Nick finally got out of bed as light started to fill the room. Sleep had come to Nick, but it had been uneasy and filled with dreams that woke him frequently. Every time he closed his eyes all he could see was the image of Mike. He wanted to go back to the cabin... Mike deserved to be buried in a proper way, but Nick knew it was a risk he couldn't take. The men that killed Mike could still be at the cabin, not to mention Nick felt like Mike wouldn't want him to go back.
He picked his pack up off the floor and sat back down on the bed as he opened it to see what was inside. Nick found a P-38 can opener, four cans of chili, a spork, an empty water bottle, a lighter and a thermal blanket. He opened one of the cans of chili and picked up the spork.
As he ate, Nick thought about what he should do next. He could stretch the chili and just eat one can a day, but he was going to need more supplies if he was going to make it anywhere.
He realized his dilemma had been solved. Nick had been torn about his parents... wondering if they were alive... and now he knew what to do. There was nothing left for him in Colorado. He thought seriously about making his way to Florida. It was going to be a long and potentially very dangerous trip, but he really had nothing else to do now that Mike was gone.
Nick finished eating and threw the empty can of chili on the floor. He licked the spork clean and put it back in his pack. He stood up, stretched and put the pack on. Nick walked outside and headed east, holding the Glock in his hand. He still felt numb... like killing a man, even one who deserved it, had turned him into some kind of monster not capable of compassion.
He wasn't sure if it was still early enough in the morning or he just got lucky, but Nick didn't see a single soul as he walked across the small town. The town seemed to be occupied enough that Nick didn't feel comfortable trying to find a car. He wanted to get out of the town and then look for isolated houses where he couldn't be as easily surprised by someone.
Nick looked at the gas station on the edge of town as he walked by. The glass on the doors and windows had been smashed out and it looked like the whole place had been cleaned out. He couldn't even fathom the rush to get supplies that must have taken place once people realized what was happening.
He didn't think it was a smart idea to head toward Longmont or Boulder, thinking instead he should kind of cut between them. He hoped he could find a car and some supplies without going into either city, assuming they would be more dangerous, but he would if it came down to it.
Nick stopped at the intersection just outside of the town. Boulder was to the right and Longmont straight ahead. He turned right and went over the small bridge in hope of finding a road that cut between the two cities.
He wasn't sure when there would be more water, so Nick went down the embankment on the far side of the bridge and took the water bottle out of his pack. He filled it up and took a long drink once the water was filtered. He filled it up again and put it in his pack before going back to the road.
He sighed as he looked at a sign with the mileage for Denver and Boulder. He couldn't believe that his whole life led up to working in Denver and living in Boulder... and then it was over in a flash. Nick wondered if he had wasted his life. His work hadn't contributed to society in any way, not that it mattered now... but he still felt like he could have done something that at least helped people somehow.
Nick stopped to rest more than he would have liked, his legs were sore from the day before and he felt emotionally drained. He didn't really mind... he still wasn't sure what to do or where he was really going.
The ultimate goal of trying to find his parent's felt so abstract in the moment and Nick wondered if it was really the right thing to do. They were more than a day away by car... which seemed so daunting.
Nick shook his head and tried to stay in the moment. He knew Mike would tell him to stop worrying about the future and worry about the now. It wasn't bad to plan, but he wasn't doing that... it was only serving to stress Nick out and convince him it was a bad idea.
He turned his attention to his surroundings as he walked up a hill outside of town. There was a farmhouse just off the road on the right and nice pond on the left side of the road. Nick wondered if he should try to find supplies or a car at the house... he was skeptical and knew that farmer's were usually armed. He decided to not even try and just kept walking.
Nick walked off the road and sat down on a rock to take a break once he reached the top of the hill. He took a drink of water and looked around. There was a house up on the hill to the right... but Nick's legs were already starting to feel sore from the hill he just walked up.
He turned to the east and could see Longmont. It was spread out and he could see most of the city. Nick was able to figure out the general direction he could head where he would be able to skirt the city and still be able to find a car and supplies.
Nick decided to head down the hill. There was a lake not far off and he could see a few spread out houses and farms that all seemed to be surrounded by at least a few acres of land. A few trees dotted the hill, not giving Nick much cover as he made his way down. He moved between them and stopped in cover to look around. He didn’t see anything on his descent and felt more relaxed as the ground became a little more level.
There was a ditch full of water and it was blocking his progress. Nick crouched down in a bush and looked around while he tried to figure out what to do. There was a house about a hundred yards away, on the other side of the ditch and another one to his right. He didn’t want to swim it and it was just wide enough that he couldn’t jump it. He decided to risk passing close to the house and took off running toward the road. Nick ran across the bridge and took a sharp turn to hide behind a cottonwood tree near the ditch.
He waited for a few minutes, but didn’t hear anything from the house. He knew it didn’t mean it was unoccupied… there was still a possibility there were people in it and they hadn’t seen him or they were inside waiting for him to make a move. Nick couldn’t see a car in the front of the house and decided it wasn’t even worth checking out.
There was another cottonwood a hundred feet down the ditch and Nick ran for it. He crouched down behind it and looked back at the house. It was still quiet and he decided it wasn’t a threat. He looked around to see where he should head next. There was a house less than two hundred yards away on the other side of the ditch and he didn’t feel like passing that close to it.
