The Forest (Rough Draft)

You drive calmly on the open road. You look over to the passenger seat and see [[Alex|Alex]] sleeping. It's the first time you've been on a long trip with her and you can't remember the last time you've been more in love. You look at the time on the radio. [[6am|Morning]] [[12pm|Afternoon]] [[8pm|Night]]

Alex has been your girlfriend for 3 years. You met her in college and have been inseperable ever since. You feel comfortable around her and she makes you laugh more than anyone you know. You can't imagine where you'd be without her. [[Back|Start]]

You're happy that Alex convinced you to wake up early to drive back home. After a good breakfast and a couple cups of coffee you're ready for the long drive ahead of you. Alex started the car ride singing and talking to you but it wasn't long before she said she was going to take a quick nap. That was two hours ago. [[You continue to drive|Drive]]. You turn on the [[radio|Radio]] to fill the silence. [[You try and wake up Alex|Wake up Alex]].

You're a little annoyed that Alex didn't wake up until noon, even though she knew that you would have to drive for a full day. You try to be mad but you've been having such a good time you can't stay angry. The road is so bright in the midday sun and you can even see the heat waves simmering along the horizon. [[Look over at Alex|Look at Alex]]. [[Turn on the radio|Radio2]].

Even though you love Alex she can still piss you off from time to time, just like she's been doing today. She woke up late and insisted that you needed to go out to take more pictures and eat at a restaurant before getting back on the road. You've been drive for the last 3 hours, Alex happily asleep the whole time. [[Turn on the radio|Radio3]]. [[Tell Alex to wake up|Yell at Alex]]. [[Drive in silence|Drive3.1]].

You're happy to keep driving down the beautiful road. The trees rustle against the wind and it all feels oddly peaceful. You hang an arm out the window to feel the air brush against your skin. [[Continue to drive|Drive1.1]]. [[Turn on the radio|Radio]]. [[Wake up Alex]].

(set: $choices to (array: "“Love me tender, love me dear tell me you are mine I'll be yours through all the years Till the end of time Love me tender, love me true All my dreams fulfill For my darling', I love you And I always will...”", "Static.", "Static.", "Looks like it is going to be another hot August day with temperatures up to ninety. Go out to your local beach and enjoy this beautiful Sunday.", "Theres been an increase in disappearances state wide from the already alarming amount last month. There are a lot of questions that are been left unanswered...", "Static.")) You cycle through the radio stations and hear: [(display: "Cycling")]<choice| [[You turn off the radio|Turn off Radio]].

At first you call out to her softly. "Alex," you whisper. "Alex." She doesn't respond so you shake her by the shoulder. "What!" She says. "[[Oh good you're up|Joke]]," you say smiling at her.

*Nothing interesting.* You think to yourself as you turn the radio off. There's nothing else to do but drive, [[so you do|Drive1.1]].

{ (link: (text: $choices's 1st) )[ (set: $choices to (rotated: -1, ...$choices)) (replace: ?choice)[(display: "Cycling")] ] }

"How you feeling?" You ask her. "Shitty now that I'm up," she says. "Oh come on, you can't expect me drive the whole way back in silence." "Well I wasn't expecting you to but I was hoping for it." "Anyways, now that you're up can you pass me something to drink?" [[Alex reaches in the back|Get Drink]].

You drive for an hour. And then another one. You drive for so long you stop thinking about how many hours you've driven.

You look over to the passenger seat, Alex's back is turned to you as she's rolled herself in what looks like a comfortable ball. She's asleep. She knew you were annoyed with her so she spent the start of the car ride singing along to the radio and making jokes for you. Once you smiled enough times she told you that she was going to take a quick nap. That was two hours ago. [[Wake her up]]. [[Let her sleep]]. [[Turn on the radio|Radio2]].

(set: $choices to (array: "Static.", "The Detroit Lions with an incredible win over the Patriots this weekend, a truly amazing performance from a team we weren't expecting much from this season...", "Static...", "Static...", "You can't expect the government to change if you don't go out and vote for that change to happen, so much of today's youth just doesn't understand...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "We've just started receiving warning that you should stay off the roads at all costs. We haven't been given an explanation as to why but stay tuned and we'll fill you in. Again, do not go on the roads...", "Static...", "")) The silence of the road is boring you so you start cycling through the radio stations and hear: [(display: "Cycling")]<choice| [[You turn off the radio|Turn off Radio2]].

