Alan woke up, his eyes heavy and groggy. He couldn't remember what had happened. Why was he at his car? Where was his wife, Alice? As he placed a hand to his head, it slid as it brushed the side of his head. Blood? Slowly, his eyes readjusted themselves, taking in his car and its interior. The place was a mess. When Alan moved to look round, he felt the car rock back and forward. His first instinct was to get out the car quickly before it fell. But a part of him knew he had to slip slowly, as not to disturb the balance too much. Gently, he slid out the car's seat, through the mangled door, and made it outside.
As he looked around, he saw the car had been carefully balanced on edge of the road. A cold, windy breeze blew over the forest beside the main road, his face felt the chill greet his face after the warmth of the car. Looking around the area of the car, Alan looked desperately for Alice's body, wanting nothing more than to see a sign that she was still alive. He found nothing but a few pieces of luggage, hanging out the boot of the car, with clothing falling out onto the forest's dirt covered floor. He could almost feel his heart sink as he found nothing. He forced his eyes to look over the land, the bright glare of the town's lights drew him to them. Narrowing his eyes, flitering out the bright glare, he could see the gas station's sign towering over the town. The moon cast a eerie light over the wooded area, as Alan started to trek down into the forest, over root and mud, hoping he could find Alice while he made his way into Bright Falls.
As Alan walked through the woods, his shoes kicked up dirt and mud, as he looked round at the fir and pine trees lining the path. From behind him, he heard a loud crash. His thoughts went back to the car. It must have fallen off the cliff. Without giving it much thought, he pressed on. The moon didn't offer that much light, not as much as he expected. Hardly seeing more than a couple of feet in front of him, he ripped over a small rock, falling into the dead leaves, discarded pine needles and dirt, as a bright light blinded him for a moment. Getting up, he thought he had found some help. 'Hello? Is anybody there?' He inquired, but didn't recieve an answer. Puzzled, he dusted down his tweed jacket and began to walk again, through a couple of high peaked rocks.
Alan didn't have much time to question what that light was before he saw another light, attracting his attention. Perhaps he could find help there? Maybe even a phone? As he walked along the pathway, he saw a figure standing a short distance way. Shoutng out, he mentioned he had been in an accident, but the figure disappeared down the trail. With a renewed sense of hope fuelling him, he began to sprint down the path towards the light, only to stop at a collasped fence. A tree had crushed part of the fence. But seeing no other way through, he carefully stepped onto the narrow beam, and started to walk along the length, slowly. Leaping from the tip of the fallen trunk, he noticed rows of trees surrounding him, for what felt like miles, casting their shadows over him. A digger stood by his left, while a pickup was parked awkwardly beside it.
Alan looked along the rows of trees, seeing the same figure from earlier, he sprinted the distance towards it. 'Hello? I've been in an accident. Please, could you help me?' He asked, his breath rapid and strained from running. With a few muttered words, the figure grabbed a nearby axe and turned towards him. A memory of seeing the same person from the gas station flashed over his mind. Was that Carl Stucky?
