Stranded away

by Pillow-pony

Chapter 2 - (Welcome) to equestria ! [Re-written]

Author's Note:

Hello there!

Finally, the second chapter has been modified, improved and polished!
Now with half as many words!

I have shifted the tone to better describe how a person going through the same experience as "Pete" would react. Again, that doesn't mean I'm going to leave the dumb behavior Pete could have had in the previous version! I just gave him the circlet of realism, giving him a +12 bonus to his logical reasoning.

Anyway, i hope you'll like the new version. In the mean time, have a good day!

Nothingness. The absolute end of all existence. Stillness, frozen outside of space and time . Nothing could possibly pierce through the veil where—

A strange sound rang across the emptiness. Regaining consciousness, I instantly focused on it, trying to locate the source of the noise. The ringing increased the more I kept focusing on it. Progressively, sensations replaced numbness, along with a vivid throbbing pain somewhere around my chest.

‘Well, at least, I know for sure I’m alive’ I thought, finally getting my eyesight back, blinking as light assaulted my poor cornea. Slowly, my eyes accustomed to the lightning, color and shapes forming in front of me. My immediate surroundings came into focus: my body was resting on a wooden floor. Familiar furniture surrounded me. Coffee table, counter, oven... I was in my kitchen? I looked around one more time to make sure. Yup, that’s mah kitchen!

I looked at my chest, from which the stinging was coming from. I pulled my t-shirt up, my eyebrows rising as I gazed at the uncovered area. My skin over the sternum was covered in burn marks, some deeper than other. ‘How did that happen?!’

I stood up, much to the wound’s dismay, a sharp pain causing me to wince as the damaged flesh was strained by the sudden motion. I moved around the room, only to look in surprise at what could only be described as a tornado aftermath. Every single object was out of place, most of them were lying on the ground, broken in hundreds of pieces. I looked back at the living room to witness it had gone through the same ordeal. ‘At least, the tv is still in one piece’ I thought glumly.

“Did an earthquake strike the town while I was out?” I pondered, walking from room to room, each of them showing the same amount of damage. “If the whole house is like this, it’ll take weeks to get everything back to normal...” My eyes slowly grew wider. “What of my bedroom then…” My heart stopped beating. I ran towards my room, knocking a small cupboard on the way. I arrived to my room to see my computer tower laying on its side. The screen had fallen off of the desk and my keyboard was currently hanging from said desk by its cable.

“My porn!” I sprinted towards the hardware, pulling the tower with shaky hands. I re-adjusted both the keyboard and screen, before trying to turn the poor thing on. I pushed the power button...Again...I mashed the button in hope that the small blue LED behind it would flicker to life and my computer would start. After a minute or so, I settled with repeatedly hitting my head on the wooden desk.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shi--” My gaze fell onto the electrical socket on the nearby wall, to see that the cable had been disconnected from it. My eyes followed the snaky form of the black rubber cord back to my computer. I sighed in relief. ‘Of course’, I thought with a smile. ‘If the cable isn't plugged in, then no wonder I can’t turn my machine on!’ I connected the power cable in the machine and walked back to the front of my desk, pushing the button once again, smiling widely… And nothing happened. My smiled stayed on a bit longer, before shattering to pieces when the machine refused to activate.

“Come on!” I yelled, slamming my palms on the desk. ‘That’s it’, I thought, ‘My CPU’s dead! Marvelous! Fantastic!’ I heard the phone ring again in the living room. ‘Great, now what? My house is in shambles, my computer’s dead… Maybe this time I’ll receive a call telling me that a zombie apocalypse has started?!’ I sulked as I put the phone against my ear. “Hello?”

“Peter! Is that you?! Answer me!” The voice of my sister yelled through the phone’s speakers. That’s it guys. The zombies are here! “Peter?!” Kate insisted.

“Yeah, it’s me Kate, calm down. What’s the matter?” I inquired, surprised at the nervousness of her tone.

“You’re asking me that?!” Came the furious answer. “You fucking disappeared and you’re asking me to calm down?!” She screamed in the phone. Even through my bleeding eardrums, I had to give Kate a point: I didn’t give any signs of life last night, and for a good reason.

“Yeah, about that...I’m so sorry, I...To be frank, I don’t really know what happened. I guess I blacked out or something. I only woke up a few minutes ago and I--” I was cut off as the screaming started anew.

“I don’t care about that! Where were you last night?!”

“Last night? Well, I went to a friend’s birthday party, went home, and... I apparently slept on the floor.” The yelling stopped, and an awkward silence started to settle in. I was about to question my phone’s reception, the voice of my sister came back through the speakers, this time exploding with laughter. I waited a few seconds for the fit to pass.

“Care to share the joke?” I asked, pretty sure the main subject of it was my own stupidity.

“Oh my god!” Another fit of laughter. “Were you so drunk that you couldn’t even recognize your own home?!” She added. “So, which friend’s house are you in right now? I bet it’s John’s.”

“Hey!” I said indignantly. “First, I wasn’t drunk last night! Second, I’m calling from my own apartment! I’m in my living room right now!” I switched to video call to support my answer. Silence once again greeted me.

I was seriously beginning to worry now. “Kate, what’s going on? What’s with all the questions?” Still no response. I was about to press on when the call switched to video mode on Kate’s side.

“Look at that.” She said, leaving the device to do the explaining. She was currently recording her own computer screen. On it was a news flash, with a reporter standing in front of a building I instantly recognised.

“...Asked the neighbours about the tenant. From their testimony, they hadn’t seen him in the last two days. No one expected such a turn of event for the 121 Sushi Rolls Road. Fortunately, no victims were reported so far. Authorities are still trying to--” The speech was still going, but I couldn’t focus on it anymore. The cameraman had directed his shot on a part of the building that had rendered me completely speechless.

Most of the structure was featureless and bore the usual depressing shade of grey big buildings generally had. The part that had caused such an uproar was on the second floor, or more precisely, what wasn’t: there was a gigantic hole where my apartment used to be.

My jaw twitched as I tried to form a coherent sentence, and utterly failing, a feeling of dread steadily growing in my mind. After what seemed like an eternity to me, the video stopped.

“Please, Peter. Tell me what happened! Where are you right now?” Kate pressed on. “Mom and Dad are worried sick about you!”

I didn’t respond. Instead, I walked up to the door and, with a deep breath, I turned the knob and opened it.

“Peter?” My sister asked again. The phone fell on the ground, released from the weak grasp of my hand. The voice called from the device’s speakers, but its words were lost on me. My mind had gone blank from the sight that was laid in front of my eyes.

Gone were the malodorous streets, the depressingly grey buildings. A large oak tree stood right in front of me. The old fellow had aged to the point where vines had crept up all the way to the top of it, giving it an air of Christmas tree. The oak was not alone in that case: a whole forest surrounded me, the canopy reaching a good twenty meters above the ground.

“Peter?” Kate asked, snapping me out of my stupor. “Peter, can you hear me?” I shakily picked the phone from the cemented ground, my eyes going from tree to tree, still unable to make heads or tails of this situation.

“Kate…I think I’ve lost it.”

---

After a lengthy explanation and having showed my sister my predicament, we both stayed silent, hoping one would bring something up that could clear this mystery up, or at least give a plausible explanation.

“Peter?” Kate asked.

“Yeah?”

