Still, over the next three days, I failed repeatedly to get ahead of them. What the heck? And by God, these five guys were making some serious time on the trail. But I was determined. Even destined to take the lead away from them. For all time, to show them for once and for all, who was the king of the mountains round here…
And so, I really turned on the jets the following day. And finally, around 2:00 pm, I smoked the first of the five Floridian hikers on an uphill slope somewhere past one of the trail shelters. Then, within a few minutes, I overtook another one. Then another. Until, at last, all I could see were the two fastest of the five ahead of me.
Now I was gunning to take the sole lead. And nothing could ever stop me.
I was sure of it. But when I went to pass the first of those two hikers, who I’d been obstinately chasing for four brutal days of hiking, I suddenly felt something solid sweeping my legs out from underneath me. Falling to the ground, I knew right away that that S0B had tripped me! There was no doubt about it.
In fact, the guy even glanced back at me and smirked, saying, “You’ll never catch us, old man. Ever! So buzz off, loser!”
Bass turd! I thought, pounding my fist into the dirt, while I swore to myself that I was seriously gonna get up and get him. No lie. The bass turd had deliberately tripped me! So now, this was no longer just a race. No, it was a war. And as such, I was gonna get up right now, catch up, and knock the guy’s teeth right out of his mouth.
But no sooner had I had this thought than the other Florida hiker, who I’d just passed a little while back, suddenly came upon me.
Right away, I noticed the gun in his hand, which was pointed at me.
“I’m not armed…” I responded, trying to stay calm.
“Don’t even think about it, old man,” he warned, waving his weapon around. “Don’t even think about it. You ain’t winning this one. Got it?”
“He tripped me! You know he did!” I fumed.
“Listen Ramblow, that’s my Dad up there. And here’s where you got it all wrong. Cause, you just fell on your own, like a total dumba$$ moron! So let it go. Got me? Let it go!” he laughed and jeered at me.
But I just glared back, sizing him up. Then, he holstered his weapon and turned, hiking off at an incredibly brisk pace, once again.
And what did he think? That I was scared. Afraid? And man, let me tell you that these guys just had no idea what I was capable of. Nor the kind of dark deeds that I’d done in my past. And what I was gonna do to them now. No, I wasn’t armed. So yes, I was outgunned. That much was sure. But I swore that I’d get back at all of them, somehow, someway.
So, as soon as I was alone again, I just sprang to my feet and started to give chase after the three Florida hikers ahead me.
But that’s when I stepped on a slick, moss covered stone. My right foot skidding out from underneath me. Losing my balance, I felt my head slam hard against a rock on the ground. And suddenly, the expansive circle of my vision narrowed to a tiny slit of light. And finally, everything went black on me.
Gary Alan
After a long career in the publishing industry, Gary Alan left his corporate job to pursue his next adventures in life as a blogger, writer, investor, fly fisherman, hiker, and traveler. He is the author of the adventure fiction book, 'Big Thunder-Hearted River'.