Might Be Lost

[Harley Neal]

Moving was stressful. Harley could feel her muscles tensing with every small thought over the process. In addition to moving, she was having only a few hits on her advertisements, for now. Then again, there was some uneasiness about her gallery being her own home as well. The thoughts were overwhelming. Her muscles tensed again. It was time to get out.

Thus, Harley found herself on the outskirts of Hazleton. She brought with her a small backpack filled with charcoals, sketch papers, sketch pads, colored pencils, and a plethora of markers. She readied herself to be buried in inspiration.

She started the walk ready for anything. She walked for about a half hour, weaving in and out of the trails, rounding a few trees, all until she found a beautiful rock perfect for sitting. She was happy with the surrounding landscape.

She sat down and readied her art supplies. She was ready to settle in and draw for a while.

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[[ Tagged Raz/ Heath Rafferty ]]
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[Heath Rafferty]

Heading out of the depths of the woods in his old chevy, Heath took in a deep breath. Things were going bizarrely in the woods and the park that he had always been so proud of. When he was a kid, he was the type of kid who took part in all that boy scout shit. He went hiking for fun, he loved rock climbing, kayaking, getting out and having an adventure. It wasn't too big a leap when he started working in the wild world of the outdoors shortly after getting out of school.

But the thing was, he had never been quite this prepared for the escalating violence of Hazleton's seedier communities. While he wanted people to enjoy the woods, he was also more wary than he'd ever been about those who were alone.

That was exactly what caught his eye as he was driving out--a lone soul, by themselves and settled cozily on a rock. She looked like she had been sculpted for that rock, the way she sat on it. The world around her had probably melted away for whatever she was doing with those papers.

Heath smiled despite himself. This was exactly what he wanted to see out here. Somebody just being a part of the environment, not a victim of the darkness that had settled in. At least here, it didn't seem to have touched her.

Slowly, Heath came to a stop, rolling down his window and giving his door a slap.

"You okay out here on your own?"

[Harley Neal]

She couldn't help but jump. She didn't even hear the car approach as she was hyperfocused on her work. Oh. A large charcoal line crossed through her charcoal tree. Good thing she brought extra paper.

"Oh! My." She gathered herself and turned to look at the gentleman. She laughed. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting anyone. I'm ok. I think." She looked around a bit confused by the question yet curious at the same time. "There's not anything odd about these woods I should know about, is there?"

Her had clutched her sketchbook a little too tight. She was still a bit startled.

[Heath Rafferty]

He laughed, too. At least she wasn't too wound up. He hadn't realized that she was so deeply focused on whatever she was doing. From the looks of the book in her hand and the pencil poised in her fingers, he could deduce she was likely out here to draw. Nature parks and preserves like this really called to the artists, Heath had noticed. Whether it was a camera or a sketchbook, people wanted to take in and bring home a piece of the outdoors.

"Actually," he started, somewhat reluctantly. "There have been some incidents in these woods recently."

Honestly, they should have shut them down but that was bad for Hazleton and their small community. They needed people to visit the park and visit. They needed the income from the visitors and fall was a prime time for tourists in the area right now.

"Probably nothing you need to worry about," he tried to reassure her. "Just make sure you pay attention to your surroundings."

He had a feeling she wouldn't be doing that, though, since she'd been so deeply involved in her work earlier. After a moment, he opened the door to his truck and stepped out.

"I can stay nearby if you'd like. I know how to handle the creatures around here."