by Dane Bagley
John’s lungs burned as he swam through the dark narrow crevice. He thought he would bang his head several times, but as he fought against the current and used every ounce of his strength, agility, and instinct, he narrowly missed either a painful gash or a fatal blow. As he swam just a little further the current pushed him out. He was grateful for that current and then worried about it working against him as he headed back for the promise land, sometime later. It would be much harder swimming against that last current, the one which pushed him out.
John surfaced and looked around. Not so different, he thought. The mountains hung above him, but in the distant horizon there were no mountain tops. A thick forest surrounded the pool. John glided slowly to the water’s edge, listening carefully and keeping a watchful eye. He held the edge for some time, catching his breath while listening, watching. For all the trees he hadn’t heard the sound of a bird. He’d heard no sound at all.
A twig snapped and he heard footsteps. He held his breath and looked in that direction. A large, grey, ferocious creature ran through the woods. John caught fleeting glimpses of it through the trees. His hand moved subconsciously to the knife on his breast. He dipped down further so that his eyes were barely looking over the edge. He stayed there, hardly breathing, for some minutes; no other sound, no other movements, everything was eerily quiet. Then a cry unlike anything he had heard before, a wolf howl, pierced the silence. John’s heart raced. He considered returning to the promise land immediately. He evaluated his strength and decided that it hadn’t been sufficiently gained. He looked around the area for cover. The water moved behind a bend and he couldn’t see what was there because of the shadows cast. John dropped below the water’s surface and swam towards the shadows. When he resurfaced, he found that he could see just as well from there, but, perhaps from this spot he wasn’t so visible, so vulnerable. There he waited, but not for long. Another creature, in fact the wolf who’s howl he’d just heard, came into view. This creature, black, large, fierce, was not running past the water, but rather walking directly towards it. Its eyes seemed pointed toward John. John trusted that the shadow in which he concealed himself would obscure its view.
The creature stopped at the edge of the water, the very edge where John had been holding on just moments before. It bent down to drink. It then rose and began to move away. The wind blew a little and the creature stopped dead in its tracks. The creature sniffed the air and then turned back towards the pool so that it appeared to be looking again at John. John held fast, afraid to breath, to move, or make the tiniest of splash.
The wolf bared its teeth and began to growl, a menacing growl that caused the hair on Johns neck stand up. The wolf lifted its head up high and howled loud and long. Then, it looked towards John while bobbing its head up and down. More than once the creature put its paws in the water, testing it before jumping in. John calculated his course to the crevice while keeping a watchful eye. Before long, several of the creature’s companions came into view and began to surround the water’s edge. They growled and bared their teeth and pawed at the water. Some paced the edge back and forth. The chorus grew louder.
In the distance John heard another howl and then another. Soon the forest was alive with the haunting sound of these creatures. John wondered how mankind had ever survived long enough to make it to the promise land from this land without. The wolves along the bank grew restless. Each looked at the large black wolf for a cue, for direction. The original wolf did not break his stare towards John. Several wolves left and began to run towards the distant howls. Three stayed and then two. Finally, only the original remained. It’s body language made it look angrier than before. Saliva dripped from its bared teeth and it jumped into the water. John watched as it awkwardly paddled towards his shadowy hiding.
John removed the knife from his chest and considered diving down, but feared losing sight of the creature who’s powers he did not know. John drew closer to the shadows edge. Perhaps he’d been smelled but not seen. The creature seemed vulnerable in the water. Maybe a quick thrust of the knife to its chest and then he would dive down. As the wolf swam closer it caught sight of John, and let out a growl. Anger showed in its eyes. John jumped out towards it and swung his knife. The creature batted it away and sent claw marks down Johns arm. The knife dropped down and began to sink to the bottom. John dived down to retrieve the knife. The wolf sent its claws into Johns leg. The pain in his arm and leg was intense. He couldn’t make it to the crevice. He swam hard for the edge.
John was a strong swimmer and he outpaced the wolf. As he climbed over the edge the pain in his arm and leg stung deeply. He pushed himself over and rolled a few paces away. The wolf was near the edge. John feared that he wouldn’t be able to out run the wolf, especially in his current condition. He walked to the edge and kicked the wolf in the face hard. The wolf lost its footing and plopped briefly under water. It resurfaced with gnashed teeth and a growl. John sighted a small boulder. He struggled to pick it up. The wolf was at the edge again and John hurled the rock. It landed on a paw and the momentum landed a blow to the wolf’s head. The wolf was dazed, but not out. It whimpered and then howled. John picked up the rock again and dropped it square on the wolfs head. He watched the boulder and the wolf sink deep into the water, and then he ran.
John was delirious with fear and pain. It never occurred to him to pay attention so that he could find his way back. The forest was thick and completely unfamiliar. He heard howls in the distance but over time they appeared to be further away. He knew not if he ran away or towards them.
Eventually his strength gave way, and he stumbled to the ground. He hit his knee hard against a stone and scrapped both elbows badly. He lay upon the ground gently nursing his wounds, panting yet unable to recover from his oxygen debt. Drool dripped from his mouth, yet it felt dry and he thirsted. He tried to stay alert and listen for the creatures, yet he couldn’t have moved if he had to. John felt hopeless and wished that he had never done what he did. He regretted everything. He feared for his life.
His life…
Sarah.
Sarah had been his life. He had pleaded with her to come with him. If she’d come, she might be dead. She was still alive and safe. If he could make it back, maybe she would have him back. It was his one glimmer of light.