Lost in the Appalachian Mountains-The search

If you have no idea what I am talking about, then click on the link to read part 1 Lost in the Appalachian Mountains

Lucy smelled bacon and pancakes cooking. And her cigarette smoldered, waiting in her hand to be smoked. She felt at peace and was relaxed. The air was fresh and her stomach full.

She was bolted awake to the sound of thunder. She was dreaming. Her tarp was soaked and her head ached. No hangover just tired from being out in this dang wilderness. Her “sleeping bag” was wet from the morning dew. Lucy got up got ready for the day. No makeup and no hot coffee to start the day. She felt totally lost and knew she was going in circles. She knew she could go back to the shack if she needed to. She made her way back to the shack.as she chewed on some jerky. She could eat a whole meal and then some. She had to keep her mind sharp and keep her body dry but the wild wasn’t really a warm place to be. As she made her way down the ridge and looked for the shack. It shouldn’t be far down. It seemed like it was right there. But she knew the trees played tricks on her. Not everything was as it seemed here. The wilderness was like a chess game.

It was closer to 10 37 am when she saw the outline of the shack. She made herself into the shack. Before she could a shadow made her jump back.

Was it something large? what was it?

Lucy’s heart sank and she felt her body start to shake.

In the corner of the shack stood a small but eager looking bobcat. Lucy froze. They both froze. Lucy looked for the nearest thing she could find. The toolbox was still where she left it. She grabbed it.

The bobcat looked young and maybe its mom was around? Lucy didn’t want to find out, and she grabbed the toolbox and threw it at the animal and ran. She ran as fast as she could. She wasn’t on the trail, and she wasn’t sure which direction she was going. She just knew she had to get away from the animal. Put distance between each other.

She finally stopped running and came to a clearing with some sort of lake. With mountains off in the distance. Sure, it looked pretty but she had to keep moving. She rested for a bit and then got on her way. Hoping she was going in the right direction.

Her hands were dirty and her feet ached. she was somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Not exactly great. Lucy walked a lot that evening until she stopped and sat down. With hardly any food left and her tarp about to fall apart. Lucy was mentally exhausted and physically exhausted. Maybe no one knew she was out here? Maybe she was all alone?

The next morning, she ate the rest of her food and walked until she couldn’t walk anymore. Her shoes were worn out, and she needed time to regroup. She didn’t really care at this point. If she was found, she was found. The cool breeze rocked her to her bones. The smell of dirt made her want to go home. She could hear the birds in the distance. It sounded so peaceful and calming.

Winter was on its way, most of the leaves had fallen from the trees. Lucy redid her hair and packed up the few remaining items she had and set off again in no particular direction.

A man in the dark rescue coat grabbed his flashlight and directed the volunteers to start searching for Lucy. It had been almost 2 weeks since Lucy had vanished. The weather had been promising but winter was on its way. If she was alive, she would need medical attention. Both counties were looking for her. They found her car and had followed her scent with dogs, but the dogs lost her scent. County 1 took one route and county 2 took the other route. Lucy had taken a harder path into the Appalachians mountains. She had some supplies but would need more help than what she had.

Her family and friends were worried. Her brother and sister also joined into the search. Her friends joined as well, and the neighbors were anxious to help even if they were more than curious. It took hours and days for the search to find anything. The dogs found her scent but lost it near a stream. The sheriff department were involved as well. The whole community had pitched in. Signs and flyers were scattered all over town.

As for any progress it had run up dry. The Appalachian Mountains were known to be deadly and dangerous. Even sometimes mysterious. There have been 4 other disappearances within the last year. None were ever found. Some say wild animals got them, other say that it was a suicide wish, and some believe it could have been something else. Lucy had experience but she did not have enough to be out in these kinds of weather conditions. Time mattered, if only lucy could be found. volunteers continued onto the night and the next morning. One volunteer mentioned that they hoped she hadn’t gone in the direction of the lost tribe. The lost tribe consisted of a group of people who were uncivilized and were considered dangerous, inbred and not to be messed with.

To be continued…

Originally published at https://sjjr.substack.com.