The breeze from my window wakes me up as tendrils of cool air wrap around my body causing me to shiver. My muscles automatically slapped towards the area where my alarm clock reigns its obnoxious melody in the morning but instead, my palms felt the distinct crunch of something dry and foreign. Opening my eyes, the early hours of sunlight were cast across the treetops that were surrounding me. Panic immediately grasped my throat as I looked down. Blood covered my hands and knees, my shirt had been ripped to shreds, my shoes were missing. The back of my head was sticky and pounding to the rhythm of my heart. My neck felt hot with pain but I couldn’t find the source. What the hell happened to me? Where am I? The only thing I can do is get up and move. Checking my pockets only caused more confusion. My phone was shattered. My wallet was missing my driver’s license while a debit card with an entirely different name on it found its way into my possession.
“Tabatha Jones,” my frail voice whispered in confusion, “who is Tabatha?”. I scanned the trees surrounding me without really knowing what else to do. Something in my gut told me I wasn’t meant to wake up. I replayed the last thing I remembered at least a hundred times, trying to piece what the hell happened to me, but couldn’t remember anything after waking up in my bedroom.
I began my walk, only seeing trees and underbrush for miles. What was I doing yesterday? My job interview. Norton and Peterson Law Firm. Panic bubbles in my throat again, escaping in a nervous giggle.
“I’m stranded in an unknown forest, but I’m worried about my interview with a law firm, I need to re-evaluate my priorities,” mumbling to myself, already hating the silence of the forest. I could finally see where the foliage around the forest was beginning to thin when I heard crunches of leaves in the distance.
Darting behind the closest tree, I froze and anxiously waited until I could hear the area where the noise came from. A quick shuffle of sound came from my left where I saw a fox sprinting across leaves under a tree vanishing in a blur. I relaxed, realizing I had been holding my breath unintentionally. My stomach churned and my head began to pound. When did I eat last? I looked at my wrists where scarred burns ran up my forearm. The marks didn’t look fresh or feel sensitive to the touch. My palms, which were sticky with blood and ached to the touch, were covered in dirt and debris from the forest. I looked at my shirt to see it ripped from the right shoulder to the belly button where only a few strands bridged the gap between the material. My shorts were still intact and on correctly, but my shoes were missing. My socks were already soaked in sweat and coated in a layer of dirt as I continued my trek through the woods.
The sun was bright overhead as I picked up a short and solid branch and broke off its tiny limbs. It wasn’t much but without any knowledge of how I ended up here, I needed to have something to use as a form of defense. I paused for a moment after I painfully crossed a ditch and heard the flow of a creek in front of me. A surge of energy crashed over me as I sprinted towards the sound. The glistening creek seemed to have been touched by god, its replenishing waters dancing across moss cover stones. My knees dropped to the mossy bank as I tossed my branch aside. I winced in joyous agony as I dove my bruised hands into the comforting current. The cold water danced over my hands rinsing away the debris. I cupped my hands and brought the cold water to my mouth. A sweet sigh of relief escaped my lips as I felt the cool rush soothe my dry throat.
Snap!
I froze.
My heartbeat’s drum solo rang loud in my ears as I looked up. Across the two-foot divide of water ferocious amber eyes bore into me. I couldn’t feel my legs past the vibrations of panic that were coursing through me. She stepped forward into the water’s edge, never breaking eye contact with me.
Her lips were curled in authority. Exposing an array of razor-sharp teeth as a low guttural growl rumbled in her throat. Her coat, a brilliant blend of earth tones, camouflaged her every move until the precise moment when she decided to make her move. Which happened to be two feet away from me on possibly the most confusing and terrifying day of my life. Slowly I withdrew my hands from the cool creek while I kept my stare on the Alpha female. My muscles screamed in agony begging me to run for my life but her eyes were locked on me. I wouldn’t be able to turn around before she lunged. No. This was a challenge.
I began inching my way into a bow as I held eye contact. She began to step forward and then hesitated. She was watching my slow descent to the ground with bare teeth. I broke eye contact and immediately squeezed them as tight as humanly possible. If I didn’t see it coming, maybe it wouldn’t hurt as bad when the wolf quit humoring me. My forehead touched the rocks on the edge of the water. I sat like this for what felt like hours, terrified of risking any movement. I couldn’t stand waiting any longer. I raised my head, only to discover I’m alone. I scanned my surroundings, trying to spot her eyes lingering somewhere in the dense greenery around the creek.
Nothing.
I cautiously stood and grabbed my branch. Someone once told me if I was ever lost to find a river and follow it. Does this count? With no other ideas to consider, I started walking upstream. The pounding in my head found its way to the center stage of my mind as my panic-induced adrenaline rush was over. I knew I at least had a concussion. There is a thick patch of blood on the back of my head. How did it get there?
While deep into my thoughts I tripped over something in the leaves and tumbled to the ground. Blue converse sneakers. What color were mine? I pulled at one of the shoes to see what size it was, only to discover it was attached to a foot, which of course was attached to the rest of a person. My voice instantly burrowed deep inside my subconscious as I took off running.
“Wait!” I heard someone shout as my dirtied socks pounded over roots and leaves taking me far away from anyone in the forest of my living nightmare. I just need to reach a city. A rainbow of greens and browns blur past me as I willed myself to keep going. The hustle and bustle of a freeway found my ears as I begged my legs to carry me home. Hurdling over bushes and fallen tree limbs, my destination grew closer. My feet make it to the freeway’s barrier.
Darkness.
“Tabatha?”
I feel my eyes flutter, trying their damnedest to open. I try to move my hand but it feels like I’m in cement.
Darkness.
“If you can hear me, baby, I’m here. I’m not leaving your side.” A warm voice wrapped itself around my soul as I felt a tingling spread over my body sprouting from my fingertips. An intoxicating scent sat next to me, almost familiar. I tried to reach for him, straining against this invisible weight trying to get his attention.
“Tabatha?” The voice sounded surprised. Holy shit did it work? I strained again, this time focusing on my eyes.
Slowly a blindingly bright room came into a hazy focus. I was in a hospital room. To my left was a man who appeared to be in his early thirties crouched over in his chair. His pitch-black hair hung over his face as his palms hid his tears like a mask.
“Come back to me” I heard him brokenly whisper.
“Who is Tabatha?” My dry raspy voice broke the silence.
The man’s eyes shot upwards in surprise. His stare struck me like lightning and he instantly smiled. His bright green eyes danced with mischief as he grinned an almost familiar grin.
“Why don’t you tell me?” He said as he wiped his nose and chuckled. We sat in silence for a moment while I tried to solve the seemingly impossible riddle.
“I don’t understand. How would I know who Tabatha Jones is, she isn’t me,” I tried to shout, and failed due to my desert dry throat.
“Sweetheart, you’ve had another episode.”
Suddenly my mental fog lifted, and I snapped back into reality. Grant sat next to my bed, clutching my hand in his protective grip, relief washed over his face as I sat up.
“What happened this time?”