I rolled around on my mattress, which was highly stiff for some odd reason. Rolling over to my other side didn't make it any more comfortable. I tried to reach for the pillow for some solace but couldn't find it for comfort either. Frustrated, I open my eyes to look for the wretched escapee of a cushion.

My eyes went from scrunched slits to fully opened as I tried to process where I was. My brain tripped over itself, trying to comprehend what was going on. Instead of a messy bedroom with my pillow calling for me on the floor, I was met with greenery. A lot of greenery. I was in the middle of a small field surrounded by a forest on all sides. The trees reached high into the sky, seemingly untouched by civilization and its need to cut down anything wooden.

I scrambled to my feet as I tried to get my jumbled thoughts in order. Wasn't I in… bed? No, I was looking up at the night sky in the back of my truck. How did I end up here? Did I get mugged and my truck stolen? How did I not feel the jostling if they did so? Stupid question, never mind.

I look around the field, not seeing any correlation with the field I had driven into the prior night. Did they drive around before realizing I was in the back? The grass was knee-high, growing taller further away from me, up to the waist. I saw no tire tracks or any other indication of human life.

Feeling a breeze, I realized that I was butt naked, and looking around made me realize that they left me nothing to dress with or even a blanket. Goddamn bastards couldn't even leave a shirt for me. Before I got any angrier, the wind brushed against me again, making me shiver. This wasn't the time to sulk and get angry at this messed-up world. I gotta put something around myself to fight off the cold that's gonna come soon, but based on the warm weather, it'll be at night. I looked up, and thankfully, the sun was just rising, so I probably had around 10 hours.

I knew that the biggest advice given was not to move too far from where you got lost so that rescuers wouldn't miss you in case you came back and so that you wouldn't get even more lost. But ever since society collapsed, I doubted anyone would care about a random lost person. Plus, I had more urgent concerns than getting found by the nonexistent rescuers and not freezing to death at night.

First, I went around the field, which was probably the size of a few football fields. No, I didn't know how big a football field is. I've never been to a game, but it seemed like an appropriate amount. I tried looking into the forest to see if I could find any creeks or rivers. Unfortunately, this forest seemed wild, and I couldn't see very far into the forest. The trees were thick, and it would probably take two of me to be the perfect treehugger for these trees. Vines and moss were hanging from more than a few trees, reducing the visibility further.

The more I looked around, the more I realized this might be a rainforest of some sort, which was not good for me. Not only did I not live near any rainforests, but there were a lot of bugs living in them. That means I got moved hundreds, maybe thousands of miles, so I had no clue where I was or how I got here. And bugs could give nasty bites, maybe even poisonous, or give me infections. The good news was that rainforests tended to be warmer, so I didn't have to worry about sub-zero temperatures. Bad news again: it rained a lot in rainforests, so I needed shelter to stay dry and not freeze due to the warmth escaping from rainwater.

Realizing I had no lead, I decided to head into the forest naked and afraid. I needed shelter and clothes of some kind, even if the clothes were made of leaves. I watched my steps carefully as I walked through the bushes and branches, and I had to backtrack more than a few times once the bushes got too thick to pass through. I tripped a couple of times, but thankfully, the worst I got was a few scratches and bruises.

Looking around the forest, I felt vulnerable since I was naked and I had nothing to protect me. I saw many bugs. Some crawled, others flew, and most were gray and black bugs, with an occasional colorful bug that I avoided as soon as I saw one. I knew that bright and vibrant bugs that were easy to see were usually poisonous or venomous, and I wasn't taking any chances.

After about an hour, I found a stream around a foot wide, and I decided to follow it to try to find a faster and broader creek or even a river, if you want to be generous, since I didn't trust this creek to drink from. I followed this creek for hours and had to go around some bushes and bugs I was too afraid to approach. But eventually, after a few hours, I reached a river.

I found a comfortable place to lean on and watched the water to see if I could see any predatory animals like crocodiles in the water or even other animals drinking from it. Even though I was parched, I wasn't taking any chances.

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I looked around so that nothing would sneak up on me. I didn't notice anything among the green and brown of the forest. A few creatures were running around here and there, but unfortunately, none of them wanted a drink.

Eventually, a green and brown lizard, probably with a height up to my ankle, kept scurrying and stopped rapidly from bush to bush, moving closer and closer to the creek. I slowed my breathing, afraid that the sound of my breath would scare it away. The closer it got to the creek, the slower and more cautious it seemed to become. Eventually, after 20 minutes, it approached the creek but froze at the edge. Another few minutes passed as I sat there, waiting for anything to happen.

