In the Brush

He awoke far into the brush of the undergrowth. The sounds of birds chirping echoed off the walls of the trees. He pushed his way through the shrubbery, his eyes pierced from pain as the blackberry bush tore at his arm. That will leave a mark he thought as he peered up through the tall oak trees that grew near the dark bushes he had just retreated from. The leaves from a previous year lined the ground he treaded on. He couldn’t recall where he was as he pushed back a small saplings branches to pass through to a trail only large enough to allow a deer’s quaint step through.

              He stopped on the trail as he came upon a river to drink. The two hoofed footprints tell him deer do the same, but why did he know this? He wasn’t sure who he was at all. Red water washes away at his face. It was then he first felt it. It stung horribly. He could feel a hole in his forehead, what was it from. Sore it was, swollen and still bleeding he could tell. 

              He followed the water downstream and found a pool that sat still. He noticed a reflection of the trees as he passed; he decided to stop and look down into the stagnant sparkling water. As he crouched over the water, looking down into the depth of the pool. He could see his grotesque face. His fat large nose, huge ears, long greasy hair, eyes as dark gray as the night sky. And there it was, a pinky finger sized hole above his right eye gaping open with a steady stream of blood running down his face.

              Again, he brought his finger up and into the hole, squinting at the pain he was inflicting upon himself. He tried to recognize himself, but to no avail. He didn’t know who he was or where he was, but he could feel the cold metal stuck against his skull. He stood up and started downstream again. The babbling brook chirped with the peepers that had started mating in the spring season. It was beginning to become dusk and the tall trees towered over the stream that had become smaller and smaller as he went.

              As the sun began to strike the sky purple and pink; he noticed the ground glowing the same purple and pink as the sky. He rushed to the lake and could see at least a mile across a house. Finally, he thought, he could get help. So, he started his way around the lake, cruising over the woods edge. He had noticed some ledges he could not cross. This made him work his way further into the dark woods than he would have liked. At one point he had to work a fair way backwards. That’s when he first heard the noises and lights in the woods.

              The lights, far in a distance had flashed around, left and right, lighting up the trees. The whoofing noise troubled his ears. He was sure the evil that was out there was following him. So he started dodging under fallen logs and over peaked rocks to escape the demon of the woods. The woofing noise came closer. He could hear it in his right ear like a ghoul’s growl. The lights flickered off more and more trees as he continued to try and escape. He crossed across a swamp and suddenly his boots were stuck. He was sinking further and further into the swampy quicksand. He didn’t know what to do so he laid there for some short time on his belly. Then the lights had shined upon the bottom of the dark pine trees that surrounded the quicksand. 

              He slowly swam on his belly across the quicksand away from the evil woofing lights. It whooshed so loud his ear throbbed from the pain of it. He didn’t know what was going on, but he knew he would be a goner if this evil were to capture him. He made his way out of the quicksand and started back around the lake; he was nearly there at this point. He looked up at the pale stars shining down upon him. The moon sadly pouted as he crept around the lake. The lights had faded off in the distance. He was safe from them he thought. Finally, he made it to the small lake house on the other side. He jerked on every door he could grab ahold of. A noise from inside muttered at him. Someone was inside!

              He ran around the lake house and came upon an axe. He took that axe and smashed the sliding glass window that faced the lakes dock. He ran in with the axe in his hand around the house. The man inside was armed with a shotgun and had mouthed something to the intruder. However, the injured intruder, well he didn’t know what was going on at all. He couldn’t make out the lake house man’s voice or words. It was foreign to him. The lake house man fired his shotgun into the invaders arm that held the axe. The birdshot tore at his arm muscles making him drop the axe. He looked at his hamburger arm that bleed more blood he didn’t have to spare. He turned around and ran as the lake house man reloaded another round of birdshot into his shotgun. The invader made it outside the house and was starting down the dirt road. The lights had soon fallen upon him again. 

              The man ran further and further down the road, trying to escape the evil that was following him. Not even another fellow man would help him at this time. No, he was shot in multiple places, he didn’t know who or where he was, and it was dark in the wooded path he was one. Then the lights were no longer white, no they were red and blue. The noise squelched loudly on him, dropping him to his knees. He didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t make out a sound. He held his ears trying to protect the little sanity he had left. His arm screamed in pain as he held his ear. Then a hand had grabbed him.  He flinched and the officer was there with his arm outstretched and taser in the other hand. He couldn’t understand the man’s words. He couldn’t make out more than a grumble. Just pure fear had engulfed him.

              Then, like an angel come to guide him to heaven, a face he recognized. Who it was he wasn’t sure? She was crying as she fell upon him and hugged him. He naturally embraced her. She began to sign to him with her hands. He recognized the symbols she made with her hand. He indicated he was not okay back with his hands, and he signed didn’t know who he was. She reassured him he was getting help. In the back of the ambulance she signed the questions the Emergency Mobil Technicians asked him. He didn’t know what happened, but he was well beat up. After some minor surgery to remove the bullets and repair the damage he incurred his wife had come into the room.

              She signs to him there was a hunting accident. A fellow hunter had shot at a bush and didn’t verify if a deer was behind it. When the hunter saw that he hit him with the shot after he ran the hunter began to search. Unable to him they set off on a search party, but never could catch up to him until a 911 call from a lake house in the middle of woods. He was lucky to had survived such an accident, and yet his survival skills had paid off.