*Huh, weird.* You think to yourself. *Lots of static.* You brush it off and focus on the road.

At first you call out to her softly. "Alex," you whisper. "Alex." She doesn't respond. [You start to speed up.]<speedup|(click-replace: ?speedup)[Then you step on the [[brakes|Brake]].]

You look over at her again. She twitches slightly and you stifle out a laugh and look back to the road. [[Drive|Drive2.1]].

She falls into the space between the dash and the seat. You laugh loudly. "Wake up sleepy head," you say. "Jordan, you asshole!" She yells back, only half serious. "Now you can stay up with me." "I was sleeping so I wouldn't have to." "Too bad now. Since you're up, can you check if we have an empty bottle or something. I have to pee real bad." [[She checks through the back seat|AlexCheck]].

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Alex scrambles through the backseat and comes back with a half drunk bottle of warm Gatorade. "Here," she says holding the bottle to your face. You look at her in the eyes, then at the bottle, then back at her. "Ugh, you want me to wipe your ass too?" She says as she gets the hint to uncap the bottle. "Thanks babe," you say as you take the now uncapped bottle and [[take a drink|TakeDrink]].

You take a long slow drink and finish with an obnoxious "Ahhh." "If you need me I'll be sleeping," she says. You want to argue but you know it's pointless. She leans over and gives you a kiss on the cheek. She rolls back into her seat and you [[drive|Drive1.1]].

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(set: $choices to (array: "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "Static...", "THIS IS YOUR LOCAL POLICE STATION TELLING YOU TO STAY INSIDE AND OFF THE ROADS AT ALL COST...", "")) You can feel your eyes getting heavier so you cycle through the radio hoping to find something to wake you up: [(display: "Cycling")]<choice| [[You turn off the radio|Turn off Radio3]].

"Alex!" You say. She groans. "What do you want?" "Could you drive for a while? I'm getting tired," you ask her in a soft voice. "Do you really want me to?" [["Yes,"|AlexDrive]] you say. [["It's fine, just go back to sleep,"|Drive3.4]] you say.

The road is deathly quiet. The whole trip is slowly being ruined by this one day. You're tired of driving. [[Ask Alex to drive|Yell at Alex]]. [[Drive in more silence|Drive3.4]].

You get a slight feeling that something isn't right. You look around at the darkening sky and feel a nervousness growing in your stomach. [[Drive in silence|Drive3.1]].

"Fine you big baby," she says. She furrows her eyebrows as you start to slow the car down. (live: 3s)[(stop:)[(alert: "A dead raccoon is laying on the road.")]] (live: 5s)[ "Jesus! You almost ran over that thing," Alex says. "It actually already looks dead," you say as you peek your head over the dash to try and get a better look. "What is it?" Alex asks. "It a raccoon." [[You go out and check|Check]]. [[Better leave it and keep driving|Drive3.2]]. ]

You hesitate. You look over at Alex and you can tell that she's not coming out to check with you. You take a small quick inhale and open the car door. As you open the door you get hit with a wave of sticky summer air. You make your way to the front of the car. [[You look at the raccoon corpse|Raccoon]]

"Actually, I'll drive for a bit longer Alex," you say. Your hands feel a bit sweaty. You keep driving for about half an hour. Alex looks over at you every couple minutes. Out of the corner of your eye you can see she's waiting for you to look at her. [[Turn and face her|Turn to Alex]]. [[Keep your eyes fixed on the road ahead|Driving 3.3]].