It bent its neck down, drank quickly, not even thirty seconds, and scurried away. Although the lizard taking so long before even drinking spooked me, I decided it was safe enough to walk up to the edge. I peered into the creek. Maybe there was some kind of crocodile or something in the river that it was watching out for. I noticed no sticks or logs that might hide predators, so I leaned over and drank by cupping my hands. Scooping the cold water that didn't look all that clean but was probably my best bet for now. I kept an eye out for anything approaching me.

After wiping my mouth dry with my forearm, I continued down the creek. I needed some kind of cave, which I doubted there were many of those out here in the rainforest. So I had to either look for a fallen tree and see if there were any places to hide under one or make a shelter. Looking up at the sun, I was glad it wasn't even halfway through the sky. I had plenty of time.

I looked for any shelters or something to cover myself with. My eyes scanned the trees as if a t-shirt and some pants would grow on a branch. Despite seemingly no clouds, the trees covered up the sun, ensuring that I felt no warmth from its light. The wet ground also didn't help hold my heat as it continued to leach warmth from the soles of my feet. Plenty of scratches appeared all over the bottom of my feet, no matter how carefully I walked. There were too many branches and stones, and they were having a field day, relishing every drop of blood and scrap of flesh.

While looking for some kind of field, I looked through bushes to see if there were any edible berries. I found some hanging that looked kinda like winterberries. I rubbed one against my skin to see if there would be a reaction. I don't know if poisonous berries cause any skin reaction, but I wasn't taking chances by not trying it. I collected a small handful for later and continued walking.

I heard some rustling from the bushes, and I crouched with my back to a tree and waited to see what the noise was. The rustling got louder, and cold sweat started to form as I realized whatever it was, it was big, and I couldn't run since I doubted I was faster than anything in this forest. Plus, it might be bigger, and I could be easily mauled. So I stayed crouched, the cold mulch and moss on my back not helping me feel better.

A black bear came out of the bushes, and it was absolutely massive. I thought black bears were supposed to be half our height when walking on all fours. Still, this bear was easily bigger than that, probably taller than me. I couldn't see it clearly and compare its size since it was dozens of feet away from me. Even though the chances the bear could hear my breath from that distance were slim to none, I still slowed my breath to near nothing as I eyed it with fear.

Couldn't only polar bears get this big? Could it be one of those polar bears that leave the North Pole and shed their white fur? Should I run now or wait this out? The bear waddled through the water without any fear and continued. Thankfully, I wasn't on his path and just sat there, even after it had left.

I had a decision I had to make now. I could either go back up the creek or go down and possibly end up in that big guy's territory. I waited for what felt like thirty more minutes to ensure it left this area and decided to take a chance. I continued following the creek. I needed to reach the coast since there were always towns or cities nearby. I looked at the sky, and it just now reached the apex of its path. I'd have to rush through its territory, but I should be fine… at least, hopefully.

I upped my pace and continued down the creek, trying not to make noise but eventually giving up on stealth. I started jogging, scared the bear might backtrack and go after me. Eventually, I got tired and had to slow down to a more manageable pace. It started to dim and got cold, so I needed a place to sleep. I was afraid of caves, thinking it might be the bear's sleeping spot, but any place with a crevice I could hide in would work at this point.

I noticed something leading up to the small river I've been following a trail. It was not a tiny game trail but a fairly often trodden path that looked like it was probably used by humans. People. I decided to catch my breath while I contemplated my choices. I could've continued going down the river or followed the trail that potentially wasn't a man-made trail, but I lost the rest of the sunlight.

I decided to take the chance, and even if there was an off chance that it wasn't a man-trodden trail, I could simply follow it back to the river. Fewer bushes, sticks, and stones were on the trail, so walking was easier. The trail widened a little as I continued, and my hopes went up. I started picking up the pace. The trees and bushes moved past me, and I realized the widening of the path was but a coincidence.

I slowed down in disappointment but continued, worrying how long this path would lead. Shouldn't it be close to the river? Worry started to cloud my eyes. What if it was one of the well-trodden paths of that bear? I slowed down as doubt clouded my eyes, and the sun was dangerously low. And I saw it the moment my nerves were about to get the best of me. A building.