The Lone Man On The Ridge - Episode Five: The Price Of Coming Back

They hike up the mountain in the dark because pride feels cheaper than patience, and Dylan is done feeling humiliated. With his arm strapped up and anger driving every step, he brings Mike and Travis to take Jack’s cabin, convinced a lone man can be overwhelmed and stripped of his supplies. What they don’t factor in is preparation: a wary dog, a reinforced observation point, and a defender who knows the terrain better than they ever will.

If you’re into survival stories, wilderness security, and tense, character-driven audio fiction, listen now, then subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review. What would you have done after that last warning?

Transcript

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This is the Lone Man on the Ridge Episode five. The Price of Coming Back The woods were still pitch black when the three figures moved quietly up the old logging road. Dylan led the way, his injured arm strapped tightly to his side. Behind him came Mike carrying a shotgun. And Travis, Sarah refused to be part of this, so Dylan recruited a high school friend. Travis had another shotgun slung over his shoulder. Dylan stopped near the bottom of the trail that led to Jack's cabin. He turned to the other two, his voice low and bitter. That son of a bitch is up there sleeping like nothing ever happened. He shot me. He humiliated us. Today we take it all back. Mike shifted in his stance. Are you sure about this, Dylan? That old man knows what he's doing. I don't give a damn, Dylan growled. He's got food, water, power, and enough supplies to last years. We're taking it, all of it. The three men started up the narrow trail just as the first faint hint of gray began to appear on the horizon. Up at the cabin, mister Rogers lifted his head. The dog let out a low, deep growl that cut through the silence. Jack snapped his eyes open in the darkness. He knew what that sound meant. Jack rolled out of bed without making a sound. Grabbing his Remington eight hundred seventy shotgun from beside the bed, he then quickly grabbed his boots and jacket, grabbed his Glock twenty two, put it into the holster. Next he grabbed his three hundred eight with the scope and slipped out the back door with mister Rogers close at his heels. He moved quickly towards the rocky outcrop about two hundred yards above the cabin, the observation point he had reinforced the day before. Down below, Mike was breathing hard, trying to move as quietly as possible through the thick brush on the left side. As he stepped over what looked like a fallen branch, his pant leg caught the paracord. Clink, clink, clink. The soup cans and bells rattled loudly in the still morning air. Mike froze. Dylan's head snapped towards the sound. What the hell was that? he hissed angrily. Mike looked down at the thin black line now stretched across his shin. I hit something. There's some sort of wire or something with cans on it. Dylan's face twisted with rage. That son of a bitch, he's got the whole damn place booby trapped. Dylan looked around. Travis, where are you? There was no answer. Dylan muttered under his breath. Forget him, he's just gonna have to catch up. Dylan turned back to Mike and whispered, All right, here's the plan. I'm going straight up the middle. You go to the left and try to flank him. We'll hit him from both sides. That's when Jack centered the crosshairs of the three hundred eight on Dylan's chest and squeezed the trigger. Crack. The three hundred eight round slammed into a pine tree just inches from Dylan's head, sending a shower of bark and wood splinters exploding outward. Dylan ducked and screamed. You tried to shoot me, you jackass. Jack's voice came down from high on the ridge, loud and clear. I gave you one chance to walk away. This is your last warning. Turn around and go back down the mountain. I don't want to kill any of you, but I will if I have to. Dylan's breathing was hard as he brushed bark off of his face. He looked up toward the sound of Jack's voice and then turned to Mike. He's way up high, he's much higher than I thought he was. A few yards away, Travis was listening. He quietly swung even further to the right, moving wide to flank Jack from that side. Upon the rocky outcrop, Jack was watching when Mr. Rogers suddenly went rigid beside him. The dog's entire body was tense. His lips were curled back in a silent snarl. Jack quickly turned his head to the left, following Mr. Rogers' stare. That's when he saw movement. It was Travis creeping through the trees about fifty yards away. It looked like he had a shotgun. mister Rogers launched forward like a missile, charging silently down the slope at Travis. He slammed into Travis at full speed, knocking Travis to the ground. The shotgun flew back from Travis's hand and landed several feet away in the brush. mister Rogers immediately latched into Travis's arm, biting down hard and shaking his head. Get off of me. Get this damn dog off of me, Travis screamed. Down below, Dylan's head snapped toward the sound of the commotion. Travis, he yelled, what the hell's going on over there? Jack stood up from behind his blind, his voice carrying down the ridge with calm authority. You boys picked the wrong damn day. Jack slowly began working his way down the slope towards Travis, keeping his rifle at the ready. As he got closer, he gave the command. mister Rogers immediately released Travis's arm and backed off a few steps, still growling aggressively. Travis scrambled backwards onto the ground, grabbed a shotgun, and quickly stood up, swinging the barrel towards mister Rogers. Jack did not hesitate. Crack! The three hundred eight rifle roared. The shot hit Travis' center mass, dropping him instantly. The shot echoed across the ridge like thunder. For a moment everything was completely still. Then Dylan exploded. You shot him! You fucking shot him! he screamed, his voice full of rage. In his fury, Dylan rose up and blindly fired three rapid shots from his pistol up towards Jack's position. Bang, bang, bang. The bullets whipped through the trees well below Jack. Jack stayed low and didn't flinch. Dylan was shaking with rage. You're a dead man, you hear me? You're a dead man. Mike grabbed Dylan's arm. Dylan, we gotta get out of here now. Dylan shook him off violently, but finally started back down the trail, still screaming threats the entire way. This ain't over, old man. We'll be back. I'm bringing more people next time, and we're gonna burn your whole damn mountain to the ground. Jack remained silent, watching them carefully through the scope of his rifle until they completely disappeared into the trees. Only then did he lower his three hundred eight. He slung the rifle over his shoulder and walked back towards the cabin. mister Rogers followed close beside him. Jack grabbed the shovel leaning against the wall. He stood there for a long moment staring at it. The weight of what he had just done and what he was about to do settled over him. There was no law left, no sheriff, no police, no National Guard, no one was coming to investigate or to take a report or haul the body away. This was his problem now. Jack took a deep breath, tightened his grip on the shovel, and started walking back toward Travis's body. Meanwhile, back in their run down apartment on the edge of town, the door slammed open. Dylan stormed in, still shaking with rage. Sarah jumped up from the couch. What happened? Where's Travis? Dylan grabbed a bottle of whiskey and took a long pull. That old bastard kill him, shot him dead for no reason, right in front of us. Mike walked in behind him, looking pale and shaken. He quietly closed the door. Sarah's eyes widened. Oh my god. Dylan slammed the bottle down. I'm done playing games. We're going back up there. But next time we're not going with just three people. I'm getting five, six, seven, I don't care how many. We're going to overwhelm that old man. Mike stood there looking very uncomfortable. Dylan, Travis is dead, man. Let's just leave it alone. Shut up, Mike, Dylan snapped. I ain't letting nothing go. Sarah crossed her arms, her voice firm. I never wanted to go up there to begin with. I'm never going up there. I didn't want to have anything to do with I told you just leave him alone. I don't want any part of this. Dylan shot her a hard look, but she held her ground. The tension in the small apartment was thick. This fight was far from over. This has been the Lone Man on the Ridge, Episode 5 The Price of Coming Back.