OBD Failure

By

A. Rhea King

DAY 1

Ahjumawi Lava Springs National Park, California

MacGyver parked his Jeep between a car and an old pick-up with a boat trailer. He hopped out and swung his backpack onto his back, snapping the waist strap around him. He looked up at the mountain he was headed for – Widow Mountain.

The last time I had climbed Widow Mountain was with my Grandpa. One of his many jobs was upgrading and repairing sixteen radio towers across the state. It was a great excuse for us to spend many of my vacations camping with him – just grandpa, me, and nature. When the company that now owned the radio tower called looking for him, I offered to take over maintaining his towers. It made me feel close to him and brought back those fond memories. For the last 3 years, I had been to all but two – and Widow Mountain was one of those two. I was looking forward to two weeks off to take care of the tower and exploring the trails in the area – and with any luck, have little to no human contact.

MacGyver pulled his sunglasses off the top of his head over his eyes and started walking.

/_\

He sat with his back against a pine tree, crunching on a granola bar as he studied the topographical map in his hand. He pressed a gold compass against the map, using it to reference the direction he turned the map.

The paved road in front of him – Day Road – had seen rush-hour a half hour ago when an old, rattling, farm truck trundled past. MacGyver and the driver exchanged a friendly wave. Soon he'd have to get up and start walking again, but the solitude and quiet made it difficult for his body and mind to agree on when that would happen.

He heard a vehicle approaching but didn't look up. He was considering hiking down to Butte Lake after he'd worked on the tower, and then back to his Jeep. That hadn't been in the plan he'd told Riley and Matty about before leaving, but it was summer, so there—

"What are you doing?"

MacGyver looked over the top of the map. A car was stopped on the wrong side of the road and the woman driver stared at him. Her sunglasses hid her eyes, but he could tell she was glaring. He guessed they were probably close to the same age. He couldn't say she was attractive, or unattractive – she was a very plain, ordinary, sandy-brunette. The only unusual thing about her was a beauty mark on her left cheek, just below her cheekbone.

"I'm sorry?" MacGyver asked back.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, annunciating her words.

"Nothing. Why?"

"That's private property."

"It's a national forest."

"No. It's private property."

He sighed. "I'll be gone in a few minutes. We don't need to continue this debate."

"What's your name?"

"What's yours?" MacGyver stood up, folding his map and sliding it back in its protective plastic. He slid both into the front pocket of his pack.

"What is your name?"

He looked at her. This was the kind of person he had really hoped he wouldn't see for the next five days. What did the Internet memes call this type of woman? Karen – a woman who couldn't keep her nose out of everyone else's business or expected the world to take care of her. Wouldn't it be funny if that really were her name?

"I'm leaving. You won't see me again."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I'm putting my pack on." And he was.

"How do you know I won't see you again?"

"I just came here to work on the radio tower on the mountain." He pointed up the mountain. "And then I'm back to Los Angeles. So…"

She glanced at the mountain. "What are you doing at the tower?"

MacGyver approached the car, considering how he wanted to answer that question. Suddenly she sped away. He watched the car disappear.

"Strange lady," he muttered under his breath. He started north along the road, toward the county road that would eventually lead him to the Widow Mountain trailhead.

/_\

MacGyver walked a few more steps along the trail before stopping and turning. He scanned the forest, but nothing looked out of place. The feeling he was being watched kept getting stronger. He didn't know why but something in the forest was giving him that feeling. He turned, seeing the radio tower over the treetops. He'd be there in a couple of hours, giving him time to set up camp before it was dark. MacGyver started to walk again. He froze when he heard a branch snap and turned fast.

Nothing. There was nothing to see.

"Okay, come on," MacGyver said. "Whoever you are, this is stupid. Just… either leave or show yourself. I just want to do my job here and enjoy my vacation."

He waited. There were no more sounds, and no one appeared. He sighed and frowned.

"You know, I was really hoping that I could enjoy a nice, quiet week, away from people. You know, have some alone time to sort things. And now I have you, whoever you are, being a jerk. It's not cool. You're not funny. And if I do see you, I will not be friendly."

MacGyver started walking toward the radio tower. He had to cross an open meadow to get to the fence and intentionally crossed in the middle. If the person following him wanted to stay close, they'd have to come into the open and be seen.

No one came out of the trees.

"I think your job has finally gotten to you, Mac," he muttered as he approached the fence surrounding the tower.

MacGyver walked around to the gate and let himself in, being sure to lock it behind him. He paused, looking back toward the forest. He still saw no one.

He gave himself a slight headshake at his paranoia and headed over toward the buildings. There was a campsite on the west side with a firepit and tent pad.