A Fractured Mind, Part 4

The next week was nothing but non-stop travel through rocky mountains and hilly forests. Eric had gotten used to the hard travel, but he couldn't deny that it was sort of taking a toll on his stamina. Because of that, they'd been moving at a relatively leisurely pace to allow him ample time to rest.

Eric felt bad about the constant start and stops, but Caleb quickly reassured him. “I've already factored in the necessity to have constant rests on our journey,” he explained. “Don't worry about needing to take a break when you have to.”

Eric didn't feel all that reassured. It was fine for Caleb and Hope to take their time, since it wasn't like they were particularly invested in this journey of theirs. However, for Eric it was the one thing driving him forward, and he wanted to get there as soon as he possibly could.

Part of his urgency had to do with his lost memories, which had still not returned even after more than a week of travel. He had hoped his amnesia would undo itself with time, but that ultimately never happened. With no conceivable way of recovering any time soon, he'd hoped his hometown would be the spark that would allow him to recover his memories.

Because of that, he had really been pushing to get through this long journey as quickly as he possibly could. However, that was difficult, mostly due to his lack of stamina and experience traversing difficult terrain. He would try to push forward as much as he could, but Caleb would always mandate breaks whenever he felt Eric was starting to get fatigued, slowing down the pace of their journey considerably. He knew he was just looking out for him, but Eric couldn't help but feel indignant about the constant stops and breaks.

Still, Eric knew there was little he could do about it. From what he could tell, Caleb was a pretty responsible guy, and a veteran at making his way across the country. He knew what he was doing, and if Eric tried to ignore his advice, he was only going to be putting himself in danger. He knew that, and yet there was an impatience that gnawed at him relentlessly, like a splinter that dug too deeply into the skin.

That night, they camped under the stars in a small clearing inside of one of the Pacific Northwest's many dense forests. They were somewhere in Oregon, though even Caleb could only estimate their exact location. Still, their schedule hadn't changed; they were due to reach the region where Seattle once stood in only a matter of days.

While Caleb cooked some fish he caught in a nearby river, Eric began to wonder if he could convince him to pick up the pace. Now that they were even closer to their destination, Eric's impatience began to gnaw at him even more, leaving him antsy and restless. He ultimately picked up the nerve to ask him. After all, what could be the harm in just asking?

“Caleb, can I talk to you for a second?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Starting tomorrow, is it possible for us to cut down on the number of breaks we take?”

“It's not good to push yourself. Didn't I say that?”

“I know,” Eric said as his brow furrowed. “But I've been hiking with you guys for over a week now. Don't you think I've built up enough stamina? I don't think we need to take a break every three hours.”

“Don't overestimate yourself,” Caleb replied. “You might think you don't need it, but even small changes can affect how well you can pace yourself on long journeys. We're already moving at a pace faster than normal hikers go at, you know.”

“Even so, we're going a little too slowly, aren't we? I don't know if you're trying to be considerate of me, but I'd rather we just get a move on.”

Caleb gave Eric a warm smile, though considering the situation, he could only see it as a wry smirk. “What's all this rushing for? Even if we did do as you said, we'd only get there one day earlier at most. What's the value in that?”

“There might be no value for you, but for me, even getting there one second faster would be enough for me. I just want to get there as soon as I can.”

“Why?”

It was a simple question, but it did give Eric pause. After all, he couldn't tell them that he didn't exactly trust them yet. They had been traveling together for quite a while now, yet there was still a worry in the back of his head that they were lying to him in some way.

With no way to push the conversation further, Eric decided to just end it there. Caleb seemed perplexed, but he was gracious enough to not push him for an answer. The night passed without any further drama, but Eric couldn't deny that he was starting to feel a stirring of irritation.

The next day's travel took them onto another mountain path. It was not a relatively long stretch, but they would have to hike up most of the mountain before finding their way down. Still, Caleb and Hope were certain that they'd be off the mountain by the end of the day.

