Tell My Heart To Beat

In the Wild

Daytime was safe. She had learned the monster's patterns after the first few weeks she was alone. She spent most of the night in a little cave she found under the roots of a giant Oak tree. Then, when daylight came, she was wandering through the forest, looking for whatever food she could find.

This was where she learned what was good to eat and what was not. Evan was only a child. She had no idea how she was going to survive in this wild place. She knew where to find water after a couple of days, but she could not go too far from her little den. If she did, she risked being caught by the terror that killed her mother.

At night, she fussed and squirmed from nightmares. Her mother's green eyes stared at her lifelessly haunting her through the dark. The pain that she felt was nothing compared to the loneliness she experienced without someone there to hold her. To tell her everything was going to be okay.

When she first fled into the forest, she barely noticed the pain from the wound on her side. She had bled enough to leave a trail behind her. The bleeding stopped at some point, and by morning, the wound had healed itself. She did not understand how it had healed so fast, but in light of her situation, she did not complain. Complaining would get her nowhere.

The monster's nest was not too close, but also not far from her little den. It liked to collect things from its victims and bring them to its nest. Evan had learned to sneak there during the day to pick through anything useful piled up outside the creature's home. She had learned that being barefoot was the best way to sneak in, get what she needed, and get out before night.

It was getting colder, so she needed a way to keep warm. The first thing she found in the pile of human things was a bloody coat. It was a man's winter coat that was almost a dress on her, but it would do. She rummaged through the pile of clothing to see if she could find anything else. It was getting late, so she had to hurry. Evan sighed in relief as she found a pair of leggings that were probably too big on her. She did not care, as she needed something to wear other than her dirty and torn clothes. She also found a yellow backpack full of protein bars, climbing gear, and a flashlight. In the side pocket was a box of matches that would come in handy later, but for now, she had what she needed.

She carefully snuck away from the pile of discarded clothes before she could get caught. The sun was going down, and it was getting colder. She quickly put the coat on before taking the backpack and slinging it over her shoulders. As she moved quietly through the forest, she wondered exactly how long she had been out there alone. With the seasons changing, she could not have been out there for more than a month or two.

That was not what really bothered her.

What bothered her was that all this time out in the forest, no one had come looking for her. Not that it would be a good idea for anyone to step foot in this place. She thought that maybe there was someone who cared enough about her that they could at least try to find her. But there was no time to worry about that as the sun began to set.

She barely made it back to her den before darkness came around. She had managed to make a door out of vines and ferns for her little home. Now that she had a flashlight, she could actually see instead of having to overwork her eyes. It was cozy enough. She had piled moss, pine needles, and dried ferns into the back of the cave as bedding. There were even feathers there from dead birds that she had found in the forest. The roof did not allow for her to stand up at all, but it was plenty big enough for her to move around in.

Sitting down in her little nest, she placed the backpack in front of her. The first thing she pulled out was the flashlight. She turned it on and faced it towards the dirt ceiling so she could see. It was nice to actually have a way to light up her little abode. Reaching further inside the yellow bag, she found a small pocket knife and set it aside. Next, there was a small book at the bottom that was a survival guide.