The feeling was fleeting, sharp—a sudden and terrifying emptiness where his past should have been. A beautiful face he once loved... now just grains of sand slipping through Clark's fingers.
Now, all that remains for me is my name: Clark.
This oblivion was incredibly strong. Clark felt a severe headache in every pore of his head. He began to see the area around him. He was wearing a rusty metal armor. The darkness was pitch black, but the smell of blood around him was intense. He looked around and found a dense field of corpses. These corpses were all wearing the same armor as Clark, also heavily rusted. Clark was perplexed. Why was his attire so rusty? Had he been unconscious for a long time? He stood up slowly and surveyed his surroundings.
He didn't know where to go. In reality, after much looking around, he raised his head to the sky. He saw dense stars in the sky; the moon was full. As he pondered the sky, he saw thick smoke.
He decided to head towards it to find out what was there.
At the same time, he examined his body to see what he had with him. The only thing he possessed was just his sword, nothing more, nothing less.
Clark pushed the tree branches away from his face as he advanced deep into the forest until he reached the source of the smoke.
There was a small, faint fire on the verge of going out.
A man was sitting by the fire, wearing the same armor as Clark.
But what aroused Clark's suspicion the most was the corpse lying beside the man.
Clark asked him cautiously:
• "Who are you? What is this place?"
The two were wary of each other. The man stood up and looked at Clark.
• "And why should I tell you!"
The man replied firmly and was about to draw his sword. Clark sensed a deep hostility.
So, he tried to ease the tension.
• "My name is Clark. Who are you? And why do you have the same armor as me?"
The other man sheathed his sword, answering:
• "My name is Jin. Honestly, I don't know the nature of this forest. I woke up in a field of corpses and started moving until I decided to camp here."
• "Do you know anything?"
Clark shook his head no.
He was thinking:
How strange that we were in the same place, yet he woke up before me? Also, what's the deal with this corpse?
Clark sat by the fire and asked:
• "What about this corpse?"
• "It's a dead person's corpse. I dragged it here and searched it. I only found a lighter and some alcohol, nothing more."
Clark replied:
• "If that's the case, did you find anything in the forest or any clue that tells us exactly where we are?"
Jin replied with a sad face:
• "No, honestly. There's no way to find out anything. I even feel this forest is just desolate, nothing more."
Clark felt anger rising in his heart. The situation was frustrating. After watching the fire, sleep overwhelmed him.
---
Clark woke up at dawn. He felt an immense hunger. His eyes were bloodshot; even speaking was difficult.
But he heard a sound of chewing and tearing.
Clark turned to see the source of the sound. Jin was hunched over, tearing the arm of the dead soldier with his teeth.
Hunger had taken over him. What distinguishes humans in situations like this is the survival instinct.
A mad light flashed in Clark's eyes. Even thinking was irritating his stomach. He lunged at the other arm and began tearing into it.
Feelings like self-disgust vanished. Only survival and resisting starvation remained.
Clark stopped eating and felt a strange sensation in his stomach. Soon, he vomited half of what he had eaten. He felt a terrifying dizziness; his head was shaking violently.
It was disgusting and disturbing for him.
Jin looked at him and laughed, saying:
• "Hahahahaha! It seems you can't handle eating this corpse."
Clark looked at the corpse to understand what was wrong.
Then it became clear to him. The corpse was severely decomposed. The person had died several days ago and had begun to rot and decompose—these are the early signs of decay.
Clark spoke in an angry voice:
• "Don't you find it strange? Why are we the only ones alive, and we don't remember anything? And also, our rusted armor—doesn't this kind of rust only appear after years of battles?"
Jin looked at him, put down the hand he was eating from, and replied:
• "Honestly, I had thought about this matter, especially at night. I thought I was the only one alive. Also, doesn't this armor indicate a specific faction? It made me wonder: Will someone come looking for us?"
Thoughts were confused in Clark's mind due to hunger. He regained a bit of concentration.
• "Let's leave this place."
Jin laughed and said:
• "Don't you want to eat this meal? Believe me, after a few chews, the disgusting taste will fade."
Clark looked at him coldly.
• "I'll find something else. Let's put out this fire and leave."
---
They extinguished the fire and left.
Clark walked behind Jin, looking at his back. His gaze was distorted and filled with intense hunger.
He asked himself:
Why is this fool so calm like this? As if the situation is normal for him and not a big deal?
The two stopped walking. They had reached a clear, beautiful river.
The two were happy because animals always come to water sources.
Jin and Clark sat behind a rock to observe.
When animals were mentioned in Clark's mind, his hunger intensified greatly.
Time passed—an hour—but still, the gazes of the two were like stacked rocks.
Then Clark heard the sound of hoofsteps.
He whispered to Jin:
• "Hahahaha! It seems there's an animal coming."
It turned out to be a deer.
Clark moved away quietly, circling to the other side. Jin watched what he would do.
Clark tore a piece of his cloak and tied it around his sword's hilt and his hand to make it like a spear when thrown.
---
Then, the deer's nose, which had noticed something, twitched.
The deer sensed that a female deer was approaching; it could smell her pheromones.
Clark felt happy. As soon as the male appears, the female deer won't focus on her surroundings.
Then, everyone heard the sound of hoofsteps—a pleasant rhythm.
A beautiful female deer appeared.
The male and female began approaching each other.
Then, Clark gripped his sword in a throwing position with utmost stability. The veins in his hands were strongly visible.
Swish!!
Clark threw it with all his strength, killing the female deer. Its neck began gushing blood profusely.
The male deer fled.
Jin laughed and said:
• "What a clever plan!"
Clark didn't respond to Jin. He felt no comfort towards Jin.
Clark held the sword scabbard in his mouth and swam to the other side.
Jin followed him as well.
Clark's saliva began to flow; his skin was cracked from hunger.
The two began gathering firewood to light a fire.
Using the lighter, Jin lit the fire to cook the deer.
Meanwhile, the other began cutting the deer meat. He took its thigh and cut it into small pieces to put inside his sword and cook them.
A very primitive method—meat without anything—but in hunger, it doesn't matter.
Clark approached Jin. Two swords, each with meat slices on them. Clark handed one sword to Jin.
Clark placed his sword and began grilling his own portion.
---
Clark was screaming in his mind:
I haven't tasted meat for ages!
After finishing the meal, not even minutes passed before the two heard the sound of footsteps. They were powerful sounds.
And shadows appeared from all sides!!!
Clark said:
• "This is not good."
To be continued...