Just Get There

In case you missed part 1, The Start, here it is.

The sky had regained the haze that had lifted a few days ago. Jessa had traveled for four days now and found the journey thus far a little boring. She still hadn't seen another person, and the only animal she saw was a fox. She got a clear view of it as it ran away and remembered it from the books her dad had used to teach her. Each morning when she got up, he was the first thing that came to her mind. She felt colossal remorse and guilt for leaving him there, but she had no choice. Even though he was dead, the thought of him lying there, out in the woods, alone, brought her to tears. She thought of him and their homestead. She thought of the place she was going and if it would be everything her father had said it would be. He spent a year teaching her and prepping her to make this journey with him, and making this journey alone would test Jessa's will, strength, and bravery. She was confident she could do it.

It was just about mid-day when she decided to take a rest. Most of yesterday's journey was uphill, and so far today, it was as well. It was scorching hot. Her stomach rumbled with hunger. She had kept strict rations for the last four days. She found a clearing just off of the game trail she had been following. It opened up to a broad, rocky shoreline of a river. The water was swift and clear, and she needed a drink. She bent down to smell the water. No odor. She dropped an antacid tablet into a small pool. No reaction. She remembered her father showing her that trick to see if the water was acidic. If there was a reaction, and the tablet started to fizz, then it was. So with no odor, being crystal clear and not acidic, she filled her water bottle, plopped in a purification tablet, and stood up from the water's edge to take a look at her surroundings. She was in a small valley, with a hill to her left and an imposing rock face to her right. The path the river takes was laid out in front of her. As her eyes swept the top of the rock face, and she saw it.

"I've seen that before!" she exclaimed out loud as if someone were there to listen. She dropped the bag off of her back and started furiously unpacking everything, trying to find the map and locket. Getting to the bottom, and with the bag's contents in a pile next to her, she remembered she put the map in the side pocket. Seeing the symbol gave her such an adrenaline rush that her hands shook as she unzipped the pocket and fumbled, trying to unfold the map. She opened the locket and held it to her right eye. On the map, she traced the trail by the river with her finger. This is the trail she has been following. She sees the river and the trail come side by side and then sees the symbol. The same one painted on the top of the rock face. The same one her dad taught her from a young age. She feels a sense of calmness come over her that she hadn't felt yet. She was tired, on edge, and her senses had been on high alert for four days now, but she was on the right path. The symbol confirms it.

The symbol was two squares, next to each other but not touching. Each square had a triangle on top of it. Underneath both of these was an arrow pointing up. Her sense of calmness quickly turned into dread as she remembered what the symbol meant. Town Ahead. Indeed, on the map about 2 miles ahead was a town called Riverton. She folded up the map and placed it back in the side pocket with the locket. She mumbled under her breath as she picked up the mess she made when she unpacked the bag. She decided to stay there for the rest of the day, build a fire and get some sleep. At dark, she would head to the town. She was able to find a spot under a dead pine tree that hadn't fallen yet, And that gave her some shade from the hazy sun.

Laying under the large bottom branches of the rust-colored tree, she was dreading the next day. Anxiety, almost panic, gripped her. What would she do if she saw another person? Or a group of people? What if they meant her harm? Her father had told her that towns had become dangerous places. Most people abandoned towns for areas further north. Many people in the towns had died. Most buildings were burnt out. Many towns had been taken over by traveling bands of thieves, stealing whatever they can, even if it meant killing people for their supplies. He made it very clear that towns were to be avoided. Or at least traveled through by night. She put it out of her mind and drifted off to sleep.

It was just before dusk when Jessa was awoken by some snapping branches coming from behind her. There was a rustle in the dried, dead grass. With her heart racing and pounding out of her chest, she grabbed her father's shotgun and cocked it. After what seemed like an eternity watching and waiting for whatever was coming her way, the rustling she had heard had stopped. She slid her boots on. She remembered that her father was always harping on her about tying her shoes the right way, but she just wanted to get out of there. She would lace them up once she got back on the trail. She shuffled around, gathering her things and taking the flashlight out of her bag. She made sure the gun's safety was on and crawled out from under the tree. She put her bag on one shoulder and the shotgun over the other one and started slowly sweeping the area with her eyes. When she got to behind the tree, she could practically hear her heart beating in her head. Her hands were shaking, and her knees felt weak. Looking around, she could see a path of trampled-down grass leading to the woods. She wondered to herself if it was an animal. Or a person. Either way, she didn't want to stick around to find out.

