《A Man and the Sea》
Ch. 01
The day my grandpa died hit me hard. For weeks after I was absolutely devastated. The only man that raised me and taught me my values was just gone. I faced death many times in the past, but it was different when it was someone that meant so much to me. I had nightmares for weeks on end. In one of them, I was standing before the turnstiles of hell, ready to board a train into the underworld. A dark dream, something I was so afraid of that I woke up out of breath and covered in a sheet of ice cold sweat.
Coming home from work was horrible. From a cruddy day of getting yelled at by my manager for something I have no control over, to coming home to my wife complaining that I wasn¡¯t giving her enough attention, I was really torn apart. But what killed me the most was that phone call from my grandpa¡¯s attorney. My phone started ringing around 10 o clock.
My phone went off, it was a caller ID that I didn¡¯t recognize. ¡°Hello, Safety 24/7 how can I help you?¡±
¡°Hi, is this Abraham?¡± the caller asked.
¡°Yeah, its Abraham. How can I help you?¡±
¡°Well Abraham, it¡¯s your grandfather¡¯s attorney, have you heard yet?¡±
¡°Heard what?¡± I said as my heart dropped into my stomach.
¡°Your grandfather, he, well he died.¡± He replied with sorrow in his voice.
¡°I¡¯m sorry, can I call you back? I don¡¯t think I can deal with this right now.¡±
¡°That¡¯s fine, be careful, if you feel like you can¡¯t handle it, don¡¯t be afraid to seek help.¡±
I hung up the phone. Sitting there for a few minutes an ice-cold feeling started spreading from my heart to the rest of my body. I went to my cabinet and pulled out a bottle of vintage Glenmorangie, a nice 14-year-old cognac cask matured bottle. I took out 2 shot glasses. One for me, and one for my grandfather. This bottle was the first bottle he drank with me. It was around 800 dollars and brings back fond memories. My grandpa drank a lot, so he always smelled like cognac.
Taking a shot brought back many painful memories. The more I drank the more they came back. From the time he first took in me and my mom, to when he first sat down and talked to me about what a man should be like. As the warmth began to spread in my chest I couldn¡¯t help but be dragged back into the past.
I was only nine years old. It was a hot summer day; my mom made some lemonade and my grandpa came home from work early. He had a present for me due to my good grades all year. I ran up to him and jumped in his arms welcoming him home. I still remember his proud smile as he took me to his car and pulled out two baseball gloves and a brand-new baseball.
He said to me, ¡°Son, listen here, there are many things that a man needs to know in life, and one of those is playing ball. Baseball is America¡¯s past time. It¡¯s a big part of what makes us American. It¡¯s something that we came up with and have great pride in. Every man should know how to throw a baseball at the least.¡±
Finishing with his impromptu speech, he handed me a glove and told me to take around 10 steps away. He walked me through the underhand throw, to the overhand. Over the next few weeks we even got to what he called a spit ball. I always giggled when I heard that name, something about it just made me laugh.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
A year later, he bought me a bow and a set of arrows. He told me that another big aspect of being a man is being able to provide for your family no matter what. He would make me practice a few times a week. Saying that practice is not what makes people perfect, a solid foundation and perfect practice made people perfect.
After he got me the bow he took me into the mountains for my first time. There was something aweing to me about being out there in wilderness with my grandfather. We were both exploring the woods, but I still felt so small and insignificant. He took me up to a secret lake that he knew about hidden in the mountains. He carried a heavy backpack with a tent and some supplies, so we could spend a few days up there. I asked him when I would be old enough to carry a backpack like his, and all he did was look at me and chuckle, saying soon kid. Soon.
After we found a good campsite near the lake, he taught me about some basic campcraft techniques. The one that stuck with me the most was the leave-no-trace rule and technique. He looked for an hour to find a spot where we wouldn¡¯t disturb the wildlife, something close enough to water that it was easily accessible, but still far enough away where we won¡¯t contaminate it. Watching him set up the tent was shocking to me. He only used a pole and some stakes, it looked so complicated that it might¡¯ve taken 10-year-old me at least an hour to figure out how to set up by myself. Yet he did it with smooth and practiced motions getting it up in less than 10 minutes.