“I think I’ve lost it too.” I groaned. At least, she sees the same thing I do. Fortunately, my phone could show...Wait, that’s it!

“Kate! Can you try to locate my phone?” I heard a gasp, followed by what I guess was the keyboard being obliterated by my sister’s energetic typing .

“Something’s not right…” I heard my sister mumble. “Peter, your number’s still the same as before right?” I answered by the affirmative. “It’s not possible... I must have made a mistake somewhere! I’m gonna try again!” More typing ensued, with the same result, according to Kate’s cursing.

“It’s ridiculous!” She said in exasperation.

“What’s the matter?”

“Each time I’ve entered your phone number, it said you were at the same place! In the building!” She said in exasperation.“How did you even get in that mess in the first place?!”

“If you manage to find an answer to that, please tell me, I’d be glad to know how.” I replied with a sigh. A thought suddenly came to me. “Wait a minute…I’m in the middle of a freaking forest, I shouldn’t even get a signal to begin with! There has to be an antennae nearby. That means...”

“You’re closer to civilization than we thought!” My sister finished my thought for me. “Though, the problem remains. We can’t call any form of rescue since we can’t even locate your phone.”

I leaned against the large tree as I tried to be rational about the issue. Kate was right. I couldn’t hope for anyone to come to my aid, considering I couldn’t get my own location right. That meant I only had two options: on the one hand, I could wait inside for someone to fly above my out-of-place house and get a team together to come and investigate. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a bad idea: from the thick bushes, large untouched plants around me, it looked like Man had not come to this part of the world for a long time, if at all.

On the other hand, I could try and explore the forest in search of a settlement. This option was not much better than the previous one, but at least, I could explore and hopefully gather a bit of food or water. To be frank, I don’t think I could last more than a few days with the ressources I had on hand.

It suddenly hit me. I had no electricity at the moment. Without it, my phone battery would inevitably drain, leaving me utterly stranded in the middle of nowhere and no one to call for help! The sheer thought caused me to hyperventilate: If I had landed somewhere in amazonia, I could wander for months in such a forest!

Breathe in…Breathe out…Let’s remain calm: my phone is not dead yet, and I still have a connection to the outside world through Kate. What could I do to overcome the most pressing matter? I had no electricity on hand, true. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t generate a small amount of it with what I had with me! After all, I was an engineer! Well, I was still finishing my studies, but still! I spent years sharpening my skills and knowledge, mastering theories of physics, optics….Or I could just ask my sister to google “How to build a generator”. For now, I needed to spare my device’s energy and scout out the immediate surroundings.

“Alright. To sum it up: neither of us know what’s going on right now. For all I know, we’re both hallucinating somehow, and this entire day has just been a lucid dream. In any case, I need to know where I am. Considering how useful my phone has been at locating me, I suppose I’ll have to go and find out myself.”

“You wanna go by yourself?!” The ear-splitting scream deafened me for a second. “There are so many things wrong with that plan, I can’t even list them all!” I sighed. Of course she’d be against it. Anybody in their right mind would be against doing such a stupid thing. But it was the only valid option I had at the moment.

“I know.” I said placating tone. “But at the same time, I can’t stay in the house forever. I’ll eventually run out of water or food, and I’ll have to move out. As of now, I just want to do a quick reconnaissance of the area surrounding my place.” I could still feel her hesitating through the phone. “I’m gonna be careful, I promise. In the meantime, can you try to tell Mom and Dad of my...Predicament? I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

“...Peter?”

“Yeah?”

“You’d better come back soon Pete.” She said in a softer tone. “We’ll be waiting for you. So don’t take too long!” She added with a weak chuckle. I absentmindedly nodded.

“I’ll try to make it as fast as I can. Still gotta be sure I make it back in one piece though.” I said with a smile. “Wouldn’t want you to hear that I died to a raccoon. I don’t think the family’s pride could survive that!” I heard my sister exaggerate a gasp through the phone.

“Of course! If you get killed by anything less than a bear, we’ll be the laughing stock of the entire county!” Kate finished with a laugh, that I soon shared.

“All right then!” I straightened up, looking towards the door. “I’ll be back soon Kate. Wish me luck!” I said, before hanging up. I went back inside to collect a few empty bottles I forgot to throw away and an old compass I kept in one of the entrance drawers. I put the small trinket in my coat’s pocket and with a sigh, walked out of the flat--which now looked more like a one-story house-- and stepped into the unknown.

While the forest might have appeared intimidating at first, the ambiance had progressively shifted to a much more welcoming mood. What little light filtered through the thick foliage fell on the ground in a hundreds of smaller rays, creating just as many golden dots on my path.

Most of the wood’s soil was covered in a uniform dark green moss blanket. The sparse spots that were yet to be consumed by the viridescent flood allowed one to gaze at the few plants, emerging in various shades and sizes in between the rocks and massive roots of the nearby trees. Flowers of various teal colors punctuated my walk, forming little pastel marks ranging from dark purple to neon blue, confirming once again that I was definitely far away from home.

Some of these flowers would grow in bushes, forming small patches of a specific color on the side of the way. One in particular caught my attention: the plants in it were entirely blue, from their petals to their very stamen.

‘Weird’, I thought. ‘If these flowers needed to be pollinated, shouldn’t their center stand out from the rest?’ I picked one of the navy blue flowers to smell it, and was disappointed to find out it had no specific odor. ‘Well, nothing’s perfect I guess’. I still kept the “blue wonder” as I decided to call it and resumed my walk North.

As I pressed on, I began hearing a sound akin to a faucet leaking droplets on a hard surface. I hurried my pace towards the noise, which steadily grew stronger as I progressed under the thick canopy. After some time, the trees around me gave way to a small opening in the canopy bathed in the cool afternoon sunlight. A luxurious vegetation grew freely in this small area devoid of the oaks I had grown accustomed to until now. The ground, which before was hard and dry, had become much soggier, to the point where I buried my shoes up to the ankle with each step I took towards the noise. With a loud ‘squelch’, I peered in between the reeds and semi-aquatic plants to discover a small but steady current of one of the clearest waters I have ever seen in my life. Hesitantly, I dipped my hand in the translucent liquid and waited.

Upon feeling nothing other than the pleasantly cool water rushing in between my fingers, I stood up and undid the straps of my backpack. A minute and a half later, I was ready to head out with now five plastic bottles full of fresh water. Hopefully, the stream would not die out anytime soon.

A smile formed on my face. ‘Perhaps the whole survival plan wasn’t going to be so difficult after all!’. I strapped everything back, hoisted my backpack on my shoulders and took off merrily towards my home, the wet splashing sound made by each step I took creating a rhythm for the song I was singing to myself.

The day was just starting to set over the horizon, the orange-reddish rays lighting the forest grounds for the few last hours before nightfall. The shadows cast by the now diagonal sunlight were steadily growing giving the dense forest an air of melancholy. The last diurnal critters were regaining their nests one by one, crinkling through the dead leaves and branches around me.

Soon, the forest was completely devoid of sound. Not a gust of wind, not a breeze. Nothing came to disrupt the thick veil of silence that had covered the canopy above me. For the first time of the day, I felt as if I truly was alone. My very respiration seemed excessively loud in comparison to the environment I was in, and I often found myself holding my breath, trying to minimize the noise I could make. The sunlight had now become completely horizontal, lighting only the top of the trees around me, plunging the rest of the woods in darkness.

