Pinching, poking, prickling sensations could be felt trying to push their way through the sleeve of my jacket. The painful sensations managed to wake me from my slumber, and then was when I realized that I had fallen asleep against a tree. Numbing sensations could be felt all the way from my back down to the tips of my toes.  Guess that's what happens when you fall asleep against a tree trunk.  Rubbing my heavy eyes, a crackling sound could be heard. Before my eyes could even dart upward, a loud snapping noise was followed by a heavy branch which decided to fall on my head.          

 A frustrated scream escaped my lips: one that was of slight pain from the branch, but more pained by the tragedy that I had just witnessed last night. I couldn't help but think about how my powers had frozen up on me in a time of need. Why did I have the right to wake up full and alive this morning when all of those people died because of me? How fair is it that I can go live life and make a future for myself when all of those passengers' futures were stolen from them? They were nothing but helpless and vulnerable mortals. Then there was I who had the full capability to save them but was too locked up in a panic to do so.

Why couldn't I be the valiant one who helped them back to safety? Why couldn't I just have done the right thing?  Burying my face in my hands,  a frustrated sigh escaped my lips. As the pure darkness of dawn casted shadows amongst the forest, all that could be heard was the chirping of crickets. I darted upward, ready to walk through this forest and desperate to find any source of help:  Someone, something, anything to let me know that there was some chance of getting back home. I desperately needed to contact Master Shadow. He needed to be aware of what was going on. Matter of fact, it would be a good idea if I informed him of what had happened last night. Knowing Shadow for as long as I have,  he most likely had someone out looking for me already. 

          To my dismay, I found that my pocket was empty. Frantically checking all of the other pockets on my mud-stained jeans, there was still no sign of the phone. Now I had absolutely no way of contacting Shadow or knowing how to get home.   Sighing in agitation, my mind paced with all of the possible places that this phone could have fallen out at; somewhere in the forest in the dark, now melted in the plane, or anywhere in between. In my case, there was no use in even looking for that phone. Therefore, I had run out of ideas of where to go.          

  Angrily grumbling, proceeded through the darkened forest. Clumsily tripping over a twig, an idea struck me. Picking up the twig, I checked to see if my powers would manage to work this time.  Lo and behold, I clicked my fingers and a little blue flame appeared to which I lit the twig with. A little bit of light to guide me was better than having nothing at all.  

         It was a lonely hour or so until the sun began to rise. By this time, I was both emotionally and physically drained. I had barely gotten any sleep and the little that I did get was filled with traumatizing memories of the plane crash that unconsciously repeated over and over in my mind. After about another twenty minutes or so, the sun had fully risen and noises began to fill the atmosphere. The echo of a motor, then another,  followed by the faint sound of a honk.  

            A road must be nearby! Picking up my walking pace I went towards the sounds I had witnessed and through the thickness of the trees in the forest there was an opening. Through that opening laid a road, and across the road and about fifteen feet north laid a gas station. The knot of desperation in my stomach now formed into a knot of joyous anticipation. The gas station could be my only hope of figuring out where in the world I actually was and was also the first chance to get something to eat.              

As I reached the parking lot of the gas station, my eye was caught by a black, glossy, luxurious, Camaro that was parked on the corner lot of the little shop. Why would a car like that just be sitting here in the middle of nowhere? Walking past the beautiful hunk of metal, I entered the little shop attached to the gas station. At the sight of food, my stomach couldn't help but grumble. Bags of chips lined the walls, burnt hot dogs and stale pizza sat on their holders, and soda and slushie machines stood towards the back of the place. As I walked over and grabbed a bag of barbecue chips, I saw a couple walking out while looking at a map. Maybe if I grabbed one of those I'd figure out where exactly I was.

    Going up to check out, I realized that the only way I could pay for my chips was by using the man's wallet that he had given me. My wallet must've fallen out along with my phone. Opening his wallet, there was a twenty, a crumpled up five dollar-bill, a credit card, and a picture of the man's daughter that haunted me as I glanced at it. Just another reminder of the promise I made.

