The Good Deed ~COMPLETE~

Chapter 32: Up The Creek

December 11th 2005 6:20am

I continued walking aimlessly. I kept telling myself, as long as I stayed in a straight path, I would eventually find an exit. The dried leaves rustled beneath my feet and the sound was becoming annoying. Every so often I would stop and listen...or at least I would try to listen. It was hard to hear anything, except for the bugs and frogs. Once I was certain there were no other humans nearby, I would continue my seemingly never ending hike.

Another five minutes of walking passed by me, and I was quickly losing hope. The sky was getting lighter by the second and didn't feel I was any closer to the Convention Center. I stopped again. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate over the sounds of the forest. I could hear a vague sound, like wind, only there wasn't any. I walked on, and the sound became more clear. It reminded me of static, and soon, the noise of the bugs and frogs was over taken. The sound became more familiar as I got closer to the source. It was a stream of rushing water. The rapids splashed over rocks and against the banks.

I stood at the edge of the creek, peering into the murky water as it swam by. There was no telling how deep the water was. I surely couldn't make the jump across. It had to be at least ten or twelve feet to the other side.

I had been heading west, at least I thought I was. The creek was running north to south. I turned right and decided to head north, following the stream and hoped to find a way across.

Occasionally I checked my watch. Dread set in deeper each time I did, as I realized I wasn't going to get to the Convention Center before daylight. My only hope was that it was still very early in the morning and there would probably not be any grounds keepers or guards on duty yet. Hiking further and further north, I feared I was getting too far off track, but I was at the mercy of the creek. It slithered through the woods like an anaconda, but seemed unending. There were so many curves and bends, after a while of walking, I wasn't sure what direction I was facing.

The sun was getting closer to the horizon. The sky was beginning to glow orange. I started to jog. There was an extreme sense of urgency coming over me. My slow jog became a sprint. No longer was I worried about making to much noise. My heart pounded the faster I ran, but I pressed on, pushing myself past the exhaustion.

Then, up head. I saw something. A fallen tree. It looked to have fallen across the creek, creating a bridge. Hurrying toward the natural bridge, relief quickly absorbed my worries. I approached the tree and examined it. It was smaller in diameter than I would have liked, but I could still cross it. I gave the tree a few pressure tests, pushing on it with my feet. I couldn't help but imagine getting half way across and having the rotted wood snap beneath me. It felt stable, so I began to step, one foot after the other. Balance was never really one of my stronger abilities. The weight of the backpack wasn't helping either. I steadied myself and made sure I had a good footing before each step.

Half way there. The relief was building, which had my nerves on edge as well. My legs trembled, fearful of falling. Not that it was a far drop, but I was not wanting to get soaking wet. I only had one set of clothes and I imagined much of my time in the Convention Center would be spent in an air duct. Cold air and wet clothes is not a good combination.

Three more steps and I would have it. So close, but I knew not to get my hopes up yet. My experiences in life had taught me to avoid getting my hopes up, because as soon as you do, something is bound to go wrong. As I took my final step, I quickly hopped from the log and to the solid ground. I breathed a sigh of relief and continued west...I think.

December 11th 2005 6:58am

When I was younger, I enjoyed the wilderness. Camping and hiking, boating and fishing. What the hell was I thinking? This was terrible. Noisy and bothersome bugs everywhere. Bushes and trees surrounding everything. Leaves and branches in your face. I couldn't wait to escape those woods.

Not long after I placed hiking in forests on my 'Must Avoid' list, I came to a dirt road. It was obviously a road that was used from time to time, because tire tracks could be seen . I wasn't sure which direction to go from there. I pulled out the map to check for this mystery road. The Convention Center property was large and the trees that surrounded it were many. I could have been anywhere among the acreage of trees. My eyes scanned the map along the border of the woods. Then I spotted it. An unnamed road that lead from the parking lot of the Convention Center into the woods. According to the map key, it was approximately a quarter of a mile long and dead ended in a small clearing. Going by the direction I had come from and the position of the road, I knew that I had to follow the dirt path to the left.

I hurried along, not running, but not really walking either. The sun was peaking over the trees in the distance and I knew my time was limited. Within five minutes I found the end of the road and the Convention Center was in my sights. I quickly sprinted across the asphalt to the building and followed it around to the back where I found the ladder that would lead me to the roof. I felt exposed, so I knelt down behind a cinder block retaining wall. I peeled the pack from my sweating back and retrieved a pair of gloves. Replacing the bag on my back once again, I hopped over the wall and ran toward the ladder.

My father was right about the ladder having a cage around it. He was also right, that there was trap door blocking the way. The only thing about that was it wasn't a pad lock that held it closed, it was a flush mount keyed lock. The bolt cutters I had brought wouldn't do me any good, at least not right now. I climbed the ladder up to the locked portion to get a closer look. I already knew picking locks wasn't my forte. There was no way I was going to climb inside the cage. My only other option for accessing the roof, was to climb on the outside of the cage.

Now, I have never been one to be scared of heights; tall buildings, planes, roller coasters, they never bothered me. Perhaps that was because I felt secure, or buckled in. This particular ladder had me fearing the worst. I was about twenty feet up and didn't have a safety net. There were no ropes holding me up, just my finger tips. I clung to the outside of the cage as if my life was on the line, which it may have been, if I fell. I struggled to get my fingers into the metal mesh griding the cage was composed of. There weren't any real foot holds, just an occasional bolt on the wall that held the cage in place. I was too far up the cage to try and back down, I had to keep moving. If I stopped for to long my finger strength would give out and I would fall and probably break my back or neck. I didn't want to find out which one. 'Keep moving, don't look down.'

My adrenaline was pumping harder with each strenuous pull up. I have always had decent upper body strength, but this test of endurance pushed me to my limits. I was so close to the top I could taste victory. Three feet to go. My second wind kicked in and I finally reached the ledge and pulled myself over.

My exhausted body collapsed. I removed the gloves and tried to make fists with my hands, but the pains shot to my forearms. Each finger was red and felt like my heart was pounding into their tips. I rested a few moments, unconcerned that the sun was now completely past the horizon. I felt safer, now that I had made it on to the roof.

After my brief break, I sat up and pulled the blue print from the back pack. The air conditioning unit my father had suggested for me to enter through, was toward the front of the building. I gathered myself and walked casually across the roof. Though I was pretty sure the build was empty, I was still cautious. I avoided walking too hard. I didn't want to announce my presence to anyone that might be in the building already.

As I walked, I kept thinking to myself, 'It's almost over.' Within the same thoughts, the devil inside me would say, 'Not even close.' I couldn't even win against my own thoughts. I suppose, deep down, I knew my life had changed and it wasn't going to be the same ever again. No matter how this day would turn out, me, Sue, my family, we were all going to be different people from this day on.

The funny thing about irony is, it's only funny when it happens to others. My life seemed to be filled with irony lately. I had stressed over the items I packed in my bag. I worried I would forget a crucial item that would halt my mission. I didn't need the bolt cutters, and from what I suddenly encountered on the roof, I wouldn't be needing the screw drivers or the ratchet set either. The air conditioning unit was already moved and the ventilation shaft was wide open, inviting me to follow whoever had opened it.