Hard to think when I’m in screaming pain. Another gunshot sounds. This guy must have ammo to spare or else he is so furious at having squandered his chance to what…kill me? Throttle me? Tell me how I destroyed his what…his life? His chance at greatness?

I haven’t a clue.

I’ll admit I haven’t been exactly a star human. I have my faults. I can be small minded. Manipulative. But trying to imagine who this guy is, let alone why he’s so pissed off at me, is getting me nowhere.

What would Sarah Connor do? Probably stay and fight it out. I have zero fighting skills. Instead, I wrap my ankle with both socks, lean on a sturdy limb and hobble towards a thicket of downed trees.

A perfect hide out for me and probably many generations of ticks.

Thing is…I mean, in my defense, I wasn’t prepared to go sailing through the air. I was in the middle of a meditation. You could say that’s the perfect state to be in when circumstances demand you stay flexible. Resilient. Alert.

My body cuts through the tree canopy. I fall hard on my left ankle. I’m missing a shoe.

First thing I do is try to stand. Realize my ankle won’t support my weight. Could be broken. It hurts like a son of a bitch.

Gunshots sound in the distance. They draw closer as if this guy is proudly announcing his location. I figure I bought myself like a five, ten minute advantage.

He calls out my name. How does he know me? Do I know him?

Think, Lee.

Think!

Woke up crazy early this morning. Sun wasn’t officially up and I’m on the road in quest of my 10K steps. Walked beyond my ordinary route, up the hill, into the woods for no other reason than I didn’t feel like turning around. It had been a tough night.
Thinking it might be a good idea to squeeze in a meditation before heading back, I sat on a log. Took a breath. The customary thrum of anxiety quieted. An image of a tick, worst yet, a spider creeping up my back seemed to dissolve with my next exhale.
I was almost reaching stasis, the point at which indifference outweighs nervous anticipation when I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps. A voice shouted, HEY YOU!
I register the vague glint of metal. I’m on the run. I can hear him…it’s got to be a him…drawing closer. He’s waving the butt of his rifle…IT’S A RIFLE!!
Which is when I veer off the trail. Jump straight into the deep marsh below.