The blackness that had clouded my mind and vision started to clear. I was panting. I was out of breath. The forest was moving. No. Not moving. I was moving. I was running. My vision started to clear and I found myself running through the woods. My heart was pounding, my breathing ragged, but I couldn’t stop. I knew that much. It was so shocking that I tripped over a fallen branch, skinning my hands and knees. I knew that I was terrified. I knew that I was not wearing any shoes. I knew that I was in clothes that were much better suited for lounging on my couch than hiking through the middle of the forest. And I knew that my name was…

I didn’t know what my name was. How could I not know my name?

I didn’t know where I was, or how I got here. I didn’t even know what I was running from.

I scrambled to my feet and kept running. I was limping slightly. My ankles were sore and it wasn’t from the fall.

I looked all around me, seeing nothing, I hid myself under the roots of a fallen tree to get my bearings. I grabbed leafy branches to lean against the tree roots, cocooning myself in a makeshift cave. There was just enough moonlight to see the branches and roots around me but nothing else.

I gently probed the sore spots on my ankles with my fingers. There were shallow cuts and what felt like a burn that went all the way around both ankles. My wrists were sore, with similar burns and cuts. My elbows were also badly bruised and my left was swelling and throbbing painfully; it was most likely broken.

Now that the adrenaline was leaving my body, I started to shake uncontrollably. My throat was sore and I was in desperate need of water and food. I had no idea how long it had been since I had had anything to eat or drink.

I slowed my breathing and closed my eyes, desperately trying to gain some insight into why I was here and what I was running from.

Keeping my ears open for sounds of my possible pursuers, I mentally made a list of the things I did know.

The air was warm, so it was most likely summertime.

Based on the burns on my ankles and wrists, I was tied up at one point, which meant that I was most likely taken from my home. My clothes seemed to match that conclusion; unless my shoes were taken and my clothes were changed by whoever I was running from, but I didn’t want to go down that dark path just yet.

My hair had been cut recently, and badly. I ran my fingers through it, catching on the tangles and dead leaves that were trapped in it. It was slightly damp and I could smell a faint flowery scent as I worked the tangles out. I shuddered at the thought that I probably wasn’t the one who washed it.

Most importantly, I knew that I had escaped. And I needed to keep it that way. I couldn’t stay here much longer. My kidnappers – that seemed to be the only logical conclusion I could draw for now – were most likely not far behind. I needed to keep moving. My feet weren’t too badly cut yet, but in the dark, I could easily trip over hidden sticks and rocks and cause some serious damage. I was wearing a sports bra under my tank top, so I took the tank top off to wrap my feet. It wouldn’t do much, but it was all I would be able to manage for the moment. Using my teeth, I ripped the seam on the side, tearing my tank top into two pieces. I wrapped the pieces tightly around my feet, using the straps to hold them in place. I listened for a few more seconds before I gently moved the branches out of the way. I squinted into the darkness to try to detect any sign of my kidnappers, but couldn’t see or hear anything.

I started walking as quickly as I dared, keeping my eyes on the path in front of me, while also listening for any unusual sounds. I needed to find a road, or a cabin, or something that would lead me to civilization. I needed help. I needed water. I needed help.

A twig snapped somewhere off to my left and I froze in place. There weren’t any large enough trees to hide behind, so I leaned up against the nearest one and held as still as possible, hoping my black hair and tanned skin would cause whoever or whatever it was to think I was just a part of the tree. It was a long shot, but I couldn’t move for fear of alerting whoever it was that made the noise.

Leaves crunched and branches snapped. It was getting closer. I squinted into the darkness to try to see what it was, but couldn’t make anything out, yet. My heart pounded as I tried desperately to control my breathing. It was big, whatever it was that was coming near me. I held my breath and resisted the urge to run. It was far too late, now. If he saw me, I was dead. I knew that with absolute certainty. I knew next to nothing else, but I was certain of that.

I almost screamed when a deer sprinted by so close to me that I could feel its body heat. Breathing heavily, I used the deer’s noise to my advantage and ran in the same direction. The sky was turning grey in front of me, so I knew I was at least heading roughly east. It provided me with something to focus on, a direction, a sense of purpose that I let drive me for the time being. Since I had no idea where I was, I couldn’t be sure that the sun would take me further away from civilization, but I figured that eventually I would find something, and I needed to hold on to that.

I kept going until the horizon turned from grey to brilliant pinks and oranges. It was a gorgeous sunrise all things considered, but now that I had sufficient light to see my surroundings better, I slowed to a walk and searched the ground for anything edible. I couldn’t remember my own name, but instinctively, I knew which plants were edible and which should be avoided. I wondered if I was some kind of scout, or maybe an avid camper. My whole body was toned, my stomach flat and hard, my biceps bulging slightly. Maybe I was in the military, or just a really stupid beach bunny. I had absolutely no clue.

