Refract - 2

Tim manages to scale the mountain before them, also managing to find a crevice to hole himself up into. The same could not be said for Xander, whom of which was forced to sleep deep beneath the earth. Once Erin catches up with them both, the three of them begin to survey the horizon. They notice two things. A crashed airplane along the base of the mountain and a horizontal chasm cutting the land completely in half. Deciding to avoid the gapping hole in the landscape, they check out the plane, finding skeletons, luggage, ruined clothes, a lot of phones and cameras and finally a mysterious black shard - two-dimensional and deeply sinister. Xander, fascinated by the object, decides to keep it and all of them proceed back to Alyse’s cave. Once situated, Xander begins to inspect the shard. First a mirror image of himself is projected directly in front of him - naked with blackened voids for eyes. Focusing deeper upon the shard, the mirror vanishes and Xander peers beyond the realm he calls reality. He sinks deeper and deeper before falling in. A thunderous roar is heard and felt throughout the landscape. Everyone’s vision darkens, but soon returns. Unease begins to set in. Tim finds Xander, a two-dimensional silhouette. He grabs ahold of Xander and frees him from his abyssal prison by temporarily staking him. No one quite understands what has just occurred, but no one enjoyed it. Xander, however is still curious. The following night, before the three of them head off again, they see that same hunter once again. He states he’s there to kill a beast that’s known to dwell there. Alyse. After assessing their options, they reluctantly allow him to pass. Without hesitation, he finds Alyse and fires off a round. She is hit and her wounds begin to burn. Tim and Xander interfere, ensnaring his legs under the earth and beginning to suffocate him in a shroud of darkness. He vanishes. (edited)

Everyone inside the cave regroups and comes to the conclusion that this location is no longer safe. Everyone migrates back to the cave Xander and Tim found a number of days ago and their party doubles from three to a total of six.

But once they arrive back at what they consider to be home, they notice a large chunk of their cliffside missing, perfectly squared off. After all that they have seen, everyone agrees to make a concerted effort to create a means of leaving the hellish landscape they found themselves in.