Missing

November, 10 was the day that brought out the kid in Phillip Rutter again.  As he sat in the waiting room, he flashed back 17 years ago, to when he was a four eyed, pimple faced adolescent getting his braces removed.  The titillating jolt that swam through his body like a river, overtook his body again; and there he sat, being 10 years old.

“Rutter?” said a shrill voice coming from the half open door.

Phillip raised his hand and hobbled on his crutches, making his way to the nurse.  She gave him a big smile and gestured him to stand on a small platform to take his weight.  The wobbly numbers in front of him read 250.  “Ugh, I can’t wait to get back to in shape.  These past few months in this leg prison felt like torture.”  The nurse laughs and leads him to the room. 

“The doctor will be with you shortly.”

To Phillip, being in the doctor’s office is just as routine as eating or getting dressed.  Ever since he picked up the sport of walking other than when it relates to going to the fridge, or to his car, his trips to see Dr. Johnson have been much too frequent.  It started with walking around his neighborhood as a leisurely activity, progressed to doing his city’s bi-weekly 5k runs, and after his leg becomes free of the cast, the task of walking the ceaseless path in the forbidden woods will be next.  In walks the doctor with a clipboard and a scissoring device.  He asks Phillip simple and tedious questions about his leg.  Phillip responds sharply in hopes the doctor will get the hint and just remove the cast.  “You’ve been waiting for this a long time haven’t you?” asked Dr. Johnson.

“Oh yeah, I’m ready to get back down to 200.  Pounds don’t look too good on this body.”  Says Phillip as he strokes his inflated abs.  The doctor takes the scissors and starts gnawing away at his cast, and with every rip, Phillips smile grows. “You take it easy alright.  I don’t want to see you back in here if it’s not to say hi.” Jokes Dr. Johnson.

 Phillip jogs in place outside of the hospital and waits for his ride.  The stares of awkwardness he gets are not bothersome.  He believes the stares come from his good looks and not his bright idea to jog right after leaving a hospital. 

“Hey, Phil!” the yell comes from a red pickup truck with grinding brakes. 

“When are you gonna get that truck of yours fixed?  You can hear it from miles down the road.”

“Whenever you get your abs back, buddy.”

“Sooner than later, my friend, sooner than later.”  The two talk endlessly on the ride home about their upcoming adventures and their training to get ready for the walk of forbiddances.   “First things first, a brisk walk around the neighborhood, then the treadmill.  Oh, and I gotta get back on my diet.”  Phillip went on and on about his workout schedule.  Upon the arrival home, Phillip wasted no time getting back on his routine.  He and Frank did their stretches and paced to the door.

 “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, Frank” said Phillip.

“Sure you’re ok to do this right now?  I mean you just left the hospital, literally.”

“Oh, yeah.  Doc said take it easy, and this is as easy as it gets.”  The two start their walk around the neighborhood, clocking how long it takes them.  Halfway around the neighborhood which stretches over a mile and a half radius, takes them 10 minutes.  Feeling that’s too slow of a time, they pick up the pace, and start jogging.  “Almost there.”  Says Phillip.  Their breathing gets heavier the closer they get to the house.  In 22 minutes and 6 seconds, they make it back to Phillips front door. 

“I need some water.”  Frank says, gasping for breath. 

“There’s bottles in the fridge.”’

They chug bottles of water while trying to retain their breath and stamina.  “So what’s this trail you’re trying to have me go on.” Asks Frank.

“It’s called the Forbidden Woods.  No one’s been able to travel all the way through.  10 miles of pure trees and god knows what.”

Frank gives Phillip a deranged look. “And that sounds fun because?”

“It’s like the ultimate trail.  We get to set a record.”

“The record for straight craziness?” Frank asks sarcastically.

“A personal record.  If we can do this, we can do anything.”

“I don’t need to get lost in the woods to know I can do anything.  I already know.” Frank gives off a conceited smile and throws his water bottle at Phillip.  “Man, you’ve always gotten me to do the most absurd things.  Remember back in 10^th grade when we skipped school to go on that senior trip? Just to ride the Scream Machine.”

