Self Apocalypse: The Beginning (14 page)

I returned to my hand line which was now very tight.  I pulled it in finding another fat trout on the other end.  I wound my line back up, and cleaned the trout for tonight.  My hands and upper body were beginning to get cold.  I decided to start a fire and have an early dinner.  It was such a gloomy day that I figured my smoke would be hard to see against the cloudy backdrop.  The fire I built would just be a small one, and I really needed to warm my hands.  After starting a small fire, I placed the fish on a spit and went in search of firewood for the night.  The small fire I had lasted long enough to cook my dinner and warm my hands.  I then smothered the flames and ate my freshly caught meal.  What I would do to have a surf and turf right now.  Food was food, but I still wasn’t use to the slim pickings available to me.  This was one of those times where memories of thanksgiving found their way to my mind.  Memories of a long table with a large turkey, and more helpings, snacks, and pies than you could possibly eat.  If the memories didn’t comfort me, they sure tortured me with things I couldn’t have.  In the future, if I end up losing my mind, it was probably going to be over food.

After I finished eating I took what was left of the fish’s carcass and threw it far from camp.  I washed my hands at the pond before returning to the shelter, and quickly caught two frogs there where I was washing.  Those would be for later on tonight.  I wasn’t about to let energy hop away from me.  Not to mention it would mean something different on the menu.  I returned to the shelter and sat around until I thought it was dark enough to safely start a fire.  My duties in kindling the flames were barely over when a gunshot broke the silence.  It sounded far off and in the direction of the valley below.  The shot must have come from whoever was down there.  If they felt comfortable enough to fire a shot, then maybe it was safe out here.  Laughter and a smile soon found my otherwise hardened look as I realized I had probably been too cautious.  Then again, whoever was down there had no idea I was up here, and I had no idea who else may be roaming these hills as well.  Paranoia was something I was beginning to understand as something that found its way into you after being alone for a time.  It was more than obvious that it was finding me, and the way I now rambling on in thought was a good indicator I was going mad.  This was why I needed to talk to someone.  I just needed that human contact before I found myself speaking to squirrels.

Light from the campfire glowed against the pine covering of the shelter as flames flickered in the dark.  The rain had finally ceased to fall, but the stars above were still hidden by the clouds covering the expanse so it was possible the rain wasn’t done just yet.  At least it hadn’t been a heavy rainfall today.  That would definitely have dampened my spirits.  Not to mention if it had started before I had built my shelter.  I was covered only by a blanket last night, and would have awoken to a watery nightmare if the rain had come early.  For now on I would be sure to build a quick shelter no matter what.

Flames continued to dance in the fire while I fed them more fuel.  Walking over to the wood pile, I grabbed enough to make the fire a little larger providing more heat.  As the flames grew higher the intense heat touched me with its warmth.  It was a much needed warm up, and I was beginning to feel as though I was merely on a camping trip.  It was funny how something as little as a fire could raise your spirits.  A little while longer I found myself placing some more wood on the fire, and then I entered the shelter to prepare it for the night.  Thankfully it was still dry inside the shelter, even after a day’s worth of rain.  The blanket was sprawled out for the night and my gear put to one side so as to be out of the way.  A candle was retrieved before returning to the fire for when I was done.  It would provide me with a little light when I decided to turn in for the night.

I decided now was a good time to cook the frogs I had caught at the pond.  Cutting off the legs with my knife, I then pierced them with a long stick and used that to cook it by the fire.  They took while to cook as I kept them far enough away to slow cook them.  The aroma wasn’t that bad and made my mouth water as I waited.  Soon the legs were done and I was more than ready to try them out.  Eating frog legs was something I had done only a few times before, but they were as good as I had remembered them to be.  I was going to have to add that to my menu for future hunting trips.  I didn’t know how nutritious they were, but the flavor was worth it in a time where I would otherwise be eating fish again.

