Fear's Response

Three college students made their way along the rocky dirt path that wound in between a dense forest of tower pines. The day started at a nice cool temperature, but now the students panted heavily and consistently wiped the sweat from their eyes. Ellie led a small redhead who had traversed this path many times and hiked often. Behind her, Sam wouldn’t stop talking, and coming up last was Amanda, quiet and lagging behind. They had one more big hill to go before reaching their destination.

Ellie checked her watch. Two hours until sunset, which meant they didn’t have to rush this last part. She glanced back, tuning out Sam, who was commenting on an oddly shaped tree and met eyes with Amanda. Sweat drenched her, and she seemed to limp slightly.

“You okay?” 

Amanda swiped her hand forward, “I’m fine, it’s just a lot of walking and my feet aren’t used to it.”

“We’ll slow down. One more hill and we’re at the campsite.” She smiled and focused on slowing her pace. They rounded a dense cluster of trees and could see the crest of the hill just up ahead.

“Almost there guys.” 

“What’s this place look like again?” Sam asked.

Sam was good at two things, talking and not listening.

“I’ve already explained it to you. You’ll see it soon enough.”

“Do we have animal propellant?”

“As long as we don’t leave food out, then we shouldn’t attract any animals. Trust me, we won't be bothered.”

Sam was a new friend. One they had met and befriended earlier in the year. He overheard Amanda and Ellie planning this trip and asked if he could join. Ellie hated saying no, so she let him tag along. It was safer to have a guy with them. 

It was stunning out here. No people. No worries. Just him and two attractive friends that had let him join them. What was not to like about this? There were so many interesting things out here that he wanted to photograph. He had taken a few shots from his camera, but Ellie had insisted that they keep a steady pace to reach their destination by nightfall, so he hadn’t taken nearly as many as he wished. Maybe once they reached their destination, he could slip away and find a nice place to shoot the sunset. 

“When we get set up, can I take some pictures?”

“Sure, but don’t go too far and lose track of where we are. The place is pretty secluded and will definitely be hard to… stop!” Ellie put her hand out to stop him just as they came over the hill.

“What?”

Oh, thank goodness. Amanda stopped several yards behind them. Her heels were on fire. What an idiot she was for buying new hiking boots and trying them out today. Her socks weren’t thick enough and she knew she would find a huge blister on each heel once she ripped off these shoes. If not for her feet and Sam’s ramblings, this would be a fun hike. Sam wouldn’t be here if Ellie hadn’t been so inviting. She should have told him it was just the two of them that hiked. It was tradition. 

Amanda sat down and took a long drink from her water bottle. Why were Ellie and Sam standing so still?

“Amanda, get up here now.” Ellie said.

Normally Amanda would protest, but Ellie’s tone was disconcerting.

She pushed herself up and jog-limped to the top of the hill and froze.

Ellie watched the adult black bear pace back and forth along the path twenty yards in front of them. The bear eyed them cautiously as it moved in a half circle, stopping frequently to sniff the air. 

It’s just a black bear. Ellie calmed herself from the initial shock. Bears were common out here, but she had never been this close to one. It scared and awed her at the same time. Her senses came back to her just as Amanda caught up to them. If they could stand together and make a lot of noise, they would scare the bear away.

A bear! Sam would not miss his chance to photograph a bear. The picture would look great above his bed. He slid his backpack off as quietly as he could, unzipped and pulled out his camera, thankful that the zoom lense was already on. 

“Now’s not the time.” Amanda said.

He rolled his eyes and brought the camera up to his face, “It’s the best time for it.” 

He zoomed in close, so close that the bear’s head took up the entire frame. It was beautiful, its sleek black fur and those big round eyes staring directly into the camera. He snapped several photos. This was worth the whole trip. The bear continued to stare at him, giving him perfect shots. 

“This is great!” He exclaimed.

“Put the camera down,” Amanda said.

He ignored her and continued to shoot, decreasing the zoom with every shot.

The bear approached them slowly, now only ten yards away. Amanda knew little about bears, but it sure looked like this one was sizing them up. It was leaner than she imagined a bear should be. Sam needed to put his camera down now. There was no way she could outrun a bear with her blistered feet. She didn’t want to die. She found herself unable to move, her eyes frozen to the bear.

“The bear is too close.” She whispered.

“Get close together. If we look like a bigger animal, the bear will leave us alone. Make noise.” Ellie drew Amanda close to her.

Everything in her screamed for her to remain quiet and still. The fear of what she was about to do enveloped her like a blanket. Her hands shook and her heart banged against her chest.

“Ahhhhhhh”, she screamed at the bear.

I’m going to die. The bear would attack them, Sam was sure. He was fast, a good track runner, and he heard somewhere that bears couldn’t run well down hill. He took a step backward.

“Wait no…” Ellie reached out her hand but he already turned, with camera in hand, and ran back down the hill. He didn’t know if the bear was behind him or not, but all he knew was to keep running and not drop his camera. If he lived, those pictures would be amazing. He zigzagged through the trees, hoping to outmaneuver the bear. 

Amanda couldn’t think, couldn’t move, and imagined herself being mauled to death. The bear bounded after Sam but jumped back when Ellie screamed again, startled by the inhuman sounds coming from her throat. 

Amanda wanted to help, wanted to scream, but her body locked up. Tears fell, but she couldn’t open her mouth. Fear caged her in and wouldn’t let her move. She prayed the bear would leave.

The screams were working. Ellie’s throat burned. She wished Amanda would help, but she was too afraid to stop screaming. The bear could attack at any moment and she had no protection other than her backpack. She continued to scream, and the bear became more agitated, but moved further down the hill. Ellie waved her arms and kicked up dirt to make herself bigger. The bear snarled at her, but continued to move away from them. It made its way down the hill and took a right, disappearing into the trees. 

Ellie stopped screaming and coughed violently, her throat raw. She turned back toward Amanda, who hadn’t budged.

“You okay?” Ellie whispered.

Tear stains covered her face, “Yes, sorry.”

“It’s okay. You should probably call for Sam.”

Amanda yelled for Sam to come back. He came into view a few minutes later, staying behind trees as he made his way toward them.

Ellie gave him a look as he drew near.

“Sorry.” He said with his face to the ground.

“It’s okay.”

It really wasn’t okay. What both of them did could have gotten them seriously injured or killed. Her voice was too fragile for a scolding and she realized she should have taught them what to do before they got into a situation like this. She let out a long breath and took a long drink of cold water from her bottle.

“Let’s get to camp.” She walked a few feet and turned, “Next time, please listen and do what I say. If we stick together we’re more likely to survive. Got it?”

They nodded like they had been scolded by a parent. 

Ellie still shook with adrenaline, but they were all alive and uninjured, and they would still make it to camp before sundown.