Forest of Memories

"That thing is still following me."

Jonathan thought as his breathing became heavy and his footsteps slower. He simply wasn't fast enough to outrun it, and he dreaded the moment that it would finally strike, cutting him down in some slow, agonizing fashion. He didn’t want his life to be ended in such a gruesome way, but he was the only one who could hope to save his boyfriend at this point, and he had to keep going - even if it meant his untimely demise at the claws of some wicked beast.

His jogging turned into a brisk walk as he struggled to catch his breath among the ruins of a once great city. Formerly gleaming towers were now falling apart, and simultaneously being reclaimed by natural vegetation. The sun was still hours from setting, yet the wide shadows of the concrete husks were casted throughout the empty city streets. His map was almost useless now, as the landmarks it identified 20 years ago could hardly be recognized in their present state. How he was going to find the University Hospital like this seemed an impossible task, made even more imposing by the fact that he was being followed closely by something that seemed… hungry.

He wasn’t sure if it was human or animal, perhaps something of both. In the rare glimpses he witnessed it was upright, hunched on two legs. But he could not see a face.. At least not that of a human. It almost looked like that of a wolf, with pits of blackness for eyes. Though it seemed to move like an animal, leaping across rooftops and through windows. Whatever it was, he was on its territory, and it didn’t seem like it was looking for conversation.

Thinking about this was probably irrelevant anyways. He knew how dangerous this world had become since the fall. He knew it ever since he was a child. And when his mother needed him the most, these very real fears even kept him from helping her. He couldn’t let that happen again. He couldn’t be alone again. Jayson was all he had now, and if he didn’t find the medicine, he could lose him forever too. He didn’t exactly have courage in this moment - it was merely that the thought of losing Jayson was a bigger fear than losing his own life. Still, he wished Jayson was by his side.

Jonathan was quick, but small in height and not very muscular. He could’ve used Jayson’s fighting skills and intimidating stature to ward off this predator. But Jayson's last seizure was worse than any other Jonathan had seen before, and he needed time to recover. He was resting in a safe location at least. An abandoned house with substantial locks on the doors. Jonathan wanted to stay with him, but Jayson insisted that Jonathan could do it on his own. That he believed in him. And Jayson always made Jonathan believe in himself, at least when they were together. But now he was by himself. All he had was a small bit of hope, and some very keen senses. Senses that now heard a shuffle behind him.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around swiftly, readying his steel bat. Eyes wide and ears open. His head twitched from side to side, looking… anticipating. He clutched his bat harder, bracing for the attack.

Another shuffle, this time from behind. He turned again swiftly, seeing nothing. He flipped back around to his rear, head moving in all directions. He was hearing things from all sides now and the tension was making his hair stand on end. Then:

BOOM!!! CRASH!!!! His body crumpled on the ground under the weight of the creature that had leaped from above. He struggled against it and turned onto his back seeing claws knock away his bat and pinning his wrists. And there it was. It had him and he was frozen in terror. The head of a wolf, black eyes with blood stains emanating from the sockets, and… teeth. 2 rows… sharply pointed, yellowed and bloodied. This was it. His fate. He started to cry as he struggled against the creature still holding him down and smelling his body and neck. He had failed Jayson. And now Jayson would stay there… never knowing Jonathan's fate, or worse.. Seeking him out and finding his remains, before being mauled himself. He knew this would happen. He knew how horrible the outside world was.. He knew…. That he wasn’t being eaten.

He looked up at the creature, no longer seeing the face of a snarling demon wolf, but that of a young woman. She was staring at him, not with malevolence or hunger… but with pity. Then he noticed something around her neck. A metal locket, in the shape of a heart with a pink jewel in the center. This was certainly no animal. She then took her weight off of him and spoke:

“You are not with them.” she said in a soft but raspy voice.

“Me? No… with who?” Jonathan responded, confused.

“What are you doing in this place?” she asked.

Jonathan explained, “I came to get medicine!”

“There is no medicine.” she told him.

“At the University Hospital!” he exclaimed “please!! You have to let me go!! I have to save Jayson!!”

“There is nothing. No medicine.” “I have to try. I promised him I would.” Jonathan said as he reached into his shirt and pulled out his own locket.

She looked at it and her face turned sympathetic as she then clutched her locket. She stared off for a second and looked back at him and said “I will help you find it. But know this truth - You will find nothing. And if you betray me… you better learn to run faster”

Jonathan gulped and affirmed “I understand.”

She nodded. “Now get up. Do just as I say and do not speak out loud again.” she said to him coldly.

