Outside the cave, Howard found himself looking out at one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. He was standing on a mountain pass, overlooking a vast, lush forest that stretched in front of him as far as he could see. The color of the forest was various shades of green, from a dark so dense it almost looked black, to a green so bright that he wasn’t sure he had ever seen a green that so lived up to the name before.
To his right the mountain range extended, following the forest into the distance. Looking to his left was a path leading down, and more forest. The air was cool, reminding him of an early spring day. He guessed it was sometime in the morning, though he couldn’t be certain, since he wasn’t sure where on Earth he was. He reached into his pocket for his phone. A scene this beautiful had to be captured. It took him only a moment to realize these pants had no pockets, and that he hadn’t seen his phone since he woke up. He didn’t really think of his phone before. He just wasn’t one of those people who were so attached to the thing. You know the type, the ones that the first thing they do when they wake up, even before they take a piss, is check their phones to see what they missed while asleep. Howard used his phone, as a phone. Now however, he missed it.
“Well,” he said, “I guess I am on my own. I should get moving.” With that he turned to his left and examined the path down the mountain.
The path followed the outline of the mountain as it made it’s way towards the woods. It was wide enough for two people to walk side by side and not be too close to the edge. Here we go he thought, and started walking down the path. After walking for a few minutes, he turned back the way he had come to gage his progress. From what he could tell, the cave he had been in was about a third of the way up the mountain. It wouldn’t take him long to reach the forest. He would just follow the path till it lead to somewhere he could get some help.
When he made it to the bottom he was disappointed to find that the path simply came to an end. “Fuck,” he said as he shook his head. It still hurt slightly when he did, but it was much better than before. I must be sobering up he thought, as he looked around. There was no path to the left or right, and behind him, well he knew where that led and he wasn’t about to head back up there. So he moved forward into the forest. Luckily for him, the forest here wasn’t very dense and he could easily walk between the trees. He kept his eyes out for any sings of a path, or a trail, or anything that might point him to civilization. After walking for an hour or so, he stopped abruptly as a thought struck him. What if there is no civilization here? What if I’m alone? He shook his head again. That doesn’t make any sense though. Why would there be that keyboard, and that voice that said they needed heroes. There has to be something and someone here. He started walking again. It was another hour when he heard a strange rumbling sound.
He stopped quick and listened intently. The noise came again and he felt foolish when he realized it was just his stomach growling. Howard didn’t blame it. After all, he hadn’t eaten anything since before going to the bar last night. He smacked his lips and noticed that he was also thirsty. “I better find some water”, as soon as the words left his lips he realized he might be in real trouble. “Damn, if I don’t find water, this will be a very short stay.”
He forced himself to start walking again. As he did, he tried to think of everything he knew about outdoor survival. It didn’t take him long to realize that he didn’t know enough to keep himself alive. If he got lucky and found a source of water, he might have a chance. Only a small chance if he couldn’t find any food. Would he have to kill some animal, he mused. He didn’t know how to clean a kill so it was safe to eat. Foraging for fruits and berries was an option. How could he know if they were poisonous or not? He supposed he could watch some animals and see what they ate. That made if realize that he hadn’t seen any animals yet. No birds, no squirrels, nothing. He hadn’t even really heard anything making noise. That only made him more worried. He continued on this way for some time. Walking and thinking of all the things that could go wrong, getting more and more agitated the more he thought.
What if he fell and broke a leg? What if he got a major cut and couldn’t stop the bleeding? What if…He left that thought hanging as he came to dead stop. He heard a noise that definitely wasn’t his stomach. It sounded like something was moving in the underbrush just up ahead. Fuck, he thought to himself, not daring to move or even breath. I’ve been making so much noise, they probably heard me coming from a mile away. He heard some more rustling off to the right. Had the thing moved? Or was there more than one. The answer came quickly. Two bushes up ahead moved at the same time. He also heard what sounded like a dog sniffing, along with teeth chattering. The chattering came from one bush, then the other. It almost seemed as if whatever was in there, was communicating with each other.