It would be about an hour before it was dark, and this would be the first time Jessa was walking at night. Her senses were on high alert. She stayed close to the river, on the side nearest the hill. After walking for about half an hour, she started hearing things. A couple of different noises. Rustling bushes. Falling rocks. Twice she thought she heard a huff, but she wasn't sure. She shined the light around and further up the hill. As her light reached the top of the hill, she heard a loud commotion and saw something run away through the brush. She froze, completely paralyzed by fear, realizing it was an animal of some kind. Her eyes began to well up with tears, and she felt a lump in her throat. She was alone. Utterly alone

"Damn it! Don't lose your shit now, Jessa!" She said out loud.

She closed her eyes, took a deep, cleansing breath to try and center herself. She opened her eyes, pointed the flashlight, and proceeded forward. Slowly. She reached back to feel the shotgun over her shoulder, and it gave her some comfort. Up ahead, she saw a railroad bridge. As she got to it, she realized that there is no way to go under it without getting in the river. She would have to walk up the bank, cross the tracks, and go down the other side. Dusk was fading into night

"Easy enough," she muttered.

She made her way up the bank and onto the train tracks. She started hearing the same noises behind her, cracking branches up on the hill, rocks falling, and this time she heard a huff. The noise was getting closer. She hurried down the other bank and started to run. Turning to look back, she saw the beast at the top of the bank on the tracks. It resembled a dog she had seen pictures of once, but it was different. Much different. It was bigger, had a longer snout, and was low to the ground like it was creeping. Fight or flight instinct kicked in, and she continued to run. In two leaps, the beast was off of the tracks and on the path she was on.

Even though she couldn't hear if the beast was chasing her, she ran until she had to stop to catch her breath. Leaning over with her hands on her knees, she heard it. The beast was close, and it was growling now. She stared at it, and it at her. Jessa became unaware of her surroundings as they locked into this staring contest. She noticed that the beast was covered in matted, dirty fur. It looked like there were spots where the hair had come off, and she could see its ribs protruding beneath its skin. The beast was foaming at the mouth and twitching its head. She slowly grabbed her shotgun from her shoulder, taking slow steps back to try and put some distance between them. It was taking slow steps towards her, still growling and tilting its head back and forth.

She brought the shotgun up to her shoulder, aimed toward the animal, and pulled the trigger. Nothing. Panic gripped her, and without even understanding how she fell backward. The flashlight flew out of her hand and landed twenty feet away, and the shotgun fell out of her arms. She quickly rolled on her back, and the beast was upon her. She was kicking her feet as she tried to slide backward. She kicked at it and connected. The beast took a step back and growled. As it lunged, she kicked again, and the animal clamped down on her boot. Jessa pulled back, and to her surprise, her foot popped out of the boot. As the beast was whipping his head back and forth, saliva and foam spraying everywhere and chewing on her boot, she was able to get to her feet. This movement caught the monster's attention. She grabbed for her shotgun, but the only way she could reach it was to grab it by the barrel. Gun safety went out the window. This was survival mode.

In an instant, the beast was charging her again. She braced herself, yelling out loud, "C'mon, you bastard! Come on!" In a final attempt to rid herself of her stalker, she swung her gun like a baseball bat as it snapped at her and hit it square in the head. It was a home run. It stumbled backward and sat down on its hind legs, shaking its head still. It then dropped its front legs, and as it laid on the ground, it slumped its head. It was over, she thought. Once she caught her breath, she poked the beast with her shotgun. Nothing. She couldn't hear it breathing anymore. She grabbed her boot and slipped it back on, actually lacing it up this time. She gathered herself, her flashlight, and her shotgun. She noticed that the safety was on, and that's why it didn't fire. With her bag on her back, she turned and started to walk away. After getting about a hundred yards, a deafening crack echoed through the valley. It startled her so much that she stumbled. Directly behind her, she heard a thud. She turned around and saw the beast crumpled on the ground as a pool of blood grew underneath it. It had been shot, but she never fired her shotgun. She was so confused as she started looking around and scanning the hillside, suddenly a voice shouted out

"I'm coming down to you. Don't shoot!" The voice echoed.

It was a man's voice. She could barely see as dusk had faded into night. It sounded like it came from a ways away.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," he yelled again.

She set her feet squarely on the ground, raised her shotgun, turned off the safety, and waited. Behind her, the railroad bridge she had just crossed. In front of her lay the beast, still and lifeless. What was this monster, dead before her? And who is the person that saved her?

Part 3 can be found here.