Jonathan slowly stood up, dusting himself off and then bent down to grab his bat. Suddenly..

THUNK CRACK!!! An arrow grazed his arm and flew into the ground, breaking into pieces.

She grabbed his shirt as he scooped up his weapon, pulling him away as more arrows came flying at them and she yelled “NOW!!!”

The arrows clinked and clanked hitting the ground and walls behind them as she pulled him into an abandoned building and they began running through the halls. They crossed through multiple buildings and secret entrances which appeared to have been set up by the wolf-head girl, likely to keep out intruders while making her moves throughout the city safe and quiet. They ended up in the warehouse of an old toy store, zig zagging through a maze of steel beams until she began climbing up the shelves. He started to follow but then all of a sudden he was smacked in the face by a rope ladder she had just unfurled from the top. Instead of apologizing for the lack of warning she whispered “hurry up.” So he did.

Once up top Jonathan realized what this was; the Den of the Wolf-Head girl. It was a clever place for one too, he thought. 30 feet up in the warehouse of a toy store, who would stumble upon it here? No one was looking for toys in this world. If it didn’t have anything to do with survival, it was dead weight. This girl clearly didn’t think like an animal.

Jonathan crawled into the leather hide opening that was surrounded by old boxes for walls and gazed at her collection… of toys. “Weird,” he thought, “why would she care about all this useless junk?” She lit some candles to create more visibility and pointed out a beanbag chair for him to sit. She pulled out a bottle of something and came over to him, grabbed his arm and poured the clear liquid onto his wound.

“AHHHH!!!” he cried out.. Instantly recognizing the scent and pain of alcohol. She instantly slapped his mouth shut. “SHHH. do not yell. We could’ve been followed.”

“Sorry… mhhnnn...'' he responded.. still wincing. The alcohol was seeping into his wounds, forcing him to think about anything other than the pain, or the fact that he would likely be returning with nothing, if even his own life. He tried to think about Jayson.. that smile.. His comforting embrace. Though the alcohol couldn’t help but remind him of his biggest failure, that which he could never atone.

She brought over a piece of fabric and a small belt, wrapped his arm and tied it off. Then she sat down on the other bean bag chair, sinking into it. She took her wolf head off, revealing a ratty dreaded mess of hair. He wondered what her story was and spoke:

“You have a locket too.”

She looked at him and then clutched it.

“May I ask what’s inside?” She didn’t respond, so he pulled out his own and opened it up to show her. “This is a picture of Jayson. He was a kid in this picture, but he's my age now, 18. And the other picture is my mother. She died.. years ago”

She replied while looking down at her locket. “You lost your mother too…” she paused. “My mother is in here as well. I don't know if she’s dead. But she isn’t alive anymore. Those people….”

“The ones who attacked us?” He inquired.

“I’m going to stop them from hurting anyone else.” she said with cold hatred.

He didn’t quite know what to say at this point except to show his gratitude for her. “Thank you. Thank you for saving me.” She looked up at him confused, and he continued. “I wish I could be as courageous as you.”

“It takes courage to walk into the deathtrap.” she responded.

“If I had that courage when I was younger. I could’ve saved her” he confessed. “I should’ve been like you.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“My mother… She was always keeping me safe. Always trying to protect me, warning me of the evils of the world so I wouldn’t get into trouble. But then one day, after scavenging in the local town, She came back with a bad gash on her right knee. She needed me to get her alcohol like that” he pointed at her bottle, “from some people we knew down the road. But I was too scared to go. So instead I hid for half a day next to our house. I told her I checked and that they didn’t have any.. It was a lie.. She got worse… and…” He started to tear up while speaking it out loud. You could see in her eyes that she could feel his pain. He composed himself and continued “And when Jayson's seizures started getting worse, our tribe's doctor told us we could find what we needed in the city. He said it was dangerous. But I had to make up for my cowardice. I had to do it for her, and him. So here I am. Helpless and alone.” He began crying again.

She touched his leg. “You’re not alone.”

He looked up tearfully at her.

“You said you had a map and a.. brochure? She asked him.

“Yeah.” He pulled it out of his bag and gave it to her. She looked at the map and told him “Well, good news is I know where this is. I’ve picked that place dry myself. But all that’s left is a forest of weeds growing out of control.” Then she looked at the brochure. “And what is this?”

“That shows the medicine. Right there.” he pointed to the cover page. “They used to grow it there. 7 leaves. Cannabidi-something.”

She looked back up at him in astonishment. “I was wrong,” she told him.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

She replied while staring past him, looking into her memories;

“There is medicine there. A whole forest.”