WENDIGO SYSTEM

(You could skip this chapter if you want. I don't think it would affect your understanding of the plot, but if you want, you could read it. Also, this chapter is going to be slow paced so you should skip it if you don't want to read it)

His head spun as the man looked around for any source of water. His orange reflective coat tied around his waist, revealing a tank top drenched in sweat. As he liked the sweat on his face for hydration from time to time. He also ate the moss that grew on the ground and the trees but it didn't satiate his hunger in the slightest, only barely keeping him alive.

The only thing supporting his movements was his hunting rifle, which he used as a walking stick.

"Just keep moving," he muttered to himself, the promise of water and food driving him onward. "There has to be something out here."

Thirst, hunger, the stench of his own body—he didn't know how long he had been in this strange woods as he lost track of time. He couldn't tell how many weeks it had been since he had a hearty meal and a good warm bath. But his top priority was to find actual food and water since the trees didn't have any moisture in them and the soil, although looking and feeling moist, didn't have a drop of water in them.

He tried to turn back, but he kept on going in circles as he always saw the tree which he marked with an 'x'.

"This is ridiculous," he growled, frustration gnawing at him. "I should have just left the woods behind."

This all happened when he inherited his grandparent's land. He was a hunter, and the backyard had an unexplored forest hidden in fog as he set his mind to explore it and its mysteries.

His earlier exploration with a drone was uneventful since the fog was too thick for him to see even if he set track heat signatures.

"Maybe I read the map wrong," he whispered, shaking his head at his earlier confidence. "What was I thinking? This place is a maze."

After weeks of finding nothing, he drew an improvised map, took his compass, his rifle, and his hunting coat, and readied himself for an adventure.

On the first day, he couldn't find any prey, but luckily, he prepared food supplies that could last him a week.

"Just a week, that's all I need," he had reassured himself.

But his rations depleted quickly since he kept getting hungry even though he was full. "Why can't I be satisfied?" he exclaimed, exasperation creeping in as he felt there was no space for food in his stomach. But he couldn't stop shoving his food in his mouth.

After his food was depleted, he had been living off his pee and sweat along with the moss around him and that's how he ended up in this situation.

As he kept on walking, he was sure of it. He was close to the other side of the forest. He was in tears as he was ready to embrace civilization for a long time.

"I made it; I survived!" he celebrated, wiping the tears from his eyes even though he hadn't seen the other side of the forest.

After crossing the last trees, what he saw baffled him as it left his mouth agape.

Greenery, just greenery from everywhere he could see. Fields with never-ending blades of grass, he was not sure how a place like this was still unknown, but the thing that made him happy the most was the deer he saw grazing carefree as a few stared at him curiously, closely approaching him.

"Oh, thank goodness!" he exclaimed, eyes gleaming. "Food! Real food!"

And the last thing that caught his eye was a lone albino deer that looked at him more cautiously than the other deer.

"This is it," he murmured, almost reverently. "I've never seen anything like it."

Some deer were closer, but he chose to shoot me, the albino who was a few feet away from him. The albino's ears perked up as it saw the hunter readying his gun.

"I have to do this," he whispered, conflicted but desperate as it tried to run away. It was almost as if it sensed danger, but sadly, it wasn't faster than the bullet.

*Bang!*

It took one shot to bring the deer down, but it was still alive as it trashed around while the other deer scattered.

He went closer to the deer even though it was risky since his stomach was thinking instead of his head; as he went closer to the deer, who was flailing its legs around in pain, he brought out his gun and pointed it at the head of the albino deer and shot on last time.

*Bang!*

The deer was lifeless on the ground, and without hesitation, the hunter pulled out his survival knife and started cutting the bite-size pieces of the meat, devouring it while drinking its blood.

As he finished consuming the adult albino deer his hunger and thirst satiated as he found out that it was easier to leave the forest than enter it.

Entering his house in a disheveled state falling asleep the moment he went to his bed.