If before I could have felt unwelcomed in the silence of the sylvestrian kingdom, now I felt downright oppressed. I walked faster, wanting to reduce the time I would have to spend in this place to the maximum. I had to be close to home now. Just a matter of minutes and I’d be--

A sudden shuffling sound behind me interrupted my train of thoughts. Startled, I turned to face the direction of the sound. I stood there, unmoving, focusing my attention on the nearest patch of bushes, ready to spring into action at the tiniest disturbance in the foliage. I waited, and upon hearing nothing more, I reluctantly turned back to where I was. I was becoming jumpy. Still, better to be cautious in this forest.

The night starting to rise didn’t help. The contrast between the day’s heat and the night’s fresher temperatures was causing humidity to escape the woods in the form of a thick fog, obscuring the view even more. The cold damp air was piercing through my clothes, causing me to shiver. The trees, now akin to black poles stretching towards the uniform dark canopy seemed uncomfortably close to me.

The branches, with my very fertile imaginations, almost looked like hands reaching out to me. Each tree I passed, I couldn’t help but glance behind it, in fear something was hiding behind it. Each root seemed to sprout out of the ground to try to make me trip. Did I mention I was terribly afraid of the dark?

As the luminosity was steadily decreasing, it was becoming difficult to see even two meters in front of me.

“How much longer until I reach the house?” I asked, impatient. I was certain to have taken less time earlier today. Was it just my mind playing tricks on me? I took my phone from my pocket. My eyes bulged at the number displayed on the screen. It was half past ten! It couldn’t be. My smartphone had to be broken. There was no way four hours had passed without me noticing.

I pressed on, using the phone’s lamp to light my way. I couldn’t recognize anything familiar that could clue me in the right way. I took the compass out of my vest’s inner pocket and stopped right in my tracks as I felt my legs grow weak at the round device in the palm of my hand.

“Wha…” was the only thing I could manage to say, looking down at the gyrating needle in the center of the polished glass. I blinked twice, trying to shake off what could only be an illusion. ‘What is wrong with the compass?!’ I hit the glass surface, trying to bring the inanimate object back to its senses, only to not avail. ‘Dammit! Don’t do this to me now! Without the compass, I won’t be able to find the way home!’

My musings were interrupted by the same strange noise from before. I turned, blood freezing in my veins. It sounded much closer this time. No doubts this time: something had followed me all the way over there. Why? All the animals that I encountered during the day had either fled or shied away when I approached. It was either an extremely curious herbivore, or...I hoped it was an herbivore.

I stood motionless, waiting for the animal to move again, only to be greeted by silence. That animal was smart. If it was preparing for an ambush, it could wait for hours for me to get tired before attacking. ‘When’ being the only variable. One thing was certain, though: I wasn’t going to wait it out. I took a long breath, and in one fluid movement, turned around and ran as fast I could in the opposite direction.

It appears the creature had lost its patience too, judging by the thunderous howl I heard behind me. I could soon hear the heavy pounding of the predator’s steps mirroring my own. I pushed myself as I hard I as I could, ignoring the burning sensation slowly growing in my muscles.

The sound of the creature’s steps grew louder. ‘It’s closing in on me!’ I thought in terror. My lungs were burning. My mind was getting foggy. I could feel the blood pumping in my ears, my heart beating in the desperate attempt to fuel muscles with enough energy to escape my pursuer.

I was about to lose hope when I noticed the trees around me were getting sparse. A clearing? I looked forward, and saw a familiar cubical shape stand out in the moonlight. With renewed vigor, I sprinted with a strength I didn’t know I had towards the meadow. I was approaching the house of salvation, the creature hot on my heels, when I remembered I locked the damn door before venturing out.

I cursed internally, going instead for the window. Like most windows, it had a small concrete edge on it. I ran up to it, jumped on the protruding edge and used it to quickly climb on the top of the flat.

As soon as I reached it, I let myself fall on the roof, and proceeded to fill my lungs with as much air as possible. Tears of relief flowed on my cheeks as a shaky breath escaped my lips, despite my burning chest. Now that the adrenalin was wearing off, my limbs were beginning to grow stiff from the recent overuse. Though with difficulty, I looked back to where I thought the creature was and stood frozen at what I saw.

A long emaciated body covered in a dirty brown fur stretched to a good two meters in length. Bald spots dotted the matted coat of its torso, revealing the sickly white skin where the shadow of the rib cage clearly showed. Thin fleshless legs surprisingly supported the weight of the famished-looking beast. The dark paws underneath would have been barely noticeable, were it not for the five centimeter long claws jutting out from them and burrowing into the forest soil. A long hairless neck bearing countless cuts and bruises linked the rest of the body to what I could only guess was the head of the thing.

Twisted antlers grew from the mass of hair that sat atop of the creature’s skull in nearly every direction, creating something akin to a thorn bush. The only details left visible were a long muzzle from which protruded enormous canines, and an evil red glow coming from the otherwise empty eye sockets of the creature. Saliva flowed endlessly from the maws of the beast, its muzzle twitching as it turned its head in different directions. A low growl emanated from the creature as it approached the house, getting closer to my location.

A soundless scream escaped my throat as I witnessed the embodiment of terror below me suddenly come to a halt and turned its eyeless face towards me. I then saw the monster shift its balance on its hind legs, and slowly moving from all fours to a steady stance on two legs, hoisting itself up until its head nearly reached the rooftop of my house. ‘It’s almost as tall as my house!’ I thought in horror.

I hurriedly hid myself from view, hoping to escape to the monster’s haunting gaze. I heard a scraping noise, followed by a long black foreleg gripping tightly the extremity of the flat roof My heart stopped. Was it trying to climb over the wall?! I backed away from the foreboding claws of the creature. I thought about jumping off to the other side, but immediately dismissed the idea. I wasn’t confident in whatever ounce of strength remained within my body, and trying to outrun a beast of this size in my condition would be downright suicidal.

I watched with bated breath as the claw frantically tried to grip at something that obviously wasn’t there anymore - my body . After a minute of trying vainly to grasp at me, the foreleg retracted back below the roof, followed by a low growling. Soon, I heard the sound of leaves and branches being crushed, sign that the monster was moving again. The noise grew more distant, going back to the forest.

I waited until I could no longer hear anything from my surrounding but the sound of insects and the cold wind blowing over the woods. I forced my body to move, fighting against my still active instincts ordering me to stay up here until the end of times. I peeked from the rooftop and looked at the meadow around the house, my eyes searching for anything out of place. Once I was as sure as I would ever be of my immediate surroundings, I carefully climbed down and set foot on earth. I had my keys at the ready, and immediately reached for the door. I tried to move the keys as quietly as I could, constantly looking back at the ominous forest behind me. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the door unlocked in a metallic ‘clack’. I pushed the door open and rushed inside, before slamming it behind my back, and clumsily locking it back up.

Once I was certain nothing could enter the now secure house, I walked into the living room, not bothering to take off my shoes or coat, and let myself slump into the sofa. My unfocused eyes roamed the room, the nightmarish visions of the beast still plaguing my mind. What was that?! An automaton? There was no way the creature I saw could be alive, simply judging by the empty eye sockets. It had to be a robot. Still, who in their right minds would give it this monstrous appearance? The being’s image popping up in my mind was enough to make me double check my surroundings, A cold sweat starting to drip down my back. I would not have a restful sleep tonight, that bit was certain.

