INT2024 The Dark Woods

Yeah, Sam thought, it had all been interwoven. Too bad the big brains in the Eco-lites hadn't understood that.

Sam was crouching in brush. Around him was a forest, but Sam couldn't enjoy the experience. A group of people was moving through the trees not far away, and Sam had no desire to be noticed by them.

Ideology had devastated common sense and the "project" to eliminate "unnecessary" agriculture had been thoroughly carried out.

No human society in history had ever thought it had too much to eat, but political mania had brought things to that point ... with predictable consequences.

At first, it was just spot shortages of some food items. But things got messy when the weather was poor for a few years. What crops were left largely failed, or because they were raised "bio", succumbed to an unanticipated plague of mold and mildew. Mass starvation followed and industrial society more or less collapsed because people were too busy trying to find something to eat.

Of course, there was simply not enough food for everyone and so, many died. Scavenging animals ate their fill and the population of rodents exploded. Those who survived had banded together into tribal societies, and the tribes fought each other for control of land and water sources.

Sam's misfortune was to get separated from his tribe. He had been sent to scout for the presence of deer or other herd animals, but when he returned, the tribe was gone ... they had, for some reason, moved on. The people Sam now observed were not even really a tribe; they were just bandits who had taken to living in the forest.

After what seemed an eternity, the band of others moved on. Sam, too, wanted to go on, but his fatigue and hunger had become overwhelming. He closed his eyes, and as always, visions of food dishes he had once enjoyed danced about his mind. In his stupor, he did not hear the approaching coywolf. It, too, was thinking of food.

-The End-

WTG was wondering if you were going to show up...Well done

a reply to: 727Sky

Your first contribution to INT2024 was my inspiration

Thanks Captain.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

A frightening story, F2d5thCavv2, which I hope remains in the realm of fiction, but that could all too easily become reality.

Back to nature at its best, or worst: Eat or be eaten. I guess diehard vegans would be the first to starve.

Btw, remember to add a link to your story in the contest thead.

a reply to: Encia22

Thanks Encia.

Cheers

a reply to: F2d5thCavv2

Very nice! Wow shot or be shot eat or be eaten! S/F

a reply to: JJproductions

Thanks JJ.

Various inputs informed the plot, sparse though it is. One example is the bandits; that came from hearing stories of a large forest on the Franco-German border that was infamous as a refuge for bandits during the Middle Ages. Walking in the woods back then was apparently a lot more hazardous than it is today.

Cheers