"Hey," you say as you meet her eyes. "Hey. You're not mad right?" "No, why would I be?" "I don't know, you seem a little quiet." "I'm just trying to focus on driving." You rub yours eyes for emphasis. "I'm sorry if I made you angry," she says. [["It's fine"|It's fine]] [["You didn't make me angry"|Not Angry]]

A few more minutes go by. "Jordan. Baby, what's wrong? Are you mad at me?" She wimpers. "No, why?" "Well you woke me up and now you're not talking to me?" "I'm just trying to focus on the road. I told you you can go back to sleep." "You sure you're not angry?" [["It's fine"|Not Angry]] [Think about the weekend.](click: "Think about the weekend.")[[[ Yeah, it's fine.|It's fine]]]

You drive for another hour. The sky is pitch black and you can only see as far as your headlights allow. You feel drowsy but something is telling you to stay up. [You fight the sleep off.]<1| (click-replace: ?1)[[You keep fighting the sleep off.]<2| (click-replace: ?2)[[You fight the sleep off again.]<3| (click-replace: ?3)[[Your eyes feel heavy.]<4|(click-replace: ?4)[[[Heavier.|Crash]]]]]]

#(live: 2s)[(stop:)"Jordan!] ##(live: 4s)[(stop:)Jordan wake up!] ###(live: 6s)[(stop:)Jordan the road!"] ######(live: 9s)[(stop:)[["What,"|Wake up]] you say.]

The sight of the body makes you uneasy at first glance. It's lying flat on its back with its belly exposed. You notice it's paw twitching a little and you can see that it's barely alive. You wonder what happened to it. [[Move it with your foot|Move]]. [[Tell Alex to come and check it out|Alex come]].

You open your eyes in a jolt and see you're steering the car into the trees. You slam on the brakes. "Jordan, what the fuck!" Alex says. She has her head underneath your arm as she's trying to get both hands on the steering wheel. "I'm...I'm sorry," you say. "I guess... I guess I just got so tired and I wasn't paying attention." [[Alex starts to unbuckle her seat belt|Angry Alex]].

You start to carefully roll the raccoon over with your foot. As you do it lets out a loud gasp, it wriggles around on it's back for a second before laying still. Its paw has stopped moving. You roll it over on its back and notice a large pooling red stain on its fur. You look closely and it looks like teeth marks. [[Look closer]]. [[Go back to the car|Back to car]].

"Alex, come check this out." You look over at the car and see Alex looking at you with worried eyes. You gesture her to come over. She shakes her head no. [[Examine the raccoon|Move]].

These teeth marks look really small, too small for it to be a wolf or coyote. You follow the trail of blood droplets that the raccoon left behind it. They're coming from the forest. It's too dark for you to see anything over there. [[You head back to the car|Back to car]].

You walk back to the car, ready to tell Alex what you saw. You feel yourself turn cold as you see Alex's door open. "Alex," you call out. You get back in the car. (click: "You get back in the car. ")[[[She's not there.|Not there]]]

"See you say that but you still sound annoyed," Alex continued. "Come on, we've just had such a nice vacation together. Don't ruin it as we're on our way back. [["Me? Me not ruin it?"|Me?]] You say. You take a deep breath in. [["Yeah you're right, I'm sorry,"|Sorry]] you say looking at Alex in the eyes.

"Oh now you're not mad huh?" She says as she grabs your face and turns it as she kisses you on the lips. "How could I ever be mad at you?" You say as you kiss her back, passionately. "Wait until we get back home and I'll really make it up to you." [["Oh is that ri..."|Big crash]]

You don't mean to sound rude but it comes off that way. You're just really not in the mood. You're tired, and hungry, and all you really want to do is go to sleep. You speed up. The faster you get home the better. Neither you and Alex talk for a long time. "Alex," you say finally. "Yeah," she answers quietly. You look over at her. [["I'm sor..."|Big crash]]

"What do you mean me not ruin?" You ask again. "Oh Jordan, come on now." Alex says. "No, I want you to tell me how I'm ruining it. All I've asked is for you to drive for a bit. You've been sleeping pretty much the whole time anyways." "Okay fine, do you want me to drive then?" "No, you're fine. Now you can actually go back to sleep." "Jordan..." [Relax.]<1|(click-replace: ?1)[[["Alex, I'm sorry."|Sorry]]] [["Go back to sleep Alex,|Alex Sleep]] you say with finality.

