Chapter 3

In my youth, I had spent a fair amount of time outside and in the country, but the rule was always, ‘be home before dark.’ It’s not that there was anything to be really concerned about, it was just one of those things that parents say to be good parents. I’d been camping, of course, and outside at night in the city, but I had never been alone in the woods. I had never been truly lost before.

Lost.

That thought was the most depressing one. It wasn’t just that I didn’t know where I was, it was that I didn’t know where I was going. My health gauge meant I was on the clock and the idea of dying alone, in the dark, was not a pleasant one.

I wrapped my arms around myself, tucking my fingers into my armpits to keep them warm.

“Marv,” I started. “Is there any sort of mini map you can help me out with so we aren’t just wandering in the woods?”

“Sure!” Marv responded cheerfully. “Do you own a map?”

“No,” I said hesitantly.

“Then how the fuck do you think I’m going to display a mini map for you?”

“I figured you had been here for before, or it was one of your features. You sort of give off a ‘mister-know-it-all’ attitude.”

“I don’t know it all. I just know more than you.” Marv paused for a second. “Most of the time anyway.”

“What do you mean? Do you know where we are?” I hadn’t heard Marv flustered before and it was unnerving to hear the arrogant voice uncertain. “Spit it out.”

“I’m not sure where we are. I’m not even sure when we are.”

I stopped mid-step. “What do you mean, ‘when we are?’”

Marv took on a lecturing tone again. “When your deal was struck, there was no agreement in place. With no stipulations on either time or place, you forfeited all rights to temporal and spatial locations.”

“So I don’t know when or where I am?” I asked. I leaned forward into the wind to get myself moving again. Standing still was causing my toes to ache from the cold.

“Pretty much.”

I continued in silence. The only sounds were my feet kicking up leaves and the wind.

Lost in time and space. All I needed was a sonic screwdriver and I could cross off one of my life goals.

“Marv?”

“Yes?”

“What can you do?” I wasn’t sure to expect but was hopeful that there was a special move or at least a one-up or an extra life if the worst happened.

“Hmmm, I can do lots of things. But you aren’t high enough level to do most of them.” Marv’s tone of superiority was back.

“Show me what I can do with you at level one then,” I said. I was trying not to get my hopes up.

“Okay, well. Pull me out,” he said conversationally.

I did. Feeling a little awkward holding a gun that was sentient and speaking in my head.

“Aim me at the tree over there.”

I complied, sighting down the barrel at an oak tree about ten feet away. It wasn’t until I had closed one eye to aim that I thought about how I knew which tree out of the hundreds around me, Marv had meant.

“Pull the trigger.”

The concussive force of the bullet leaving the barrel and the boom that accompanied it took my breath away. I fumbled Marv for a second, trying to get my heart back under control.

“I can do that!” Marv said proudly. “Five more times.”

“Warn me next time you pull a stunt like that!” I hissed. The complete silence that followed the gunshot was unnerving, and I picked up the pace a little. “What do you mean, ‘five more times?” I asked.

“I’m a six-shooter here. I have six bullets. Having just been fired once, I have five bullets left.”

I didn’t appreciate how he sounded like he was explaining something to a five-year-old.

The idea of not having unlimited ammo hadn’t crossed my mind and I was made painfully aware of how poorly equipped I was. I made a mental note to add bullets to the list of things to keep an eye out for. Bullets, shelter, and a way home. Not necessarily in that order.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The sun had disappeared below the horizon and the woods thickened. I caught glimpses of a full moon drifting in and out of the clouds overhead. After tripping for the third time, I finally slowed my pace and kept my eyes lowered to the ground to watch my footing. The ground was littered with dried leaves and sticks. Each time one cracked under my foot the resulting noise highlighted how quiet everything else was.

Every fifty feet or so, I would pause and crouch down slightly. When I had first entered the forest I was able to see the outlines of the trees against the lighter horizon, but now the branches were clustered together causing everything to be dark shapes. Even the lower angle didn’t help me see anything standing out against the sky except more trees.

If there was a city around I should have been able to see the lights reflecting off clouds creating a false dawn, or maybe even see some skyscrapers themselves. There was nothing

I shivered in the dark and my health bar reduced down another notch to eight.

“Marv, is there a way we can halt my health decreasing so much?” I asked.

“Not with your current inventory, but if you can get some better clothes or a jacket, you should be able to stop freezing.” Marv’s tone was helpful and wanting to please, but I got the impression that my gun companion didn’t want to be left in the forest to rust after my body succumbed to the elements.

