A structure
He was lucky, for he was able to spot the said prints on the ground; all he had to do was to follow them until it would lead them to his destination or at least close enough for him to find what he was seeking in the first place. He couldn't be picky in this situation; everything that could help him was welcomed, even if it was small...
He walked for what seemed to be hours, without getting any results at all; he expected to find something, but nothing came to him. It was strange that this forest was quiet, but perhaps it was due to the fact that he, himself, was a making a lot of noise, yelling the name of his lost friend, trying to attract him toward his location, without any success, as if he wasn't present in this forest anymore.
However, the tracks were leading somewhere and he needed to find out where; perhaps it would lead him to his friend, although there was a chance that it could also lead him to a premature demise. But he couldn't dwell in fear, not when his friend needed him; he had to press forward, until he would unveil the secret that this forest was hiding.
As he looked in front of him, he was able to see what looked like a facility; perhaps this was where his friend was trapped... or hiding, for he wasn't sure if he was truly missing or just trying to avoid some sort of responsibility.
It was strange to see this sort of building in the middle of nowhere, but he saw weirder, due to his life experience. Perhaps it was some sort of survivalist camp, abandoned for now, but that would be used later in the year. Or maybe it was a paranoid bunker, made by someone that was engrossed in conspiracies and delusions.
Either way, it wasn't his task to determine what its true nature was; all he needed to do was to enter it and find him, although he wondered how he would be able to do such a thing. He wasn't able to see neither a door nor any sort of opening; perhaps there was some sort of secret code or underground tunnel that linked this facility to the outside world, although he had his doubts about it.
Why would someone build something that sophisticated in the middle of the woods anyway, if they wanted to avoid contact with civilization, when they could pick an area so far away from the rest of the world that nobody would even think about searching for clues about its existence in the first place. But maybe he placed too much importance on the location; after all, it had to have some sort of importance to be here in the first place, for it couldn't be here without any sort of reasons...
Lost in his thoughts, he wasn't able to hear the ruffling of the leaves around him, as if something, or someone was trying to sneak up upon him. Turning his head around, he saw a few branches moves, wondering if this was the work of the wind or a sentient animal around; there was no purpose in dwelling in fear when there was no danger lurking around.
Or that's what he believed, when a hand grabbed him, placing a cloth over his face. It smelled strong, as if it was doused in chemicals. Although he wasn't sure what doused the material in question, he knew well enough what purpose it had, for he could feel its effect affecting his body.
He could feel his body going limp, the energy fading from his members as the chemicals entered his bloodstream; he felt weak, too weak to stand up. It was the hand that was keeping him up on the ground, although he knew that when the darkness would claim him, it would let him fall on the earth, only to drag him to wherever it wanted him. If only he had been more careful, he could have avoided this dreadful fate...
Written by zanian on 04 October 2014