>>===== Through the eyes of the father =====

My ear was wet.

It tickled.

My eyes slowly opened.

But they quickly shut as the light made them heavier.

I took deep breaths and felt chills all over.

The tickling in my ear turned to pain as something bit it, causing me to react by quickly covering it.

A deep squeak and large footsteps sharpened my senses.

I looked up in fear as I saw a doe standing over me. It didn't last long as it made a whine and darted off.

Or maybe it wasn’t a doe. I couldn’t clearly see the creature.

Regardless, I was startled and already shaking.

I sat up with my knees tight to my chest as I stared wide-eyed towards the direction the deer-like creature darted off.

It never returned.

After a bit, I noticed something I didn't before.

The forest felt alive.

The gloom from before was nowhere to be seen and instead various noises of wildlife decorated the atmosphere.

Chirps and calls. Howls and ticks.

They were everywhere.

Branches moved, not because of the wind, but from flocks of birds that flew back and forth from them.

Squirrels annoyed branches and the brush shook from the ecosystems of insects.

It was completely different from yesterday's nightmare.

Or was it all a single large dream?

I was confused again.

Once again I was lost, finding myself the same forest.

But this time I had less. Everything I had collected was missing.

The canister of water that was tied to my belt was still there. The container of pills within my shirt pocket and the blades wrapped in my right pocket were also still there.

The materials and electronics along with the filter were wrapped inside the makeshift bag. It was strapped to me with paracord leftover from the accident.

But no matter how much I looked, the battery-lighter was gone.

I felt defeated.

I felt crazy.

Although most of the bandaids on my face were gone, the bandage around my stomach was drenched in dried blood.

Water also remained in my canister so that proved some of the things that happened yesterday were true.

But the animals and their weird behavior?

It must have been a horrendous nightmare.

A nightmare that led me to sleepwalk in such an exaggerated way.

I was conflicted and frustrated. I didn't want to believe I sleepwalked and lost all of my stuff.

But after being put in such a stressful environment. Along with suffering such a devastating attack on my state of mind. I must be suffering behavioral consequences from my poor mental state.

It was the only logical explanation.

Which means I am a danger to myself.

Great.

I wanted to get angry, but I was too tired.

I don't know how much blood I had lost, and I had already gone for an entire day without eating. I had no way to know if it was longer than a day.

My stomach felt like it was shriveling up, but there wasn't much that I could do about it.

I couldn't think straight.

I didn't want to think anymore.

But sitting here any longer was akin to suicide.

I got up and found a sturdy stick and continued south.

But I wasn't sure. I was too tired to make sure.

As I walked my head was filled with ideas of how to catch the critters around me.

So many animals, so many chances for food.

But even with my survival training from the space program, I felt inadequate.

Even with proper nutrition, energy, and tools, it was extremely difficult to catch prey.

The only time I ever hunted was with a rifle in my hand. Most survival experiences were learned from the issues of Army manuals.

With my current physique, it was near impossible.

Insects.

I needed the energy.

Grasshoppers are everywhere and they're easy to catch.

However, they tend to carry tons of parasites. And if they recently ate a deceased animal, unwanted bacteria could easily be transmitted.

The best way is to remove the entrails and cook the legs, but there was no way I'd have the energy to set up a fire.

Raw.

Ants could be eaten raw. If I made sure to kill them so they don't sting me it should be fine, but. It's also best to boil then to dissolve the acid within their bodies if I am to eat them in large quantities.

My head was burning up and I had begun to sweat uncontrollably.

I can't afford an upset stomach in this state.

Worms and larvae are left.

I dropped to the floor and scooped the dirt until I found earthworms.

They were the safest thing I could possibly eat at the moment.

I smelled the earth for piss or excrement before I dug just in case.

I found a few and ate them.

I was in too much pain to even think much about it.

I drank some water sparingly from the canister.

And continued on.

The best way to find clean larva is within a decaying tree.

As I ambled through the forest I used whatever energy I had to watch out for any fallen trees.

My stomach began to feel extremely itchy.

I unzipped my suit.

I decided to remove the blood-soaked bandage and it was gruesomely painful.

I hesitated when pulling at it since the dried blood along with a yellow fluid stuck tightly to the wounded area.

After reaching the last layer of bandage pulling it became a feat of its own.

