I had been walking on the side of Parkway 212 for an hour now, with a blanket (I found) to cover my unclothed body and absolutely no recollection of who I was or how I got here. Cars zoomed by me, their red taillights shrinking away as they sped on through the warm, muggy air.
Rain was coming.
My bare feet dragged along the rough gravel. I had to be at least a couple miles away from where I woke up with a agonizing headache and a body with barely enough energy to move. I shuffled along though, and during my hour expedition down Parkway 212, I had only one question sitting on my mind…
Who was I?
It was strange, not knowing myself. I was afraid, because I knew that I should. I was afraid because I could speak and read and I knew the difference between the blue sedan that sped by versus the white pickup truck that barely hit the speed limit. I could even recall all the world continents and name half a dozen wars.
But when it came down to my name, my identity; nothing.
I'd try to grasp onto a single memory, just one, and a sharp pain would surge through my brain, just behind the eyes, encouraging me to abandon the effort. It was like I was a dog within the confines of an electrical fence and my memories, my childhood, the people I should know was stored somewhere outside of that fence. Completely unreachable. I wanted to know how I ended up on the side of the road, and why I didn't have any clothes on, and what color my damn eyes were. The more I tried to figure it out, the more my head hurt. I had nothing.
In the meantime, I treaded along the shoulder of the parkway. On my left, cars fled by me, tossing up wind along the side of my face. It must have been pretty late, because someone would drive by every ten seconds or so, and then silence engulfed me in the shadows of the night.
On my right, complete and utter darkness. A thick of woods I could barely see into. I tightened the blanket around me as I stared into the void, getting the feeling that something was staring back at me.
They say there are two types of fear.
Fear of danger.
Fear of the unknown.
What I was feeling was the latter. I quickened my pace as much as my exhaustion would allow, walking closer to the solid line of the parkway. I didn't want to be anywhere near the edge of the woods. Up ahead a sign came into view: North Sullengrove. 5 Miles.
Finally, though it'd take at least another hour at the rate I was progressing. The light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dull, was still a light, and answers were waiting for me at the end of that tunnel, in North Sullengrove. The name didn't set off any alarms in my memory but maybe it was where I was from, or where I was visiting. Maybe I had family there. The pain started behind my eyes again. At least I'd be able to find out.
When I reached the North Sullengrove sign, I sat down to rest, leaning against it's metal posts that dug into the earth surrounded by a thick of brush hiding me from the parkway. I closed my eyes and caught my breath, just for a second, taking in the moist air. My long bare legs were sprawled out in front of me. I could do this. I just had to keep walking.
I opened my eyes to the darkness, the void of the woods beyond.
Something moved.
I saw it.
I sat straight up, pushing my back off the post and squinted my eyes. As a car drove by, I saw a yellow bulb, floating in the woods directly in front of me, no - two of them that disappeared as the car passed, leaving me in the darkness.
Silence.
I grew incredibly still, my heart beating a thousand miles per second. I dug my fingers into the dirt beside me. The yellow bulbs, which now illuminated in the dark appeared again, coming closer. Were they eyes? They couldn't be eyes. They were glowing like huge lightning bugs, but side by side and steady. I swallowed. Was it an animal?
I glanced quickly at the parkway. A car was coming into view but not close enough to light the area. I turned my eyes back to the woods. I would know soon enough. I drug my feet up under me, quietly, in case I had to run, though I was sure I couldn't outrun an animal, especially not in my state. The car came closer, lighting the front edges of the woods, and then the entire area.
It was a wolf.
A full grown wolf was coming out of the woods, staring straight at me!
I screamed, pushing off my feet and, without thinking, jolting toward the parkway. It happened so fast that it seemed like slow motion. The car speeding my way laid on the horn as I came into its blaring lights. It slammed on the brakes, skidding along the parkway, as I tried to get out of the way. The car turned, passing in front of me so close that I fell back onto the street, knocking my head against the pavement.
The car spun out a few more feet until it was facing the opposite direction as my vision blurred. Its hazard light blinked and its headlights attacking my eyes like strobe lights. I lifted my forearm to block the glare as someone staggered out of the car.
A man. He was yelling something at me, but the sound was far away, as if I my ears were plugged. I scurried away from him as he approached. What did he want with me? And where was the wolf? I blinked repeatedly, clearing my vision. The man took off his leather jacket and flung it over my body. "Are you okay?"
"The wolf!" I screamed. He didn't react. Instead, he knelt down over me, grabbing me by the shoulders. I screamed again, the sound returning to my ears as I pushed him away. Why was he grabbing me? Where was the wolf?
"It's okay! Calm down," the man shouted. "I'm a police officer. I'm a police officer!"
He went into his back pocket and pulled out a badge that shined under the glare of the headlights. North Sullengrove Police Department. Officer Levi Taylor.
"Are you okay?" he repeated, his eyes an intense blue.
"The wolf!" I shouted again. He looked over his shoulder into the woods and I craned around him to get a peek, but the wolf was gone. Gone! "It was there! I saw it! I swear!"
"Okay. It's okay. You'll be okay," he kept saying. "Let's get you out the road. Cars are coming."
With his jacket over my shoulder, he tried to help me to my feet but I was too weak, nearly toppling over.
"Easy," he said, and then tucked his arms under my back and legs to carry me. The world spun around, uneven like a coin getting ready to fall over. With all the strength I had, I clung to his leather jacket, keeping myself covered. The officer stared straight ahead, taking me toward the thick grass between the two medians.
There was a bloodstain on the corner of his white tshirt. From what I could tell, his dark hair was a little disheveled but he was unharmed. Where did the blood come from? And then that sharp pain started again, only this time toward the back of my head. It wasn't a memory block. It was something else. I reached up, dabbing the back of my hair. It was soaked, blood saturating my fingers.
The officer looked down, and his eyes widened with panic. "Just hold on."
I wanted to tell him I was okay, that it was nothing. But I felt my arm give out, and my head tipped back like it came unhinged.
For a second the world was upside down and then it went black.
Author's Note: Hey guys. So, that was a quick intro to Unknown's story. I wanted to write about a character that's not really covered on here(The Jin/Xiaoyu theme is tiring me out (yes, including my own story: Safe Room)). Anyway. If you guys liked it, I'll start cranking this one out. It's totally different from what I've done in the past. Thanks for reading!
