Collapse

“Would you stop stacking those things?” she said with an annoyed look. Emily dropped her pack next to Justin’s and began rummaging through it for something edible. The two hikers came to a rest in a low point of the trail near a shallow stream. It was their fifth day of the hike, and, needless to say, fatigue and hunger were taking hold.

Justin sat by the stream, stacking rocks as he finished what felt like his hundredth Cliff bar. Usually, Emily didn’t let much get to her, but when she was worn out, she found anything and everything to complain about. This time, it was rocks.

“It’s not good for the wildlife.”

“It takes away shelter for smaller animals.”

“If it falls over, it could kill something.”

“It makes the landscape ugly.”

Justin only listened.

When Emily finished her rant, she turned her attention to a Cliff bar of her own.

Justin wouldn’t argue when she skipped rocks or used living tree branches for firewood because it wasn’t the rocks that were the problem. She was just tired and hungry.

Justin knew this would be a good place to rest even though they had just taken a break at the top of the nearby ridge. He wanted them to pace themselves.

Emily had a point, though. He didn’t need to keep stacking rocks. He just enjoyed it like so many others do. It reminded him of walks with his father. It held something sentimental every time he piled up a fresh stack. He would recall his father building great towers with strength and grace, positioning every stone perfectly. The hardened veteran battled inner demons. Always irritable, always unsettled. But the rocks centered him, and for a brief moment, he found peace.

Justin’s current stack was small. A handful of flat stones neatly piled with the largest as the base, followed by smaller and smaller rocks constructed. This stack was a smaller scale version of his previous creation just up the trail. That was an impressive structure. Many of the stones required both hands to shift and secure.

The scenery was now calm and quiet, with the soft babble of the stream holding their attention as they ate. A low huff came from up the trail ahead. Their attention turned to the sound with the idea that another hiker was coming, and they composed themselves to greet them. The huffs grew closer; as they neared, they became heavy and increased in cadence. The once-assumed hiker was now bounding from behind the foliage.

“EMILY, WATCH O–” shouted Justin, and before he could finish, the heavy paw of a grizzly bear had come around and struck Emily to the ground. With an incomplete scream, Emily’s breath left her as she slammed hard into the ground with a resounding thud. The beast turned in Justin’s direction and charged toward him. With little time to react, Justin grabbed what he could of the nearby freshly stacked pile of rocks and threw them wildly at the bear. The stones sprayed in every direction. A rock bounced off the bear’s shoulder, another near its eye, and several others missed entirely. Not all were unsuccessful, though. In a furious roar, the great grizzly’s mouth opened wide, and a stray rock deflected off of one of the bear’s teeth and became lodged in its airway. The beast jolted back. Its eyes grew large with panic as it coughed and weezed.

Wasted no time to escape. Emily regained her breath and began making her way back up in the direction they had just descended while Justin set off behind her, leaving the bear to sort itself out. It wasn’t long before the rock had been dislodged, and the bear was back in pursuit. Its roars went from anger to rage. Leaving their packs where they lay, Emily and Justin sprinted back up the path with every remaining thread of energy in their lungs. Emily was far ahead at this point. Justin could hear the bear gaining ground quickly. He lost sight of Emily as the bends of the trail concealed her position.

As the bear closed, Justin was sure it would end him with little difficulty. His feet felt heavy as he ascended the ridge. The thunder of the bear’s paws on the hard-packed trail grew heavier. It was close. He could feel the bear’s breath on his back and legs in his mind, but he couldn’t take the chance to look back. He had to keep running; he had to keep fighting. Then it connected. A paw swiped the back of Justin’s leg, and he stumbled. Not enough to fall, but enough to lose momentum. Enough to slow him. Enough to give the bear another chance to strike. Connecting with great force, Justin stumbled. He was under the great beast. Its teeth sank into Justin’s shoulder as his hands and face pushed hard into the dirt. He was helpless, resigning to his death.

THUD!!! The raging devil froze. The force of sinking teeth on Justin’s shoulder now became powerless and released as the mountain of muscle and fur collapsed above him. Moments before, Emily summited the ridge and seized a large rock from the previously assembled tower. With it, concussing and rendering the bear unconscious.

Emily paused in shock at the violence she had committed. Her hands released the large rock. The moment ended, and she firmly pulled Justin to his feet and pushed him back in the direction of their packs. He put pressure on my shoulder to slow the bleeding and shuffled after her. His leg bled, filling his shoe, sticking his sock and sole with every step. There was no time to address the wound. He had to keep up.

“EMILY, WAIT!” He shouted. Between gasps, she choked, “THE BEACON!” In their gear, they packed an emergency beacon. They never thought they would need it and debated bringing it as it added weight.

Descending to the stream, Emily emptied her pack to find the beacon. Pushing the clutter aside, Emily activated the handheld yellow and black box, sending a distress signal. Justin wrapped my leg with a shirt from Emily’s mess of gear and slung his pack over his good shoulder. Emily secured her belongings, and they pushed on, creating distance between them and the bear in hopes that emergency services would reach them in time.

Fueled by adrenaline and fear, their legs pushed hard. Emily ran ahead as Justin staggered behind. Between the bite wound on his shoulder and the lacerations on his leg, he was steadily losing blood.

After what felt like an endless amount of time, in the distance, they heard a soft yet fast rhythmic chuffing. A rescue helicopter appeared far on the horizon. They were going to be okay! Help was coming! They waved their arms, signaling the aircraft as it approached.

Justin’s vision grew dark; his head felt light. The air left his lungs, and his legs crumbled as the weight of his pack pulled him down. Collected by the forest floor, knees, torso, shoulders, cheek, and temple. Pushed hard to the earth, a stumbling, careless settling, and now, still like the dismantled towers from before. Collapse.