Footprints. Alex Archer
area and provided substantial shelter from the rain. It was almost dry under the canopy of the dense pine. Annja could see the splintered trunk and reasoned it must have come down during a recent thunderstorm.
She hurried back and pulled Jenny’s tent from the muddy ground. Back under the canopy, the ground was much drier. It wasn’t high enough to set up the tent under the branches, but she could stretch the tent out and use it as a tarp. It was perfect to further protect her from the elements.
Annja also found a large pile of deadfall and the branches were almost all dry. She hacked several into smaller lengths and then scraped out a fire bowl depression in the ground. On the bottom she laid the tinder bundle and set some thin kindling sticks above it.
Here goes nothing, she thought. She scraped her fire starter against her knife blade and saw the sparks fly into the tinder bundle. They caught almost immediately, and even with the cacophony of noise from the rainstorm, Annja could still hear the snap and crackle of the wood as it caught.
Heat radiated up toward her and Annja shivered again, as if trying to throw the water off her skin.
I need to get these clothes dry, she thought.
She added more wood to the flames and set two of the thicker logs nearby to begin burning. When she was satisfied she had a sustainable fire going, Annja removed her clothes.
Her jacket was still fairly dry, but she’d gotten wet pretty much everywhere else. She stripped off all of her clothes until she huddled around the fire nude, feeling the wood smoke curl up around her, wrapping her in its warmth.
On the branches above her, Annja draped her clothes, letting the heat and smoke dry them out.
The area was littered with pine boughs and Annja knew that sleeping on them could be almost a luxury if they were soft enough. The spring growth hadn’t occurred yet so they were obviously dead leftovers from before the winter snows. Still, when she gathered enough of them and lay down, it was quite comfortable.
The wind howled around her sanctuary. I wonder where Jenny is in this mess? Annja frowned. She knew there was a chance that her friend would not survive the night without any of her camping gear. The wind, rain and falling temperature together could kill even an experienced outdoors type.
Still, Annja knew that Jenny was remarkably resilient. And she also had a lot of training. Annja rooted through her pack and found the energy bar she always kept there along with the bottle of water she’d packed. Some feast, she thought, but at least she had something.
The rain continued to hammer the forest. Annja couldn’t remember hearing about any major storm systems threatening this area, but that didn’t mean much in the mountains where the weather could change from minute to minute.
She finished her meal and then leaned back against the thick tree trunk. Thanks to the way the branches drooped almost to the ground, the heat from the fire warmed the area nicely. Annja felt relaxed and comfortable, despite the fact that she was sitting naked in the midst of a terrible storm. If she wasn’t worried about Jenny’s whereabouts she’d actually be having a great time.
But it was definitely not a night to be out alone. Still, she had her sword. And she had a fire and shelter. Water wasn’t an issue yet. She’d just eaten. So even though she was out in the woods with three armed guys who had warned her not to hang around, Annja didn’t feel too bad. As soon as the rain let up she’d start her search for Jenny.
She touched her clothes. The heat and smoke were doing their job nicely. She pulled them down and slid them back on. Her body heat would finish drying them.
She fed another log onto the fire, watching the flames jump around in the slight breeze that had managed to work its way inside the relative safety of the drooping tree. The heat enveloped her. Annja felt her eyelids drooping. She tried to blink away sleep, but she took another deep breath and nodded off.
When she woke, the sun wasn’t shining. In fact, it was still pitch-black outside. It was dark inside the shelter, as well. The fire had died out and only red coals remained, smoldering from a lack of fuel.
Annja reached for a branch to toss onto the fire. She felt a small chill run up her back and knew she would need to keep better alert to ensure the fire didn’t die out entirely.
Fortunately, the coals were still hot enough, and with a quick huff of air over them, they flared and caught on the branches, resurrecting the fire into a reputable condition. Annja shivered again.
The rain had tapered off. But the wind continued to blast through the trees.
Had she just heard something?
It was tough trusting her ears when the wind seemed to overpower her ability to pick out details.
The fire blazed to full strength. Annja sat with her back against the tree. The fire had compromised her relative invisibility. If those goons were out there looking for her, they would see its glow through the branches and know someone was in there.
Annja closed her eyes and made sure the sword was ready to wield. It would be tough in the close confines of the overhang, so she would have to get out of it in case a fight broke out.
She paused, waiting for another indicator that something was moving around in the woods. But she doubted that she’d be able to detect a twig breaking underfoot. The wind continued to howl and it was roaring in her ears.
Any telltale sounds would die long before they reached her.
She’d have to go on her instincts alone.
Annja took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax, slowly enabling her focus to expand outward like a circle around her. She hoped it would act almost like a radar and let her know if there was any reason to be afraid.
She had no evidence but she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was out there.
But what was it?
Maybe it was Jenny.
Maybe it was one of the gunmen.
Annja frowned. Did she really believe that gang would abandon the comforts of their camp to come out in the storm? It was doubtful. Having seen them up close, Annja knew they were probably sleeping off an alcohol-induced state of euphoria by now. In the morning, they would become a problem.
But right now?
No.
That meant there was something else out there.
Annja frowned. There it was again. Something. She shook her head. Being in the dark woods during a rainstorm all by yourself could certainly make the idea of something like big foot seem possible.
But Annja would have to see the creature face-to-face before she bought into that. She knew of a bunch of expeditions that had tried to prove the existence of the mighty Sasquatch, without anything to show for their efforts.
Meanwhile, the true believers insisted that something like the Sasquatch had the ability to make itself as visible or invisible as needed. Just because a bunch of humans tramped through its woods didn’t mean they’d find it.
Annja sighed. In all likelihood, there was probably an animal out there just looking for a bit of something to eat. Maybe it had gotten a whiff of the fire and had come to see if there was any food to be had.
Annja smiled. Not this time.
Suddenly, though, she felt a sense of trouble.
Annja slowly got up on her haunches. She reached for her boots and slid them on, tucking the laces inside so she wouldn’t have to tie them up. She was on full alert.
What was out there?
The wind blew another blast through the overhang, rattling the branches around her. Annja felt a small shower of water rain down on her from somewhere high overhead.
She racked her brain for all of the animals that lived in these woods. She knew that there was fox, bear, coyote, but what else might call this place home?
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