Sentinel

Prologue: Three Months Ago

"You're bleeding."

The statement was ridiculous considering it came from someone who looked like they had bathed in blood. He was covered in more blood than I had ever seen in real life. I felt like I was on set for some war movie. Like I had stumbled upon the handsome main actor about to perform a dramatic death scene. And he was handsome, though my mind didn't register that fact until later. It was still trying to figure out how my day, which had started out so peaceful, changed in a heartbeat.

It was three weeks into summer and I had finally decided to follow through with my goal of being active during the break. My sort-of summer job at my mom's real estate office didn't take up too much of my time and my hometown was known for the beautiful nature surrounding it. I decided that I should get out there and enjoy the wilderness. My dad or my brother normally would have been all for that kind of adventure but both had been too busy that day.

"Do you want me to go with you?" My mom asked though it was clear by her face she was only asking out of duty, not interest.

"No, that's okay. I don't mind going on my own." I really didn't. I was never bothered about doing things by myself. Sometimes I actually preferred it.

My mom stared at me with a slight frown as she weighed how much she was worried about me hiking alone against how much she wanted to relax at home. Unsurprisingly, relaxation won. "Be careful."

"I always am." Not that the trail required special care. It was a fairly easy trek, only a three-mile loop with minimal elevation change.

I had almost reached the halfway point when I heard branches breaking in the wood just off the trail. There was a thud followed by a human groan. I froze mid-stride. A chill instantly filled me as I scanned the trees. I was freaked out but I was pretty sure that it was the person who had made the ruckus and not a hungry mama bear looking for her babies' next meal. At least I hoped. I called out to whichever it was.

"Hello?" I waited for an answer but nothing came. "Are you hurt?"

Again, no response. Maybe it was a bear. Or maybe it was someone injured and unconscious. I checked my phone to see if I had a signal in case I needed to call for help. Nothing. Should I go back to the trailhead and try there? Was it okay to leave an injured person alone in the woods? What if they need help now and there wasn't enough time for me to walk back and wait for the police?

I wasn't sure there would be a signal if I went back. The more I thought and wavered the more urgent it felt. Something inside me was saying they needed help now.

I decided to go towards where I heard the sound. The first step I took into the tree line, my foot caught on a broken limb. I fell forward and landed hard on my hands and knees.

"Ow!" The twigs on the ground scrapped my palms and skinned my knees. My already accelerated heartbeat was going crazy now. I got up carefully and took a few deep breaths. I needed to be calm if I was going to help this person.

I continued walking. I bobbed through the forest and halted when I spotted him propped up against a tree about fifteen feet off the trail.

I gasped as I took in the man's appearance. Something had ripped two gashes down his left leg. There was so much blood on his right shoulder and torso I couldn't even tell where it was coming from. I stared at him in shock, not knowing what to do.

His dark brown eyes were on me, alert and aware. Blood and dirt were caked in his military short black hair. His dark skin was starting to look pale from the blood loss.  He couldn't have been much older than me, maybe in his mid-twenties.