it was reckless: I wouldn't let her get hurt again if I could help it.