Chapter 2
As expected, there are no official explanations for the tree with the face in it. And everyone knows there is much more of this world still to be seen. Still, the anticipation carries through to the next episode.
It begins where the last left off. Jack is staring at the red eyes and mouth formed into the white bark of the tree before him. The audience watches as Jack waves his hand in front of it. He even says "hello", at one point. With no reaction from the tree Jack moves closer and gets he and the audience a better look.
Gingerly he touches the tree's white bark. He slowly moves his hand to the orifices that seem to bleed. Touching it then rubbing his gloved fingers together, Jack announces it must be a type of sap or resin. Then he states the obvious, "That means someone must have carved it."
Jack takes a look in all directions around the tree and on the ground, obviously looking for more signs of life. Seeing none, he steps away from the tree. A good distance away he squats to the ground. Jack positions a camera, from somewhere on his person, to look him in the face.
"Okay, so that is really weird," he declares. "I am not going to camp nearby after all. If there are locals they probably know the area better than me and would no doubt catch me sleeping. So the only question is where to go next?"
Jack returns the camera and the view switches back to Jack's perspective. He wrestles through some pockets before pulling out a very solid looking compass. The audience doesn't get much of a look at it before Jack is tapping it on his forearm. "What the hell?" he asks. Holding the compass up into view, the audience can see that the directional needle is swinging wildly in different directions.
"That's great," Jack says. "Should have requested a working compass."
Text appears at the bottom of the screen that says all of Jack's equipment was rigorously tested and of the highest quality.
"Well, I now think I should very much get out of these woods. Maybe find the top of a hill to call my own," Jack says.
He begins to pick up his pace while also pausing to look around. The audience notices snow starts to build on the ground as Jack moves forward. "Good news, bad news," Jack narrates. "If I stick to the snow I can see if anyone is leaving tracks. But, I will be, presumably, moving north into colder weather and slower movement."
Jack seems to decide the snow is the way to go as he moves forward. The first of four commercials air. The networks interactive sight allows users to look at some of Jack's equipment. They can see that the compass is of the highest materials precision made.
The show edits more as Jack mover forward at a jog. The images blur and then leap to show the forward progress Jack makes while jogging thought the forest. He stops at a large felled tree that appears to have been that way for some time. Jack leaps easily to the highest point and turns a slow circle. It is becoming dusk in the world that Jack has recorded. Daylight is heavily filtered through the thick woods. As jack looks up his viewers can see dull grey clouds closing overhead.
"I'm going to camp here for the night it looks like," Jack narrates. "Actually, I will attach my bed up high in one of these trees. If the snow hasn't thrown off anyone potentially looking for intruders, at least I may stay out of sight."
Another set of edit changes as the viewers watch Jack climb a tree and assemble a hammock that rock climbers would use. The audience can see the specs on all the materials online and confirm their strength and minimal weight. Jack bundles himself to a sleeping position and drapes a camouflage sheet over his whole rig. Lastly he detaches another camera fish eyed small camera and positions it to look to the ground.
Jack gives the audience a final narration for the night it would seem. "The suit I'm wearing now has temperature controls built in, so I won't have to worry about cold. The power to the devices comes from batteries I can charge with solar or a manual hand turn generator. I actually have movies, music and books stored in my special tablet. I don't think I will use them tonight." Jack spoke the entire time in a whisper. He peeks through a small opening and the turns to sleep.
More commercials air and there is only about five minutes left to air of the episode. Many wonder what else can be shown in that time. When the program returns the viewers are watching through the portable fish eyed camera Jack setup. It is the grainy green and white image of night vision. A clock appears on the image and speeds up a little over three hours and then slows to normal. Snow has begun to fall and the wind has picked up.
Without warning a large creature slowly walks into view. The viewers eventually realize they are looking down at a bear. The animal walks unnaturally though as its head remains stationary while it moves. The bear does not sniff or look around itself.
When the beast comes right below the camera and the sleeping Jack it stops. It stands perfectly still for a minute. Slowly the creature crookedly turns its head upward. Many viewers scream in terror as they can see the beast has half of its face gone. And while the face may show a long row of exposed teeth and nostril holes, the eyes appear to be intact. In fact they are glowing unnaturally bright.
The bear holds its head in place for another moment before quietly turning back to where it came from. As it leaves the viewers get a good look at a row of exposed ribs and organs. The episode fades to black and the credits roll over a remorseful tune.
Audience speculation prior to this episode had often theorized that Jack had actually travelled to a different time on earth. Many looked forward to the potential encounters with extinct animals and visits to our ancestors. Now the misfiring compass and the bear encounter threw that belief into disarray.
The online community almost immediately tossed out the Earth of another time idea. The focus turned mostly to the bear. Initially some suggested the animal was almost dead and would succumb to either its disease or injuries. This carried until the next day, even with some immediate dissenters.
Like most episodes, the prior nights Traveler was part of the networks news cycles. Experts of all scientific fields were called upon to discuss the prior episode. The most startling discovery from these discussions was a near universal agreement that the bear could not be alive as it walked around. Little explanation could be given for how the animal was able to move then. The only consensus was that everyone would have to watch the next episode to hopefully find out.
The next episode begins and the audience is a little disappointed that it starts with Jack emerging from his hammock to daylight. He begins to take apart his structure and again, thankfully, the show speeds through the process. Jack's next task, "Gotta catch breakfast."