After regaining a semblance of calm, I stood up, wincing as the fabric of my shirt rubbed against my chest. I really need to get that zone bandaged. I walked to the bathroom, warily glancing outside through the windows as I went by the hallway.

Finally arriving in the bathroom, I took my shirt off, glancing at the state of the wound. After making sure there was nothing warranting a spray of sterilizing alcohol, I took a roll of gauze and prepared the different bands that i would use to bandage the zone.

I quickly applied the bands on the damaged the area, hoping the burns would not turn into something worse—who knows what potentially deadly illness crawls in this forest searching for a host to infect? My stomach, which hadn’t lost track of time, decided to make its presence known by emitting a low rumble. Curious, I checked my watch: it was now eleven o’ clock. Maybe I could eat a bit before going to bed.

I checked inside the fridge. “Hmm…with all this, I can survive…maybe 3 days? Well, better than nothing.” I shrugged, before taking out of the freezing coffin half of a steak and a handful of pasta. I put the meat into a frying pan and poured a liter of the water I had taken from the source in a pot to boil. I then added two pots in which I emptied the remaining 4 liters from my plastic bottles. That would take care of any parasite or bacteria inside. “Thank you, Pasteur” I silently prayed.

While the water progressively heated up, I decided to call my sister in order to update her, and by proxy, my family, on the state of affairs on my side. I heard the phone ring several times before the familiar voice filtered through the speakers.

“Peter, is that you?” I released a sigh upon hearing my sister’s voice through the device, bringing a somewhat homey feeling in this outlandish place.

“Yeah, it’s me. How are you doing?”

“I’m alright, but I think I should be asking you that question, Pete! You didn’t call in hours, and from what i can hear, you look like you’ve run a marathon. What happened?!” She asked impatiently.

“Well,” I started in a joyful tone, “I had a nice long stroll in the woods, got myself some water and was attacked by a monster on the way back!” I chuckled a bit at my own derisive tone.

“…What did you say?” Kate replied incredulously.

“Well, to be honest, I’m not really sure myself. It might have been a construct of my fear-addled brain after being chased all the way to—“

“Something was chasing you?! Oh goodness, are you alright Peter?” I heard a different voice shout through the phone. My eyes widened.

“Mom?”

“And your father” added a much deeper voice. “I heard you were having fun without us?”He snickered. “You should have told us, we’d have brought some popcorn along!” I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure to notify you next time.” The smile slowly disappeared from my face as I continued. “That being said, I am still unsure about the animal that was chasing me…” I proceeded to relay them my story; the creature part was the one which got the most mixed results: Kate and Mom sounded horrified by the fact that such animals were roaming nearby—to which I had to agree—while my dad had remained completely silent. When I finished my tale, the deep voice of my father started again.

“How long can you survive with what you’ve got right now?” He asked, already suspecting the poor state of my rations.

“No longer than three full days. After that, I’ll be out of food.” I said, the gravity of the situation causing everyone to fall silent.

“As I thought. You’ll have no other choice but to venture out again.” He said grimly. I nodded, forgetting that they couldn’t see me doing so.

“And that is if I manage to find something edible…” I thought back to the conversation I had earlier with Kate. No one would be coming to help me, and I couldn’t afford to stay put and wait until I ran out of rations. Would I be able to find something close to civilization in three days time? This forest looked like one of the primeval forests where no man has ever set foot into. Yet, it was the only viable option I had right now.

“So what are you going to do?” Dad inquired. Hm. I could try and pack everything and go, but without any idea of where to go, it would just be same as throwing my rations out the window. I had to choose a promising direction, and stick to it. In order to do so, i’d have to climb to a high place and have a good look around. I nodded absently to myself.

“I think I’ll first have to take a look around. For that, I’ll use the first day to scout out a suitable way out of this forest.” i said confidently. “From what I’ve seen today, there’s little to no danger walking through the woods during daytime. Unless those...Robots...things can hunt 24/7, I should be alright!”

I was pretty sure my parents weren’t buying it. Hell, even I couldn’t put any credence into the words i just said. They were just shallow reassurances based on nothing more than a few hours spent in a specific part of the forest. Still, that was yet the best chance I had at the moment, and I had to take it.

Silence greeted my answer. All of us knew there was nothing else to do, yet none dared say anything to encourage a behavior that would certainly lead me to my grave. I heard footsteps, and my mother’s voice rang through the speakers.

“Peter...Perhaps there is not other way around the problem. But I want you to be careful…Please be careful, alright sweetie? I…I don’t want to lose you”. She said, before taking a shaky breath. “I love you my baby. Please come back to us safe and sound.”

“I will come back, I promise you.” I comforted her the best I could, telling her that I would be alright. I didn't even know where I was, and what dangers could await me outside the clearing. It suddenly dawned upon me that I very well might be dead tomorrow. A shiver ran down my spine. She said a last goodbye before leaving the room with my dad and handing the phone back to my sister.

“So, I’m curious, how did you do to convince them to believe us?” I asked. I was not doubting of my sister, but hearing that not only had your son somehow escaped from the gigantic hole in the building he was living in, but that he also was teleported to a completely different place with his house was a rather big pill to swallow.

“Oh, well I used my natural charisma and my great and dexterous eloquence to convince them of course!”She said proudly in the phone.

“I’m sure the footage I gave you from my new location didn’t help you in the slightest?” I added with a chuckle. There was a pause.

“....Perhaps”. We shared a good laugh we both desperately needed. When my breathing calmed down, I asked another question.

“On a different note, Kate : do you have the plans for the generator?”

“Yes, even if I’m not sure how you’re gonna manage to build one. It requires a lot of materials. Not to mention the raw energy such a device needs to properly work.”She was right. Even if I found enough wires and metal by cannibalizing my old affairs, I still had the problem of the energy input. I already knew the nearest source of water was not an option…Speaking of water…Shit!

I ran back in the kitchen, quickly checking the boiling water, which was now on the verge of spilling its near-overflowing contents on the floor. I cut the gas and plunged the pastas in it. Good thing I always preferred gas cooking, or I would never have been able to use the stove. I also cut the gas under the other pots and put them aside to fill the plastic bottles with the now sanitized water. Well, at least I would not die of dehydration.

“Peter? You’re still there?” After verifying that the gas valves were closed, I put the phone against my ear.

“Yep, I was just having problems with the stove.” I heard her laugh. My cheeks reddened as I guessed which event she was recalling.

“Hey! That was not my fault, okay? I was seven! How could I know metal plates were not compatible with the microwave?!” This only seemed to fuel her amusement, the laugher coming through even louder. I huffed.

“I’ll have you know, the electric arcs were beautiful! ...At least until the microwave imploded...” I soon joined my sister chuckling at the memory.

“Anyway. I’ve sent you what I could find. Hope that helps!” I heard the small beep indicating that a new mail had arrived. I quickly looked over the contents, smiling as the schematics appeared on my screen.

I was about to answer when a flash of light attracted my attention to the window. I looked to my left to see that the moon was rising over the canopy, bathing the room in a soft white glow. ‘To think the day had passed so fast…’ My eyes widened as the night aster brought the answer to my problem.

