Will of Man - Part Five

by William Scanlan

  My rain catch was working so good, that it filled my water bottle within seconds. The camelbacks had bladders with water inside, but the water was nasty and needed to be purified. So I drained most of them and refilled them with fresh rain water.

  For the first time in a long time, I had a full belly. The gum that came in the MRE was spearmint flavor and I enjoyed the freshness of its taste.

  MRE's are full of carbs and I felt the energy returning to my body. Even my thinking was clearer. I kicked back in one of the pilot chairs and wrote in my journal till I was ready to sleep. And oh by the way, no snakes!

  Tyler's Journal Entry: 435

  Date: September 24

  Day: Tuesday

  Weather: Cool and cloudy

  Miles to go: 625

  The wolves are dedicated and won't leave me alone. For the past three days, I spent my time tormenting the wolves with my spear, writing journal entries, and exploring the plane.

  The MRE's have reenergized me and I am motivated to continue on with my journey. It will be full-on winter in a couple months, or less. I need to get moving or set up winter camp here and wait till spring.

  The cargo in the back was like finding a mountain of gold. They are stacked with MRE's, jugs of water, blankets, medical supplies, containers of kerosene, etc. My guess is this plane was delivering emergency supplies to the area when it crashed here. The plane was far enough away from the airport, and hidden well enough from any travelers, that no one ever found it - lucky me.

  I could stay here all winter in comfort with everything I need. But that would mean another six months away from my family. I wonder if they've given up on me. My heart tells me they never will.

  I've been going over my map and have found my location. The airbase was hard to find, but here it is, and my estimation of “miles to go” has been wrong. I'm 625 miles away (I thought 580), 45 more than I thought. That's another week of travel!

  I am close to Balow and I’s meeting spot (maybe a day or two away). I think about him often and wonder how his PULL went. I’m sure he did fine. He seems more capable than most. I would not want to go up against him. I wonder who would win between him and my dad. I am glad they are on the same side.

  I fashioned a mini woodstove (made of spare junk from the cabin) near the opening of the window. It's large enough to heat the inside of the cockpit at night.

  I've used up most of my cocoa mix I found in the MRE's. When I drink the cocoa, I close my eyes and pretend I'm back home, in my living room, and sitting with my family. I picture Dad and Tanner playing with the IPad, Mom cooking in the kitchen, and Molly our dog lying on the end of the couch. I can hear the TV and smell Mom's cooking.

  Like this plane, our house creeks on windy days and the windows shutter slightly. I miss my home so bad. I am so lonely. I’m beginning to talk to myself and it worries me.

  I found a book one of the pilots must have been reading. It helps pass the time and takes me to a different place. Ironically the book is about the end of the world and how the main character survives. There's a little too much violence for my taste and I find some of the scenarios silly. Maybe someday someone will use my journal to write a book. Ha.

  Tyler's Journal Entry: 447

  Date: September 30

  Weather: Cool and cloudy

  Miles to go: 625

  I’ve been on this plane for way too long. The endless supply of food is nice, but I need to move on. I will go insane if I have to be here all winter by myself.

  I’ve hit each wolf numerous times with my spear, but no visible kills yet. However, it’s been two days since I’ve seen them. I’m wondering if they’ve moved on.

  I’ve packed my backpack with a few MRE’s and plan to make a run for it. My plan is to run hard to the fence surrounding the airport perimeter. Once I climb over it, I will make my way to the airport and camp there for the night. If still no signs of wolves or any other predators, I will continue on with my journey back home.

  It’s getting more cold out and I’ve decided to wear my thermal wetsuit throughout the day under my clothes. Tomorrow, when the sun comes up, I’m making a run for it.

  Tyler's Journal Entry: 449

  Date: October 1

  Weather: Cool and cloudy

  Miles to go: 625

  Morning came and I scanned the area for any unwelcomed guests. There was no signs of the wolves, so with all my gear on, I slowly crept out the crack of the cabin and onto the grass outside.