After the camp got set up, my grandpa took me to the lake and we unpacked all our fishing gear. He told me, ¡°Remember this! With patience one can achieve anything. If you are willing to wait, all things will come to you!¡±
I took this to heart and sat there as patiently as I could. After neither of us caught anything for around 45 minutes, my grandpa got up and reeled the poles in. I asked him, ¡°Granpappy, why are you reeling it in? Didn¡¯t you say if we were patient we would catch something?¡±
He responded to me while reaching into his backpack, ¡°Just because you are being patient doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t do anything to increase your chances at success kiddo.¡±
Drawing his hand out of the bag, I saw he grabbed a can of corn. I looked at him with a queer expression on my face. He put his finger up to his lips and looked at me with a ¡°you¡¯ll see soon¡± look. He opened the can and grabbed a handful of corn throwing it out to where we cast our lines earlier.
¡°Now we wait,¡± he said as he leaned back against his chair.
We sat there for 15 minutes before he decided to cast our lines out again. Handing me my line, he went and sat down. Not even 5 minutes later he got a bit. Quickly he hooked the fish and dragged him out. Getting the hook out of the fish¡¯s cheek he told me to grab the underwater basket that we had sitting nearby. I ran over quickly and grabbed it. He threw it through the one-way door at the top and told me to go put it back in the water.
As soon as I got back to my pole, I felt something nibbling. I tried to hook it the way my grandpa did, and was successful, but right before I was able to drag it onto shore, it got away. I was so mad that I was ready to break my pole. However, my grandpa gave me yet another sage piece of advice. ¡°He who controls his emotions (or himself) can control the world.¡±
When I was younger I took that as a calm down your being stupid, but only when I got older did I understand his wisdom.
As I was drinking the next few years went by like a blur. From him teaching me to shave, to my first date, my first car, my first job, even getting robbed for my first time. After I got robbed he enrolled me in martial arts and told me to study well. His good friend was the owner of the studio, so I got a lot of personal one on one time with him, causing my skill level to soar.
Halfway through my reminiscing, I started feeling like puking. Getting up I put the bottle down and drunkenly walked over to my couch. I barely reached it before I flopped and passed out.
CH 02
Waking up the next morning was a shocker for me. I woke up around noon to an unwelcome present on the kitchen counter. A note from my wife, and divorce papers. At first, I didn¡¯t realize what it was, trying to put together a hangover cure to fix my pounding headache.
The note said, ¡°Dear Abraham, I¡¯m writing this letter because enough is enough. I¡¯ve been with you for the last few years and at first, I was happy. Your job is taking up all your time and you clearly don¡¯t have room for me in your life. I¡¯m sick of it. You¡¯re practically ignoring me.¡±
Looking at the divorce papers, it stated that she was giving me a run for my money. I honestly didn¡¯t feel like fighting it. In the divorce, I lost everything. Everything. It was a big blow to me. I was cold inside and didn¡¯t have much reason to go on anymore.
The day after I signed the document and gave away everything except for my car, my grandfather''s attorney called.
¡°Hello?¡±
¡°This is Abraham, how can I help you?¡± I responded in a flat voice.
¡°It¡¯s your grandfather''s attorney, I have some important news to tell you.¡±
¡°Well hurry up and spit it out!¡±
¡°Ah, see your grandfather left a will, I just finished going over it and he left you quite a few things inside of it.¡±
¡°Like what?¡± I responded a little more cheery than I was before.
¡°Well, he left you his old beach house, although calling it a house might be a stretch and everything on that property.¡±
¡°His old fishing cabin?¡±
¡°Yup, exactly the one. He said that the beach house and whatever is on that property belongs to you and you alone. So I need you to come by and sign the lease papers so I can transfer the property to you.¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.
¡°Alright, Ill be there in 15 minutes.¡±
On my way to the office, It was quite hard not to speed. The cabin was the only thing that he wanted me to have, and I wanted to abide by his wishes. After arriving at the office, it took me an hour or so to sign all the required papers and make sure everything was in order. After the attorney went over the papers, he gave me the key to the property and told me to have fun.
Arriving at my grandpas old fishing cabin, was like stepping from one world into another. The beach the cabin was built on was hidden far away from almost all civilization. No one ever came down this road. Ever. The first thing one would notice when driving in was the sand. The sand was a nice soft grainy texture, colored almost a pinkish white. It brought a kind of majesticness to it, looking like something completely out of this world. The beach was inside a bit of a cove, offering nice protection from the elements, creating a safe harbor for boats to stay or launch out of.
