Fight Like Hell (Part 3)

“WHO ARE YOU!” I shouted. He was coming closer keeping a steady pace. I couldn’t run away. I felt taken by surprise like a deer in headlights. Barley started to bark and growl. We both started running away searching for a hiding spot. “STOP!” He yelled. I continued to run. He also began to run. My chest was panting. I hated the pain of thinking that I was safe, and having to protect myself again. I could feel the trauma rising up in my chest as the adrenaline from fight or flight mode filled my body.

“STOP!” He yelled again. “I’M SAFE, PLEASE, I DON’T WANT TO HURT YOU!” I could hear the tiredness in his voice, as if he was pouring out pieces of his soul. “PLEASE, I’M HURT I REALLY NEED YOUR HELP!” I closed my eyes, something in me felt like he could be telling the truth. I held my knife in my hand as I poked my head around the corner and stepped out. He kneeled a few feet away from me. I could see that he really was in some sort of pain. “Who are you?” I said sternly. His breath was rattling. “Are you gonna answer me or not!?” I said as I put out my knife in front of me. “Jackson,” He grunted and then fell over with his hiking back pack.

I dropped the knife immediately and ran over to him. I turned him over to his and noticed there was blood pouring out of his side. It appeared to be a stab wound. “Oh my God.” I wanted to vomit. I had limited knowledge on what to do. I studied a little bit into nursing, I would have chosen that career path if it werent for everything going on. I went back to my tent and went to my medical kit to pull out some equipment. I rushed back to him and bandaged him, he opened his eyes and was crying. I then had to muster my strength to pull this man on my back to the camp fire.

I put him next to the fire, grabbed some logs to elevate his legs, and applied pressure to the wound. He was still alive. How did this happen? I couldn’t even comprehend how all of this happened so fast. Barley stood back watching and wimpering. He looked dehydrated. I grabbed some water and tried to give it to him. His hand lifted up slowly to grab the flask, he took a sip and his arm fell to the ground. He was closing his eyes again. “Hey stay awake!” He nodded slowly, his eyes barely staying open.

I sat next to his body, holding my knees. Tears were filling my eyes. I thought it was over. I thought I found my safe place. But the dark cloud was chasing after me yet again. “Water please.” He panted. I handed him the flask, he seemed a little bit stronger. I tried to stay awake but I also passed out and fell asleep.

I woke up to the sunlight shining on my eyes, and the smell of something I hadn’t smelled in a long time. Jackson was no longer beside me but up at the fire making what appeared to be pancakes. I became startled and stood up immediately. “Woah! What are you doing!?” He looked up at me. I could finally see that his eyes had dark circles, and that they were a mesmerizing emerald color. He gave me a slight smile. “You don’t like pancakes?” He said. “What… dude I don’t even know who you are!” He had neck length brown hair, and a tall slender build. “I told you my name is Jackson.” I started feeling frustrated.

“Okay ‘Jackson,’do you mind telling me where you came from and why you appeared with a stab wound, ‘before’ you feed me pancakes?”

“Well looks like I will have to tell you while I feed you pancakes because they are already done.”

“No! How am I supposed to know you aren’t trying to poison me?”

“I wouldn’t do that, you just saved my life.”

He handed me two pancakes. I looked at them and then glared at him. I took them and swallowed them down as if I hadn’t eaten in days. They were delicious. “How did you make this?”

“I foraged wheat and grind it into powder.”

I nodded. “I wish there was meat to go with this,” I said.

“Not today.”

“You still need to tell me who you are.”

He sighed. “Well if you must know… I’ve been following you.”

My heart stopped. “What! You’ve been following me? Are you one of them? Get out of here!” I stood up again grabbing him by the shoulder.

“Wait! Stop! It isn’t what you think!”

“You know what!? Maybe I should have let you die instead, I have no association with your kind, GET OUT OF HERE.”

“Please just listen to me… I am just like you… I’m a runner. I fled my place. I saw you run into the woods, I immediately felt like I could follow you. You ran so fast. I saw people chasing after you. I also ran to find you. But I got caught by those idiots and they abused me... Please you’ve gotta believe me.”

“Prove it then!”

”Okay!” He held up his hands in surrender. He went to his bag and dumped out everything and pulled everything out of his pockets. He seemed like he was innocent.

“Okay, fine… I’ll believe you but if there is any funny business… you’re gonna have to leave, and you will have to face a very ugly side of me.”

“I don’t think you could every be ugly…But I promise to stay on your good side…. You’re like a diamond in the rough.”

“Don’t flatter me.”

“Understood.”

I didn’t know what to expect from him. I want to trust him but I know that I need to be vigilant.

“Can you tell me what happened to you, and how you made it out here? Alive no doubt… you have to be one pretty bad ass lady…” He chuckled.

I smirked a bit wanting to joke back, but I kept myself serious. “Honestly, I am still trying to process it all… I am remembering tidbits of my story, but everything was fight or flight.” I stared into the fire, mesmerized by the flames. “I remember something though.”

“What‘s that?” He said.

“The last meal I had before the takeover began. My mom made pancakes. Me and her argued a lot but she was a good cook.” I could remember the taste of the pancakes. The crispy tasty buttery flavor, and the maple syrup. These pancakes were makeshift… insubordinate to hers.

“I am just hoping this is over… that I’ve at least found some time to rest… peace of mind.”

“I feel that. My parents are gone. Our house was bombed and destroyed… they couldn’t make it out alive.” He choked on air for a second, then carried on his demeanor.

“I left mine… they wanted to submit to the government. They didn’t want to listen to me.”

“Do you know if they are still alive?”

“I don’t know… But if they are they are probably even more brainwashed than they were before.”

We became quiet after that. Enjoying the peace and quiet of the area. I knew we both hoped that no one would find us here. Maybe we would die here. We spent the rest of the day talking about the past and getting to know one another. He helped me forage some berries on a bush In the forest. We made dinner and sat down again. We fell asleep on the ground. I started to have a nightmare about being chased again.

There was a loud explosion, I thought it was in my dream. But as I jolted up, I saw Jackson standing up looking out towards the lake in uttermost fear. There was smoke filling the air from across the way. “We need to go.” He said.