“Hey, it was the best roller coaster you’ve ever ridden in your life.”

“I puked on the girl beside me.”

“That screams best roller coaster to me.” Phillip laughs.  “Remember in college when you cried cause you couldn’t find me after homecoming?”

“You called me screaming you needed help, and hung up mid-sentence.  I’ve seen horror movies, I know what an interrupted sentence means.”  They both laugh hysterically while reminiscing over their past antics. 

“Just think of this as your last hurrah before your life ends.”  Phillip says as he points to his index finger.

“It’s just marriage, Phil, I’m still gonna be living.”

“Yeah, until Nicole says how much she hates you being around me because I’m a bad influence and one day you’re gonna end up in a ditch somewhere or lost or in jail all because of me.”

“Well you gotta admit, you are a bad influence.”  Frank says with a smile as he pats Phillip on the shoulder.  “I gotta go home before Nicole thinks I’m in jail, or in a ditch or something.  See ya.”  Frank leaves and Phillip heads upstairs to get ready for bed.  Before he gets in the shower, he does his nightly regimen of 50 pushups.  Apparently, his sleep is more peaceful when he ends, doing what he loves the most.

 

The next morning, Phillip wakes up with a sharp pain climbing up his leg.  He hops up and paces in a circle, grabbing at his calf.  After a minute of walking around, the pain subsides and he lays flat on the bed.  Assuming, it was just a leg cramp, he puts on his workout clothes and gets on the treadmill.  A 15 minute jog, and Aerosmith always gets his heart racing in the morning.  While making his meal of a fruit smoothie, and scrambled eggs, Phillip’s knees get weak and crawls to the couch.  He massages it and bends his leg inward, and outward to try to get it back to normal.  After he hears a pop coming from his kneecap, he calls Frank.

“What happened now?” frank asks.

“Nice way to greet your hurt friend.”

Frank rolls his eyes and touches Phillips knee.  “Did that hurt?”

“No, just a little tender.”

“Maybe you need to go see Doctor Johnson.  I don’t think it should be hurting like this.”

“No, it’s ok.  I just need to rest.”  Phillip tries to stand but falls right back on the couch.  “Come on, Frank.  I really need to do this.  All the doc’s gonna do is put me back on those damn crutches. It’s gonna be ok.”

“Which would be a good thing, considering…”

“I’ll rest, ok.  I’ve just been going too hard I guess, but I’ll slow down.  Just don’t call Johnson.”

Frank stares at Phillip pondering on the right thing to do.  He’s always been the one to get Phillip out of situations, and probably haven’t gone about them in the right way.  He thinks back to 8^th grade when Phillip persuaded him into putting hot glue in the teachers’ chair.  “It’s gonna be ok.”  Frank said.  “It’ll cool down before she sits.”  He insisted, but as soon as she sat down she screamed and knocked her coffee in her lap, which made her hot on both ends.

“Fine, Phil.  Just calm down, ok.  We don’t need you breaking your leg again.”

“Promise.” Said Phillip as he holds out his pinky.  Frank slaps his hand away and plops on the couch. 

“So when’s this walk in the forest?”

“This Saturday.”

“You’re kidding.  Next week?  You think you’ll be ok to walk that far, next week? I think you’re overdoing it.”

“Don’t worry, everything will work out.  I have the workout God in my favor.”

“Couldn’t tell by your leg.” Frank laughs as Phillip gives him a stern look.  “Well I gotta go.  Nicole says we gotta pick out cake flavors.

“She can’t do that by herself?”

“Nope, says she needs my input.  It’s a couple thing.”

Frank leaves and Phillip attempts to make his way upstairs.  His leg is sore, but bearable, so he figures rest for the rest of the day will suffice.  With little movement throughout the rest of the day, the next day, his workout schedule will continue.

 

Over the next couple of days, Phillip’s workout is light.  A few walks around the neighborhood, light stretches, and a couple minutes of jogging become his dedication.  The day before the big event, Phillip meets with Frank to discuss what the next day.

