Survival in a Strange World

Chapter 3: Terror in the Dark Forest

Moo! The cow had been staring at him for a long moment, then tilting its head as if confused by his presence, it turned away, clearly uninterested in him, and wandered off. Now his eyes had adjusted, he could take in his surroundings.

He was in a small clearing, tall grass and lilac flowers swaying in the light breeze. Several cows wandered aimlessly in the clearing, occasionally reaching down and munching the lush green grass. Surrounding the area stood a great wall of deep brown thick trees rising into the sky, topped with a canopy of green leaves. He was in the middle of the dark forest, the home of monsters and death.

Unintentionally he began shuffling away but it was like the trees were closing in around him. There was no escape. Every direction he turned led to darkness and the possibility of pain and death. He could feel the sweat running down his back and his hands were shaking uncontrollably. But why? Where was this fear coming from? His eyes darting back and forth as he was scanning the forest edge. He thought for a moment he saw movement in the shadows or was his mind playing tricks on him? Would he have to go in there or back in the cave with the zombies?

A growl from his stomach interrupted his racing thoughts, he shakily reached into his pockets and pulled out the berries he had taken from the lush cave, a red flower was caught between them and fell to the ground after being extracted from his pocket.

Then in a moment of panic and hunger, he dropped his sword, shoving all of the berries into his mouth, ravenously chomping them down. After a few seconds he was staring down at his empty hands, still shaking violently, his thoughts becoming blurry and he felt his stomach roar at him, begging to be fed more.

His vision pushed beyond his hands, down to the sword laying at his feet. A memory surfacing in his mind. A vision of his recent fight with the zombie hoard, seeing the zombies ignite and burn after being struck with the blade lying at his feet. With his arms almost frozen in place, he raised his head. Half a dozen creatures of black and white were walking around him, living meat waiting to be consumed. His mind was turning hazy, driven purely by fear and hunger.

Snatching the sword from the ground he dashed towards the closest animal and attacked, burying the blade into the beast with a grunt. Holding the blade in the beast's side until the burst of flames died out, then pulling out, he spun, ramming the sword into another cow. The blade ignited the leathery mass, flames enveloping the animal as it grunted and wailed in pain.

Snapping out of his hungry trance, he stammered backwards while watching the creatures fall to the floor, leaving behind a pile of charred meat and burned hide. The other animals had panicked and scattered, running into the dark woods. His mouth began watering at the sight of the juicy cooked meat. Hunger quickly overtook him once again and he jumped, diving towards the food, his blade clanging to the ground, forgotten. Landing on his knees, he began tearing off chunks of grilled meat with both hands, shoving it into his mouth and chomping it down like an animal.

Bite after bite, chewing and chewing until only the leather hide remained. He was so full. The pleasure of the meal consuming him and making him feel dizzy. His mind a hurricane of thoughts and his vision slipping in and out of focus. The world turned sideways as he fell, landing with a thud. His bow hugging his limp body tightly. He lay still as the edge of his vision slowly filled with black, his eyelids drooping as he was taken by the irresistible call of sleep.

High overhead, the sun continued its journey across the bright sky. Beginning to dip into a bright orange sunset and slowly pull back the curtain of day to reveal the stars and dark of night.

Something black and shapeless twisted and spun within his mind. Undulating and dancing. Spreading out in all directions. And somehow he could taste it. His mouth dry from its smoky flavour.