Remainers

A Fractured Mind, Part 4

The next week was nothing but non-stop travel through rocky mountains and hilly forests. Eric had gotten used to the hard travel, but he couldn't deny that it was sort of taking a toll on his stamina. Because of that, they'd been moving at a relatively leisurely pace to allow him ample time to rest.

Eric felt bad about the constant start and stops, but Caleb quickly reassured him. "I've already factored in the necessity to have constant rests on our journey," he explained. "Don't worry about needing to take a break when you have to."

Eric didn't feel all that reassured. It was fine for Caleb and Hope to take their time, since it wasn't like they were particularly invested in this journey of theirs. However, for Eric it was the one thing driving him forward, and he wanted to get there as soon as he possibly could.

Part of his urgency had to do with his lost memories, which had still not returned even after more than a week of travel. He had hoped his amnesia would undo itself with time, but that ultimately never happened. With no conceivable way of recovering any time soon, he'd hoped his hometown would be the spark that would allow him to recover his memories.

Because of that, he had really been pushing to get through this long journey as quickly as he possibly could. However, that was difficult, mostly due to his lack of stamina and experience traversing difficult terrain. He would try to push forward as much as he could, but Caleb would always mandate breaks whenever he felt Eric was starting to get fatigued, slowing down the pace of their journey considerably. He knew he was just looking out for him, but Eric couldn't help but feel indignant about the constant stops and breaks.

Still, Eric knew there was little he could do about it. From what he could tell, Caleb was a pretty responsible guy, and a veteran at making his way across the country. He knew what he was doing, and if Eric tried to ignore his advice, he was only going to be putting himself in danger. He knew that, and yet there was an impatience that gnawed at him relentlessly, like a splinter that dug too deeply into the skin.

That night, they camped under the stars in a small clearing inside of one of the Pacific Northwest's many dense forests. They were somewhere in Oregon, though even Caleb could only estimate their exact location. Still, their schedule hadn't changed; they were due to reach the region where Seattle once stood in only a matter of days.

While Caleb cooked some fish he caught in a nearby river, Eric began to wonder if he could convince him to pick up the pace. Now that they were even closer to their destination, Eric's impatience began to gnaw at him even more, leaving him antsy and restless. He ultimately picked up the nerve to ask him. After all, what could be the harm in just asking?

"Caleb, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, go ahead."

"Starting tomorrow, is it possible for us to cut down on the number of breaks we take?"

"It's not good to push yourself. Didn't I say that?"

"I know," Eric said as his brow furrowed. "But I've been hiking with you guys for over a week now. Don't you think I've built up enough stamina? I don't think we need to take a break every three hours."

"Don't overestimate yourself," Caleb replied. "You might think you don't need it, but even small changes can affect how well you can pace yourself on long journeys. We're already moving at a pace faster than normal hikers go at, you know."

"Even so, we're going a little too slowly, aren't we? I don't know if you're trying to be considerate of me, but I'd rather we just get a move on."

Caleb gave Eric a warm smile, though considering the situation, he could only see it as a wry smirk. "What's all this rushing for? Even if we did do as you said, we'd only get there one day earlier at most. What's the value in that?"