Chapter 2 Lost

“Never let yourself stop, in mind or body.”

-Joon-Ki Kwan

Unknown Forest

Daniel

Ah!" Bouncing off a tree branch, I hit the ground, getting the wind knocked out of me. “Huk!”

Staring up at the canopy of trees, for a moment, I couldn’t register what just happened then gasped for air as the pain and need to breathe won over my confusion. My head felt like the time I sparred a pro boxer.

“Urg! Huua!” Splat! I turned over as I started throwing up. My insides felt bruised and the world was spinning around me. Closing my eyes, I hugged the ground, grasping at the dirt and leaves and trying to stop myself from dry heaving. “Uuhhh… Urk! Auhhg no more…”

I laid there, groaning for a while, until the vertigo subsided enough for me to push myself up to my knees. My body felt abnormally hot like I was radiating heat. Adrenaline maybe?

Wiping the vomit off my cheek, I sat, looking at the dirt in my hands. I didn’t know what to make of it, the canopy of trees above, or even the pieces of my couch that landed near me. “Did I get sucked out into a storm?” If that’s the case, then I’m lucky to be alive and in one piece no less. But why didn’t I wake up in the middle of all that? Judging by the daylight, it must have been a few hours. And shouldn’t I be more injured, flying through a storm? Aside from a few bruises and a possible concussion, I appear to be fine. “My house…”

Shaking my head, I try to focus on my current situation. What I need to do right now is get myself home and do a damage assessment. The “hows” and “whys” can come after that. Pushing away the thoughts of what I might have lost, I take a deep breath and tell myself, “Everything is going to be okay.”

The forest floor was dimly lit by irregular rays of light, filtered by the canopy above where colorful birds chirped and fluttered between branches. I couldn’t tell where I was exactly but if I’m in the woods near my property, just heading west should eventually bring me to a road. It’d be nice to head straight to my place but I have no clue which direction is home.

Currently, all I had on me was what I fell asleep in, a gray T-shirt and cargo shorts… I had no shoes… not even socks. I shouldn’t have been blown away too far but it could be a couple miles to the nearest road and stomping through the woods barefoot is asking for trouble. And with all the leaves everywhere, who knows what I’d end up stepping on.

Picking up one of the couch pieces, it looked like it was mostly from the cushions I was laying on. Leather and sponge. I can probably improvise with these for now… But looking closer, it was strange. The cuts were too neat, like someone cut through my couch with a knife. Pushing the thoughts to the back of my mind, I focus on what I need to do.

While gathering my soon-to-be-shoes, I spot my phone laying on some leaves. Dropping my bundle, I rush to grab and turn it on. Swiping past the lock screen, it appears to be in working condition… But there’s no signal. After walking around in a circle trying to get a connection, I give up and return to gathering my couch pieces.

Padding a couple large leather pieces with sponge, I wrap one around a foot and realize there’s nothing to tie it in place with. Sigh. “Feels like my brain was knocked down a few notches.”

After biting and struggling with one of the thin leathers, I managed to tear off some messy strips and used them to secure the makeshift shoes to my feet. “Danananaa! Daniel obtained hobo shoes!”

With my feet feeling safe and snug, I take a closer look at my surroundings. I can’t shake the unease that I might be somewhere far from home. The sound of the forest seems unfamiliar with the chittering and cawing in the distance. And I swear I could hear monkeys among the chatter of fauna. Even the trees look more varied and bigger than what I normally see around my property. The climate feels warmer too but that could just be my body overheating since earlier. A distance away, the ground rises steeply, higher than what the trees allow me to see.

Turning towards the rising hill, I start my ascent. Without a compass, and the trees blocking the position of the sun, the best course of action would be to gain my bearings from higher ground.

...

“Almost there.” Looking up the hill that was quickly turning into a mountain, the canopy line wasn’t much further ahead. The trees here were smaller and more sparse so there was actual sunlight touching the ground.

It was nice to see the sky again but the sun just added to my already overheating body. At least my feet are doing okay. I recall the jungle survival challenge I tried out while I was in the Army. They made us start the 7 day course with nothing but a pair of shorts and a small knife. All I could think about the whole time was old man Kwan always cleaning our shoes and gifting me socks for Christmas. After that event, I had a newfound appreciation for shoes and socks.

Now, if only my hobo shoes didn’t slip so much. I get zero traction in these. At least the shoes stay in one piece for the most part. I only had to readjust them twice so far.

“Ch-e-e-e-e-e!” Looking over, I see a large, red squirrel watching me from a nearby tree. It twitched its long pointy ears and fluffy tail as it chittered.

“Whoa. Hello there.” I greeted the squirrel. It fell silent for a moment before continuing to chitter. I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to squirrels but are they supposed to get that big? It was bigger than a large house cat and that’s not including the tail.

No matter. I return to my trek up the mountain and ignore the squirrel following me at a distance. Finally reaching a point where I could see above the forest, I frown at the scene before me: a sea of trees with a range of white tipped mountains in the horizon. I don’t remember there being something like this nearby…

Looking up at the mountain I’m standing on, I convince myself that my home will be on the other side and continue climbing.

“Everything’s going to be okay.” I whisper to myself.

...

Checking my phone, I find there still isn’t any signal. I still feel like a walking torch but the pain in my head subsided to a dull throb so I’ve got that going for me.

The squirrel continued to follow me but before I knew it, there were a bunch of these things, flitting from tree to tree or dashing along the ground. It was cute when it was just one of them following me but with this many, I started getting worried. “Just ignore them. Move along, they’ll lose interest eventually.”