  I hadn’t touched real ground for a long time and it seemed strange to me. As I left the plane, I felt more and more insecure. That plane was my oasis and now I’m leaving it. I wondered if I was making a huge mistake.

  But the decision was made and I knew I could not stay there over winter. Realistically it’s the best choice to stay (because of the food and shelter), but having no one to talk to will drive me insane. I need to push on.

  So I started out in a slow walk towards the tall fence. With each step I looked around for any movement. The further I was away from the plane, the more vulnerable I felt to attack.

  I wondered if the wolves were smarter than I thought, and were waiting for me to get far enough away from the plane, so they could surround me, and get me.

  I held my spear upward and ready to throw if needed. I wanted to remind the wolves what getting hit by the spear felt like.

  As I got closer to the fence, I heard a snap of a twig. I stopped and stood still, slowly looking around. When I turned to my left, I saw the first wolf. Then another approached slowly from the right, then another two from behind. And then the biggest one slowly crept at me from the front.

  My heart stopped and I froze with fear. Triathlons can’t prepare me for this. If I get in trouble during a race, I can stop and ask for help. There was no race volunteer, or life guard around to help. I was on my own, so I did the only thing I know how to do, I RAN!

  I ran straight for the biggest wolf in front of me with my teeth glaring and spear leading the way. The wolf leaped forward and ran toward me. I had about fifty yards to go to the fence. The big wolf and I met head on. I thrust my spear at him and jabbed it in the wolfe’s face.

  My spear head scraped across the left eye of the wolf and cut him deeply. The wolf yelped and fell onto its side. The other wolves closed in and one leaped at me through the air on my right side. I grasped my spear with both hands and swung it like a baseball bat, striking the wolf in midair.

  The wolf was heavy, and I wasn’t able to keep it away from me, but the spear strike was enough to keep it from biting into me, and I was able to dodge that particular wolf.

  I ran hard and between trees. The wolves closed in and it was just a matter of steps before they had me. I saw a tree branch hanging, and I leapt for it. With one hand, I was able to snag it. Then with the other hand I quickly pulled myself up. I had to drop my spear, but I had the rope end of it tied around my wrist to retrieve it.

  One of the wolves caught me by the shoe and began pulling me down. Then another grabbed my other foot and together they pulled me to the ground.

  I fell with a hard thump. I quickly grabbed the knife I took off the dead soldier and thrust it up and into the belly of one of the wolves. Blood shot everywhere.

  The other wolf bit down hard on my shoulder.

  Luckily my shoulder strap of my backpack took most the damage. I pulled the knife from the one wolf and jabbed it into the neck of the other. They pulled away and ran into the woods.

  I glanced at the fence, and without hesitation, I ran to it. With a knife clasped in one hand and my spear dragging behind me, I ran as hard as I could across the wooded terrain.

  I was ten yards from the fence and making ground when my dragging spear caught on a stump and yanked me back and onto my side. In my peripheral vision I could see the remaining wolves coming. I picked myself up, grabbed my spear, lifted it up and let it fly. I stuck the closest wolf dead center in the chest. It fell to the ground and rolled a few feet.

&nb
sp; Again I ran to the fence, only to reach it and begin climbing. As I threw myself over the fence, the wolves jumped at me, but were stopped by the fence.

  I sat on the other side staring at the snarling wolves. I couldn’t believe I made it. We sat there staring at each other. The fence is a good eight feet high, so I don’t have to worry about them jumping it.

  I stood up and pulled my spear over the top of the fence. One of the wolves crept up to the fence. It seemed to be saying, “We’ll get you. You can run, but eventually we’ll get you.”

  I stared the wolf in the eyes and slowly pulled my spear up to the wolf’s neck. I rested the spear end on the fence.

  “YOU LOSE!” I yelled as I thrust the spear into the neck of the wolf. The wolf collapsed to the ground. I pulled my spear back and thrust it again through the fence and into the fallen wolf. I must have hit a vital spot, because it seemed paralyzed. I pulled my spear back again and stuck it into the wolf repeatedly. The wolf died there in front of me and I held my spear up and over my head in victory.

