Jesse:

Pain.

Red-hot pain.

Red everywhere as I struggle to open my eyes. My hands feel sticky and my ears are ringing. I can tell I’m flat on my back by the way the sun is baking my skin. Cooking my face. I don’t feel any pain, but my brain is telling me to move, get up, run away, and my body isn’t cooperating.

“You think he’s alive?” I hear a muffled voice say from a few yards away. There is smoke pouring out everywhere, this much I can see through squinted eyes. When I try to cough it from my lungs, everything goes red again.

“We gotta get out of here, Kelly. I have a warrant out. I can’t go back to jail.”

I try to scream for them, let them know that I’m alive. I need help. Nothing is coming out.

I feel reassurance as I hear footsteps in the grass, nearing me.

“Grab his wallet,” the man says. “Get his phone.”

I feel her shuffling through my pockets. I try to move my lips to beg them to call me an ambulance.

If only they knew who I was. They would help me in a heartbeat, right?

Except right this second, I don’t even know who I am. I have no idea how I got here. All I know is that I’m really tired.

I close my eyes and let the sun warm my face. Red turns to black and I drift away.

The water running over my body feels so cold. I bolt upright with a start and immediately regret my decision. My head is spinning and I lay back down on the hammock below me, squinting my eyes shut, trying to escape the pain.

“What the fuck?” I mutter to no one in particular.

“Is that any way to greet the woman who saved your life?” A girl laughs, and soon I feel a rush of cold water all over my face and I jolt out of my skin once more. “Wake up, sunshine.”

I blink my eyes open to an unfamiliar woman. Skinny, blonde, burgundy red lips and bright blue exotic eyes, this girl is grinning from ear to ear as I run my hands over my face, trying to take inventory of what’s going on right now.

The scabs on my forehead are rough to my touch, and I can tell in an instant that my chin is bruised.

“I’m sorry…” I stutter. “I’m just… really confused.”

“Look, Moss!” she shouts. “He’s awake!”

I’m face-to-face with a man who looks like Tarzan and a sleazy car salesperson got together and made a baby. Wild, rugged, and definitely looking to con me into something.

“Hey, buddy,” the guy says. “You think you can get up and walk?”

The thought hadn’t even crossed my mind. The only thing going through my brain right now is the fact that I have no idea where I am.

Even more frightening, I have no idea who I am or where I came from. I instinctively reach into the pocket of my jeans, looking for my wallet.

“You think we didn’t already try that?” the guy asks. “Well, you give us a lot more credit than we deserve.”

“I’m really sorry, Moss is it?” I ask. “I just…”

The young woman brings me a plate with fresh fruit and bread, and even though I’m completely disoriented, my body knows I need to eat something. I shovel down the food like I haven’t eaten in days.

“Good, good,” Moss says. “Get your strength up. Cuz tonight you’re going home.”

“Aw, come on, Moss,” the girl whines. “He just woke up.”

“And you did your good deed for the month,” he says, pecking her on the lips. “But I’m sure this guy has somewhere to be. Don’t ya?” he asks me.

I just stare him in the eye, blinking. Do I know these people?

“Where were you headed, bud?” he asks me.

“Shit,” I stutter. “I think I was going hunting.”

“Hunting?” the girl asks. I just shrug my shoulders. I have no idea where I was going. I have no idea where I came from. And I really hope the next question out of someone’s mouth isn’t the one that I’m having so much trouble trying to figure out the answer to.

“Who are you anyway?” Moss asks.

The silence is deafening as I rack my brain for any possible solution to this problem. I look at my hands. I run my fingers over the tattoo of a buck across my chest.

“Well?”

“Dude,” I stutter. “I have no fucking clue.”

The three of us laugh at the absurdity of the statement. I might not have any idea where I am, who I am, or how I got here, but something inside me tells me this is right where I belong.

I should be concerned. Between the cuts on my head and the fact that the last thing I remember is laying in a ditch, I really don’t know why I’m not freaking out more. Maybe I died and this shanty town in the woods is my heaven. What if someone’s looking for me? What if I have a wife and kids or something?

