The Other Earth - Derek Schumacher (good novels to read .TXT) 📗

for themselves. A man lays in a field, all alone. He is tired, hungry, and without hope. He had once found fondness in the living among the elements, but now the world has finally taken it's toll. Is there any hope left for him? How far will he go to survive? How far will you go to survive? Neil

Good Afternoon, Today is September 12, 2118. 

 

The man laid on his back on the ground, in a field, full of short-bladed grass, the kind that would easily cut through skin if grabbed tightly or ran across the skin. This was evident from the cuts and scapes littering his body, some fresh, blood dripping from the wounds. His face was rugged, paired with a rough, scrubble like beard. His clothes were torn and his body was meek, his features drained from malnurishment and dehydration. His once green eyes had begun to fade to a dark gray color, his black hair overgrown and covering his face. He had nothing, no equipment, no tools, no nothing. He didn't need anything, for there was nothing. No will to find food, no will to drink water. No one to comfort him, no one to help him. He was completely, and utterly, alone.

This man had a name, once. He is unable to recall the entirity of it. The only thing he could remember was Neil. It was a name he heard sometime ago. Was it his name, or someone elses? He couldn't remember, and at this point, he didn't care anymore. Neil was tired, and at this point, he was about to give up.

It had been many years since he had seen another human being. But, somehow, he had clinged to something to keep him going. The thought that, even if everyone was gone, there might still be worth in survival. As Neil laid there, once again the thought came to him. He scratched his head, sighing. Was it worth it, Will it be worth it?

Neil pondered for a minute or two, thinking deeply. If he had gone all this time without dying, then why give up? Even if there may be no rescue, what's the point in laying down and letting nature take it's course? The human race was created to adapt, overcome, and survive. They always had the thought, that somewhere out there, some beings might be more powerful than them. It was a terrifying thought, but at the same time, an exciting one. It was a chance to really show just how great humanity is.

 After an hour of in depth contemplation, Neil decided to press onwards. Of course, laying on the ground for the past few days had made his body incredibly stiff and weak. It would take practically all of his mustered up strength to pull himself off the dirt. He rolls himself over onto his stomach, and stares down at the sharp grass below him. Then, he spreads his arms out, and then back in again, putting his hands next to his body, his shoulders outwards, in a position to push himself off of the ground. He dug his feet into the ground and grunted, his arms veined with strain as he began to propel himself off of the earthly floor. It took a good few tries, but before long, Neil was standing up again.

The man would look around his surroundings, coughing off to the side. How long had it been since he had eaten, or drank? His body was almost in a constant state of pain, but the cooler temperatures dulled it slighty. It wouldn't be long till the snow came once again, but without any equipment to keep him going, Neil had a sense of worry when I came to the elements.

The weather of the new planet was grueling, and at some points, lethal. At every beginning of winter, there is a storm. But not just any storm, a storm to blanket everything around in white. Heat drops like crazy, and frostbite becomes a danger to anything without preperations and proper clothing. Wearing ragged clothes and without any equipment, Neil didn't seem very up to the challenge when it came to the upcoming winter.

But, that was a long way away yet. There were much more important matters at hand, if any chance of survival in the future is desired. He would need to find a stable source of food and water. Then, there would need to be a way to either patch up his existing clothes, or a way to acquire new ones. Last, Neil needs to find some sort of weapon. He knows that the world will be unforgiving and dangerous, but he doesn't know about the beings the other humans knew. No, not just yet.

Neil looked around the fields in which he was previously laying in. The lush short grass blew in the gentle winds, while in the distance, the trees of a distance dense forest blew viciously. Elevation changes everything when it comes to weather, and most of the time it's better off to be down near the ground level than be up high in the mountain regions.

The aggressive growling of his stomach reminded Neil of his first goal, to find food and water. He had seen many different animalistic creatures in the years on his own, but as of late, he hadn't seen anything around the vacinity. If all else fails, Neil could attempt to look for local edible plant life, if any. And for the liquid situation, the river he had passed by weeks ago was out in the direction of the mountain region, which from his current position, was out east.

