Survival -Guardians of Vesturon [1] by A.M. Hargrove Read Free Book Online Page B

could always go chase after a bear or something. Animals could be fun to hunt, but they had an uncanny knack of knowing their end was near. That was one of the reasons Darryl liked to hunt young women; he simply liked to hear them plead for their survival.
    Darryl made his way over to the Smokemont Campground. He checked things out there to see if any campers had shown up, but no such luck. From there, he decided to take the Hughes Ridge Trail up to where it intersected the Appalachian Trail. He figured if he was to have any luck, it would be on the AT. People hiked that trail all the time, and it was so popular that most folks felt perfectly safe there even if they were alone. There were rustic lean-to shelters scattered along the AT, and this time of year, he had a good chance of running into a lone backpacker up there. This was a good thing for Darryl.
    He could feel his excitement mounting with every step that took him closer to his goal. He didn’t pay much attention to his surroundings but had his ears tuned in for any kind of sound that would indicate he wasn’t alone. He eventually made it up to the shelter at Peck’s Corner and was not to be awarded with any kind of prize, as the shelter was empty.
    His anger started to surface. He had built his hopes up for this, and now he was going to have to settle for a good night’s sleep—that is if he could calm his anger enough to even go to sleep. He finally willed himself to calm down enough to make something to eat and bed down for the night.
    Darryl awoke with a start. The sun was just beginning to lighten the sky. At first, he couldn’t remember where he was, and then, it all came to him. His mood shifted back to excitement as he had a new day of hunting to look forward to. He fixed some breakfast, packed up and headed out. He decided to head toward I-40 to see what was going on in that direction. He ended up staying on the Appalachian Trail for several weeks. The weather had turned fairly cold, and he could tell winter would be settling in for good. He knew it must have been getting close to the Christmas season because that’s when he would be out here and not pass a single person. He looked at the date on his watch, and sure enough, it was December 21. He decided to turn around and head back in the direction of Mt. LeConte.
    It took him a few days to get back to that vicinity. He got to Charlie’s Bunion, and it was completely deserted. He thought that maybe he’d sit there for a spell. It was still early, and he was hoping that maybe there would be some activity here. Charlie’s Bunion was a popular place, and you could get there on a day hike from the parking lot at Newfound Gap. Most folks might not get up there until noon. After several hours of waiting, his patience started wearing thin, so he decided to move on.
    He made a decision to head straight up to Mt. LeConte. He decided that he would make camp there and use it as a base. He felt confident that eventually someone would come up there. If that someone looked like they would be good “game” for the hunt, he would go for it. If not, he would just wait for the right opportunity. It wasn’t like he had to be on a schedule. This was his time, and he would use it as he saw fit.
    A couple of days had passed, and Darryl remained camped out up there waiting for the perfect opportunity. He would soon be rewarded for his patience.
    * * * * *
    It was getting close to noon the next day when Darryl made a circuit of some of the nearby trails. He was out scouting the area when he heard the snapping of twigs and the rustling of leaves. He made his way into the brush and was rewarded with a fabulous sight. There, in all her glory, was an attractive young woman out on the trail—it was the same girl he’d seen back in Sylva. She had deep red hair, and was a real beauty. She was one of the two girls he’d been tailing that had headed to the police station that day. This was going to be an extra special hunt.