I walked to a compartment 2 meters wide that I used as a makeshift storeroom. I rummaged through the boxes of my highschool years until I stumbled upon the one I was looking for. I looked on the side of the dust covered carton container and read aloud: ‘2007-10-5: techno project’.

I smirked and pulled the box out and opened it….before coughing profusely due to the cloud of dust particles flying right into my larynx. Once my throat stopped aching as if it was on fire, I pulled out thin layers of green solid plates, and gently put them on my right. I counted twelve 25 x 25 centimeter squares. That was more than enough if I wanted to cover my ‘roof’ with them.

“Sis?” I asked the phone, to which I heard an affirmative answer. “I think I may have found a way.” The small solar panels we built with the class were still intact for the most part, which was good. The fact my house currently stood in a clearing with no tree in the nearest fifty meters to obliterate the sun was even better. If I could connect those panels to the generator, and link the latter to the local current transformer, I could hopefully get some power back.
“What do you mean?” Kate inquired.

“Well, do you remember those solar panels I worked on during my techno classes?” I heard a gasp as Kate realized where I was going with this. I heard her quickly type on her keyboard.Soon enough, she came back with the information I needed.

“Well, from what the source says, you would need at least six square meters to provide barely enough energy to power the generator which schematics I just gave you.” My sister’s voice echoed worriedly. I blanched upon hearing the news. I did not have enough to cover such a surface! I may have something around 9 functioning panels, but that would only cover a third of the total required space! I just hoped the power those panels could produce would be enough to at least charge my phone’s battery.

“Thanks Kate. Though I think I’ll wait until tomorrow before going back out.” I said, already dreading to go near those woods. “I think I’ll shut my phone off during the night in order to save a bit of power. I hope you’ll forgive for not being able to spend enough time with you Kate”. I added apologetically.

“Oh, don’t worry!” My sister replied in a fake ominous tone. “I’ll make sure you can’t get away from your family for a whole week straight once you come back !” She finished triumphantly.
“Well...Good night then… .” She said hesitantly . My eyes softened, and a small smile formed on my lips. I understood, as I was reluctant to hang up too. I knew however that I had to spare whatever battery I had left.

“Thanks Kate, I’ll be alright.” I answered softly. “Good night Kate.”
I hung the phone, and looked at the picture of my sister on the call history. With a sigh, I pressed the on/off button and stood up. I looked back at the forest through the window. I shook my head, trying to banish the thoughts that welled up inside. I would have to be extremely cautious, even if I was to travel during daytime. Who knows what abominations lurked in this place.

I would also have to gather more water before tomorrow night, if I wanted to plan for a long travel. The idea of getting back in the woods was certainly not something that I looked forward to. Still, it was the best option I had at the moment.

I walked to a small shelf with boxes stacked in a disorganized manner. I turned towards a small carton filled with bubble wrap. I rummaged a bit through it before pulling a wooden crossbow. I looked at it, remembering the day when I finished building it. It was quite powerful considering the materials it was made of, and fired the bolts at a very satisfying distance. My gaze then turned towards a small carton just on the side of the one containing the weapon. I sighed. ‘Guess I’m not training anymore’, I thought as I opened the box, revealing three neatly stacked steel bolts shining softly in the moonlight.

---

I woke up from a dreamless slumber, groggily stumbling around my room trying to find the lightswitch, still thinking in my half-asleep state that I was still back home. Only when the switch failed to light up the room did I remember where I was. Suddenly very aware of my situation, I ran towards my phone, and checked the time. I relaxed upon reading ‘9:30’ on the LED screen. It was still early in the morning.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I quickly dressed up, packed bags with empty bottles, stuffed my compass in my vest pocket, before stepping outside...Then coming back in as I forgot to take my crossbow and its munitions.

This time, not wanting to leave any details up to fate, I decided to head east. Should I be wrong and that the creature from last night roamed both day and night, I would at least be able to avoid the zone in which I suspected the ‘elk’ preyed. Perhaps I could even use this opportunity to spot some potential food source, no matter how unlikely it sounded.
I walked through the maze formed by the impressively large trees that in all likelihood had decided to use this morning to block my path by all possible means, all the while carefully keeping an eye on the compass all the while.

For now, the compass was working perfectly.

I discovered some berry bushes—which sadly didn’t matter, since they had nothing on them. I found another river, probably the one of the tributaries from the source I saw the other day.
Five minutes later, all four of my bottles were filled with crystal-clear water, and i was on my way.

Nothing interesting came up during the travel, aside from the occasional critter crossing my path. I walked on, my crossbow firmly secured around my shoulders by a long leather band. After an hour, and not finding any hill or cliff to observe the landscape, I opted for another route and instead looked around for a suitable tree.

I looked at the nearest one-- A pine from the looks of its bark and needles -- and spotted a branch low enough for me to climb on it. I tentatively grabbed it, and after making it did not break when I applied some weight onto it, I began my ascension towards the top. Climbing wasn’t very difficult: the foliage was sparse, and the massive tree supported me without moving an inch. I finally got on the highest strong branch, and looked at the impressively vast forest, its progression only limited by a mountain range far to the north.

A lone mount peaked far above the others even farther north, dominating its surroundings by its sharp snowy top. Looking West, I spotted something akin to a clearing approximately three to five kilometers from where I stood, the wild patch of grass breaking the otherwise constant luscious green color of the thick canopy. I narrowed my eyes at a strange detail in the middle of the supposed clearing. It almost looked like ruins of some kind. I could not ascertain my claim however, since from that distance, everything looked like a blur of colours to me.

I looked at the time: 10 am. I could make it and return home before nightfall. I carefully climbed down the tree, which proved to be more difficult than my previous ascension. The long, slippery bark of the pine covering each branch was destined to be my downfall as my foot found no purchase on the last offshoot of the tree, allowing me to have a face to face meeting with the forest soil. Fortunately, the fall was only a meter high, and though I was certain I would feel that tomorrow morning, nothing seemed to be broken.

Shaking myself from the remains of the discount spa treatment, I checked my compass before heading West. The magnetic needle was thankfully still pointing in one direction, and not losing its marbles like the previous night. For a compass to behave as such, there would have had to be a powerful magnetic field around the zone where I was. It could either be because of the magnetic north --which, considering my basic knowledge of Earth’s geography, was impossible-- or some man-made construct that emitted a wave powerful enough to disrupt it.

The latter --and most plausible-- would also prove my theory concerning the nature of the creatures I encountered to be correct. If there was such a device in the forest, that meant there were people with means to build it. ‘Thus, there had to be a station or a camp somewhere nearby!’ I thought back to the hellish creatures from before.

‘People with such scientific abilities would have no problem building robots in the shape of those creatures!’ I realized as I clapped my hands together, scaring the nearby birds, who fled away in a hurried and confused flapping of wings. I paid them no mind as I continued on my train of thoughts. ‘With a complex hidden in the middle of a forest, it was obvious that the intentions of its builder were to hide it from prying eyes. It would only be logical for such an operation to protect their base in such a way!’ I concluded with a satisfied smile.

An occasional root sticking out would make me trip, reminding me of the burns on my chest as pain would reappear temporarily as my torso hit the ground. I would have gladly applied a lotion on those wounds, if I had any. My medical cabinet only had a few items in it. Sadly, lotion for burn wounds was not among them.

