I awoke in a cold sweat, my memory hazy, scars etched across my body. "My arms... they're here, attached to me. My leg too." I placed my hand on my knee and pushed myself up. "Where did these clothes come from?" I glanced at my surroundings—snow everywhere, remnants of a recent snowstorm. The clouds were still black, and the pine trees, both large and small, stretched upwards.
A shiver ran down my spine. "It's chilly." I looked at what I was wearing—sweatpants, a T-shirt, and sneakers. "What's in the pockets?" I found a pocket knife, bandage, matches, and paper in one pocket. On the paper, there was a note in cursive:
"Hello, dear prisoner. For your crimes, you have been sentenced to death by the wilderness inside the prison realm. However, if we see good behavior from you, we will let you out in 35 years. Wishing for your survival. R.D."
"R.D.?" I wondered aloud. "What do those initials stand for? Why am I imprisoned?"
"Never mind," I muttered to myself. I needed to find shelter—it was only going to get colder. I began to walk, trudging up hills, through slush, down hills, and around trees. As darkness fell, I picked up my pace. "Damn, it got dark quick."
It was pitch black within minutes, and the snow started falling again. I lit a match, sheltering it from the wind, and snapped a small tree branch. I tore a strip of cloth from my shirt, wrapped it around the branch, and lit it with another match. The makeshift torch illuminated the area around me. Suddenly, I heard growling and saw eyes reflecting the light—there was a wolf.
I raised the torch and pulled out my pocket knife, opening it. The wolf began to circle me, its eyes still glowing in the torchlight. Keeping my eye on it, I started to back up. The wolf lunged from the darkness, its silver fur glinting, a scar across its back.
I jumped back and swung my knife, striking it. The wolf whimpered, but it wasn't a lethal blow. The wolf darted forward and bit my leg, its teeth sinking deep into my flesh, and then it began to jerk its head, trying to tear a chunk of my leg off.
"Geaaa!" I screamed. I adjusted the knife in my hand so the blade faced down and stabbed the wolf in its back. The wolf whimpered again and let go of my leg. I felt the warmth of my blood running down my leg as the wolf ran off, leaving a trail of blood behind it.
"I need to stop the bleeding." I used the bandage in my pocket and a tree branch to make a tourniquet. Once the bleeding was under control, I heated the knife blade over the torch until it glowed faintly orange. Pressing it against my wounds, I cauterized them, the smell of burning flesh filling the air. I grabbed a tree branch to pull myself up from the ground and wrapped more cloth around the torch to keep it burning.
"It's only going to get colder," I muttered. I started limping through the snow and trees for about an hour and a half until I finally came across a small cave. The entrance was only about three feet tall, but it was better than staying outside.
I crouched down and slowly crawled into the cave. It was cramped, roughly three feet tall, seventeen feet deep, and nine feet wide. "It's cramped, but it will work," I whispered before passing out.
Darkness enveloped me. I drifted into a void where time seemed to stretch indefinitely. After what felt like an eternity, words appeared before me: "You have proficiency with medical equipment, polearms, and basic craftsmanship."