  “ONE DOWN! SIX TO GO!” I yelled at the rest of the pack.

  I turned and scanned the airport. The airport is about 3 miles across. So if you multiply 3 by pi (3.14), you get roughly 9 miles of fence. So the wolves will have to travel 4.5 miles to meet me at the other side.

  I plan on exiting the airport on the other side of the airport. Hopefully, they don’t find their way into here. Four plus miles should give me a good head start if they decide to come after me.

  I will find a spot to rest for the night inside the airport. Then tomorrow I will quietly leave. Balow and I are suppose to meet up 6 miles from here in a small town across the river. I will have to cross the same river where I had trouble with the pirates.

  The wolves are dedicated to getting me. I need to find a way to level the playing field and put some distance between me and them. I sat for a long time thinking of how to rid myself of the dangerous predators.

  I chose to not go into the airport itself. I have all the supplies I want to carry with me and don't need to take the risk of wandering around the inside of the air terminal. Who knows what or who I might find?

  I found the maintenance garage to spend the night. Inside were spare parts, tools, an office, a couple picnic tables, and a half dozen work vehicles.

  The ceiling to the garage was a good thirty feet high and I was able to start a fire without being smoked out.

  Throughout the day I would peer out the window and spot the wolves circling the perimeter fence. The airport is secure and the wolves have not found a way in yet. I'm confident it won't take long for them to catch up to me once I leave tomorrow morning. I needed to figure a way to slow them down.

  Staring at one of the work vehicles (a truck with a plow on the front), an idea came to me that might work. I remembered my dad warning me about antifreeze and how poisonous it is to dogs. My dad, Tanner, Molly our dog, and I were at Sleepy Hollow State Park one day practicing our biking when we saw Molly sniffing a puddle of leaked antifreeze under an old pickup truck.

  Dad yelled at Molly and told me to pull her away from the puddle. Dad said antifreeze is very sweet and animals like the taste of it. However, it's very poisonous and destroys their kidneys. If an animal drinks enough, it will kill them, or at the very least make them very sick.

  Now I’m not one to promote cruelty to animals, but these wolves decided I'm Little Red Riding Hood. It's them or me. So I made them a nice sweet cocktail.

  I took my knife and a bucket and crawled under one of the trucks. With the knife I cut one of the hoses connected to the radiator and watch the liquid flow out and into the bucket beneath. The antifreeze was bright green and looked like tasty Kool-Aid. I almost wanted to drink some myself.

  I knew I would need a lot to be affective against the six remaining wolves. I drained each vehicle and found a couple half full jugs of antifreeze in the back of the garage.

  There were several empty five gallon buckets that I cut shallow enough so the wolves could lap up every drop within. Six wolves meant six drinking bowls.

  I took the drinking bowls to the fence and laid them on the outside of the perimeter where the wolves could drink from them. I had to jump over the fence and lay them out close to the fence so I could fill each one.

  Just as I was placing the last bowl the wolves came charging and nearly got me as I leapt over the eight foot fence.

  "Wait here. I have a gift for you all.' I said as I walked back to the garage to retrieve the antifreeze.

  I grabbed one of the jugs of antifreeze along with a funnel that had a long tube to reach the bowls. One by one I filled the bowls full of antifreeze. The wolves were hesitant to accept my gift and seemed more interested in tasting me. However, after about a half hour of taunting my customers with the delectable sweet nectar, I found myself sweating as I ran back and forth to waiter my appreciative customers.

  I actually think they started to like me. I probably could have walked out and started playing fetch the stick with them. Ok, probably not.

  The wolves drank and drank. I must have filled each bowl three times. I just had to wait and let the poison do its job.

