AWAKENING PART 3

Day 0; 0700 (Morning)
Focus: Scene

It would take another hour before the sun's golden rays could peak over the giant mountain tops protecting the vast Forbidden Forest from the northern continent’s frigid winds. Inside the forest, morning dew steadily collected on canopy leaves and low grasses found on the cold, damp forest floor, all anxiously waiting to be showered in the sun's warmth and light.

Water gently trickled down onto the ground in short, well-timed spurts, as wildlife began to wake from the night's lulling clasp. It was canopy rain, resulting from dew drops falling off leaves on high treetops; an enclosed system of precipitation. The water droplets glistened as they refracted small amounts of light that penetrated through the entanglement of tree branches and leaves. 

As the droplets softly impacted the ground, they emitted sounds of melancholy and calm; a sad but soothing melody. 

Canopy rain fell the hardest in an area of the Northern Forbidden Forest covered in silken-white. The air surrounding the place was acrid, smelling of iron and rot; it would take a strong gust of wind to purge away the stench of stagnation.

Only the boldest of creatures and beasts ventured into this part of the forest, mostly out of curiosity. However, the eeriness and effluvium of the area drove even the most adventurous of them away, for good reason.

On the western edge of the silken-white patch of forest, was a large cluster of tall grass. It’s vibrant green, dulled with drops of liquid crimson; the droplets came from the dangling balls of red-stained silk overhead. 

As more droplets worked their way down to bombard the grass, a distortion in space appeared -- the anomaly, different from the occurrences two hours prior.

Just above the meter-high grass, the silhouette of a plump man materialized in mid-air. Red drops of liquid ran down an invisible spheroid shielding the body from harm, as it was pieced together like a jigsaw puzzle using fine grains of dust; the dust particles vibrated vigorously as they drew towards the silhouette from all directions.

Heat from the construction process caused the moisture in the surrounding area to change states: from liquid to gas; the tall blades of grass shriveled, going limp from lack of fluids; a ringed depression appeared on the forest ground as moisture was sucked away from the wet dirt; moss that had thrived on the dark, damp conditions of the forest, dried-up and perished under the high temperatures.

The surrounding air grew thick from humidity, as the body of the man slowly lowered onto the ground, yet to be completed. The cavity within the skull where brain matter should have existed was still vacant of any organic material; it was, to say the least, a transference of an incomplete being; the body was intact, but the mind had been destroyed. 

In an attempt to complete the creation, memory fragments of past Travellers were implanted into the body, filling the void decayed by the number of drugs that had caused the mind’s collapse.

As the piecemeal creation came to its end, the body remained dormant, lacking any signs of life. Only after the protective spheroid had dissipated, did the plump man, laying atop the long blades of tough grass, begin to breathe. 

The process was successful, but it came at a cost: mental instability.

◊◊◊◊◊◊

Day 0; 0705 (Morning)
Focus: Character Introduction

Man: “...mmmh…”

A short, rotund man groaned as he stirred in his sleep. The comfortable, but heavily worn-out bed he had slept on the last ten years was replaced by hard, dry grass that could cut through skin; the dried-out vegetation over hard ground made for an uncomfortable experience. 

Unbeknownst to the man, he was located deep inside an expansive forest where no civilization had existed. In the past, many had tried to conquer the forest lands and its surrounding territory, but time after time, the intruders were driven out or dispatched by: [1] magical beasts that called the forest their home; [2] an unimaginable power that ejected trespassers by force; [3] invading monsters seeking sustenance from corpses of the adventurous and naive. 

As the man started to wake, noise from his fumbling attracted whatever creatures lurked within the confines of the silken-white stretch of forest. Unlike the 499 new arrivals that came before him, the man, Subject 513, was left to fend for himself.

Surrounding him were giant, barren trees, all infected by some unknown phenomenon. Their bark, covered with grease and splattered with reddish-brown substance that stunk of decay.

Overhead, a large canopy of white blanketed the sky. It gave off the feeling of deceptive serenity, as the area remained placid, devoid of animal calls and bird songs.

Just below the white canopy hung countless silk cocoons attached to branches of sickly trees. They dangled precariously in the air, swaying around like oversized pendulums, pushed by the force of wind. If one listened carefully, muffled cries and scratching could be heard emanating from inside them.

