William was lost.
He was pretty sure he followed the map he had found hidden in an old book about ancient myths. It was in a chapter that told of a race of beings that ruled in this area 5000 years ago.
They made mention of a temple that should be where he was now. A temple where some kind of ritualistic ceremony took place.
He didn't trust his translations of the text though. Ancient Native American languages wasn't his strong suit.
The best he could come up with was "the gods would take the (strongest) male of the tribe, then (consume) his (life fluid) for days".
Obviously, the straight translation was more choppy than that, but what he took from it was that they drained a warriors blood, but slow enough for him to replenish it. Otherwise, how could they do it for days?
He was hoping to find answers. If only he could find the temple (assuming it even exists)...
It's getting dark now, so he decides to set up camp and try again tomorrow.
Making his way up the mountain, he comes to a stony outcrop that can protect him from the weather and provide some wind resistance.
He sets camp, builds a fire and has dinner. He gets so engrossed in his study of his maps and notes, that he doesn't realize how dark it's gotten. His fires dying down and he's unwittingly used up all of his wood.
The forest is really creepy at night, even for a manly man like him. You have to have a fire to keep the predators at bay. The last thing you want is for a wolf to show up at camp!
Taking his flashlight, he goes to gather enough wood for the night. The narrow beam of light doesn't light up much of the woods and the cacophony of sounds, coupled with the way the light plays tricks with the shadows makes him wish he had told someone he was coming out here. If something happens, nobody will even know he's gone!
He decides to get his phone out of his pack to rectify his mistake. When he sets his pack down he fumbles his flashlight. It bounces off of a rock and tumbles into an adjacent ravine. In the beam of the light, he sees what looks to be some kind of ancient pictograph that he's never seen before...
The temple!! Could it be?!!
He begins to make his way down the steep slope, but slips on some wet leaves. His body slams into the ground and he goes head over heels down the ravine. As he approaches the bottom, his mind plays tricks on him and he sees eyes shining in the dark of the entrance. He doesn't have much time to contemplate this, because his body comes to a jarring halt as his head slams into something phenomenally hard.
His last thought, before the darkness consumes his mind, is, "This can't get any worse..."
Some time later he woke slowly...
First thing he noticed was the ringing in his ears. His head hurt. BAD... He wonders if that's why he can't seem to move...
He opens his eyes slowly, wondering how long he's been out...
