Day 4–6 – Hunger, Fear, and Nightmares
The light barely pierces the canopy. The air is icy. Winlife is curled up beneath a tree root, his eyes dark, his body trembling.
Winlife (weak voice):
I'm cold… hungry… I feel drained…
His stomach growls violently. He looks around: nothing. No berries, no prey. Only damp soil and shifting shadows.
Winlife (bitter):
What a joke… the great "hero," unable to find a damn hazelnut.
He slowly forces himself up, sword shaking in his hand. He walks forward with empty eyes and a dry mouth.
[Further on]
A rustle. A silhouette between the trees. Small. Fast.
Winlife (gasping, hiding behind a tree):
An animal? A creature? …Something to eat?
He lunges clumsily. He stumbles, scrapes himself, but keeps running. He raises his sword…
The "monster" was only a rat. He pierces it. His breath catches.
Winlife (stunned):
I did it… I have… meat.
He sits down, trembling, and bites directly into the raw flesh, tears filling his eyes. He instantly vomits. Too strong. Too fast.
Winlife (crying, whispering):
I'm going to die here… like a character with no purpose.
Day 7–9 – The Screams of the Forest
The mist thickens. Winlife walks slowly, dragging his sword across the ground. His face is dirty, his eyes hollow.
Winlife (thoughts):
Why do I even wake up anymore? I would've preferred not to open my eyes…
A distant moan echoes. He freezes. The trees seem to tighten around him.
Unknown Voice (distant, distorted):
…Aaah… help… me…
He snaps his head up.
Winlife:
A voice? Someone… alive?
He runs. Faster. Heart pounding. He spots a figure hunched on the ground…
But it isn't human. It's a twisted mass of flesh with a human mouth for a face.
Creature (deformed voice):
…help… me…
Winlife (horrified):
Is this… an illusion?!
The creature leaps. Winlife barely dodges. He slashes by pure instinct. Black blood splatters.
Silence. He trembles.
Winlife (panting):
I need to get away… this forest is driving me insane.
He collapses against a tree, breathless.
Winlife (whispering):
This isn't survival anymore… it's a curse.
Day 10–12 – Hunger Bites Harder Than Fear
Light struggles to pass through the canopy. Winlife stumbles, starving. His stomach growls as loudly as the beasts in the woods.
Winlife (low voice):
Still nothing to eat… no berries… no animals… only bones and shadows.
He falls to his knees before a fallen trunk. He scrapes the moss, hoping for insects.
Winlife (empty gaze):
Even a worm would be enough… pathetic, right?
A rustle behind him. He turns, sword raised… it's a small rodent. He trembles.
Winlife (at his limit):
I… I'm sorry.
He throws himself at the animal and grabs it. The scene is brutal, inglorious. He eats on the ground, hands shaking, mouth stained.
Winlife (tears flowing despite himself):
I wanted to be a hero… not an animal.
Night falls. A howl in the distance. Winlife clutches his sword.
Winlife (whispering):
One day… I'll rise again. But not tonight.
Day 13–15 – The Silence That Kills
The sun barely rises. A dirty mist clings to the trees. Winlife sits against a trunk, hollow-eyed, exhausted. He has barely slept.
Winlife (murmuring):
I'm going crazy… I talk to trees, I daydream. They're all dead… and I'm still here. Why?
He stares at his sword—dirty, dull, useless.
Winlife:
You never shined. Just enough to make me believe I could defend myself. A hero, huh… what a joke.
A crack. He jumps. Sword raised.
Hoarse Voice in the Shadow (inhuman):
Grrrrr…
A monster emerges—huge, thorn-covered, scarred. It circles him.
Winlife (trembling):
I don't want to die… not like this.
He raises his sword, but his arms shake. He backs away… then runs. Gasps. Branches whip his face.
He falls. Gets up. Runs again.
Winlife (screaming):
LEAVE ME ALONE!!
The monster doesn't follow. As if it knew the forest itself would finish the job.
Winlife collapses in the mud, breathless.
Day 16–18 – The Hunger of the Weak
Morning brings no comfort. The sky is gray. The forest strangely silent.
Winlife crawls out from a pile of leaves. His face is dirty, his clothes torn. His stomach roars.
Winlife (hoarse):
How many days has it been?... Two? Three? I don't know anymore. I haven't eaten since… I'm going to die.
He tries to stand but collapses. He leans on a tree, sliding down.
Winlife:
I must… eat. Something. Anything.
He spots a small rodent near a bush. His eyes widen. He slowly draws his sword.
Winlife (desperate thought):
Please… come closer. Come on…
The rodent flees. He barely grazes it.
Winlife (screaming, punching the ground):
DAMN IT!!
Silence. Then rustling. He turns, ready to flee… but nothing emerges.
He drops to his knees, trembling, hollow. Tears spill uncontrollably.
Winlife (whispering):
A hero… huh? A damn hero…
He looks up. Hidden between roots and moss… a cave.
His expression changes. Instinct takes over.
Winlife:
A shelter…? Or a tomb.
He rises slowly and approaches.
Day 19–21 – The Sleeping Monster
The cave interior is damp, cold. Drops fall, echoing like heartbeats. Winlife advances cautiously, gripping his dull sword.
Winlife (low voice):
If this is a tomb… let it be quiet.
A strange smell stops him. Warmth. A breath.
He lifts his gaze: an enormous creature, massive, curled up, skin black as soot, sleeping deeply. Its ribs rise and fall slowly. No eyes open.
Winlife (thought):
A beast… not dead… but not awake. A living padlock? What are you guarding?
He steps back… then his stomach growls loudly. He clenches his jaw, eyes locked on the creature.
Winlife (whispering, trembling):
I… I have no choice. If I want to live… I have to eat it.
He approaches. Silent. One, two, three breaths. He raises his sword—
And in a savage burst, he slices the creature's throat, driven by hunger. Dark, thick blood gushes. The beast twitches… then goes still.
He collapses onto it, gasping, wild-eyed. And then… he bites. Instinctively. Ferociously.
Winlife (between breaths):
Sorry… SORRY… I just want to live…
After long minutes, he finishes eating the creature, which looked like a giant chicken but tasted surprisingly warm and pleasant.