Jake the Snake

	Jake the Snake


	Their first meeting wasn’t fate, it was a mistake. He had meant to keep moving to his next goal when fear rooted him in place – weakening not only his legs, but his resolve as well. Years spent in the woods had hardened him, but never before had he faced something he couldn’t defend himself against. A pack of wolves could be swatted at, a bear could simply be intimated or appeased, but what snarled at him from the fog wasn’t a natural force. It was far, far worse; it was something that drew from the very well of his primal fears.

	But Jake Park knew primal. And when most would crumble, he strengthened. He chose long ago not to submit to his father’s will. He never cared for the empty corporate life. It was dull, devoid of struggle and passion, but his father never understood. He thought his son was insulting him, disobeying in some immature teenage fashion. Their relationship deteriorated, with Park Sr. refusing to accept Jake's lifestyle. Pressure mounted, but it only helped him make the right decision. He lost his father when he went off the map. He lost a lot of things. But he gained a sense of self, learned how to achieve the things he wanted. And right now, he wanted to live.

	He mustered the courage to take steps forward but his heart threatened to give him away. The man – the monster – seemed to know he was nearby. Perhaps it was his scent, or his fleeting breaths, or maybe it his indecision. It tightened its grip on its bear trap and made long strides toward the direction of the soon to be corpse of a man. Jake’s breath came in fast, shallow depths as he pivoted, readying himself for his last panicked moments. There was no escape plan, no obstacles to place between him and death. He would finally become one with the woods he had grown to embrace so long ago.

	There was a crash in the other direction. Another weary soul, a shy one, prone to fits of empathy and care, had thrown a worn piece of wood against the dull red bricks. Her expression was one of fierceness, but it was a deception; she had never stood up to anyone, much less something that has killed her once before. The entity’s tool slowly turned, and, taking notice of the obstacle between him and his new prey, looked past its mask to meet her eyes. She could only see black holes boring into her. Its foot came crashing into the plank, sending splinters flying into both of them as she fled for her life, thoughts of heroism running away from her as fast as she ran from the beast.

	Jake had, for the longest time, believed this was his personal hell. A place for him to be punished eternally for something horrible he knew he had done but could not remember. As he limped out of the gate and into the false comfort of the bonfire, he decided not to believe what he had seen. It must’ve been another sliver of hope granted to him by the force that put him here; just an apparition to grant some comfort so that more can be taken away.

	He tore off a piece of a plant he knew was edible and munched on it as he fell asleep.