Back on the ground, violent rustling from the tall grass drew 513’s attention. 

As he lazily opened his eyes, his body immediately grew stiff. Directly in front of him stood a towering figure. Its blade-like legs tapped the ground restlessly, while its body hovered, motionless, one meter off the ground. It stared at 513 in curiosity, who in-turn stared back at it.

[Fuck! Spider!] 513 screamed internally as he remained frozen in place. His mind fired on all cylinders as it booted up like a slow computer. Luckily, his body was still too limp to involuntarily jerk in reaction to the sight.

The hulking spider, just three meters away from him, easily dwarfed his own height. Its fangs, wet with green liquid, chattered enthusiastically, creating a terrifying noise that echoed up the trees.

The sound reached the cocoons hanging on the branches, causing them to violently wriggle; coming to life as they struggled to get free. Though, not all moved -- those struggling, caused branches to bend and flex, as ones stained in scarlet, gently swayed and meandered silently in the air.

513, already pale from fright, thought he was losing mind. It took all his willpower to still his body, desperately trying to prevent the contents of his bowels from spilling out. If the cocoons were any indication, one false move would mean a slow and painful death.

As if teasing him, the giant spider lifted its abdomen up to the sky, increasing its already preposterous size. Within its abdomen was...a figure of a beautiful woman. The sight momentarily confused 513, dazing him like a blow to the temple; he wasn't sure if the woman had fused with the spider, or if the ghastly-white beauty was an evolutionary lure, used to entrance naive men.

[No, no, no, no, NO! It knows! It knows I'm here...shit...escape...how do I escape?!] Again, 513 screamed internally, to the point he thought his mental vocal cords would shatter. But remaining still was the only thing he could do to postpone his death. He needed a way out, and so far, being immobile worked.

The spider, still facing 513, expanded and contracted its abdomen, causing the female figure to...dance. Accompanying the dance was a series of loud snaps and crackling as the spider contorted its abdomen, causing its carapace to crack and grind together while it performed for 513; the intense sounds drowned out whatever muffled noises came from the cocoons overhead.

513's pupils enlarged as blood rushed to his head -- he hadn't blinked once since locking his eyes onto the spider. He was afraid that any subtle movement would set off a catastrophe. As he endured the experience, his eyes welled up like a damn holding back a flood of tears.

*CLACK* *CLACK* *CLACK*

Erratic movements from the spider’s legs were joined by a cacophony of nightmarish chiming from the cocoons. A strong gust of wind had caused them to sway around as they slammed into each other -- some, resulting in loud thuds, while others, followed by agonizing screams; it was an ensemble of horrors. 

As sweat drenched 513’s clothes, he could do nothing but continue to observe the frightening display of power the monstrosity had over him. Its chelicerae turned in a way that 513 could only interpret as a grin, as dark purple mist sprayed out from its spinnerets.

513 winced at the thought of getting caught in it, as another gust of wind carried the mist up towards the cocoons. Silken sacks and parts of trees caught by the mist’s embrace, slowly decayed, melting into dark piles of tar that dripped onto the forest floor. Plants and organic matter that made contact with the tar, withered and died, before crumbling to dust.

As 513 flinched at the sight, the giant spider looming below his feet noticed his reaction. 

The spider resumed its taunting, smugly grinning as it kept its gaze locked onto the man still laying flat on his back; it was unconvinced by 513’s acting; it knew he wasn’t dead or paralyzed. 

For its final act of goading, the spider approached 513 slowly, creeping like it was mock-hunting an injured animal. It flaunted its front legs leisurely over his face, showcasing its meter-long, razor sharp claws, as its other six legs clattered on the ground in anticipation. 513 held back an audible gasp as he tried, with all his might, to maintain composure and remain still; acting catatonic in the midst of a predator rarely worked as an escape method, but given his circumstances, it was a tactic he was willing to employ.

After a while, the spider’s grin turned sour as its taunts, intimidation, and threats did nothing to provoke 513. It had grown tired of performing, retreating towards the nearest tree to partake in different interests; it wasn’t interested in such boring, weak prey. 

Watching the monstrosity climb-up the tree, 513 let out a trembling sigh, slowly moving his head around to look for an exit route.