   In the cooler beside me sat a wide variety of beverages sitting there. I grabbed a bottle of cola and plopped it right next to my bag of chips. The cashier examined me.

     " You have a long night sir?" He asked, his eyebrow furrowing in confusion.   

" Oh yeah. I had a really long night. Had a camping trip with my girlfriend's family," I lied. " Her little siblings thought it would be fun to play hide-and-go-seek in the dark."   

" Oh yeah, I know how rowdy little kids can be. I know it all too well," he said smiling, and shaking his head back and forth.   

I smiled back at him as he began to ring my items up.  

 " Are you the only shop around here?"   

" In this town, yes. But it's not too far from Chicago. You drive up north for about twenty miles and you'll see the tall buildings of the Windy City. It really is a spectacular sight."   

" Really? Maybe I'll check it out. I just wasn't sure how far to drive out. Thanks," I replied.   

" No problem. Feel free to grab a map if you need it. They're in the little red stand next to the door."   

" That's not half a bad idea. Thanks," I replied.  

  Walking away from the checkout line, I decided to go and look through the food again. If I was going to be walking for twenty miles, I was definitely going to need something else to eat other than a bag of chips and a bottle of soda.    

Looking through the freezers, a silhouette stood next to me, a black hoodie over his head and his hands in his pockets. Noticing keys dangling from his back pocket, an idea struck me. What if I took his keys and 'borrowed' his car? I desperately needed to get out of here and back home. Then my thoughts switched to the picture in the wallet.  Having no idea where this girl lived at or who she was, the only thing that made me hold on to the thought of her was the promise that I made to her parents. If I were in her parents' position, I would want to be reassured that someone would tell my daughter exactly what happened. For this reason, I felt like I had no choice but to find her. If I couldn't save all of those passengers, the least I could do was grant her parents' dying wish. What could be so harmful about a beautiful, hazel eyed girl? She looked so innocent, and yet for some reason the thought that looks can deceive popped into my mind.   

       Looking through the random boxes of frozen food, I found a salisbury steak dinner that looked pretty good. In reality the meal was probably filled with horrible preservatives and a whole lot of sodium, but I was starving and could care less about nutrition at the moment.   

The silhouette standing by me continued to stare straight forward, stiff as a board and not making the slightest movement. After taking the frozen dinner out of the freezer, I decided that it was best to just leave. Approaching the counter once again, the cashier smiled at me.

  "Back so soon?" He teased.

" Yeah, I figured I should pick one of these up."   

" Did you bring a microwave to the forest?" He asked, looking confused.   

" We have an RV we parked a few miles out," I lied.   

" Oh...," the cashier said, a puzzled look still on his face.   

As I pulled out cash from the man's wallet, a crumpled piece of notebook paper fell to the floor. Handing the cashier the money, I picked up the note and read it. 

THIS IS ALL YOU'LL NEED ALONG YOUR WAY

4759 Hazelnut Drive,  

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15202   

412-651-3398

My eyes were so glued to this paper, that the cashier had to pretend to cough to catch my attention. "Oh, sorry. Thanks," I said while grabbing my bag. Suddenly a wave of panic overtook me. Was this paper intended for me to see or was it for the man? Did he plan to set me up before his death? I saw the man in the hoodie walk around, and once again I spotted the keys dangling from his back pocket. Right now, I was in desperate need of a ride as well. As bad as I felt about it, I held out my hand, and slowly the keys flew to me and into my hand. Swiftly running out of the gas station shop, I put the key into the ignition and the car roared to life with an exhilarating power. Backing out of the parking lot, I pressed as hard as I could on the gas and began driving away.    From the rearview mirror, I saw the hooded man run out but as his silhouette grew smaller, he stood there with his hands in his pockets. He seemed calm, way too calm for someone who had just gotten their car stolen. As his silhouette grew even smaller, he just stood there as if he had been anticipating this all along.

© Lightning_Stryker 2015