Micah
👤 SpeakerAppearances Over Time
Podcast Appearances
Told myself I was just tired.
Maybe I'd misjudged the distance.
That night, sleep was hard to come by.
Joan snored like a malfunctioning chainsaw, and Mara kept turning over, her sleeping bag rustling every few minutes.
I lay there staring at the tent's ceiling, waiting for my brain to quiet down.
Then I heard footsteps.
They weren't loud, not crashing through brush or crunching over tricks.
Thought.
Intentional.
At first, it was just a couple of slow steps like someone walking cautiously.
Then it picked up.
A weird stuttering rhythm.
Fast, faster, too fast.
Not running exactly, just wrong.
My whole body tense.
I set up slowly, hard hammering.
The moment I moved, the footsteps stopped.
I waited, holding my breath.
Nothing.
I leaned toward the zipper, pulled it down as quietly as I could, and flicked on my flashlight.