Take Flight And Fall

- Flight -

Numerous bullets rained down upon us. Thunks and bangs could be heard as the bullets shot through tree trunks or struck a mutant. I was lucky enough to get very far away so that the pilots of the fighter jets weren’t able to spot me. My legs wanted to give up but I pushed though the pain, running further into a different and more ominous part of The Wilds.

Hanging in the air was the fog of early dawn that became thicker each second that passed. And because of this, I wasn’t able to see properly through the fog that was growing dense. My sense of smell was also getting tarnished by the pungent smell of dirty water and wet, slippery earth. Because of all of this, I lost my footing a few times but still regained my stance and carried on.

When I felt that I had ran enough, I stopped, holding onto my bloody arm. Thick, cold blood had seeped through the sleeve of my jacket. I pressed my palm into it and got rewarded with a slight sting. The wound had started to heal and it made my lips twitch into a weak, tired smile.

I moved my head from left to right, searching for some form of life or escape route. The fog was still running past me and it was thicker than ever, totally blinding me. Everywhere looked white, and all I could see was endless fog. I could still hear the sound of bullets and the fighter jets but was grateful because the sound was far, far away.

“Where am I?” I whispered as I scuffled through the fog.

I squinted, making an effort to catch anything in the white, endless fog. I shuffled further amd further until the fog began to become lighter. Several steps more and I started making out the outlines of a few trees. The trees weren’t as tall as the others in The Wilds but they were fatter and had large roots that were visible, rising out of the soil.

I walked to one of the trees and carefully climbed onto its monstrous roots. Reaching the top of the root, I could see a little clearer because the fog was thinner. The sight was enormous and foreign; it was as if I had stumbled upon a forgotten world, this part of The Wilds looking like a dark and gloomy jungle.

Vines were shooting from one area to another, wrapping themselves around tree branches and trunks. The trees were not much—they were replicas of the one I was standing on and they were greatly spaced. A wide, black body of water snaked in between the trees; what looked like algae floated over them. A few rocky paths that were covered in debris of plants crawled amid the body of water, making it seem like it was various rivers put together. The air smelled as if several people or mutants had died and decayed into nothing.

“Skies,” I whispered, shuddering in disgust. Still holding onto my bloody arm, I gazed down at the tree’s roots and steadily stepped down it.

When I got to the bottom of the tree, I was faced with a dirty-looking water. A path of stray, flat-faced rocks stayed over the water; if I made one move, I would fall off the small rock and drop into the water. Sure enough, I was a whale—a sea creature—but I wasn’t going to simply let myself drop into a body of water that smelled like poop and looked like spoilt ink.

“I have to do this,” I whispered, toeing a rock. It wobbled a bit and I gulped. “Skies... please... let me not slip and fall.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and breathed in to steady my breath. My heartbeat fastened a little bit but I was still fine. I could do this. I pulled my eyes open and made my stance firmer. I nodded once and stepped onto the rock. Dirty water swam onto the rock as it tilted to the side.

Don’t sink, don’t sink. I gulped, placing my other leg on the rock. Skies, don’t sink.

Staying severely still, I waited as the rock bounced under my feet before it steadied. A sharp breath escaped me and I moved in a snaily manner so that I could be closer to the other rock.