Chapter 43: The first step torward freedom

The forest shifted again the wind was no longer blowing in the direction it did before.

It t shifted in quiet ways, subtle enough that most would miss it. The ground grew firmer beneath Felix’s feet. The air lost some of its suffocating weight. The sounds of constant movement faded into something calmer.

For the first time in a while it was just him.

’Nothing is trying to kill me...wow.’

Felix walked. ’ This is the first time ever since I came in this forest that I hadn’t had the need to run for my life or chase for another life....

It feels unfamiliar.

My body doesn’t know how to relax anymore.’

It didn’t know how to anymore. Every step was controlled, every breath measured, every sense stretched outward, searching for threats that weren’t there.

He moved through tall trees that spaced wider apart now, letting more light spill through the canopy. The forest floor wasn’t thick with rot and decay anymore. It was dry in places.

’Civilised.’ That thought lingered, ’Civilisation meant people...People meant answers and answers mean that I have a way out.’

Felix exhaled slowly, his eyes scanning the terrain ahead.

The land began to slope upward. At first, it was gradual barely noticeable. Then it steepened, turning into a climb that forced his muscles to engage very differently than before.

His steps dug into dirt and stone, fingers brushing against rough surfaces as he moved higher.

The higher he went and higher until it got more quiet.

No animals or any thing was heard up here it was just the wind which passed by him that he could hear.

When he reached the top, he stopped, not because he was tired but because the view forced him to.

The wind carried his long hair with some leaves that blew off trees.

The forest stretched endlessly below him, a sea of green broken only by darker patches where the swamp lay hidden like a wound in the land. Mist curled lazily above certain areas, and distant hills rolled into the horizon.

It was... vast much bigger than he had realised while inside it.

For a moment, Felix just stood there, watching.

Then his eyes shifted. In a place we’re it’s all just nature and animals something didn’t belong. On the far side of the mountain’s peak, partially hidden behind a cluster of trees, sat a wooden structure.

A cabin, it was small, weathered and old.

A narrow dirt path led to it, faint but visible, winding up the slope like something that had been used many times before being abandoned.

Felix’s gaze sharpened, ’in all this time I never saw it but there is hope.’ he smiled faintly, "People....Or at least... there had been."

He moved downwards in the direction of the cabin.

The path crunched faintly under his feet as he approached, his senses reaching outward, searching for movement, for sound, for anything alive.

The cabin stood still.

Felix stepped onto the small porch, the wood creaking faintly under his weight. The door was slightly open, just enough to suggest it hadn’t been closed properly.

"Or had been left in a hurry."

He pushed it open...Inside dust filled the room, it was furnished with old things.

A table, a chair, shelves lined with books that hadn’t been touched in a long time. The air smelled stale, untouched, like time had paused here and forgotten to restart.

Felix stepped in, scanning everything.

A cup on the table, dry. No residue of recent use.

A blanket folded on a chair, it looked undisturbed.

No footprints besides his. No scent of recent presence.

’Abandoned.’ he thought, ’this place was abandoned.’

His eyes moved slowly across the room then stopped.

A faint crackling sound, it was subtle and easy to miss.

Felix turned toward it. On a small table near the wall sat a walkie-talkie.

The static flickered again.

Then a raggedy voice was heard, "...repeat... pathway sixteen is clear..."

Felix froze as he continued to listen, "...we’ll be moving through the forest trail. Coordinates remain the same. No deviations..."

Another voice responded, slightly distorted.

"...what about the target?"

A pause then, "Felix Ainst is confirmed dead."

Silence filled the cabin. Felix didn’t move as he was trying to hold back his laughter.

"...we recovered remains. Bone structure matches. There’s no way he survived that environment."

A faint crackle.

"...so we’re pulling out?"

Another voice, "Yes. Operation is concluded. Everyone regroup at the bridge. Pathway sixteen. From there, we head to the extraction point."

A pause.Then, more clearly, "The helicopter will be waiting. No delays."

Static came forth as communication cut off.

Felix stood there, the words settling slowly.

’Dead.’ he thought.

"They think that I’m dead....ha hah ha" he said as he laughed.

A faint smile touched his lips, "Good."

’That makes things easier for me.’ he pondered.

He reached down, picking up the walkie-talkie, turning it slightly in his hand before setting it back down.

Information mattered more than tools and now he had it.

’Pathway sixteen, the bridge and even the exit the helicopter.’ Felix’s mind moved quickly, piecing it together.

He needed to get there.

But blindly moving through the forest wouldn’t work. Not anymore. This wasn’t about survival.

This was about precision.

