Falling

New to posting but a long time reader of CHYOA. My first attempt at a story, hope you enjoy it.

"They really did get me a 26th birthday present." I groan internally.

Five years at the same company, putting in the hours, traveling frequently to support clients, and they lay me off. Five years. All for nothing. Meanwhile, I’ve been single for... well, forever. In college, there were always girls around, but after school, I ended up working in a place that felt like it was sinking in an economically depressed town. My options to meet anyone my age? Slim to none.

Now, I feel like I’m just fading into the background of people’s lives—the ones I used to know, anyway. The ones I thought I’d have something in common with forever.

But there’s always been one thing I’ve clung to: the idea of being an outdoors person. Even if most of my time is spent online. So, after saving up from five years of steady work, I figured it was time to take the trip I had always dreamed of.

That’s how I ended up on a tropical island, standing at the trailhead of it's longest trail. New boots, tactical all-black gear, and pale skin—yeah, not exactly the picture of a seasoned adventurer. But 25 miles seemed like a good starting point. I regularly lifted at the gym but rarely did any actual hiking. But I was an outdoors person at heart, right? What's the worst that could happen.

The valley jungle calls to me: cliffs wrapped in jungle canopy, the ocean at its edge. What could go wrong with no training and barely any experience?

The first day starts off great. But as the miles tick by, the cracks in my plan start to show.

“My boots should’ve been broken in,” I think, as the blisters begin to form. The bugs are relentless, and the sunscreen’s already wearing off. By the time I set up camp after six miles, I’m just hoping tomorrow goes better than today.

I wake up groggy the following morning with large blisters on my ankles. I think to myself, "this will be slow going". Monkeys holler at me, mocking my slow pace as I break camp and begrudgingly begin my hike. The cozy comfort of my couch seems far preferable to "touching grass" at this moment. The views from the trail almost make the misery worth it. The trail has slowly increased in elevation as I hike this morning as the trail hugs one of the valleys cliffs with occasional streams or rivers streaming under it.

The sun is strong today and cast my gaze downwards as I curse myself for not packing sunglasses. That's how I miss that the trail in front of me is washed out. I take a fateful step forward and I am off the path falling into a ravine and the waiting water at its bottom. I am tossed against rocks and slowly overwhelmed by the current.

Just as my consciousness is fading I feel something grab me from behind.