Jack's new strength and agility have him leaping through branches and pouncing effortlessly to the ground. In little time he has caught an assortment of squirrels and rabbits. He quickly dispatches them, which is unsettling to younger viewers that had been advised of the shows adult content.
Another fast edit as Jack cleans and cooks his meal. It seems like almost too much to eat at first and many speculate he will have to pack some in snow to preserve them. But the viewers are quickly reminded of Jack's new accelerated hunger as he devours the small group of creatures. "That helps a lot," he explains aloud. "I get really hungry, really fast anymore."
More text appears that explains Jack was sent with nutrient packs that can be mixed with water. They are high in protein and fiber and each dose can act as a meal, even for Jack McCallen.
"Today I am going to seek higher ground to see if there is anything around," Jack narrates. "West, it looks like there is a large hill."
The image holds toward the west seemingly. The audience makes out the rise of a hill in the distance. The snowcapped trees rise steadily in the distance, marking the destination. As Jack begins to walk the commercials begin.
When the show returns he had progressed to denser woods. The light is dimmer from above and the only noise is Jack's steady breathing. He moves quickly and quietly through the dense forest. The only interruption is a quick blur of hunting and eating for what is presumably lunch. At the end of his meal Jack looks around in a slow circle. The audience at home or watching on hand held devices and listening with headphones, feels the quiet and loneliness of the forest. Those watching with others find themselves, at times, giving one another reassuring smiles.
Jack stamps out his small cook fire and moves on. It is obvious to the audience he is moving uphill. In editing jumps, Jack moves through chunks of the forest. Progressively, his world grows darker and colder.
"Looks like it will dark before I reach the top," Jack tells the viewers. "But I don't see how it can be any creepier than stopping anywhere here for the night."
Jack gives another turn around to illustrate his point. The woods are dense and dark. The light is losing the battle as it is filtered through the heavy growth. Snow is lightly falling around Jack. He pushes on in his uniquely swift manner.
Fifteen minutes left to the episode and another commercial break. Audiences everywhere share their unease at walking in the dark woods of an alien world. Many offer their opinion about what Jack should be doing next. As well as critiquing mistakes they believe he has made to this point.
When the show returns, oddly the host is back on. Surprisingly he gives the audience a quick warning telling them that the remainder of the episode is very disturbing. Children are definitely not advised to be watching. Of course few are deterred and continue to watch, even more intrigued.
The show returns with a swift payoff. Jack is well into the night and it has obviously become much colder where he is. The audience watches as he adjusts his black suit to pull out a hood and mask combo. Jack then adjusts his electronic temperature regulator to make the suit warmer. Finally he activates small but bright flashlights at his shoulders. He steps one foot forward, when he is done, and then suddenly drops to the ground.
He makes no noise and he and the audience are listening intently. The audience is a moment behind before hearing what had alerted Jack. Rustling sounds, many of them are coming from an unknown direction. The sound is accompanied by what sound like snapping branches. Jack is crouched yet moving. He rounds one large tree and is quickly halted.
It takes the audience a moment to register what they are seeing. There are people and animals crowded together. They are walking up the same hill as Jack and some begin to walk toward him. Seeing humans from another world is startling enough, but these humans are different. The few heading Jack's way have far too blue eyes to be normal. And while their bodies might make noise, they were otherwise silent.
"Oh, no," Jack whispers.
As the people grow closer, more detail can be out. They are men and women, boys and girls. They are wearing furs and leather and often not much at all. But what is most surprising is that they all appear to be wounded. Not cuts or bruises, but large gaping wounds throughout their bodies. Several have exposed bones, muscle and organs. And yet they shamble forward.
Jack runs. He runs through the trees and it is a jumble to the viewers. They can only see what Jack's cameras and flashlights allow. The view suddenly shifts as it appears Jack has fallen. He looks back at what appears to be a sharpened wooden, protruding from the snow and pointing from where he was running from.
Jack seems lost for a moment, examining the stake. His viewers are collectively wishing him to get up and run. Another loud crash of something moving through branches and bush convinces Jack to get to his feet. He remains crouched and holding onto the stake. Now the audience begins to hear shouting in the distance. The words can't be made out, but they are definitely coming from human. And as Jack points his body and cameras toward them, the image shows the peaks of fires up the hill.
Jack turns off the flashlights and runs for the fires. The way up becomes steep and Jack is often sliding down for as much progress as he makes. On one such occasion he looks behind himself and a small collection of the dead are some 20 meters back. There is a stag with whole antler torn violently from its head, half a nude man crawling and a small collection of mangled persons and beasts. All with haunting blue eyes.
Jack jumps up the hill to grab a branch. He stays above the snow and hurtles himself forward on tree limbs and bark. The audience, watching, grows more anxious as they realize there is little time left in the episode.
Jack pauses and rest on a small foothill to catch his breath. He gets little time, though, as a new lumbering noise is coming from in front of him. This time Jack reaches to his side and pulls out what appears to be a black, military grade, combat knife. He holds it, and he, very still as the noise draws near.
Suddenly another human bursts forward and trudges through the snow toward Jack. The audience can see this man dragging what appears to be a sword in one hand while holding a torch in the other. The man stops in surprise as he discovers Jack. Jack and the cameras rise to greet this man.
He is wearing black leather and black fur. His eyes aren't blue like the dead. Instead it is obvious he has frozen tears running into his beard. Shock and terror are all over this man's face.
Wordlessly the man looks over Jack. Finally he draws close to him, "Run, you idiot. All is lost," he hoarsely yells at Jack.
The credits roll on silently against a black background.
