Join | Now!

The neon sign was right. The best part of joining wasn't the sign-up; it was finally showing up.

Arthur looked back at his beige apartment—the half-eaten sandwich, the stack of bills, the quiet safety of a life half-lived. Then he looked at the obsidian woods and the key glinting on the tray. Join now!

He crept into the hallway. Standing in his entryway was a man in a perfectly tailored charcoal suit, holding a silver tray with a single, physical key and a blindfold. The neon sign was right

"Join now!" The banner blinked in a neon green that felt like a migraine in the making. Then he looked at the obsidian woods and

The man stepped aside, gesturing to the open door. Outside, Arthur’s familiar suburban street was gone. In its place was a sprawling, mist-covered forest where the trees looked like they were made of obsidian. A path of glowing white stones led into the dark.

Arthur chuckled, heart hammering. "Cheap parlor tricks," he muttered. But then, he heard it: the distinct click of his front door latch sliding open.