Town Gone South

Take shrooms they said. 'Hallucinogenics are safer and more fun', they said. I thought I'd be tripping mad balls, talking to lamps maybe, or smell a couple of musical tracks. Something fun, something perhaps within walking distance of wearing off. I expected a lot of things, maybe panic over watching tv at worst.

'Kareee-bosch!

What sounded closer to a tree falling to the floor after being chopped down, was actually the sapling collapsing under my weight as I fell atop it. My body slammed face first into the ground, quite loudly against my relatively quiet and quite woody surroundings. My face stung as the metal of my glasses impaled themselves upon the bridge of my own nose. A groan slipped out of me, bred both of frustration and pain of equal measure. Taking in jerky breaths, shaking the rest of my body throughout the whole period of time it takes me as I'm getting back up. Flipping myself over, to get a clear view of the cloudy sky in spite of the thick tree line around me.

"WHERE THE FUCK," I shouted into the pure unknown surrounding me, where the only response I received was the sudden silence of the birds chirping around me. I didn't expect to end up in the middle of the damn woods, let alone a forest I didn't even recognize. "AM I?!"

The overcharged emotional daze that I'd been stuck in by my anger quickly drained out of me, leaving an emptiness in its place. If I could collapse in on myself more than I already had, then that probably would've happened at this point, but even laying there felt like too much of an effort to exert. Like I could've broken the surface tension of the floor and sunk to some other depth. I don't know what other point beyond rock bottom there is to hit, but I was bound to find out if there was one soon.

Nothing's real, my skeleton's too thin to be my own, closer to those of a bird with how much easier they could be snapped. My flesh too heavy, and my bones not nearly the weight I remember that they're supposed to be. I don't think I'd be able to pull myself up, I certainly didn't want to, but even if I could? My bones would sooner break under the pressure than comply.

Everything felt so fluttery as I composed myself, tuning back in so that I could wash away the white noise threatening to tear me in two. Letting out a few gasping breaths for my vision to refocus, laying there on the ground too tired to seeth, and too emotionally drained for me to sulk either. Spots of black littered my sight whilst the strength returned to me limbs, and my grip on reality tightened.

I- There's a fucking ant wiggling around on the frame of my glasses.

The fucking audacity.

My thoughts swirled as I brushed myself clean of all the newly acquired dirt and grime, not quite sure on how much time had passed. Brushing my glasses clean with the sleeves of my shirt, it'd have to do until I could find something better. And lastly, shaking my head free of any leaves that may have caught a ride aloft my hair.

Not my proudest moment to end up looking like a wet dog drying itself.

At least I have my good shoes today, they made treading through the underbrush and thick greenery tolerable at the very least. Rather be hiking, I'd at least have a destination in mind. Camping can be fun, marshmallows, tents, a whole ass occasion with the family.

But this is not camping!

"Uagh," The sound that came out of my throat ached as it did so, dragged out by the last vestiges of hate from that previous spike of emotion.

What an utter shit show of a situation I'd managed to get in. Oh of all the places to end up, somehow I managed to find myself a place beyond any cell tower's reach. I'd take the veritable cancer rays of a 5G tower if it meant I could get half-decent reception, maybe make a call to god and see if I'm still high or not. I did take the case off my phone and check the back, nothing's broken or misaligned.

Maybe this is just a bad dream, first time for everything and all.

If you focused you could probably mistake me for a walking talking microwave, a macrowave if you will. I'll gladly admit I'm coping and seething and more than a little pissed off. More of a smoldering irritation at this point, but nowhere close to happy considering the circumstances.

I pushed past a bush, only to feel one of its branches swing back at me and leave a scratch where it made contact with my arm. I only yelped a little bit. . . I did swear a bit more though. No need to pick a fight with the flora, I'm not that crazy yet. The fauna though?

Maybe.

Not unless it's a bear, or cougar, or like a wolf. . . Actually, now that I think about it, I haven't seen any wild animals yet. Probably because of my terrible vibe, but given the circumstances I'd happily take a squirrel over a badger.

This better not be a weird fucked up japanese game show, laugh as we kidnap and dump a clueless American into bumfuck nowhere. Watch as he stumbles around the goddamn woods, as we take 20 different camera angles of his antics before he travels far enough to reunite with civilization. Give him like an hour to win 4 grand, call it Forrest Grant, or something equally dumb. . . Man, I'd watch that.

Coming to a stop by the edge of a clearing in the forest, the sun flashing above me almost blinds me for a moment. With the treeline before me breaking to reveal the trickling of water splitting the woods in two, the opening isn't too wide considering the circumstances, about twenty feet without any trees or large bushes. Less grass, more a mixture of rocks and weeds making up the seabed of this fledgling river. Quickly readjusting to see the small stream that's flowing before me puts everything back into perspective, exactly being that 'I'm lost'. No less dreading this than I was 10 minutes ago, but I'm all emotioned out for the day and there's not much I can do other than walk.

Seeing the water bring my dry lips to the forefront of my failing mind, before I know it my hydroflask thing is already halfway down my throat. With water far too sweet relieving the pressure wishing to constrict my throat, it's enough to sate me, but only just as I run out.

Damnit, should've refilled this thing.

Usually there's just ice and ginger ale in this, you can sneak soda into class if you're clever about it. Works better if you're not by the front, or draw attention to yourself, and don't get greedy. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

A familiar feeling overwhelms me by the time I reach the third gulp, and I know for certain that I've run dry.

