It was so innocent starting. That's how it always is, isn't it? Every little decision no matter how small takes you to where you are right now. As I'm writing this note I'm standing in the middle of a patch of woods in the Appalachian wilderness. The night is going to fall, and by morning I will either meet her again, or I will no longer stand.
My name is Colt Whitman, I was a geologist studying at Duke University, and for my final project, I decided to go to the Appalachian mountains to do a study on the rock formations and geography there. Me and a small group of ten students, led by a faculty member, went hiking into the woods almost ten years ago. This is the story of how N'yala changed me, stripped me of my humanity. Nature can be scary.
It was a sunny fall day, I finished packing my backpack and started to head out to the charter bus. My phone rang. The caller ID was my dad.
"Hey, Dad, what's up?"
"Just checking on you," his warm voice came through the speaker. "About to go on that trip?"
"Yea, I'm packing now."
"Have everything? Extra water, tent, thermal blanket."
"Yea, I do, it's only two nights, I'll be okay."
"I just worry. How's Heather?"
"Doing good, she's going down to her parents for the weekend." Heather was my long-time girlfriend, we've been together since high school.
"That's good, tell her I said hey."
"I will, I gotta go dad. Love you."
"Love you too son, be safe out there."
"I will. Bye."
I hung up and finished packing my huge backpack. It's one of those nice camping ones, my dad got it for me for my birthday.
Mom died a couple of years ago, ever since then, it's been just me and dad. He did his best to make sure I went to college and supported me as much as he could. He was an amazing father.
I smiled, remembering just what's ahead of me. It was gonna be a fun break from school.
I threw the pack over my shoulder and lugged it out of my dorm room.
It was a cool fall day outside, all the trees were beginning to transition into beautiful oranges and reds, the air was crisp and cool.
I began walking towards the meeting place for my class to get on the charter bus. It was about a five-minute walk, but I gave myself more than enough time. I passed by the girl's dorm on my way. I shrugged and walked up to the door and knocked.
A young girl, about two years younger than me opened the door. She was a brunette with easy eyes and a cute face. She was smiling, wearing an old hoodie of mine.
"Hey, stranger," she said, wrapping her arms around me. "Saw you walking by, knew you'd stop."
"Hey, Heather, just about to leave." I reciprocated the hug. "Figured I'd let you know."
"Okidoki. Be safe okay? Call me when you get there."
"Okay, okay. It's only two days, I'll be okay."
"Well, I worry you know?"
"I know. I'll be fine, I promise. Love you, I gotta get going."
"Okay, love you too." She leaned back and kissed me, she tasted like mint.
I broke from the hug and went back to walking towards the science building. She closed the door behind her.
I had one last stop to make before I headed to the bus. I had to pick up my friend Eric. He's taking the same classes as me, we both wanted to become geologists ever since we were kids. We used to go out in the woods around our houses and come back with bags of rocks we thought were cool. Our parents used to get so mad.
Well, that passion never really ran dry for either of us, we studied as hard as we could to get here. Having a friend to compete with makes you want to get better.
He lived in a frat house. I walked up and knocked on the door. It wasn't a party house, they were just a group of guys who all went in together.
To my surprise, Eric opened the door. He was dressed similarly to me, hoodie, backpack, and the works. He was a year younger than me but wore himself older. He had a neatly shaven beard and a head of coiffed blonde hair. He put his gloved hand out.
I took it and he pulled me into a hug.
"What's up, man," I said as he released me.
"Not too much. Ready for the trip?"
"Yea figured we could walk to the stop together."
"Cool, let's get going."
He closed the door and locked it.
"How's heather?" He asked as we began walking.
"She's good, she snuck into my dorm room last night, still wearing my hoodie."
"Oh? Can I get some kiss and tell?"
I pushed his shoulder. "Nah, use your imagination."
"Just tell me if you got some."
"I'm not telling you shit." I joked.
"Oh you definitely did, your face is super red." He snickered. I could feel the heat behind my cheeks.
I rolled my eyes. "You're just jealous I can get some."
"Shut up,"
"You've been a virgin since high school dude."
"It's cause I'm saving myself for marriage."
"Sure, or you're too scared to talk to women."
He laughed. "Yea, yea, so excited for the trip?"
