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“The shock. When our fingers touched. That doesn’t happen in everyday life. It’s like our bodies knew something about one another before we did.”
Was this guy fucking serious?
“It’s called ‘static electricity.’ It happens all the time.”
“Would you like to get dinner with me sometime?” he asked. “Maybe at the cafe?”
I sighed. He was trying as hard as he could and, even though he was falling on his face, he kept on going. In another world, his persistence would’ve been an endearing trait, despite the fact that he was really trying to force it. But I simply wasn’t interested. I wasn’t here to find company or someone to share my bed. I was here to screw my head on straight so I could keep looking toward my future.
“Thank you for the invitation but I think I’ll have to decline,” I said.
I backtracked out of the lodge. I hated disappointing people but I wasn’t about to fall back into old patterns. I wasn’t about to start doing what people simply expected me to do. This was my life and, somewhere along the way, I’d forgotten that I was the only one that controlled it. I gripped the keycard in my pocket as I started for the hiking trails and, already, I could feel the blustering wind setting in.
“Hey! Miss!”
I turned around to see one of the staff riding up to me on a four-wheeler.
“Yes?” I asked.
“You know there’s a storm setting in, right?” she asked.
“I’m aware, yes.”
“It’s going to be dangerous for you to be on those hiking trails. I’ve been going around to all the cabins and informing everyone about the storm. If you need anything from town, I suggest you get it now. And if you want to reschedule your visit, we’re doing that free of charge.”
“That’s very kind of you but I’ll be all right,” I said. “I got a bunch of stuff before I came in and I’m only here for three weeks. The cafe and the restaurant will still be functioning, right?”
“Yes, we have the backup generators in place, but I must warn you—”
“Thank you for your time,” I said. “You’ve done your job. I’m just gonna take a quick hike and then I’ll be right back.”
The woman seemed wary about letting me go but I felt empowered. This was my life and I was the one in control. Not a boss. Not a man. Not the weather. Not anything. I wanted to see a bit of the countryside and the mountains before I was relegated to the compound that was this resort and that was exactly what I was going to do.
So, I turned around and started into the shadowed path that was the hiking trail.
I became so enamored with the life and the sights around me that I wasn’t paying attention to the sky. I hiked and wound around and, eventually, I came to a downed tree in the road. I looked around and tried to find the path I’d snaked in on, which was when I realized I’d carved my own path.
I was no longer sure where I was and I felt panic starting to set in.
I looked up at the sky and noticed the gray clouds were getting darker. I really needed to get back to the resort before I got caught in all this shit. I walked around the tree and started along the road. This couldn’t be just a random road that led to nowhere, right? It had to lead somewhere. If it led to a house, whoever lived there could get me back on track. If it led to the main road, I could hitch a ride with someone and get back. But the road got narrower the farther along it went, and soon, a brush of trees completely overshadowed the small trail the road dumped me into.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and tried to call someone. The reception was spotty and I didn’t have enough of a connection to pull up the internet. I had no idea where I was, I had no idea which direction the resort was in, and I could hear the wind whipping through the trees.
Then, it happened.
The heavens opened up and snow started to dump on me.
It came down so hard that I could barely see the trail in front of my eyes. I picked up the pace, heading for the brush of trees to get out of the snow. My hair was getting wet and my coat was no longer protecting me from the freezing temperatures. As I made my way through the shadowed trail, tears rose in my eyes.
My toes were getting cold and my body was trembling uncontrollably. I felt out of control. I felt like I was spiraling. I’d put myself in this position because of my cocky attitude about wanting to control my life and my destiny and now I was going to die in the mountains of Gatlinburg without anyone knowing I was out there.
I picked up my pace and began running but, just as the trees broke, I stepped onto a rock and fell off to the side.
I shrieked as my ankle popped and a searing pain ricocheted up my leg. I rolled down a small hill and connected with another tree. My back ached while tears streamed down my face. It was hard to breathe; I couldn’t take in enough air. The snow was coming down around me in buckets, slinking down my back and threatening my body with hypothermia. My ankle was throbbing and my leg was aching. I still couldn’t catch my breath and my tears seemed to be freezing against my skin. I was woozy from smacking into the tree and panic was starting to overtake me.
I took in great gulps of cold air to try and calm myself down, but all I did was cause myself to have a coughing jag that sucked the oxygen right from my lungs. Just as the edges of my vision started to darken and my head started to feel floaty, I felt my body being lifted from the ground.
Feeling suddenly safe, I closed my eyes and gave up fighting.
