Another morning of waking up here in my cove? of course. But for much longer? maybe not. Its been days since I began trying to create fire. The sad truth is I have failed miserably. I have spent this time trying to slow down the frequency of dynamo. I've had some progress in that direction, but I haven't seen any changes in the effect yet. But the real problem comes in my food supply. The fish in the stream have become more scarce over the last few days. I can still get enough but it won't last much longer. I would be better off going to search for a new place or civilization now rather than later when I'm starving. As for where I will go, I looked back to the logbooks. The incomplete map was the only shard of hope I have for finding civilization at this point. From the map, the only real information I have is where the current lab I'm at is, and a vague POI more upstream. Based on the distance compared to the stream's curve that I've followed before, It will be a long haul to make it there.
The plan as of now is to use my current elevation to try and spot my destination. I push aside the rubble to open the door to my cave and step out into the cool morning air. The air carries only the sound of wind and branches bustling. I turn to the left away from the morning sun and begin to wander toward the end of the gap. Truth be told I haven't really looked out this side yet. Anytime I have gone in this direction, I always went to the laboratory. I pass by the laboratory, and eventually come to the mouth of the gap. The view on this side was actually quite beautiful. The side I came from was covered in dense trees, making it hard to see into the distance. But here there weren't any trees blocking the view. I saw more mountains, flowing streams crossing over into rivers. The morning sun lit up the mountain faces in front of me and left me with a sense of awe. I couldn't see anything that looked man-made, but I could recognize the flow of the river, because it matched with the one I was meant to follow. From the base of the mountain I stood on, there was another mountain directly in front. I could see the river crossing over from the right and curving around behind that mountain. For now I just needed to make sure that everything was ready for me to leave tomorrow. I turned back and returned to my camp to make sure everything was in order. I need to do a thorough once over of the lab so I know I am not missing anything.
The next morning I awoke as early as possible. I stepped outside once again, but now with a far off destination. I tied up the sack that I made from scraps and bedding from the lab. I now had a few more pieces of coal that I had neatly stored in a separate pouch. From my final lab exploration I didn't find much. Most of the value I got out of searching the place this time was opportunities to make what I needed for the road. Now I had a sack for my humble belongings, and a sling to store some sticks in just in case. I haven't seen anything thus far but one can never be too careful. After making sure I had the log books and everything that was important I set out to try and find some civilization. I don't plan to come back here, at least not anytime soon, so I say some goodbyes. Granted they were brief and enthusiastic, but goodbyes none the less.
From the mouth of the gap, I began my descent down the mountain. There were fewer trees on this side of the mountain, for reasons I am unsure of, but it made for a nice change of scenery. I could see quite a long distance. There were distant rolling hills, mountains, and forests.
Coming from the bottom of the mountain, I followed the stream for a few hours. It was mostly uneventful. Not having music is a brutal consequence of not having any sort of technology. All I had to fill the time were imagining random potential conversations about my experiences. How I'd boast to children about how hard it was, how I'd show my manly struggles against nature to women. Anything was fair game at this point. whatever let me take steps quickly and mindlessly I would talk about with myself. From an outside perspective it sounds a bit crazy, but it felt hard to care at this point. Something that has made this whole ordeal the strangest is the lack of sound. I have seen no animals since I awoke a couple weeks ago. And that extends to my other senses. The world feels really barren. Lush forests sure, but its like being on an empty city street. Things are all around but its uninhabited. Its very surreal and creepy. the sound of the stream is comforting for sure, and the wind is welcomed at any given moment, but the best feeling is to hear my echo even faintly. It gives a bit of life to the place.
"Y'know it's really easy being out here sometimes, but the hard parts are when its quiet. When I'm moving it feels like I'm flying. Solving issues, discovering new truths, progressing towards a goal. But the boring moments like this walk are when its hard." I said to no one.
"It's a lot harder to ignore the dread of my situation. I don't know where I am or what is happening. But I know that I am lost. That I am far from home. It's hard to imagine me making it back home at this point. Is my family worrying? I hope so. I wonder if they are having a funeral for me back home. If they are still searching. How far am I from home? these are the kinds of things that invade my head when the silence takes over." I explained to the air. It was like I was talking to a therapist. Except instead of being in an office across from someone in a cushy chair, I am in the wilderness, alone.
"But that's that I guess… I don't even know why I say stuff like this at this point. I'm impressing no one. But it does make me feel better sort of. I don't know this type of thinking never suited me anyway. Onto a lighter note, imagine how awesome it would be to get back to civilization now. I can reappear from the unknown, wielding a cool new power!" I continued to fantasize about possible futures as I walk.
Just like that the miles disappeared. If I hadn't just acquired powers, I'd call this ability to distract myself a super power. After all this walking, the sun had climbed up to the midday sky. I decided I would stop for some fish. I set my pack down under one of the few trees on the riverbed, and got me a stick. As I stood out in the stream looking for a target, I heard something new. There was the sound of the water flowing over the rocks. There was wind rustling the grass and trees. But there was a more controlled rustle that I heard. A more focused rustle. It came from the other side of the stream. bushes ruled the landscape in this region much more than before. Shrubs and grass made it tough to see things that remained below the knee. I froze in place, scared to move even an inch. My eyes were locked onto the rustling bushes. The air felt thick, pins and needles assaulting my body.
'This is the first sign of life I've seen in weeks, but it still feels scary.'