Driving into the property, I noticed my grandpa''s old brown sea kayak. The one he taught me how to navigate the oceans in. I figured he wanted me to have it and made a vow to take it out at least once. The cabin itself was made out of wood and set on stilts. It had basic amenities, a gas stove, bed, a wind turbine for a little electricity, and a rainwater collector with a huge 1000 gallon water tank sitting on some poles behind it. The texture of the wood made it obvious that the cabin was old, but not old enough to be falling apart, or even being close to that state.
The interior was a little cramped. Looking at the one-room cabin brought back memories. I started to look around immediately for my grandpas old fishing pole. It was a fishing pole that held great value to me. My grandpa caught everything and anything with that pole. After seeing it was in the spot he usually kept it in, I went around and checked the stove to make sure it works, afterward heading and checking the water tank for leaks. With all of that functioning properly I also checked my grandpa''s barometer, making sure it was working as intended.
I started up the gas stove and started brewing myself some rooibos tea. Something that would make me comfortable. Now I usually drink coffee, but my grandpa loved his tea. As the tea was brewing I noticed the sun was setting, causing a crimson red glow to reflect off the ocean. It was awe-inspiring and breathtaking. So breathtaking in fact that I stood there stunned for quite an amount of time before the sound of the kettle whistling snapped me out of it.
Quickly brewing myself some tea, I grabbed my mug and ran outside pulling a chair out with me. I sat there and tasted the slightly salty air, watching a crimson sunset. Something clicked inside of me at that moment. Something that I knew was missing.
Ch 3
¡°Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.¡±
¨D Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
That''s it! The reason for this cabin. Somehow he knew, just knew about what would happen. It kind of makes sense, ever since he would claim that I was just like him while I was growing up. I''m not quite sure what the future has in store for me, but I''m quite curious.
In the morning, I had never felt more refreshed in my life. The nice salty fresh smell of the ocean is something that just seemed to stir my soul. Deciding on some fruits, eggs, and bacon for breakfast, I began cooking. A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper, a little bit of self loathing, and boom, the perfect breakfast. Right as I was sitting down to eat, my phone rang.
*Brrt brrt*
¡°Ah fuck, who the hell could this be?¡± I mutter to myself while picking up the phone. Seeing my boss¡¯s number a cold shockwave of realization hits me. I had work today. Damn. I let it ring for a few seconds while thinking up a string of excuses. I settle on one.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
¡°Hey Boss. Yeah, I understand why you''re calling. Look man, I think I came down with the flu. Yeah. Cough cough. Yeah I know I need to give a 24 hour notice but I overslept, I thought I would make it in today. Wait a second? You¡¯re really going to fire me? This is the only time I''ve ever called in sick! Alright, you know what. Fine. I quit. No! If I quit you can''t fire me!¡±
Having to play along to make it seem like I actually wanted to keep that dreadful job made me more tired than the thought of actually going to work. But hey. Now that I have no more outstanding responsibilities, I can really enjoy my life. I''ve got a good amount of food here, no need to worry. A fishing pole, my grandfather''s kayak, and enough water to wash away the house and it''s foundation.
After that whole stressful deal, I figured what better way to destress than to go kayaking. The water isn''t too rough today, the sun is shining, and it overall seems like a good day. I see some clouds on the horizon but I''m not too worried. I won''t be going too far out.
Packing my gear together, I move it all to the kayak. Emergency supply box. Check. Basic change of clothes in my waterproof bag. Check. Water and food for the short trip. Check. Alright, I''m good to go.
Huffing and puffing, I managed to get the kayak into the water. It seems like I¡¯ve gotten weaker since I last took a trip out. It''s alright I console myself, I still remember the basics. One foot in, other foot out, kick off, jump in, nice and easy, nice and smooth, and here we are. Out in the water. Breaking past the surf was always my greatest challenge. A worthy foe the waves are. A power strong enough to topple towers, yet smooth enough to create sand. Relentless. Never stopping. A form of energy and power so beautiful.
I managed to get about 2 miles away from shore when things started going wrong.
