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Scanning the cabin, I realize I won’t ever be coming back here. I’m not made for mountain retreats. It’s a solitude and confinement that I’m not sure I’m meant for. I might just leave early.
Trying to leash Kraine is becoming impossible with how agitated he’s become. He bounces around like he’s a two-year-old toddler.
“Kraine, stop. I can’t leash you like this.” He stiffens and lets me latch on the leash. ” Seriously, buddy, calm down. We’ll be out there exploring in a second.”
I open the door and reach for the key off the hook when Kraine books it like Usain Bolt. I reflexively tighten my hand around the leash, but I’m too slow, and it slips through my fingers.
“Kraine! Stop!”
But he doesn’t listen as he lands his mark and doesn’t slow down.
Shit, he’s going to fight a bear!
Without a thought, I take off after him and run as fast as I can, but my hiking boots, with the high ankle to protect it from rolling, has me at a disadvantage.
At the top of my lungs, I scream, “Kraine!”
Panic at losing my best friend has me reacting in ways I’m realizing are not wise. If there’s someone, something, out there, I unwisely let them know I am too, and my dog isn’t anywhere near me. I’m alone.
Not knowing where I’m heading, I stop in the woods, panting and my heart racing. I twirl and can’t figure out where I am. I’m no longer on a trail, and Kraine didn’t follow one.
The heavy flow of my blood pounds in my ears, and my anxiety jumps a notch. The intense words of the book I foolishly started reading play out in my mind as the protagonist was also trapped in the woods alone.
A scurrying of birds launches into the air forcing me to startle and turn so fast I fall on my ass as the sky paints black with so many birds in sudden flight.
Twigs and branches start snapping, and pounding beats shake the ground beneath my hands as I slowly reach my feet. Roars break out in the distance, but close enough for me to make out the sound.
The leaves on the trees rustle, and in a flash, a dead silence descends upon the forest, and the ground stops shaking. It’s like a descending moment as I take a whiff, and my heart drops while my stomach rises and gets trapped in my throat.
Smoke.
Then panic and fear flood my senses, the extended moment of stillness ruptures, and survival screams out as animals work their way to safety.
I don’t have my phone, but I can’t guarantee a signal anyway. Kraine’s barking gets softer the farther he runs from me. I distinctly strain to hear him— it stops.
Oh, fuckity-fuck… fuck!
CHAPTERTHREE
JAKE
Sweat flows downmy face as I hike up the mountain. I hit a natural break and stop to breathe in the fresh air. I inhale deep lungfuls, and my muscles relax in the fresh, clean, perfect mountain air. I’m made to thrive in the mountains, and I can never understand how people can live in polluted and overly populated cities. This is all I need.
The break from the nose-burning acrid, sulfur-based air that usually fills my nostrils is a fantastic reprieve. I hate being out of commission for so long, but I’d be lying if I said I’m not happy to be away from the fires for a while. As soon as I get the full all-clear, I’ll jump in with both feet, but I’ll enjoy the hiking and solitude for now.
Breathing in again, I pause. My nose twitches as my brain seems to register the tinge of the all too familiar scent. The one that I was just recently praising I didn’t have to smell.
No, it’s my mind playing tricks on me.
Taking in the area, I look for a campsite near the water for the night. I’ve been hiking for three hours now and don’t want to overwork my ankle. I aim to return to the job, not delay my short-term disability leave. I’m going stir-crazy.
Looking back down the trail, I think about the Blaine cabin I passed about a half hour ago and the dog I thought I heard barking and going wild, but I stopped worrying over it quickly as it suddenly stopped.
The cabins are few and far between up here, and we get a lot of tourists renting the places out who know nothing about mountain living and safety.Common sense.All the townies maintain awareness when we’re out enjoying our backyard. It’s natural for me to think about the residents with the lights on.
Continuing onward, I need to set up camp. Ten minutes later, the wind changes, making me stop and take stock of the situation. Pulling out my phone, it has no signal.
Pulling my rucksack forward, I dig inside, looking for the GPS phone I threw in at the last minute out of habit. Powering it on, I curse that the batteries are dead. This isn’t normal for me. I always come to the mountains prepared for anything, but I’m out of practice with my routine.
