“Thank you Tyler,” I know it was you that freed me from the prison. I will repay you soon. Be careful and have a safe journey.”
And then Balow was gone. I was alone again.
After Balow left, it didn't take long for me to head out. Balow and I decided it would be too dangerous to travel along the river or on any roads near the Cumberlan River. The people here are crazy and aggressive. Balow suggest I travel through the woods and off any beaten path. The traveling will be slow, but it will be safer. The woods around here has sporadic clumps of vegetation separated by fairly open woods with few obstacles. The hard part will be climbing some of the steep, slippery hill sides. I miss smooth level roads.
I gave Balow my other MRE to eat while fulfilling his PULL. I knew he'd need the nutrition for his fight. I'm worried for him and hope we rejoin soon. His Pull is to the north and I am traveling north-east. So we are traveling almost parallel. People cannot be accompanied while on their Pull, so we have to travel separate. The PULL is a journey traveled and accomplished (or failed) alone.
Besides I had my own problems. I wasn't sure where I was now on the map and I had no roads or rivers to follow. I had to use my compass skills. Reading and using a compass can be tricky. It takes constant attention. If you try walking without one, you will probably find yourself walking in circles. I think I read somewhere, that humans have a tendency to overstep slightly with either their left or right steps. Over shorts distances, this doesn't matter. But over miles and miles, you will eventually walk in a circle.
So when using a compass, you have to set a coarse (mine is north-east), and follow it. To do this accurately, you have to site different objects in the distance that follow your path and then walk to that point. Once you reach that point, you have to take another bearing on a different object further down your path. You have to keep doing this over and over. It's not so bad in less dense woods, because you can find a point far off and follow your path to it. But when it is a thick woods, where visibility is only a few meters, then navigation can be very repetitive and time consuming.
I had been walking for some time, when I had a reoccurring feeling of being watch and followed. I thought I caught glimpses of movement in my peripheral vision. Occasionally I heard leaves rustle and twigs break. It started to freak me out and I quickened my pace. As I moved further down my path, I heard more and more rustling. It didn't take long for me to realize that I was being followed. The noise was now coming from all around me and I began to run.
The faster I ran, the faster my pursuers chased me. Before long, I found myself in an all-out sprint. I was running so fast and carelessly, that I was barreling through picker vines and hanging branches. The vegetation was getting thick and running was getting harder. I felt like I was in a giant spider web made of razor wire. Any exposed skin was shredded and bleeding. I could feel the burn from my sweat dripping over the cuts. I didn't know what was chasing me, but I wasn't stopping to find out.
The vegetation opened into what seem like a wide path. Trees were knocked down in the same direction and there was signs of destruction by a large object. The further I ran down this wide path the more I saw man made debris. I saw chunks of metal, wiring, and what appeared to be insulation.
I moved along the path further and then saw the biggest wheel I ever seen. Not too far in the distance, I made out an airplane wing and rear tail. Off to the right was a jet engine the size of a small bus. And then there it was, a huge military jet airplane. It looked like it had attempted to land here in the woods but was unsuccessful. It was torn to pieces. Only one wing remained intact and the body of the plane was crushed like a discarded pop can.
It looked like it had been there for a few years. There were vines growing all over it and small bushes were growing between cracks of the wing.
All airplanes were grounded after a few of the blackouts caused mass airplanes to fall from the sky. But the military kept planes in the sky to transport aid and personnel.
I was in awe of the massive fallen plane and had forgotten momentarily about what was chasing me. But then there they were, a pack of Kentucky gray wolves. I had done a report on them in school once. They are not suppose to be in this area anymore. The last time any kind of wolf was seen in Kentucky was over 150 years ago. I guess they’re back. Unlucky me.
They weren’t charging me, but were beginning to circle me. I pulled out my machete and yelled for them to get away. I needed to get in the plane to be safely out of their reach, but I didn’t see an opening on the side I was on. The wolves were cautious, but seemed to have a plan.
While shuffling to the other side of the plane I was able to find an opening. One of the wolves lunged at me. I yelled and swung my machete striking the predator in the snout. It yelped and backed off. There were seven that I counted and they all started making little lunges at me. Not big enough lunges that they were on top of me, but little ones that seemed to be taunting me or diverting my attention while the others closed in.
I crept in the opening of the plane (which was a huge split in its side) not knowing what was inside. I didn’t take my eyes off the wolves. I wondered what was behind me in the cabin of the plane.
After I was fully in the plane, the wolves started gathering around the opening I entered through. I took a quick glance around and saw dozens of skeleton remains of soldiers. Their skin had been picked away by birds and other animals, but their skeletons remained mostly intact along with their uniforms and gear.
The skeletons were still strapped in with their safety harnesses. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. As I turned back around towards the pack of wolves, one lunged at me. My reflexes saved me and I thrust my machete in its direction. The machete struck the wolf in its underbelly and penetrated. The wolf let out a big yelp mixed with a vicious growl.
I fell back and onto one of the skeletons. It was damp and smelled nasty. I pulled my machete up and in the direction of the remaining wolves. They were making their little lungs and bearing their sharp teeth.
The sound of growling filled the plane along with my shrieks of fear. I picked myself up and ran to the front of the plane. The cockpit door was half open. I quickly opened it and stumbled in. The wolves chased me and I slammed the door shut behind me. I locked the door and listened to the wolves clawing at the door and growling ferociously.
I turned around to find two dead pilots. I scanned the cockpit for any weapons but there was only two useless pistols. As I leaned over one of the skeletons, I noticed movement within it. The arm of the skeleton, still in its flight suit, began to move and to my amazement it lifted up as if it were waving hello.
I stared in amazement and wondered how this could be. The skeleton appeared to be alive and seem to be offering me a high-five. I stood there frozen watching this skeleton waving to me when I realized there was a huge snake squirming its way out of the sleeve of the flight suit. I took a closer look and noticed the belly of the skeleton moving in and out as if the skeleton was breathing. I could hear rattling and soon realized there was a nest of rattlesnakes birthing inside the skeleton’s stomach, nestled inside the flight suit of the dead pilot.
I jumped back and dry-heaved. It was the grossest thing I ever saw. The rattlesnakes must have been aroused by all the commotion and began snaking their way out the pilots pant legs and shirt collar. They were big and their rattles were going at full speed.
Sounds of rattling and growling filled the cockpit. My face went numb as I tried to grasp the situation. I couldn’t leave the cockpit because of the wolves outside and I couldn’t stay because of the poisonous rattlesnakes inside.
I noticed the front windshield of the cockpit was crushed open so I made a dash to the opening. One of the snakes snapped at me and bit into the sole of my shoe. Thankfully it wasn’t deep enough to penetrate me. I smashed the snake on the control panel of the cockpit and pulled myself out of the plane. Once outside, I found myself on top of the huge plane.
The plane was too tall for any
wolves to climb. After scanning the top of the plane, I decided I was safe from anything getting me (for that moment anyways). I sat down and assessed my situation. My situation was not good.
I hope you enjoyed WILL OF MAN - PART FOUR.
WILL OF MAN - PART FIVE coming soon!
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Will of Man - Part Four Page 4