While the vegetation up North looked like the kind found in temperate deciduous woods, the one present here belonged more to a tropical rainforest. Instead, dense patches of fern grew everywhere, covering the entire ground. The blades, all dotted with orange-coloured spores, grew up to two meters in hight, and more than half a meter in width. Some of the fiddleheads that sprouted from the middle of the plants were even bigger than my hand!

Flowers of unrealistic proportions and bright colours appeared from time to time amidst the dense leaves surrounding them. Some of them sported large white petals, long orange T-shaped stamen protruding from their center. Others instead had a spear-shaped head composed of dozens of blood red needly petals, stretching to an impressive 30 centimeters in height.

The air too had changed, becoming thicker and more humid. The clothes I wore were starting to stick to my body, making the simplest move uncomfortable. The temperature had steeply risen to an unpleasant degree, causing my body to sweat profusely, the salty liquid burning as it went over the bandaged wounds.

‘How could a forest’s climate change so much in such a small radius?!’ Thought as I wiped away the sweat forming on my forehead with the back of my hand. ‘Could it be one of the experiments from the potential scientific complex?’. I thought, with a mix of awe and fear. Is it going to be some kind of “area 51” thing, where the local government is trying to hide powerful weapons and experiments and kills or discredit those who come near them? I certainly hope not.

The trek was becoming harder, the overgrown plants transforming in obstacles, hindering my progress throughout the woods. Fortunately for me, the terrain remained relatively flat.
The trees were getting fewer and fewer as I walked, the vegetation slowly receding into more reasonably sized plants, though their exotic appearance and the temperature remained.

After an hour of agonizingly slow trudge, I was able to see a clear patch of grass head of me . The tree cover was slowly dissipating, allowing the moonlight to highlight the surroundings, casting a soft white light upon the meadow.

I was about to step out into the clearing when rustling came from the other side of the forest. I sunk deeper in the bush I was in as the noise grew closer. I carefully removed some branches out of my face so I could see what was happening, and almost immediately regretted my action : emerging from the shadows, a familiar emaciated frame stepped into the light, revealing the image I had tried to chase from my thoughts ever since last night.

The creature stood here, and for a second, I wondered what it was doing. Soon enough, it turned its head towards the depth of the woods, where I saw several shadows converge on the first monster. My eyes widened in horror as I counted now five of the things standing in group in the clearing, their bloodied nostril flaring as their head swiveled around, trying no doubt to catch a specific smell.

‘Why would people put smell recognition in their animatronic anyway?’ I mused as the “elks” moved around. One of the elks suddenly rose to a two-legged stance, the lights dancing in its eye sockets locking onto my position. It howled ominously and the members of the pack followed suit, turning towards me. Heat left my body as time seemed to stand still.

The pack was starting to advance. I could try to run, but the effort would be wasted against an entire pack. I quickly looked at the surrounding trees, but their branches were too high to even think about climbing. Still under the bush, I moved my hand over the belt holding the crossbow. I then quietly armed the weapon, loading a bolt and locking the rope behind it, internally cursing myself for not verifying if the weapon was in working condition sooner. With my luck, the tension applied on the wooden frame would brake it, and the sound would definitely attract them towards me.

The feeling of dread returned more powerful than before as I raised the medieval armament.
Cold droplets of sweat ran down my neck. Sounds from the outside were dimmed to a distant whisper as a burst of adrenaline allowed my hands to regain some shred of steadiness.

I pointed the crossbow towards the nearest creature, and as a soundless breath escaped my lips, the bolt soared through the air as a streak of light, flying towards its target with unbelievable speed. The creature had no time to react as the projectile reached its target, steel meeting flesh and bone, shattering the first and tearing the last, reducing what used to be the beast’s head to a gory cloud.

The animal fell limp, crashing on the ground. As I was hurriedly cocking my crossbow, a crackling noise coming from the dead body distracted me. A yellowish fog had slowly surrounded the dead predator’s body, and before I could make a witty remark about the nature of the cloud resembling that of a cartoon fart, the whole thing suddenly burst in flames, engulfing the carcass in a raging inferno.

Soon, the entire body had been consumed by the fire, the only reminder of the creature’s presence was the greyish ash that had gathered on the ground. I stood here, mouth agape, unable to process what just happened before me, my eyes desperately trying to relay information to my failing brain.

The sudden death of what must have been the pack leader impressed greatly the rest of the monsters, as they all began to step back. ‘Too slow’, I thought, reloading the crossbow. Another flash of chrome, another sickening crack, and another body fell to the ground, spontaneously igniting. Unable to find the thing killing their pack members, the creatures backed away, before going into a full blown sprint towards the opposite side of the forest, their tails between their legs howling as they did.

I waited a full minute, blankly looking at the “remains”—if one could call a pile of smoldering ashes remains. When I could manage enough willpower to move and finally approach the dead animal’s “body”, I knelt down and moved the wooden pieces away, internally hoping to find a mechanism of some sort behind it. I moved the dust away, only to find charred dirt under.

My eyes widened in horror. These things were not robots. They were true “living” beings. Since they all looked the same, it had to be the general look of the species. ‘How could something like that even exist?!’ I stood up, almost falling back due to the lack of energy left in my legs. Turning away from the charred circle left on the ground to look at my surroundings.

As it turned out, the “small” clearing I had spotted from the tree was way larger than what I had previously thought. The meadow was cas in two parts by a deep ravine, creating a large “island” in the middle.

On this lonely piece of land sat what I had correctly surmised to be ruins. Indeed, the remains of a once impressively large castle laid in complete disrepair, moss and bushes growing out of the porous mortar in between the old stones. I looked incredulously at the sight in front of me. How the hell did a european-style castle arrive in this forest?!

Deciding to satiate my curiosity, I searched for a way to reach the other side. After a few minutes, I spotted an old wooden rope bridge joining the two parts together. I gulped, seeing as many of the wooden planks had fallen off. If the bridge was half as old as the castle, going through the dilapidated construct was a clear death warrant. I walked up the the large
rope holding the bridge together, and tugged at it, testing its resilience, and was surprised as the fabric held fast, looking as good as a newly made one.

Temptation building inside me, I still decided to look down the ravine. A steep drop of at least thirty meters greeted me, and I suddenly remember I had a fear of heights, my brain blacking out for a split second. Coming back to my senses, I backed away cautiously from the edge, afraid the abyss might swallow me if I stared too long at it, a few droplets of sweat dripping down my back.

Looking up at the sky, I saw the sun was close to reaching its peak. Around eleven then? As if on cue, I heard my stomach emit a low rumble. Good thing I always had some snacks in my bag. I couldn’t eat here, knowing the demonic elks from earlier might still be close by.
I looked back at the rope bridge, fear and resignation fighting a raging battle in my mind.

Gripping and tugging again the cord, ascertaining my decision, I let out a shaky breath, before putting weight on the first plank. Seeing as it did not break under my weight, I moved the second feet, still firmly grasping the thick and robust rope. I progressed slowly, sometimes having to jump over a cracked or missing plank.

“Who the hell was in charge of the construction planning!” I grumbled as I nearly missed a step. “You had enough stones to build a freaking castle, but when making the only road to reach it, you decide to make it out of shitty wood and strings?!” Apparently, the head architect’s spirit still roamed around the place, as the plank on which I just walked on suddenly broke in half. Fortunately for me, I still had a firm grip on the main rope, holding onto it for dear life as my footing was brutally taken away from me.

