Chapter 1: The Disappearance

Ryan Matthews wasn’t supposed to be in the woods that day. The sun was high, and the air was sticky with humidity as he drove down the winding roads of southern Missouri, looking for a quiet spot to unwind. Life had been stressful lately—work deadlines, family issues, and the usual pressures of life as a 30-something in the modern world. A hike in the remote Ozark National Forest seemed like the perfect escape. He parked his car near an overgrown trail and set off with nothing more than his phone, a small pack of water, and an eagerness to clear his head.

The woods were thick, alive with the sounds of birds and insects, and the scent of pine and earth was calming. He trekked deeper, following no particular path, letting the forest pull him wherever it wanted. Hours passed, and the sun began to dip, casting long shadows through the trees. He was about to turn back when something caught his eye.

A shimmer—just off the trail, between two towering oaks. It was subtle, almost like the air itself was rippling. Ryan squinted, confused. He stepped closer, curiosity bubbling up inside him. There, in the space between the trees, was a distortion—like the heat mirage you’d see on asphalt, but more… real. It hung in the air, bending the light around it.

Cautiously, Ryan reached out, his hand trembling as he touched the edge of the shimmer. There was a slight pull, almost like a vacuum, and before he could react, the world around him twisted.

Suddenly, the forest vanished. The ground lurched beneath him, and he stumbled, falling to his knees. Dazed, Ryan looked around, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

But the world was different.

Chapter 2: A World Out of Time

Ryan’s heart pounded as he tried to steady his breathing. The familiar forest was gone. In its place stood a landscape that was utterly alien, yet strangely familiar. He was still surrounded by trees, but these weren’t the trees of the Ozarks. They were massive—towering ferns and cycads that loomed overhead, their fronds swaying gently in a warm, prehistoric breeze.

The air smelled different too—thicker, heavier, like the atmosphere itself was more intense. It took a few moments for him to realize what was missing: the hum of insects, the rustle of small animals, the distant sounds of civilization. All of it was gone. Instead, there was only the occasional rustle of leaves and an eerie silence.

He stood and slowly turned in a circle, trying to orient himself. In the distance, he could see towering cliffs and, beyond them, what appeared to be a vast, open plain. His mind raced—what the hell had just happened? Was he still in Missouri?

Ryan pulled out his phone, hoping to get some bearings, maybe check a map, but there was no signal. The screen showed “No Service” in bold letters. He opened his GPS, but the map was blank, not even a satellite image.

Then, in the distance, came a sound—a deep, rumbling growl, so low and powerful that it vibrated in his chest. Ryan’s breath caught in his throat. He turned toward the sound, heart racing, and that’s when he saw it.

A creature—a dinosaur—emerged from the ferns, massive and ancient. It was a Triceratops, its massive horns gleaming in the dappled sunlight as it grazed on the low shrubs. Ryan’s mind screamed in disbelief. A dinosaur? Here? Now?

His instinct was to run, but his legs refused to move. He watched, stunned, as the dinosaur snorted, its thick tail swishing back and forth. It hadn’t noticed him yet, but that didn’t make it any less terrifying. This wasn’t a zoo or a museum display. This was real.

Ryan’s grip tightened on his phone. He had to document this—people wouldn’t believe him otherwise. He fumbled to unlock his phone and quickly snapped a photo. The click seemed deafening in the silence. The Triceratops paused, lifting its massive head, and its eyes scanned the trees. For a moment, Ryan thought it had seen him, but after a tense few seconds, the dinosaur returned to grazing.

Ryan exhaled in relief, but that relief was short-lived.

Chapter 3: The Realization

For hours, Ryan wandered through the jungle-like landscape, his mind reeling. He wasn’t in Missouri anymore—he wasn’t even in the same time. This was some kind of alternate dimension, a prehistoric Earth where dinosaurs still roamed.

It didn’t make sense. Was the shimmer some kind of portal? How had it pulled him through? Questions flooded his mind, but there were no answers. All he knew was that he needed to survive.

The sun began to set, casting long shadows through the trees, and Ryan’s phone battery had drained to 50%. He needed to be careful. His phone was his only lifeline to prove where he was—or had been. The temperature began to drop, and as the sky darkened, the jungle came alive with sounds—unfamiliar screeches, howls, and the distant stomping of massive creatures. Ryan found a spot at the base of a large tree and huddled there, trying to figure out his next move.

