Within Striking Distance- Finalized- Akua Tuta

Hello Everyone, I am getting ready to send this along with my other completed short stories off to a bunch of publishers :D I polished this one up alot since I first wrote it, I hope everyone enjoys! Take Care!

Within Striking Distance

Andy Maine sat upon a mountain top with a cup of hot, bitter coffee grasped in her chilled fingers and watched as the sun raised its sleepy head and illuminated the earth with it’s radiance. Slowly, night began to release its hold upon the world and around her, the air was reluctantly beginning to warm. Perched still as a statue, Andy soaked in the sunrise and allowed her thoughts to seek out the memory of her beloved father and the mother she’d never known.

Due to complications during Andy’s delivery, her mother had died shortly after her birth. So, essentially, from her first breath, she’d been Daddy’s little girl. Her father, a good man with a passion for nature, had named her Andrea, after her mother, and fondly nicknamed her Andy. She’d been raised with a great love for life, spending her childhood tagging along with her father on long hikes through the wild and learning to revel in the majestic beauty of nature. Andy had lived a carefree existence until five years before, when she’d been a Junior in college, working towards her Master’s degree in Biology. Without warning, her father had suffered a massive heart attack and died instantaneously. Losing him had almost shattered her sanity, but slowly her grief had faded and she’d learned to live without him in her life.

Coming back to reality, Andy noticed the sun steadily climbing to its perch in the sky and decided that she needed to get going if she was going to make her next designated campsite by dark. Anticipating the rough terrain that lay ahead, she felt a sense of adventure surge through her. Actually, she was fully aware it was a particularly dangerous route to take alone, even for an experienced hiker such as herself. Yet her father had always stressed that although braving the wilderness was always potentially dangerous, there were precautions which could be taken where it could be done safely. So, keeping this in mind before leaving for the trip, Andy had left a detailed map of her chosen route with her roommate, stressing to her that she only expected to be gone for three days. With her, she carried a mini survival pack containing a cell phone, a first aid kit, and a G.P.S. locator, and this, along with her .22 rifle, made her feel prepared for anything that mother nature could throw her way.

After finishing off her now-cold coffee, Andy slowly stood and stretched out her cramped legs. Back at the campsite, she brushed her long, honey colored hair and gathered her belongings, cramming them into her metal framed backpack. Excitement nipped at her as she slipped into her bulky backpack, slung the .22 over her shoulder and headed out on the second day of the hike. At first, the going was rough, since she was still stiff and aching from the strenuous hike of the day before. Soon though, the minor jabs of pain lacing her body faded away and Andy’s pace picked up.

Midway through the day, while the sun hung heavily overhead, Andy sought out a patch of shade beneath a massive Douglas Fir, and took a quick, well deserved break. Splashing icy water from her canteen onto her sweaty face, she found it particularly pleasing when a delicious chilly shiver coursed down her spine. Andy lay back upon the cool earth and gazed upward at the large evergreens towering over her as a gentle summer breeze wafted through their grand branches and whispered mysteriously to her. Enjoying the remainder of her rest, she ate a crisp apple before resuming her hike.

The afternoon crept by, the lazy sun blazing tirelessly down upon her as she fought her way over the challenging terrain. The heat did nothing to dampen her spirits though, she was having a wonderful time! She savored every moment of the lovely day like sweet chocolate. Nature was in full glory, the sky was a brilliant blue and the smell of the earth and pine trees, mixed with the hot restlessness that wafted through the air.

At one point, Andy noticed dark thunder heads rumbling far in the distance but she calculated the wind was pushing the storm away from her, not towards her, giving her nothing to worry about. Relief sighed through her; she absolutely hated getting stuck in storms. She’d spent far too many miserable hours huddled beneath trees while the pregnant skies above had dumped a deluge of rain down upon her.

Later, when the day began to cool and the world hesitated on the threshold of evening, Andy was crossing a clearing when she began having a quite a peculiar feeling. The hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood on end, and deep within her, she instinctually felt as though something were terribly wrong. Abruptly, she came to a halt and glanced around in bewilderment, searching for the source of her unease. Then, with a brilliant flash of light, Andy fell into a thick darkness and knew nothing more.

Pain. Excruciating, teeth-bearing, unbearable agony was the next thing Andy became aware of. Desperately, she tried to sit up, but even the slightest movement stoked the fires of hell which now lived within her skin. All she could do was continue to lay motionless, listening to her own labored breathing as it rattled in and out of her chest. Struggling to draw in even the slightest sip of air, it felt as though there were a rock sitting atop her rib-cage.

