The Forest - Episode 5

After abandoning our means of transportation Lou and I began our arduous walk through the dense woods. We followed the rail path cut through the thick of the forest but of course we followed it indirectly staying to the west, just within viewing distance. After walking for several hours we stopped at a river. We dared not chance crossing on the rail bridge in case it had been pre-prepared for our arrival by another assassin even though it was highly unlikely. The rain gradually ceased as we entered the water at the north edge of the river. The water was about three to four feet deep which was easily sustainable for us to cross without hesitation. Being early in April the water was excruciatingly cold. Lou and I had a standard procedure for things and headed many miles downriver so that we could build a fire to dry ourselves, sanitize water, and eat away from passersby on the road we had abandoned. We reached our standard walking distance and burrowed into the forest to make a fire. We sat there about a hundred yards from the river and broke brush and branches to build a fire. I stooped down to the soft forest floor and began to dig with both hands to build a fire pit. While I was digging Lou had collected enough fire wood for a sufficient bonfire and she headed with our cooking pot down to the river. She filled the pot with water and returned to me as I had finished the pit and was beginning to build the brush into a pile to form our fire. After starting the fire with some flint I had, we set some thick logs across it supported just above the fire by rocks on either side. We then placed our water pot on top of the logs to boil for more drinking water which we were desperately low on. As this process completed we both headed to the river. We first bathed in the frigid water and then headed back to the fire to warm back up. It was almost noon now and we were both extremely hungry. I reached into my bag, after warming back up from my bath, and grabbed a stick with fishing string and a hook on it. As I had dug the fire pit I removed the soil into a pile and now began to sift the pile for worms. I found one small one almost immediately and proceeded to head for the river again. Lou portioned our now sanitized water into our water bottles and then headed to the river for more water we could cook with. I threw my line out into the river and looked toward heaven for help. I said a silent prayer asking only for what we needed. I sat patiently waiting and had to run back for more bait a few times before finally landing a fish worthy of eating. I brought it back to the campfire where Lou had been prepping the cooking water. We boiled our corn and filleted the fish and cooked it. We ate until we were full, which was a rare and much appreciated happening for us, and then we wrapped up the leftovers and placed them in our bag. We quickly smothered our fire as it had served the extent of its purposes and now we began heading back up river to reacquaint ourselves with the rail path and head south even further.
Unbeknownst to us our latest adversary was on our trail. He was a local tracker who had, like the others before him, been offered a hefty sum for halting our progress by whatever means necessary. He was a weathered man of middle age. He wore a wide brimmed straw hat and a tattered green jacket which bore many stains and tears from his expeditions. He concealed a thin bow and arrow under his jacket which was the most advanced weapon allowed by the OWG for civilians and it had to be carried under issue of a stringent license. His demeanor was not unlike that of our previous carriage driver as he slumped forward with his shoulders slouched as far forward as possible. He rarely raised his head and even more rarely spoke. When he did it was in soft muffled tones and with a thick accent. He tracked us from the coaster train tracks to the rails which led us into the forest. Fortunately for Lou and me, he was more accustomed to tracking animals than people and did not notice the point at which Lou and I had exited the cart. He continued on over the rail bridge and down the tracks expecting to catch us in the back of the cart. As Lou and I pushed through the underbrush just within sight of the rail path, we looked back and noticed him as he had just crossed the bridge over the river. Our timing in seeing him was advantageous as the sound from the river stifled his ability to hear our movements within the forest. I spotted a thin clearing in the brush which would give me a clear shot at the road. We hunched down and hid as close to the forest floor as possible. Still naïve of the fact that we were no longer in the cart he proceeded forward heading down the rail path. As he passed by us I began moving towards him, carefully choosing each step to insure I could not be heard over the white noise of the river behind us. I slipped in directly behind him on the road and pulled a knife from my pocket which I had made out of an old metal scrap I had found. I had never killed before and didn’t intend to today, but I had to arm myself just in case those measures were called for. I followed in his steps for a few feet until he broke step and caught the sound of my footsteps in the leaves behind him. As he reached into his coat and began to turn I made my move and grabbed him around the neck and placed my knife against his throat. My voice stuttered as my adrenaline rushed through me, “Drop your weapons” I said. He slowly pulled his weapon from his jacket and released it to the forest floor. While the allure of his payment was enticing, he fortunately valued his life above all. I repeated, “Drop ALL of your weapons”. He lifted his right foot and removed his knife which he used for hunting and dropped it as well. There was only one thing I could do to him. Lou rushed up with my pack and reached in and grabbed one of my homemade sleeping pills. I made them from the herb valerian which I had found in our travels and some other herbs which helped to speed its effects. I motioned to our opponent to swallow the pill. He resisted without saying a single word, but I persuaded him through conversation that this was the easier of the two ways for us to part company. He swallowed the pill and Lou and I waited until we could verify its effects had worked properly.