Chapter - 4 Drop Off

The rattling pulled Jack from sleep and the pounding headache made him wish he hadn't woken up. Holding his head, he slowly got up. He had been lying on a bed. There were beds all around him with their occupants in various states of waking up. It seemed he wasn't the only one woken by the racket. *BOOM* the floor bucked under him sending Jack back to the bed. 'This feels like… are we in a truck or something?'

Not wanting to repeat his same mistake, Jack stayed planted in his bed. The ride continued for what felt like forever. Soon, the vehicle slowed to a stop with a slight screech. The ear-splitting sound of metal on metal sounded as a door opened to Jack's left. A soldier hopped up into the back of the vehicle, his movements practiced and effortless.

"Listen up! We're here. If none of you have noticed yet, you should check your right wrists. You will find a device that functions as the interface with your gene core. It will let you choose your evolutions."

Jack and the rest of the conscripts looked at their right wrist to find a black band encircling it. The band appeared to be blank with no screen or interface.

"That wristband will only activate when the gene core detects foreign DNA. It will function similarly to the window you used to choose your survival kit. That about wraps things up. Follow me."

The soldier then proceeded back out the door that he came in. After looking around at each other, the conscripts slowly started walking out the door.

Jack joined the crowd soon after and was suddenly blinded by the overbearing sun. Holding his hand up to shield his eyes, Jack looked around and saw a long line of military cargo trucks. He couldn't see either end of the line due to it being cut off by the shrubbery at the edge of the forest, but he assumed there were at least hundreds of them.

With everyone outside of the trucks, the same Soldier stood in front of the gathered crowd. "When your name is called come forward to receive your kit."

Many soldiers were going back and forth from the trucks carrying boxes that Jack assumed were kits. Each one had a name and number on it. "Christina Fale, you're up fist." The soldier said. A few seconds passed as a nervous looking woman in her forties shuffled forward to receive her kit. The soldier unclipped some straps from the crate and gestured for the woman to take it. The straps seemed to work like a backpack. The woman clearly didn't notice this as she lifted the box by the bottom and carried it back to her location by the transport vehicle she'd arrived in. "James Ward".

Another person was called, and another, and another. Jack was there for at least an hour or two before his name was called. "Jack Thorn" Apparently, this wasn't the first time Jack was called as he noticed everyone looking at him when he finally began moving. He'd been absentmindedly thinking about the whole event when he was called. Walking up to the Soldier, Jack received his kit and slung the box over his shoulder, easily buckling the two straps together using the clip in the middle.

Just as Jack was about to walk away the Soldier called out to him "Hey, you don't wanna forget this" As he pulled out a small vial from a box next to him. "This is your gene pack. Drink it when you're in a safe place." Jack reached out and took the vial saying his thanks and walked back to his earlier position.

This went on for a few more hours before it appeared that everyone in his group had gotten their kits.

"You should all be equipped to survive here, but that doesn't mean you should be complacent. You have about 6 hours till dark. I suggest you make any preparations you need to before then. The soldier turned to walk away but turned back once again. "Oh yeah, one last thing. You should keep in mind that you're not the only experiments out here. Happy hunting." At those last words the soldiers loaded up and drove off in their cargo vehicles.

The conscripts were all dazed for a moment. Then, it was chaos. Some ran off alone, some made groups, and others even tried to take the lead. Although Jack knew that there was strength in numbers, he didn't want to get caught up in the chaos of the mob. He figured he'd hunker down for a few days till things calmed down. Then and only then could he look for a stable group to join.

Jack readjusted the straps of his kit and took off into the forest at a brisk walk. 'I need to find a place to camp out for a few days' Jack thought as he continued deeper into the forest.

Jack could feel his legs burning as his hiking trip had already reached half an hour in length. 'Further' He thought. Jack continued with muscles aching and little to no idea what he was looking for in terms of a good and secure camping spot. Around a quarter of an hour later Jack found a jagged rocky formation about 12 feet tall. To him this was a good sign, it was a confirmation that he was headed in the right direction.

Earlier when he was still waiting for everyone to receive their kits, he noticed it. A mountain not far into the forest. He didn't even know if he could call it a mountain. It was more like a very large hill that appeared to be made of stone.

Jack advanced, hoping to find a cave or a rocky outcropping to set up his camp. It would give him protection form the elements and be harder to find. Stumbling, Jack realized he was nearing his limit. Although his pack wasn't that heavy, it certainly seemed to grow heavier as he walked.

Finally, he found it. The base of the large rocky hill stood before him. It was almost impossible to see form a distance as it was covered by moss and small plants, not to mention the foliage of the forest itself hindering his vision. It blended in wonderfully. Now all he had to do was find a cave to set up shop.

Walking around the left side of the hill, Jack inspected the hill carefully. If the mountain was this hard to see, there was no telling how hard it would be to see any openings or caves. After searching for an unknown amount of time, Jack noticed that the sky had started to change. It wasn't long before he wouldn't have a choice and would need to camp out in the open.

With the shade of the forest making it harder to see, Jack decided to give in for the night. It would soon be too dark to even set up his tent.

Jack had been camping before so setting up the tent didn't take too terribly long. He managed to get it completely set up and secured within an hour. By this time it really was too dark to continue doing anything. Jack realized something and sighed 'I should have checked if there was a flashlight or something when choosing the items for my kit!' Giving up, Jack hesitantly laid down on the uneven ground covered by the floor of the tent. 'That's another thing I forgot' He thought. 'Blankets and a pillow would be really nice right now. Maybe a sleeping bag too.'

In the black of his tent, Jack couldn't sleep. He couldn't get the thought of being eaten in his sleep out of his head. Even back on earth it was dangerous to camp out in areas inhabited by bears or wolves. He didn't know what to expect here. The words of the soldier handing out the kits came back to him. 'He said something about us not being the only experiments out here… I wonder what he meant by that. Are we not the only people, or are there some horrific monsters out here?'

Jack's mind wandered from one bad scenario to another for hours until the exhaustion of the whole day caught up to him, causing him to sink into the abyss of sleep.