Transparent

A young woman wakes to find that she is not in the bed she went to sleep in last night, but in some random woods. Follow as she tries to find her family and leave with her life.

Transparent

I open my eyes and have to squint from the rays of light sneaking into my vision. Weird. I don’t remember sleeping outside. I slowly sit up and take a look around. A pang of fear hits me as I realize I’m not in the bed I went to sleep in, but in some type of woods, thick with trees and vegetation. This must be a dream. I close my eyes and pinch myself. When I open them, I still see the same trees and green plantlife. Something's not right. I pinch myself harder, turning my skin purple, but I’m still here, lost. A wave of dysphoria washes over me as it becomes apparent that this is real.

I rise to my feet and take a deeper inspection. There’s no sign of civilization as far the eye can see, just oak trees and evergreens, wild ferns and fallen leaves. How the hell did I end up in the middle of the woods? I didn’t party or anything last night. I remember clearly, going to my sisters baby shower and driving back home perfectly fine. I played some games on my phone than went to bed, so why am I stranded in the goddamn wilderness? This is all too surreal for me. I sit cross legged on the ground to collect my thoughts. Is my family ok? If someone came and took me from my house last night, they could’ve done something with my parents too… I can’t just sit here knowing my parents could be in danger. I’ve got to find help.

Each step is more heavier than the last, the fear of uncertainty weighing me down as I move blindly through the woods, searching for any sign of human life. As I’m searching, I try to think more about last night. I remember bringing a rattle as a present for the baby. My sister happily thanked me and we sat and talked about how I was going to be an aunt, and thought of a few baby names. It was actually a pretty good time, reminiscing about when we still lived together with Mom and Dad. We didn’t have any alcohol, so I wasn’t drunk. I drove to my house, said hi to my parents (who had recently moved in with me) and went to sleep. The only way for me to be stuck in the middle of the woods is if someone brought me out here. I don’t who would play such a sick game because I’m definitely not having any fun.

It feels like I’m going nowhere. Every direction I look is just more of the same scenery. One thick oak with branches infested with leaves, one full evergreen with strong scented pines, this all blends together into one thing: Woods. I haven’t turned back once since I started walking forward. Maybe it’s time for me to start looking for some clues.

I scan the ground for anything out of the ordinary but don’t notice anything. I kick up some piles of leaves, inspect a few trees. Nothing. I seem to be entirely screwed here. And if I’m screwed, I know my family is too. If they’re out here in these same woods, there’s no telling what kind of dangers could’ve got to them. It sucks I haven’t found any information relevant to my situation. I’m just stuck wandering aimlessly in some random woods. Sigh. No point in me standing here to get mauled by a bear or something. I start walking discouragingly to nowhere until a glint of silver catches my eye.

I notice it under a heap of twigs and dirt. Moving all that to the side, my jaw drops. It’s a silver necklace with a heart shaped locket attached to it. On the front of the locket read my name: Nile Lewis. I open the locket and to my surprise, they’re are two identical pictures of me inside. The image is of my face, my brown hair being plastered into it by the wind. I can make out specs of green that are supposed to be my eyes.  I don’t remember taking this picture, and I’ve never seen this locket before. It must be a stalker. Someone’s been following me for who knows how long, and they finally made their move last night! It’s enough explanation to make me feel sane at least. Whoever brought me here is seriously trying to get inside my head. And it’s working.

The necklace now rests over my shoulders, as a reminder that I’m still alive. But it still doesn’t really tell me anything. I don’t know if my family’s dead or alive. I don’t know where I am. And I sure as hell don’t know how to get out. Looks like I’m back to the drawing boards. I guess my best option for now is to just keep moving, and stay alert for any sign of my parents. I go through the tree, tree, tree cycle for what seems like forever when I’m stopped dead in my tracks.

About 12 feet away stands an inert fox, eyes trained on me! I swear hear a splash in my stomach when my heart drops in. I am petrified. The damn thing won’t look away, just staring at me with soulless eyes. Defenseless, I decide to stare back. Maybe it’s more afraid of me than I am of it. I focus my vision on the two black voids, ready to run at any sudden movement. My eyes burn more and more the longer I keep them open. I inevitably blink, losing my staring contest with the fox. It just continues to stare, unblinking, motionless. It’s actually a bit creepy. This fox hasn't blinked one time, moved one hair. I’m starting to think somethings wrong with this fox. I’m going to have to take a chance. What good am I doing here in a standoff with a frozen fox? I should just walk right past it. Yea, it won’t do anything but keep staring, right?

Without taking my eyes off the fox, I grab a fallen branch off the ground next to me. Better than nothing. This could play out one of two ways: I walk right past the fox with no problem, and continue getting more lost in the woods, or, the fox ruthlessly attacks me, and I die out here in the wilderness, forgotten. I definitely don’t want the latter. I slowly tip toe my way towards the fox, careful not to step on any twigs, or make any noise. Sweat beads start to form on my forehead as I hold my breath and pass right by the side of the fox. It still stares forward, completely stiff, just as I expected. My curiosity overpowers me and I whack the fox hard, breaking the branch over it’s skull. It’s body topples over into a heap onto the ground, eyes still open, staring straight ahead.