“So we wake up at five, stretch and all, eat a little something, get our stuff together, and leave at six. Sound like a plan?”

“This is the only time I’ve ever seen you get so excited about waking up at five.”

“This is the only thing that’s gotten my juices flowing.”

“I’d like to not hear about your juices, thanks.”  The two exchange a few laughs and decide to call it a night.  “I’ll be over here at 5:30, on the dot, ok?”

“Got it, we should hit a checkpoint a little past halfway, and the end of the trail around 10.”

 

The next morning, Phillip wakes up and gets a couple of stretches in before Frank arrives.  He takes a brace out of his drawer and slides it up to his knee, bending it in and out.  The doorbell rings and he runs downstairs.  “When you said 5:30 you really meant 5:30.” Said Phillip.

“I did say on the dot.”

“What’s in the thermos?”

“Coffee.”

Phillip gives Frank a stern look and snatches the thermos away.  “No, no, no.  You can’t drink coffee before something like this.  Especially with your stomach.”

“I need something to wake me up, this is torture.”

“Trust me, you’ll wake up once we get there. “

Phillip makes a breakfast of eggs and smoothies for both he and Frank.  They do a few stretches, jump and jacks, pack their emergency bags and head out the door.  They take Frank’s truck and park a few blocks from the zone they need to enter in.  They take a few deep breaths, and start the trail.  The leaves rustle beneath their feet and the farther they go, the colder it gets.  The sky is clear, and all they hear are the sounds of cracking twigs.  For Phillip, this is serene and peaceful.  All Frank can think of is how happy he is there aren’t many bugs out this time of the year. “See, isn’t this great Frank?  There’s nothing around us, nothing to bother us or to tell us what to do… like a wife.”

Frank looks at Phillip, bitterly and trudges his way through the woods.  “You need someone to tell you what to do.  And the nothingness that surrounds us is what worries me. Just me and… you.”

“You love it.”

An hour and a half later, they’re already 5 miles in, so they stop and a stump for a rest break.  There’s no sound but birds chirping and gulping water.  Frank notices Phillip softly running his leg.  “You all right, man?” he asks.

“Yeah, just making my leg doesn’t cramp up.” 

“You sure? Don’t lie and get us into some mess.”

“Yeah, I’m sure.  Ready to get going?”

“Sure.  We got five more miles to go, right?”

“Don’t sound like you’re ready to quit on me already.”

“Pshh, when have I ever quit?”

“Let’s see, there’s the time you played the drums, the time you said you were gonna pursue Tracy Hoffman and didn’t�"“

“But I got Nicole instead.”

Phillip rolls his eyes.  “And the time you said you were gonna get your truck fixed… shall I go on.”

“Well that was in the past and this is now.” Frank says as he swats away at the invisible cobwebs. 

Phillip and Frank walk another mile before they hit a fork in the forest.  Phillip looks at the map to try to determine which trail to take.  “Which one, Phil.? 

“Uhh.”  Phillip stumbles on his words, confused, trying to evaluate if they are facing North, or South.  “Let’s take this one.”  He says pointing to his left.  Catching Phillip’s look of insecurity in his answer, Frank takes out his phone and goes to his compass on his phone, but the area in the woods makes his phone inactive.  He puts his phone back and continues walking. 

 

Another hour passes by and Frank notices they haven’t reached their checkpoint.  “Hey, Phil.”  Frank says, breathless.  “We haven’t reached our checkpoint yet.  Did we take a wrong turn?”

“I don’t think so, we should be good.” Phillip says as he rubs his leg.

“You sure you ok? You keep rubbing your leg.”

“Fine. It just cramps a little.”

“Maybe because you overexert it running around all the time.”

“It’s ok. See, look.”  Phillip runs to jump over a log lying on the ground.  As he lands, he twists his foot and falls to the ground.  Groaning in pain, he scoots and rests his back on the nearest, rigid stump.

“You ok?  Why would you do that, you know you’re not better? Why do you always make these decisions and decide to drag me along with you? God, I knew I shouldn’t have come here. What am I gonna do now, carry you back to the truck?”  In Franks rant, he notices Phillip’s map lying on the ground and gives it a glance.  He notices the map told them to go the other route than the one Phillip directed them to go in.  “This map says we should’ve went the other way. Why?”

