Distant Lands

I stand still, looking at Damon’s car disappear from view. This is the second time a man abandons me and tells me to go straight into the wilderness.

I start walking towards the line of trees. I need to do this right this time-No falling down mountains or getting lost. As I get closer to the forest, the sunlight begins to dim. Damon was right; this place is secluded. The thick forest blocks most of the sunlight, causing moss to flourish on the ground. The air feels cooler, and there’s a strong woody smell.

Secluded is perfect for my situation, but it also means that the forest will be full of thriving wildlife. I can hear the birds chirping loudly, a woodpecker pecking at a tree, and small animals scurrying in the woods. I just hope not to encounter some type of big animal. I trek on cautiously.

As I walk, twigs break underneath my feet, making my footsteps noisy. I’m not a wildlife expert, but I know that it’s better to make noise while walking so that animals won’t be surprised.

I’ve been walking for a while now, and the air seems to be getting colder. The wind picks up, and the trees begin to sway. The trees’ sound while swaying in the breeze reminds me of running water.

Damon didn’t mention how far the safe house would be, so I have no idea when I should expect to see the place. I walk straight ahead, trying to memorize my path if I get lost. I place leaves through twigs and put them in front of trees.

I feel like I’ve been walking in these woods for about an hour now, and I wonder if maybe I have made a turn somewhere.

I stop and look back behind me.

But all I did was go straight, so I must be going the right way. I continue on my path, and the birds quiet down a bit, and I hear a branch break somewhere in the distance. I stop and scan the forest but don’t see any signs of animals or people.

I pick up the pace when I realize that the sunlight is starting to dim even more. I know that if I get stuck out here in the dark, I will get lost.

Straight ahead, the terrain starts to slope up a bit. The small hill has ferns and bushes, and I carefully walk up and push my way through. I see a cabin on the other side, and I sigh in relief. I made it without getting lost.

"Thank you, god."

Plants obstruct the path leading to the cabin. It shows that it has been a while since Damon has visited or maintained this place. Or maybe he purposely left it like this to camouflage it?

As I get closer to the cabin, I begin to see that, nope, it wasn’t intentional. Damon hasn’t been maintaining the place. Ivy clings to the front door and windows, and the outside has dust and spider webs. Everything is overgrown, bushes and grasses surround the building, and nature is about to take over the place.

I stand in front of the cabin, realizing that Damon didn’t give me a key. Maybe he hid a key somewhere? I search under rocks, near the door, around the porch but don’t find anything.

I stand in front of the door and remove the Ivy covering it. I push the door, and it opens. The cabin is dark, with the Ivy on the windows blocking most sunlight from shining in. There's no light switch on the wall.

“Lights on.”

The lights on the ceiling slowly blink on, giving me a better view of the place. The inside of the cabin is not cabin-style at all. It has a modern design. Of course, Damon would design a safe house with luxury in mind. If one day, for whatever reason, he were forced into hiding, he would still want to have the comfort of his penthouse, even in the middle of nowhere.

The safe house isn’t that big. To my left is the living room, an oversized couch with a glass coffee table in front of it. The kitchen is in the middle with a small dining table with chairs. I'm assuming the two doors on the right side of the house are the bedroom and bathroom.

I walk over to the couch and sit down. I swipe a finger on the coffee table filled with dust. I get up and start looking in cabinets trying to find cleaning supplies. Most of the cabinets are empty, but I find cleaning supplies and rags in one of the bottom cabinets. I carry them and place them on the table.

“Alexa, put some music on.”

She starts playing some weird ass music, and I realize that it’s this world’s music.

“Oh, Alexa, stop the music.”

“Alexa, play music from planet Earth.” Familiar tunes start to play, and I start dusting and cleaning the place. Since no one is watching, I dance and sing along.

Suddenly, a loud alarm sounds and Alexa turns on, scaring the soul out of me.

“Safehouse is now on lockdown,” Alexa says.

“What? Lockdown!”

I run towards the front door, and I can’t open the door. I go over to the windows, and they are locked too. Feeling trapped, I start to freak out.

What if Damon realized I wasn’t worth the trouble? And planned to get rid of me? What if the alien police are on their way now? I have to get the hell out of here.

“Alexa, unlock the safe house!”

“I am unauthorized to do so,” she says.

“I am authorizing you to unlock the safe house.”

“Authorization is not recognized.”

“Alexa! You bitch! unlock the door!”

“Command is unrecognized.”

“Shit!”