The Shadows

02 | Memories

As I slowly come back into consciousness, I become aware of my surroundings.

A soft breeze hits my cheek. A light crisp in the air. I smell... soil. Yet I feel numb. I soon come to the realization that I am laying on a soft patch of the earth. My eyes still closed, I take a deep breath in. As my lungs fill, my body aches. My breathing hitches, unable to fill my lungs completely.

"Ugh... my head..."

A shooting pain runs up my spine to my head. I scrunch my face in response. I decide to sit for a moment. As my senses come back to play. I can feel the soreness throughout my body. Each move creates a sharp pain to shoot throughout. I attempt to process what happened; piecing it together. How did I get here?

"Where Am I?" My voice raspy, dehydrated.

How long have I been lying here? The sun blinds me as I open my eyes. It seemed to be morning? Have I been here all night!? My vision comes into focus as I roll onto my back. A searing pain runs through my body as I try to lift myself up from the ground

"Ah..."

My body shaking from weakness. I was obviously dehydrated and malnourished. I look back to see a large tree. I grab onto the tall grass surrounding it and pull myself up enough to lean on the nearby tree. Dragging my body. My face contorts as the pain is almost unbearable. I sit for a moment to catch my breath, allowing the pain to simmer as I sit as still as I possibly can. I open my eyes fully and search my surroundings. I scan the area to see a large mountainside, surrounded by a lush forest. It seems I had been laying on a dirt path. I soon realize I am in unfamiliar territory. Suddenly my thoughts are interrupted.

Voices...

Two young men enter into my line of sight. Dark clothing. Almost soldier like. They were wearing the same black jeans, leather jacket and military style boots. I can hear their conversation.

"He wasn't a hard kill, that's for sure. I was hoping for more of a challenge, honestly."

As they come closer I can see a brunette, shaggy hair, darker skin tone. They looked a bit roughed up. The other had sandy blonde hair, spiked and of fair skin. Both smoking. The brunette had been speaking.

"Oh well, we got a lot of his valuables. He was loaded!" Blonde chuckles at his comment. "I don't know how we managed to carry it all out" Blonde responds. "Drinks on me tonight!" Brunette cheers. Blonde nods at him with a smile. "Sounds good to me!"

"We should go off the path a bit. See if we can find another cabin in the woods" Blonde continues. I begin to internally panic as the voices grow closer. I have to hide. I use all of my strength to push my weight off of the tree. My body lacking strength, gives up and I fall forward onto my stomach.

"Ugh!" I look down to my ankle, which was as swollen as a grapefruit. I touch it lightly, wincing at the touch. Not ready to give up, I drag myself through the dirt to a nearby bush. I grab onto a small branch. It snaps, of course. I desperately grab onto another. Dragging my body into the bush, until I am completely hidden. I curl into a small ball, tucking my head in and closing my eyes tight. I hear the footsteps as they get closer. I slow my breath in attempt to hide the sound. They stop beside the bush I was hiding in. "Hmm.."

"What is it?" Blonde responds. "Quiet... something isn't right."

Silence.

"What is it?" He asks again. "Look at the ground. Something was here." brunette points to the lines in the dirt. I tighten the ball I curled myself in. I look back to see both of their feet standing there through the leaves. Suddenly a hand reaches down, gripping onto my ankle, pulling me aggressively on my stomach through the dirt into the open path. I gasp for air as fear consumes me. I look up to see two men staring down. Brunette smiling menacingly, blonde in shock.