時とともに失われた記憶

Chapter 6: The way back?

For the first time in what feels like forever, I don't feel completely lost. I have P.C., my brother, by my side, and the pieces of the past are starting to come together, even if it's just fragments. We were out here together. We got lost together. And now, maybe, we can find our way back together.The air feels colder as we walk side by side, the forest closing in around us like it always has, but now it seems less hostile. I glance over at P.C. His face is worn and pale from the endless days of wandering, and his clothes are just as torn and dirty as mine. Still, there's something in his eyes—a determination I hadn't noticed before. He believes we can make it out. And for the first time, I think I might believe it too."Do you remember anything else?" I ask quietly, the crunch of leaves underfoot the only other sound.He nods slowly. "Bits and pieces. I remember the first few days after we got lost... how we tried to retrace our steps, but it was like the forest kept shifting. Every path we took led us deeper in. No matter what we did, we couldn't find our way back to the campsite."I frown, trying to picture it. The shifting forest, the endless confusion—it's all too familiar. "Why didn't anyone come looking for us?" The question hangs in the air, heavy with the weight of everything we've lost."I don't know," P.C. admits, his voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe they did. Maybe we were just too far gone for them to find us."We walk in silence for a while, the trees towering above us like silent sentinels. I can't shake the feeling that this forest is alive in some way, watching us, twisting itself to keep us here. It's like it doesn't want us to leave. As the sky starts to darken, we find a small clearing to rest in. My body aches, and I realize how exhausted I am—physically, mentally, emotionally. But there's no time to rest, not really. We need to keep moving. We need to find our way out."We should sleep," P.C. says, settling down against a tree. "We'll have more energy to keep going tomorrow."I nod, even though the thought of sleeping in this place again makes my skin crawl. I sit down next to him, pulling my knees up to my chest for warmth. The night air is freezing, but I'm used to it by now. I close my eyes, trying to calm the thoughts racing in my head."You think we'll actually make it out?" I ask softly, not sure if I really want to know the answer.He doesn't answer right away, and when he finally does, his voice is steady. "We have to."The words hang in the air between us, a fragile promise. I close my eyes and try to let sleep take over, but my mind is too restless, too full of unanswered questions. What happened to us? How did we end up here? Why can't I remember anything clearly?The forest is too quiet, and the silence makes every sound—every rustle, every crack of a branch—seem amplified. I shift uncomfortably, trying to shake the feeling that something is watching us.Just as I start to drift off, I hear it—a faint sound, barely there, but unmistakable. Footsteps. My eyes snap open, and I look at P.C., but he's already sitting up, eyes wide with alarm. He heard it too."Did you hear that?" I whisper, my heart racing.He nods, standing up slowly, trying not to make any noise. "Stay close," he murmurs, reaching for my hand. "We need to be careful."We stand there, frozen in place, listening. The footsteps are getting closer, deliberate, like whoever—or whatever—is out there knows exactly where we are. My breath catches in my throat as I scan the darkness, trying to see something, anything.Then, just as suddenly as the footsteps started, they stop. The silence is deafening, and my entire body is tense, waiting for something to happen.But nothing does.I don't know what's more terrifying—the fact that someone was out there, or the fact that now, they're gone.