After a long moment of silence that felt endless. A beaver poked his small head from under the bush. I haven't seen a beaver other than cute little drawings since going to zoo's in childhood, but I felt pretty confident it was a beaver or in that rough family. we made eye contact, and for a moment I believed it was friendly. He quickly began to bear his teeth at me and snarl. It came out from the bush completely and it was not like any beaver I have ever seen. It looked like something from a horror story. It's spine protruded from its back, spikes apparent all the way down to his tail. The spine that was showing was a deep orange color. Its tail was flat and wide like a beavers, but it did not look soft at all. It looked heavy on the end, like a hammer.
Safe to say I ran out of the stream like a mad man. unfortunately, a mad beaver was on my tail. It had no intention of letting me leave after seeing me. I could hear the splashes of water coming up behind me, feel the water hitting my back.
Making it out by escaping wasn't feeling like an option anymore. I quickly readied my stick and quickly turned around, swinging my stick along with it. The beaver tried to move but he couldn't move completely out of the way in the water. I channeled my dynamo into an explosion. The beaver lost his footing for a bit. In that gap, I scrambled to escape from the beaver before he returned to his senses. I stomped as fast as I could, and once my feet hit the shore I could hear some splashes coming from the water. The beaver had oriented itself and continued his chase. I quickly moved to the tree I left my stuff under and grabbed another stick from my sling. I turned to look at the beaver again. It stood on shore and continued its pursuit. The horrifying creature didn't seem to take much observable damage from my attack. It had to have taken some sort of damage, but no blood was visible. As me and the beaver stood face to face, he stopped and stared. Maybe it would be more accurate to say he observed. It didn't want to charge at me again blindly, and so it was waiting for an opening. We stood there for multiple long seconds. I tried my best to think of the outcomes. Running sounds great but I don't feel confident I can outrun a creature straight out of nightmares. Fighting sounds terrible and is quite possibly the last thing I wanna do. I have no reason to believe it is anywhere close to death, nor do I have any way of knowing how many explosions I would need to turn the tide. But then a thought crossed my mind.
'What if I just try to do a big one?'
I might be on to something. I mean the beaver must not be too intelligent. I have no real evidence for that, and while it may be true that I know nothing about this thing, I had a hunch. If I can hit him with everything I've got, he may not know the difference. Would he be weary of an attack he could take head on and remain safe? Would the beaver even think of these things? I don't know I'm just trying to survive here.
With my plan set I started walking towards the beaver. The beaver looked back at me and turned on the steam engine. The distance between us shrunk quickly. Just before he was in reach I pulled back my weapon like a bowstring. My body stretched as much as it could. I pushed as much dynamo as I could handle. It felt dense on the tip of my stick. The beaver retracted his tail during all this. We met eyes as I began to swing at the same ribs I hit earlier. It looked at me, and I swear to you it flashed an evil grin. The next moment was full of confusion. Fire burst forth from his tail and I could see my stick disintegrate under the fierce blaze. As the fire ate the stick, the dynamo I left it in activated and created a considerably bigger explosion than I've produced up until this point. But I found the beaver wasn't harmed by it at all.
'So he can do it… huh…' all I could think of was defeat. I though my powers would make me a shoe-in. I mean come on, new powers and a monster to use it on? This was what I wanted all through adolescence. But instead I was only shown that he had the same powers as me, but better. I can't produce a flame like that, not even if I tried. How can I fight at a disadvantage like that?
As much as I would loved to have continued my despair, something knocked me out of it. When I retreated inward in pity, I had forgotten about the creature in front of me who is jumping at the chance to end my life. The beaver was no fool. He could see my shock and despair. It took advantage of it. He knocked me from my thoughts with the force of his tail driving into my shoulder.
Before I knew it, I was on the ground not too far from the beaver, tears flowing from the pain. It turned to me and let out that same evil grin again. I thought I would feel fear, maybe sadness at a time like this. But that grin gave me some other emotions. It made me angry. Torturous as this experience may have been, I finally felt I had a story. I had delusions of grandeur, thinking I was special. That I was somebody because of what I discovered. But this fucking beaver comes along and decides he wants to finish me off, and uses powers I hadn't even accessed yet to beat me half to death.
"Out smarted by a fucking beaver. I went into debt, spent four years studying my ass off, and I am still out smarted by a beaver. A STUPID FUCKING BEAVER!" I started to shout at the ground. If he can use powers like that, why can't I? He's an animal, but I own him. My species eats him whenever we want. Like hell he can do something I can't.
I reached inward and moved dynamo into my hand, and I slowed it down. I forcefully grabbed the strings of power as hard as I could and slowed their vibration as much as I could.
The beaver could tell I was trying something. He wasted no time in charging at me. It wanted to finish this now. But the funny thing is-
"So do I"
As I released the dynamo from my hand, thrusting a fist at the beaver. He was so close I could smell his disgusting breath. But just as I could feel the warm air touch my skin, the air around my fist grew cold. From my fist stretched an icicle. It extended from my knuckles, and then stretched through the beavers left eye. Its outstretched paws still launched their final attack, but all the strength it carried disappeared. Its' final push to kill me turned into more of a tackle. I hit the ground the ice from my hand was already melting away in the overhead sunlight. Now all I could see was the sky. As I lay on my back and look to the sky, I just feel relieved. However it happened, It was over. I won for a reason that leaves a bit of a bad taste in my mouth. I won through luck. And something about that hurts.