"Fuck yes, been wanting to go camping for a hot minute."
"Same, and we don't have to pay shit."
"Yea, that's the best part."
We kept shooting the shit to the science building. Our small classroom was all standing around, waiting on the bus.
We approached the group. It was mostly girls, believe it or not. Eric, me, and another guy named Joshua were the only guys.
Our teacher, Miss Jesse Jamieson. Or, "Jamie" as she makes us call her, stood there too.
Hormones are a weird thing. I've been with Heather almost longer than I can remember, but I can't help myself when it comes to Jamie. Sanding at a healthy five foot eleven, and stacked. She wears jackets most of the time over her massive breast, easily triple D. Even with multiple layers of fabric they stand out. Her figure is amazing as well. Plump but fit.
Her hips were wide and inviting and leading down to her tree-trunk thighs and nice legs. Her face is also nice to look at, she didn't wear makeup, just a natural beauty with great big blue eyes. Her hair was long and brown, braided into an intricate ponytail.
She was a nice woman, she took care of her small class, she cared about us. But goddamn, I knew how Eric felt about her, and Joshua. We all echoed the same sentiment, given the chance, we'd all take some after-school tutoring. So to speak.
We joined the group and she met us with a bright smile.
"Hey!" She shouted out. Her voice was warm and motherly. "All of you came so early. I guess you are all excited huh? Me too, I've been dying for a break."
There was a general murmur of approval.
"Where's Joshua?" I asked. I didn't see him around.
"Oh! He's getting the bus, he's on his way back now. It was cheaper to rent out a bus and have him drive it."
Made sense, Joshua had his CdLS. The college made a deal with him where he could drive busses for extra money. He made a pretty penny.
It was a little past 8 when a nice-looking charter bus rolled toward us. The engine was loud in our ears. In the passenger seat, you could see Joshua. Josh was a short guy, standing a little under five foot five, but he was scary when he wanted to be.
He had a head of fiery red hair, pale skin, and eyes that were both quick, conniving, and ferocious all at the same time. His small frame wasn't anything to laugh at, he was all muscle. His dad taught him Krav Maga from a young age. He was all lean muscle and deadly technique. Despite all of this, he had a personality of a friendly drunk and a passion for science and maths.
Guess it's true what they say, the deadliest snake is the one you can't see.
The bus pulled near the curb and he opened the door. His face was a ray of sunshine. He spoke in an Israeli accent.
"Morning camper." He was upbeat, loud, and just a bit sarcastic. "How are we doing this fine morning?"
There was a generally tired murmur of the mostly female class.
"C'mon crew, you can do better than that!" He shouted. The one downside of being highly motivated is that most people can't match your energy at eight in the morning.
Jamie shook her head and laughed a bit. "C'mon kids, let's get on. We've got a long drive."
We all lined up and got on. We had plenty of space for our small amount of luggage, so we didn't bother with the storage compartment.
The bus was one of those really nice commercial busses, where every seat has its own air conditioner, footrest, armrest, etc.
I and Eric found a seat next to each other and put our bags out of the way. It was about a three-hour drive from here to the campground, so we got comfy.
Joshua put the bus in gear and began to peel out. He got us to the road and began going along our way.
One thing they don't tell you about North Carolina, it's a beautiful state.
The terrain along the road was all rolling hills and gorgeous forests. The sun shone beautifully, illuminating the fields of greenery we passed. Me and Eric talked about what we wanted to see, what we were gonna write our paper on. And various other things.
That's when I felt it. Eyes staring at me.
We were rolling past a stretch of woods, about ten minutes before the campsite, and I saw her standing there. A veritable vision of beauty.
It was only for a moment, but her radiance burned its way into my mind instantly.
She was tall, easily two feet taller than me. Her skin lacquered wood, and her eyes were deep like the mysterious ocean floor. Her hair was strong roots growing into a beautiful myriad of greens and oranges. Her body, curves like rolling green hills, and her breast like snow-capped mountains. Her eyes trained on me, and she flashed a smile, her teeth dazzling like the sun.
And just as soon as I saw her, she was gone.
My heart pounded in my chest, hammering away. I sat there, mouth agape, for what felt like hours.
"Yo. Hey, are you okay?" I heard a voice in the distance. I knew it was right next to me, but it sounded so far away.