Ch 4
¡°I may not be as stong as I think, but I know many tricks and I have resolution.¡±
¨D Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
A storm was brewing. One the size of which I had never seen before. I wasn¡¯t very far from shore. But nonetheless, I was still frightened. I fought. I fought long and hard against the billowing wind, and the raging waves. I fought until I couldn''t lift my hands anymore. I fought, yet I was still swept away. Swept away by this force of nature, a force that I was foolish enough to fight.
I spent some time unconscious. I''m not quite sure of the exact cause. It may have been the water I inhaled, or I could have gotten knocked on the head. I don''t know. I don''t believe I''ll find out anytime soon. For now I must focus. I came to consciousness in a strange place. It was an ocean. An ocean made of red water. It was unsettling. The calmness felt unnatural, with a slight chill coming from the water itself. Floating along the ocean, I realized I was surrounded.
Surrounded by desolate buildings, architectures I had never seen before. Some from the Victorian style, to a more modern, until finally I could see a futuristic style. I was tempted of course, to disembark from my grandfathers kayak, but the feelings that came washing off of the buildings dissuaded me. A deep dark cold feeling. A feeling I was not familiar with, but every cell in my body screamed the name of it. Death. A mixture of different feelings of death. From brutal to soft. Hot to cold. Resentful and peaceful. It was full of contradictions. All of it was difficult to process.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!
Looking up I saw no stars, just an empty black void. A void that seemed to get bigger as I looked at it. The same way the blue sky on Earth would expand from my vision when I looked closely. Shivering suddenly, I decided to continue forward. I still had my paddle. It was enough. I started paddling. The water was unusually thick. It had a viscosity to it that I was unfamiliar with. I threw that thought to the back of my head and proceeded to paddle.
I paddled for a period of time, of which I am unsure of the number. With no sun or moon to guide me, I was no longer sure what direction I was going in. I had eaten the food I brought, and drank all of my water. I had no more left. Yet with nowhere to go I continued forward.
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
Until finally a change fell upon me.
A bright blue light exploded, and with it, my vision. I sat there rubbing my eyes and groaning from the sudden brightness. I took a deep breath in, exhaled, and then opened my eyes. I was not ready for the sight that greeted me.
Ch. 5
¡°If the others heard me talking out loud they would think that I am crazy. But since I am not, I do not care.¡±
¨D Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
A desert. A wide expanse of sand. Sand that went well beyond the horizon. Yet another ocean, one made of land, instead of water. An ocean more difficult to traverse than the sea. For I can conquer the sea with my kayak, but the sand, one cannot paddle through the sand.
I paddled to the shore and let the waves carry me onto land. I looked up, I saw three moons and two suns. An unusual sight.
¡°Well, this sure isn''t Kansas anymore.¡± I whistled to myself while shaking my head. ¡°I''m not quite sure where the hell I am. Or why I''m even talking to myself. Ugh, I guess this habit still hasn''t left me.¡±
I wade the rest of the way to shore, pulling my kayak behind me. I take notice of the tide lines, and pull my kayak well past where the water would reach at high tide.
¡°Alright, so, I''m lost, probably on a different planet, with no resources, just my paddle, kayak, and emergency kit. Oh boy, this should be fun.¡± Groaning I start going through my things. I begin pulling everything out of my kayak, when my grandfather''s cabin key falls out and hits the sand.
I reach down to grab it, but as soon as I do, the key starts emitting a bright light. I take two steps back out of surprise and laugh nervously.
The light from the key starts getting stronger and stronger, before finally it flashes.
¡°Ah what the hell Grandpa! What the hell is this?¡± I yell out to no one in particular as I get flashed yet again by light. I open my eyes to see my grandfather''s cabin. ¡°What the fuck old man. What in the name of Henrietta Josephine Margarita Tequila is this?¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
I approach the cabin. Walking around it a few times, I confirm it is indeed the real thing. Sighing, I move to open the door. I peek my head inside, confirm that everything still looks fine, I step in all the way.
¡°Alright cool. Well, I guess my food and water situation is good now? But how the hell did it appear from the damn key?¡± My mind racing at a thousand thoughts a millisecond. ¡°I guess I didn''t know you as well as I thought then old man.¡±
First things first. I need answers. I start scouring through all the drawers in the house. I don''t find anything towards solving my questions. But I did find a hawaiian doll. One of the ones that wears a skirt and holds a guitar. It''s quite cute.
