The cold hit Jack like a physical blow, forcing him awake. His eyelids fluttered open, and he gasped, the icy air searing his lungs. Snowflakes swirled around him, glittering in the pale light of a sun that seemed distant and weak. At first, he thought he was dreaming. The landscape was surreal: jagged ice formations towered around him, shimmering in shades of blue and white. In the distance, a vast glacier glinted like a frozen ocean, its surface cracked and layered with ancient ice.
Panic surged through Jack as he realized he wasn't in his basement anymore. The familiar hum of machines and the cluttered warmth of his workshop were gone, replaced by an otherworldly silence broken only by the occasional howl of the wind. He tried to stand, his limbs stiff and trembling from the cold. His breath came out in white puffs, and his thin sweatshirt and jeans offered little protection against the freezing temperatures.
He looked around, trying to make sense of his surroundings. There were no signs of civilization—no roads, no buildings, no people. Just an endless expanse of ice and snow. His heart pounded as the reality of his situation began to sink in. Somehow, his experiment had worked—too well. He had traveled through time, but instead of the distant future, he had been hurled into the distant past.
Jack's immediate concern was survival. The biting cold was relentless, and he knew he wouldn't last long without shelter. He scanned the horizon and spotted a rocky outcrop in the distance. The terrain was uneven, with patches of ice hidden beneath the snow, making every step treacherous. He stumbled and fell more than once, his hands and knees scraped and numb. But he kept moving, driven by sheer instinct.
When he finally reached the outcrop, he found a small hollow in the rocks that offered some protection from the wind. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing. Jack huddled there, shivering violently. He rubbed his hands together, trying to generate some warmth, but it was futile. His mind raced as he tried to remember survival techniques he had read about in books or seen on TV. Fire. He needed fire.
Jack rummaged through his pockets, hoping to find something useful. To his relief, he found a small lighter he always carried—a habit from his days of repairing machinery in poorly lit spaces. He gathered some dry moss and twigs from a nearby crevice and managed to ignite a small flame. The warmth was minimal, but it was enough to keep him going.
As the fire crackled weakly, Jack's thoughts turned to his situation. How far back in time was he? What had gone wrong with his experiment? And most importantly, was there any way to return? The questions swirled in his mind, but there were no answers. For now, he had to focus on surviving one moment at a time.
Night fell quickly, and with it came a darkness so complete it was almost suffocating. The stars above were brighter than Jack had ever seen, their light reflecting off the snow in a cold, ethereal glow. The temperature plummeted even further, and Jack curled up as close to the fire as he dared. Exhaustion eventually overtook him, and he drifted into a restless sleep, haunted by dreams of endless ice and the hum of his malfunctioning machine.
When he woke the next morning, the landscape was eerily quiet. The wind had died down, and the sun cast long shadows over the snow. Jack knew he couldn't stay in the hollow forever. He needed food, water, and better shelter. Summoning his courage, he stepped out into the icy wilderness, determined to face whatever challenges this ancient world would throw at him.