“Don’t look down, dont look down, don’t look…Oh god dammit I looked down!” The bottom of the ravine was at least eighteen thousand kilometers deep! ‘Is this the entrance of Hell?’ I wondered, my left leg, which was still on a solid plank weakening at the sight. Managing to keep my bladder in check, I held my grip on main life-line to the point where my knuckles grew white, and shifted my balance back onto the previous wooden platform.

The rest of the hazardous walk happened without incident, and as my feet finally touched the other side, I released a relieved sigh, before letting myself fall on my backpack. On the bright side, I did more exercise in two days than I did in my entire existence!... Now that I realise it, that thought alone is quite depressing.

I rose from my previous position, and took the first good look at the castle in front of me. The two large wooden doors that must have stood proudly as the first sight the visitors had of the glorious edifice were now bashed in, the wood partially rotten away and worm-eaten. The ornate door knockers were placed strangely low. ‘These people were significantly smaller than our actual average size.’ I thought as I touched the knocker.

Statues placed on both sides of the entrance seemed to be made out of a material that reminded me of marble. There were now sadly reduced to rubble, the only intact part being the plinth. Writing on said plinth used an alphabet I was completely unfamiliar with. From the looks of it, the written language appeared to be a mix between idiographic and syllabic system, several symbols mixing with smaller, letter-type characters. Taking my phone out, I quickly snapped a picture of it. ‘If no one had heard of this language, then I might have stumbled upon a new civilization!’ I thought excitedly.

Pushing one of the massive doors inwards--an causing it to promptly fall off of its rusted hinges--, I took my first step into the old structure. I looked around, impressed: while the outside seemed unassuming, the inside was surprisingly well preserved. Tables and chairs, all with intricate carvings that could only come from the most skilled craftsman of the time, stood in the middle of the massive room. Some books, their pages yellowed by time, laid on the ground in disarray, far away from the large oak bookcases which used to house them.

Goblets made of various metals shining in the sunlight that filtered through the large holes in the ceiling stood along with plates of the same quality, collecting dust in this forgotten place. I looked with an unexplainable sense of nostalgia at the scene in front of me. ‘What caused these people to abandon this land? Was it an attack? Did they die to some mysterious disease?’ I let my hand mae contact with the cold stone of the largest table, revelling in the cold feeling that was transmitted through it.

From what remained of the ceiling still hung large tapestries, emblazoned with the colors and symbols of their ancient owners. among them, two stood out from the rest: they were the largest ones and stood above the far end of the room, their triangular end a meter away from two massive chairs --‘thrones’ I corrected myself observing the hanging fabric.

The first had an orange base colour, depicting a stylized sunrise behind a mountain range. Gold threads of precious fabric intertwined with the curly forms symbolizing the sunrays, the light-reflecting metal catching the attention of the onlookers--and mine.

The second was contrasting with the first one, as its main theme was that of a waxing crescent of the moon high in the night sky. The same mountain range depiction as the first one this time plunged in darkness. The royal blue fabric used for most of the tapestry was only interrupted by the silver-plated thread coursing through the crescent of the moon.

I stood still, eyes locked on the symbolized night aster, my brain blacking out again. After the windows no boot failure mode was engaged and my mind could focus again, I shook my head. That was the second time in a single day. Hope I didn’t catch something.

I looked at the tapestries again. Something about them seemed familiar...I tilted my head in thought. Suddenly, it clicked, and my eyes widened. It was completely similar to what the castle in the show looked like! Now that I looked around, everything look eerily similar to how the the sister’s castle appeared in the cartoon.

That thought alone was enough to provoke a chain reaction. In a second, all the events that happened in the two days came into memory. The creatures, the castle in the middle of nowhere, the climate change, the compass disruption...The teleportation. It all came crashing down as a wave of nausea hit me. I shook my head in disbelief.

“No, there’s got to be a better explanation…” I said as I walked around aimlessly. “I’d rather believe that a secret government project backfired at my flat and teleported me all the way in the middle of Amazonia than thinking that!” I yelled at myself for thinking such a thing to be possible. Lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice that my current trajectory was leading towards the wall on the decorative sets of armors standing at attention near it.

Crashing painfully against the smooth stones, I fell on my back, shaken by the sudden impact. Trying to stand up, I didn’t notice the suit wobbling from the vibrations sent by my recent collision, and inevitably fell upon me in a loud clatter of metal. Once the avalanche stopped, I pushed the parts of the armor away from me. I froze as a specific part rolled away on the cold marble ground. It was a helmet with an elongated front.

That alone was not what caused my blood to turn to ice. A long metal horn protruding from the forehead of the equine-shaped helmet. I stood up in shock, looking at the rest of the armor: there were no gauntlets or boots, but four hoof-shaped tubular leggings. The pauldron, instead of a large plate of metal, was instead thinner but longer. I looked at the other suits, and they all followed the first in their forms.

I backed away, my quickening heartbeat becoming painful as I found that breathing was becoming difficult. As if on cue, my wounds began hurting as well, sensation, combined with the rest, became too much for me to handle. I ran. Away from the castle, from the sight that proved my worst fears to be true. I pushed past the doors and went outside, tears brimming in my eyes.

‘If I truly was where I thought I was, then my family…’ I ran, towards the bridge, before tripping on one of the pieces from a nearby statue and falling front first on the grass. ‘I can’t accept it!’ I rose my head, looking at the distant mountains. ‘I refuse…it’s not fair...’A ray of light reflected from on of the farthest mountains blinded me for a second. I squinted at the height to distinguish a shape connected to the side of the peak, several pointed towers emerging from it, a small flow of water falling under the alabaster architecture.

This last sight acted like a trigger, causing me to slump back against the ground. “No…”
Everything clicked in: the unearthly creatures, the failing localization system, the ruins in the middle of the forest. Tears rolled down my cheeks as the barrier broke, opening the gates for my feeling to explode.
I laid there, unable to talk or move, as the remembrance of the caring faces of my parents and sister appeared in my mind. Those faces I would never see again. I could not bear it any longer, and in the clearing I was in, I cried, harder and louder than I ever did in my whole life. All the memories we had shared together became a swirling maelstrom of despair that shook my entire body as powerful wails escaped my throat. I cursed this world and the fate that brought me here as I let the hatred that filled my heart out, only to leave bitterness in the whole it tore.

I lost track of time, my thoughts mixing together in a an incoherent mess, exhausting the last ressources I had stored within. My vision lost focus on this world that seemed greyer and duller, my mind shattering with the emotions running rampant through it.

My eyes closed, and I for once welcomed the sleep, bringing a sweet relief to the pain I felt as I lost consciousness, in the clearing now bathed in the warm midday light.

---

Not far from there, two shadows soared through the skies, their slitted eyes scanning the forest with otherworldly precision for anything out of the ordinary. The sleeping human went completely unnoticed as something in a specific meadow caught their attention.

“What is it?” The first shadow spoke.

“I have no idea,” the second replied “but we need to report it to the rest of the team”.

