The First Runner

I mean... I guess it could be worse

I took a tentative step forward, then another, my feet brushing against the soft grass. The air was fresh and crisp, a stark contrast to the stale confines of the box. I scanned the open area, but there was no sign of any other people. It was eerily silent, except for the distant hum of insects and the rustling of leaves. 

I was alone.

I wandered aimlessly, taking in the details of the grassy glade. The structures seemed makeshift but sturdy, constructed from wood and metal scraps. There was a large central building which I headed for.

I found myself in a large open room with a staircase. The downstairs area was sparse, with only a few empty shelves lining the walls. The room had an unfinished, bare feel to it.

I wandered around, examining the empty shelves. They were devoid of anything useful, save for a few dust-covered jars and boxes that looked as though they hadn't been touched in years. The silence was thick, broken only by the distant hum of insects and the occasional creak of the building settling.

Determined to explore further, I turned my attention to the staircase. The wooden steps looked a bit rickety, but they seemed solid enough. I carefully climbed the stairs, each step creaking under my weight. The staircase led to a narrow hallway with a dozen closed doors.

I chose a door at random and opened it, revealing a small room with a bed and a shelf. I continued down the corridor only to discover each room was exactly the same.

Deciding to see the rest of what I had now decided to call the Glade I headed out of the central building and continued looking around. There was another building, smaller than the main one. Inside were two rows of beds, if I had to guess, it was some sort of makeshift medical hut. 

I stepped back outside and made my way toward what appeared to be a barn. The structure was old, with weathered wooden siding and a sagging roof. As I approached, the faint smell of hay and old wood reached my nostrils, a reminder of simpler times. The barn doors were slightly ajar, and I pushed them open with a creak.

Like everything else I'd seen since the box, it looked untouched. Hay lay over the floor and some knives lined the walls. I checked out  the rest of the barn before heading back out into the wide open space of the Glade.

As I continued to explore, I found myself drawn to the massive stone walls that encircled the Glade. They loomed overhead, covered in thick ivy that reached for the sky. I walked along the perimeter, my fingers brushing against the cool stone. The walls seemed to pulse with an ominous energy, as if they were alive and watching me.

Suddenly, I heard a faint whimpering sound coming from behind one of the trees. My heart skipped a beat as I cautiously approached the noise. I rounded the tree and gasped. A small dog was huddled in the shadows, its fur matted and dirty. It looked up at me with big, soulful eyes, its tail wagging weakly.

"Hey there," I whispered, crouching down and extending my hand. The dog sniffed my fingers cautiously before licking them tentatively. "Where did you come from, huh?"

The dog had a collar with a tag that read "Bark." I gently scratched behind his ears, and he leaned into my touch, clearly starved for affection. "Bark, huh? Well, it looks like it's just you and me, then."

Bark didn't actually bark; he only whined or whimpered occasionally. I gave him a reassuring pat, then decided it was time to unpack the box and see what I had to work with.

I returned to the concreted area where I had first emerged from the box and looked down into it, trying to figure out how I was going to get all of the stuff out of the hole. The box was deep, and I could see the various items scattered at the bottom. Climbing in and out repeatedly wasn't an option; I needed a better plan.