Uninhabited

Chapter 1

1

A blinding beam of light pierces through the shuffling leaves above, blinding me as I awake.

Wait.

Awake?

When did I fall asleep?

I slowly half open my eyes with a hand out trying to block the sun from my face, but all I can see is a smudge of brown in a blurry, green landscape.

A waft of rotting wood and damp moss enters my nose, picturing a scene of thick forestry in my mind.

This doesn't feel like the comfort of my own home.

The smells don't stop there; wild mint and moist cedar also flows to my nose.

This time I sit right up in shock and see rows upon rows of colossal sized trees, so tall and bushy no light can flush in.

"W-where am I?" I silently say out loud

"How the hell did I get here?"

But all remains quiet in this sound absorbed boscage.

I heavily breathe out and in at a fast past, trying to make my way through the thicket along the ground. I run as fast as I can and push through along the shrubs, managing to find an escape out of this strange place.

The heavy flooring of ferns whip and slash my bare legs creating red lines on my skin. Running swiftly, I ignore the strikes and focus on the freedom that lies on the outside of this forest.

I can just picture a land of breathable air, knee high grass and a cloudless sky. That's where I am heading.

I jump over rocks and weave under branches knowing that the road ahead is the way out.

But the heavily populated forestry doesn't end.

As I run, trees whiz past me only to be replaced by more trees and by more trees, returning in a vicious cycle.

I keep running focusing on the path ahead.

This is hopeless, I have no idea where I am let alone who I am.

Silence

'Who I am' I repeat in my mind.

'Who I am'

'Who am I?' I ask myself

Then a sick hits me. And I slow down my fast running to brisk walking until I stop altogether and stand still.

I stand still and wonder.

Who am I?

I have no name, therefore I am not myself.

But was I a 'self' in the first place?

If I was then why can't I remember myself?

My head begins whirling making me feel nauseas.

What has happened to me?

I look down at my hands and see them stained with dirt and sweat.

I try to think about what got me here in the first place and the state that I am in, but I can't put my finger on it.

I have no memory of anything.

I drop to my knees in shock and try to manage this gut wrenching feeling inside of me. My fingers clench bundles of leaves and grass on the ground making a squishing sound in the palms of my fists. I squint my eyes and try as hard as I can to recall the history of my life; everything I have achieved, people I was with.

But it's all gone.

I breathe out heavily and remain kneeling on the mush floor focusing on my breathing. I breathe in holding for three seconds and breathe out for another three. I repeat this method over and over for quite some time until I eventually calm myself down.

"What should I do?" I quietly ask myself out loud.

After quite some time I pick myself up off the ground and look for an exit that leads me out of this confusing place. But it's no use.

"What am I going to do?" I ask myself as I close my eyes picturing freedom. All that I can do is run myself out of this cavernous forest.

Immediately I open my eyes and start sprinting in the direction straight ahead. I quickly jump over stones, ferns and dodge low branches that fly past me.

I run and run without stopping as it is the last thing that I can do to get myself out of here.

A small white dot sparks up in the distance between the thickness of the trees. I keep running while keeping my eyes locked on that spot ahead. It slowly becomes bigger with every metre I run.

Maybe it's freedom. Maybe it's my way out of here. Well there's no harm in finding out.

So without stopping I run, towards the light at the end of the path. It becomes bigger and bigger blinding me as I head closer.

And then I'm there, standing behind a clear archway between two trees that leads me out of the forest. I take a large step out of the dark undergrowth and into a new landscape with no trees, but buildings. It's a large town.

Big buildings populate the area standing still in soft swaying wind.

"Finally" I say out loud. I have found people. I was beginning to think that I needed to fend for myself to survive in wild. Seeing the town down below me brings back a strange feeling of Déjà vu,as if I have been here before.

Maybe this is my home. Maybe the only way to recover my memory is to walk the streets and see if I can bring my memory back. That's what I'll do. I could talk to some people, or maybe even see a doctor about this experience I am having.

So I decide to move onwards and head into the mysterious town in hope of regaining my life back.

My memory of these streets and buildings are slowly starting to come back to me now. I begin to feel confident enough to walk down lanes and know what exactly is around the corner. But there is one thing.

Something is not right here.

Something is terribly wrong.

As I walk through the city streets I begin to feel sickened by a strong eerie feeling.

There are smashed windows everywhere, clusters of vines growing all over the building faces and bundles of long grass emerging in between the cracks of the footpaths.

There are few cars parked parallel to the side of the road but seem to be lifeless as small plants and grass grow around the tires.

There are no sounds. No driving cars. No city lights. No people.

Where did they all go?

My heart begins to pump faster again and my head begins to whirl.

How is it possible for every single person to just abandon a town like this. They must've been in a hurry because there are still cars parked all over the place.

Strange. Very strange.

I begin to walk onwards taking slow steps down the footpath. I prick my ears, trying to hear every sound that comes alive but there's none. A breeze picks up and blows newspaper pages along the road and that's when I try to place the answer in my mind.

"Where did everyone go?"

Thank you for reading!

This story is slowly coming along and I would like it if you guys could comment if you're loving it so far. If you like it please let me know so i can begin chapters 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and so on :D

Your comments and votes mean a lot to me!