INSIDE 01 - Enter The Forest Of Mystery

A Chapter by dw817

I found myself running, my heart racing, and adrenaline shooting through me. What was the matter with me ? Was I frightened ? Was someone chasing me ?

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Hunted and alone, a boy finds himself drawn into the center of a dark project.

INSIDE - The Novelization by dw817 (05-12-22)

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This chapter is Rated: EVERYONE

I have been traveling a long time now.

How long - I can't remember. I can't seem to remember a great many things actually. Usually I wouldn't mind except - it must be serious because I can't even remember my name.

I know there was - something I was somewhere else, not here. And it was bright. Like there were colors everywhere. Certainly not where I am now. Everything here seems so drab and gray.

Yet something was calling me to push forward. And then I saw it, a precipice. While I knew where I came from I realized if I went down here I could not return. But fortune always favors the bold, right ?

There was a puddle to the left of me that was amazingly clear. I leaned down to take a look at myself. And then I laughed. I had no face. I mean it didn't look scary or anything or maybe I was just a little psychotic to take that so easily. But it was fine with me.

I always thought people's looks were superficial. It's what you do in the world that counts. And as small a frame as I had and as weak as I looked I knew somehow I was strong. Very strong. Certainly stronger than the very average boy that I appeared to be.

And then there was the precipice, some kind of darkness below - it beckoned to me. So saying my goodbyes to the world behind me I carefully slid down it, making sure not to tumble, and WOW was it dark in here. I wasn't in a cave but I might as well have been.

The canopy of tree flora above me was so thick light could barely get in. That plus the fact the sky looked like precipitation before I entered this area.

And sure enough when I looked behind me an impossibly steep angle clearly prevented me from climbing back out. With nothing more to lose I carefully walked forward.

Or so I thought, for I found myself running, my heart racing, and adrenaline shooting through me. What was the matter with me ? Was I frightened ? Was someone chasing me ? I listened to the forest as I carefully ran ahead and heard no other people, not even birds, nothing.

My fears clearly were unfounded. Nonetheless I kept up the brisk pace until I got to this massive log that was blocking the path. It wasn't cross-section but straight ahead of me.

Testing my strength I pushed against it, hoping to see it fall down in to the darkness below. But no, I wasn't that strong. Then I realized my folly, had I done that I would've cut off the one way to travel ahead, so I was fortunate this did not work.

But still, how to do this ?

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I jumped up and was surprised at the power of my legs. I felt almost superhuman the way I neatly jumped up on to the massive fallen tree. Any kid my size could never have done it in a single leap and would've struggled a bit. So there clearly was something quite special about me.

Not wasting any more time I carefully crossed the log slowing down a bit and using my hands as counter-balances, for I surely did not want to fall.

Reaching the other side I continued my brisk run and realized something else. I wasn't tired. I mean the pace I had started out would clearly tire out a normal person yet I felt fine, as if I could truly run for miles and never be winded from it.

Just then I came to a gate of rotted wood. Beyond I saw the back end of an 18-wheeler with its brake lights on. The only real illumination in this eerie forest.

Jumping up over the gate I slid down another ramp of matted dirt and moss just in time to see the truck start its engines and slowly drive away. In the distance were eerie metal cocoons which is the best way I could describe it. Long tubes, possibly metal, certainly much bigger than myself.

But there was something in my head that told me to stay clear of them, so I did.

I stayed low to the ground to stay out of sight as the driver took away. Once gone I raised my back up and continued the brisk pace forward. Something was driving me now and it wasn't simple curiosity. It was as if I was on a mission or something.

I shook my head, hating the fact I couldn't even remember my name - but I did remember - something. That even if I thought myself unimportant this was not true - with - with others. That - there was something amazing about me. Something other people didn't understand - but they did want to study it, capture me if they could.

For a moment I had a terrible thought of being tied down to a long metal table with a bright line shining in my eyes. Unintelligible words were spoken, clearly in question. When I did not respond the correct way a small charge of electricity was released into the table - into me !

It wasn't very painful to begin with but started to grow in intensity as the questioning which is all it could be - was not answered to the prober's satisfaction. And then I was suddenly back in the forest again. The 18-wheeler long gone and again I felt the need to keep moving forward.

What likely once were verdant green trees were now long black shadows that stabbed into the dark starless sky. The forest was so thick I imagine even in direct sunlight it felt like nighttime in here.

Then I finally saw something different. I was standing on a small hill and beneath that was a long partially buried metal capsule of some design and two people standing next to some kind of old metal cylinder with a glass window in it.

Surely they could help me ! Surely they could tell me what I didn't know. Smiling I jumped down, eager to meet them.

One shone a flashlight at me and just like me they had no face, but it was a bit different than me. While I clearly had no face they were wearing a faceless mask or something to hide their features. It was entirely possibly they did have a face yet if they didn't, like me, then what was the purpose of the mask ?

But what was most distressing was the fact once the other saw me he ran to me with incredible speed as if I would attempt to run away or something. So I did just that and started to backpedal my steps when I was suddenly tackled by him.

He held on to me with a strong grip and without a word grabbed something from his pocket and shoved it up against my face. Some kind of wet handkerchief.

There was a strong smell of some type of chemical and very quickly I felt dizzy, sleep hitting me suddenly not even giving me a chance to yawn. Everything faded to black around me. It was clear I had been kidnapped by these strangers !