  Either way, I was leaving in the morning. I don't expect the wolves to be dead, but I do expect them to have some really upset stomachs. That should slow them down enough to give me a head start. Maybe they'll be so sick, they’ll give up the chase completely

  I'm not betting on anything. I'm sneaking out tomorrow with the assumption they are strong and ready. If the poison works, then good for me. If not, I’ll be moving fast anyways.

  Tonight will be a tough one. I don't know if I will be able to sleep. I'm taking a big chance leaving my oasis (the plane). I will be battling wolves and other predators foraging for the upcoming winter months, the elements when winter comes, hunger, and everything else.

  Traveling in the summer was ideal. I had berries and other vegetation to eat (its Fall now and all that's gone). If I had to sleep, I could lie wherever and not worry about freezing. Now I have to plan ahead for shelter and rely on luck. In the summer, I could be out in the rain for days and be ok. One hour in the rain during the winter can kill me. In the summer I could jump in a river or lake to escape anything chasing me. In the winter the lakes are froze over and the rivers are ice cold. I relied on the water for safety - can't do that in the winter.

  My point is that I am taking a huge chance leaving now. My mind tells me I am a fool. My heart tells me I can't go on much longer without my family. I must find them.

  Tyler's Journal Entry: 450

  Date: October 2

  Weather: Cool and cloudy

  Miles to go: 625

  I was right; it was hard to sleep last night. I stuck with my plan and left early in the morning.

  I scanned the perimeter for the wolves and saw none. Scavenging the garage, I found a pair of bolt cutters and used it to cut the fence behind the garage. I didn't want to climb over the fence and draw attention to my movements. The fence was about ten feet from the back of the garage and I was able to sneak my way to it unnoticed.

  I cut the fence, exited through it, then mended it so nothing could find its way in (I may need to return).

  As I left, I decided to walk with caution, but walk with a purpose. I didn't have time to crawl around every tree and stop for every little noise. If I was going to get away, I had to move consistently and in a straight line.

  My bearing was southeast back towards the river in the direction of Balow and I's meeting place. Balow probably isn't there, but he would go to check to see if I was there, and I will do the same for him.

  The river was a good three miles away and I was nearly there when I heard some trampling in the woods behind me. I stopped and turned. The woods are thick and as a result dark from the little light penetrating the canopy of trees. I ducked behind a tree and waited to see what it was.

  To my horror it was the wolves. They found my scent and were tracking me. However their pace was slow
and sloppy. The antifreeze was doing its job and slowing them down. They were slow and lethargic and appeared unbalance. It was almost as if they were drunk. I could hear the flow of the river and knew I was close.

  I decided to make a run for it. The wolves gave chase but were slow enough that I stood a chance of reaching my destination.

  To my surprise, I was out running them. I caught glimpses of them and notice the wolves falling over themselves and running into anything in their way. I contemplated making a stand and fighting them. But the river was close and I knew I was going to make it.

  I did make it to the river, only to find it about fifty feet below a steep cliff and littered with small boulders. The boulders made it impossible for me to jump. If I missed the water, the alternative was a hard boulder. I had to climb my way down.

  The wolves were a distance behind me, but closing in.

  I was perched on the edge of a cliff that poked out with a tall pine leaning over the edge that hung over the river. Near the standing pine, was another pine that had fallen next to it at an angle to the edge of the cliff.

  I quickly took my hundred feet of climbing rope from my bag and held it in my hand trying to decide what to do with it.

  I knew the wolves were coming. I knew they would find me. I knew I had nowhere else to go but down.

  An idea came to me! I took my rope and tied the end to the base of the standing pine. Then I stretched the rope out and tied another part of the rope to the end of the fallen pine lying on the ground at an angle to the cliff. With the opposite end of the rope, I tied it around my waist tight and stood at the edge of the cliff.

  I looked down at the boulders below and took a deep breath. Holding the rope in my hands I watched the wolves close in. They were weak, but still determined to get me.

  I crouched down on knees and postured submissively. The wolves walked to me in a pack around the fallen pine and within a couple meters of me and the cliff. As the wolves approached, I could see they were very sick and struggling to walk.