Tearing through the bushes, scratching bare arms on the sharp twigs, I pushed on towards the light. Almost there. Stepping over a fallen branch, my foot slipped on a wet rock and I almost lost my balance but regained it just as I stumbled out into the open. Leaves of dark red and burnt orange carpeted the bare forest floor.  Tall thin trees with yellow leaves glowing from the setting sun stretched far above my head. Although it was breathtaking, not a single familiar tree was in sight. It was then that I finally admitted to myself that I was lost.  

An hour before, I knew where I was but I had a very different problem.  It started early that morning. Swaying peacefully in my hammock, it was the clanging that startled me awake. In an instant my drowsiness was gone and my eyelids snapped wide open. It took everything I had not to bolt upright in my sleeping bag, but I let myself peek over the edge of the thin, green fabric. When I saw what it was I quickly ducked back down,  rocking the hammock slightly with the sudden movement, and I cringed. I heard a muffled clatter and then a grunt. No, my duffel bag! The bag was full of cooking utensils and seasonings, but by the tearing sound that followed, I was sure that the beast was checking inside it anyway, looking for food. I could hear a rattling as it dug through my spoons and pot lids, and I slowly lifted my head to get a better look. My heart was racing and options rushed through my head. I could run before it notices me, getting a head start, or hold still and quiet and hope that it leaves soon. But I was sure that it had a keen sense of smell and my hope at staying unnoticed was unlikely.  Soon there was silence. I had a sense deep down that there was no fooling it; I was just a fresh meal, pre-packaged and ready to eat in my hammock. I knew this was no monster-under-the-bed scenario and hiding in my hammock was not an option. I needed to act quickly, so I made my decision. 

Folding my elbows in the fabric, in one smooth movement I rolled the hammock over and swung my legs down to the ground. Catching my bearings I realized that I wasn't going anywhere through the thick wall of bushes in front of me. Whirling around I saw the beast advancing. It was then that I noticed something odd. A black collar circled it’s thick neck, almost hidden amongst curly brown fur, but there wasn’t time to wonder about it. I quickly backed up to increase the distance between us, but in three lumbering steps it was directly in front of me. I hurled myself to one side into the bushes just in time for it’s massive paw to swipe the air where I was just standing. Losing its balance, it lurched a step forward, but my escape only frustrated it. With a grunt, the bear stood upright and advanced once again. I scrambled to my feet and tried to dash between it and the lake, but I was intercepted by the furry arm slamming into my chest, like a log sending me backwards into the water. The stinging blow left me winded and gasping for air.  I only landed in the shallows but as the shock from the blow faded I began to feel a burning pain across my chest. The grooves left from the bear’s massive claws were shallow, but there already was a lot of blood. Tearing off my tattered sweatshirt, I clutched it in a bundle tightly against my chest and warily clambered up onto the bank as the bear stood there and watched. It's moist, black snout wiggled as it tested the air. Reaching down, I picked up a jagged rock with my right hand, wound back, and hurled it as hard as I could. The beast reared back in surprise with a yelp, and I took that brief respite to make a break for it. I ran straight past the hammock, past the smoldering fire pit and tangle of pots and pans, snatching up my small pack before curving right and heading down the slope. I heard that bears aren't great at running downhill, and this proved to be true. The bear skidded and floundered down the hill after me, but I faced forward, willing myself not to look back. The crashing behind me eventually stopped, but I kept on running.

Panting, I shrugged off my pack and dropped to my knees to catch my breath. The pain in my chest had receded to a dull throb. After running this long, dry blood crusted the edges of the wound and my torn shirt was now soaked with sweat and blood. I zipped open my day pack to take an inventory. Digging through wads of cash, I found a couple power bars in the bottom, with a lighter and a can of Monster drink. The going was going to be tough if this is all I had. I told myself to stay calm, things could be a lot worse. By then the bleeding from my chest was starting to slow down, but  I knew it would be a cold night if I didn't find some shelter soon. In the distance it looked like there was an opening in the trees, so I struggled back to my feet, pulled on my pack, and started walking. Soon I came to the edge of the tree line. The ground dropped off sharply in front of me, with a small hollow at the base of the drop-off. It looked like there was a way down around to the left. I finally reached the bottom, and decided to light a fire and build a quick shelter, as the moon was already rising over the hills. 

My phone told me that it was 9:00pm when I woke up to the thwup-thwup-thwup-thwup  of a helicopter. Panicking, I scrambled out of my shelter to put out the fire, kicking dirt onto the coals, but the smoke still spiraled up into the sky. I pulled out my can of Monster and drowned the remaining embers. But it was too late, I knew, as a spotlight shot down from the sky, lighting me up bright as day. The light was blinding, but without a second thought I turned towards the darkness of the woods and ran. The chopper’s light followed my through the trees, the harsh white glare bouncing off of rocks and roots and flitting through the branches of the canopy as they tried to keep me in their sight. I dodged and weaved, sought out the darkest patches to run in, but then I saw the dark shapes above me zipping down to the forest floor. Seconds later came the barking. I heard the crackle of a megaphone, and then a loud voice shouting, 

"THIS IS THE POLICE, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST. GET ON THE GROUND AND PUT YOUR HANDS BEHIND YOUR BACK!" I looked around me. Multiple lights now shone from the trees both behind me and in front. "WE HAVE YOU SURROUNDED, DO NOT RESIST!" Collapsing to the leaves, I realized I was finished.