The sun shines high above the mountains as the man makes his way up the mountain path. It is summer and though the sun is strong at this time of day, it is the heat rising from the stones and rocks that make the journey most difficult. He breathes heavily with every step. It has been months of this intense heat and his stamina has greatly increased. As long as the gallon jug he holds in his left hand has water, he will be fine.
He pauses to take a break, sitting on a large rock. He takes his backpack off and gently places it behind him. It is bursting at the seams. Looking up the path, he guesses there is about a mile left to go before the descent to the other side. He puts down the jug and massages his face several times. What once was a handsome man of thirty-six is now a sun struck full bearded face with wrinkles around his eyes from too much squinting in the daylight hours. He takes a very deep breath.
"Are you nervous?"
The man looks up quickly to find a beautiful curly haired brunette kneeling in front of him. Her smile shows care for him but her eyes are concerned. She wore stylish jeans, a chemise and sneakers. The outfit didn't quite fit this hiking excursion.
"So far so good. This damn heat doesn't help." he replies.
He offers her water, which she declines, so he chugs a quarter of his water. He takes another long breath, giving his body time to distribute the water where needed before standing up. She stands up as well and continues the journey. He stays to stretch his shoulders before picking up his heavy backpack and following her up the path.
The climb is quiet, aside from the normal rhythm of footsteps. She always stays a few feet in front of him, looking determined to get to the top. He on the other hand is getting nervous after all. With each step, he feels his stomach get a little tighter. It is either that or dehydration. But then again, what are the symptoms of dehydration? He can't remember.
"Drink some more water." She says while not looking back at him.
He pauses and judges the amount left in his jug.
"What about you?" He asks.
"I'm fine." She replies.
He obeys and drinks a few gulps. A breeze blows by to briefly cool off his hair. Looking back down the path, he hadn't realized how high he was now. Sure it is still hot, but not as bad up the mountain. He scratches his beard as he turns back to focus on her butt. She has many great features, but her butt is by far his favorite.
It must have been an hour of following the path, never going directly up, but far left, then right, then left again. His younger self would've been impatient and made his own path straight through this stupidity, but today he isn't feeling it. The nervousness is increasing and he rather just keep following her. She is making good headway and already at the descent.
He looks past her and cannot see what lies beyond the mountain just yet. The ground soon takes a more flat surface, finally giving his thighs a break. Reluctant to do so, he slowly gazes far down the mountain to see a city. A large city at that, with urban neighborhoods surrounding the downtown area of very tall corporate buildings.
He squints his eyes further to make out more details. At first the tall buildings look normal enough. But then he notices some of them have chunks missing from the sides or top, revealing bent beams pointing in all directions. None of it looks normal. His stomach tightens further and he starts hearing a soft buzzing in his ears. His eyes lose focus of the city and a headache grows.
"Eliot. Concentrate." She says.
She is now very close into his line of vision. He snaps out of it. His head hurts less but he still puts down the jug to massage his temples. The buzzing disappears. She is right. There isn't any time for weakness. He has something to do and it is very important. He frowns angrily and picks up his jug.
As he begins his trek down the mountain, he once again gazes at the city. The pain in his head quickly comes back though, so he keeps his eyes focused on his next steps instead. Everything around him feels foreign suddenly. He feels really tired, and very alone. He isn't sure how far ahead of him she is, but he isn't about to check either. The only thing that is certain for him at the moment is the intense tightness of his stomach and his journey ahead. There is no rest for him anymore.
YOU ARE READING
Retribution
Short Story"After years of hiding, it was time to face his past and put an end to the thing that ruined everything" The city is destroyed, there is no one in sight, and he is losing his mind. What happened to the city and why is he going back?
