Greg Ford drove past the state line entering Montana thinking that this trip was more needed than any other trip he took before. It was not the most dangerous, but the trip offered him the most reward when it came to his mental health since breaking up with his girlfriend. Dealing with his parents was an easy thing as they only cared about his grades in college. His ex-girlfriend, Rachel only wanted to make sure she was with him because of the wealth attached to him by his parents.

 

Fishing offered a getaway from life that nothing else could give. While away he did not feel attached to a college classroom or the stress of his parents nagging him. It still required skill and Greg felt that even this required mental energy he currently did not have. The only thing that he wanted to do now was to enjoy the sights of being far removed from the world and to take pictures of his time away.

 

It was something he did as a hobby like fishing, but nothing serious like his wild excursions into the wilderness to fish. This trip was a guided one that offered five days of brutal backpacking to see sights very few people get to see. Greg knew it was just what he wanted as it offered a different area of the wilderness he never saw before.

 

The more he drove into the north part of Montana the more civilization seemed to dwindle away. Fewer and fewer cars and trucks and more and more scenery came into view. The daylight was fading away as he knew it was just a little more than hour away. The sense of losing yourself to the surroundings came to him as did a smile knowing that his getaway was about to happen.

 

The meeting spot for the group was a clearing in a field across from an old storage building. Greg looked it up on a satellite view before he left, and it was just out of town and close to the mountain that they would be hiking on. It was not a strenuous mountain hike, but it did involve some inclines and some rough patches of stone. It was now just a matter of finding the turnoff for the town exit.

 

Wondering why the lights in his Jeep began to dim came to him and adjusting the switch again only caused it to flicker into nothing. The headlights went out next and he could see that his Jeep was losing power. The engine was running strong, but the power was dropping. He was just shy of the town exit he needed to get off at and he was still in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night.

 

Russ's Gas Station had its lights still on and Greg figured it was the perfect spot to head into and check out what was wrong with his Jeep. In his mind he knew it was the battery or the alternator. He wanted to scream that of all things to happen, his Jeep breaking down was the worst. It was brand new Jeep too with less than ten thousand miles on it and problems seemed to follow it as this was just another thing to go wrong with it.

 

Pulling into the gas station, he could tell that he was far from civilization and from anything modern. The gas pumps looked like they were forty or fifty years old and everything about the store inside the gas station screamed old. The only positive part of the place was that it was open.

 

Greg popped the hood and saw that his battery was fried. He had a bit of experience with fixing cars, and he just knew that the battery was what gave out and not anything else. It was new and he figured it was an easy fix; the only problem was location and time. He knew that time was a pressing issue as the tour guide said they would leave at a certain time with or without you.

 

The only thing now was to see if they had a battery in the store or if the person in there knew of a place to get a battery. The guide was leaving at seven in the morning, so timing was everything. The pressure of making it happen was everything. The worst thing would be to leave his Jeep here and catch a ride to the meeting spot.

 

He opened the door to see a simple gas station store filled with just food and beer. It didn't look too outdated, and the place was clean inside from what he could see. There was nobody in the store, but he knew it was almost midnight too.

 

He heard footsteps come out of the backroom and a female-ish voice call out, "Can I help you?"

 

Her accent was not that strong, and she looked quite plain in her appearance even though her voice sounded a bit off. He figured she had to be in her mid-twenties. She had short, straight brown hair that almost touched her shoulders and wore a baseball hat that probably hid her bangs. Her white polo shirt had the name Jessie on the top right corner. Her face was thin just like her body, although her shirt pushed out somewhat with what he thought were medium-sized breasts. Her jeans were ripped, but it looked like she bought them that way.

 

"Having some car trouble. Do you sell batteries here? Jeep broke down and I think it might be the battery...I hope it's just the battery."

 

"Nope. You need to go to Jack's auto repair for that. He opens at ten. I can call you a tow, but that might take awhile," she replied with a nonchalant tone of not caring.

 

"Shit. I need to get to Fisher. Do you know if there is someone that could take me?" Greg asked, figuring if he left his car here, he could still make it to the meeting spot. It was a little over an hour away and leaving his car here wouldn't be the worst thing as it could be towed to the garage, and he could pay the storage fees.

 

"No. Taxi service doesn't come here. You can wait for the tow though. He might be able to take you."

 

"Shit. Fine, okay...let's do that. Can you call that tow for me please?" Greg asked giving in to leaving his Jeep at a place he did not know hoping to catch a ride. Getting back to his Jeep after was a different problem to tackle after too.

 

"Sure," she said picking up her phone behind the register.

 

"Hey, Jackie. Do you know if Pete is picking up tonight? Got some guy here needing a tow. Says he needs a ride too....Ohhh. I will tell him," she said while giving him the 'bothering me' stare.

She hung up the phone and her face showed remorse now. "You're going to have to wait until the morning. Tow won't come until about nine."

 

"Shit," Greg said with a sigh in his tone knowing that he was going to miss his meeting and miss the guide.

 

He then looked at her figuring she could take him. He had money in his wallet for expenses and a credit card that was linked to his parent's account that was almost endless. He thought maybe offering her money for a ride would do it and then pay her to get his Jeep towed. Maybe even get her to pick him up after.

 

"Hey look, I got a problem. Maybe you can help. I need to be in Fisher at seven and was thinking you could take me there. I mean, I would pay you and all. I just need to get there," he said, thinking that it would be worth it as this was the last guide to go out and finding another one would be almost impossible at this stage.

 

She tilted her head like she was contemplating it. "You going on one of those fishing guides?"

The more she talked, the more he tried to pick out the accent or the tone as it sounded off to him. He knew she was his only hope of making the trip. He then replied hoping to sound like a non-threat and not some crazy man looking to kill or have his way with her.

 

"Just hiking. It's a five day trip leaving from Fisher. Backpacking and photography hike."

 

"Mmmm, you book one of those expensive trips?" she asked as he was thinking she was going to maybe gouge her demand of him.

 

"Not that expensive. It's just a scenic trip and all. No hunting allowed and some fishing if there is time...but I didn't bring any gear with me."

 

"Look, I can't help you. I get off in fifteen minutes and I just want to head home. The best I can do it give you a lift into town, but it's the opposite direction as Fisher. You can try to get someone there, but I don't think you will at this time. Be lucky to even get the police out at this time."

 

"Please. I will pay. I can give you money."

 

"You really want to go on this hike?" she asked giving him a strange look in response to his pleading.

 

"Yes. You wouldn't understand. I mean you live out here and get to see everything," he answered back, feeling defeated and feeling the frustration build up in him.

 

"Oh please. This town sucks and it's not worth a damn." Her face was still showing disgust and no regard for the town or his problem.

 

Feeling the frustration, Greg knew that she could help him too. "Look, I can give you money. I just need a lift into Fisher is all. I got like a hundred dollars."

 

She put her hands and then her elbows on the counter and sat on the stool looking at him with a solemn face. "I can't give you a lift to Fisher until morning. That means you have to stay the night at my place. I don't let men stay the night. So you're out of luck."

 

Greg could feel the compromise happening and could see a possible light at the end of his tunnel for his dilemma. "I won't do anything. I mean, I can stay outside if you want...I got a tent. Just take me to your place and I can setup outside and then you can take me into Fisher in the morning. I can give you two hundred too."

 

"You're like some lost freaking puppy, I swear. You really gonna give me two hundred to camp out at my place and then have me drive you to Fisher so you can go on your hike? Gonna rain tonight too. Be camping in the mud at my place too." Her face was showing signs that she might give in.