I could see the skin was a deep pink around the wound where the bandage didn't cover.

I cursed as I thought about what to do.

I pulled it anyways and reached for the ointment wrapped in my makeshift bag.

I had forgotten I lost that bag along with the only other remaining bandage I had.

Bright red blood began to drip slowly out of the thumb-sized hole.

I sighed and decided to use the area of the bandage that covered my back while it was wrapped around me.

I looked around the forest trying to identify medicinal plants I could turn into a paste that could help calm the infection.

In the end, I was wasting too much time.

The antibiotic cream I used before should have worked. The foreign debris inside my stomach must be causing an internal problem.

The only thing I could do was let my own antibodies do the work.

I was limited on the pills of penicillin so I didn't want to use them.

They were the safeguard to prevent sepsis. The worst-case scenario of an infection that comes after an improperly treated fever.

During an infection, the body desperately tries to fight back. The body would release its antibodies and other chemicals into the bloodstream.

A fever means your body is working properly. The moment it rises too much in temperature it means the antibodies flowing through the blood have irritated the bloodstream.

This disrupts blood flow leading to septic shock and eventually organ failure.

The result is death.

This has now become my biggest obstacle in survival.

I must maintain myself cool, hydrated, and fed.

And thus the race begins.

I tied the upper part of my jumpsuit around my waist allowing myself to remain shirtless.

After a few hours of walking, I found a decaying stump.

I picked up a large branch shaped like a cane and beat the side of the stump to break off the bark.

Grub larvae and other insects spread on the floor.

Grub is the safest of the insect groups in front of me to eat raw.

At least from what I remembered.

I collected all that was visible and put them in my left pocket.

They were bitter, but not difficult enough to chew that I became utterly disgusted.

Regardless my eyes teared up and my gut clenched itself. I forced myself to swallow them after a disturbing chew.

As I continued through the forest I still felt horrible in every sense of the word.

My pants and boots had picked up various plants and burs that attached themselves willingly.

Luckily the nylon pants of the jumpsuit were thick enough that the unwanted stowaways were not too annoying.

Regardless I habitually picked them off as I hiked my way through the forest.

It became ever so difficult to continue chewing on the grub so I looked for earthworms again when I reached another stream of water.

I used the stream to wash the bottom of my boots.

I was afraid of unboiled water and didn't use it to clean my wound or rehydrate myself.

I was already fighting an infection and couldn't risk more.

Regardless, I followed the stream in hope that it would be an easier way to reach civilization.

The night finally came, but this time I hadn’t prepared a shelter.

I grabbed a rock and dragged it to the nearest tree. I sat with my back to the tree and thanks to my exhaustion fell quickly asleep.

No dream.

Before I knew it, the sun was caressing my face.

I felt groggy but no better than yesterday.

It was difficult to open my eyes and thinking about it caused me to yawn.

I stretched myself from the awkward sleeping position and decided to sleep some more.

I stretched my arms over my head and played down across the dirt faceup.

My stomach still hurt, and plants tickled my naked torso.

Regardless, I slept a bit more.

I felt itchy on my back as it seems I became a meal for some of the insect life around me.

A mosquito here and there and maybe a tick or two.

I sat back up with my back to a tree and scratched my back with my right hand.

I leaned on my left and reached as hard as I could.

"Fuck!!!"

I quickly lifted myself and stood up.

A slithering monstrosity with a diamond pattern on it's back retreated into the foliage.

My hand was in dire pain as I held it tight.

Once again I was angry and scared at the same time.

My body boiled as I wanted to let out a scream from the frustration I felt.

I already felt faint and dizzy. I don't know how much blood I had lost from the improperly untreated wound in my stomach.

The fever made it worse.

And now two visible holes could be seen in my left pinky and its neighboring finger.

And that snake was unmistakably a viper.

"Things will go wrong in any given situation if you give them a chance." Murphy's law floated in my head once again.

I was so frustrated my eyes teared up.

My only hope now was to find civilization.

There was nothing I could do for a venomous snake bite.

Sucking out the venom even using one of those pump kits is debunked nonsense.

The venom has already found itself into my bloodstream and I would only risk another infection from disturbing the wound.

Most snakes don't care to waste their precious venom on large prey. Thus it could have been a dry bite.

Even so, there's a chance it released some venom.

