Khaki man by Alison Coolidge

Khaki Man Lisa zipped up her jacket, because even though it was only a few days into October, the air had a distinct, biting chill to it that was uncharacteristic even to Vermont. Teddy, her Australian Shepherd, however, didn’t seem to mind as he bounded up the trail leading into the musty, green forest. She set off behind him, taking large, energetic strides, happy to have broken the habit of working on Saturdays. She thought that owning her own bakery would mean there would be plenty of time to hike the mountains, sustained by her sweet, flakey creations. Instead, it actually meant waking up before the sun rose and staying at the bakery long after closing to prepare for the following day. And yet she still felt like she was falling farther and farther behind. She finally admitted to having cabin fever and decided to take Teddy up Burnt Meadow Mountain. Lisa was shaken from her daydreaming by Teddy’s shrill bark. For a big dog he certainly didn’t sound like it. Lisa looked in the direction of his pointed gaze and saw a man, much farther up the trail. Was it Lisa’s imagination, or was he dressed entirely in khaki? A forest ranger maybe? She thought little of it, but Teddy tensed and refused to avert his gaze, small whining sounds just audible from the back of his throat. But soon, the man disappeared and Lisa returned to her mindless meanderings. With only the sound of her own footsteps and the occasional birdcall, Lisa thought about her life. She was doing well, owning a business and all, but it felt like something had yet to be done. There was a single outstanding item on the to-do list of life. She looked at Teddy and hated to admit it to herself, but he was her everything. Without someone to share her life with, and no family left, he was the only thing she had aside from her work. It seemed silly and ill advised to treat a dog like a close confidant and even your child, but there she was. Acknowledging her

loneliness was too difficult for Lisa to admit to even herself. So she stowed it away in the same place she kept a lifetime of hopes and fears too daunting for the light of day. Farther up the trail, near the crest of a steep incline, Lisa saw the khaki man again. He stood at the top of the incline and seemed to be looking back at her. Yes, he was most certainly looking at her. Teddy returned the man’s stare with another shrill bark and he quickly turned, dipping below the other side of the crest. Lisa stopped abruptly on the trail. She looked behind her, wondering if she should continue on. It was only a few miles back to where she had parked, but she had planned on hiking the entire trail. And, it was her first Saturday off in ages and she did not intend on wasting it on account of a man who clearly had trouble dressing himself. Khaki on khaki? Come on. Lisa turned back around with a scoff and continued up the incline, which was more slippery than she had anticipated. Teddy’s bushy, flowing fur was quickly becoming caked in mud. How did the khaki man, who was on the heavier side, make it up here so quickly? Granted, Lisa was weighed down by her daily diet of croissants and coffee cake, but she wasn’t totally out of shape. Teddy scampered ahead, undeterred by the mud. Halfway up was a particularly slick spot and for a moment Lisa was walking in place. But, with one big lunge, and Teddy’s tailwagging encouragement, she cleared it and was quickly a few paces from the top. She glanced over her shoulder, and from nearly the top of the incline she could see at least a mile down the trail until it bent into some trees. She furrowed her brow. The khaki man had waited around— watching her?—for much longer than it would have taken to make his way up this small section of the path. Lisa dismissed the thought, still trying to enjoy her day off, and made her way to the very top of the crest.

3 At the top she took a moment to look around her, and she could do so because the height

allowed for a complete 360-degree view of the Vermont countryside. To one side was the mountain, stretching up and layered in green pine trees, dotted with patches of orange and yellow. On the other side, the mountain stretched downwards but there were empty patches in the sea of trees where houses had been built. They disrupted the landscape but over time became a part of it, like dimples on a cheek. Winding country roads snaked through the trees. The immensity of the view suddenly forced Lisa’s innermost thoughts to the surface. The enormity of the land made Lisa feel smaller than usual. Under the grey sky she felt more alone than ever and thought she would disappear into the land with every step forward. For a second she even felt like crying. She almost wanted to just evaporate away because the weight of her own loneliness, and self-pity, were becoming almost too much to bear. Lisa remembered the cold and zipped up her jacket tighter. A tug on the leash set her moving forward again. The pair slid down the embankment, where the path leveled of at the bottom. Once on level ground again, something caught Lisa’s attention. There was a beige blur and then blackness. --The dripping of water. A faint smell of smoke. Someone’s heavy breathing. Lisa could not open her eyes yet. Confused and colder than before, she tried to take in everything she could before admitting to herself and the heavy breather that she was awake. She was on the ground, yes most definitely the ground. The cutting of rocks and twigs into her back and legs made this apparent. She heard the sound of water—rain? She was not getting wet but was definitely outside. Suddenly the pounding in Lisa’s head made itself known. It felt like someone was hammering away at the back of her head. She was afraid to touch the source of the pain. Then