Regret.

I still have some ice, chewing on them which I think is much better than the alternative, that being biting my nails that is.

Can't say much on the eastern front, all's quiet for now. That is, apart from the soft splashing of the stream. . . I should follow it, especially to wherever it's flowing down into. Stay by the water and stay alive, maybe find people along the way. When I come across a tiny waterfall, kinda cute, in the same way that those little Bonsai trees can be cute. My bottle takes a space under it as I wait for it to be refilled, the very same as the one I poured soda to drink out of.

It's not like I have a spare.

I know you're supposed to like, cook the water you collect. Something about germs or another, but unfortunately like with many things. I don't happen to have a water collection and purification kit on me right now, left it in my other backpack. Next time I'm randomly venturing through the woods, I'll remember to bring it with me.

Dysentery will get me in like a week, I'm not a doctor so don't quote me, but dehydration has it beat with just 3 days to put me six feet below ground. Give or take, if I'm careful I think it's possible to go with water for a week as well. Pretty sure dysentery won't really kill me, and had I had the option it wouldn't be a risk I'd be taking. I'm not god though, can't just turn dirty water clean, so I'm just going to have to take that risk.

Once full, screwed tight, and stowed away I'm off again. Grabbing a random stone before I do.

The makeshift gravel path surrounding the waterway crunches loudly as I walk, each step the only other sound in the forest aside from my own breathing. My eyes flickered back and forth as they scanned the area ahead of me, only to return to keep an eye on the falling stone I'd toss regularly. Were I sitting in class my knee would be bobbing erratically, that same nervous tick taking shape here. I'd really rather not bite my nails at this time.

This helps. . .

I could fish, as long as this thing does eventually lead back to a lake or something that is. I'm gonna be, not quite as mad, but still quite irritated if the stream just dies off and ends up going nowhere. Not looking forward to dealing with sore feet. Maybe I can lure a deer in with graham crackers, gain its undying love (from said graham crackers), and then betray it just as it learns the concept of trust. I'd have to eat it raw though, it's not like I packed a lighter, it'll be the rarest of meat. Aside from dis DIC-

My stomach lightly grumbles, seeking its hourly tax the moment after I brought up food. Pausing a moment to get my bearings, the stone gets abandoned and tossed further down the path ahead of me. The pack on me is dropped so I can take out a metal black box, and a spare apple I had kept from the day before. Sometimes you're just not that hungry at that very moment, and sometimes you are, no need to dump a perfectly good apple.

click

A blade pops up, splitting the metal contraption in half to reveal its true identity as some sort of pocket knife. Peeling a section of the skin off large enough for what I need before taking a bite, sinking into it with a soft crunch. The sweetness flooded my mouth as it passed my lips, almost driving my taste receptors to flinch from it. Always been more of a vegetable guy than a fruity myself. Is it odd to not like sweet fruit?

Might be a bit older than I thought. . .

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG

"Christ!" My apple falls to the forest floor before my yell is even half over, splitting out the piece of fruit I had half-chewed in my mouth as my grip on my knife tightened in my other hand. . . God damn birds, I fucking hate this place.

"Aghhhhhh," A long-suffering sigh made it past my lips, finally resting deep in my chest. Fully intent on tuning out the jabbering of my new woodpecker friend, rubbing my face at the quickly developing headache that this whole day is turning into. "Welp, that's the last time I try to eat healthy."

"I mean, I could still salvage this," I muttered to myself, bending down to recover the fallen fruit in the same breadth. Brushing away the accumulated grime on its skin, and cutting away the half where the open flesh of it rubbed against the ground. "I think."

A bite later, and give or take a few minutes into the future. A gust sweeps past me, ruffling my shirt and driving a chill up my spine despite my pack clinging to my back. The afternoon air proved itself to carry a far much more chilling edge to it than the air at noon straight had. "Fuck off, I'm not falling for it again god."

I turned to face where the breeze originated from, looking to my right where I'd felt it had originated. Following the rustling trees as a sign with my eyes, it was the same forest as before only just a bit darker than it had appeared to be several hours ago.

My eyes tried to spot my new friend, the feathery alarm clock-sounding one. I don't manage to catch sight of any holes in any trees, not that I'm super close so double-check anything, but still. . . It feels odd, almost as if something's not quite right with the air, it's all too still when it was just so chaotic a moment ago. I'm not being watched, it's a different feeling, but similar too. Like I'm missing something, not seeing the red cap of this forest's preverbal Waldo in the game to find out where he is, but just what is it that I'm looking for? Something. . out of place. . .

.

. .

. . .

. .

.

Smoke

Something's burning.

I'm alive. (joking)

This isn't so much of a rewrite, as much as it is a reboot. Like it shares Dna with 'Skipping Stone' but it's not the same story, so if you've read the past version you'll notice a lot of stuff that won't turn up in my Rwby story 'Fragment' has ended up here. (like a less traumatic divorce) I'm doing it mainly so I don't get my mental wires crossed, updates will overall be less frequent but I'll be going on hiatus for months on end less often.

Ps: I'm sorry if you liked this story, I had issues continuing the plot. If it's any consolation I tried to salvage a lot of the bits people come to enjoy about this fic, and recycled them into the 2 fics I'm currently working on. Go to my other story, Fire Emblem Dreaming and read the rest if you liked this. I wanted a clean slate for this reboot. Sorry, not sorry.