“Do you even have a name?” Moss asks. Good thinking. No sense in getting ahead of myself.

“I’m sure I do,” I say, thinking out loud. “It’s right on the tip of my tongue.”

“Well, listen,” Moss assures me. “You look like a sturdy guy. You look like you can hold your own, and for some reason, I think I like you. You’re more than welcome to stick around here until you get your wits about you. I’m sure you’ll figure it out before too long.”

There are so many questions in my mind. So many things left unanswered, and now I’m being taken in by these people, in the woods, people I don’t even know.

“What happened to me?” I ask. “How did I get here?”

“I found you,” the girl says. The more I look at her, study her, the more I realize how pretty she is. She’s got this long wild blonde hair that comes down to her waist. Her skin is pale and clear and her eyes look like they’re glowing. She’s got on a modest white sundress, and her body is extremely petite. “I was out looking for mushrooms and I found you curled up in a ball in a ditch. I didn’t know how long it would take for somebody to find you, so I got the guys and we brought you here.”

“That’s my Luna,” Moss laughs. “Always bringing home wounded animals and trying to revive them back to health. You’re a lucky guy. Last time she brought home a duck and after a week or so, we ended up having to eat him.”

“You couldn’t get him healthy?” I ask.

“No,” Moss cackles. “We were hungry.”

I can’t get a good read on this guy. On one hand, he seems like he wants to help me, like he’s friendly, but on the other, everything he says sounds like somewhat of a warning, like he’s trying to let me know exactly who’s got the upper hand in our relationship.

“Oh stop,” Luna says. “We were never going to eat you. Steal your wallet, maybe.” She winks. “In case you were wondering, though, it was already gone. There was an abandoned Crown Vic up the road a little ways if that rings any bells.”

“The only thing ringing right now is my ears.” I shrug. My headache is back in full force. All this excitement, all this thinking, all this trying to put the pieces back together is weighing on my injuries.

“Oh sure, sorry,” Luna says. “You were in really bad shape. You should probably go back to sleep for a little bit. Here,” she offers me a mug. “You need to try and get some fluids in you.”

Whatever it is is bitter and I can tell it’s not just water. Moss laughs as I scrunch up my nose, nearly gagging on it.

“Finish it up, bud,” he urges. “I promise you won’t have a headache after you drink that.”

“What is it?” I ask.

“It’s just a little something I learned from the elders.” Luna winks. “A Vagrant mountain family recipe.”

I chug down the water and rest back into the hammock. I feel warm, I feel safe. I still feel confused, but for some reason, I don’t care. I’m happy.

“Works fast, huh?” Moss laughs. “Get some rest, dude. We will come back for you in a little bit. Introduce you to the rest of the clan.”

“If you wake up and need anything, I’ll be just over there,” Luna says, pointing down a narrow trail.

“If he needs anything, he can come get me.” I see Moss’s face scrunch up and his eyes look over her body in what appears to be jealousy. “You’ve done enough, Luna.” He pulls her in for a sloppy kiss, and I get the picture. They’re a thing. Not like I really care. Hooking up with a woman, no matter how pretty she might be, is the last thing on my mind right now.

Hopefully when I wake up, my headache will be gone and I won’t be confused anymore. Hopefully I can at least start doing something to put the pieces of my life back together. If I could even just remember my name, I’m sure someone out there is looking for me. I’ve gotta have some sort of past. It’s right there in front of me, but the harder I concentrate, the harder it is to keep my eyes open. Whatever is in this concoction is potent. I drift off almost instantly, my mind completely empty.

When I come to, I’m alone. My headache is gone, and my body feels much better, but my mouth is bone dry. I need something to drink, something that isn’t going to knock me out like that again.

I wander down the little footpath through the forest. The grass is still dewy, and there’s a nip in the air. It must be morning.

“Tucker!” a big, burly, bearded man booms when he sees me. “How’s it going today, brother?”

I look behind me, utterly confused at who he’s talking to.

“Not yet?” He laughs. “How many more weeks are we gonna do this?”