"I need a map," he muttered. His eyes scanned the cabin again, sharper this time.

He moved to the shelves first, flipping through old books, most of them worn, irrelevant. Journals. Notes. Names he didn’t recognise.

"Useless." He uttered.

The drawers came next, one by one he searched and most were empty.

Then he noticed a folded piece of paper tucked beneath a stack of old documents.

Felix pulled it out carefully opened it and it was a map.

Rough, but detailed enough.

The forest was marked in sections, pathways drawn in faint lines, numbers scribbled beside them.

He found it quickly...Pathway 16 which was leading toward a marked point near a bridge.

Beyond that was an open area were the extraction zone was.

Felix’s eyes traced the route, memorising it in seconds, the distance, terrain layout and possible obstacles.

’This is a path....a way out.’ he thought as he folded the map, keeping it in his pocket.

He turned, leaving the cabin without another glance.

Felix moved quickly but controlled, following the direction marked in his mind, adjusting for terrain, for elevation, for anything that didn’t match the map perfectly.

Time passed, minutes turned into hours while he was moving then Felix heard it far ahead.

Felix stopped instantly, lowered his stance and focused.

Through the trees, barely visible he saw a figure.

It was a guy who was walking who was dressed entirely in black, from head to toe. Covered. No parts of his skin were visible. Even the face hidden behind a mask.

Felix watched him.

’hmmm the distance is like what...Five hundred yards. Maybe less.

Yh I can probably close the distance without him noticing me.’

The man moved with purpose but from afar you could tell his movements were sloppy, he wasn’t cautious or afraid.

That mistake alone told Felix everything he needed, "That’s my way out," he said quietly.

He closed the distance quickly, using trees, shadows and the terrain to stay hidden. Every step placed carefully. Every breath regulated.

The figure didn’t notice anything up until it was too late.

Felix lunged at him, his hand shot out, grabbing the person from behind, one arm locking around their throat before they could react.

The figure struggled instantly, trying to reach for a weapon that was around his waist but Felix didn’t give them the chance.

His claws slid out. A quick slash across the side.

It wasn’t deep enough to kill him, Felix let the liquid flow out of him...the Paralytic venom flowed into the man paralysising him.

The person’s movements slowed, then stopped entirely as their body went limp in his grip.

Felix held them for a second longer, ensuring it worked.

Then lowered them to the ground slowly. He crouched, studying them briefly.

Then got to work, the clothing came off quickly.

Black tactical gear. Reinforced in places. Designed for movement.

Felix removed his own torn, blood-stained remains of clothing, replacing them piece by piece. The fit wasn’t perfect, but it was close enough.

He adjusted the mask and covered his face. Looked down at himself and said, " I’m pretty unrecognisable right now...Good."

He grabbed the map again, confirming the direction. Then picked up the walkie-talkie.

Paused for a moment as he arranged his thoughts. He tossed the walkie-talkie aside.

’Too risky....plus I don’t think I need it anymore.’

Felix stood, glancing once at the unconscious body before turning away.

The bridge came into view as the light began to shift. A simple structure, worn but functional, stretching across a shallow drop where water flowed quietly beneath.

Felix approached slowly, ’no one yet, it’s just me. Good.’

He stepped to the side, positioning himself where he could see without being seen and waited.

Time seem to stretch backwards as it took too long.

Then after what felt like an eternity he heard them...Voices.

They were distant at first but they only got closer and closer.

Multiple footsteps came forth they were a group.

Felix’s posture shifted slightly, adjusting, preparing.

They came into view, there were three of them...all dressed the same, they were all armed and talking casually, "...told you this place was a waste of time..." the first man said, "...orders are orders..." the second one reassured, "...at least we’re getting out of here..." remarked the third.

They reached the bridge and stopped. One of them glanced around briefly.

Felix stepped out of his hiding spot.

They looked at him. One nodded at him, "About time," he said. "Thought you got lost."

Felix didn’t respond he just kept to himself.

He simply walked past them....crossed the bridge successfully with no suspicions.

They followed him, The extraction point wasn’t far.

The trees thinned again, opening into a clearing large enough to land something.

And there it was. A helicopter waiting for them.

The sound of its blades wasn’t active yet, but the machine sat ready, dark against the fading light.

More people were there. Felix stepped into the clearing, blending in, his movements steady, controlled.

He basically became invisible.

Inside his mind, something shifted a name surfaced.

’Jack.’

Felix’s eyes narrowed slightly as he moved closer to the helicopter.

’Wait for me.’

His fingers flexed slightly beneath the gloves, the faint trace of paralytic fluid still lingering along his claws.

’I’m coming for you.’