Clay Was Taken

Chapter 11: Almost

George stayed there for a while. He was tempted to fall asleep, but knew he couldn't. What if he got attacked by a bear, or some other animal? He's a short, weak city boy who knows nothing about surviving in the wild. He can't be expected to live easily on his own. 

He feels a gust of wind. He shivers and wraps his arms around his body. 

He won't survive this, will he?

He sits still for a while, feeling the pounding of his head and the blowing of wind.

George took one last glance at the moon and stars above him. They were bright and beautiful, even for a night as horrible as this.

On shaky legs, he started walking again, praying he would find a recognizable road soon, or at least a city with a hospital in it. Maybe he could even charge his phone there.

His phone...

He hadn't contacted his mother since he originally left home. George looked at the moon again. It must be around 10 pm. She had no idea where he was.

His legs started shaking more. His hands felt clammy.

George had been out since around 3 pm. That's about seven hours. There must be amber alerts going around now looking for him. His mother would be hurrying around the neighborhood, anxiously looking for him. It was a horrible feeling, knowing you were being an inconvenience to someone else.

An owl hooted loudly, causing multiple small creatures to scurry around for a hiding place.

George's stomach growled loudly. He hadn't even thought to bring water or a small snack with him when he first left home. Stupid.

He cursed himself. He could die of starvation out here. Or he could be viciously mauled to death by a bear. Or something else equally horrible. All because he wanted to help his mother.

He shivered again. He was still half naked, in cold wind and no sunlight. He took his bloody shirt off his head and put it back on his torso. Surely his head had stopped bleeding by now.

Multiple hours later, when the sun had started to slowly peak from the horizon, George finally got out of the woods. Finally.

Finally out.

Out onto a highway.

Cars rushing by.

Multiple people would be seeing him like this.

What a horrible situation to be in.

But it was a city, and a decently busy one. It was far better than another abandoned neighborhood.

Abandoned neighborhood... George was starting to remember. He could just barely remember it. An abandoned neighborhood. The old, houses... Spider webs... A house at the end of the block... and... and...

His head started throbbing terribly. He wanted to scream from how bad the pain was.

But clearly he had been in an old neighborhood before he was knocked out. And clearly, the neighborhood has something to do with him waking up in the middle of a forest.

But he really could not remember anything else.

That was okay. It did not matter now. He had gotten out of the woods. It was all behind him; all irrelevant.

George started to smile. He had found a city. Soon he would be back home, and everything would be normal.

And so, covered in dirt, sweat, and his own blood, George felt a rush of happiness flow through him.

Soon he could go home.

He was not going to die out here. Not today, at least.