CHAPTER 34

He looked at her and it seemed she wasn't even a breath short, Jack sat down and asked her while taking short breaths "who are you, why was I brought here"? The woman's expression remained calm and collected, her eyes fixed on Jack as he struggled to catch his breath. She didn't respond immediately, seemingly savoring the moment. Finally, she spoke in a measured tone, "My name is not important. What's important is that you're here to learn, Jack. You've been brought here to learn and grow, to discover your true potential." Her words were direct and straightforward, offering no mystery or intrigue, just a simple and honest answer. His eyes widened slightly, his mind racing with questions. What did she mean by "learn and grow"? What potential was she talking about? He looked up at her, his eyes searching for more answers, but her face remained a mask of calm determination.

Jack's frustration grew as the woman ignored his protests. "Learn what?" he demanded, his voice rising. "Take me back to college and leave me alone, I'll learn there! I have classes to attend, friends to meet up with, a life to live! What is this place? Some kind of boot camp? I didn't sign up for this!" He was met with a chuckle, which only annoyed him further.

"Why did we even run for 2 hours straight?" he asked, exasperated. "What's the point of all this? I'm not some kind of athlete in training! I'm a college student, for crying out loud! I have better things to do than run around in the woods all day!"

"Because that's the trail you take every morning when you run," she replied, her eyes fixed on the wood she was gathering. Her tone was calm and matter-of-fact, as if she was simply stating the obvious.

Jack's eyes went wide with disbelief. "What do you mean every morning? I have to go back to college! I have a life to get back to! I can't just stay here...wherever here is...and run every morning! What is going on? Why won't you listen to me?" He was starting to feel desperate, his mind racing with questions and fears. He didn't have a dorm room, he lived alone in a small apartment, and he had no idea how he had ended up here.

The woman continued to ignore him, gathering wood with a quiet efficiency. Jack's anger and frustration boiled over, and he slammed his fist into the ground. "Tell me what's going on! Tell me why I'm here! Tell me what you want from me!" But she just kept gathering wood, her expression unchanged. Jack's eyes narrowed, his mind racing with possibilities. Who was this woman? What did she want from him? And why was he stuck in this strange, isolated place?

The woman put the logs down and looked at Jack, her eyes piercing. "Start a fire, Jack," she commanded, her voice firm.

Jack was about to open his mouth to complain about not knowing how to start one, and to ask her name, but the woman beat him to it. "Jack," she said, her tone flat.

Jack looked stunned. "Jack? Your name is Jack?" he asked, confusion etched on his face.

The woman looked at him, her expression unyielding. "No, but I don't give a fuck about what you want. Your presence here is disturbing my peace." She muttered under her breath, "And to think I have to endure this for over a year..."

She looked at him, her eyes cold. "This better be lit before sunrise," she said, her voice firm, before turning and walking inside the house.

A sound came from the door, and Jack knew he was locked outside. He was alone, with only the logs and the task at hand. He looked down at the logs, feeling a sense of frustration and anger. Who was this woman? Why was he here? And what did she mean by "endure this for over a year"? Jack's mind raced with questions, but he knew he had to focus on starting the fire. He looked around, trying to find a way to start the flames, but everything seemed to be against him.

Jack struggled to make a fire, but his efforts were in vain. He tried rubbing sticks together, but they wouldn't catch. He attempted to use rocks to create sparks, but they only seemed to mock him with their silence. As the darkness deepened, Jack's frustration grew. He wanted to run, to escape the isolation and the woman's cruel games, but he knew he couldn't. He was miles from civilization, surrounded by the unforgiving woods.

As the night wore on, the howls of wolves and the hooting of owls filled the air, making Jack's skin crawl. He didn't want to beg to enter the house, as he knew that was exactly what the woman wanted - to see him humbled and defeated. So, he refused to give her the satisfaction.

As he lay on the ground, trying to sleep, Jack's mind began to turn the woman into a villain. He imagined her cackling with glee at his misfortune, her eyes gleaming with malevolence. He pictured her as a wicked witch, casting spells to keep him trapped in this wilderness. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, until finally, exhaustion took over, and he fell into a fitful sleep.

The darkness of the woods seemed to closing in around him, and Jack's dreams were filled with visions of the woman's cruel smile, the wolves' glowing eyes, and the endless, oppressive silence of the forest.