The Forest.

A Story by Jess Holden

Short story (well, not so short...)

I felt my back against the cold ground, every cut intensified by it. I could feel blood escaping and the wind blow against me. I opened my eyes and saw the pale white snow beginning to fall. The dark blue sky was a canvas to this show of true beauty. I blinked as I watched a single flake fall and rest upon my stomach. I began to wonder as to why I was outside without a jacket, as I starred at the flake. Every part of me that touched the ground was numb, except for the cuts. I tried to think back and discover where they came from, but found no such memory. As I sat up, I looked around, discovering that I was in a forest; trees surrounded me, with some grass peering out of the small amount of snow that had fallen.
I was alone, somewhere I knew I shouldn't. The only noises came from the falling of the snowflakes, and the gentle sound of a beating heart. I listened to the rhythm of the beats, and was lost in an entrapment of thoughts and memories.

It all started to come back to me.

The fight.

The car accident..

The sadness...

The pain.....

I remembered nothing as to where I was, or how I got here, but I knew I would get out.
As I stood up, I glanced around in the hopes of finding a road or at least a building of some kind. I did a 360 degree glance, but saw nothing.

I could feel the hope slipping away, quickly replaced with panic and worry.

"Why was I here? Of all the things to happen to me, and now this?" I thought aloud. Its not like anyone would hear me; by the looks of the trees, nobody would ever hear me...
As I examined the landscape further, I noticed little things that most people would pass by on everyday occasions. Today, was not like any other day at all. I saw a Robin fly above, making a gentle tweet as she passed by.
"Robin means spring... Its spring time." I muttered under my breath.

That explains the snow.

As I continued to look, I herd a small rustle in the leaves directly behind me. I glanced over my shoulder, and to my surprise, saw a man.
He was dressed casually, a sweater and a dirty pair of jeans; the knees were soaked, and covered in a mixture of mud and snow, while the rest were less dirty. As he aproached, I saw his eyes meet mine.

He froze.

I felt confused, and opened my mouth to ask him if he knew where we were. Before a word could escape, he bolted straight for me, his eyes filled with some form of anger and greed.

This time, I froze. I started to panic, and as it became very relivent that he was running at me, and not past me, I turned my back and ran. I felt the world passing beneath my shoes, as I felt the wind begin to sting and lash at my cuts. I herd him bariling behind me, as it became evident that he was intent on catching me.
Why me? What did I do to deserve this?
I began to feel my lungs ache for air, but I couldn't bring any in.

What was going on?

I'm slowing down...

I begin to feel my legs ache, and I can feel the wind decreasing.

I'm scared.

He's going to catch me, I can feel it. I feel my feet trip over something, a rock if I had to guess, and felt my knees hit the ground.

THUD.

I whipped around, looking for the man in the dirty jeans, but he was nowhere. I felt my heart racing against my chest, and my lungs fill with air. I gasped in mouthfuls, unaware of how long or far I had been running. It had to be quite some time to be this out of breath, or would it come from adrenaline?
I didn't know and frankly, didn't care.
All I wanted to know was if he was anywhere near me.
Was I safe again? Then I herd the rustling again, this time in front of me. "oh no," I thought, closing my eyes and waiting for another noise.

I herd the rustling again, this time, closer. It was in front of me this time. I turned back and opened my eyes to see the man in the dirty jeans and sweater, standing three feet from me, breathing heavily.
"Why... Did you run?" he asked, struggling to breath.
"Why did you chase me?" I retorted quickly, questioning his every gesture. He lifted his head to stare at me, a sly smile spreading across his face.

He was crying.

"You don't remember me, do you?" He asked, calm filling his voice.
That voice...
I remember it.

I felt a confused look spread across my face. "Your voice... I've herd it before..." I said slowly getting to my feet.
This was a voice I trusted, I knew that. I had a feeling that he was someone I do trust.
"How could you forget me, Alice? After I helped you become the woman you are today? I'm ashamed." he said, the smile spreading.
I felt more confused.

But...
His voice...

"Look, I'm sorry but I have to go..." I said, slowly taking a step back.
Something wasn't right about his voice. He was too confident. Too calm. Maybe I did know him and trust him but... Maybe I shouldn't have.
"No, look I have to go," I said, "and my name isn't Alice. You must have me confused with someone else." I took another step back, and froze again. I was waiting for him to run after me, but he remained bent over, still gasping for breath.

I'm pretty sure I could outrun him even out of breath, by the sound of his weezing.

"No, I know its you. Alice Winterfield, that's your name. You must have really hit your head." he said, slowly standing, pointing to my head. I lifted my hand and felt my forehead. It was wet and warm.
I guess I must have hit my head somewhere. But I still couldn't believe what he was telling me; would you believe a random stranger in the middle of the woods?
"No, I'm leaving." I said, asserting myself, making it know that I wasn't going down without a fight.
"No," he said confidently standing up to his full height.
"You ARE coming with me, whether you like it or not."

I stood starring at him, slightly shocked, but I was prepaired for this. I whipped around, and began to run back the way I came. I herd him follow after me. I was scared that this time, I wouldn't be fast enough.

He would catch me.

Something bad would happen that would leave me hurt and broken, like so many times before. As I ran, I began to enjoy the steady breeze that blew into my face. As my lungs began to ach again, I slowed, still listening for the man following me.

Whoever he was, he thought he knew me. Hell, I didn't even know who I was! Maybe my name was Alice, and maybe I had come to these woods with him, and lost my way.

No no, then where did the cuts come from?

I wondered, as my run slowed into a fast paced walk. I ran behind a tree, and ducked around it to see if the man was there. I could see him in the distance, but I had time. I decided to collect my thoughts, and figure out just what was going on. I closed my eyes, and began to think back to the last thing I remembered.

Walking home from school with Paige. We went for pizza, then headed home.

I thought, remembering how Paige had spilled part of her Cola on her brand new dress. The memories of happiness seemed so far away right now, it hurt to even think about.

We stopped at Ryan's before heading to Paige's for the night so we could get-

My thoughts were interupted by the sound of rustling leaves. I kept my eyes closed and hoped that I was imagining things. "Can you stop trying to run, Alice? I know you and this forest all too well." He said in a whisper, as I felt his hot breath on my face.

No, this isn't right. This isn't good.

I started to cry. For whatever reason, this only made things worse. I felt his arms grab mine, and pull me up against the bark of the tree. It was a strong Maple, the kind of tree that survives hurricanes, and makes other trees seem pointless.

"Oh Alice," he whispered in my ear, his hot breath projected onto my neck, "you won't remember this tomorrow."

I felt shock, as my stomach became warm; what felt like water started to drip down my shirt and pants, into my shoes. I cringed in pain, as I felt a sharp pain drift through my torso. I let out a loud cry of pain.

But who would've herd it in this forest?