The Walkers

Chapter 2

Huh? What happened? I feel different. It's like I have been grounded somewhere. My feet feel heavy. I have feet! I can see?! Well, at least I can prove that I am alive. The sun is bright and dazzling, which hinders might ability to see beyond a six feet radius. The ground feels murky. It's icky! I feel like I am stepping on mud or soft soil and it's getting inside my toenails. Why am I barefoot?!

I can only sigh in defeat as I get accustomed to this new body. My hands seem rather small and I feel rather light. Was I always this petite? I tried jumping but it seems I am quite small. I somehow feel like I got shorter? I can only blame the passage of time. Time. What time is it? In which era am I? How much was I asleep? Curses. If I only had a clock. 

My eyesight has gotten better. The sun is no longer hindering my eyes, so I took a look around. Trees. Bushes. Shrubs. More trees. Soil. Fallen leaves. Even more trees. I reached a conclusion. I am probably in a forest of sorts. There's no denying it. How strange! I remember I was afloat in that vast emptiness before the light sucked me in. Now I am in some kind of woods. I feel that reality is playing a prank on me.

Ouch! Okay. This is reality! I tried to pinch my cheek and it really hurt! I guess I can say I am awake and this strange phenomenon really occurred. I have two or three guesses as what had happened. It's either I died and this is the afterlife, I got abducted by aliens and I am living in a simulation or I was transitioned to an alternate world. Ha! As if comic situations happened in real life. I guess I can only explore forward and leave my worries away. At least that's better than standing here doing nothing at all.

Yep. That was a better idea. I have been walking for, I think, maybe three hours? I am not sure how time progresses in this place. Oh! I have decided to call this place 'The Forest'. I know. I know. I'm so original. Why am I talking with myself? There's no one else to talk to! Might as well make small talk to ease the loneliness. This is better than being trapped like an ant inside a giant black flask. So this is the situation and I can just accept it.

So another hour passed and I have not come with any other lifeforms. Weird. I guess you could call this a mystical place! Oh! I found out that in the distance I could see a sort of temple-y thingy! It's covered in vines and wild herbs! I, as the discoverer of this new place, shall hereby name it 'The Forest Temple'! Ha! I'm a genius!

I am not a genius. I should have thought before I started walking barefooted into the woods. I have never thought that shrubs could serve and double time as caltrops. I blame my naivete. Here I am, foot in hand, wondering why it hurts so much to take a thorn from the sole of my foot. To make things worse, I can hear something approaching.

Wait. Something is approaching! Help! It's coming near! I can hear how the shrubs and bushes are being ripped apart to shreds by the incoming menace! Please save me! Please help me! It's a couple of yards away. It's coming closer. No! 

"Eep!"