The Mountain

Chapter 1

The feeling of grass tickling my face and neck makes me slowly open my eyes and sit up. I look around at the peaceful view of a grass field cut off by the bright blue sky. Small boulders interrupt the grass here and there, with flowers and small plants growing all around. About half a mile away, the ground angles up toward the sky and I gaze at the large mountain that grows higher. I smile at the serenity until my mind catches up with my surroundings.

My smile falls and I stand up. "What the hell?" I ask aloud.

I have no memory of ever getting here. The field of grass, the flowers, and boulders are all foreign to me. I turn in a circle, my mind going into overdrive. Where am I? Why am I here? What's going on? The questions play over and over in my head like an old favorite song.

I turn in circles, trying to understand what's happening. Is this a dream or am I dead and this is the afterlife? I feel like I would remember how I died and I pinch myself but nothing happens. "Hello!" I yell, although I can't see anyone. "Hello?!" My mind spirals into endless possibilities but at one point I have to force myself to calm down. Nothing good will happen if I start hyperventilating.

Still not understanding, I look down at my clothing, black pants are tucked into brown hiking boots. I have a breathable, forest green shirt with a black jacket over top. The design over my heart catches my eye, a small compass with a cursive U in the middle. Instead of north, east, south, west, it has i, d, c, and h. The letters pique my curiosity but that is at the bottom of my list of priorities.

That's when I notice the black backpack at my feet. My confusion grows I sit down and tear it open, pulling out items that look like surveil gear. Why do I need this? I ask myself as I pull out many items from the bag. Spare clothing is at the top of the pile, mostly socks and underwear, but one pair of pants and a T-shirt are tied into the bundle. I find a first aid kit, a water bottle with a filter built into it, small coils of rope, and a black folded tarp beneath the clothing. Smaller items like granola bars and a few apples, a box of matches, a small two way radio, a map, a compass, and a pocket knife with a few extra tools built into it are stuffed inside the middle pocket.

When I dig into the first pocket I find the last few items are different. I pull out a thin black notebook with a pencil and the symbol on my jacket embedded into the cover, a key attached to a string, a small black box that's about six inches wide and four inches tall, and a handgun with a box of ammunition. The gun makes my stomach drop, who or what is out here that I need a gun for? Setting aside the gun I pick up the notebook and flip through the pages. The first few pages are variations of berries and which are poisonous or edible. Then how to properly tie different knots, all ranging in difficulty. The very last page has a few lines filled with writing, but none of it makes sense. The first line has the numbers 1 6, 2 8, 3 5, 4 10, 7 9. The second line says: the right key will be found with the other number.

I grab the key and the black box, but surely enough they don't go together. After a few minutes of trying to fit the key in the small slot then trying to force it open, I finally toss them aside. "Fine, keep your secrets," I snap, fully aware that the box can't hear. The only clue I have is that I have to find the other number, but what does that even mean? I think back to the contents of the pack and shove everything aside as I scramble for the map.

I almost tear it as I rip it open. My eyes land on a picture of a mountain. It has labels and writing in red marker all over it. The very bottom of the mountain is sectioned into ten small squares, each have a number written inside. Off to the side near the bottom the word start is written and at the very top is a circle around the peak with the word end is written. The message is clear: get to the top of the mountain. It's a good map, but I can't figure out where I am on the mountain.

Setting it down, a flash of metal to my left catches my eye. I look at my back pack to see a small metal keychain hanging off the front. I grab the keychain off of the bag to examine it. Adylin 3 is engraved into it. I flip it over to find the symbol matching my jacket and the notebook engraved. I think back to the map and the numbers in the notebook before grabbing them. The sections all have a number on them, I look for section 3 and see that the field of grass that I sit in is drawn in green across sections 2 and 3.

Everything inside my head clicked together. The numbers, the sections, the gun... I'm not the only person on this mountain, and it's a race to the top. But what happens if I don't win? Is this test made to kill me or help me? The gun rests in the back of my mind, telling me both. I push all the thoughts from my brain and give myself one focus: surviving. If I give myself time to think about things without them being my main focus, maybe I can figure something out.

Taking inventory, I figure I have enough food for a day or two, three if I ration. I have no water and that has to be my main priority. Looking at the map, I find the nearest river is two miles away. I grab an apple to snack on while I pack everything back up and get ready to go. Hopefully I'll find some berries or edible plants by the water or on the way. I tie the string the key is attached to around my neck and tuck the key into my shirt before taking off.

Fear has me putting the handgun in my back pocket.