As far as the spider was concerned, it could always return and wrap the motionless, grubby man later. Right now, it sated its hunger with prey that had been caught earlier, semi-digested by toxins.

While the spider engorged itself on the helpless sacks of food, 513 was ready to act. Like a sloppy ninja, he ungracefully hopped up from his bed of razor grass and sprinted away with all his might. The sickly trees and the wash of silken-white that painted the skies, blurred in his vision as he leapt over fallen branches and skeletal remains of the unfortunate.

As he took his first deep breath, he reflexively gagged, causing him to almost trip mid-sprint; he inhaled all the wondrous odors the decaying meat bags of silk had to offer, dry heaving as he ran. 

Tears ran down his cheeks as he heard multiple creatures dashing towards him from the tall grass; their fangs chattering violently as they quickly closed the distance. 

Rejecting the thought of looking back, 513 could only assume the noises came from more giant spiders lurking in the area; the idea of seeing towering monsters frantically chase him down, made him shudder, but he kept running.

From one of the sickly trees, a loud, inhuman cry erupted from a cocoon hanging from one of its many branches. The cocoon swayed violently until it broke the branch it was attached to, plunging towards the ground. For some reason, the event caused the creatures pursuing 513 to stop their hunt, changing focus towards the poor, screaming animal. 

As it tried to escape the entanglement of webs wrapped around its body, several spiders lunged at it, ripping and tearing, until there was nothing left but a pile of blood and entrails. A chorus of loud shrieks pierced the skies as the spiders feasted on necrotic tissue that had fallen off the animal's body during its struggle to get free.

A tingling sensation crept up 513's back as he ran for his life. [That could have been me.] He muttered in his mind, just before giving thanks to the poor bastard that helped him escape.

While jumping behind large trees to obscure the vision of would-be pursuers, the rush of adrenaline that had given his body a boost in temporary, superhuman agility, had waned. He ran as far, and as fast as his chubby legs could take him, before succumbing to his physical ineptness.

Though he was active in his youth, he had become lazy and unmotivated the older he got, putting more focus into his professional career than his physical health.

513: *wheeze* *cough* *wheeze* "Fuck me…where the hell am I?...” *cough* *wheeze*

He bent over, tightly clasping his knees with each hand as he spent a few moments to rest; his lungs were on fire; his heart, jackhammering like he just ate a double-fried heart-attack burger dipped in honey butter.

As he took in several deep breaths, the acrid, pungent smells of the silk-infested forest had disappeared -- replaced by cool, crisp, clean air. The sickly trees that dominated the landscape were no longer visible. Surrounding him were enormous monolithic evergreens; their height, easily exceeding one hundred fifty meters; their girth, over twenty meters in diameter; measurements doubling Earth’s great sequoias.

Glancing to his sides and then behind him, he confirmed to himself that he hadn’t been visibly followed by the spiders; he couldn’t rely on his hearing -- his heart was still performing a drum solo inside his head. However, he remained vigilant; hiding behind one of the gigantic trees as he rested. He was tired, not stupid.

A few seconds of respite was enough for 513 to gain the clarity needed to function properly. [Which way should I go?] He thought to himself as he looked at his surroundings. [Well, I’m not going back to that hell-hole, that’s for sure...at least not until I get my hands on fire.] He muttered in his head as he stared at his hands; like most of his body, they had become numb from the lack of oxygen. 

He continued to breath at max capacity, letting his body slowly recuperate from physical fatigue, as he leaned his back against the giant evergreen he used as cover.

[You know what would be convenient? If the moss on these damn trees grew to one side...not all over.] He mused inwardly, while creasing his brows in frustration. [Shoes would be nice too...or even a normal-sized stick to use as a weapon...but NO, they all have to be enormous tree branches that I can't even lift. 'Mah gainz'.] 

After breathing out a long-winded sigh, he shrugged his shoulders in defeat and adjusted the flow of his thoughts. [Complaining won't keep me alive. For now, I need to focus on survival...Step 1: Find clean water.] He muttered in his head.

For all the thinking he did, he had yet to figure out the direction of North. So, rather than complicate things, he decided to choose a path opposite the den of spiders and committed to it.

Deciding that he’d spent enough time recovering, he pushed off of the enormous tree and looked at his surroundings once more, before setting off, travelling deeper into the unknown.

---Chapter End