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Like eighty percent confident.
Duncan wasn’t much of an outdoorsman, as in he loathed the outdoors completely and never had the sort of physique that would ease exploration of it. Another reason for his fascination with the paranormal was the instant ability to access it from home on his computer. He didn’t have to go anywhere to learn about ghosts or monsters because he could simply jump on the net and scroll for hours at a time.
He was trying to take better care of himself now that he was older, but he was still carrying more than a few extra pounds. He remained sure that he’d be all right traversing his way to the valley between his phone, compass, and map.
As long as he stopped for breaks, of course.
He was able to find his way there pretty easily, carefully heading off the trail and down a sweeping hill. There was a small stream trickling nearby, lots of lush green trees, and he had a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains from a small ledge.
Below was a steep drop leading to the valley floor. There was a magnificent river cutting through the middle, and he thought he saw—
Ohfuck.
One wrong step on a loose stone sent Duncan tumbling forward, and he fell down the side of the drop he’d just been looking out over. Down he went, head over feet, grunting in pain as his body twisted and his side got nailed by a tree.
The collision slowed him some, but he continued to fall the steep hill. He flailed his arms, trying to grab on to something to stop his rapid descent, and then—
Crack.
Something had hit Duncan’s head, and his body finally came to an abrupt stop.
Then…
Darkness.
When Duncan woke up, the throbbing in his head rivaled any hangover he’d ever had. He could smell blood, probably his own, and something weirdly spicy like a musky cologne. His eyes rolled open, and he saw stars peeking through the trees.
Shit, shit, shit.
The fall. Going down the hill. His head.
He reached up to touch his temple where it was throbbing, and he was surprised to find cloth there, perhaps some kind of bandage. He noticed a faint orange glow out of the corner of his eye, turning toward it with a pained gasp.
A lantern.
No, several lanterns.
They were all different styles and sizes, clustered together in…
Wait, Duncan was in a cave.
The orange glow bounced off smooth rock walls, and there was nothing but stone all around him. He was resting comfortably in a nest of assorted cushions and sleeping bags, and he thought someone must have found him and brought him here.
He thought he’d seen stars…
No matter.
That wasn’t important right now.
Making sure he was alive to go get proper medical attention for what was probably a concussion was what mattered.
Duncan groaned as he sat up, and the cave spun wildly. He thought he was going to throw up, and he felt a firm hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting pat. He turned to see who was touching him, and he froze.
“What the…?”
It was a man.
No, not a man.
