when the lightning strikes

When the lightning strikes part three

Part 3

When William woke, he was in shade, and he realised that he must have reached the forest before falling asleep.

He spotted a stream about 5 meters away, so he crawled to it and then observed his surroundings. His stomach was empty and he had a dead leg.

As the evening went on, the sky grew darker and the sun went to sleep. William was exhausted so he searched for a dry bit of land and then gathered pine needles to make the ground softer when he lay on it. He rolled out his blankets on top of the pine needles, put his pillow under his head and went to sleep.

At some point during the night, he woke to an owl screeching from a branch nearby. It spooked him, and he rolled up into a small ball to keep the cold out.

The sun rose again and so did William.

He ate some leftovers and then packed his bags for the trip ahead. He refilled his bottle with fresh water and then pulled off his trousers.

The water was cold when he got in, but he didn't want to get his trousers wet, (and he didn't want to be followed) so away he plodded down the river, with the current pushing him forward. The water came up to his waist, so the bottom of his Tshirt got soaked and there were fish wriggling around like worms at his feet. William felt uncomfortable, because soon enough the water started to rise up around him, and he had to walk on his tip toes to keep the rest of the shirt from getting wet. The current seemed to be getting stronger the further he walked, and the rushing of the river grew louder still.