✔️The Forest || JHS

2

After finishing our meal, we headed back onto the empty road. The moon barely shined down in us due to the abundance of forest life that surrounded us. My playlist played absently on the radio while Hoseok drummed his fingers in the steering wheel.

"Get some rest," he says, "When I need to switch over I'll wake you."

I nodded my head, glancing at the time. Only three-thirty-four am. I noted the time and began to drift off. It wasn't for long, or at least it hadn't felt long. I felt the car stop and once I noticed no continued movement, I opened my eyes, and Hoseok was gone.

I sat up straighter, rubbed my eyes and checked the clock. Four-fifteen am; I'd been asleep for 41 minutes. The car was still on, the light had shown about 15 feet ahead of me. There was nothing behind or in front of the car.

I began to worry, quickly I grabbed my phone, thought I only had one bar, I wished for the best and dialed, 'Hobi'. My eyes slanted as I felt vibration beside me, I glanced down to see his phone sitting in the cup holder.

"Huh..." I questioned, removing my phone from my ear and gripping his. "Why wouldn't he take his phone?"

I ended the call and glanced out my window, "I can't go out there..." I sighed, "But what if he's in trouble..." I nibbled my bottom lip, "I'll just call 1-1-9." And so I did, an operator answered,

"1-1-9, what's your emergency?"

"Yes, hello. My boyfriend and I are on a road trip and I had fallen asleep. Now that I'm awake, the vehicle is stopped and he's nowhere to be found."

"Okay ma'am, have you tried is phone?"

"Yes, but he seems to have left it beside me. The car is still on as well."

The woman sighed, "Okay ma'am, are you sure he didn't just step away? Where are you?"

I could sense her irritation, it was pissing me off that she wasn't taking this seriously, "He'd have taken his phone if he just stepped away. And I don't know where I am! I only have one bar and you're wasting it by asking stupid questions!"

"Ma'am...Let's calm down. I'm having trouble tracing your whereabouts. Do you see any landmarks? Where were you headed?"

I huffed an annoyed breath, "We were on our way to Gwangju from Seoul! We should've been there but my boyfriend kept wanting to make stops!"

"Ma'am, I cannot help you if you continue to yell. So I'm going to assume your somewhere on the Nonsan-Cheonan Expressway. I'll send a car out that's nearest to you. But ma'am, I'm not sure how quick they'll be able to reach you. As I said before, I cannot pinpoint exactly where you are."

"Why not? What are you people good for?!"

"I can stay on the line with you until they arrive if that eases your worry. If not you are able to call the 1-1-2 line to check in with the officers."

"I'll do that then."

"Perfect. Have a nice night maam. Don't allow anyone inside and please stay in-"

"H-Hello?" I questioned, "Miss?" I pressed before looking at my phone. Called failed played out across the screen.

"Oh fuck-What is going on." I whined, "Okay Willow...he's without a phone...did he take a flashlight?" I wonder, hurriedly unbuckling my seat belt and reaching under his seat, I grip the emergency kit and the first aid kit. I open the emergency one, pulling out a high grade flashlight, Bear mace, and a taser, "So no...he didn't take the fucking flashlight. Aisshhhh, Hobi...why did you stop?"

I empty the contents of my purse; shoving the bear mace and taser inside and then our phones. I grabbed the first aid kit and shoved that inside before grabbing the keys to the car and opening the door.

An annoyed beeping sounded as the doors opened due to the lights not being turned off. I ignored them, figuring it'd be easier to find the car with the light on. I found a stray piece of paper and an old pen on his vehicles floor. Quickly I wrote a note and left it on his seat, slamming the door and heading into the woods.

"He could've gone on the other side...I sigh, "Okay...I'll only go so far on this side and if I don't see him, I'll walk back." I huffed.

I wasn't prepared for downhill slope, one wrong and I felt my ankle bend before I was rushed down the hill, rolling and tumbling, hitting my body off of rocks.

My screams I believed could be heard for miles, it seemed never ending. Eventually, I hit the bottom, my back smacking roughly into a boulder of some shorts. The instant stop left me breathless, "I-I'm alive?" I said soely, glancing around the empty sky. The light has landed beside me, I grabbed it, my body aching from the abuse nature had just given to it.

I lifted my arm to grant my eyes access to my surroundings. I'd fallen deep into the forest, I couldn't even see the car light anymore. I tried to stand and a shriek left my throat,

"Fuck!" I exclaimed, "Ah-Shit! Fucking hell!" I yelled, shining the light onto my ankle, "Oh just fucking fantastic," I groaned, it was broken for sure. I took a deep breath, willing myself to move. Gripping onto a small rock, I used it as leverage to lift me onto my good ankle. I grabbed a nearby branch to use as a cane, quickly I opened the emergency kit, thankful that I remembered to bring it.

I grabbed another stick, and through many cries, curses, and  heavy breaths, I used them to straighten out my ankle before grabbing wraps from the kit and wrapping the sticks tightly to my ankle.

With the large stick-after placing everything back into my bag-I dug it into the ground and lifted myself up. "Okay baby, I'm coming." I said as I journeyed further, with a limp.
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