The scenery along our drive is beautiful. I admire all the blooming flowers and trees, though I can't hardly stand all the pollen. My butt and legs are asleep from sitting so long. Night is slowly falling behind us and we stop at the nearest RV camp in Mount Grieves, Arkansas. It's in the upper region of Arkansas.
Macey hooks up the air stream and we both take turns showering. Showers in airstreams are small and give me claustrophobia, but I force myself to deal with it. I'm exhausted. My hair is wrapped in a towel atop my head and I'm getting comfortable.
"We should go hiking tomorrow and check out that little crystal shop." I suggest. She loves crystals and tarot cards.
"Sounds good, then we can continue on our way." She says.
"Today we've seen some really pretty scenery, haven't we?" I ask her.
"Gods, yes. Did you see that guy at the gas station at our last stop? Those eyes and that ass." She is all but thirsty.
Oh damn, yes, I saw him. Skinny, pale, blonde hair and had a cigarette hanging from his mouth, he was wearing dirty jeans and a white tank top. Macey and I have varying tastes in men. That guy gave me a bad vibe, and he looked like he hadn't showered in days. For me I need a guy who maintains hygiene and doesn't give off a threatening vibe. Sometimes she and I will agree that a guys attractive, but not today.
I pick up my phone and call Cyrus. It rings several times before he picks up. "Hello?" He sounds groggy.
"I'm sorry. Did I wake you up?" I ask, feeling guilty.
"Yeah, but that's ok." He says. "How are you? Where are you?"
"Mount Grieves, Arkansas. It's in the upper, corner of the state." I explain.
He yawns sleepily. "Are you at a safe place to sleep?"
"Yes, we found an RV camp." I tell him. "I have to call mom, so back to sleep. I love you, babe."
"Love you too, sweetheart." He says softly before hanging up.
I call mom. "Hey baby, where are you?" She asks.
"Mount Grieves, Arkansas. It's in the upper, corner of the state. We're at an RV camp." I tell her.
"Have you had fun so far?" She asks.
"Yeah, we've seen a lot of scenery, pollen is a killer though." I tell her.
"I imagine." She chuckles.
"You'll have to send me some pictures." She says. "You should also bring me back some souvenirs." She says.
"Of course." I chuckle. "Well, we're going to bed soon, longer drive tomorrow."
"Ok, sweetie. Good night, love you." She says.
"Love you too, mom." I respond before hanging up.
No sooner than I can hang up, screaming bursts from the camp.
"Bear!"
"Bear!"
"Someone help!"
Macey looks at me before snatching her magnum .44 off the kitchen counter. She slips her black, fuzzy house slippers on and leaps out of the air stream. Subconsciously, I follow her. No idea why I'm running towards the danger when I should stay away from the danger.
Two RV's down from us, a poor elderly man is on the ground being savaged by a large black bear. Other campers are trying to pelt it with rocks, not sure what they're doing. That's about as affective as bringing a knife to a gunfight.
"Get off me you bastard." The old man yowls while trying to defend himself.
In a split second, all my years of watching Animal Planet comes to mind.
"Macey, shoot it behind the ear. It's a weak spot." I tell her.
She cocks the magnum and takes aim. Boom ! It's like a horror movie or something. My ears are ringing, and I want to melt down. All I can hear is ringing. The bear staggers off the man before collapsing. Macey shoots it once more to assure its demise. The old man is in a puddle of his own blood. The puddle is getting bigger by the second. A couple emerge from the RV that the old man is laying in front of.
"Dad?" The man asks, horrified.
They're just now coming out? How did they not hear the commotion til now? They must be heavy sleepers or something.
"Oh, God, dad." They get out of the RV.
The paramedics shew them away in order to tend to the old man.
Slowly, the ringing starts to go away. My adrenaline is calming down, my body is shaking. More sirens wail as cops pull up. So much for tonight being a peaceful one. The cops approach Macey and ask her questions. They analyze her gun and check out her license to carry. She tells them we're on an out-of-town trip, and are carrying it for safety. Lucky for us, they don't take the gun. It's one of her treasures because it was a gift from her grandpa.
Fish and Wildlife remove the dead bear, and the old man is ambulanced to the nearest hospital. This is weird, because normally black bears aren't known to attack people. I assess the camp. Ah, I see. Other campers have left trash strown about, which is a no no. The old guy came out to smoke from what I was told, and just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.
What a way for night one to end. I try to calm myself down by doing breathing exercises. That was so scary. I could sob.
Macey walks up to me. "You ok?"
"I will be eventually." I kind of joke.
She takes me by the hand and takes me back in the air stream. I scurry to the bathroom, it's a wonder that didn't make me pee on the spot. I hear her locking the air stream up tighter than Fort Knox.
"You handled that well." She says from the other side of the bathroom door. "How did you know where I needed to shoot it?
"Years of animal planet documentaries, and occasionally I listen to YouTube videos of animal attacks for fun." I confess.
"Well, that sure came in handy tonight. Just hope that that old man will be ok." She notes.
"I really hope the bear wasn't rabid. That'll make things worse." I say. "People shouldn't have left the trash out. Even so, it looked like it was a healthy weight, so I don't know what triggered the attack," I ponder on the situation.
"Ok, great philosopher." She snorts, "Just wash your hands and come to bed. We got to get up early tomorrow."
I do as she says. Her full sized bed is covered with a cosmic patterned comforter. I flip on my miniature fan on my side of the bed.
Something isn't right. I feel something evil following us.