I throw the broken end of the branch and start jetting forward, a rush of adrenaline and fear weaving through me. That was messed up wasn’t it? Am I crazy? I slow my sprint to a jog and take a seat on a nearby stump. I swear I’m going crazy. First it’s the necklace, now it’s some paralyzed fox?! Ugh, those dead eyes stick in my mind, showing up everytime I blink. The way it’s body just dropped like that…

Something’s definitely not right with this place, wherever it is. Did I die and go to Hell? Is this my torture, trapped in my own trepidation and uncertainty? Maybe I am dreaming. Maybe I’m having a lucid dream, one where you can control everything. I close my eyes and imagine my nice furnished home, paved concrete roads, my parents sleeping cozily in bed. I open my eyes and not a single one of these things appear. This is reality. My sick, twisted reality.

As I sit on the stump trying to grasp any form of sense I can, a realization hits me. That fox is the first living creature I’ve seen. No ant colonies on the ground, not one bird chirping in the sky. Not even any of those annoying mosquitoes buzzing around. And everything seems to be put in place for me to find. I mean, what are the odds I just find a random locket with my name on it? I’m on to something here, I know it. Whoever brought me here must want me to get out. Hopefully my family, if they’re out there, got the same treatment (minus the fox part of course). I just hope they’re safe. I’m definitely not getting any closer to them sitting here, so I get up and start moving deeper into the woods.

It is quite strange I haven’t seen any bugs on the ground. I am in the woods after all. But that’s the least of my concerns right now. I should just focus on finding my people and getting the hell out. I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone or something. A frozen fox, a locket with my picture in it, my name on it. What’s next, talking trees? Maybe I should just give up. Lay down right on the ground and let time take me. No one should have to endure this mental abuse.

My brief time of self-pity is interrupted by a loud “CAAAAW” in the distance. A crow. So there are other animals out here. The “caw” is multiplying, coming from what sounds like at least a dozen different crows. The call gets louder and louder until suddenly, a black beak breaks through the thick of trees in front of me. I immediately get to ground, covering my head with my arms. I feel the wind of the crows wings as they swarm me, “cawing” maliciously. I dare to look up and am overwhelmed by a sky of jet black. This just confirms it. I’m in the goddamn Twilight Zone.

I take my chances and start running, full sprint. These crows were having none of it. Pecking at my hair, clawing at my face with those razor sharp talons, these crows were ruthless in their attack. A scratch here, a poke there, I somehow manage to stay on my feet, the crows surrounding me like a hurricane of fury and malice. The pain is starting to become unbearable, and I see no way of escaping. But I hear something. Over the ravenous cries of my black-feathered attackers I hear a low, metallic hum. It’s awfully close too, like it’s right next to me. The crows are still violently attacking me, tearing my shirt, ripping my jeans. I drop straight to the ground, and try to find the source of the hum. I rake my hands through the dirt and come up with nothing but leaves and rocks. The humming grows even louder when I lay in front of a weathered oak tree. I try to scale up the tree, but a crow swoops down and slashes me across the face. I wince in pain and continue to inspect the tree. There, in a gaping hole in the middle of the tree is the source of the humming, a square, metal box with a triangular caution sign on the front. What the hell is this? I have no time to wonder because the crows swarm me again, blocking my vision, and scratching my face up. The overwhelmingness of the crows knock to the ground, and they continue to nip at me. I feel the ground for anything to help me and I find a rock about the size of my hand. I start blindly swinging it in the air, and the crows disperse, but don’t flee. Now’s my chance! I decide to beat the metal box, again and again, hoping this is some type of clue. I don’t break it fast enough and the crows are back around me, black blurs in the sky. I keep swinging and swinging with all my strength, barely hitting the box until I hear a zap. At that same moment, all the crows surrounding me drop dead to the ground. I immediately scramble away and stare at the box with wide frightened eyes.

The humming has stopped, so I must’ve destroyed whatever that box was. Whatever it was, it seems to have been the crows source of life. All their little black bodies lay motionless on the dirt. They look so harmless when they’re not trying to claw your face off. The crows aren’t the only strange thing however. In the distance to my left, I see trees, even the sky… dematerializing. It’s all just… vanishing. My heart starts to run a marathon in my chest. Will I vanish too? Has my family disappeared? I curl up in a fetal position on the ground and start rocking back and forth. This is really it. No more Nile. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t find my family. I couldn’t find a way out. I’m defeated.

The world continues to vanish, and I sit, waiting for it to take me with. A void of white invades my vision and I suddenly feel lighter than a feather. I pass out, clenching my teeth in terror.

…

TO BE CONTINUED.

Author's Note

Thank you for reading, would love to hear what you thought!

Reviews

[Zoya]

That's intriguing. I was able to picture all of that. Good thing you didn't reveal the hows and whats of the mysterious metal box. It'll leave the reader with something to think about. I enjoyed it and would love to see how it progresses!

[Sac]

Thank you for taking the time to read it Zoe, you're feedback is much appreciated. Part II is coming soon!

[Zoya]

No problem!