Lycan Rising Chapter 3

Chapter 3 - Returning to a Familiar Place

I stumble forward blinking my eyes. I feel dizzy and my vision is blurred. Where am I? Practically dragging my feet I trip on a branch lying across the ground and fall down onto my knees. My reflexes seem sluggish and I am just able to catch myself before my face hits the ground. I look at my scratched palms and watch the blood come to the surface and drip onto the ground but I feel no pain. It’s so… surreal. I feel so disconnected, it’s like they aren’t even my hands. I sit back and try to clear my head. My whole body feels like it is submerged in a viscous liquid. I must be drugged. Even my thoughts seem to be running in slow motion. Is this a dream?

I shake my head in an attempt to clear the cobwebs from between my ears. But it only serves to make me feel sick. I lean to the side and vomit. I look at it for a second and realize I don't remember the last time I ate. I don't remember much. It’s really scary not to remember. I don't remember how I came to be on this dirt road or where I had been before arriving here. The last thing I remember is hiking in the Alps. And I was admiring the spring blossoms everywhere. It feels like… a long time ago.

I sit there for a moment and take in my surroundings. Its late evening and dark storm clouds are rolling across the sky. Cracks between the clouds create rivers of red and gold. Thunder booms in the distance. And I hear the sounds of nocturnal creatures beginning to stir about. The smell of rain hangs in the air. I usually cherish this time of day and the feeling the atmosphere has before a thunderstorm, but this time it’s just ominous.

I watch the fog roll slowly across the ground and meander around the tall trees. Like a carnivorous beast it eats away at the landscape. I look at how the trees line the dirt road I have found myself on and can’t help but think this road looks familiar. Yellow and brown leaves ride the wind. I watch their futile struggle against gravity. They glitter with the beams of twilight. And I sigh as they hit the ground, a conclusion that was always predetermined. It’s a true metaphor of life and fate. Little did I know, what fate had in store for me. All that is will meet its end. I shiver as a cold breeze wraps around me. Winter is coming.

Wait a second. As I look around I realize that there is a huge amount of time I cannot account for. How much, I am not sure but at least six months is missing from my memory. My whole body shivers once again but this time it is not a reaction to the cold.

Sitting still and clearing my head has alleviated some of my ailments. I stand up, maybe a little too quickly. My sight goes black and I take a shaky step forward. I take a deep breath and start to walk slowly down the road. Where will this lead me? I am not sure but my gut tells me I’m going the right way. My sense of direction has never failed me.

Dusk is an unusual time of day. Where shadows dance and play with your imagination. It starts slowly but then night comes swiftly. Before you know it the day is gone and night quickly and silently surrounds you. Some place you know by the daylight can become foreign under the cover of darkness.

I walk for what seems like 20 minutes give or take. The road bends left and right curving with the terrain and around massive trees. The dense forest on either side makes it difficult to see where the road goes. Even without the forest I doubt I would be able to see much. The dark storm clouds overhead block out any light the stars or moon would have given me. I can barely see five feet in front of me. Out of the darkness eyes peer at me. They are cautious and watch me, the intruder in their world.

What’s that? I think I see a light up ahead. I can’t help but think of the lyrics from Hotel California:

On a dark desert highway, cool wind in my hair
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light

For a second I wished I could remember the rest of the song. I turn the corner and the trees pull back from the road. I find myself in a large field and I can see a house in the distance. In that instant, I recognize where I am. I am at my parents’ farm. No wonder the road looked familiar. I grew up here. I used to hike the woods and play in the tall grass when I was a child. I haven’t been here in such a long time. My father, Max and I have never really seen eye to eye. Even so I am glad I am somewhere I know. I run to the house.