There is more here than you're telling us
It's not that you're trying to hide something, you're just not comletely aware of the connections your mind is making. What is it about that X-Files figure that stuck with you for so long? Do you have any kind of trauma about vollyball? Or, could they be tennis nets? What we percieve about your dream has absolutely nothing about what your subconsious percieves.. But, here's my thought:
Assuming the trees there to be dead like they appeear, whatever other path you could have taken would lead to ruin. Or, the ruin is already all around you. If the trees there form a solid barrier, it could be that there was no other path to take. The nets are clearly another kind of barrier. But this time, it was more of a mental block. You easily passed through them, thereby defeating and destroying them. However, the threat of their reappearance was constant. What's interesting about the haven you found was that it also seemed to be a ruin. Maybe, it's a false hope that you only think is safe. The actual object that produced the protective shield might also be a clue.
As you said, your "character" seems to know more about the situation that you do. Namely, the threat of the nets and the safe haven. Think very carefully about what was going through his mind, and not yours. Consider what your character knew of the situation, and the things your mind relates to the objects and symbols there.