The Unknown

Chapter 1

I slowly open my eyes, the sudden light above blinds me. The first thing that comes to focus is the branches and the light blue sky, with a mix of purple. I move my finger tips around to know where I am, feeling the soft earth below me. Brittle browning leaves crunch under my movement. The cold wind blows over my sprawled out body and causes me to shiver, leaving my body covered in goose bumps and left my cheeks to sting. Dazed and confused, I make an effort to sit up.

Propping myself up on my elbows, I look around at the world around me.

Trees. Just trees around me. Woods. Forest. Trees.

I took a deep breath in and filled my lungs with the scent of autumn.

Where am I and how did I get here, were the only two things that spun around in my head in bewilderment.

I forced myself up using the tree closest to me for support. My fingers climbed and gripped up the rough bark, hoisting the rest of my weight. My body ached as if I haven't moved in centuries. My legs wobbled on the way up, almost causing me to lose my balance. It didn't occur to me that my hearing had come to. The chirping of the birds, the sound of running water, and the movement of branches in the wind blended beautifully. Nature's melody.

Gently pushing myself off the tree, I stumbled to make a few steps, my toes digging into the dirt. Left after right, I trudged through the cool autumn midday, honestly not having a sense of time. I walked through, just trying to think of what had happened and why I woke up in the middle of the woods. Nothing. My mind and inner thoughts recalled nothing. Fustrated, I cursed to myself and punched the nearest tree, my hand stung with the sudden force. I gripped my wrist with my other unharmed hand and held it up to see my skinned knuckles, blood forming over the opened wounds.

Step after step, I walked through the dense woods. The feeling of being lured deeper into the woods led to my mind to wander further than I had walked, causing me to trip over roots and plunge into the creek below me. I fully submerged into the icy cold water, scrambling to reach the surface for a breath of air that fully escaped my lungs during the unexpected fall. Full panic went through my head, my arms and legs weren't functioning properly to get me up. The bottom of my feet scratched against the rocks that covered the bed of the creek. Bubbles danced out of my nose and around my face. The water numbed my body, slowing my movements. Debris and plant life wrapped around my ankles.

I felt trapped. Trapped in the water without the proper ability to move. My hair covered my face and blinded me. My hair was soon moving to my neck. I managed to wave my arms outside of the water to collide my hand with part of a fallen tree that was across the creek.

Pulling myself up, I moved my hair and just laid there with my stomach on the trunk and my limbs dangling in the water, trying to catch my breath. The cold creek water caused my skinned knuckle to tingle. It was uncomfortable, but soothing being able to suitably breathe. My lungs stung with the chilling air entering.

I strained my neck to look up and around at my new surroundings. I was about seven feet from ground level to the trees. The sides were too steep to attempt to normally climb without any support. Then I caught sight of roots in a ladder-like formation, feeling somehow meant for me. Hoisting myself onto the fallen trunk, I scooted myself, using my hands towards the roots, carefully using them to maintain my balance and eventually stepping on each one, pulling myself up and out of the deep creek.

Walking through the woods, tired, soaked, and confused. My mind searched for answers. Nothing to remember the past. The sudden sight of a building came into a view cutting my thought process. No. A house. A very large mansion-like house to be exact, but old and abandoned. Windows broken into. Foliage growing in and around it. Bricks falling off and deteriorating. With an eerie aura to it.