Adventures Beyond The Void (Season 1)

Chapter 5: A Whole New World

3RD POV

Man, Nicholas could tell the day wasn't gonna start well. The mattress was killing him. His back was killing him. His head was killing him. His whole body was killing him. And he was cold. Probably the blanket fell off, he thought. The only comfort was the morning sun rays, gently caressing his body, offering some peace with their warmth.

Wait..... Sun rays? His bed was located far from the windows of the cabin, meaning no daylight should be able to reach him. Now that he thought about it, why was the scent of soil, earth and rain more potent? The house of his group smelt like chips and sweat. Did someone open the windows?

He began opening his eyes expecting to see the usual wooden ceiling, but was met with a blue sky instead. It took a few moments for his blurred vision to clear and his mind to fully register the scene before him. When he did however, he stood up abruptly, frantically looking around.

     Nicholas: - What....?

Trees. Lots of trees. A million questions started forming inside his head. Though the more prominent one was.... 'How on earth did he wake up in the middle of the forest!!'. It was then that he began recalling the events prior to his current situation.

He remembered the gathering.

The boats.

The river.

The waterfall.

And finally..... the fall.

His hands shook, realizing just how lucky he was to be alive. Falling to his knees he tried catching his breath, while tears of terror and relief flowed down his face. After a few minutes, he calmed down, acutely aware of the new areas on his body throbbing with pain.

Gosh, how could he even forget about that? Who could blame him, though? He did survive the impossible. Suddenly, he heard the soft crunch of leaves, not far from where he stood. His heart skipped a beat.

Forcing himself upright and ignoring the splitting headache, he hurried toward a massive tree trunk nearby. As quietly as he could, he grabbed a large broken branch and slipped behind the tree, waiting for whoever it was to pass by so he could knock them out.

Call him paranoid or impulsive, but he wasn't gonna give away his position, especially after waking up in an unfamiliar location, right after almost dying! Sure, it could be one of the leaders or a staff member searching for him, but he wasn't taking any chances. What if it was a wild animal?! Better safe than sorry, he thought.

The more the footsteps approached, the more his anxiety grew. He had already raised the wooden stick in the air. And after a few moments, a shadow appeared. However, it seemed like it was heading in a different direction.

Nicholas let out a breath, but accidentally stepped on a twig. The sound made whatever was out there halt its footing, and start approaching his hiding spot. It was coming closer and closer. Nicholas took a breath and.....