Chapter Text
Buck took a deep breath of fresh air as he stepped out of the jeep. He looked at the trail ahead, carving its way through the woods.. The small parking lot looked liked it hadn’t been disturbed in ages. An old trail guide stood a couple feet away, weeds slowly creeping up on it. The trail was as remote as he hoped for.
It had been a month since he left home and it had been harder than he thought, emotionally that is. He had no problems getting work at odd jobs and finding a place to stay and food to eat. But the weight of having the world at your feet and no idea where to go was getting to him. So when the guys at the bar he was working at suggested he take a camping trip to help clear his head, he had jumped at the idea. Buck had then proceeded to look for any local trails, eager to find a local hidden gem. When the waiter at the diner had seen him combing through various maps, he had recommended a trail not too far from town. Buck hadn’t needed anymore convincing.
And now here he is. Buck grabbed his backpack, some borrowed hiking gear, and headed off down the trail. He let his mind wander as he walked further into the woods, the sounds of the forest surrounding him. As Buck walked, he looked around, taking in the scenery. He let the gentle calmness push out all the worries about his future, letting himself focus on the present.
. . .
Buck had been hiking for a couple hours when he spotted the first strange symbol hanging from a tree. At first he thought nothing of it, some kids on a hike deciding to leave a mark that they had been here long ago. However, as he walked further, he saw more of the same symbol on several of the trees. He stopped to get a closer look at one of them. They seemed to have been there a long time. Buck wondered what the symbol meant, it didn’t look like any symbol he had ever seen. Intrigued and curious, Buck pulled out his video camera, recording as he looked around at the different symbols. He figured he would ask his buddies at the bar what it could mean once he got back.
Buck looked at his watch as he started walking again. It was getting late, it wouldn’t be long before the sun would start to set. He started to look for a good spot to set up camp as he walked. Buck smiled as he saw a small clearing amongst the trees just off the trail. Walking into the clearing, Buck dropped his gear and started to clear space for his tent and a fire. Satisfied, he started to pitch his tent. As he finished setting up his tent, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up, it felt like he was being watched. Buck straightened up and looked around, searching the landscape for a person or an animal. Seeing nothing, he shook his head.
“Don’t lose it now Buckley.” Buck joked to himself as he finished pitching the tent.
After checking that the tent was secured properly, Buck set about collecting firewood. As he collected the wood, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. He kept glancing around, expecting to find some animal wondering nearby, but could only see the dark woods stretching around him. Buck pushed the feeling out of his head, there was nobody out here but him.
Returning to his campsite, Buck quickly started a fire. He pulled out some of the food and drinks that he had brought. As he ate, he relaxed against a tree, letting the warmth of the fire and stillness of the night relax him. As he relaxed, he thought about his buddies at the bar, feeling another wave of appreciation of their suggestion.
“Next round’s on me guys”, Buck said to himself as he watched the sunset.
When Buck felt his eyes start to nip, he got up and extinguished the fire. Making sure to put it out properly. The last thing he wanted was to start a forest fire so far away from help. Feeling certain that it was extinguished, Buck crawled into his tent and quickly got ready for bed.
As Buck laid in his sleeping bag, the feeling that something was off returned. It wouldn’t leave his mind until he realized what it was.
It was quiet. Complete silence.
Buck knew he was no experienced outdoorsmen, having lived in the suburbs all his life up to now, but he knew that even an empty forest still made noise. Especially at night.
Yet all Buck could hear aside from his own breathing, was the soft sound of the wind blowing through the trees, barely loud enough to hear.
Maybe a storm was coming? Animals could sense storms right? But Buck had checked the forecast before he left, it wasn’t suppose to rain all week. After racking his brain for an explanation and finding none, Buck decided it wasn’t something to worry himself about. There was nothing to be done about it being too quiet, even if he wanted to do something about it.
Buck closed his eyes and let himself drift off to sleep, worries of the future and silent woods forgotten.