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Chapter Two - The Hike Alone

CHAPTER 2

Hazel Finley didn't like hiking in groups, she liked hiking alone, or at most with her best friend. Her heart ached at the absence. She walked slowly. The thought of people waiting on her made her feel uncomfortable. Trekking by yourself with nature was best. A way to discover harmony and peace. She needed to find peace... something she was struggling with each day. She wanted to hide her hurt past. Burying it deep under water and lay it to rest if she could. Urgency and desperation gripped her.

But walking in nature eased it a little. Hearing the beauty of silence and the sounds of nature. Life. She listened to the rhythm of her breath, gazing at the trees and rockery she passed by every morning for the past two weeks. Trying to engrave it in her memory forever, hoping it would block the bad memories out. She liked to remember how small she was in the vastness of nature. How insignificant she is amongst so many people in Washington. It placed her thoughts and wants into perspective.

She was forgotten. No family, except for an aunt still in Seattle, and a brother who had passed away along with her parents. She was lonely, and her only comfort was the birds singing in the trees above her. People were bad, and she didn't care to pay attention to their chats, only if it was spoken by nature. Yet, she craved human interaction. A friend?

A couple trudged roughly past her, hand in hand. Clearly, she was too slow for them. Hazel often planned to reach a certain point on the trail. But it didn't really matter, and she didn't care if she got there, if she stopped or ended somewhere else. She felt like she was waiting for something at the end of it all... something calling to her.

An elderly man with a sun hat on walked on the left side, opposite her direction. She glanced at him quickly, wanting to give way to the old man, who was staggering with a walking stick. His boney fingers wiped his white hair from his forehead that clung with sweat. His pearly blue eyes flashed to her, and he grinned with broken teeth, licking his lips. His greedy eyes fixed on her light pink shirt, with a few buttons opened up on top, revealing a hint of her white vest.

Hazel rolled her eyes, not in the mood to be ogled at. Dirty old man, she thought and huffed. But the old man continued to stare. She snapped her head to the right, determined to look ahead again once she passed him.

"It's not safe for a young woman to be alone in the wilderness, my dear." The old man snickered as he wobbled past Hazel. "You don't want to be on Channel 9 news with a painted number on your lovely body." The man chuckled.

Hazel didn't look back, her upper lip curling. The familiar shudder and fear ran through her body. She should be scared, but wasn't concerned about safety. The murdered bodies seen on the news lately were usually men. She held on to her backpack tight, slung over her shoulders. It was heavy from the clothes and her essentials she carried. Living from hotel to motel wasn't easy. But she was new in town, wanting a new start or ending one.

And besides, the hike was easy and in an organized place. Hazel finally reached the waterfall. A few hikers sat on benches taking a break. While the others stood in front of the water feature, taking selfies on their phones. Hazel stood at the side, alone. Watching the falling water gush into the large pond. It was breathtaking. Not realizing someone was watching her, intently too.

Hazel's fingers ran through her black long hair. The cool breeze moved between her waves. She placed her backpack on the dirt ground and pulled up her faded jeans to her waist and bent down, retying her laces on her hiking boots.

"Hi there." A friendly voice said.

Hazel looked up and was slightly taken aback. The clouded sky was bright at first, making her eyes squint. She gazed into a woman's kind face and stood up. She had dark brown hair that stopped at her chin. Her high cheekbones, dotted with small freckles, accentuated her eyes as she smiled brightly, smiling with pink, pouty lips. Her dungaree dress hung loose on her body, with sneakers smudged with dirt.