Heart of the Dead Forest

A woman is running through a dead forest, it’s creepy and dense. Her clothes are worn and tattered. The shoulder of her jacket is mended with duck tape. Her handkerchief tied around her neck, soaking up the sweat; strands of her hair stick to her face. She stops, leans against a tree, listens, “Did I loose them?” She doesn’t remember how long she’s been running.

Crouching down, Libi peers around the tree, and with wide eyes looks intently. Her breathe is heavy and shaky. Whoever or whatever was chasing her stopped but she needs to be sure. Looking around her feet, Libi finds a rock. Gathering her strength, Libi picks it up and pulls her arm back throwing the rock as far as she can. ‘Thud’ the rock hits the ground. Libi standing still and using her peripheral vision, waits and listens. Her heart beating in her ears. Trying to convince herself, “Calm down, Libi.” She takes a few deep breathes. No sound of foot steps, no birds, no insects… not even the wind. There’s nothing. The climate is ever changing. It can rain during the sunlit day, and on a cloudy day can be 80% humidity with a 100 degrees heat. Today is sunny and cold but too quiet.

Leaning against the tree, Libi pulls out her very used and dented metal water bottle water, but it’s empty. She starts walking slowly with hearing only her foot steps.

Libi should be used to being quiet but even after three years, it’s still uneasy. Looking straight ahead and trying to see through the trees, something catches her eye. It’s a quick flicker of flashes. Libi jumps behind a tree mouthing, “What is that?” She looks again. It’s tiny but bright.

Though unsure, Libi decides to see what it is but not without caution. She pulls out her small axe held together with duct tape. Stopping halfway feeling, “Maybe is a trap… bait.” Libi doesn’t walk straight toward but in a zig zag formation, not to mention the longest way possible for the shortest distance. She’s about 10 feet away from it and it begins to pour rain. Libi squints her eyes and rubs them hard to see in front of her. It’s a gold heart shaped locket. It’s hanging in the middle of the tree trunk. A super random place for an item during an apocalypse.

Soaked with rain, Libi examines the locket from a distance but doesn’t try to touch it. Why is it hanging there? Who left it? Why did they leave it? Will they come back? Should she take it? There are an infinite reasons on why this locket is hanging off a piece of bark on this tree but Libi can’t decide on what to do. She looks around the ground for any foot prints but all sees her prints in the mud. Softly touching the tree trunk for any levers or hidden doors, some type of booby trap or something, but there’s nothing.

Confused Libi looks at the locket. While studying it, a part of her wants to take it and use it to trade it for whatever she might need but doesn’t because what if it’s a sign for someone else. Before the rain stops, she pulls out her dented metal water bottle to catch the water. Taking a sip she looks up through the dead branches, and feels hot rain falling on her face. She focuses on the failing rain and closes her eyes. For a moment, she’s happy hearing the soft rain. Libi begins to remember when she was a little girl at the family’s cabin looking out the window when it was raining. Her mom made hot cocoa and sat with her watching the rain.

The rain stops interrupting Libi’s moment. Putting her water bottle away to stare at the small gold-heart locket. She’s conflicted what to do next with the precious locket. There is no one around to stop her from taking it but the question repeats, what is stopping her from taking the locket. “It’s just a stupid necklace, why can’t I just take it?” Libi whispers to herself. Exhausted from running and thinking, Libi decides to sit down to rest. She positions herself across from the locket so incase someone else see it, they will be focused on the locket and the noise will alert her.

With the locket in front of her, Libi leans her head back on the tree and stares at the gold, almost studies it. It’s not faded but not too shiny. She’s so tired and her body hurts. Libi closes her eyes. All of a sudden she thinks about her friends she had in high school. There was three of them, and they shared a “Best Friend’s Forever” necklace, split in three parts. They used to drive to a spot that overlooked their city and there they would talk about the future while looking at the stars.

Suddenly, Libi wakes up and frantically looks around. It’s dark and there’s no clouds. Only the stars, dead trees and that damn locket. She reaches into her backpack and pulls out a smaller bag with random pieces of old and some dried-out food. Edible items she managed to scavenge to keep her fading strength strong. Looking at the locket, saying, “I could trade you for a lot of food.” Libi decides to sleep hoping that in the morning she can make a decision about the locket but she too tired to think at that moment.

The next morning, Libi wakes up alert until she sees the locket. “Oh good, you’re still here,” she says playfully. She takes a small drink of water, eats a scrap of food. One thing is for sure for Libi, it’s time to move. Internally, she rationalized taking the locket, “No one will know and who would care?” A defiant Libi attempts to grab the locket. At the same moment, a bird flies over head and the piercing sound stops her. That’s the first bird she’s seen in weeks. Libi’s hand is hovering in front of the necklace but not touching it. She puts her hand down. There’s a distance thunder and the rain starts to fall again. Libi gives a half smile, looks around her, the trees, the sun and then the locket. Libi knows it is best to walk past the tree leaving the locket for the next person to enjoy memories gone past.