The Traveler

Careful as to not spend a lot of time on such a thought, in drifts a concerned face on the verge of giving up. The promise made to the woman has him thinking of the moth that spirals to the three men reigning chaos when he notices the highway sign giving a head’s up to all southbound drivers that exit 409 is approaching in one mile. He thinks about going further, but with Lilly and the dog waiting for him, decides to turn back to camp. Daylight has chased away most of the shadows when he spots the marker. Looking over the edge, once he is up and over, the walk down levels out and after going a bit further, Lilly is up on her feet looking his way. “See anything?”

“There is an exit about a mile ahead. Saw signs of human activity but I didn’t actually see anyone. Makes me wonder why this is.” He stops there as Lilly beckons to him, “Everything is ready, so come sit.”

The unexpected flavor has him wanting more but sadly this is not to be.

Gear put up and after fire is smothered under handfuls of dirt and rock, aside him is Lilly struggling with how to make it work that has him saying, “Punch a hole here. Now, take this end and thread it through. Make a knot, now test it to see if it slips through. Good, now take this end and tie to that one. Alright, so now just spread this part open and there you go.”

 

Up on her feet, Lilly is all smiles as she places the dog within the makeshift swing. Immediately, the dog pokes its head over the lip. Adorable with its floppy ears, more importantly, is the two being forever friends. Needed for both, what dwells is having an idea that the three men had something to do with the dog slowly working on chewing himself free.

Men possessing such evil leaves a sick feeling in his gut and wanting the vile thought away, Lilly helps out by saying, “I’m set if you are.”

Up on the highway and tired of the silence, downplays his hunch that has a sideways look coming from Lilly, “You lost me when you started talking about moths.”