A light warm breeze now filled the air.  Hopefully it was a sign that tomorrow was going to be a better day.  Rain was always good, but not as welcoming when you were living in the great outdoors.  The fire started to die down again, but I chose not to put in anymore wood.  I was ready to turn in for the night as tomorrow was going to be big day.  Hopefully it wouldn’t be too eventful though as I was in no way looking to get myself in any type of trouble.  Lighting the candle I had, I returned to the humble interior of the shelter and used the candlelight to quickly scan for unwanted life forms.  I then took my blanket and after blowing out the candle, wrapped myself in it for the long night ahead.  Every now and then a flicker of light would appear as a flame rose from the fire only to disappear again.  The sounds of the coals hissing and popping filled the silent night.  Soon the there wasn’t any sign of the fire as it faded into the night.

I laid awake for some time after laying down just listening to frogs vocalizing by the pond.  My stomach was still growling, but not enough to spend time catching frogs in the dark.  The woods were starting to come to life with the noise of animals running about.  There were no lonely howls yet from coyotes though.  It was too bad as I rather enjoyed their nightly symphony when it was played.  Crickets began to chime in at this point helping my tired body relax.  My eyes finally closed from exhaustion and my body started to drift off to the dreamland.  The last thing I remembering hearing before fading off to sleep was the sound of rain once again lightly tapping against the leaves.

When I opened my eyes I could barely see the area surrounding the opening of the shelter.  It was close to sunrise, but it would be some time now before the sun rose high above the trees.  Crawling out from the shelter with the blanket still wrapped around me, I had a look around my surroundings.  It was very quiet now and only a few squirrels could be seen running about.  The clouds had finally left leaving open skies above.  The sky was a dark blue, and toward the west stars could be seen.  I kept the blanket around me as I started my way toward the cliff to have a look down at the valley.  The woods were still damp from last night’s rain, and my blanket was beginning to absorb the moisture as I walked through the undergrowth.

I carefully stepped out onto the cliff in case the ledge was slippery and gazed down at the trees below.  There was no sign of any smoke coming up from the valley this morning.  Whoever was down there must be a late sleeper I thought to myself.  I looked over the scene for a little while longer before turning to head back to the shelter.  My pants and boots were becoming soaked now from the wet forest.  When I returned to the shelter I hung my blanket to dry while I was gone.  Hopefully my pants would dry while walked, and I made sure to throw an extra pair of socks in my bag for the hike.  The rifle now rested securely in my hands as I checked the action for proper function.  Knowing my rifle was fit for duty, I grabbed some ammunition and my bag then set out towards the cliff again.

Standing on the cliff overlooking the valley below, I still couldn’t make out any sign of human life.  There was no smoke to be seen this morning.  I wondered if they had moved on this morning.  Making a mental note of where I had seen the smoke before, I took some compass bearings and planned a route down.  I knew I would have to search a bit for the camp, but I was sure if I knew the general direction I would find it.  I knew it was on this side of the river, so at least I had the waterway to stop me from going too far.  The river was definitely a place I intended to visit.  I was going to try finding that flat rock for sharpening I had been wanting.  I still didn’t notice any smoke leaving the forest floor.  Grasping tightly to the rifle sling I started my decent into the valley below.

It didn’t take long before I found myself needing to remove the rifle from my shoulder and hold it in my hands.  I had chosen quite a steep place to move down, and was now having difficulties traveling without falling down.  I held the rifle in one hand and held onto small trees and branches with the other as I slowly moved down.  My footing would slip once in a while, and I would find myself lying down or flat on my butt.  My silent approach was already going out the window as my occasional fall would crack a branch and shift leaves around.  A few more scratches were added to my body before I eventually reached the bottom.  Luckily I hadn’t broken anything.  I was going to have to find a more simple way back up because I don’t think I was going to be able to climb what I just came down.  At least not without getting seriously injured, and using up too much energy.