Sighing noisily, she slowly opened her eyes, only to see nothingness. Fear mingled wickedly with her physical anguish, and a jolt of panic shot through her with the thought of being blind. Blinking rapidly, her eyes eventually focused upon infinite darkness smeared with fanning, blurred white streaks. Dimly, Andy realized it was nighttime and she was looking heavenward. Yet something still seemed to be disturbing her vision and she found that she couldn’t focus upon the stars that studded the velvety sky above her.

Tears leaked silently from the corners of her eyes, which felt gritty and raw as if fine glass were embedded beneath her eyelids. Confusion threaded through her mind like a thick fog, obscuring anything resembling a functional thought. Giving up on rationality, Andy soundlessly fell back into the restless oblivion of unconsciousness.

The next time she opened her eyes, daybreak was upon the world and an agonizing snake of pain held her tightly within its coils, making itself known with every twinge of her cold muscles. Shivering violently in the cool morning air, a vicious headache mercilessly thrummed within her skull as sharp pains shot through her right ear.

After a few moments of blankly staring up at the dawn’s rosy sky, she slowly raised her head and looked around. Although her vision was still blurry and she found it difficult to focus on her surroundings, she recognized that she was in the middle of nowhere. The thick woods surrounding her were silent in the soft early morning light and only an occasional muffled bird call broke the stillness.

Suddenly, fear rose thickly in her throat when she realized that she seemed to be deaf in her right ear. There was a dim roaring sound and it felt as though it were stuffed with cotton. Searching her mind for an answer to her whereabouts, Andy lowered her head back to the earth and tried to remain calm. Through the mists of her muddled memory, she remembered that she was on a hiking trip but the last thing she could recall was taking a break. But what on earth had happened? Why was she in such torment?

Trying to smother the panic that threatened to swallow her whole , she began worming her way out of the tangle of her back pack and rifle shoulder straps. Every movement, though, brought a new wave of nauseating anguish crashing into her and it took her nearly ten minutes to finally struggle free. Then, moving as gingerly as possible, she scooted herself up into a semi-sitting position. Doing this made the world spin madly. Andy closed her eyes against the whirling and fought the urge to retch.

Eventually, when the bright bursts of light blossoming behind her closed lids faded, Andy reopened her eyes. Gasping, her breath was suddenly stolen from her, when she caught sight of her own body.

Every inch of her exposed skin was an angry red, blistered with second degree burns. On her arms, her right in particular, she had painful burns that seemed to oddly resemble delicate body art, being fernlike in appearance with fractal shaped patterns. There was a small, yet deep burn seared into her shoulder. Andy’s clothing hung upon her body in useless, scorched tatters. Her jeans remained mostly intact except for a little singeing at the hems, but her light cotton T-shirt hung around her neck in an unrecognizable mass. She was missing her right hiking boot and on the inside of her foot, the sock had been blown away, revealing an identical burn to the one on her shoulder. An uncomfortable numbness and tingling ran the entire length of her right leg and her muscles yelped with pain when she tried to move it.

Shocked, she stared down at herself, desperately trying to gather her sluggish thoughts. The only logical explanation for her present state that Andy could think of was that she must have been struck by lightning. Not only would this explain the burns, but it would be about the only thing which could do this kind of damage.

Andy sat quietly for several minutes lost in awe. She didn’t know the full extent of her injuries, but seeing that it was pure torment to move, her situation didn’t seem promising. She figured she must have been struck on the second day of her hike, which meant she was expected back early this afternoon and her roommate probably wouldn’t start worrying until tonight. Groaning at the prospect of lying out in the woods, hurting like she was, for hours on end seemed like her idea of hell but unfortunately it was exactly what she was facing.

Coming to this realization, Andy decided to evaluate what she had to work with to survive. Moving carefully, she sifted through her scorched belongings. The metal frame of her back pack had been severely distorted by the strike and she strongly suspected that it was one of the reasons why she was hit; wearing it had been like strapping a lightning rod to her back. With trembling fingers, she unsheathed her hunting knife from its buckskin holster and studied the weapon. Light glinted off the mildly warped blade. The ravenous heat had slightly bowed the steel, but it would still serve its purpose. Glancing to her rifle, she was amazed to find it intact so she would at least have protection against animals.