Our bodies are resilient and would immediately fight it with antibodies. But mine already has a heavy workload fighting the infection so the venom will have to wait in a queue.

As if.

Since I have no way, or even know how to produce antivenom to dissolve the foreign substance coursing through my veins.

I now can only wait it out.

And so I did.

I continued following the stream.

Minutes pass and I could already feel unbearable pain on both of my fingers.

They had swollen into sausages.

Stiff and useless.

Time passed by and my vision had begun to become hazy.

Before I knew it, it was difficult to breathe.

I took a deep chug of water and contemplated on taking the remaining painkiller I had.

Bad idea.

Painkillers like aspirin or ibuprofen, the first of which was in my container, would thin the already thinned blood I had left.

Penicillin.

My antibiotics could be my last hope.

I've only studied about inconclusive and contradictory studies of antibiotics against snake venom.

However, I already have an infection.

It may help lessen the workload of my body's natural antibiotics in the bloodstream.

It may not.

Regardless I collapsed on the ground.

I simply couldn't continue.

I grabbed every ounce of strength I had left. I finished all the water in my container and ate the antibiotic pills before my body forced me to sleep.

I looked up into the distance. Far away I could see smoke.

It seems a fire was lit in the middle of the forest.

My eyes were too heavy.

I couldn’t think anymore...

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>>===== Through the eyes of the daughter =====---

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I was blamed for the deaths of the huntsmen.

When I ran away the screaming man I heard was the son of the town butcher.

He had used magic to light the forest on fire hoping to scare away the creatures

It doubled as a signal to let the other huntsman go help.

The butcher's son didn't make it, they brought back only parts of his body.

When they got there, they fought off the creatures. Two of the other men were injured.

One got a large part of his stomach bitten off and they're waiting for his death at the church.

The other broke some bones from being smacked by the heavy arm of one of the creatures. He's alive but we don't have a town doctor so they don't know his condition.

After using magic to control the fire from spreading it was put out quickly.

Since I was passed out they took me home and explained everything to my parents.

The town chief and my dad had agreed on my punishment.

Three days of public humiliation.

I was indirectly guilty for the death of the town butcher and injuring two huntsmen. I was also guilty of the crime of bringing danger to the town.

The pack of monsters was still around and the chief had sent word to the Lord to send help.

Normally soldiers or spare guards were dispatched to clear monsters. But the war had everyone busy.

The lord had agreed on sending gladiators to handle the monsters.

They were mostly slaves or criminals chosen to entertain nobility in deathly matches against far dangerous monsters.

The problem was that they would take a few days since they were preparing for a bi-annual event.

Luckily some mercenaries returning from the war front decided to take the job until the gladiators came.

I was in the middle of town.

Completely naked and tied to a wooden pole.

I couldn't see the mercenaries so they must be resting at the local pub.

However, most of the town was here.

During humiliation, anyone was allowed to throw rotten foodstuff at the criminal.

Since I was 8 years old, the church considered lashings to be too cruel a punishment.

So, I was supposed to endure this instead. Rotten tomato, onions, and other vegetables were thrown at me.

The hard vegetables hurt.

My bottom lip wouldn't stop shaking.

I kept staring down at my naked toes.

My tears dropped unto the floor.

I couldn't stop thinking about the fight between my mom, dad, and my sister.

They hated me.

Everyone there hated me.

I wished I was never born.

I wanted to die.

The wind was cold and I wanted to pee.

But everyone I knew was here. Watching, yelling, and laughing at me.

I felt so humiliated, I didn't want to wet myself in front of them, but after a few hours, I couldn't hold it.

My feet and back ached.

There were less and less people as time went by, but I was already miserable.

Eventually, only a few people were left, and they still threw the occasional foodstuff.

But the kids were so mean to me.

When there weren't any adults left the kids threw rocks.

It was painful.

I could feel my body bruise up but being tied I couldn't do anything.

One hit me right on my left eye. It made me feel dizzy and I couldn't think straight anymore.

I couldn't tell what was tomato juice or blood on my body.

I wanted to run away…

I decided to run away!

Just like this, I spent three days...

Only water was brought to me every now and then.

By the third day, I was too miserable to even cry.

I was let back home and I crawled in the corner of my room again.

I sobbed the night away… My wish would never come true.