“NaNoWriMo 2020 Pt. 10”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Additional note: In honour of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), all 30 stories written in the month of November will (hopefully) create a single multi-part story that will reach its conclusion by the end of the month. Stay tuned for a new story part every day!

Read the compiled NaNoWriMo TTtW story here!

Prompt: Write a story that includes the phrase “And then there was one.”

MASON’S POV

I wake with a start. Something’s wrong; the forest is way too quiet.

I sit up and look around. Skye’s gone.

I mean, she could’ve just gone to look around or something, since her backpack is still here. But something tells me that that’s not the case.

I crawl over to her backpack and open it up. Everything’s still inside.

Something else catches my eye. The bushes on the ground, they’re all broken up.

She was taken by someone. Or something, actually. Unfortunately, big scary beasts aren’t actually that uncommon in the apocalypse.

I will say though that I’m glad I have some sort of purpose now. Other than not dying, of course, but an actual goal. It’ll be the main plot point in the memoir that I’m going to write right after I’m finished my big fantasy novel. Honestly, given how much free time I have now, I could be finished my book any day now. So I’d better get going on finding Skye so that I have a conclusion all ready for my memoir.

Obviously that’s not the main reason I want to find her though. Already, I’m feeling lonely again. It was so nice to actually have someone real to talk to.

I sling Skye’s backpack over my shoulder and stay low to the ground. If I’ve learned anything during my time alone in the apocalypse, it’s to stay low to the ground.

I follow the trail of crushed bushes and leaves all the way to the edge of the forest. Obviously, Skye put up a fight, because these bushes really took a beating.

Now, as I stand at the edge of the forest, I have no idea where to go next. There seem to be a bunch of paths that I can take. The first leads back into the forest, the second heads out onto a rocky landscape, and the third is straight into an extremely creepy-looking, rotting cornfield.

The forest path doesn’t seem to show any signs of struggle like the path I followed here, so let’s just go ahead and rule that one out. Don’t even want get me started on that disgusting cornfield, because there’s no way I’m going anywhere near that.

And so, that leaves one. The rocks. The footprint-proof, pain in the butt to walk on, rocks. Still, it’s probably the least terrifying path to consider, so there’s that.

I sigh and start walking. If I’m being honest, if I do end up finding her out here, it’ll be from pure luck.

So wish me luck, Garrett, because I’m going to need it.

Final Comments: Ugh this one was a huge mess. I honestly don’t really know where I’m going to be able to take this story next…

Overall Rating: 😫