Upon nothing

Ch 22

When I woke up and found myself surrounded by trees, I didn't know what to think of it at first. The sight of such things weren't something I had ever expected to see again following my forceful transformation and imprisonment. I wasn't sure if I was just dreaming it or if I was actually somehow free.

The good news was that I learned I wasn't dreaming, but the bad news was that I also learned I wasn't free either.

Following my discovery of the truth, I remained within the hollow tree. With the men still out there looking for me, it was the safest place I've found so far. Sure it was pretty tight and cramped inside, and the bottom was far from comfy. But given that it was a place that wasn't exactly out in the open, the option won by a landslide.

Inside the tree, I was left to my thoughts, my brain processing everything I learned. I could say that, compared to earlier, I had a better understanding of my situation. However a few things still eluded me, my mind trying to make sense of the few unknown details.

As for what I knew, one main thing is that I was still trapped inside the base. This 'forest' is technically real, the trees not being plastic and the ground being made of actual dirt. But remembering the encounter with the wall of screen, I came to the conclusion that I was currently in some sort of field or testing place. I didn't know how to describe it, but the closest resemblance was to the battle royale field in the hunger games.

I honestly didn't know how I failed to realize it earlier. Like, waking up in the woods after being caged up didn't entirely make any sense. The collar was also another sign that I was far from free. The electric shock that woke me up proved that they could still trigger the damn thing. In spite of that, the fact they had me here meant I was likely in some sort of test or experiment. But of course, that was a question that I had no clue what the answer was.

"What exactly am I supposed to do?" I asked myself, hoping that it might help my brain click.

Being thrown in this place was bad enough, but not knowing what they wanted me to do wasn't helpful. There was no way they just left me here to lollygag around without a care in the world. There was a purpose or reason I was here, and until I found it out, I was going nowhere.

I sighed before taking a moment to check outside the tree. I got up from the floor and jumped up to the hole and peeked through it. My eyes then scanned everything that was in sight, making sure that there wasn't anything suspicious and that the area was clear of any bad guys. I hadn't seen or heard anything after the two men walked away, and I personally hoped it stayed that way.

After confirming it was clear, I let go and fell back into the confined cavity of the tree. I didn't exactly have a plan or idea yet, which is why I remained here. The place was safe for now, but something just told me that it wouldn't last forever. At some point, the men would eventually see the hole and check inside to see me at the bottom. If that happened...I don't have any clue, but it'd either involve me running again or being captured.

As much as I tried to think of a solid plan, it was difficult to say the least. Part of it was that my plan would be set up depending on the purpose of me being here, which I still haven't figured out yet. Honestly, if I was just supposed to hide from the people, I'd say I was doing a good job. If the entire purpose of all this was for me to sneak around and not be caught, then I honestly might just stay in here.

The idea definitely seemed like a good one, but the main flaw is not knowing how long I'd be here.

Sure, I could remain here and wait it out, but there wasn't exactly a timer or something to tell me how long this would be. Maybe it would only be a little while longer before it came to an end, but the same could be said that it could be much longer. I had no food or water on me, and I had no intention of drinking from the small ponds.