Hours passed in fitful sleep, interrupted by the sounds of something massive moving through the brush nearby. Ryan stayed as still as possible, gripping a sharp stick he had found, knowing it was useless against the kinds of predators that roamed this world.

The next morning, he woke to the sound of distant thunder. His phone battery was down to 20%, and he still had no idea how he was going to find his way back. But there was something else—his phone’s camera still worked. He could document more of this place. He could show the world, if he ever made it back.

He took more pictures—of the towering trees, the massive ferns, and the strange creatures that roamed in the distance. He didn’t recognize half of them, but some were familiar from books and documentaries. Sauropods lumbered across the plains, their long necks swaying like ships on a slow sea. Predators, smaller but no less terrifying, stalked the underbrush.

But his phone’s battery was dying fast, and that was when the storm hit.

Chapter 4: The Storm and the Charge

The sky darkened with unnatural speed, and soon, the wind whipped through the trees, bending the towering ferns and sending leaves spiraling into the air. Thunder rumbled overhead, and flashes of lightning illuminated the landscape.

Ryan’s heart pounded. He needed to find shelter—but more importantly, he needed to charge his phone. It was a long shot, but if he could somehow harness the storm’s power, maybe he could keep his phone alive long enough to send a message, to capture more of this world. He spotted a cluster of large boulders nearby, providing some cover from the storm.

As the rain began to pour, Ryan huddled under the rocks, watching the lightning strike the treetops. His phone battery was down to 5% now. He had one shot.

He dug through his pack and pulled out the USB cord and charger, not sure how he was going to connect it. Then, an idea struck him. He found a long vine and tied it to the metal prongs of the charger, then tied the other end to a nearby tree. It was a desperate, dangerous plan—hoping the lightning would hit the tree, channel the energy down the vine, and give him a jolt of power.

The storm raged for hours. Ryan’s hands trembled as he held the phone, waiting for the right moment. And then it happened.

A blinding flash of light, followed by a deafening crack of thunder. The tree next to him exploded as lightning struck, sending shards of bark flying in every direction. Ryan shielded his face, feeling the heat of the strike, but then he looked down at his phone.

It was charging.

The screen flickered to life, and the battery percentage climbed from 5% to 10%, then 15%. He couldn’t believe it. It was working.

Chapter 5: The Search Party

Back in Ryan’s dimension, his family and friends were frantic. It had been three days since anyone had heard from him, and search parties combed the Ozark National Forest, calling his name and following every trail. But there was no trace of him. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

The local authorities treated it like a missing person’s case, but as the days dragged on, hope began to fade. His car was still parked at the trailhead, and there were no signs of a struggle. He was just… gone.

But then, Ryan’s phone, back in the primeval world, flickered with life. His GPS had kicked back on, and though there was no signal, the photos he had taken started uploading to the cloud. The first image—the Triceratops grazing in the jungle—popped up on his family’s shared drive, leaving them shocked and confused.

They didn’t know what to make of it. The photos looked real, but how could they be? Dinosaurs were long extinct. The authorities dismissed them as hoaxes, but Ryan’s brother, Jason, wasn’t so sure. He knew his brother well, and this wasn’t something Ryan would fake.

Jason led a group of friends back to the trail where Ryan had last been seen, determined to find answers. But just like Ryan, when they approached the shimmering portal, they too felt its strange pull.

Chapter 6: Survival

Ryan’s relief at charging his phone was short-lived. The primeval world was unforgiving, and as he ventured deeper into the jungle, the dangers became more apparent. Predators stalked the undergrowth, and massive carnivores roamed the plains. His only chance of survival was to keep moving, to stay ahead of whatever might be hunting him.

But he wasn’t alone for long.

Days turned into weeks, and as his supplies dwindled, Ryan stumbled upon evidence of something strange—footprints, not of dinosaurs, but of humans. Or at least, something like humans. He wasn’t the first person to be trapped in this world.

The realization sent chills down his spine. Somewhere out there, in the vast expanse of this prehistoric world, were others who had crossed through the portal. But were they friends or foes?

Chapter 7: Shadows of the Past

Ryan stared at the strange footprints, his mind reeling. They were distinctly human—or at least, close to human. The prints were deep in the mud, much larger than his own, and they followed no discernible path. He crouched down, running his fingers over the grooves in the earth. They looked fresh. Someone, or something, had passed through here recently.

