The Heritage of Sephtis: The Returning

3: North Carolina

The road was dark, and the only light was that of the occasional car that sped by on its way to a nice warm bed. But Jack didn’t have a nice warm bed to go to. Not for now, at least. He’d gone in too deep for him to go back, and pretend nothing happened. His mom would know, his dad would know, his neighbors would know. If he wasn’t careful, the cops would know in about 24 hours.

    Still. He was determined. He would understand the letter, or at least try, if it was the last thing he did. So he kept walking into the darkness. Of course, he didn’t know where he was going, or where he’d go after he got to where he was currently going. He didn’t know where he was even. He knew he was on a road, and he knew he’d been in his town before, but as far as where he was heading, and where he currently was, was all a mystery.

    And as the minutes dragged, so did his feet. He’d been walking so long, in utter darkness mind you, to God knows where, and he didn’t even have food with him. No blanket either. No pillow. All he had were some clothes in his backpack, and the letter. That stupid letter. It wasn’t intriguing anymore, it was annoying. Why had he gone all the way out here, following a letter he’d received mysteriously? What had he been thinking?

    His feet hurt so bad. The balls of his feet throbbed everytime he lifted his feet, and they practically crunched when they hit the ground. And as he rolled his step, his heel sent a needles up his calf. He’d been walking for hours. Endlessly walking to nowhere. Why was he still doing this?

    He looked to his right at the trees. Maybe, he could rest his eyes for a few moments. It’d be nice to sit in the dark, away from the cars, and close his eyes. He stood and stared at the darkness that surrounded the trees, longing to hide in it. To sleep, even for only a few minutes. But where was he? What if someone drove by in the morning and recognized him? What if they took him back home before he could understand that stupid letter? He shook his head, desperately fighting with sleep. A car passed and he saw a large sign ahead of him briefly, as their headlights flooded his vision. Curious, he slowly and carefully walked towards the sign. He looked up at it, and could see the moonlight reflecting off of parts of it in the darkness. He rested his head against one of the supports, and closed his eyes for a second, trying to regain some strength. As he opened his eyes, he could see light coming from behind him. Instinctively, he turned towards the blinding lights, and then in a split second turned back to the sign trying to shield his eyes. But as he turned, he noticed the words spelled out on the sign. Welcome to North Carolina. He had reached the state line then. He yawned, and looked back at the trees. They were so inviting. He couldn’t help himself, not anymore. He stumbled into the forest, and curled up beneath a tree, his feet throbbing as the limply hung from his legs. Then he closed his eyes, letting the darkness suck him into its arms.

    What was that noise? Jack bolted upright. Nothing. He relaxed and snuggled back up against the tree, trying to get some sleep in. There it was again. He sat up again and looked around. He didn’t like that sound, not one bit. He stood up, and brushed the grass off his pants, looking around the trees. It was silent again. Then, the sound once again echoed through the trees, it was some sort of high pitched screech. Jack turned quickly back towards the road, not wanting to wait to find out what the noise was, and stated his trek down the highway once again.

    The sweat that ran down Jack’s face glistened as the rising sun peeked over the hills ahead. Jack stopped, breathing in slowly and deeply as he tried to fill his gasping lungs. A city limits sign appeared to his side, as he continued walking. He slowed his pace, and let the wind from cars passing by cool him down. Not too long passed before a concrete median appeared in the middle of the road with a ragged man sleeping underneath a light pole. Jack stopped and stared at him, watching the old man’s beard go up and down with each breath. Jack took a step towards the man, trying to see him better. Then, overwhelmed by emotions, walked towards the man, hoping to help him in someway. As Jack got closer, he saw a sign laided in the man’s lap that reads something about a lost job and no money. The man jolted awake, and Jack jumped back, scared by the sudden movement.