Next, she clumsily dumped the backpack’s items out onto the ground. With a heavy heart, Andy found that the relentless dragon of electricity had licked hungrily at it’s contents; completely destroying her cell phone and G.P.S. locator. Her hope dwindled as she studied the useless electronics. Without these things, there was no way to contact the outside world. However, the remaining salvageable items Andy had to work with were promising. Her metal canteen was still intact and nearly full, so she would at least have water for a few days. Andy’s light sleeping bag and flint for making fires was still functional, so staying warm would not be a problem. Troublesome, though, was her meager food supply. Usually, on a hike, she caught her own small game such as quail or the occasional hare and supplemented it with the few food items she brought along with her. Finding only a few crackers, an energy bar, and a small buckskin bag of venison jerky, she estimated she had about 2 days worth of food and water.

Pain was her constant companion as Andy stared up at the blue sky above her and contemplated what she should do next. Fifteen feet to her right there was a rotten log, she could use for a shelter of sorts, but the only problem was, getting there would mean a fair amount of torment. After weighing her options, she clenched her teeth and began to drag herself and her backpack toward the crumbling form. Her body screaming with every muscle twinge, it took her nearly half an hour to crawl the short distance. When she finally reached it, she lay panting with exertion next to the log and allowed the beastly pain to tame down. Then, bearing her teeth once again, she drug herself into a semi-sitting position and rested her back against the damp wood. At least the clearing in which she’d fallen was perfect for a rescue. Located on a sloping peak, she could see for miles, in nearly every direction.

Resting for a moment, she closed her eyes and raised her face to the sun. Although the sunshine warmed her, it also stung her burned skin and did nothing to touch her bone deep chill. Andy knew she was slightly hypothermic from the burns and decided to crawl into her sleeping bag. Unrolling it, she found that the zipper had fused shut and had to use her knife to cut it open before she could struggle into it.

Next, she pulled out her small, two man tent, and quickly constructed a sturdy lean-to using the log as the base. Bringing the material a good foot above her head, it created a shelter from the sunlight and the bright blue tent fabric marred the surrounding landscape perfectly; it would not be missed. Exhausted from the job of setting up camp, Andy allowed herself to close her eyes and slipped into a fitful slumber.

Waking as the sun dropped below the horizon, her body pulsed with agony. Stiff from sleeping in such an awkward sitting position, her scorched skin felt as though there were a million razor blades stabbing her at once.

Tears began coursing down Andy’s cheeks while she wondered if she would even survive this nightmare. Despair lay heavily upon her as she sobbed into her sleeping bag. Crying made her hurt even worse and she soon quieted, her breath hitching every so often. Night had descended during her cry and the moon began to peek above the surrounding peaks, painting the surrounding forest with a silvery haze.

Without the sun, the temperature quickly dropped and Andy began to shiver violently. Grabbing her hunting knife, she started prying large chucks out of the log against which she leaned. When she had a sufficient pile of the rotten wood collected, she built a fire using her flint and the steel of her knife. Soon, the warmth from the little licking flames reached her, yet her shuddering continued.

The cold seemed to reach her into her bones, touching her very core. Drinking some water, she ate a little of her food and struggled to keep it down while nausea rolled over her in great waves. After successfully winning the battle with her cranky stomach, Andy curled up into her sleeping bag and prayed that she would make it to morning.

Throughout the night, Andy endured a twisted combination of pains as she slid in and out of consciousness and eventually she allowed her small fire to go out. Shuddering uncontrollably, she fought long and hard against the exhaustion waiting to claim her. Eventually, she gave in and allowed herself to fall headlong into a dreamless sleep.

During the early hours of the morning, before the sun rose on the third day of her ordeal, Andy began to hear a voice, reaching into the foggy mists of her unconscious mind. The familiar voice was reassuring, but persistent, “Andy, sweetheart, wake up. You must wake up. WAKE UP!”

Jerking violently into consciousness, Andy whimpered quietly as pain sliced through her body. Disorientated, her thoughts were slow and muddled and at first, she couldn’t grasp where she was or why she was in pain. Then, Andy dimly became aware of someone gently holding her. Opening her eyes, she looked up into a face she hadn’t seen in five years. The man’s kind blue eyes shone with love as he stared down at her and Andy found it odd that the man seemed to glow slightly in the surrounding darkness.

Like a ship emerging from the fog, Andy’s thoughts sharpened and dread settled upon her. “Daddy...”she croaked, “You’re dead...God, am I dead?”

