I stepped beneath the shade of the trees, and the moment I passed the forest's outer edge, everything changed.
The light dimmed suddenly, as if the sky had closed above my head. Dense leaves blocked the ashen sky, leaving me in a dark green, damp world, filled with the smell of rotting soil and ancient wood. The air here was heavier, clinging to my chest, and with every breath I felt a bitter taste in my throat.
The first step inside the forest sent a sharp stab of pain through my leg. I stopped. I clenched my teeth. Then I continued.
Every sound here felt amplified:
The rustling of leaves beneath my feet— A drop of water falling from a branch—
I moved very slowly, my head spinning slightly, the headache behind my eyes growing worse with every minute. The bleeding hadn't stopped, but it had slowed… or maybe I was the one who had lost awareness of it.
I reached out and touched the trunk of a nearby tree to keep my balance. The bark was rough, cold, disturbingly real, as if reminding me that this wasn't a dream… nor a temporary stage.
"Food… water… a place to hide." I listed my needs silently, as if organizing them might keep me from collapsing…
After a short distance, I noticed a slight depression in the ground, a natural hollow between the roots of a giant tree. It wasn't a cave, but it was better than nothing, and I was exhausted.
I approached it cautiously, afraid that a monster might be inside. I threw a small stone in its direction. Nothing happened, and I felt reassured.
I slowly sat down inside the hollow, leaning my back against the thick root. The moment I sat, my legs betrayed me, and I collapsed half-lying down, panting as if I had run a long distance.
"I need to treat myself quickly," I muttered.
I tore a piece from my shirt with difficulty and wrapped it tightly around my thigh. It wasn't treatment—just a desperate attempt to slow the bleeding. My shoulder burned when I moved, forcing me to stop and close my eyes for a moment until the pain passed.
Hunger returned fiercely, gnawing at my stomach without mercy. Thirst made my tongue heavy, as if my mouth were full of dust. And yet… I was alive. I was still breathing..
I stayed there for a few seconds, panting in silence, forcing myself to calm down and regain what little energy I had left. After several attempts, I finally stood up with difficulty. I knew that staying without food or water wasn't an option, because a human can't live without them…
I began moving slowly, dragging my injured leg behind me, watching my surroundings carefully. After only a few steps, my eyes fell on something that made me stop unconsciously.
A tree. But it wasn't an ordinary tree.
It was gigantic, exaggeratedly so even compared to the rest of the forest. Its trunk alone was wider than an entire room, rising like a legendary pillar, from which thick branches extended like arms reaching toward the sky. From the ends of those branches hung strange fruits, spaced apart, heavy, as if they belonged to no species I knew.
I took another step closer to examine them.
Each fruit was oval and slightly elongated, its peel thick and rough, its color shifting between dark green and pale purple, streaked with dark, faintly pulsing veins, as if it were alive. Some of the fruits were slightly cracked, oozing a dark, sticky liquid from the fissures, emitting a foul, sharp smell mixed with something like rotting herbs.
I swallowed.
"Food… probably, isn't it?" I muttered, uncertain.
I stood before the tree, my mind racing faster than my body. How would I reach them? The branches were far too high. I didn't even know how to climb, and even if I did… my injured leg wouldn't allow it. One fall from that height, and I wouldn't need another monster to end my life.
I breathed slowly and forced myself to think calmly.
"Alright… let's think of another way…"
I began searching the area for anything I could use to knock one of the fruits down. My eyes caught a small rock near the tree's roots. I picked it up, weighed it in my hand, then raised my arm with difficulty and aimed at the nearest fruit.
— Boom —
The rock struck one directly, and it shook slightly… but didn't fall.
I felt a brief flicker of disappointment, but I didn't stop. I picked up another rock, then another. I threw, and missed. I threw again and hit the branch this time, making the fruit sway slightly without detaching.
Time passed painfully slowly. My arms began to ache, my breathing grew heavier, but I kept going. About five minutes of throwing, stopping, and trying again… until what I had been waiting for finally happened.
The branch shook violently.
Then— It fell.
The fruit hit the ground with a dull thud that made me breathe out in sudden relief. I stared at it for a second, unable to believe it, then moved toward it as fast as my leg would allow.
It was bigger than I expected. Nearly half my size. I tried to lift it, but my body rejected the idea immediately. Heavy… far too heavy.
I let out a light laugh, a short one that escaped unconsciously. "Alright… let's eat it here anyway."
I sat beside it, hesitating for a moment before sinking my teeth into its thick peel. It took effort to tear it open, but I finally succeeded and took the first bite.
The taste…
It was bitter. A sharp bitterness exploded in my mouth, making me almost spit it out instantly. My face tightened, and my throat burned slightly. I stopped for a second, breathing.
But my stomach cramped in stronger protest.
I swallowed the bite by force.
"I have no choice…" I whispered, as if convincing myself. I took a second bite. Then a third. The taste didn't improve. The bitterness remained—heavy, unpleasant—but it wasn't poisonous… at least not immediately. My body accepted it reluctantly.
After about ten bites, I stopped. My stomach was barely filled, but my tongue couldn't take it anymore. I sat there panting, staring at the split fruit in front of me, my mouth still carrying that harsh taste.
It wasn't the food I had hoped for… But it was enough to ease my hunger, at least a little..
Alright… now it's time to look for water.
I looked around again, trying to suppress my exhaustion and think with a clear mind.
"Where can I find water?" I asked myself, then closed my eyes for a few seconds to gather my thoughts.
I suddenly remembered the wilderness survival videos I used to watch out of curiosity, never imagining I'd actually need them one day. They said water follows the slope… and that it's often found in low areas. Valleys, streambeds, or places where plants grow more densely than usual.
I opened my eyes slowly.
I began observing the forest with a different perspective. The trees were dense everywhere, but in one direction the ground seemed slightly more damp, and the grass more vibrant green.
I took a deep breath and fixed my gaze on that direction.
"Alright… this is my best bet."
I clenched my teeth and began moving cautiously, step by step, dragging my injured leg across the uneven ground.