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A JOLT OF FIERY PAIN slashed through my mind, wrenching me from unconsciousness. I groaned, the faint buzz in my ears ringing louder and louder with every second passing.

Did I pass out again?

Yellow spots danced around my blurred vision as I rubbed my eyes, and a gentle fog clouded my scrambled thoughts. Searching for my phone, I reached my right arm out, but instead of slamming my fingers against the nightstand, my hand brushed against rough dirt. Shriveled leaves gingerly crumpled underneath my palm, susurrating in the gentle breeze.

This isn't my apartment.

My eyes snapped open.

I rolled over onto my stomach, desperately patting along my waist, while the pounding in my head worsened. At least my pocket knife was still hanging on my belt—maybe I went camping with my friends again. Boots scraping against the dirt, I pushed myself onto my knees.

The first time, I fell back, nearly toppling over. On the second attempt, after ten seconds of hell, I managed to come into a sitting position facing the woods. Faint brown marks soiled my jeans as I stood up, but those were the least of my worries.

An uncountable number of trees shrouded the light sky, casting shadows onto the ground, and coils of vaporous mist engulfed the canopies looming before me. I squinted into the distance, but all I could see was endless wilderness.

Where am I?

Shielding my face from the sun, I turned around. Maybe I'd have better luck in the opposite direction, but like always, the odds were not in my favor.

A few small hills covered the nearby terrain, and a stagnant pool festered in the middle of the clearing. The water was perfectly still, mirroring the trees on the other side. Besides the ring of dirt around the lake, everything was green, so green that it almost seemed unreal.

Walking down to the edge of the water, I paused and peered into the depths of the jungle. What am I doing here? Why am I in the middle of nowhere?

Was I lost? My environmental studies seminar occasionally traveled to remote locations out in the wilderness—my favorite part of my major—, but I couldn't hear anyone nearby. The scenery didn't remind me of any national parks either.

As always, Jacqueline would clown me to no end. She would have a blast laughing about this story once I returned.

A thousand questions rattled around in my head, each one more fantastical than the last.

Everything was hazy. Squinting at the mystical lake, I tried to recall any memories of this place, but a sharp, sudden pain pierced through my skull. My stomach twisted once, twice, thrice, and then all I could taste was bile. Slow down, slow down. Start with the absolute basics.

Who am I? Am I still Angelina Jung?

Blowing strands of dark hair away from my face, I squatted down. Streaks of dirt stained my beige complexion and covered my furrowed cheeks. My muscles relaxed as I stared at my reflection, and I let out a chilly breath.

Lao Lao must be going out of her mind with worry right now.

I racked my brain for any useful tidbits, but nothing surfaced. God, what happened to me? There was no way I would've forgotten something this substantial.

Pacing back and forth, I tried to connect my scattered thoughts—but with no success. Everything that happened recently, ever since college started again, had been erased, and even the tiniest details had slipped away.

What happened?

The only way I could've lost such a huge chunk of my memory was by force. Another accident, perhaps?

I really needed to lay off the drinks.

This couldn't be possible. This couldn't be real.

Perhaps it was a blow to my head or a combination of drugs—not that I ever did any. I didn't want to contemplate either horrible outcome. With any luck, my short-term amnesia should fade given ample time. Hours? Days? Weeks? Months?

It wasn't like I felt drugged or tired. Before being startled awake, I was certain I slept for a long time, maybe even days. No one should've been able to catch me off guard, especially when I was surrounded by students in the dorms.

So many questions with so few answers. Save for my blade, I was truly, irrevocably alone. No supplies, no tools, no help, no nothing.

But there's one thing I do know: I sure as hell am not dying here today.

My muscles were on fire as I spun around, and my bones groaned in protest. Breathing through the burning pain, I clutched my left hip while studying the skies. Clouds were beginning to roll in, obscuring what little light there was, and miles away from here, puffs of gray already blanketed the sky, shifting ever-so-slightly with the wind.

What's out there in the forest?

The question drifted in the back of my mind, but I would have to fend for myself sooner or later. I needed to find a natural shelter as soon as possible to ride out the storm, even if it meant trekking through an unknown region.

Which way do I go? Approaching the thicket, I took a wary step forward. Darkness hugged my crouched form almost immediately, and I stumbled back.

God, why were there so many trees out here? It was impossible to navigate through this luxurious forest.

The trees.

Why wasn't this the first option I thought of? Wiping my clammy hands on my windbreaker, I jogged around until I spotted one with enough branches to hold my weight. The only time I had successfully climbed a tree was when I was fourteen, but at this point, anything was worth a shot if it meant surviving one more day.

