I sit watching the large singular building from my safe, distant, and secluded viewing spot.
The structure is nestled in an unnatural clearing, surrounded by ten feet of barbed wire fencing that stretches all the way around, save for a set of enormous gates at the far side.
Itâs all closed, locked tight, and looking deserted. There are dirt tracks showing signs of infrequent visits from off-road vehicles leading up to it coming from the south.
Iâve been perched here, watching for signs of life for an hour now as I try to figure out if itâs safe to get closer.
It took the rest of the day to get here, following an imaginary line from my last camp spot, in the general direction and sticking to hyper-speed for most of the way.
Iâm tired, my back in agony from keeping on trekking at an hour Iâve grown accustomed to being in the settling-down-and-making-camp stage.
Iâm sweating, breathless, hot and sticky, and currently sitting on my backpack as I try to figure out how stupid I would be if I went and further investigated.
Thereâs no sign of life, no new tracks, or lingering scents of anyone being around the perimeter from this distance.
It seems silent, but then itâs a large white windowless building with a rough cast of fine white stone and looks exceptionally clean for being out here in the middle of no-manâs-land.
It has an aura of mystery, and my gut tells me to be wary, even if it urges me to investigate.
The mast on top is a substantial metallic construction, like the Eiffel Tower almost, and sits on the roof of its custom platform, stretching some thirty feet upward.
I thought at first it was a telecom mast or maybe power, but nothing connects to what looks like a radio antenna coming from the top of it.
Thereâs a steel box generator, almost half the size of the building, within the compound, yet sitting apart from it; it is low humming within its encasement, suggesting this building has constant power.
Thereâs something off, even if on the surface, it looks how I imagine an unmanned power plant substation would look, and despite that, my weird inner voice that kept pushing me east is telling me to get closer.
My mind and instincts are battling with what to do, and itâs why Iâve sat here staring at it for so long.
The sensible part is screaming danger. The less logical me is telling me how harmless this looks and that there are no life signs.
The weak part is aching for connection to civilization and longing to touch something tangible and manufactured after so many weeks alone.
It reminds me that Iâve still been crushingly lonely despite doing better. Iâm a pack animal, which goes against my nature to be solo.
I canât see any way in from this angle, so the door must face those giant gates, which means it only has one entrance and nothing else.
Not exactly a layout for any kind of worrying military base. I mean, itâs not even that big. Itâs not big enough to be anything much else.
At most, you could park two of the Santo trucks inside, so I doubt it houses more than some power grid equipment for maybe some of the farther rural homes.
Perhaps itâs a radio station with sporadic visits or something. I donât have a clue, as itâs hardly my area of expertise.
After an hour of sitting here, I have gotten no signs of life or any reason not to have a closer look, and the only thing stopping me is my terrifying level of suspicion. It seems wholly deserted.
Iâm being overly cautious, my feeble side wading in, and even with the wind blowing this way, Iâm not picking up any human scent.
I can see cameras at the corners on this side of the building.
They probably have them at the front too, but they are all pointing down at the ground within the fences, so I can at least get that close without being caught on them.
I guess theyâre to pick up on wildlife getting in. I might see more if I go around the other side and figure out what it is.
It might have signs or hazard warnings if it is just a power plant. If I know for sure, I can stop tiptoeing around and relax.
I exhale heavily, wiping the rolling beads of moisture from my brow, and look up at the fading light in the graying sky.
I should find a place to make camp and stop wasting what daylight I have left, come back in the morning, but that means trekking farther, as this is the first clearing Iâve come across in hours.
Nothing nearby looks like a good place to set up, so maybe I might have to sacrifice a restful night and roll up in the bearâs fur right here. I canât think of anything else to do.
Itâs either go check this out and walk on when I know what it is and if I can salvage anything or camp and look at it on a new day.
Iâm exhausted, need to eat, and donât have the energy to do much of anything.
I get up, mind in two halves, and pull my backpack up, lugging its heavy weight as I try to decide. I would prefer to stick to my usual plan of picking a site and staying there until dawn.
I donât want to be out in the open when darkness falls, as despite not picking up on any night creatures, I canât be sure there arenât any lurking in caves or underground tunnels.
Many of which I have come across these past days. I remember the stories of the vampires coming out of the ground during the war.
I donât wander far, realizing itâs wall-to-wall, closely-knit trees in all directions but one, moving toward the building.
It is the only part here that has space to lie down, and Iâm not about to sleep in the clearing near it.
I doubt any passing big cat, bear, or such walking its perimeter will bypass a sleeping me without fuss, so I decide to pick a tree with excellent leaf cover and climb it.
Itâs better than being a sitting duck on the forest floor, and I doubt Iâll get proper sleep when I havenât found a good place to hide.
Up a tree, I can tie myself to the trunk, doze off and on through the night, and wait to investigate this in the morning. Itâll give me a little security, and at least up high, I can defend myself if need be.
I end up walking a full circle and finding the right kind of trees nearer the main gates of the building, ones with broad bases and multiple branches from midway up.
These trees also have extra foliage and twisting crisscrossing boughs for platforms. I squeeze between two that are close together.
About twenty feet up, their branches merge and curl to make a wide landing place, and I have to haul myself up with my backpack on, finding it a little more labor-intensive than usual.
When I get up there, I discover a flat enough spot and roll out one of my pelts. I snuggle into a dip between two parallel boughs and can properly lie down without anchoring myself to anything.
I hang my backpack on a broken stump on the trunk and lie out on top of my makeshift bed, stretching and wriggling to see how comfy I can get.
Finally, Iâm satisfied that this isnât too bad as long as it doesnât get windy or rainy tonight. I donât want to unroll pelts that could slide off if I roll in my sleep and draw the attention of lurking wildlife.
I wonât have a fire to keep some natural creatures at bay up here, so I have to make do with cold meat, a bumpy bed, and the rustling and swaying of the trees to lull me into slumber.
Not that I think itâll be an issue as, now that Iâm up here, my eyes are heavy, and my brain is cloudy with fatigue. Itâs been a long day.
I sit and watch the building through the foliage for a while, sitting at my safe distance, watching as the shadows lengthen and become part of the dark surroundings as the light fades fast.
Iâm already exhausted from my extended trekking, so settling down and drifting off is more manageable than usual.
I donât have the usual spew of weighty things on my mind to keep me awake, and it feels like only seconds of blinking and drowsiness before I zone out.
I wake with a start, jumping slightly and sitting up fast, banging my head on rough wood and silently yelping as I properly come to.
I must have drifted into a deeper sleep quickly because it seemed only a second ago I could still see my hand in front of me, and now Iâm in the pitch dark and canât even make out what Iâm sitting on.
Iâm disoriented at first until I remember where I am and how I got here, and my belly rumbles because I didnât eat.
I woke with fright for sure, and my heart is thundering through my chest as my nocturnal eyesight kicks in, frantically bringing the surrounding area into focus.