Lost Treasure: Into the City

There are a few families enjoying the waterfall too. So, I hangout under a tree and take a light nap. Once everyone leaves, I walk over to water’s edge. I strip down to my underwear and bra and quickly wash up and enjoy the cool water. Once I get into town, I’m going to rent a hotel and take a nice hot shower.

I get out and dry myself with a towel I brought, then hang it on a branch for it to dry. I start a small fire and boil some water in my kettle. I sit and listen to the sound of water colliding with the rocks. Such a soothing sound.

I see movement out of the corner of my left eye. When I see the very two rogues that attacked my pack! My profile is all they could see, but they don’t seem to notice me at first. They walk to the water’s edge and fill their canteens. They’re talking low to each other, casually. They don’t seem wild and uncivilized as before. They wear blue jeans, gray and black t-shirts, and hiking boots. I see the one that I broke his nose smile then pinch the bridge of his nose. I wonder if it still hurts, I hope so anyways. He peers over the other one’s shoulder and spots me.

At once they both turn and gawk as if they are seeing me for the first time. I haven’t moved since I saw them. I put the end of my stick into the flames, acting as if I’m poking the timber. The satisfying sound of water in my kettle assures me I have what I need to attack.

They stride towards me cautiously. Good, they know I’m no weakling, but they’ll underestimate me again. They stop about five feet away before one of them speaks.

“Look who we have here, Boris?” Glancing at the other, smirking. He rubs his chin. “It’s our little lost pup“, with disdain at the last word.

The other guy puts a fist on his hip and grabs his nose. “So, it appears. The boss will be happy to know she didn’t die in the wilderness.” With a grunt.

I sit still, pretending to ignore them, but really, I’m sharpening the end of my stick against a rock in the fire.

“I think we have her scared, Russel, she won’t even look at us.” Boris laughs.

I look up when he laughs, then back down, my heart is thundering in my chest as adrenaline is released into my bloodstream. They need to get closer; my body is ready like a spring trap.

Russel’s smile widens. “This should be easy. We were caught off guard before, but this time we should go at her together.” Boris just nods.

They separate from each other about an arm’s length. Then come at me at the same time. I’m ready. As I stand, I grab the kettle, throwing the contents in Boris’s face. While in my other hand, I stab Russel in the eye. The blood curdling screams are louder than the falls, and it echoes off the rocks. The air now the smell of burnt flesh. Boris runs into the pool to cool his face, as Russel flops around on the ground with his hands over his eye.

I take off. I hit the trail and I open up. I’m wondering if my power will activate this time. I run three miles before I stop. No one was following me. I sat on the ground gasping for air. I’m sitting next to a road. I need to find shelter before dark. I start walking north. I see an old cabin on the right side of the road. I study it and decide it’s abandoned.

Inside I find it is a one room cabin with a fireplace and old furniture. I start a small fire in the fireplace and roll out my bed. I’m so tired at this point I don’t care that I didn’t have supper. I am almost out of food; I hope I’ll be in town tomorrow.

I watch the fire dance as it consumes the wood. The smell is calming and the popping and crackling sings me to sleep. Not long after, the nightmares come.

I wake with a start, sweat dripping down my face, my hair wet. The fire has gone out, so I stand and stretch. I gather my things and leave. I find another trail that follows the road. About an hour later the trail ends, and I walk into town. First hotel I see is Park Vista. Using my father's bank card, I check into a room.

First thing I do when I get to my room is go into the bathroom and draw a bath. I strip and slip into the hot water. I scrub the dirt and grime from my skin. Then sit and relax for a while.

After my fingers and toes wrinkle from the water, I pull the plug and dry off. I wrap the towel around me and find my bag. I dig out a clean pair of pants and t-shirt. I get dressed and order some food from room service.

It's a typical hotel room. All the furniture is made of dark mahogany wood. It has a king size bed with a beige color with dark brown trim comforters. The recliner, swivel chair at the desk, and cushions are a cream color; along with the flute shaped lamp with square lamp shade.

A big flat screen TV is on top of the dresser. The desk and two black recliner chairs are in the corner. A nightstand on the left side of the bed. A large patio window with a small patio and canopy. The walls matched the wood, and the carpet is dark brown with beige swirls.

I sit in the recliner watching TV while I wait for my food. Maybe later I’ll go down and check out the pool, it has a water slide. My family used to vacation all the time. My parents always chose hotels that had a pool. The twins were more frogs than wolves. They loved water.

Stinging pain grips my heart at their memory. The knocking at the door pulls me out of my thoughts. I get the food and sit down. I remove the lid and eat. I feel relaxed for the first time since the incident. I am not looking forward to tonight, when the nightmares come.