The Stranger

Chapter 1

The Stranger opened his eyes. Sunlight filtered through the hazy winter sky, causing him to squint. Pain surged through his head and neck when he lifted his head from the rock upon which it rested. He placed his left hand on the back of his neck. It felt warm and wet. He looked at his hand – his fingers were bloody.

He sat up and looked around. The ground was frozen solid. Various sized rocks were scattered about. Small tufts of grass, tan in the winter gloom, stood at odd angles between the rocks. He carefully stood to his feet. The tundra spread before him all the way to the horizon. When he turned around he saw hills rising in the distance. He guessed it was at least a mile to the base of the nearest hill. A two lane road lay between him and the hills. It was only 50 yards distant, so he made his way to it.

He gazed down the road in both directions. It was level and arrow straight as far as the eye could see. Nothing else was visible – not even a mile marker. He paused for a moment, debating which direction he should go. There were no buildings visible in the distance, nor signs of any type. No spires of smoke from a chimney anywhere on the horizon.

That he didn't know what direction he was facing didn't help. Although the sun was 45 degrees above the horizon behind him, he wasn't sure if it was morning or afternoon. How much more daylight did he have? It was already below freezing, so how much colder would it get once the sun had set?

At least he was dressed for the weather. Under his insulated tan coveralls he had a flannel shirt over a t-shirt. He had a hooded sweatshirt over that. He was wearing long johns under his blue jeans, and his leather work boots fit snugly over two pairs of thick socks. The only items lacking were a hat and gloves.

Standing right at 6 feet, the 30 year old stranger had fairly short blonde hair and brown eyes. His clean shaven face had a Germanic look. He was fairly muscular.

A vehicle appeared on the road to his left, just at the edge of the horizon. He would wait where he was. Hopefully he could flag them down, and they would stop.

The pickup stopped twenty feet short of where he stood. It was a dark blue half-ton 4x4 crew cab. The bed contained a white plastic storage setup. The sign on the front passenger-side door identified it as being a veterinarian's vehicle.

A middle aged couple gazed out at him through the windshield. The husband stepped out from behind the wheel. His hair was a mix of black and gray. He was dressed in filthy, dark-blue coveralls, and equally dirty black rubber boots. His gentle amber eyes carefully assessed the stranger. He walked around to the passenger side of the truck and opened the back door.

"Come along, friend. You'll freeze to death out here on your own."

The stranger climbed into the back seat. As he settled in, the old vet closed the door. He returned to the driver's seat and they set off toward the empty horizon.

"I'm doctor Ferdinand Ward. You can call me Fred. Everyone else does. This is my wife June. We're the only vets in a 200 mile radius. Tell me, friend, how did you get stuck so far from anywhere?"

"I'm not sure," the stranger replied, his voice unsteady.

"What do you do in the pit?"

"What pit?"

"The quarry on the edge of town. Don't you work in the pit?"

"I can't remember."

June spoke quietly to Fred. The stranger couldn't quite hear what she said.

Fred stopped on the road. June moved to the back seat, entering from the driver's side. She had silver hairs interspersed in her shoulder length brown locks. Her blue eyes were focused and determined.

"Turn your head. Let me have a look."

She examined the back of his head. She stepped out and retrieved a few supplies from the truck bed. When she returned she pulled on gloves and opened a packet.

"I need you to hold still. And brace yourself, this will probably hurt."

She gently swabbed the back of his head, near the base of his skull. She used several towelettes to clean the area. She applied a cream. It was cold and sent a shiver through his body. She dressed his wound and taped the dressing into place. She returned to the front seat.

"Fred, we need to take this man to the hospital. He needs to have his head and neck x-rayed."

"We're still about 60 miles from town," he told the stranger. "Try to relax. We'll see that you get the treatment you need."