With my eyes so closely watching each step in front of me, I nearly missed the flickering of a small campfire off to my right. It was in what looked to be a small clearing about a hundred yards away but was sheltered by a small stone outcropping. If I had been walking from any other direction I doubt I would have been able to see it.

Sneaking was out of the question. I had already been trying to walk lightly in order to not creep myself out and had failed miserably at that. The best I could hope for was to be as non-threatening as possible and rely on the kindness of strangers. Still, I didn’t have to go crashing through the forest causing extra noise on purpose. Having some idea of what I was walking into would be preferable to going in blind.

I took a deep breath and focused on the fire ahead of me. If this was like any of the games I had ever played, then there must be rules. And rule number one of game design is that there has to be a way to survive when you first start. It usually took the form of friendly NPC, a cache of supplies, or a village offering you an easy quest to help you learn the mechanics of the game. All I had was Marv and now the hope that this fire would stave off me dying from the elements. And dinner. If someone was camping out here, then they probably had food. Hot dogs, smores, beans. My mouth started salivating and my pace quickened again at the possibility of something to eat along with getting warm.

The trees were larger here and they helped block the wind providing a little relief. I lost sight of the fire and then a small rise brought it into view.

It was a campsite, a small one. A line of tree trunks mostly hid it from view on the far side, while a rocky outcropping blocked the wind. I was able to peer out from the low brush around me to get a good look at the clearing where the camp was nestled. The ground was cleared of large stones, but enough gravel and sand from erosions and rock slides kept the undergrowth at bay. Branches from the near trees provided additional cover from the wind and rain. The campfire was made of hot coals with some unidentifiable meat roasting above it on a spit. Dreams of hot dogs and hamburgers were dashed. There wasn’t a tent, but a small bedroll, little more than a canvas blanket was lying to the side of the fire. No one was in sight.

‘Man, that food looks disgusting.’ I thought to myself, licking my lips hungrily and breathing in the aromas of the cooking meat. As unappetizing as it looked, the smell was reminding me of how long it had been since I last ate.

Now that I was here, I wasn’t sure what to do next. Barging into someone else’s camp went against my social norms; I was running low on avenues open to me. Option one: I could turn around and walk away, though that would probably only lead to my death. Option two: I could call for help. It wasn’t a very heroic solution but was the fastest way to get aid. It was also the fastest way to warn everyone around me that there was a noob in play and fresh meat ready for the taking. Option three: Sneak up and make use of the fire, blanket, and food. Maybe this was a random campsite placed here just for me and I had been meant to find it. A game designer would create it that way.It seemed a little convenient that everything was laid out exactly as I needed it, but with the day I had had, anything was possible.

“Marv,” I whispered. “Any suggestions on what I should do?”

“That depends on what you want to do.”

“Not die, refill my health, and get warm.”

“Then you should do that,” Marv said dourly. I was getting the feeling that Marv was sullen from getting yelled at about the gunshot. He had seemed very proud and I had been more surprised and angry than appreciative.

Pushing that from my mind, I focused on the task at hand and stepped out into the clearing. I glanced from side to side before taking each step, looking out for the owner of the campsite. The fire crackled and upon closer inspection, I could see the juices bubbling on the hunk of meat hanging over it. My confidence was rising that everything was going to work out for the best and I took the last couple steps and crouched down by the fire. Immediately the chill went away and I was no longer worried about my health dropping further.

Letting out a sigh of relief I took in the warmth of the fire for a moment. Holding my hands out over the hot embers. My stomach rumbled and as charred as the meat looked, it was better than starving. Maybe it would surprise me and taste like chicken. Gingerly I touched the meat, pulling away a large section and blowing on it as I passed it from hand to hand letting it cool. It had a nice, crisp, bark on the outside and looked pink and tender on the inside. My stomach rumbled again accompanied by an empty ache.

The first bite tasted like ash and burnt popcorn. Immediately my health bar filled and I regained a feeling of vigor. I could feel the warmth of the meat radiate out from my stomach, furthering warming me. It felt good but wasn’t enough to sate my appetite. I took another bite, chewing through it and swallowing quickly. I made a mental note to find better food and supplies as soon as possible. Anything would taste better than this. I licked my fingers clean. It had been a good size portion but I was still famished.

I reached up and was about to remove another piece from the spit when the unmistakable feeling of a cold gun barrel pressed against the back of my head.

“You take one more bite of my dinner--” a low voice growled behind me, “--and I’ll put so much lead into you that any food going into your mouth is going to fall out the back end of you whole.”

‘Figures’ I thought to myself, slowly pulling my hands away and up showing that they were empty.