No..No, I do not have any idea what's going on here. I don't have any idea totally, I started shaking my head sideways. Suddenly, there was no fog and it was as clear as it could be in a dense forest. Although I don't have a scientific understanding of how fog or mist works, the speed at which it cleared was anything but normal or natural. Still holding the box in my hands, I looked around. I hadn't walked that far from where the vehicle was on the main road, and I figured if I took my steps back, I'd be there in minutes.
But should I do that? That was another question among the list of questions I have no answer to, including finding myself in a strange world. Now there is someone or something else giving me instructions to follow for what reason and to what end I have no idea.
I started looking at the box in my hands, checking it out since I am able to see it now, not like a while ago, and it's a wooden square box. There is an ornament on each side of it, but there is no visible lock on it. I shook my head, telling myself, "I don't really need any more riddles, I do have enough on my plate." I grabbed the backpack, opened it, and without even looking inside it, I put the box in it and took the backpack and rolled it over my shoulder.
"What is next?", I said that aloud in my mind, talking to whomever was doing this and sending me these instructions. I know for sure, there must be a reason behind all of this, whatever it is, and I have to reach the bottom of this whatever it takes, still thought no instructions came, and I stood at the same location for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen, but nothing happened at all.
The other thing is that I cant be standing in this location for ever, so I have to move. Where to go I don't know, but apparently I have the freedom to choose a destination within this forest. Whatever it takes and whatever happens will be dependent on my luck. That is the conclusion that I have reached while I was standing. So I decided to move forward like before. A few weeks ago, I found myself in a strange world and in the middle of a wide grassland , and without knowing anything about the situation I was in, I just moved forward like before. And now I am in a situation similar to the previous one, even i could say it is the exact same thing, only the circumstances and the location are different.
And what was that information that came in front of me, the one I saw like a game screen? As soon as I thought about it, the same thing appeared in front of me again.
Nam: Aden
Age: 16
Race: Human
Rank: Officer
Status: healthy
Skills: Nil
Gifts: Nil
Grade: 1
Phase: 1
Points: 0
Remarks: ?????
Mission: Survive
Duration: 24 Hours
Reward: Mystery map + Skill
Yup, that one. I started looking at it and reading it now once and twice and three times. Now what caught my eyes more than before, though i saw it previously, but now I have to contemplate on it and try at least to figure out something, not that I am going to figure out anything deem the situation i am in, but still I have to try at least.
The first thing I couldn't understand what it meant was (The Rank: Officer). What does that mean? How am I an officer? And for whom ? Regardless, asking why doesn't make any sense, right? I started chuckling and laughing at myself, but I really wish if there was some explanation coming with this information. All I know is that it is similar to the games back on earth, with some differences, of course. The first thing is that it's not a game, at least to me, who is in this situation.
Since I don't have any answers for this at the moment, let me think of the other one, which is (Mission: Survive). Do I have to really play this game? Why do I need to survive and from what? Most importantly, how? I don't have anything on me that can help me with any dangerous situations. I am not armed with any weapons, and I don't know what I am going to face. Do they expect me to run from any danger that I may face?.
I wonder, where did EMM go? As per my knowledge, it was supposed to be implanted in my brain, so the biggest question of all is what happened to her. Was the chip burned with some pulse thing, that thing which made the vehicle stop? I have heard or read somewhere that there is an electromagnetic pulse that can render any electronic useless if it is subjected to it, so is that what happened here? Questions and only questions that I had no answer to filled my head while I was walking straight ahead of me without any destination.
Oh yeah, there is something called Mystery Map as a reward, and since it is a reward, I guess I am going to get it after I finish the mission on hand, which is to survive twenty-four hours and a skill. I started laughing again, like someone who lost it. Nobody laughs by himself without any reason, but my reason is not my insanity but the insane situation I found myself in.
I hadn't walked for much more than a few hundred steps when I felt something was on my left side. I wasn't walking fast or slow, I was walking cautiously, taking a step every few seconds, I was doing that unconsciously, of course, due to the fog previously and to the uneven land surrounded by trees everywhere, so I had to walk as slowly as I could. Although my brain was busy analyzing everything and suggesting all the information, my senses were on high alert.
I still haven't noticed or saw anything, but I had a feeling something or someone was there looking at me, just a feeling, but it made me freeze in my location. I looked at where I felt something was stalking me. I don't know why I had this strange feeling, all of it may be just my imagination, but this is what my instinct told me screaming at me DANGER DANGER, so I stood my place on standby waiting for whatever was there to come out and jump at me.
I guess now the game will start or the hunting will start. At least I am not surrounded, and there is a distance of maybe around one hundred meters between me and whatever is there, and I can run to any other side that I want to. I am not sure if I can outrun whatever is there, but at least I can try. It's better than waiting for it.
While I was thinking that, and all my attention was directed toward whatever was hidden behind that big tree, there came another sound from my right side now, and this one is much louder than any other sounds around me, not that there were any sounds actually around me that I noticed anyway, so now I am in a tight situation and the only solution that came to me was my first option, that is to Run and Run and run for my life.