Now that I was on flat terrain I moved much faster, and with the silence I had intended on in the first place.  I had only traveled for about fifteen minutes when a loud crashing noise stopped me dead in my tracks.  Instantly I took cover crouching down behind a tree.  Raising my rifle I stared in the direction of the movement.  The sound of branches breaking continued as I watched intently for the source.  The undergrowth wasn’t bad here, and eventually a bull moose came into view.  I must have startled him while walking through.  He stopped momentarily to look around, and then moved on vanishing into the trees surrounding him.  I stayed and listened for a little while until he was a ways off then continued on my journey.

I kept moving toward the river, but I was starting to slow down now.  I knew I must be close to where that camp was.  My eyes constantly scanned my surroundings looking for anything that didn’t fit.  I wasn’t sure if I was looking for a cabin, tent, brush shelter, or who knows what.  Another hour or more must have passed before I reached the river.  I was very close now, as the smoke I had seen from above couldn’t have been more than fifty yards or so from it.  I tried to get a view of where the cliff was so I could try and figure out where I was.  The trees impeded my view though so I followed the river upstream to see if I could find a break in the trees.

Stumbling along the river, I found an open area in the river bed that was strewn with rocks and boulders.  The noise from the river was loud and concealed my movement, but I knew it concealed anyone else’s too.  Before walking into the open I scanned the entire area for as far as I could see.  Then I slowly moved into the open and looked up and down river.  I waited for a while before walking right out into the open.  Walking as far out as I could, I turned to see if I could spot the cliff now.  The mountains could be seen towering above the tree tops here, and I could just make out the cliff close to my shelter through the tops of the trees.  I looked at my compass then tried to picture the valley in my head.  My position was a little off, but it wasn’t much further to where I had seen smoke.  I took the time to quickly find the flat stone I wanted, and then I returned to the safety of the trees.

Knowing the camp was probably a hundred and fifty feet in, I tried to keep the river within eighty feet or so as not to accidently walk by it.  At this point I was beginning to think I probably was not going to find it.  It was a big area to search and this wasn’t a situation where I could shout out to get a response.  I started to enter in a pine grove and it was a little swampy, but not bad enough to have to avoid.  I crossed a couple of small tributaries as I walked through the tall pines.  It took everything I had to keep my boots from getting even wetter than they already were.  My feet were soaked and I found myself needing to stop and change my socks once I got out of the wet area I was in.

Sitting on a small boulder while changing my socks, I took a look at the terrain ahead.  It was still relatively flat up ahead, and it looked like I was about to get into a stand of hardwood again.  There were a lot of oak trees in this valley.  I was sure the deer were plentiful here.  If there was a cabin in this valley, they found a great place to put it.  I let my feet breath for a little while before putting on my dry socks.  It was too bad they were going to be wet after my boots were back on, but my feet would feel better for a little while anyway.  The socks that I was wearing before now hung from my pack in hopes that they would dry while I was hiking.  When I had left the cabin to go on my journey, I had pretty much just left with the clothes on my back.  The only extra clothing I brought besides my sweater was an extra pair of underwear and three pairs of socks.  I was glad too, because socks were something I found I had to change frequently while hiking.  If I didn’t I was sure to develop a foot issue, and in doing so I would most likely become lame and unable to go further.  That was not an option as I would not be able to survive a winter here without proper shelter or provisions.  I had definitely gotten myself into a do or die situation.

Once my little break was over, I put on the dry socks and laced up my boots.  With my pack on my shoulders again, I took up my rifle and continued on my way.  Oak trees stood high above me with their canopy shading me from the late morning sun.  My stomach started to growl again as I realized it was getting close to noon.  There was a chance I was going to have to do something about food before I started that long climb back up to where my camp was.  I didn’t have my hand line on me so fishing was out of the question.  If the search for this camp didn’t work out, firing my rifle would probably be out of the question as well.  Then again, I was going to fire my rifle before I died of starvation.