"We have been having a great time," you say. "Let's end it that way. You look over at Alex and she's smiling at you. You smile back. "Come here," Alex says. She grabs your face and turns it to kiss you on the lips. You smile at her one more time. [And she smiles back.]<1| (click-replace: ?1)[[[Then the world goes black|Big crash]].]

"You sure?" Shes asks. "Yeah of course," you smile at her. You really aren't angry at her, more like annoyed. You know you shouldn't get like this but sometimes you can't help it. As you're thinking you feel Alex's hand on your thigh. "You sure you're not angry," she asks as she rubs the inner part of your thigh. [["Definitely not angry,"|Happy Jordan]] you say smiling. [["Not right now Alex,"|Sad Jordan]] you say lifting her hand off of you.

##### (live: 5s)[(stop:)You feel your ears ring.] ##### (live: 7s)[(stop:)You try and open your eyes but you can't muster the strength to keep them open for long.] ##### (live: 12s)[(stop:)You feel yourself fading in and out of consciousness.] ###### (live: 15s)[(stop:)"Alex," you manage to croak out.] #### (live: 17s)[(stop:)"Alex!"] (live: 20s)[(stop:)[[Look for Alex]]]

"What're you doing?" You ask. "I'm driving now. Move over." She says. "No Alex, I'm fine. I'm sorry I just got a little tired." "No. Now get out of the car and switch sweats with me." [[Listen to Alex]]. [[Keep Driving|Drive3.5]].

"Fine, if you wanna be like that I will." She says. You don't say anything back to Alex. You sit restlessly. You want to tell Alex how you're right but you want more for her to not be angry with you. [[Drive|Drive3.4]].

You look around. This is the first time you see that the car is upside down and you're hanging from your seat. You look to the passengers seat. (click: "passengers seat")[ Alex isn't there. But the door is open so you make yourself think she's outside safe.] [[Unbuckle]].

You unbuckle your seatbelt and you fall down with a thud. You're okay. You're okay. *Gotta find Alex.* [[Go outside]].

You crawl out of the car. Your forearms are being scratched by the glass. *Gotta find Alex* You stand up on your weak legs. You feel your knees buckle everytime you try to move faster than your body can allow. You keep your hand on your upside down car as you begin to circle it. [[You head to the back of the car|Back]]. [[You head to the front of the car|Front]].

"Yeah, okay. Yeah you're right," you say. You slow the car to a stop as you pull onto the side of the road. Not that any cars have been passing by anyways. You get out of the car and meet Alex at the front. "I'm sorry," you say. "Yeah you should be," she says. There's silence for a beat. "I'm not mad. Just remember you can ask me for things too, okay?" "Yeah, of course." You smile at her and lean in for a kiss. "-Hold on there. You did almost crash the car so no kisses for you." "Fair enough." [[Get back in the car|Alex drive]].

"Jordan," Alex says questionably. "Jordan, I said let me drive." You pretend not to listen. "Jordan, stop being an asshole." [[You just keep driving|Drive 3.6]]. [[You listen|Listen to Alex]].

"Alex! Alex, this isn't funny. Alex, come back." (live: 10s)[You stand in silence on the empty road. You're not sure what to do.] (live: 14s)[[[You go out and look for Alex.|Alex Search]]] (live: 14s)[[[You get back in the car and wait.|Wait]]]

"Alex!" You keep calling as you start to walk along the sides of the road. "Alex, tell me where you are and I'll come to you." (live: 5s)[No response.] ###(live: 7s)["Alex!"] (live: 10s)[No response again.] (live: 12s)[[[Head into the forest|Into the forest]].]

You can feel your heartbeat throbbing in your ears and your mouth is cotton dry. **You coward.** You think to yourself. **Go out and look for Alex.** [[Look for Alex|Alex Search]]. [[Turn on the car and drive away|Drive3.7]].