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Then five things happened rapidly, one right after the other; Howard thought he should have a weapon. The sword appeared in his hand. The creature lept for Howard’s head. Howard, surprised by the sudden appearance of both the sword and the creature, dropped his sword and immediately bent to pick it up. The thing sailed over his head. Howard stood up and looked to where the creature had landed.
It was rolling in a heap. He didn’t have time to get a good look at it though, as a second creature let out a scream and charged at him. Howard took up a stance like he would if he were playing softball. He had always been one of the best hitters on whatever softball team he played on, so he focused on the creature as though its head were a softball. Howard waited till it lept, then he swung his sword as if it were a bat. The flat of the sword made contact with the creatures head with a sound like that of a melon hitting the sidewalk. Whatever this thing was, it went flying back towards the bushes. Weak grounder he thought and then screamed as something bit into the back of his right leg.
He instinctively swung his sword down and felt it sink into the flesh of the thing that had flown over his head. The creature let go of Howard’s leg as he pulled his sword back. As the thing staggered back to get ready for its next attack, Howard was able to get a good look at it. It was about the size of a toy poodle but looked more like a rat. It had sickly green skin that had patches of what looked like black moles all over it. An ocher-ish fluid was pouring out of the gash Howard’s sword had made. It had six legs. Two were in front, and there were four on its hind quarters. Howard wondered if that was what allowed the thing to leap so high and far.
While all of this was jarring to him, it was the face of the thing that really turned Howard’s stomach. It had two bulbous black eyes, no nose, and a mouth that was more like that of a leach than a dog. It looked as though it was getting weaker due to the loss of blood. The thing started to crouch down, much like a cat will just before pouncing. Howard moved first. The pain in his leg was being masked by the adrenaline pumping through him. Without hesitation, he kicked the thing in the head. There was another sickly thud and the thing stopped moving. Howard took a deep breath, but was startled by a noise from behind him. The thing that he had hit like a softball was charging back towards him. Howard was more prepared for the attack this time. He waited again for the thing to jump. This time however, the thing just rushed at him. Howard held his ground, and when the thing was almost on him, he swung down with this sword. The blade cut easily into the creature’s skull splitting it clean in two. Howard stood there taking in the scene. The only sound he heard was that of his breathing. He looked at the two creatures lying there and thought What the fuck are those things? He barely flinched when the screen popped up.
Creature, Squirg: The Squirg is a semi aquatic creature found in and around marshes, swamps, or other areas with trees and water. Their sucker like tongue attaches to prey and sucks out their bodily fluids. They are small creatures that prefer to latch onto sleeping victims. This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, “Don’t let the bedbugs bite”. If one gets too close to their nest, however, they become extremely aggressive. They will attack anything, no matter the size. Four of their six legs are located in their hind quarters. This helps them to leap great distances, and climb trees easily.
Howard closed the window and shook his head. “What a world, what a world”, he said in his best Elphaba impression. After a moment the adrenaline wore off and the pain in his leg got his attention. He limped his way to a nearby log and sat down to examine the wound. He stashed his sword back in his inventory, and looked at his pant leg. It had a series of holes in a circular pattern, with a similar pattern inside the first one.
He figured this must be where the teeth had bit into his let. The wound itself wasn’t really too bad. It was more the shock that hurt than the actual damage. It probably would heal up just fine. Deciding it was time to move on he stood up. Just then a thought ran through his head; water. “The description of the Squirg said they lived in and around water” he said with a little too much excitement. He started off in the direction that the things had come from. At least he hoped it was the right direction. All the brush looked pretty much the same. He made his way through the bushes, which were quite thick here, until finally he heard the unmistakable sound of a boot splashing in a puddle of water. His heart jumped and he pushed his way through the last bush with a burst of energy. He found himself on a small mound of dirt.
Stretching out in front of him was a swamp. The most beautiful swamp he had ever seen. He threw out his arms and lifted his head to the sky. “Thank God.” He exclaimed and dropped to his knees. Not in prayer, but in thirst. He stuck his head into the water and began to drink. Howard drank so much that his stomach began to stretch. After he was sated, he laid back on the dirt mound. Well, now what, he thought. His stomach rumbled in answer, as his eyes slowly closed.