Alone • Liam Dunbar

Thirty

Behind closed eyes, I could feel an intense heat on my face from a burning light above me. I wonder, briefly, if it were the flames that came from being damned to an eternal hell. 

Pushing that thought aside, I blink through the scorch and find myself gazing up at a cloudless sky. The sun was at its peak, shining over my face and body. The ground I lay on was soft and soothing, the damp soil beneath me countering the warmth from above.

I sit up to take the world around me. 

There were miles of trees that surrounded the hill I lay on. Even though I couldn't see beyond the horizon, something inside of me knew it was endless. 

My hands drift to my stomach, lifting the loose-fitting sweater I wore to take in my wound from the bone spike. I freeze when I discover nothing. In fact, my entire body showed no sign of any damage. The scars I had been tainted with here gone, and even my knuckles were no longer marred with proof of the years of my training. It was as if someone had taken an eraser to the surface of my skin and wiped every act of violence against me clean.

It makes me feel as though I'm touching someone else's body. Those scars may have been hideous, but they were also a sign of my survival. Slowly, I realize that's the point. This time, I hadn't survived. 

"Liam? Stiles?" I shout, my voice carrying across the top of the trees. 

There was no callback or indication of anyone's existence but my own. I was alone. I knew death wasn't meant to be peaceful but was it supposed to feel as sorrowful as this?

Without any idea of where I would find myself, I ventured down the slope of the hill and entered the large expanse of trees. 

They provided shade underneath their lush growth, though still allowed thin rays of sunlight to slip through and light the path I walked. Under the sole of my boots, dry leaves and twigs snap and crunch. That, combined with the subtle gusts of wind that tickled the individual leaves overhead, were the only sounds I could hear. 

The further I journeyed, the more I started to recognize my surroundings. These woods weren't random, they were my home. Or, at least, it was. It was beautiful now, with no sign of the fire the Alpha Pack had used to engulf it. 

I don't take this illusion for granted and savor it as I continue to walk. It's a lengthy privilege, as time didn't really seem to pass. I had been going for some time now, but when I peek through the canopy of branches above, I find that the sun hadn't moved an inch since I woke. It's a confusing realization, but when I catch sight of movement in the treeline ahead, I don't care to linger on it. 

I dive behind a nearby brush, using the large intertwined branches to cover me. 

Squinting past the foliage, I try to get a good idea of what I was up against. It was difficult to see, but I knew there was something out there. I had to prepare myself for the possibility of it being a threat because this was unfamiliar terrain, and truthfully, I hadn't fully ruled out the possibility of being in hell. 

My eyes scan the ground, hoping to find a decent weapon. I couldn't take on anyone or anything with a fallen branch, so I settled for a sharp-edged rock that was a little bigger than my palm.

I creep closer to the area of movement, staying low and keeping quiet. Whatever was out there, stood in the middle of a small clearing up ahead. I knew I couldn't stay hidden much longer, I was making myself easy prey by doing nothing. 

It was now or never.

Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself for the possibility of a fight before I lunge out from behind my cover. As soon as I take in the sight in front of me, though, my body freezes, and the rock in my hand slips through my fingers.