The first thing I noticed as I woke up was the silence.
It pressed against my ears; it felt suffocating, as if it was trying to consume me. Only to be broken by a faint rustle of leaves far above. I lay still, staring upward, but there was no sky, only towering trees that stretched beyond what I could see, their branches so thick and tangled they blocked all light from entering.
I blinked. Once. Twice.
'Where...?'
The thought abruptly ended, leaving it feeling unfinished. I tried again.
'Where am I?'
No answer came.
Another question followed.
'Who am I?'
I felt my chest tighten at the thought. There should have been something, a name, a face, a memory, but... nothing. My mind was empty as if erased.
Even my voice, when I finally spoke, sounded foreign and unfamiliar, like it didn't belong to me.
"I..."
I didn't finish.
Fear began to rise within me. I was alone. Completely alone.
And yet...
My hand clenched as I grabbed the dirt beneath me. Slowly pushing myself up.
Something deep inside me refused to stay down. It wasn't courage nor hope. It felt... instinctual.
I didn't know where I was.
I didn't know who I was.
But I knew one thing.
'I need to move.'
------
I walked without a specific direction in mind. Only a nagging feeling that if I stayed still, I'd be losing more than just my memories.
The forest stretched endlessly around me, the towering trees seemed to consume the light, and their shadows clung to me like something alive.
I kept walking. Time had lost meaning. I couldn't tell whether I'd been walking for days or just hours.
Then...
-CRUNCH
The sound cut through the silence.
My mind went blank at the sound of a single dry leaf being crushed from not far behind me.
Before I could process what I'd just heard, my body moved. Instinct took over. I hid behind the nearest tree, pressing myself against its rough bark.
I held my breath, trying to calm my nerves, feeling anxiety rise more and more within me.
-CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
The noise grew closer with each breath.
It was slow. Heavy.
Each step felt deliberate.
My heart pounded loud- too loud.
Clenching my jaw, I forced myself to stay still. My eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for something, anything to defend myself with.
Until...
"AAAAHHH!!"
A scream tore through the forest, distant but sharp enough to cut the tension like a blade.
Everything stopped.
For a split second, it felt as though the world held its breath.
And then...
-STOMP! STOMP! STOMP!
The ground trembled.
Whatever was following me rushed toward the scream, allowing me to hear its massive steps that shook the ground beneath me as it charged toward to soarce of the scream.
I waited until I could no longer hear its steps before letting a breath out.
"Haahh"
Calming my mind as best I could i decided to continue walking.
'I need to get out of here.'
The encounter I had, whatever it was, had burned the thought into my head.