"Jordan you're such an asshole some times. (live: 2s)[Like honestly. You just act so childish some times.] (live: 4s)[Just try not to be an asshole.] (live: 6s)[Like for one second just try it.] (live: 8s)[We have such a good vacation and you wanna spoil it over some stupid shit.] (live: 10s)[But that's Jordan for you I guess.] (live: 12s)[You can't be wrong right?] (live: 14s)[You could have kille us Jordan!] (live: 16s)[You know that right?] (live: 18s)[But you're too macho to admit that.] (live: 20s)[Are you even listening?] (live: 22s)[Hello?] (live: 24s)[Helloooooo?] (live: 26s)[Are you really gonna ignore me right now?] (live: 28s)[What are you, like fucking 6?"] (live: 32s)[(goto: "Attack")]

# "KRAWALLARGH" (live: 2s)[You barely have time to register that something has jumped onto your car.] (live: 4s)["Holy fuck, what the fuck is that thing?" Alex yells. You don't answer as you're already speeding and swerving down the road trying to shake loose whatever is hanging on. ] [[Try to shake it loose|Shake loose]]. [[Slam on the brakes|Full stop]].

*You're going to get help. Yeah, help.* You try to convince yourself. *What am I gonna do alone? I can't see in the dark, I'm exhausted, and I can't just leave the car in the middle of nowhere as I go and search.* [[You're definitely doing the right thing|Leave Alex]]. [[Turn around you coward]].

You hop into the passenger's seat and feel a little happier. You can sleep now and Alex isn't as mad anymore. You give yourself a drowsy smile. Now you just have to wait for Alex to get back in the car and you two can be on your way. Just waiting for Alex. [["Alex?"]]

You drive down the road for another hour. Your hands shake for most of the time. Another hour passes. There are small glimmers of light shinning over the horizon. You can still turn back, [[right?|Drive3.8]] [[Keep your eyes fixed on the road ahead|Drive3.8]].

You take a deep breath as you slow the car enough to make a full turn. You head back to where Alex went missing. [You need to do this.] (click-replace: "You need to do this.") [Once you're there you sit still for a second, then you get out. (display: "Alex Search")]

*Go back.* #####*Go back.* ######*Go back.* As you think about what you're doing you hear something in the distance. It's not like the sounds the forest have been letting off all night, you know this sound. [[Listen closely]].

You stand at the edge of the forest. The moonlight gives you enough light to see just infront of you. You take a first step and feel something brush against your leg. [You look down.](click-replace: "You look down.")[It's just a branch.] (live: 5s)[[[Keep going.|Keep going]]] (live: 5s)[[[Go back in the car and drive.|Leave Alex]]]

You listen. (live: 3s)[(stop:)They're sirens.] (live: 6s)[(stop:)You assure yourself that they're not coming for you.] (live: 8s)[(stop:)[[They're not coming for you.|Safe]]] (live: 8s)[(stop:)[[Turn the car around and speed off.|Criminal]]]

"Alex?" You call out again. You open your door and look outside. There's nothing. No one. [[Call out for Alex again|Alex Search]].

You take a few long steps deeper into the forest. You half expect something to jump out at you but nothing does. Everything is calm and quiet. You pick a constant walking pace as you start searching around the bushes. "Alex," you keep calling. You don't get an answer. [[Go even further]]. [[

You drive towards the sirens. Maybe they can help you. Maybe they can help Alex. You see three police cars driving behind one another; trailing behind them a single ambulance. [[Pull onto the side of the road|Pull over]].

That's the first car you've seen all night. It has to be for you. *Why else would they be out here?* You drive faster than you've driven all night. You hear the sirens getting closer and closer. [[Drive faster|Drive3.9]].

You make your way towards the trunk. Your eyes are still adjusting and everything is coming to you blurry. You feel slightly nauseous. You don't find anything. You circle your way back [[to the front]].

You move towards the front of the car. You recoil your hand once you touch the hood of the car. It burns you. You realize the car is smoking. Before you can finish the thought you hear a shifting behind you. [[Look]].

You pass by Alex's door. You look in. No trace of her. There's a trail of blood on the ground. You look at your arms, you're not bleeding that much. The trail is leading off road. [[Follow the trail|Trail]].

There's a group of naked men and women standing behind you. One has Alex strung over his shoulder. You can't tell if she's breating or not. A large man comes up to you. He eyes you up and down. He raises his hand and hits you across the head. You wake up tied by a fire. A pile of bones next to you. You can only assume their Alex's and that you're next. [[End]].

