Land of the Forgotten

Somebody help me

We followed the guide with Jordan shuffling behind us. Suddenly Jordan slipped and fell face-flat on the ground.

"Jordan!" I yell rushing over towards him and helping him up.

"Are you okay?" Aiden asked taking Jordan's unhurt arm.

"Yeah" he said in a breathy voice swaying back on forth on his unsteady feet, "I just got dizzy." As he spoke, my concern for him grew greatly and I could feel my heart start to pound.

"Here, put your arm over my shoulder, I'll help you walk." Aiden said switching sides and hefting Jordan's arm over his neck.

"No I'm fine." Jordan said trying to pull away but Aiden refused.

"Look, you're falling over, passing out, you've got a huge gaping wound in your arm, and you almost just bled to death. I'm helping you walk."

Jordan sighed, "Fine." He said settling into Aiden's strong hold shivering, "You're cold." He mentioned and then started walking using Aiden as a crutch. We continued to walk catching up to the guide that floated slowly before us.

Eric and Katrina converse in low and worried voices in front of the group with Aiden dragging Jordan slightly behind, then there's me in the back, alone. I slow down to a walking pace that a snail could beat leaving some space between the rest of the group and I. I want to be alone just for a few moments. I'm not too far away, I make sure of that. A small trot and I'd fine right now I just need to think.

I take a deep breath trying to calm my frayed nerves that were driving me insane. I have to make sure i keep calm because if I'm not careful I could have a panic attack.

Calm down. Calm down Annie.

I look down at my unlaced bloody shoes as they shuffled against the dark cold ground. I notice the eerie-green shadowy fog circle my feet and legs, their whispering screams and cries interrupting my silence.

What is going on!? Just a few moments ago I was at home playing video games after I got back from school. What happened? Who cursed us? I didn't feel myself die, just all of sudden I was here.

I hunch my shoulders up as to cover my neck suddenly feeling very cold and alone. I look up and see my friends walking ahead of me and then return back to my thoughts.

Funny, I never noticed that the fog touches us. No, stop, focus. Why is this all happening? What did i do wrong to deserve this? For anybody to deserve this? How can this even be real? Maybe i'm just dreaming, maybe this is all just a prank or--or-- a lesson of some kind. Maybe i'm just crazy or something and this all a hallucination.

I walk even slower my thoughts bringing my mood lower than before. My legs are sluggish as if something was pulling me down. My nose, ears and fingers felt so cold it seemed as if they were burning.

Maybe I will die here. Maybe since i'm such a failure that i'm an embarrassment to death itself. Yeah, that makes sense. Good ole me just messing up everyth--

"What the!" Before I knew it the shadows and fog had wrapped themselves around me like a cocoon and were strangling me. I looked ahead and through the fog I saw that my friends were nowhere in sight.

"Jordan! Aiden!" I yelled trying to run but the fog pulls me down and I land flat on my face. The shadows attack me stabbing into my skin and strangling my throat. The fog goes through me, I mean through me. Through my nose, ears, and eyes I could hear the screaming and crying in my head as if my mind was being pulled out and something else was stuffing theirs in.

"Katrina! Eric!" I screamed my eyes watering and pain shooting through my body. My throat was burning and I started coughing uncontrollably as I choke on my own spit and blood.

"Somebody...help" I gurgle out and then my eyes close and darkness surrounds me.