Comments

[Stlat]

“Kate” my shaky voice said. - Error404commanotfound
got teleported to an inhospitable place with mutants roaming inside!” - Outside, perhaps? Not sure if mess up or I've just read this wrong.
“And your dad.” Added a much deeper voice. - Make this one proper thought by removing the period and replacing it with a comma. I saw this is a few other moments in this chapter but I'm too lazy to go back to gettem all.
“You know it is not polite to go alone to a trip without inviting your parents?”I laughed. - Space is needed at end.
“Are you a fighter Pete?” Yelled the drilling sergeant voice inside the speakers. - Comma between fighter and Pete and make yelled a lowercase.
“I will come back, I promise you” I said, not feeling confident myself. - Missed comma
I was not doubting of my sister, but hearing that you son - Your son*
Seeing I was not answering, she sighted. - Sighed
“Well, do you have the plans for the generator Kate?” - Comma needed before Kate.
“Hey! This was not my fault, okay? I was seven! How could I know metal plates were not compatible with the microwave?!”This only - Space needed @ end.
It is always such a pleasure to have you trying to lift my spirits. I thought with a roll of my eyes. - Sounds awkward when it's two sentences.
I do not even need to build a generator! I thought with glee. - Again, awkward. And who honestly fully says, "do not," when thinking to themselves in excitement?
Well, I suppose I do not have a choice then. I must start to locate potential food sources. - Tense fail or you forgot to add the, "I thought," at the end.
I sighted. - Bruh.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Good night Kate,” I answered, before hanging the phone.
I looked back at the forest through the window. Well, I suppose I do not have a choice then. I must start to locate potential food sources. I gulped, and then turned towards a small carton filled with bubble wrap. I rummaged a bit through it before pulling a wooden crossbow. I looked at it, remembering the day when I finished building it. It was quite powerful and fired the wooden bolts at a very satisfying distance. My gaze then turned towards a small carton just on the side of the one containing the weapon. I sighted. Guess I’m not training anymore, I thought, as I opened the box, revealing twenty neatly stacked steel bolts shining in the afternoon light.
This time, I decided to head east. That way, I would certainly avoid the ‘elk’ I met earlier if the north was his territory, and maybe spot some potential food source. I walked into the maze formed by the impressively large trees that in all likelihood decided this morning to block my path by all possible means, carefully keeping an eye on the compass all the while. - There is no scene change to indicate that Pete even slept the night, it had me thinking that he just went out in the middle of the night with the convenient crossbow until my brain noticed something wasn't right.
I would gladly apply a lotion on those wounds, if I had any. - Would have gladly applied some lotion*
My medical cabinet only had the strict necessary, and let’s say it, burns does not happen that often. - necessities, and, let's say it, burns do not happen that often.
I carefully removed some branches out of my face so I could see What was happening, - A random capitalized What appears!
However, they had much more details in them and probably were even more dangerous than the original ones. I chuckled. Luckily for me, they were just automatons. - Automatons and bots? Dafuq, did I miss some reference here or have I just gone full retard?
their tail between their legs. - Tails*
I climbed down the tree, nearly missing some steps on the way back, and ran West as the twigs and - Only capitalize a direction if it's in a proper noun.

I was not on earth anymore, and would probably never return home. - Capitalize Earth.
My mind in some twisted pleasure, decided to remind me of the good moments I had with them, - First part sounds awkward.
I sat here, - There.
I spent hours unloading my sorrow and dolor, leaving me broken, exhausted. - which left me broken and exhausted. I don't know, there are a few ways you could word this one that would make it sound a bit less awkward.
There's all the gramatical stuff I found, though I only started this comment half way through the chapter, so yay!

Thoughts overall? You really got a good chuckle outa me with the whole, "Ma porn!" moment along with the moment when he realized the thing was unplugged and thought it was just that simple. The description of the wendigo gave me goosebumps when it stood 6' tall, definitely nailed the, "Oh shit," feeling there.

Pete sounded a bit pretentious at first, "Im'a build a generator!" and, I may have missed it, but why did he chose to treat his burns only after he went exploring in the damn wilderness in his dirty clothes!? And the part where you just introduced the solar panels, a little too unbelievable just like how he had a spare crossbow in working condition with a good supply of steel bolts just in his closet, made me kind of mad. True, while I don't want this guy going full caveman on me and making bone clubs and sodomizing goats, it would be nice to see him at least challenged with the outdoors.
Night had taken its toll on the woods, as most of the sounds of the day had disappeared. Gone were the singing birds, the small critters that moved in the bushes. With the last ray of the sun, they were replaced by the occasional ululation of nocturnal bird of prey; an eerie silence had befallen the entire place.

After an eternity of wandering through the unwelcoming forest, I started to notice the foliage becoming sparse, the night light filtering once again and providing a much clearer view of my immediate surroundings. The trees were fewer as time went on, revealing a path that seemed to lead to the same location I headed to. - Did Pete just grow balls of steel after killing that one Alpha wendigo or something? He now knows that the wendigo's aren't solitary hunters and yet decides to venture off from his mostly safe house into the forest, at what sounds like the dead of the night, and climbs a tree to get a random look about the place. Really breaks his character here as he was previously paralyzed in fear atop his roof for an half hour after the wendigo left last time then he goes onto being some badass that goes out solo into hostile territory.

The vision of the decrepit castle had confirmed what I suspected for a time yet was not ready to accept. All the day, I kept trying to push back the stress and tension that had accumulated the more I stayed here. All the emotions I kept bottled in me were threatening to break the thin barrier of sanity I had build around them, as tears started to well up in my burning eyes. - So you're telling me he's okay with killing a wendigo that disintegrates when he scores a headshot on it, having his home -I thought it was an apartment but it was always described as a full house?- teleported into some small piece if flatland in the middle of a forest and several other enigmas but has his tact break when he sees the obligatory castle of the royal sisters? Also, he hadn't used the crossbow since we weren't told how long and without even checking the thing or taking a few practice shots to get a feel for the thing he manages to dome the Alpha wendigo with his first shot? I call hax.

I also get that he was under some of the worst mental trauma someone could go under, being ripped from everything they knew and held dear in their lives, but when you fall asleep on a cliff line after wailing as loud as you can in a forest that is inhabited by six foot wendigos? Man you deserve to get yo ass chewed on for that.

As for the wendigos, you could've had a much greater feeling of dread with having it be just a single one that stalks him constantly and does other haunting shit to him to lose him sleep; ie scratching at his windows at night, looking in through them and perhaps having Pete come back to a broken into house for the ultimate horror scene. But that was just me, the wendigos served their purpose for obligatory early story action and they did it well enough.

M8, I also swear to god if it was one of the main six, we both know who I'm talkin about here, that spotted in at the very end, I'll bash yer f0kin 'ead in m8e.

Liked this chapter overall, went by quick and left me eager to read the next, wonder exactly how he's going to cope with the situation? OOoo, onto the next!

[Pillow-pony]

7012359
Hi and thanks a lot !
I corrected all the errors you've pointed in this chapter.
I cannot thank you enough for the work you've done for this story! Your support really means a lot for me man.

Sorry again for the "sighted" instead of "sighed" ( I think that's my kryptonite ). i desperately try to destroy them when I see them, but they seem to slip past my --not so-- attentive eye.

Thank you also for pointing at the horrible incoherences in the story. I will try to correct them before tuesday, and correct the other errors in the next chapter.

Thank you again so much, and see you in the next chapter!

Ps: the ponies in this chapter come from a very specific brony fan game. Story of the blanks. If you do not want any spoiler though, don't look up until the next chapter. But after that please play it, it is short yet fun ( and filled with nightmares! ).