This is the direction Neil decided to start in, as hopefully he would come across food on the way there. It had been so long to the point where he couldn't recall the last time he had a meal, or any nutrition at all. His mind was hazy from the severe dehydration he was facing, and his body was weak from malnurishment.

This would be a difficult journey, towards the river. But, if Neil couldn't make it, he would die. A risk worthy of taking, if there isn't much in the first place to live for. The man smiled, and began to make his way towards the mountain region. The grass would brush against his exposed skin briefly while walking, some blades sharp enough to cause even more small gashes. Neil's entire body was caked in cuts and scrapes from his time living in the wild, and it had been a good long time since he had a chance to wash himself up properly.

Passed the fields, and acoss a few plains littered with rocks, the dense forest came into full view. It was gigantic, spanning as far as the eye can see. Because Neil was so close to it, he could no longer see the mountain region in the distance. But, he still knew where it was, and what direction he needed to head in order to make it to his destination.

Thing is, almost all of the forest is unknown, uncharted territory. And that's to anyone who steps inside of it, not just one person. In some parts, the trees grew together so thick that the light from the system's star cannot reach. The floor of the forest is a cold and dark place, but it's the only way through to get to where Neil needs to be.

The man starts his walk through the trees, pushing his body through a group of shrubs to make his way to the forest floor. Looking up, he could see the dim light from the star, but as his eyes drifted downwards, the darkness could be seen in full effect. Neil knew that this was a place he would most certainly not want to be when come night time, as there could be no way to see anything.

Continuing to head west, pressing forwards through the vegitation widespread throughout the area, Neil began to notice something. He hadn't seen a single animal, in fact, not even a single insect. The entire forest seems dead silent, the only thing moving and creating noise being himself.

After an hour of limping through the trees, a clearing could be spotted through the brush. This could be a spot that can give a better view point than just the forest floor. Neil makes his way to the spot, and looks around. Little shrubs and bushes littered the area, and an overlooming mountain can be seen up ahead.

This must have ment that he was on the right track, and Neil took the oppurtunity to search the bushes for any fruits. Sadly, this came to no avail, and the man had to continue on towards the river on a still empty stomach. The growling and groaning of his midsection grew more and more agressive as time went on, and his head ached even more than before. But, he knew he had to press onwards, and make it to the river.

At this point, it was nearing evening. Neil hadn't noticed just how much time was passing until the shadows of the trees down below had begun to grow longer and longer with each passing minute. With no means of illumination, darkness meant that he would be completely blind, and lost within the forest. He would have to set up shelter somewhere near the river, or risk being picked off by something in the night. He wasn't sure exactly what was out there, but he knew that if he was a predator, night would be the perfect oppurtunity to stalk prey.

After another half hour of painstaking limping, Neil could hear the gentle rushing of water nearby. He had nearly arrived at his destination, and dusk was settling in quickly. He made his way to a small ridge, where the river could be visible down below. It wasn't an incredibly steep slope, but it was still high enough that if he wasn't careful, injury could most certainly be possible.

Picking up multiple strong fallen branches from the trees around him, Neil began his descent, using the limbs to brace himself on the way down, making sure he wasn't going to plummet down below. Sweat dribbled off his forehead with each step, as exhaustion set in gravely. But, once he got a chance to drink from the waters, things would finally begin to look up.

After he made it back to level ground at the base of the shores of the river, he set the broken and worn limbs aside, having plenty of the bark torn off from the way down from the ridge. Neil slowly trudged across the surface towards the water, and then, looked side to side, watching the water flow freely downstream towards a supposed larger body of water.

He slowly made his way onto his knees, and moved his hands close to the water. His mouth began to salivate, yet because of the dehydration, the taste was not of spit, but of blood. He reached down and put his hands in the liquid water, and instantly he felt the sweet relief. He bent his head close to the river and quickly moved the water enclosed in his hands to his face, and perked his lips wide. He then pressed his moist hands to his mouth and sucked in, the