You follow the trail for a few steps into the forest before something jumps on your back. It bites into your neck, and then the flesh of your back. Before you know it, you're getting your head bashed in with a rock. You never find Alex. [[End]].

You decide that it's not worth it and start to slow down, ready to get what you deserve. You slow to a stop and pull onto the side of the road. They get closer. But they don't slow down. They speed right past you. You sit in your seat for a while before turning your car back around and heading home. [[End]].

The police car in the front peels off to meet you. "What're you doing out here," the police man says as he steps out of the car "I... I was just on vacation with my..." you stutter. "Nevermind, yuou need to get off this road. We've tracked down some sort of cult that's been kidnapping and killing stragglers they find on the road. You need to leave right now." "They're killing them?" "Go. Now." He says as he gets back in his car. You stand on the side of the road. You watch the police speed off. You look down the road and hear more sirens coming towards you. [[End]].

You swerve in and out of your lane. You speed up and slow down but it won't come off. You can't get a good look at it. You hear it screech as it moves onto the the roof of the car. [[You slam on the breaks|Full stop]]

You slam on the brakes and it sends you and Alex forward at full force. Whatever was hanging onto the car slammed into the windshield and then rolled down infront of the car. You feel the wheels thump as you run over it. The seatbelts and air bags cushioned the blow but your head is buzzing. You look over at Alex. She's grabbing her neck in pain but she looks alright. [[Go outside and look at what you ran over|Investigate2]]. [[Make sure Alex is okay and try and start the car up|Alex okay]].

You walk even further into the forest. You walk for a couple minutes, constantly calling out for Alex. You walk until you see a campfire. It's not big but you can see a group of people surrounding it. You get closer. You can see Alex's black hair. "Alex!" You call. You get close enough to see that it's not Alex. It's a group of naked men and women. They don't look normal. Almost not human. You get close enough that they can see you. They're all looking at you. "Oh sorry, I was looking for..." You don't get to finish your sentence as you hear the group screech and run towards you. You fall backwards. You get one final look into the night sky. There are so many stars in the sky. They rip into you, and tear any meat off your bones. [[End]].

You can hear yourself breathing heavily, you try to steady it. You groan as you open the door. You make your way to the front of the car. The car is exceptionally hot, even in the summer air. There's blood on the wind shield and it trails down to the bottom of the car. [[You look under the car|Under car]].

You lean over to Alex. "You okay," you say in a pained voice. "Yeah, I think so." She says "Are you?" "Yeah," you say as you start to look out to the front of the car. "What the hell was that thing?" [["Let's go find out."|Investigate2]] [["Something we need to get away from."|Drive3.10]]

You can't really see anything, it's way too dark outside. You can hear something stirring though. It's sounds like it's twitching. [[You reach a hand out|Search]].

You turn the key in the ignition. It stalls. You try it again. Nothing. You close your eyes and turn the key. You hear the engine rumble to life. You drive forward and feel your back wheels roll over whatever jumped onto your car. You ignore it and drive forward. You look over at Alex and she's looking forward, speechless. You both drive in silence, the whole way home. [[End]].

The End.

You just want to know what it was. Your hand searches the ground for something to hold onto. You can hear it shimmying down and out of the back of the car. You're pretty much laying flat on the ground when you hear a scream. [[Get up|Alex dead]].

You can hear the scream getting louder and more full of panic. It has to be Alex. You push yourself up to stand, rocks and small glass shards sticking into your hands as you do. [You look at Alex.](click-replace: "You look at Alex.")[[[There's a naked woman grabbing her by the head, sinking her teeth deep into Alex's neck.|ByeAlex]]]

You rush to over to her. Alex's eyes look at you lifelessly. You push off the woman onto her baco. She snarls at you. You grab Alex by the head. She's not breathing. You turn your head to the woman. She's standing up now. She walks over to you. She screeches. You look her in the eyes. They're almost pitch black. She lunges at you, teeth first, and digs herself deep into your neck. You get to look out into the forest one last time. A horde of naked men and women slowly walk forward, all eyeing you. [[End]].