The Woods

To whom it may concern

Hey, If your reading this, Then I've probably gone missing. I can assure you that I'm holding on for as long as I can. The last place I went to when writing this was to Eldric forest. Not that I'd imagine anything would happen, but when it comes to long hikes, I love to make sure I keep some record as to where I am and going.

My Journey begins Here.

In my many years of enjoying nature in my hometown's woods, I decided a change of scenery was in order. Visiting some pals in Edric, no one believed me when I told them you haven't lived until you've gone one on one with nature. Without a second thought, they challenged it and asked for my help to get suited up and my guidance into the unknown.

I usually travel light, so my compass, spare clothes, food, and water stay on me. Really the only thing that separates a good and bad hike would be one's navigation skills. I like to feel like I'm the bloodhound of the craft. After I've made sure to duplicate my expert preparations on my crew, we set off. I figured if push comes to shove, we all have cell phones. The woods we were traveling to have a huge radio tower off in the distance, so none of that "No reception" Bull.

From the time we pulled up to the trail's parking lot, things already were taking a turn for the worst; my friends started to roll a blunt, and I didn't bring any for myself. I guess I'll just have to be one with the land from my own euphoria and enjoy the freshest air the world has to offer. So once again, we set off.

We stayed on a path quite well, so we could easily turn around and head back if anybody lost their nerves. But Miss mary kept everyone cool and collected as if they were pros, taking in the scenery. The plan was to spend one night out and head back in the morning. Everything started off fine. We teased the woodland creatures and had caterpillar races... Don't ask; they were high as kites. In my unfortunately sober awareness, I noticed something very chilling as the sun started to set.

As we came to a good resting point, we decided that this would be where we laid the cornerstone for our tents. As I would walk around our temporary domain to check out our surroundings,. I had a strange feeling—a feeling of being watched. I'm used to being watched by other animals out here. Still, what spooked me more was the feeling of being followed. With every step to continue to survey my area, I thought I heard a second set of footsteps in the grass and leaves. Sometimes I would stop short only to hear an extra step in the distance. I would look back to check my crew who were sitting when they should have been pitching a tent and attempting to build a fire. I never ruled out that maybe they were making the ambient noises, and my mind played tricks on me.

The crew managed to construct what looked like a tent; in their defense, we had pretty fancy tents, sturdy and huge, Enough to fit a whole family. Amazingly it came out of a regularly sized duffle bag. There was no need for a fire since it doesn't get cold around here. I wouldn't dare take a bunch of newbies on a true survival trip. We even had pre-heated lunches. We were set. We unzipped the little sky view on our tent, gazed at the sky, enjoyed the silence, and marveled at the tranquility of it all. Made jokes, told 'remember the past' stories, and eventually went to sleep. I figured if we make it until the morning, maybe everything I was worried about was just bumps in the night.

The next morning we woke, I noticed the worst-case scenario and pretty much figured this would be a struggle for our lives. Honestly, when I woke up and gazed at the still unzipped top of the tent, I instantly knew that I would need to be open-minded about everything from this point on. The circumstances were supernatural, and panic is not what we needed at this time. So I snuck out and resurveyed the area to confirm my suspicions. I stood quietly as everyone else slowly woke out of their comas and exited the tent. The crew looked unbothered and drowsy, ready to pack everything up and head back. No one else had noticed.

Luckily for us, we easily found the trail that seems to mimic the exact path back to civilization. We had a late start yesterday, so with all the stops and fun we had, we didn't really journey too far into the unknown compared to some of my regular explorations. It didn't take long before the crew started to realize that things weren't quite right. Some of the site seeing we did and interactions with nature weren't there. The crew would brush this off as us probably not being at the exact spot we recognized these things yet, but I knew the truth.

My squad noticed my stern thinking face as I tried to come up with as many ideas as I could by myself before attempting to convince what had happened to us. Every time I looked around, my suspicions were further confirmed, so at this point, I'm sure I can bring everyone up to speed and try to think rationally. It wasn't until the path came to a three-way split that even the clueless of us realized. This path is different. We never encounter more the one path merging. Before the crew started believing that maybe they missed this detail, I went ahead and spilled the beans. "We're not in the same woods we slept in yesterday."

Even though I know we were all noticing it, no one wanted to be the first to admit it as a small smirk of disbelief covered their faces. But I knew the mask of skepticism was then. I presented the only proof that anyone would realize as I asked my squad, "Where is the cell tower." The one structure that was an eyesore on our unplugged adventure is mysteriously gone. I would like to think that some company came and removed it in a matter of hours and complete silence but realistically, I use that term loosely; it seems we were moved. How and by what we had no answer to.

Being lost was an understatement. I was able to contain my crew's sanity from reaching zero by preposing we climb a tree to see if there are any clearance signs. The woods were dense, a lot denser than when we entered, so it would be easy to see a clearing. What would be constructed in the clearing, hopefully, some form of civilization. It was all we had. Needless to say, checking my phone would have been a troph, but I did anyway. The dreaded "No signal."

So it was agreed that I would climb what we thought was the tallest looking tree looking from the ground. We marked it with a "We were here" message, and we went forward with our plan. With everyone's help, I was able to reach some good gripping points on the bark and made my way up. After some snapped limbs and windy situations, the climb was rather easy. I made it to the top after about 5-10 minutes. What I saw at the top just made me want to rest on the thickest, sturdiest branch. It was hopeless.

The scenery looked like an establishing shot from Jurassic park's Isla Nublar. Trees upon Trees upon more trees for many miles with no end in sight. Another 5 minutes had passed of me gazing and thinking about my body being found out here dead or alive. I resolved that I would be found or reach the edge of whatever trap this was. To my delight, the direction we were traveling did look as if it were traveling downhill, so if we continue in this direction, eventually, we'll exit this labyrinth of woods.

So I climbed down, Hearing my squad cheering me on, impatiently asking, "what did I see?" over and over again. I wanted to keep my composure and footing as I made my way back to earth. When I touched down, I would not be able to tell them the bad news, For no one waited on my return. Although I heard voices just before releasing my grip on the last branch. I was alone. Even the sign we had carved into the tree I climbed had vanished. I made a call out to my friends; they couldn't have gotten too far. Only echo returned my cries. Without tracks or signs of any direction they went, I kept to my plan and headed downhill.

If you're reading this. I've probably not returned, but I am still living on; I know I can put my survival experience to good use. Please come to find me. Bring as many people as you need.