she realized Teddy! Where was he? The leash wasn’t in her hand anymore and there was an indescribable emptiness to the air that told her he wasn’t anywhere near. Finally, Lisa braced herself and slowly and deliberately opened her eyes, just a crack at first. She was lying on the ground but above her was a blue, crinkled tarp, shielding her from the drizzling rain. The crackle of the fire finally reached her ears. As she turned her to right look at it a shooting pain rocked her neck and head, causing her to see white for a moment. As her vision returned a sickening bubble formed in her stomach. Hunched over the fire, breathing loudly and laboriously was a blob of khaki. As her vision sharpened she saw that it was the man in khaki from the trail. Panic gripped her. Throat tightening, heart racing, she tried to stifle a scream. This resulted in an inhuman whimper. The khaki man’s eyes shot up to see Lisa beginning to writhe in pain on the ground, mind still uncooperatively hazy. He began to sweat. “You took quite a tumble back there, miss,” he said. Lisa slowly began to sit up despite shooting pains and the khaki man stood up. He wasn’t very tall, but his protruding belly made it clear that what he lacked in height he made up for in density. The khaki shirt was unbuttoned at the top, revealing curly salt-and-pepper chest hairs. His pants were wrinkled and dirty and they almost looked slept in. He was sweaty and the way the corners of his mouth turned upwards made Lisa shake. “You hear me? That was quite a spill,” he said “you alone today?” Lisa focused her eyes enough to see his face. He had a grey mustache and glasses she had not noticed before. The frames were small and thin and the glasses were so magnified that it looked like he had eyes too large for his face rather than actual glasses. The tiny craters and aging acne scars covering his cheeks were disgusting.

5 “Yes, I- I mean—my dog,” Lisa began, “where’s my dog?” Everything was still fuzzy

and Lisa hardly recognized her own voice. She tried rubbing her eyes and temples to refresh her vision and awareness, to no avail. Her head was pounding and she felt tentacles of fear beginning to wrap around her body. Suddenly it occurred to her, she never fell. She took an inventory of her body. No sprained ankle, no twisted knee, no pain in her hands where she would have tried to break said fall. Falls also don’t generally result in losing consciousness, especially once you’ve reached the level part of the trail. And Teddy was gone. If she had felt alone before, now she was positively by herself. The feeling created an iciness in her heart and limbs having nothing to do with the weather. “That shepherd fella? He run off somewhere,” the khaki man went on, “I think he was headed east, near the road. He gon’ be all right. It’s just you and I now.” This dismissal of Teddy agitated Lisa and she decided she most certainly had not fallen. Her mind was finally starting to clear up. No dog, her backpack was gone, and she was still strewn on the ground. A normal person would call 911 when they see someone have an “accident.” Lisa tried to stand but suddenly the khaki man was above her. Her heart rushed into her throat. “I wouldn’t move if I was you. Inj’ries, ‘nd whatnot,” he said. “I’d like to leave. I need, I should…” Lisa stammered. She suddenly realized her own panic when she couldn’t get out a full sentence. “A doctor. I think I need a doctor. I’ve got to, got to go…” She trailed off, voice shaking. The man inched closer standing above her, his head brushing the tarp. The woods were quiet as stared downwards at Lisa, who felt like she was shrinking into the ground. She never had felt smaller in her whole life.

6 Quickly she glanced around. Campfire. Tarp. No trail. Just trees. She looked back up at

the khaki man towering over her. He had not averted his gaze. Lisa did not want to be alone with this man and deep down knew that the more distance between them, the better. She could run, but to where? The trail—any trail—had to be close. She couldn’t have gotten too far away from it while unconscious and these woods still seemed familiar. “I asked if you were alone,” he said. “Yes, well no, my dog,” she stammered. “I see, I see. You got a boyfriend? Husband?” “Yes,” she lied immediately. Lying had never seemed so important in her entire life. It felt like every word Lisa uttered, every move she made, was a move in a chess game in which she couldn’t see her opponent’s pieces. “Well which is it?” “Boyfriend.” “That so?” “Yes.” Her chin was quivering now. “Where is he?” Lisa paused. Her mind uncooperatively raced from one trivial item to the next. The toobig bed she slept in every night with one eternally cold side, Teddy’s toy collection overrunning a section of the living room, the phone that didn’t ring. “Work,” she stammered. She didn’t mean for it to sound like a question. He smiled and the way his lips curled over yellowing teeth made Lisa’s stomach churn. “That so? On a Saturday?” He chuckled and with his hands on his hips turned to look at the dwindling campfire. “Ya know, I—”

