The Forest : Demons in the Mist

Chapter One: Bedridden

There it was, the warmth of death welcoming me.

I lay numb where I was, feeling a bit more comfortable than I remember.
I remember that I kept looping in and out of consciousness, but only remember seeing trees and mist.
My eyes remained shut as I fought to regain consciousness.

My body should've heated rapidly by now, the warmth was a bit cozier than what I was comfortable with.
I moved my arm again, wincing as I tried to lift it to my face, then being hit with something warm and smooth, but also hard. I heard a quiet snicker from across the room as I sighed and rubbed my eyes, realizing it was my own numb fist. I forced my eyes open which was a mistake, my vision was blurred and my eyes stung a bit.  I winced and closed them again, doing my best to sit up, groaning loudly and holding onto the side of the bed for dear life.
"Whoa whoa, easy...easy there!" an urgent voice whispered as they rushed towards me.
I opened my eyes again, a blue and brown figure was helping me lay back, having me sit up a bit to keep my back as straight as it could. I fell back a bit into the pillows and panted a bit, wheezing softly as I rubbed my throat gently.
"Thank you..." I said hoarsely.
The figure left the room and came back with something I couldn't quite make out. They pressed it to my mouth and tilted it, the cold fluids meeting my lips. I tried to move my head to the side, skeptical of the figure and what their intentions were.
They grabbed my head gently and tried to force me to drink it. I gave in, tired and sore from moving my head and immediately drank, realizing I was extremely thirsty. The coolness of the water soothed the burning in my throat as I sunk into the pillow. Some water trickled down the corner of my mouth as I grabbed the hand holding the glass, getting a bit greedy.
"Hey, slow down...down you're going to choke!" they pulled the glass away and I leaned forward to reach before a hand was placed on my chest, slowly pushing me back down.
"Whoa hey! I'll get...get you more but you need to calm the...the hell down, you've got six broken ribs." they said, trying to be stern.
I sighed, defeated against my will as much as I would've wanted to rob them of the water. They leaned down next to me and adjusted the blankets as my eyes were starting to focus a bit. I noticed my caretaker had orange googles and had a weird tic every so often. I examined him a bit, focusing on my breathing, my chest and throat still sore, but less tight. He tilted his head, I assumed he was trying to throw me a friendly smile despite his mouth covered by a mask.
"Where am I...?" I asked, barely a whisper escaping.
He stared at me a bit, ticking a bit. I stared back awkwardly, gripping the sheets tightly.
"Would you like...like a paper and pen...?" he asked.
I nodded pleadingly, a bit annoyed with my throat. He nodded and quickly shuffled out of the room, ticking on his way out.

I leaned my head back a bit and sighed. I had no idea where I was, how I survived, what that snake was, and how I ended up injured in that forest. I looked up and saw someone else walking past slowly, he looked disheveled as if he woke up from a nap or came out of his room for the first time in a few days. His brown hair was all over the place and his clothing choice was...odd.
He stopped and noticed me, his tired expression barely budging as he turned back and kept walking.
"Good morning sunshine!" my caretaker said to the man.
"Fuck off..." he replied.
My caretaker didn't seem to care as he sat with me and helped guide my hands to grasp the paper and a crayon. I slowly gripped the crayon and slightly crumpled the left side of the paper, trying to write.
"Where am I?" I wrote, holding up the paper.
"Unfortunately I have to keep...keep that secret," he replied. "You'll...you'll know eventually."
I frowned slightly and then wrote, "Who are you?"
"Oh, my name...name is Toby." he said, handing me another sheet of paper. "How about you?"
I slowly wrote out my name, "Avaline" and showed him.
Toby looked at it for a moment. "I see...Ay-vah-line...?"
I puffed up my cheeks a bit in thought, writing "AV-uh-leen"
He nodded a bit, ticking and looking over what I wrote a bit.
"Well...well it's very nice to meet you...you Avaline."
I smiled a bit, taking another sheet of paper from him.
"Well...well why were you in the woods?"
I took a moment to dig deep and think, closing my eyes in hopes I remember something. I scrunched my nose a bit and sighed, opening my eyes and shrugging, wincing a bit as I rubbed my shoulder.
"I see..." Toby said, rubbing his forehead a bit. "Well, I'm glad you...you pulled through. If...if Slender didn't find you, you would've froze."
I drew a question mark and showed him.
"Oh! You'll meet him...him soon. He'll decide what to do with...with you. But for now...now, you need to rest those ribs.
I nodded in agreement and sighed, holding my chest carefully.
"Don't worry, I'll get all the water...water you want. Hopefully some food, you've been out for...for days."
I quickly scribbled "How long?"
"Hmm...." he thought for a bit and then perked up. "Ah...ah I remember, about a week."
"S-seriously?!" I croaked, grabbing my throat and wincing.
Toby immediately covered my mouth carefully.
"Shhhhhh.... paper...paper only, got it?"
I nodded and blushed a bit in embarrassment.
"Hey, I'll make...make it easier and sedate...sedate you if you'd like."
I nodded slowly.
"You sure...? I would...would hate to do it against your will."
I nodded again, a bit faster this time.
Toby brightened up a bit and had me lay back into the pillows. I immediately felt drowsy before Toby had a chance to drug me, I couldn't feel my legs still and it worried me. Even waking up was tiring to deal with, as much as a delight Toby was for the little time we talked. He poked a needle in me and I grabbed his arm gently, a bit anxious about being sedated by an acquaintance, let alone a stranger. He finished and I assumed smiled a bit as he put my hands back to my sides for me.
"Thank you..." I whispered.
He nodded and watched me as I slowly drifted, my body growing numb as the drugs overcame me.