Anyways, after tearing through the cabin like a man on a mission, I decide to calm down, and start searching slowly and methodically. Going through every nook and cranny, I find a journal.
The contents spoke about my grandfather''s younger days, exploring, adventuring, seeing all the world has to offer, before he finally stumbled upon a key and a kayak in a street market in Thailand. He bought the items for cheap, thinking of keeping the key as a keepsake, and the kayak for his future endeavors.
He continued on, travelling the world, he was climbing Mount. Everest when his key came off his necklace and hit the ground. He experienced the same thing as me, a gradual glow growing in strength, until a bright light flashes. When he looked up, he saw the cabin. It saved his life on that trip. He was quite curious about the cabin and made discreet inquiries all over the world for information on ¡°artifacts¡± like the key. Finding no information he was disappointed. But not discouraged.
As for the kayak, the kayak apparently was created by an ancient sea-faring civilization. He didn''t discover the secret of it until his first trip. He passed through the same red ocean I did. He called it the Sea of Blood. His theory was that it was a graveyard of all civilizations past, present, and future.
Anyways. The kayak automatically transports people across the dimensional veil. The reason being some kind of runescript that my grandfather never had any luck deciphering. There''s no controlling where you go next. He only managed to get back through contact with another civilization known as the Iz¡¯gathro.
In his journal he brags about saving the crown prince from a timberwolf. An animal I believe exists on Earth. He continues on about living like royalty before the prince amassed the materials required to pierce the dimensional veil.
¡°Alright. Holy shit that was a lot to process.¡± I grumble. ¡°I have food, water, and shelter covered. So I''m not stressed there. I should probably go see what''s around me.¡±
I proceed to get up before a wave of fatigue hits me.
¡°On second thought, I''m gonna take a nap first.¡±
Ch. 6
¡°There is no plan. All is hazard. And the only thing that will preserve us is ourselves.¡±
¨D John Fowles, The Magus
Now that nap time is done and settled with. I guess exploring is the next step. Now personally, I don''t like sand. I''m okay when it comes to beaches, but I can already feel sand in my socks and underwear. Not fun.
The desert itself was a desert. I''m not sure what to say. It looked pretty average. Nothing insane like pink or purple sands. Just a boring old desert. It just seems a bit inappropriate to disrespect the desert like that. But it''s the truth. The sun beating down on the sand. The dry winds. It¡¯s just a desert.
I''ve gotten over being upset over the fact that I was kidnapped by a kayak. But I haven''t gotten over the fact that I didn''t bring any kind of chapstick with me. They say dehydration kills. I say crusty lips do. But you gotta make the best with what you got.
I already tried to convince myself this was some kind of simulation. From yelling out status, to root. I screamed ¡°main menu¡± like 5 times. Just not my luck. I''m not sure what I was expecting, it''s not like I got hit by a truck or anything.
Now before I take off like Speedy Gonzales, I gotta pack my shit up. Now normally a sane person would be trying to get back home, but me, well, I don''t have shit left there. So I might as well travel!
Packing everything up wasn¡¯t very hard. The kayak apparently turns into a damn bracelet if you push the right rune, and the house turns into a key by messing with the doorknob the correct way. Kinda like a cheat code, up down left right A B A B down down left left right.
With my grandfather''s fishing pole on my back, a kitchen knife in my belt, and some food in my backpack I still didn''t feel ready to go anywhere. But if I don''t wanna live out the rest of my days in some sandry crusty cabin by the ocean, I gotta start moving.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
My first steps into the desert weren''t the steps of Louis Armstrong. No small steps for man, and no leaps for mankind. It was more of a quakey little step at first. A deep breath, and then another.
Now I don''t claim to be a brave man, but I''m not a coward either. My forte lies in the fact that I can adapt. See, I might not like what I have to do, but I still get it done. And I hate that about myself. But it''s just the curse I have to live with.
You might think a stroll through a desert is all fun and games. Well. It is. Just not the kind of fun and games you¡¯re probably thinking of. The fun probably comes from mother nature laughing gleefully as she tries to kill you, and the game is a game of life and death. Walking along the desert, slowly but surely, as the wind and sand pummel my poor handsome face. The sun beating down on my back like a slave driver in Jeffrey Epsteins sex dungeon. It''s not a jolly good time. Unless you''re a masochist, in that case, you wanna trade?