7 Without even thinking Lisa flipped over and began rapidly clawing her way away from

the man in one quick motion. Something inside of her was screaming, bellowing RUN. A vicelike grip was around her calf, nails digging into her flesh. A scream erupted from Lisa’s throat, a noise that barely sounded human. “You’re hurt, you see? You gotta stay,” the man was yelling and pulling her back towards the camp, another hand now pulling the back of her jacket. “No! No—please! I’ve got to go! Please!” Lisa felt tears welling up in her eyes and she screamed again. The tears began flowing now, “I have to go! Let me GO!” On the final syllable she sent a kick to the khaki man’s groin. He grunted and doubled over. “Goddamn bitch!” Lisa took this half a second to begin running. She had no idea where to, but her brain, and something even deeper and more primitive, was telling her to do so. She didn’t even care where. Anywhere away from the sweaty khaki monster was ideal. The rain was falling heavier now, causing her to slip and fall several times, leaping to her feet after every tumble. Branches snapped and flung raindrops as she tore past them. Her lungs were burning and she tired to suppress another scream. Tears were clouding her vision and mucus ran down from her nose and over her lips. A glance back showed the khaki man making his way swiftly behind Lisa, picking his way through the vegetation. He was tubby and dense, but quick nonetheless. Up ahead, Lisa saw a break in the trees and she doubled her sprinting efforts. The pounding footsteps and heavy breathing behind her were getting closer. It seemed like the faster she ran the slower she moved. The rain made the whole ground slippery. Between the mud, wet leaves, and moss covered rocks it was like trying to run on an ice rink.

8 The clearing neared and Lisa flung herself to it. It was the road. Thank God, the road. But

as she made a beeline to the pavement a root seemed to appear from nowhere, tripping her. Lisa slammed into the ground. Without even looking she could feel how torn up her hands and knees were. Then there was a weight, a sickeningly warm, heaving weight on top of her and a pair of arms grabbing her waist. He smelled like smoke and body odor. “I thought I told you! You’re hurt. You can’t go nowhere! You got me now!” The way he said me pumped a surge of adrenaline through Lisa’s body. “No!” She screamed, louder than ever. It sounded like the scream of an animal. “Get off! Please! Just stop it!” Lisa kicked and clawed, doing anything to get away from this man. Why was he doing this to her? All she wanted was to be home with Teddy, or even kneading dough until her hands and wrists went numb in the bakery. It just wasn’t fair. And in the struggle something became blindingly apparent. Lisa was desperately and hopelessly forlorn. Saying she was alone hardly covered it. No one knew where she was. No one cared. Her screams echoed back to her. The whole world felt empty. Despite her fighting, Lisa was lifted off the ground. “You’re coming with me miss. You’ll see. I’m doing this for you.” He then pinned Lisa against a massive oak tree, her feet barely touching the ground. One hand held hers above her head and the other was gripping her just below the neck. “Get away!” she screamed. “I’m helpin’ you miss. You’ll see.” The tears were now pouring down Lisa’s face. The khaki man breathed heavily and he seemed to be studying her face, then her body. “It’s all for the best. You’ll see.” He then pressed his sour mouth to Lisa’s and she squirmed to get away but he was too strong for her. All she could manage was to scrape the front of his legs with her wet

sneakers. He brought his face away from hers. He was sweating more than ever and Lisa noticed some crumbs in his mustache. Her panic reached a fever pitch and she vomited down the front of the man. Coffee cake didn’t taste as good the second time around. Miraculously, he dropped her to the ground where she crumpled up, gasping and coughing. “Bitch!” he yelled and began dragging her again, despite her attempts to scramble away. Just beyond the road in a clearing behind the trees was a tan pickup truck. “Let’s go,” the khaki man grunted, “and try to behave.” “No!” Lisa screamed as he half dragged, half threw her towards the car. When they arrived at the vehicle the khaki man opened the door and threw Lisa inside the cab in one smooth motion. His strength was alarming. He shoved her to the passenger side and got in the car beside her, clicking the locks. Lisa lunged for her door just as he pressed the child lock button. Her window was also useless. Looking back through the trees she could just distinguish the blue tarp and the dying fire, which was now just embers. “You have to let me go,” she said, barely finding the courage to speak, “someone will be wondering where I am.” “I ain’t so worried about that,” the man mumbled as he pulled the truck onto the dirt road leading towards the pavement. “Where are you taking me?” Lisa’s voice shook, but she was growing more confident. They were driving steadily now. Lisa anxiously scanned for signs indicating where she was or where she was going. Anything. Suddenly something grey and white flashed in the road. “Teddy!” Lisa exclaimed, disbelief permeating her voice. The truck swerved and screeched on the wet pavement. Teddy bounded up the side of the pavement, red leash trailing behind.