It’s been about two hours since I started this climb and I’m starting to get pretty thirsty. I did see some berries along the way but decided to save foraging for later. The mountain continued to rise on my left but I was able to make it to a lower ridge.

Careful not to slip, I pulled myself over the last ledge and immediately felt a strong, cool wind rushing over me. There were few trees up here and small patches of grass but the top of this mountain was mostly dirt and rock. For a moment, I enjoyed the feeling of reaching the top of a climb as the squirrels serenaded the moment with their chittering. Gotta enjoy the little things right? The air up here just felt good as it cooled my feverish body.

Having indulged in my brief respite, I picked myself up and walked over to the opposite edge, but despite the breathtaking scenery, I sank to my knees.

“Where the fuck am I?”

It was the same scene no matter which direction I looked. Sea of fucking trees and mountains. “Where the fuck am I?!”

The squirrels fell silent at my sudden outburst.

Anger followed my frustration as I tried to make sense of the situation. There’s no way I was blown this far out. This has to be some kind of joke right? What is this? I sat, head in my hands, thinking and failing to come up with an explanation. Then my thoughts moved on to the destruction the storm probably had on everything I built. Everything I put up with over the years for the chance to live in peace, blown away in a single night.

“No,” I shook my head, “I need to keep moving.”

The turmoil still burning hot within, I silently stood and looked around for a stick. I’m no stranger to moving under emotional pressure. Even as a child, I had to move and act with emotions running high. Just got beaten and knocked around? Clean yourself up, we have visitors. You’re being blamed for something not working? Take the beating and fix it before things get worse.

What I’ve learned in those days is that regardless of what you feel, the situation will only get worse if you don’t act. So I wrap up my emotions and let it burn on the side while I do what I have to do. Though, I admit my bundle of feelings has unraveled into an unstable mess on more than a few occasions, it’s the only way I know how to keep moving.

Ignoring the burning pressure within, I take a stick and shove it into the ground. I feel really numb whenever I get this way. It’s as if all my emotions dried up and I’m left feeling apathetic to everything and everyone around me. And it’s times like these I end up lashing out the most when provoked, as if all the emotions I was supposed to feel go rushing out in that single moment. Except, it’s all anger. I never figured out how to deal with that other than keeping headphones on… Music…

The squirrels start chittering again as I pull out my phone. I contemplate listening to something but thinking of the unknown distance I’ll be traveling, I figure it’s best to turn it off for now. At 89% power, it’s still a decent amount but who knows how long this trek is going to take? With one last look at the ‘no signal’ icon, I hold the power button and watch it shut itself down.

Marking the current position of the sticks’ shadow, I made my way down the ledge I just climbed. I’ll be needing the deadwood I passed earlier.

Right now, I need three things: water, a weapon, and food. Once I figure out which way the sun is setting, I’ll head in the direction I see water and follow it down stream. As for food, there is always something to eat near water, be it fish or other animals coming for a drink.

After retrieving a portion of the fallen tree, I spent the next hour or so cleaning and sharpening a meter and a half long spear in addition to two smaller wooden stakes.

Looking at the sticks’ shadow and position of the sun, I can roughly guess the direction of sunset. The side of the mountain I climbed from is northwest. The northern snow-capped mountains don’t seem very appealing, so I look to the South. Off in the distance, I see a flock of birds over a slight gap between the trees running from northeast to southwest. That’s a good sign of flowing water.

Taking up my spear, and slipping the stakes through a beltloop each, I make my way down the mountain with the squirrels in tow.

...

It took a while, but I can finally hear the sound of rushing waters. Picking up the pace, I could now see the river with an almost rapid flow. At about three meters wide, the water sparkled in the afternoon sun. Multicolored birds whistle and chirp as they flutter around the treetops. There are even some parrots among them.

Moving forward, the squirrels suddenly fall silent and watch me from the trees. It seemed a little odd but I’m thankful for their silence. Hours of chittering was starting to grind on my nerves.

Kneeling by the clear, rushing river, I madly cupped water to my face, drinking as much as I could before plunging my head into the cool waters.

Panting, I wiped my eyes and sighed in satisfaction. Then I froze, completely still. Staring at me from across the river was a very big reptilian head poking out from some tall grass. It had two wicked looking horns curved forward above it’s golden eyes. The whole thing was jet-black, it’s dark scales reflecting the light around it almost like a mirror. The head stared unmoving except for a forked tongue, the size of my arm, flicking out.

Shit.

I slowly started backing away when the head rose a few meters above the ground, still staring at me. Oh fucking hell. I turned and ran, the sudden movement causing the hobo shoes to slip off. Behind me I could hear the dragging and sliding of scales on the forest floor.

SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT! SHIT!-

Cursing nonstop in my mind, I jumped to the side as the giant snake slammed into the ground, leaving a small crater where I once stood. What the fuck is this thing?! Weaving through trees as I ran, the serpent rammed and splintered through them as it attempted to kill me.

Using the trees to my advantage, I continue running when, to my left, a meter thick blur of scales rushed past.

Circling its body around me, the giant horned snake stared, flicking its tongue.

“What the hell.” I manage to whisper before it struck forward.

I dodged, angling my spear against the ground in hopes that the monster would impale itself. My hopes were immediately denied as the spear shattered and the serpent twisted its head, striking me even as I jumped to get away.

“AAAAAHHH!” An intense pain shot through my left leg as one of the snakes’ horns plunged through my calf.