It was sheer luck that I found some wild raspberries. I stuffed my pockets with as many as I could carry and focused on the next immediate concern: water. I kept going east, but listened for sounds of a river or stream. Fortunately, my easterly path seemed to be taking me slightly downhill. I could keep my pace quick and not overexert myself.

Hours passed and the scenery hadn’t changed much beyond the occasional thick patch of bushes that I had to navigate around, but I had managed to find more wild berries and some clovers, which didn’t taste the best, but I knew were safe to eat. The sun was now behind me and the clouds were coming in. If I wasn’t careful, I could get turned around pretty easily without the sun to guide me. I needed to find a place to rest and I was still desperately in need of water. So far, there were still no signs of running water, but the clouds seemed dark enough to bring some rain.

Shelter was now my immediate concern. I could build a shelter and a way to catch the rain water. I would be okay.

Sweating, and exhausted, I felt the first drops of rain hit my face. They felt good on my overheating skin. My shelter was done, and I had managed to find some big enough leaves to line a hole in the ground to collect rain water. I opened my mouth and let the gloriously cool drops hit my tongue. Before too long, it began to rain in earnest, and I rushed into my shelter. With only my sweats and sports bra, I couldn’t afford to get wet. A fire was completely out of the question and I had no desire to be kept awake shivering in soaking wet clothes.

My sweats were baggy enough that I had actually managed to curl myself into them like a makeshift sleeping bag. If only I had a pillow, I’d be sleeping in total comfort. I let the sound of the raindrops hitting my shelter lull me to sleep.

It was already daylight when the sounds of people talking woke me with a start. They were near enough that I could hear their conversation. It was a man and a woman. They were animatedly trying to decide who had the heavier pack. I had no way of knowing if they were friend or foe, but since they weren’t trying to be quiet in any way, I took my chances on the former.

“Hey!” I croaked; my voice barely audible. I cleared my throat and scooped some water out of the hole, drinking greedily before trying again. “Hey!” I called much more clearly.

“What in the world?” the man said, startled by my presence. He looked me up and down, assessing my disheveled state. His expression quickly turning from alarm to concern.

“What happened to you?” the woman asked. She was beautiful. Dressed in expensive hiking gear, she looked like she just stepped off the cover of a magazine.

She dropped her pack and began rummaging through it.

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I don’t know where I am or how I got here. I’ve been heading east for over 24 hours, trying to find a road, or something. Anything.”

“Well, we’re here, now,” the woman said gently.

“Where is here?” I asked, hoping for an answer I would recognize.

“You’re in Big Bear, hon,” the woman said, concern etching its way across her flawless features.

“Big Bear?” I tested the words on my lips, but there was no recognition whatsoever. Damn.

“California,” she clarified, but I didn’t need it. I knew that Big Bear was in California and I also knew, somehow, that I was a California native. I guess some things can’t be completely erased.

I frowned as I watched her pull out some gauze and began wrapping my wrists. I seemed to be able to recall vague bits of information, like the fact that I was from California, and I knew that two plus two was four, but I had no idea what high school I went to, or who my family was, or what town I grew up in, or…

The man startled me as he came up behind the woman and looked on with concern. There was something off about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. He made me uneasy for some reason. There was nothing in his appearance or demeaner that would suggest that anything was wrong, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t a friend.

I tried pulling my wrist back from the woman, but she held fast.

“Hold still, I’m almost done,” she said gently, but her iron grip betrayed her.

Inside, I started to panic, but I forced myself to keep my voice steady, and my hands still. “I’m sorry,” I said quietly. “Just hurts a bit.”

“It’s alright. We’re here, now,” she repeated.

“How far away is your camp? I think I need a hospital, the police, maybe,” I said, hoping my uneasiness was just a result of my amnesiac state.

“Oh, you won’t need to worry about all that, hon,” the woman said flippantly.

“What do you mean?” I barely managed to squeak out.

Her grip became vicelike; torture on my bruised and burned wrists. Suddenly, the man grabbed me around the waist and I struggled to get free, but they held me fast.

Instinctively, I went limp and felt the man’s grip on me slacken just enough that I could twist my hands, simultaneously breaking free of both their grips on me.

I sprinted away as fast as I could, dodging trees and brig rocks, listening hard for the sounds of my pursuers. Miraculously, their footsteps were fading, getting further and further away. Something was off about that, but I was free and I planned to keep it that way this time. I wouldn’t stop running until I reached civilization.

I chanced a quick glance behind me to see if they were still following. When I looked forward again, something shiny and silver was rapidly approaching my face, then everything went black.

The blackness began to fade. I was panting. I was out of breath. The forest was moving. No. Not moving. I was moving. I was running…
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