Time passed.
Seconds became minutes, and minutes stretched into hours as if time were depleting faster than he could feel and remember.
Evan lay unconscious for more than half a day. Slowly, the sunrise appeared far in the distance, its light piercing through the dark green leaves of the oak trees where his body rested.
The gentle rustling of leaves in the wind filled the forest, calm and ordinary, it's so calm that it was hard to believe a battle had taken place here between Evan and the massive brown bear.
A one sided battle.
The beast was now nothing more than a husk, an empty shell lying beside Evan body. The metallic scent of blood hung faintly in the air but was already fading with time.
And then time passed.
Moments later, Evan stirred slowly, regaining consciousness as though waking from a weeks of sleep.
"Argh…" His voice was weak. "My body hurts… even my head feels like it's splitting apart."
"Shit... what happened to me." Evan mumbled as if asking someone, even though his always alone in that forest.
He slowly pushed himself up, sitting upright and leaning against a nearby oak tree for the support. His vision cleared little by little, and when his eyes finally focused, he froze of what his sight seeing.
The bear's body was grotesque its flesh so thin it seemed hollow, with only its skin and empty eyes remaining. The sight made Evan's stomach turn.
He almost vomiting.
He tried to recall what had happened but his memory was nothing more than just a fragments: the only thing he can remember is that, the beast charging in his direction, and his desperate run, and then darkness.
Everything else was blurred and unreachable in his thoughts.
"Maybe someone helped me while I was out… or maybe… a miracle happened." He muttered, unsettled.
Evan is still confused of what is happening in his situation, and why his experiencing this thing. His experiencing a terrifying and bizarre event in his life for the very first time.
Evan complain aloud. On why a young teen ager like him experiencing this thing. "I'm just only Seventeen years old... Why this things happening to me." his voice is Loud now.
May be he shouted, because of frustrating and exhausting he is.
After a few minutes.
Evan Glancing down, he examined himself. His uniform was still intact in the front, but when he reached around his back, he felt the fabric torn apart. Evan gritted his teeth. "That damn bear…"
With a sigh, he unbuttoned the rest of his ruined uniform and peeled it off, revealing his bare upper body. The uniform was nothing but a rags now, covered with mud and blood, so he tossed it aside.
Remembering the spare clothes in his sling bag, he searched for it eagerly but it was nowhere near him, not even close to the bear's corpse. Panic rushed through him.
"Where's my bag?"
He combed through bushes, rocks, and tree roots until at last, retracing his muddy footprints, he found the bag lying in the dirt. Relieved, he brushed it off and slung it back over his shoulder.
'I need to clean myself… and my things too."
With that thought, Evan began walking again. Hours passed with only the sound of his footsteps, chirping birds, and the whisper of wind for company.
"It's so damn hot," he complained, wiping sweat from his forehead. "Maybe it's just because I'm shirtless."
At last, he stumbled upon a long, clear river. Without hesitation, he rushed forward, kneeling by the edge to drink greedily. The water was cool and refreshing, lined with smooth stones, wildflowers, and patches of green grass.
"Aah… finally. Cold water." He chuckled faintly, savoring the taste.
Evan stripped off the rest of his clothes, slacks, shoes, socks, even his underwear and set them aside with his bag for safety.
He dipped into the river, washing away mud and grime. His hand touched his back where a wound should have been, but his skin was smooth, unscarred. Every bruise, every cut, every broken rib is gone.
"Miracles do exist…" he whispered.
When he finished, he dried off and pulled on his spare white t-shirt, his old slacks, and shoes. Feeling refreshed, he prepared to move on.
He recalled something he had once heard in a survival documentary: "If you're lost in a wilderness with no supply of food, drinks or any stuff that could help you survive, then follow the river trail. It will eventually lead you to something that could help you."
"Maybe I'll find a trail of people or maybe… maybe a bridge… if not maybe even a village if I'm gonna be lucky." he said with a faint smile.
For two hours he followed the river. The sun dipped low, painting the sky orange and slowly becoming dark purple. Evan Deciding it was too dangerous to continue in the dark he's just gonna rest tonight and tomorrow he would continue to follow the river, Evan then slowly walking in the direction of the dark brown oak tree and rested beneath it.
He looked up at the endless night sky. Stars glittered across the vast territory of heavens, dozens of stars and colors that shined for him, just him, it was bright and sharp at the same time. A strange feeling he felt peace filled him but also calmness.
He's experience in this new environment are very confusing from the start and then terrifying in the middle and lastly bizarre experience.
Evan looked up in sky.
"When was the last time I looked at the stars like this?" he murmured. 'It's… beautiful. I wish I could be like them, shining forever like a diamond in to the infinite and deep space."
Sleep claimed him under the starry sky.
By morning, the sun's warmth roused him from his slumber. After a quick drink from the river, Evan then pressed on to follow the guide in documentary he'd watched.
Not long after walking for more than hours now, his stomach growled painfully.
"Ugh, I'm starving." Evan complain.Where the hell am I supposed to get food out here in the middle of nowhere?"
He trudged forward, hunger gnawing at him until, far in the distance, he spotted something.
A silhouette of a huge village. And towering building maybe, and rising above the treetops.
Hope surged through him as if god is with him.
"Maybe I wasn't transported to another world after all… maybe this is still the modern world I lived."
For the first time since the nightmare began, a smile spread across his face. Slinging his bag tighter over his shoulder, Evan walked toward the silhouette.
Towards hope.