crawl.
Every tree looked the same on either side of the road, but it wasn’t too long before he spotted one in particular that definitely stood out among the rest. Broken limbs, lay where they had fallen in the ditch, pale white flesh visible where tough thick bark should have been. Strange that the entire thing hadn’t caught on fire considering the long jagged scorch marks marring it’s center. Even with such a nasty scar, it survived, fresh sprouts curling their way outward from the lower limbs. He’d gone too far.
Paul looked in front of him and behind before turning the Jeep around in the road, heading back the way he’d come. He immediately saw why he’d missed the side road before, its entrance nearly completely blocked by brush that grew up from the bank. The Jeep groaned in protest as he maneuvered it into what was about to be an incredibly steep climb, downshifting to give him traction on all four wheels.
Through the windshield, he could see that another eagle had joined the one he’d seen earlier, both of them seeming to follow over the treetops as the Jeep rocked him back and forth. How this had ever been considered a road he would never know. Jagged rock jutted out from every which way, his tires narrowly avoiding being punctured several times as he swerved to avoid them. The higher he went, the thicker the forest became, until suddenly the road ended all together, a massive trunk fallen across what looked to be a stone blockade.
Paul cursed under his breath as he pulled the emergency brake and shut the Jeep off, his gaze peering through the trees to see if the birds were still overhead. They were, glimpses of them anyway and there were five now that he could see, their calls sharp and piercing as he climbed from the truck and slammed the door. Never had he seen this many eagles in one place, and it was almost as if they were guarding something, their dips bringing them lower and lower under he heard the rustle of leaves from the utmost branches above him.
“Guess I’m footing it from here,” Paul kicked at a rock with his loafers, immediately shaking his head at the shooting pain in his toe.
He should have followed Caleb’s advice and just bought a pair of the boots the one stop shop already had in stock. His loafers were not cut out for this terrain, and they proved as much as he slipped and slid his way over moss, shrubs and vines, falling more than once to his hands and knees before he finally found himself at the top of the hill, his khakis and shirt ruined with dirt and a few rips.
“Oh my…” Paul’s mouth fell open as his gaze lifted to the tops of the trees circling the clearing on the hill.
They were everywhere! Small ones, large ones, babies, and a few really big ones, all perched and staring him down as if he’d just intruded. The first screaming call alerted him that an alarm had been sounde d, the several that followed set him on a dead run, across the tiny clearing to the only shelter that he could see, and it was in a tree!
He’d never make it, Paul realized, throwing his hands up over his head as he dove for the ground away from the talons of the first swooping bird. They were everywhere, circling him, blackening out the bright blue sky with their dark fully spread wings. Their screams overpowered his own, his arms and legs kicking as they swooped down towards him over and over again. He thought of Hannah, at the cabin all alone, and prayed that this wouldn’t be his fate: to be killed by a flock of birds!
Paul grabbed for the only thing that he could reach –his left loafer- pulling it from his foot and hurling it as hard as he could. The birds immediately scattered, a high shriek piercing the air just as Paul righted himself.
“STOP!” a gruff voice bellowed from behind him, and Paul swung on his heels, his fist thrown up ready to meet his challenger.
“Who are you?” the man demanded, thick hairy arms folding over his bare chest as he looked Paul over from
Every tree looked the same on either side of the road, but it wasn’t too long before he spotted one in particular that definitely stood out among the rest. Broken limbs, lay where they had fallen in the ditch, pale white flesh visible where tough thick bark should have been. Strange that the entire thing hadn’t caught on fire considering the long jagged scorch marks marring it’s center. Even with such a nasty scar, it survived, fresh sprouts curling their way outward from the lower limbs. He’d gone too far.
Paul looked in front of him and behind before turning the Jeep around in the road, heading back the way he’d come. He immediately saw why he’d missed the side road before, its entrance nearly completely blocked by brush that grew up from the bank. The Jeep groaned in protest as he maneuvered it into what was about to be an incredibly steep climb, downshifting to give him traction on all four wheels.
Through the windshield, he could see that another eagle had joined the one he’d seen earlier, both of them seeming to follow over the treetops as the Jeep rocked him back and forth. How this had ever been considered a road he would never know. Jagged rock jutted out from every which way, his tires narrowly avoiding being punctured several times as he swerved to avoid them. The higher he went, the thicker the forest became, until suddenly the road ended all together, a massive trunk fallen across what looked to be a stone blockade.
Paul cursed under his breath as he pulled the emergency brake and shut the Jeep off, his gaze peering through the trees to see if the birds were still overhead. They were, glimpses of them anyway and there were five now that he could see, their calls sharp and piercing as he climbed from the truck and slammed the door. Never had he seen this many eagles in one place, and it was almost as if they were guarding something, their dips bringing them lower and lower under he heard the rustle of leaves from the utmost branches above him.
“Guess I’m footing it from here,” Paul kicked at a rock with his loafers, immediately shaking his head at the shooting pain in his toe.
He should have followed Caleb’s advice and just bought a pair of the boots the one stop shop already had in stock. His loafers were not cut out for this terrain, and they proved as much as he slipped and slid his way over moss, shrubs and vines, falling more than once to his hands and knees before he finally found himself at the top of the hill, his khakis and shirt ruined with dirt and a few rips.
“Oh my…” Paul’s mouth fell open as his gaze lifted to the tops of the trees circling the clearing on the hill.
They were everywhere! Small ones, large ones, babies, and a few really big ones, all perched and staring him down as if he’d just intruded. The first screaming call alerted him that an alarm had been sounde d, the several that followed set him on a dead run, across the tiny clearing to the only shelter that he could see, and it was in a tree!
He’d never make it, Paul realized, throwing his hands up over his head as he dove for the ground away from the talons of the first swooping bird. They were everywhere, circling him, blackening out the bright blue sky with their dark fully spread wings. Their screams overpowered his own, his arms and legs kicking as they swooped down towards him over and over again. He thought of Hannah, at the cabin all alone, and prayed that this wouldn’t be his fate: to be killed by a flock of birds!
Paul grabbed for the only thing that he could reach –his left loafer- pulling it from his foot and hurling it as hard as he could. The birds immediately scattered, a high shriek piercing the air just as Paul righted himself.
“STOP!” a gruff voice bellowed from behind him, and Paul swung on his heels, his fist thrown up ready to meet his challenger.
“Who are you?” the man demanded, thick hairy arms folding over his bare chest as he looked Paul over from
Similar Books
