Oh Dear

[LordB†]

B073 - JAMES WADE, V5 START

"Okay, stay calm, stay calm, stay calm..."

James began to take quick breaths, backing up against the tree he'd woken up under. This couldn't be happening, not to him. It had to be a joke, right? He pulled his hood up as he sat down, arms and legs tucked into a near-foetal position. He'd have to move soon, he knew, but first he had to get his head in gear.

"Come on," he said to himself. "Can't sit here all day, can we?"

It was a little trick his dad had taught him. While friends and family could say the nicest things in the world, the only person that would get James to move was James himself. He'd felt a panic attack coming on before, but they had all been knocked out before it could take effect. Now, he was alone with his fears. Kill everyone, they had said. His breathing began to slow down a little. It was a ridiculous thing to ask a bunch of kids to do, but it had happened before. James could vaguely remember hearing about all this crap on the news years ago, and had never paid much attention to it. You never thought that something like it could happen to you, but this was happening, it was very, very real, and James knew that he'd die if he sat here curled in a ball all day.

"Right, right, up we get."

James pulled himself to his feet, pulling back his hood. He pushed his long hair out of his eyes and adjusted his glasses slightly as he took in his surroundings Looking around the area, he noticed how eerily quiet it was. It reminded him of those solitary bike journeys into the countryside he had taken, away from all the noise and the people. This was different though. Aside from the wind whistling through the trees, he couldn't hear any signs of life. To his right, a cluster of wooden walls and platforms made up what appeared to be some kind of an assault course. He'd have to get away from here, find some kind of shelter and with any luck, friends.

"Now then," James muttered, ignoring the twinge of a cramp in his leg from where he'd slept. "Time to move."

He took a couple of steps before stopping dead in his tracks. Oh yeah, the bag! He turned to see a duffel bag lying next to the tree, B073 stamped onto it in white print. It was oddly disturbing to look at. That's what I am to them. a number. Sighing, he unzipped it, and peered at the contents. There were a few basic supplies in there, though nothing he could use to defend himself. James sighed, and picked up the bag. Beneath it was a square box, something he hadn't noticed before. 'Clue', it was called. He'd heard of the game, but spent a few seconds pondering why it was here. Then it hit him. This is my weapon. James gave it an experimental shake and opened it up. Unfortunately, it did not contain the BFG-9000, a jetpack, or even a moderately sharp stick. As a weapon, it was for all intents and purposes, useless.

"Crap," he announced to the world as he stood up, walking off with his only defence in hand.

((James continued in Wandering))