Mason
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
I didn't speak.
I didn't move.
I pressed my hand against my own mouth, feeling my breath.
Mason whispered, barely audible.
Don't.
The voice came again, closer now.
Mason, come on.
Then, in the same voice, it added something I would never have said.
Please.
That one word cracked something open in my chest because it was exactly the kind of thing you'd say if you were trying to lure someone.
It was exactly the kind of thing that works when people are tired and scared and their brains are desperate for anything familiar.
Mason shook his head slowly like he was refusing a trance.
He tightened his grip on his trekking pole.
We heard a footstep in the wet leaves, then another.
Then a branch snapped close enough that I could tell it was within a few yards.
Mason raised the bear spray again, aiming into darkness.
I wanted to run.
I wanted to bolt and not stop.
But I knew if we moved, if we made noise, he would come fast.
We sat perfectly still, teeth clenched, eyes straining.