Shaking his head he assured her, “No sweetie, you’re not dead, but you are close and that’s why I’m here. No more sleeping, you have to stay awake. You have to hold on until help arrives.”

Andy blinked slowly, trying to gather her scattered thoughts, “I’ve missed you so much, Daddy.”

He smoothed her hair down lovingly, “Ah, sweetie, I’ve missed you too, but I can’t stay. You must promise me to stay awake before I leave.”

Tears streaked her dirty face, “Daddy, no, please don’t go. I need you, it’s been so hard living without you.”

Smiling softly down at her, he answered, “Ah, Andy sweetheart, I love you, but I can’t change this. I must go.”

His image began to shimmer slightly and he urged, “Andy, please promise me you’ll stay awake.” Nodding slightly, she whispered, “Okay, Daddy, I promise. I love you.”

“I love you, too, sweetheart. Live your life, be happy and one day we will be together again.” And with these words he faded away, leaving Andy alone once more.

Although her mind was a tangled web of confusion, Andy kept her promise to her father and struggled to fend off the constant fatigue that threatened to consume her. Reluctantly, she acknowledged that she had probably hallucinated the encounter with her father but she held on to his words nonetheless and fought to stay awake.

Desperately trying to ignore the relentless agony her body was enduring, Andy fell into the depths of her mind and allowed her thoughts to stray aimlessly.

It wasn’t long before the sun began creeping over the land, slowly burning through the thick, grey murkiness that had settled upon the forest during the night. The early morning sunbeams sliced cleanly through the fog and restored color to the world around her. With the dawn, the air was filled with the incessant twitter of song birds as busy chipmunks began scampering from tree to tree with their tails held high.

Dazed, Andy watched the woodland activity around her in a dreamlike state. Suddenly she was jerked back into reality when she detected a faint thudding beneath the continuous, dull roaring in her right ear. At first, she thought she was hearing her own thundering heart, but then she realized that the sound was gradually growing in pitch. Holding her breath, she listened intently to the rhythmic throbbing and realized what she was hearing was an approaching helicopter. Andy’s heart leapt into her throat. Ignoring the protests of pain, she brought herself to a semi-sitting position and scanned the misty horizon for the craft. Visibility was low and she became terrified by the chance she would be missed in the fog.

Panicked, she mustered the very last of her strength and began struggling to make a fire. After hastily arranging the rest of the rotted pine, her fingers shook with uncontrollable tremors as she tried to light the fire with her flint. Finally, the tiny sparks started to take hold and Andy blew softly through her cracked lips to accelerate the combustion. White smoke and small flames soon erupted from the pile of wood and Andy fell back, her strength completely gone.

Sobbing with relief, she slipped into a semi-conscious state and prayed they would see her. Staring blankly towards the sky, it wasn’t long before a red and white rescue chopper filled the heavens above her with a wash of wicked wind. Then, like an angel materializing from nothingness, there was a young man’s face hovering above her.

“My God,” he stuttered as he examined her. With wide blue eyes he gazed into her own and asked, “Andy, Andy Maine? What on earth happened to you? How long have you been lying here?”

Nodding slightly in response, she croaked, “Lightning.........2 days”

A great spasm of pain suddenly jolted through her and she fought to keep her hold on consciousness. Seeing her distress, the young man shook her slightly and urged, “No Andy, you gotta stay with me honey. Come on, open those eyes...yes that’s it, look at me” Promptly, her rescuer proceeded to secure her tightly into a litter that had been lowered down from the hovering craft. After tucking her into the confines of the plastic cocoon, her rescuer’s face reappeared and looked down at her with respect in his eyes, “You’re a tough girl, Andy, but you’re safe now and all this is almost over. This here contraption I’ve placed you in will lift you into the chopper so we can get you out of here and too a hospital. So you just hold on now, okay?”

Mustering a small smile, she nodded and suddenly she became weightless. Leaving the ground and her ordeal behind, she floated into the silver sky and slowly rose towards the rescue chopper. Staring up toward the blur of thrashing blades spinning above her, Andy knew within her heart everything was going to be okay. Her prayers had been answered; she was alive.

With a renewed sense of life and love, her future ahead was bright and brimmed with many beautiful possibilities. Andy’s mind was staggered by the mere fact that she was still amongst the living She had been granted the greatest gift of all. Life. And never again would she waste another minute of it; not a single moment.

THE END

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