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The dog simply whined his protest and continued to stare back at me, without blinking, just judging me and all my bad decisions.
“I know you like her, Jake, but you don’t seem to understand. Humans are innately flawed. That’s why I like you. You’re a dog. You are loyal to me and I am loyal to you.” I narrowed my eyes, “Which is why I’m out here this long, waiting for you to get off your lazy ass and come back home with me.”
The dog gave a small harrumph and whined but didn’t move.
Eventually, Jake’s guilting got the better of me. I kind of knew it would from the start and once I conceded, I was pissed that I had waited this long.
“Okay, fine. You win, you asshole. Go find Carrie,” I instructed and at the sound of her name, Jakes head popped up and his tongue fell out of his mouth with excitement.
“Yeah,” I insisted, throwing my hand in the right direction as I got to my feet, “Let’s go get her.”
With the confirmation that I was willing to go along with him, Jake leapt to his feet and took off in full-on sprint.
“Wait for me!” I yelled as I took off behind Jake.
Thankfully, for this situation, Jake is a loud and messy tracker. He bar
rels through the wilderness like a bull in a china shop, barking the whole way. This usually means that I can track him easily, even if I am far behind him.
The massive dog loves to run and is always extremely excited at the prospect of tearing through the woods.
He can be in the worst mood, but a run can make him feel better. Right now, I could tell that he needed to run; both to track and to relieve the stress that the fighting had placed on him.
For such a massive dog, he hated confrontation and right now, I could tell that he was really hurting.
That seemed to be my mantra lately and everyone I met was eager to inform me of that.
Between the two of us, it didn’t take us all that long to catch up with Carrie, considering she was slower due to her leg.
Jake caught up with her first but waited for me patiently.
When we found her, she was sitting on a log, looking around the clearing with a sense of distress.
I commanded Jake to keep his distance, as I didn’t want to argue with her anymore. I told myself that once we found her, I would ensure she was safe, without making myself known, unless I needed to.
However, now that I had found her, seeing the distress she was in, noticing that darkness was creeping in and knowing that she would never make it to the ranger’s station before dark, I immediately wondered if I should step in.
After all, she still is injured. I thought, trying to make a case that I could use to justify my actions, but regardless, my pride won’t grant me the satisfaction.
So, Jake and I remained in the shadows, hoping that she could figure out her own way.
Chapter 15:
Carrie
I was seriously starting to freak out now. I had continued walking until I felt like my leg was going to fall off if I took another step and was no consumed by complete darkness.
I cursed myself, knowing that I had gotten turned around and I wasn’t even sure I was heading toward the station anymore.
While it was obviously down the mountain, the darkness made it easy to vary down the mountain in a completely different way, leading me even farther away from my destination.
Again, I rested on a nearby log I had to feel around to find. I knew that I should be getting firewood together to keep the animals away, since I had nothing to cook, but after trying my best to summon the energy, or the willpower, I concluded it was no use.
I tried to think of a way to ensure, if I kept walking, I would eventually find the ranger’s station, but the logical part of me told me that if I continued, I would certainly get lost.
Without food or water, I was running out of time. Every second counted and if I spent the energy I had left going in the wrong direction, it was almost inevitable that I would succumb to the elements.
Once again, I thought about what Johnathan had said and I wished I had never left that damn cabin.
