It Doesn’t Matter Anymore novel Chapter 28

The fog thickened, making it nearly impossible to see anything. My clothes clung wetly to my skin, and I shivered from the cold. Quickly, I pulled a dry wool coat from my backpack and put it on, gritting my teeth against the pain as I made a makeshift crutch from some branches. Walking was a struggle as the rain and mud mixed beneath my feet, turning each step into a potential slip.

The pain in my leg brought sweat to my forehead, but I forced myself to keep moving. At least I didn’t have to worry about the bear chasing me; it would probably follow the scent of blood and go after the others ahead. To keep myself from losing consciousness, I focused on memories.

James and I had explored an untouched forest for the first time together. He had twisted his ankle after slipping on a wet rock near a creek. On the way down, I had carried him—me, just 5’5 and 110 pounds, while he was a towering 6’3 and 200 pounds. Sweat trickled down my forehead, and he reached out to wipe it away. “Roselyn, my dear, I can walk. Let me down,” he said then. Back then, he didn’t feel heavy. Now, every step felt so much heavier.

Thinking about that, I looked up and unexpectedly started laughing, which quickly turned into tears. I fell to my knees, and suddenly, the sky cleared. Sunlight poured through the dappled canopy, illuminating a lone oak tree ahead. Beneath a pile of leaves, a delicate stem caught my eye. It was a ghost orchid, its translucent form nourished by decaying vegetation. Some call it the “Flower of the Underworld,” a plant without chlorophyll. But I saw something else I saw its strength in rising from death to life. Wasn’t it like me? Even without James, Roselyn could still shine.

I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and moved forward. Every step felt like walking on razor blades, but I told myself to keep pushing on, to emerge from the forest.

Then the clouds, dark as ink, swallowed the last bit of sunlight. I caught up to James. We both knelt on the ground, lost in the dense woods, the camp seeming unreachable. Our food and clean water were gone, and hopelessness began to set in. Lorelai broke down, sobbing, “Are we going to die here? I don’t want to die! I can’t!”

Her panic spread like wildfire, making everything feel heavier. Leaning against a tree, my leg throbbed, but I endured, staying silent. James wiped Lorelai’s forehead, saying, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here. We’ll find a way out.” His voice was gentle and firm, but that gentleness was no longer mine.

I let out a small laugh, pulling a chocolate bar from my pocket. Slowly, I unwrapped it and took a bite. The sweetness spread across my tongue while bitterness filled my heart. Seeing I had food, James crawled over quickly. I kicked him away as Lorelai screamed in terror, pointing behind me.

“Ahhhhh!” she shrieked. James shoved me hard, scrambling backward, muttering, “Don’t eat me, eat her!”

Sure enough, the bear, drawn by the scent of my chocolate, had appeared. Strangely, standing at the edge of danger, I remained calm. Fumbling in my pack, I grabbed my bear spray and soaked myself with it. As James and Lorelai ran, they triggered the bear’s hunting instinct, and in that moment, it seemed I might have escaped danger.

The next thing I knew, I was in a hospital bed. Dilan, a coworker who had saved me, explained that I’d collapsed just 500 meters from the camp. During their flight, Lorelai’s legs were shredded, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down, and James lost a hand. They barely survived.

Dilan kept talking, as if recounting some exotic adventure. I wasn’t interested. “Where’s my mini camera?” I asked.

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