Phillip snatches the map off of the ground, and things becomes silent for a split moment until Phillip speaks on his mistakes.  “Ok.” He groans in a painful pant. “I thought it’d be cool to go another way.  Take a longer route.

  “And look where that got us.  Why do you do things without asking?”  Frank yells in outrage.  “And did it ever occur to you that maybe that wasn’t the long way, but the wrong way. Now we’re lost.”

“I’m sorry, man.  I thought we’d just go in a circle and be back around at some point.  And who says we’re lost?”

“Who says we’re not lost?  And that’s not even the point.”  Frank gives Phillip an evil look as he balls his fist and cracks his neck.  With every thought of what just happened, Frank becomes more and more enraged.  “Gimme the map. I’ll find out where we’re going.”  Frank reaches for the map in Philip’s hand, but he pulls back.  Frank leans too far, loses his balance and lands on a long, uneven branch coming from the tree stump.  He manages to peel himself off of the branch, and falls on his back, gasping and touching the left side of his stomach.  When he glares at his hand, he sees nothing but what looks like bright red paint covering his palm.  Phillip looks in awe and crawls his way over to Frank, staring at his wound in tears.  He takes off his emergency backpack and ties a bandage tightly around his body, and tells Frank to apply pressure.  With tears rolling down his face, Frank manages to speak.  “God, this hurts. I need to get some help.”

“We’re gonna get you help, man, I promise.”

“Were seven miles in the woods with no phone service.  I don’t think luck is on our side.”

“Hang in there man, don’t say that.  It’s gonna be ok. Nicole knows we’re here, right?”  Phillip pulls out his phone.  “It’s 8:30, we said we’d be out by 10.  When she sees you’re not back, and gets no answer from your calls, I’m sure she’ll be looking for you. And she has your map.  She knows the route.”

“One problem.”  Frank says while panting.  “We took a wrong turn.”

Phillip looks worriedly at Franks and touches his hand.  “It’ll be ok.”

One hour later, Phillip is getting worried.   Every time he looks at Frank, the bandage jacket gets redder.  Frank’s face is pale and his fingers shake and shiver with every breath. The way he looks at Frank shows his remorse.  He can’t help but think if he weren’t, again, thinking selfishly, he wouldn’t have drug his Frank into his chaotic adventures.  Frank sits up, knowing that if he lies down, the blood may come out faster.  His hand hurts from the pressure he puts on his side.  “I don’t know if I can do this Phil.  I feel weak.”

“Stay with me, help will be here soon.  Just keep your eyes open.”  Phillip holds Frank, as they are both shivering.  “Remember when I dared you to spend an hour in that old house up by the school?” Phillip asks. 

“Yeah, I stayed two, j-just to prove you wrong.”  Frank laughs. 

“I couldn’t have done it.  They said an old woman died in that house, that’s why they built it by the school.”

“To scare the kids when they act up.”  They said in unison.

“We’ve had some good times, man.  I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Says Phillip. 

“Me either.  Even though sometimes I wanna kill you.”

Frank gives Phillip a look of shock and lightly touches his wound.  “Too soon.”

Frank lies on the ground and his breathing gets less heavy.  His eyes open and shut, slowly as his hands fall away from his wound.  Phillip grabs Frank’s hands and rests his head on it.  His tears seep through the cracks of Frank’s fingers.  Sirens overpower his sobbing and he looks up to a rolling figure approaching.  Phillip waves his hands in the air for rescue.  As they get closer, he realized its two EMS members with Nicole.  The two officers help Phillip off of the ground and carry him to the stretcher.  He sits in one ambulance wrapped in a blanket, and watches as the EMS carry Frank into the other.  With Nicole by his side, Frank manages to give Phillip a smirk.  A small gesture to let him know everything is all right.  On the way to hospital, Nicole embraces Frank and whispers in his ear with laughter.

“Told you one day he’d get you lost.”