Eric obediently followed Caleb and Hope into the mountain path. With such a strenuous journey ahead of them, he knew instinctively that any argument to push things faster would simply be rebuffed without question.

The mountain trek was relatively painless, thanks to the path being relatively even aside from the initial slope upwards. Eric worried about how much time they'd waste making their way through the mountain, but they were actually moving at quite a fast pace. Caleb had said that taking the mountain paths would be much faster than trying to cut through the forests below, but they really were quite convenient.

After about three hours of hiking, the three took a short break, using a little nook in the mountain as shelter. As Caleb and Hope quietly rested and ate a small lunch, Eric patiently waited for them to start walking again. For some reason, Caleb insisted on having these breaks last at least half an hour, even when Eric was more than ready to go.

It wasn't good. Eric was starting to feel irritated again. He knew it was better to not cause any issues, especially when they were on such a treacherous mountain path, but he couldn't contain his antsiness. He wanted to get going as soon as possible, even if Caleb didn't see the point in it.

Despite it all, Eric patiently waited for Caleb to declare their break finished so that they could continue their trek through the mountain. He didn't want to have an argument, and despite his dissatisfaction he knew better than to try and rush through a mountain like this. Thankfully, Caleb eventually called an end to their break, and they continued their hike.

After another three hours of travel, Caleb spied the end of the mountain path, still a half mile from where they were standing. He gave the surrounding area a quick scan and pointed towards the horizon. “Look over there! You can see the Seattle area in the distance from here.”

Eric glanced to see what Caleb was pointing at and saw a sprawling landscape covered in grass and trees. He couldn't tell if that was where his hometown was, but nevertheless the sight of the journey's end sent a rush of excitement through his body. He suddenly picked up the pace in a hurry to get down the mountain as soon as possible.

“Hey, slow down a bit!” Caleb called out, but Eric wasn't listening. The only thing on his mind was getting to his hometown as fast as he could, though for what reason he no longer understood himself.

As if in response to his reckless hurry, a loose section of the stairway crumbled under Eric's foot. It wasn't something that would have put him off balance normally, but with the large pack weighing him down, he couldn't help but stumble. Having lost his footing, Eric began to topple over the edge of the path, which would have sent him down a half-mile freefall.

It would have, that is, if Hope hadn't rushed over and grabbed him before he fell too far. “That's why we told you not to run!” she yelled as she held tightly onto his pack, gripping the straps in her hands. Eric screamed out in fear as he hung from his pack, a deadly fall below him.

“Don't squirm!” Hope grunted as she pulled Eric back up onto the path, grunting furiously as she did so. Once he was back on solid ground, Eric gasped for breath, still a bit shocked after having such a close call with death.

“Are you all right?” Caleb asked worriedly as he checked up on Eric. “You aren't hurt anywhere, are you?”

“No,” Eric replied as his breathing started to even out. “What about Hope? Is she alright?”

“She's fine. Worry about yourself.”

Despite Caleb's assertion, Eric turned to see how Hope was doing. She looked fine, if a bit tired, though that was to be expected. She was clutching her right arm, and she seemed to have a troubled expression on her face.

“Are you hurt?”

“It's just a small cut. Don't worry about it.”

“Don't say that. There's bandages in the pack you made me carry, right? The least I can do is patch you up.”

“It's fine. Let's just keep moving.”

“Come on, don't be stubborn. It'll get infected if you don't take care of it soon.” Eric knelt down near Hope and nudged her lightly to get her to stop covering her arm.

Hope sighed and gave Caleb a pointed look before removing her hand. Eric lifted her arm to inspect the wound, and was surprised to see it was much deeper than he believed. However, somehow there was no blood on her arm at all, and the wound looked less like torn skin and more like a ruptured synthetic covering on top of metal workings. Eric dropped the arm out of surprise, before turning to Caleb, shock evident on his face.

“What the hell is going on here?”