Running slow but still running. At least I know it is just allergies and not something worse. So there is that. And slow or not, it is time to get the day started. So off we go with the last prompt of the week. Timers set and let the writing begin.
It is an interesting premise. I think this is an alien world but I am going to need to have a good think about what exactly is going on before i continue. Or I may continue and just see where I end up.
Friday, August 18th: Mist snaked through the trees.
Mist snaked through the trees. Looking down on them it was impossible to guess the distance. Were the trees tall like some of the denser, wetter jungle they passed through, or were these smaller things like the drier regions they passed through. The land her was so variable from one section to another it was impossible to tell.
‘And with the mist no clue as to ground conditions.’
While it would matter a great deal once we were in it, at the moment it didn’t really matter. We had to get down off of the mountain and go through it if we were to reach the end of our journey. The small town where we were going was on the other side of it, at least according to the map we had been given.
James risked a sideways glance at Charles. ‘Given might be an exaggeration.’
He knew Charles left to speak with someone about directions and came back with a map. The assumption with the group was that Charles was given the map. However, James had known Charles for a while. Charles never said outright it was a gift and James knew that was his way of avoiding telling a lie. As they were well out of town when the map was brought out, James kept his suspicions to himself.
‘And I don’t know why I’m bothering to wonder about the landscape before we descend,’ James thought. It isn’t like we have a change of gear if it is different.’
They had the gear they had and that was it. Their supplies would get them to town where hopefully they would be able to restock before the final push to the coast. There they would be able to rejoin the others. Hearing a few muffled complaints behind him, James thought the coast couldn’t come soon enough.
He hadn’t planned to go on this expedition. In fact he thought the expedition was pointless. They had drones that could fly through the air and give them at least a general description of the interior, but Charles fancied himself an explorer.
‘More of a conquistador,’ James thought sourly.
There was talk of new species, riches, and fame. With that dancing in front of their eyes people eagerly signed up to go on the expedition. When it was realized that no one going had any experience in the wild, James was assigned to see them safely across from one coast to the other.
It took less than a day before they realized this wasn’t going to be a simple hike. A chunk of the party wanted to turn back then, scurrying back to shore rather than enduring one more night sleeping on the ground. By then the others were gone, moved far enough down the shore as they began their mapping activities to make joining them feasible.
And so they continued on. During the trip James frequently wondered if they expected hotels waiting for them each separated by an easy day’s walk. He shook his head. It didn’t matter. His job was to keep them alive and that is what he’d done. They may not be happy, but they were all sound of body, if not spirit.
“We have to climb down?” Someone complained behind him. James hid his irritation before turning to face them.
Ten til Midnight 