The Abandoned Forest

• Amy Franov, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2016

I woke to the sound of birds chirping from the trees. As my eyes slowly started to adjust to the misty, foggy air, I saw outlines of people lying on the floor around me. The area looked like a forest. A horrible stench was coming from next to me. I turn around and see a person, he must be dead. I put my hand on their chest to check their heart beat, it was going slower and slower, boom…boom…then it stopped. Cold shivers went down my spine. “What am I doing here? How did I get to his place?” confusion filled my thoughts.
As I start to get up I fumble. My legs were like jelly and I couldn’t stop shaking. My fear was starting to overtake my body. I decide to try and get up again; the muscles in my body are aching. I’m standing up. I start to walk around to see more of my surroundings.
As I keep walking I hear a noise coming from behind me. As I slowly turn around I feel a sharp pain in my neck. I put my hand on my neck to feel if there is anything there. It feels as hard as metal. They must have given me a chip so they can track us. I hear a noise again, but I can’t see anyone or anything. I yell out just in case “Is anyone there?” no response. I must be imagining things.
On the way I find footprints, they look fresh, maybe these footprints came from the people who brought us here? I decide to follow them just in case, hoping that it’ll lead me to people who can help.
As I trod through the dense forest, I get a funny feeling that I’m not alone. Weird noises are coming from the branches. I start to feel sick in my stomach. I decide to climb the tree. Half way up the tree I see more dead people; I fall down and scratch my face. My body just shut down on me. The saw starts to sting, but I must continue.
It’s getting very dark quickly. I should look for somewhere to sleep. I decide to climb a different tree and sleep there for the night. It’s not as comfortable as my warm, cosy bed, but it’s all I can think of. There’s not much choice in a forest.
It feels like I have been lying here for ages, I can’t get to sleep. I start to sing myself a lullaby that my Mum sang to me every night. My eyes slowly start to shut. Hopefully when I wake up everything will be back to normal.