THE DARK FOREST by ASHLEY HARMS Chapter 1 Matthew Gallagher would be the first to admit that he didn’t have the best memory. It wasn’t unusual for him to forget his homework existed or to lose his things and have no idea where they could be. He had constant reminders set up on his phone to prevent him from forgetting meet ups and test dates, and his parents had long since gotten used to putting his things on the counter when they were found. But this? This was taking it a bit far. He stood in the middle of a forest filled with thick, leafy trees and clouds of fog along the ground. He did not recognize the scenery. Not that that was unusual. He hadn't been in any forests other than the one behind his house. Also, he wore a hospital gown. The shirt was pale blue with tiny, dark blue squares, and the fabric hung down to his knees. He knew had never been to a hospital; that he was sure of. His pants were regular jeans, thankfully, though the pockets were empty. At the very least his phone should have been in there. Hopefully his parents wouldn’t be too mad that he had lost it? Though they would probably be more mad that he had somehow gotten lost in a forest when he was supposed to be…. Hold on, where was he supposed to be? Matt remembered going to school that morning -- what he thought was that morning -- but as soon as the lunch bell rang everything became a blur. He sighed, ran a hand through his sandy-blond hair, and felt around the base of the tree near him for sticks or rocks. If he made an obvious marker, he could walk around and try to find… something. Civilization was probably too much to hope for, but maybe these were camping grounds? He could only hope. After he picked up a single rock, he heard something echo in the distance. Were those really footsteps he heard, or was he imagining the sound? They were real. He could hear the leaves crunching. Quietly, he picked up a large rock with a sharp point. It probably wouldn’t do much good against a bear, but he could at least throw it as a distraction if nothing else.
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