Placing my hand on the lowest branch, I sized up a tree just a few feet away from the edge of the clearing. I prayed to every single deity I had heard of that the branch doesn't collapse.

It would be a shame if I went out like this.

However, a deafening roar of thunder was enough to keep me moving; I wrapped my arms around the trunk. Preparing for a fall, I stayed on the balls of my feet, yet after thirty seconds, nothing extraordinary happened.

Near the top of the tree, the limbs started to become thinner and thinner. Nevertheless, shaking my numb arms, I reached for the next branch and carefully pulled myself up. My upper body strength was nonexistent and barely enough to get me up here.

Continuing the vertical ascent, I sunk into a comfortable routine, scaling one branch after another. The treeline was almost coming into view. A few drops of blood rolled down my wrist as splinters dug into my palm, but I ignored the throbbing sensation, only focusing on my current goal. I shimmied up the tree one step at a time.

Seconds of silence stretched into minutes, only broken by a bird's sweet melody or gusts of wind, but at last, I reached for the final limb. Hooking my arms around the branch, I breathed deeply, releasing the tension built up in my body.

I crouched down and got ready to jump up, but all of a sudden, a splitting crack resounded through the forest. My feet brushed against the air as the branch I was standing on crashed to the ground, stirring up dead leaves and dirt.

Oy vey.

The part of my jacket covering my wrist jerked down, and I hissed as blood started to leak out of the gash on my left arm. Thankfully, it wasn't too deep—just an annoying sting. Bandaging it up would have to wait.

I couldn't hear my breathing anymore over the thumping of my heart, yet I felt the oxygen rushing out of my lungs. Beads of sweat rolled down my face as my fingers tightened, nearly turning an unnatural shade of white. My stomach churned, and I bit my lip harder than I ever had. My brain jumped from possibility to possibility, each so much worse than the last.

Out here, there was no safety net, no impossibly soft cushions to land on; a one-hundred-foot drop would most likely kill me. At best, my legs would break, leaving me defenseless—there was no way I could survive. Perhaps, a plane would fly by eventually, putting me out of my misery.

Maybe even today. They might come today. After all, surely my friends and family would notice my disappearance. Surely they would make a search party.

Surely they wouldn't just leave me, right?

No. No, no, no, no. I couldn't bet on that. Everyone could care less. If I'm lucky, the news would half-heartedly pick up my story—not that there was anything to tell.

Is that all I'm reduced to? I would disappear among the sea of unmarked graves and buried reports.

How will the world remember you? Mama's voice echoed in my mind.

Shaking my head, I stared upwards at the angry sky. There was no way my death would be the last memory I'd leave to anyone, let alone the people I love.

One step at a time, Angelina, one step at a time. I took a deep breath, and as I exhaled, I pulled my body upwards with everything I had. Closing my eyes, I clenched my jaw, straining my numb fingertips. Every second felt like an eternity, but finally, finally, my forehead grazed the edge of the branch.

Even though my arms were screaming in pain, I lifted my chin over the limb and adjusted my positioning. The adrenaline coursing through my veins threatened to fade away, yet with the last of my energy, I hooked my left leg over the branch, rolling onto my stomach.

I relaxed for just a few moments, letting the wind whip through my hair. An unusual feeling of warmth sparked in my heart, and I couldn't help breaking in a rare grin as I lifted my head.

I did it. I made it up.

A stone ridge sat at the bottom of a small hill, not too high, not too low. By the looks of it, the lake I was currently at wasn't too far from that location—probably just ten minutes of walking, fifteen tops. I could make it there before night ushers in, and maybe, just maybe, I'd have enough time to build a crude shelter against the rock.

Still, it wasn't an ideal plan, but at this point, I'd take what I could get.

Without hesitation, I ripped off a wide strip of black cloth from my shirt and tied it around the wound on my lower arm. Disinfecting it would be difficult unless I managed to get a hold of some clean water—not high up on my priority list. I pressed down, applying a gentle amount of pressure for a few minutes. I needed to leave, now.

With the decision made, I started to slide down the tree as fast as I could go with my injured arm. Instead of wasting time choosing the right path, I deftly grabbed each branch, relying on my experience from the way up. When I was halfway down, I sped up, clambering from limb to limb in a race against the inevitable darkness.

My black jacket rode up as my feet hit the ground, but I ignored the nuisance. Dusting myself off, I straightened my back and prepared to run towards the stone ridge.

"Hello?" My heart lurched at the sound of an unknown voice, and in the corner of my eye, a figure made its way towards me.

That wasn't possible. Since when was there another person here? If there was someone else, how didn't I notice?

Drawing my knife, I whirled around in a frenzy, pointing my weapon to the shadow.