11. fear was yesterday

Fear was yesterday. Today was, well, something different.

The morning was uneventful. The sun woke me up. Beaming straight on my face. Sweat was still beading off my face when I got up. Couldn’t believe I didn’t wake up earlier. Large windows were great, but for late sleepers, they can be just as rude as alarm clocks. Anyways. Nothing had happened. Nothing. I wasn’t mauled in my sleep. No one stabbed me with my own kitchen knife. And there were no wolves were outside doing who knows what. But most of all, no one came back.

I went into the garage. One last desperate attempt. No keys. No hot wiring ability. Not even an open door. Who locks their doors in a garage. Seriously.

Since I decided cabin fever is now my kryptonite, I decided to get out. As long as there was daylight. I should be fine.

Checking all the back windows first, I made sure things were safe. No hint of a white anywhere. Not under the deck, around the corner, or even in the fucking trees. Who knows. I’ve already seen my share of strange things. Seeing a wolf sitting in a tree waving at me wouldn’t be a surprise. Fuck. He could be smoking a bong at that point. Anyways, I step out onto the deck. It’s one of those nicely lacquered decks. Smooth and well maintained. No stairs leading down. Just one big square with railings. This was my outpost. A quiet outpost. Too quiet.

There was still a dead calm in the air. No sound whatsoever. Just the rustling of leaves when the wind blew. It was too eerie. I was only out there for ten minutes. That was enough.

Actually, I had it.

I got ready. Filled my backpack. Some food, of course sealed in ziplocks. A flashlight from the garage. A towel. Some extra socks. My phone. And of course, the kitchen knife. No wait. Not in the backpack. I slipped it through my belt first. Not going to work. I was sure I’ll cut myself swinging my arms. I decided to carry it.

I stepped outside.

Out the front door.

I looked down the street and just started to walk. Of course there wasn’t any other life around.

“Helloooooooo!”

Obviously no one was in the other houses. I decided not to press my luck. I want the attention of people, not just any living organism. Especialy not ones with sharp fangs.

The road was long. It stretch down a long gradual hill, winding left as it went along. Trees stood on each side seperated by a small ditch next to the paved road. They didn’t look so leering during the day. Actually, they looked much more pleasant. Green pine needles, leaves, or whatever you call those things. They were colorful against the clear blue skies. Wasn’t even sure of the time that I set out. Just kept on walking. The weather was perfect. My pace was actually faster than yesterday’s hike. Maybe it was more from determination. Yesterday the hike was more about sightseeing so of course that pace was slower. Today I had a sense of… urgency. Man I hate that word. Ever since the NFL started using that word, it seems like everyone uses it. Damnit. Even me.

Didn’t take too long until I started getting hungry. Had to been a few hours now. I went through my bag and turned on my phone. No luck. Still no reception. At least I got the time. A little before 10 a.m. Wow. I woke up that early? Still plenty of time before lunch. So I grabbed my Cliff bar and snack on it as I walked. This will do for now.

Along the way I saw my first sign of life. A lone hawk was in the sky. Gliding high in the sky. It let out a couple of screeches before disappearing behind the tree line.

Felt like I was getting somewhere.

I spotted a little river down through the trees to the right. Looked alright. There was a clearing. Enough time to spot anything before they got close. I looked up at the sun. Getting to high noon. It was hot. I needed a break and place to eat lunch. Next to the river. Not a bad place. Hopefully a large smooth rock to sit on.

My knife was still with me. I gripped it tighter just to make sure it was still there.

Not too far off form the covered road so I was sure I’d hear anything happening up here. So I decided to get my feet wet. Literally. Just my feet.