Chapter 1.

Through the clearing in the trees above, the thunderheads loomed over and stared down at him like a bunch of disappointed school marms ready to slap his wrists with a one point twenty-one gigawatt ruler. He looked at his hands in the dingy sunlight reflecting off his floating critics, clenching his fists. They felt rubbery and strange. Unfamiliar. The hands he'd known since floating in the womb twenty six years were now as warm and recognizable to him as a bleary eyed vagrant on the side of the highway. He stumbled deeper into the woods, following the sounds of the river ahead. The thunder growled it's accusations, but the wind made like a willing accomplice, pushing him forward. Encouraging him. He drove himself forward, the anxious voice in his mind telling him that everything would be alright once he made it to the river. The voice of logic sat sullenly in a small corner of his mind, realizing hours ago that he was just going to be ignored anyway.

He froze for a moment as the sound of a woman's voice flowed through the wind coming from behind him.

"For......one.....left...."

The broken phrase swirled around him like a specter, chilling him. His pulse raced. His eyes searched the surrounding woods frantically, trying to find the source. The lilting female voice sounds strangely familiar.

"For.....one....left...."

Then it hit him like a sock full of soap. When he bolted from the car, he left his door open. The voice was coming from the navigation system. He let out a relieved laugh and pressed onwards.

He picked up the pace as the sounds of the river grew louder, pushing away the branches that were trying to smack some sense into him. Lightning cracked near by with all the subtlety of knuckles in a library, causing him to pause for a moment to make sure he hadn't been punched. Continuing forward, he could make out the opposite river bank through the brush ahead. He stormed onto the small beach by the river and gave a cry of success, yelling at the sky as if to say 'I told you I'd make it!'

Now he was at a loss. His plan was pretty clear when he first ditched his car on the highway. Run through the woods and head for the river. The river always seemed to be the answer in movies. There was always some form of escape to be found there. And here he was. The fire that swelled from his small success was being extinguished by logic, who was tired of sitting in the corner and being ignored. The man looked around now, slightly panicked. Huge, stinging drops starting falling from the grim, jaundiced clouds. He was trying to form the next part of his plan. He could follow the river down stream. Or maybe he'd go upstream. Or maybe he should avoid the stream all together and just go across the river. Or maybe he should just go back to his car and face his consequences.

He knelt down by the river and stuck his hands in to scoop some water to his drying mouth. The water was cool to the touch, and his tongue could already taste the hundreds of things that water shouldn't taste like. As the liquid made contact with his mouth, the chill shot through his system like a spark, jump-starting his weary, delusional mind. He threw himself into the dirt, laughing out loud as he yanked one of his shoes off and started running around in circles, plodding a giant, confusing path through the bank of the river. He knew people would come looking for him, and when they find his car, they'd be sure to search the woods. The least he could do would be to make it confusing for them.

After a few minutes of trudging through the wet sand and dirt, he admired his handy work. That would surely throw off any would be pursuers. With a new found energy, he slid his shoe back on and started walking through the river, figuring that would be the easiest way to not leave footprints. With a sense of hope and freedom, he grinned, knowing he was a man who had just retaken control of his destiny. It was around this time that the school marms had made up their own minds about his destiny and brought their cruel ruler down.