The jungle around him was alive with the constant screeches and calls of ancient creatures, but this discovery sent a different kind of chill down his spine. Until now, he had believed he was the only human in this world—a lone traveler trapped in a dimension that time had forgotten. But these footprints shattered that belief.

Was he truly alone?

His thoughts raced. What if other people had stumbled through the same portal? What if they had been trapped here for weeks, months, or even years? Were they survivors? Or had they become something else, something shaped by this world of predators and endless danger?

Ryan glanced up at the canopy above, sunlight filtering through the enormous ferns and trees. He was exposed out here. Vulnerable. Whatever had left these footprints could be nearby, watching him.

I need to move.

He quickly grabbed his pack and began following the trail. Every step felt like a gamble, but he couldn’t ignore the possibility of finding others—especially if they knew more about this world, or, even better, how to get back to their own. His heart pounded in his chest as he carefully stepped over the undergrowth, moving as quietly as he could. The sounds of the jungle seemed to grow louder as he pressed on, as if the land itself was warning him to turn back.

But he couldn’t turn back. Not now.

Hours passed as he trekked through the dense vegetation. The footprints led him to a river—a massive, slow-moving body of water that wound through the heart of the jungle. The banks were lined with towering cycads, their massive trunks casting long shadows over the water. He crouched at the edge of the river, staring at the footprints as they disappeared into the muck.

A growl rumbled from the other side of the river.

Ryan froze, his breath catching in his throat. Slowly, he turned his head, scanning the far bank. There, standing in the shallows, was a creature unlike anything he had ever seen. It was a predator, taller than a human, with a sleek, muscular body and a long snout lined with jagged teeth. Its yellow eyes locked onto him, and Ryan could see the hunger in its gaze.

The creature took a step forward, water dripping from its scaly legs.

Ryan’s heart pounded in his ears. He had no weapon, no way to defend himself against something like this. The river was wide, but not wide enough to keep the predator at bay for long. He had to move. Now.

Without thinking, Ryan scrambled to his feet and sprinted along the riverbank, his feet slipping in the mud as he raced through the dense underbrush. He could hear the creature crashing through the water behind him, its guttural growls growing louder with every step.

Keep moving. Don’t stop.

Branches tore at his clothes, and his lungs burned from the effort, but he couldn’t slow down. He darted between the trees, hoping the thick jungle would slow the creature down, but it was relentless, moving with terrifying speed and agility. The growls grew closer, and Ryan could feel the vibrations in the ground as the predator closed in.

Just as he thought he was done for, the ground beneath him dropped away. He stumbled, tumbling down a steep incline and landing hard on his side. Pain shot through his ribs, but he didn’t have time to think about it. He scrambled to his feet, his eyes darting around the small clearing at the bottom of the ravine.

The creature snarled, its growls echoing off the trees as it stopped at the edge of the ravine, pacing back and forth. It couldn’t reach him, but its eyes remained fixed on him, its teeth bared in frustration.

Ryan exhaled shakily, his body trembling with adrenaline. He was safe—for now. But he knew it wouldn’t last. He had to keep moving, had to find shelter.

Chapter 8: The Survivors

Ryan’s nerves were frayed after the close call with the predator. His ribs ached, and exhaustion tugged at him, but he knew stopping wasn’t an option. He pushed deeper into the jungle, trying to put as much distance between himself and the predator as possible. As night began to fall, the temperature dropped, and the jungle grew darker, more menacing. The sounds of distant creatures echoed through the trees, reminding him that he was still very much prey in this world.

Just when Ryan thought his body couldn’t take another step, he saw it—faint light flickering through the trees ahead. He stopped, his heart skipping a beat. Was it fire? A camp? He cautiously approached, moving through the underbrush until he could see the source of the light more clearly.

It was a camp. A small one, but undeniably human. A fire crackled in the center of a clearing, casting long shadows across the ground. Around the fire sat a group of people—five, maybe six, all dressed in ragged clothes, their faces gaunt and tired.

Ryan’s heart leaped. He wasn’t alone. Other people were here—survivors, just like him. But as he watched them from the cover of the trees, something about the group made him hesitate. They didn’t look like ordinary people. Their eyes were hollow, and their movements were slow, almost robotic, as if they were sleepwalking.

