Total pages in book: 23
Estimated words: 22478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22478 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 112(@200wpm)___ 90(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
I push open the door and stumble out onto the dirt.
“Let me… handle… this…” I hiss through gritted teeth as I feel him about to try again.
No.
My grizzly speaks no words, but I can feel his intentions. He gave me an hour to try, but I didn’t find her. If anything, I got us further away from our girl.
He’s done doing it my way.
He wants to take over.
“Fuck… off…” I grunt as my skin pulls tight.
He snarls at me and explodes forward.
This time, there’s no stopping him.
He rips out of me, sending me plunging into the darkness within his body.
All I can do is watch helplessly from inside as he abandons my truck and sprints into the mountains to find our girl.
I hope you know what you’re doing, I tell him.
I’m rooting for him.
There’s no pride when it comes to finding her. No need to be right.
I just want to be beside her.
It’s all I’ve ever wanted.
four
. . .
Jemma
Idon’t think I’ve ever been this satisfied in all my life. The fresh fish I caught is roasting over the campfire while I sit and watch the sun slowly starting to set. I have a glass of red wine in one hand and a book in the other.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I love it.
I brought a decade’s worth of books that I’ve been wanting to read, but I never had the time. Circe by Madeline Miller is up next.
“So, this is what peace feels like,” I whisper to myself as I spot a rabbit in the distance. He looks at me and then hops away.
I can’t believe I had gotten it all so wrong. I can’t believe I let everyone talk me into a life that was so clearly wrong for me.
I’ll never let anyone convince me of who I am again. I get to decide.
My fish starts crackling and I think it’s done.
I read while I eat and when the sun leaves me, I put my book away and gaze up at the stars.
This would be better with that special someone, but it’s still pretty damn good.
After two and a half weeks of living like that, I decide to pack it up and head back to civilization. I miss fruits and vegetables, I’m nearly out of fresh water, and my battery packs need to be charged. They’re all dead.
I get everything secured in my bus and go to turn the key, but nothing happens. Not even a cranking sound.
“No!” I gasp as I try again in a panic. “Don’t do this to me...”
I try again and again, but nothing is working.
My battery packs are long dead. I can’t boost it.
That peaceful zen feeling I’ve been soaking in evaporates in an instant.
I’m deep in the mountains. Like, really deep.
I haven’t seen one person this whole time.
“It’s okay,” I say, quickly jumping into problem-solving mode. “You’ll prepare a bag and tomorrow morning, you’ll start the long hike back into town.”
I can bring a tent, some food. It might take two or three days to walk back, but I’ll be okay. I can do it.
It could be worse. I could be walking uphill.
I start to relax a little. A long hike like that might even be fun. It will be another adventure.
From there, maybe my new friend Earl can help me get back up here with a battery booster. It’s going to be fine.
I grab my last beef jerky—I’ve been saving it—crack it open, take a bite, and head outside.
I step onto the ground and walk around the bus to look at the mountains with a smile. “You’re stuck with me for one more night.”
The mountains answer back with a low deep grumble.
A shiver races through me and all of the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
I yank my head around and gasp when I see a large brown mass walking out of the thick forest.
“No,” I whisper when I see the size of the bear. It’s a grizzly. A male. A massive one.
His intense brown eyes are locked on me as he picks up speed, rushing over. He lifts his head and smells the air, not slowing down for a second.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I say as I desperately look around, wondering if I have time to run around the bus and get to the door.
He moves so fast that the option is taken away from me. He’s on me in no time.
I drop to the ground, still clutching the beef jerky, and crawl under the bus with my heart pounding.
The bear’s huge paws come stomping over and he stops beside the bus. I can’t see his face, just his thick hairy legs. Those long black claws sink into the soft dirt as he snorts.
“Oh god!” I gasp when his head lowers and he looks at me with a grumble that I can feel in my bones.