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I needed fresh air; I needed to breathe and get out into nature. I got up, unable to sit in that same spot anymore, and went into my closet to dig out my hiking boots and socks. I hadn’t worn them in so long that, when I stuck my hand into the boots themselves, the leather seemed to have gotten much stiffer than they’d been the last time I’d worn them.
I pulled on my socks and then the boots, moving my feet around so that the leather slowly became flexible once more and, I headed outside to my car.
I remembered the spot out at the mountain where there was the trailhead from when I’d first come to town and looked up the list of good hikes and things to do in the area, and I drove out there on autopilot. Hiking was something I’d done every weekend or so when I’d lived in LA, but I hadn’t made the time for it since I’d come out here, since I’d been clinging to my sanity by the skin of my teeth and nails.
I was grateful that Singer’s Ridge was little enough for me to have gotten to know it like the back of my hand in barely an hour, and I found the trailhead without a problem. I tied the precautionary sweatshirt I’d brought with me around my waist and got out, heading into the woods.
The air was crisp and clean, and it wasn’t for the first time that I thought of how ironic it was that the air in a place called the Smoky Mountains would be this fresh and beautiful. The hikes were gorgeous in LA, but there was way more gunk in the air out there than I’d ever breathe here.
As I turned a corner on the trail, I felt my phone start to vibrate, and I reached for it. But just as I’d pulled it out, the vibration stopped, and the banner on the screen told me I had a new voicemail. The screen told me I only had one bar of service, so I stopped before the reception could get any worse, and I opened the message while I still had enough service to hear it.
“Me again.” My skin started crawling as soon as I heard that voice, and I almost doubled over in the brush as I listened to him talk. “Surprise! Guess where I am? Well, I know you hate surprises, so I’m just gonna tell you. I’m in Nashville! Ain’t that a trip, honey? Do I sound like a local yokel yet?”
I rolled my eyes despite myself. For such a smart man, no one made an ass out of themselves like Alex. He could really be the biggest idiot I’d ever met.
“I’d best get some sights in. I’ll see you soon.”
The line clicked off, and I felt like every part of my body had gone numb.
My mind started spinning out in circles as I thought of all the possibilities of what was to come, but I knew that nothing good would come of just sitting here, waiting for the panic to bowl me over. I started walking, hoping that the clear air of the mountains would help me make a plan.
I took in all of the beautiful scenery, allowing it to filter into my blood and make it easier for me to breathe. Even if he was in Nashville, that didn’t mean he would find me here. Singer’s Ridge was a good three hours from the city. I still had time to get out. Thankfully, my shitty apartment was month to month, so I could always just take off and go somewhere else. At the end of the day, that might be the easiest option.
I took a look around, realizing that I’d wandered off the path as I’d been stuck in my head. Everything around me was unfamiliar, and no matter how many times I spun around, I couldn’t spot the trail anywhere in my line of sight.
Aimlessly I started walking again in the hopes that at some point I’d come back to the trail and be able to start walking back to my car. A new fear started to settle into my stomach, and I genuinely thought I was about to panic.
I checked my phone, and the signal was well and truly gone. Even if I felt inclined to call Ally, since she was the only one whose number I had, I couldn’t. I couldn’t even drop a pin for anyone, since I’d given up my smartphone.
I’d never felt quite so dumb in my life as I kept walking, looking for any hint that could lead me back to the path.
* * *
It was another hour on top of the time I’d already walked through the forest, and I was starting to get tired. I looked up into the sky, and I saw that the light was lowering over the forest. I’d been afraid for so long that the panic I’d felt at the start had dulled into something heavy that sat in my stomach with a bitter taste.
I wondered at what point it would be worth it just to lie down and give up when I heard barking and started walking toward it. For the first time, the burning acid feeling in my gut started to let up a little bit, and I felt hopeful I’d find some help.
In my haste to find another human being, I didn’t see the fallen log that rose up before me until I slammed my shin right into it. “Ow!” I cried, and my cry was answered by a few barks as a dog came bounding out of the brush and ran up to me. He looked familiar, and I leaned down to rub his ears.
“Where did you come from?” I asked, picking up the heavy rubber bone that he’d dropped at my feet. He latched onto the toy, gripping it hard in his teeth, and cocked his head to the side as if he were inviting me after him.
I followed him through the bushes to the front of a neat, well-appointed cabin, set in a corpse of red spruce trees. All of the windows were well lit, and I sucked in a breath at how beautiful the sight was. An incredible porch wrapped around the house, and all of a sudden, I had a vision of myself sitting out there with a sketchpad and letting the world go quiet.
“Bucky!” called a deep, familiar voice from behind me, and I turned around, suddenly understanding why the dog had been so familiar. Dillon, from the grocery store stood in the clearing. I stopped short when he saw me, and I stumbled forward, never having felt more relieved to see anyone.
“Dillon, right?” I asked, feeling my throat get tight with the relief I felt at seeing him.
“That’s right,” he said, looking at me with hesitation.
“Thank God I’ve found you,” I said, starting to laugh with relief. “I came out here to hike, and I took a wrong turn off the trail hours ago.”
He was quiet for so long that I was wondering whether he’d actually heard me.
“Where did you start out?” he asked.
“Over at the Jewelweed trailhead,” I said, remembering the sign where I’d started. “I’ve been walking for about four hours.”
“Yeah, I know it,” he said, tucking his thumbs and looking at me with disapproval. “That’s a ways away. You ever been out here before?”