His gut told him something was wrong.

Ryan crouched in the shadows, watching as one of the men stood and walked toward the edge of the clearing. He looked around, his eyes scanning the jungle, but they never seemed to focus on anything. His expression was blank, devoid of emotion.

Ryan’s instinct was to call out to them, to ask for help, but the words stuck in his throat. Something about this camp—about these people—felt off. Were they survivors? Or had they been changed by this place, twisted by the same forces that had brought him here?

The man at the edge of the clearing stopped and turned his head, as if sensing Ryan’s presence. His eyes met Ryan’s through the darkness, and for a moment, the two stared at each other. Then the man smiled—a slow, unnatural smile that sent chills down Ryan’s spine.

Ryan backed away, his heart racing. He didn’t know what these people were, but he wasn’t sticking around to find out. He turned and slipped back into the jungle, his mind racing with questions.

Were these people once like him, lost in this strange world and trying to survive? Or had they become something else, something far more dangerous?

Chapter 9: The Search Deepens

Back in Ryan’s dimension, the search for him had taken a desperate turn. The photos that had mysteriously uploaded from his phone had sent shockwaves through his family, friends, and the authorities. Jason, his brother, had taken the lead in organizing search parties, combing the forest where Ryan had last been seen. But despite their best efforts, there was no sign of him—no tracks, no belongings, nothing.

Jason couldn’t shake the feeling that Ryan was still out there—somewhere. He’d seen the photos. They weren’t doctored. They were real, and that meant Ryan was alive. But the implications were impossible. Dinosaurs? A jungle? None of it made sense.

As the days passed, Jason began to grow desperate. He scoured old maps of the Ozarks, searched through local legends, and even reached out to paranormal experts. But no one had answers.

That’s when he met Dr. Emilia Voss, a physicist specializing in theories of alternate dimensions and parallel universes. At first, Jason had been skeptical, but Emilia had a theory—one that lined up with the strange portal Jason had encountered near the trailhead. According to her research, there were certain locations around the world where the fabric of reality was thinner, places where the boundaries between dimensions could overlap.

The Ozarks, with its history of strange occurrences and disappearances, could be one of those places.

“We need to find the portal,” Emilia had told him. “If it’s still open, we might be able to bring Ryan back.”

Jason had agreed, and together, they had returned to the spot where Ryan had disappeared, hoping to find the same shimmering anomaly that had taken him. But there was no sign of it—only the dense, impenetrable forest.

As night fell, Jason felt the weight of the situation bearing down on him. His brother was lost in a world beyond his comprehension, and time was running out.

Chapter 10: The Choice

Ryan had been wandering for days, surviving on berries and whatever water he could find in the jungle. His body was weak, his mind on the edge of collapse, but the thought of finding a way home kept him going. Every night, he thought about his family, about Jason and how they must be searching for him. He had to find the portal. He had to get back.

But the jungle was vast, and without any clear direction, he was lost. He had tried to retrace his steps, but the landscape seemed to shift, the trails disappearing as quickly as they appeared. And then there were the creatures—massive, predatory dinosaurs that roamed the land, their presence a constant threat.

One evening, as Ryan was setting up camp near a rocky outcrop, he saw it again—the shimmer. It was faint, barely visible in the dying light of the sun, but it was there, just beyond the trees. His heart leaped in his chest. It was the portal. He was sure of it.

He grabbed his pack and raced toward the shimmer, his legs burning with effort. But just as he reached the edge of the clearing, something stopped him in his tracks.

The survivors—the ones from the camp—were standing there, blocking his path. Their hollow eyes stared at him, and their leader, the man with the strange smile, stepped forward.

“You can’t leave,” the man said, his voice soft but menacing. “This world… it changes you.”

Ryan backed away, his pulse racing. “I have to go back,” he said, his voice shaking. “I don’t belong here.”

The man’s smile widened, his teeth gleaming in the dim light. “None of us did. But now, this is home. You’ll see.”

Ryan glanced at the portal, shimmering just beyond the trees. He could feel the pull of it, the promise of escape, but the survivors were closing in, their eyes fixed on him.

He had a choice—fight his way through and risk whatever lay beyond the portal, or stay in this world, forever lost in the primeval jungle.

To Be Continued…