If I had a status screen my luck would probably be -20. I''m just walking along, when all of a sudden boom. A fucking sand scorpion pops out. This think looks like it would be from Star Wars. I take off running before the sand can even clear. There is a rock outcropping not too far from where I am, and theres no way i''m fighting a fucking SAND SCORPION hand to hand.
Hauling ass to get there, I feel something approaching my back. Taking a gamble I yeet(throw) myself to the left as the scorpions pincer comes crashing down where I was a second ago.
As I''m sprinting for dear life, the only thing I can think of is Shia Labeouf. Running from cannibal superstar Shia Labeouf is just playing on repeat in my head. I''m dodging, I''m ducking, I''m weaving. Finally I make it to the rocks.
Sprinting in between the rocks like a contestant off of American Ninja Warrior, I see a cave entrance. At this point it''s get stabbed by the scorpion or die underground. I risk it all for the biscuit. I slide through the opening, only to get clipped on the shoulder at the last second. I feel a sharp burning pain as I slide down into the hole.
Quickly leveling out, I realize how bad of an idea this was. I can''t see, and I''m not sure what creatures would be living down here. I pull out my kitchen knife cautiously. And flail around a bit as I walk down through the darkness.
I realize the burning in my shoulder still hasn¡¯t gone away. Going through my pockets, I find my matches, and a bottle of water. First things first, I try to light a match. It''s quite difficult to do in the pitch black darkness, but I''m able to get it done. Looking around me, I see nothing but the floor beneath me, and then darkness all around. Not creepy at all, no siree.
I continue cautiously moving through the darkness.
*Thwack*
My worldview changes as I fall to the ground, blackness overwhelming me.
Ch. 7
¡°Respected, I almost want to be revered, that''s what I''m chasing.¡± - Shia LaBeouf
Achieving consciousness for the 5th time now, I realize I¡¯m upside down. Chained up by my feet, my arms pinned to my sides. With how much I get knocked about, I''m surprised I don''t have a serious brain injury. Hanging upside down feels quite strange. All the blood was in my head. I had an awful headache. I look over to my left and see a man sitting by a fire.
¡°Nice to see you¡¯re finally awake friend¡± He says as he takes a bite off a lizard leg. ¡°Sorry for chaining you up like that. See I gotta make sure you¡¯re not secretly a lizardman. I fell for it once with Mark Zuckerberg and look at where I am now, in the middle of a fucking desert.¡±
¡°Any chance you can let me down man? I''m pretty sure I''m not a lizard man.¡± I respond while coughing. Fuck my head hurts.
¡°I don''t know man, lately these lizards have gotten pretty smart in impersonating humans.¡± The man stands up and starts coming close to me. ¡°You see, if they eat our brains, they retain all of our knowledge, making it simple to impersonate humans. The only way to truly check if they''re lizardmen is to scalp them. That''s when their scales come out.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
He pulls out a knife while chuckling.
¡°Hold up man, I''m innocent, I''m not a lizardman dammit. Let me down!¡± Panicking I start shaking my body like a fish.
He comes closer and reaches to grab my hair when all of a sudden the chains on my legs give out and I come crashing to the ground. Adrenaline coursing through my body, I get up ready to fight. I look the man in the eyes. Holy fuck. It''s Shia LeBeouf.
¡°Mr. LeBeouf? I''m not your enemy man. Calm down. I''m 100 percent human my dude.¡± I say while backing up with my palms facing forwards.
¡°Who sent you! How do you know my name!?!?!¡± He screams at me while taking aggressive steps in my direction.
¡°No one sent me! I know you from the TV, you disappeared like 2 years ago man. Can we talk this out?¡±
He doesn''t respond and instead lunges at me with his knife. I slap the inside of his hand, grab, and twist, causing him to lose his grip on the knife. He swings at me with his other hand as I duck and sweep his feet out from underneath him. Getting him on the ground, I bring my hand around and lock his head in between my arms and my ribs. I twist myself and land on his back, choking him out.
I knock him out with a rear naked choke.
I guess he''s gone insane. I see my pack and gear in a corner of the cave. I check to make sure he''s unconscious and alive before I grab my gear and leave.
Following the wind, I make my way up to the mouth of the cave. I take a few sips of water and head off into the desert again.