Nick ran from behind the tree at an angle. He heard a loud screech and looked over his shoulder. Nick’s feet left the ground and he turned his head around just in time to put his hands out as he fell into a dry ditch. The air left his lungs as he slammed his chest into the hard ground. Nick rolled onto his back as he gasped for air.
The screech came again, but louder as he stared into the sky. He felt fear fill his body… but he still couldn’t breathe. Nick rolled on his side and pulled his pack off. He rifled through it to find his Glock. He collapsed onto his back again as he gasped for air while getting ready to shot.
A hawk flew over him and let out a ferocious screech as it went into a dive and vanished from his field of vision. Nick closed his eyes as he was able to breathe again. He felt like an idiot for getting scared by a hawk, but thankfully the only thing he hurt was his pride. Nick put the Glock back in his pack, zipped it up and brushed some of the dirt off his clothes.
He was standing in a ditch that was almost five feet deep and completely devoid of water. It wasn’t as wide as the other one, so he figured the one he was standing in was older and no longer used. He decided to follow it and see where it went since it probably headed in the direction he wanted to go. It was unfortunately, not a straight shot… but he didn’t have to worry about anyone spotting him and he wouldn’t have to constantly stop to check his surroundings.
Nick felt much more at ease and took his time as he walked through the meandering ditch for the next hour. He stopped a few times to take a drink of water and poke his head above the top of the ditch, but everything seemed quiet.
The ditch continued to make twists and turns, but Nick felt like he was headed in a southeast direction and decided to take the ditch as far as he could.
After an hour the ditch turned southwest and it seemed to straighten out. Nick didn’t want to head that way, which was the general direction of Boulder. He climbed up the side of the ditch and looked to the east. He could see a small grove of trees. To the southeast there was a long row of trees that probably marked a river, but there were two houses near it.
Nick dropped back down in the ditch and sighed. He really wasn’t sure what to do. It was a dilemma for Mike. His friend. The man who saved him. Mike… who he would never see again. Nick knew he owed Mike everything—every breath he took for the rest of his life would come as a direct result of Mike helping him that first night.
He rubbed his hands together, pulled the straps on his pack tight and took three deep breaths. Nick climbed out of the ditch and sprinted toward the trees to the south. He ran toward a fixed spot between the houses and hoped they were vacant.
His heart raced as he reached the trees and slid to a stop on the loose dirt. Nick barely kept his balance, waving his arms as he stood on the edge of another ditch. He supposed it could be the same one, it was empty after all, but it was running east and west.
Nick looked behind to see if anyone was following him. It looked clear as he turned and jumped down. Nick heard a thump behind him as he landed in the sandy ditch. He spun around and looked up. There was an arrow buried in the tree he had been standing beside. Nick dropped to the ground and started to crawl along the ditch.
After thirty feet he got back on his feet and slowly raised his head over the top of the ditch. His eyes roamed the field as he tried to figure out where the person was that shot at him. He knew he could keep going and just run along the ditch… but that wasn’t fool proof. The ditch was sandy and it was slow going. If someone were chasing him and they were in the field next to the ditch he knew they would be able to easily catch up to him.
Nick’s eyes flicked back to the barn that he had just looked at. There was an open window in the top level of the barn and he thought he saw movement. He kept his eyes locked on the exact spot and waited. The longer he looked at the window, he felt like he could see the outline of a person just inside the shadows. There was a flash of movement in the window and Nick ducked. A second arrow sailed just above his head and slammed into the dirt on the other side of the ditch.
Screw this.
Nick kept his head low and jogged along the ditch. He didn’t bother looking back because he had no interest in testing how good they really were with a bow. The only positive thing about the close call was that he now knew there were still people in the area… and he needed to be careful. It was the first person he had come in contact with since leaving the cabin.
As he moved swiftly through the ditch, he thought about his plan to find some transportation. He had first thought it would be a good idea to try and find a car to expedite his escape from the area, but now he wasn’t sure it was such a good idea. Finding a car right away and driving east would draw the attention of anyone in the area… and they could potentially be more dangerous than someone with a bow. He thought about the men who had killed Mike—if they were that heavily armed there was a good chance they weren’t the only ones. He needed to be on guard and pay attention to what Mike had taught him. Nick realized he had been lucky the person in the barn had shot at him with a bow and not a rifle because they would have killed him as he crossed the field or when he stopped at the edge of the ditch.
After twenty minutes of jogging through the ditch he came to a bridge. It was small, just one car wide and built from lumber that would be available at any home improvement store. He ran under the bridge and tossed off his backpack before dropping to the ground.
His legs felt like they were on fire as he pulled out his water bottle and drank the last of his water. Walking through the ditches for the last two hours had taken a lot more out of him than he thought it would have. It reminded him of playing beach volleyball… except a lot less fun.
Nick leaned back and put his head against the bank of the ditch. He closed his eyes and tried to relax for a few seconds. He felt himself getting tired and getting to the point where he could really fall asleep… and Nick forced himself to stand up. He knew how important it was for him to keep moving and find a safe place to spend the night—the sooner he got out of the area and into the rural eastern part of the state the better.
With a sigh he forced himself to stand up. Nick lifted his pack up and put it back on. He grabbed onto the bridge and pulled himself up until he could look over the top of the ditch. There was a small subdivision about a quarter of a mile from the ditch, but it was set back enough that Nick was confident he could sneak by it. He lowered himself back into the ditch and set off.