10 “Son of a bitch!” the man yelled. “Please! Stop!” Lisa cried, looking back, desperate to not lose sight of her dog, her only

family, and right it now it seemed her only hope of being saved. “No.” His answer was resolute and final. A darkness overcame the man’s face and Lisa was once again filled with a concrete dread. She was trapped, with some fat pervert, who was kidnapping her and taking her someplace deep in the Vermont wilderness. She thought about the bakery, warm and sugary. She wondered if she would ever see it again. She hated herself for having been so happy to be away from there, when now she realized it was her home, her baby, and her sanctuary. It really wasn’t half bad. She thought about the cold spot next to her in bed. She thought about how some days her only conversations outside of work were to a dog. She realized the man sitting next to her was the only man who had touched her in over a year. Lisa felt sorry for herself. Sorry that she was so lonely. Sorry that the idea of waking up in her own home was slipping away at fifty-five miles per hour. Sorry that for a split second she was willing to give up. The primitive voice inside of her, dormant until today, began yelling again. It pushed the negative thoughts out of her mind and cleared away the cobwebs from the part of her brain labeled “survival.” The wheels of Lisa’s mind started turning at double speed. There had to be a way, any way out of this. The sound of a horn cut through the air. It was a horn from one of those massive eighteen-wheelers. The sound blew again. It was getting closer. Just then a lumber truck turned around a bend a quarter mile ahead of them. Lisa looked at the khaki man. He was still breathing heavily but seemed calmer than before, the dark look in his eyes remained. Both hands were on the wheel, his knuckles were white.

11 She had an idea. A terrible, awful, ridiculous idea, but an idea nonetheless. She had to

time it perfectly. Too soon and he could fight her off. Too late, and she would be giving up her now sole strategy for survival. The idea that had just occurred could very well kill them both. But the thought of killing her abductor was enough to make her go ahead. The truck neared. Its headlights were on and the front of it looked like a face, something she had always noticed as a child. Headlight eyes, and a grinning grill with MACK emblazoned on the front of the mouth. It was getting closer. When the truck was a few car distances away Lisa reacted, her mind now dreadfully silent. She lunged for the wheel and jerked it to the left, directing the car toward the lumber truck. She used her momentum to slam her foot down on the man’s, which controlled the gas pedal. With a growl and roar the pickup truck careened head on towards the truck and the horn’s blare was interrupted by screeching, crumpling metal, and breaking glass. The khaki man hardly let out a yell before he was propelled through the windshield, colliding with the front of the lumber truck and landing with a sickening thud on the now scrunched up hood up the tan pickup truck. Lisa was luckier. The dashboard stopped her momentum, but the wind was knocked out of her and every gasping breath on the floor of the truck was agony. With a herculean effort she lifter herself and climbed through the broken passenger window and landed on the ground with a scream of pain. The adrenaline was flowing stronger than ever now. She started to crawl then run. Broken glass digging into her already cut up hands and knees. This primitive thing inside her was still commanding her to escape. Just get away, far away. “Hey! Hey lady, stop! You’re hurt!” the lumber truck driver called after her. He was unscathed, spared only by the substantial height and hefty frame of the cab.

12 But she was running now and every step was like a knife was gashing into her right side.

She could hardly breathe and she felt fresh tears pouring down her face again. In front of her was Teddy in a full on sprint towards her. They finally met and Lisa collapsed. She wailed and sputtered tears and spit, but buried her face into Teddy’s fur. The pavement was cold and wet. But her dog was warm. And as she felt consciousness slipping away she wound Teddy’s fur around her fingers. There were faint sirens in the distance and Lisa closed her eyes. She realized the cold spot in her bed couldn’t stay empty forever. One day the phone would ring. She remembered a song by the Rolling Stones, something about how if you try sometimes you’ll find that you get what you need. The last thing she remembered was Teddy’s warm breath on her face as he curled up next to her. Her mind was finally quiet. It had stopped raining.