And opened them on a blindingly green forest. Sunlight fell through a thick canopy of leaves, dappling the grassy ground. Living most of his life in the wastes and being mostly a city boy while human, the amount of greenery and life was overwhelming. A long mountain range could be seen through where the trees thinned, and a broad valley swept out under the long hill he was on. Charon put a hand to his chest, feeling the familiar leather of his armor, though it felt different; more ornate. There was a weight on his back, but it felt considerably heavier than his shotgun. He reached over his shoulder and drew a massive silver-colored sword from a scabbard slung over his chest and hung on his back. Rays of sun slid off the shiny surface as he hefted the weapon and swung it experimentally. Not what he was used to, but the wickedly sharp blade and destructive weight called to him nonetheless.
Charon turned and looked around him. With a shock, he saw there was a person waiting beside him crouched on a boulder. He looked up at Charon and grinned impishly. It was Lee. The thin, warily friendly face was the same, shaggy black hair falling over his tall forehead. His t-shirt and chinos had changed to some intricately embroidered heavy canvas armor, and instead of his sniper rifle he held a carved wooden bow. His long fingers held an arrow nocked to the string. He tilted his eyes up at Charon and jerked his head to the front as if to say c'mon let's get a move on. He slunk down from the rock and glided forward, making no noise as he stepped over the leaf-covered ground. We must be hunting something, Charon thought. He propped his sword over his shoulder and trailed the strange Lee through the forest. I'm dreaming, he thought vaguely as he watched hazy trees, streams, and butterflies flow by them. He tried to speak, but no words would come. Charon mentally shrugged and moved closer to dream Lee, enjoying the verdant scenery and occasional glimpse of the alien wildlife.
After a time, Lee came to a halt, turning back to fix Charon with a worried look. The forest had grown dark around them, color draining out of the world, and all was silent. Lee drew the bowstring taut and kept moving forward. Feeling anxious, Charon unshouldered the claymore and followed, watching for whatever was causing the fearful atmosphere.
A rolling cloud of smoke emerged from the thick grove of trees ahead, surging over the ground towards them. It touched Lee and his body immediately stiffened and fell forward into the smoky mass. Charon tried to lunge forward, to reach his arms out, but he had been frozen. His body wouldn't obey him, and Lee was covered by the smoke. He tried again to make a sound, to scream out, but his throat made no noise. The dark fog rolled back and slithered back into the woods, leaving nothing behind it. Lee was gone.
Charon desperately willed his body to move, to reach out with his arms or to move his legs to walk. He began to regain control, but he felt like he was moving in slow motion. Every attempt at action required massive amounts of willpower and effort. Frustrated and furious, he opened his mouth again to make some kind of noise. Anything to break the crushing silence. And this time a piercing howl erupted and the world snapped into blackness.