Cold Odyssey

Chapter One.

All of a sudden, your eyelids flutter open.

Your eyes are greeted with the surrounding darkness of an unknown forest, with your brows furrowing of bewilderment. Glancing around, your vision attempts to adjust to the absence of light. Not to mention, the lack of warmth in the air. Your hands instinctively reach to wrap around your shivering body, desperately trying to provide as a source of comfort and heat in the moment.

Time seems to have lost its meaning, and it's unclear how long you've been lying there.

The world around you is shrouded in mist, and the faint sound of rainfall adds to the eerie atmosphere. Your legs shake as you stand up, and you can't help but wonder what has led you to this mysterious place.
The only thing encircling you is an untouched forest, with tall trees reaching for the sky and their branches interwoven into a canopy that blocks out the sunlight.
Dried leaves crunch underneath your feet as you make slow footsteps further into the forest, feeling a pang of worry in your stomach. At first, it felt like a dream. A quite realistic dream, at that. Though, the farther you travel, the more you realize this is reality.

Weariness settled in as the environment offered nothing but the same thick, towering trees. An exasperated sigh passed through your quivering lips, feeling the warmth of your breath intermingle with the frigid air. As you journey on, a worn down fence intersects with your path. Nature had reclaimed it, with various species of plants and flowers adorning the rusted metal. You squint, eyes searching for the end of this gate, but it seems to carry on indefinitely. Undeterred, you follow its course.

Your teeth chatter and your jaw clenches. The cold, crisp air hits your face with a quick rush of wind. You turn away, fighting back the biting chill.

The same question still lingers in your mind, "How have I gotten here?"