Chereads / Dying into the future / Chapter 2 - Initializing

Chapter 2 - Initializing

I slowly opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar place. In front of me were multiple thick black trees with branches and leaves I have never seen before. I tried getting up but my whole body was stiff. As if I had never moved from my sitting position in years. I sat back down as I tried remembering how in the world I got here. Then I remembered the roof, the jump and the door. I looked up through the thick leaves and saw the sky. A purple sky with two moons. One red and one blue. I scoffed as I dug my face into my hands. This is not earth.

[Initializing…

Remaining time: 30 minutes]

A robot-like voice played directly into my head. I looked around to see where the voice was coming from. I didn't see anything. Was I hearing things? I ruffled my hair and accidentally touched my temple. As I did, I saw a white screen with black text. The same text as i heard moments ago. I touched my right temple again and the screen disappeared.

On the screen was a timer that counted down from 30 minutes. What happens when it hits 0? I played with it a few more times before I stopped. I stretched my legs and arms and slowly got up. I took a few small steps before I felt comfortable walking. I stretched my legs and arms and decided to walk around. Since the forest was uphill, I did the logical thing and went up. The more I walked, the more I saw the same thing. No different trees or leaves. Each and every tree was the same height, shape and color.

I finally reached the end of the dense forest and I was faced with a cliff. I looked down as I saw a 20 meter drop. Down the hill I'm on, there was a road. Not exactly what i would call a modern road but i knew it was a road since in the 3 meter diameter, there is no tree and grass. It also leads up to somewhere I can't see.

[Remaining time: 20 minutes]

I closed the tab as I searched how to get down there. On the road I can see people and if they have a car or a cart then I could hitchhike to the next road. Seeing no way out, I decided to walk down the hill and see if there was a way there. While I was walking, I felt the ground shake and heard a loud boom. I turned my face towards the sound and for some reason, my body froze. I don't know if it was from fear or maybe shellshock but my body was just frozen. When I heard footsteps, I immediately ran away and hid inside of a bush.

I peeked out with my eyes to see what the noise came from. I saw a woman escape from the bushes and collapse on the ground. She had blood coming from the sides of her and from what I can see, she was escaping someone or something.

I hesitated but after a few seconds of fighting my inner self, I ran out the bush and carried her towards the bush to hide both me and her. I took off my suit and wrapped it around her waist. I tightened my jacket to stop the bleeding. As I tied the jacket, the woman cringed in pain. I finished stopping the bleeding and I needed to rest. The girl was sleeping and since i didn't have much more to do, i also fell asleep.

[Initializing finished]

[System Mark GOLD will now be activated]