I blink a couple times and look at my hands. Oh right. I’m Tucker. The confused stranger who was found rolled up in a ball in a ditch nearly a month ago. The guys thought Tucker was fitting because my survival strategy for being thrown from a car was to tuck and roll.

The tattoo on my palm reads “Vagrant” in black ink. My new family. My new tribe. I got inducted in after bringing home a 150-pound buck on my back the first day I went out on a hunt by myself.

I’ve grown comfortable in this life in the wilderness. It seems like a great fit for me, whoever I am. I spend my days hunting, fishing, and hanging out with my gang. My nights are spent curled up in a hammock under the stars, unless it’s raining; then I sleep on the floor of Moss’s tent.

My mornings, though, are spent in a state of utter confusion and chaos. As much as I’m acclimating to this life, something just isn’t right. I know I wasn’t born here, and I know I didn’t come here on my own accord. It’s like everything that happened before my accident is trying to surface in my mind, but it’s just far enough out of reach that thinking about it too hard is nearly painful.

“Sorry, Mitch,” I grunt, pouring myself a cup of coffee from the thermos on the stump. “Maybe tomorrow.”

“You’re not hurting my feelings any, boy,” he laughs. He scrapes some eggs onto a plate from the cast-iron pan he had cooking over the fire and hands it to me. “I kind of like this morning routine we have going on here.”

We’re the early risers at the camp. Mitch is an old-timer, his long black beard streaked with gray. He makes sure we stay fed and keeps our supplies organized. Clerical stuff. Too old to go out on hunts anymore, too slow to go out on raids anymore, but he’s an honest guy. Keeps us young bucks from going full-blown Lord of the Flies on each other. Ten mountain men and a slew of gypsy women has drama written all over it, but for the most part, we all get along.

Sure, Moss has established himself as the alpha of the crew for the most part, but I don’t mind. I don’t have anything to lose, and lord knows I can’t be a proud man considering I have no clue who I even am. I’m nothing but thankful for these wilderness vagrants who took me in and gave me a place in the world while I try and sort things out.

“What’s on the agenda for today, Tucker?” Mitch asks me as we eat breakfast around the fire. It’s kind of a joke; we don’t really have much of an agenda out here other than making sure we’re fed, clothed, and out of the way of the law who, for some reason, constantly think we’re up to no good. I haven’t really been indoctrinated into all the ways of the clan, so maybe we are. It’s never affected me. I just keep my head down and do the things I do best.

“Probably heading down to the lake,” I tell him. “Do a little fishing. Wash my clothes. I want to check out that old hunting trail that leads to the rocks. Needs a little bushwhacking but I think it’ll be a goldmine this winter.”

“Speaking of bushwhacking, your beard is getting to be about as ridiculous as mine. Looks like you’re going full-blown mountain man on us here, pretty boy,” he teases. “I have razors in the inventory if you want to get cleaned up.”

“Oh, he’ll do no such thing,” Luna laughs, making her way from the tent she shares with Moss. She runs her hand over my face in that way that I can’t tell if it’s maternal or flirting. She’s always good for that, and it makes me a little uncomfortable, knowing how Moss has staked his claim on her. Her tiny pink nightgown does little to hide her body, and when she’s right in my face like this, it’s hard not to stare. “It’s so you, Tucker.”

I just shrug and finish the last swig of my coffee.

“You want to come with me?” I ask Mitch. “I’ll take it easy on you, Grandpa. A little hiking might do you some good.”

“I don’t know about all that. Last time you said you’d take it easy on me we went missing for three days.”

“It’s not my fault it takes you a day to walk a mile,” I laugh. “Suit yourself.”

I head back up to my little personal camp space. Just a hammock under a nice shady tree cover. I throw my blanket and all my clothes into the small backpack Moss gave me. I take a look at myself in the reflection in the pond and can’t help but smile.

Mitch is right; my beard is getting scruffy as fuck. My body is tanned and my muscles look lean and jacked. I dare to think I’m probably in the best shape in my life. If I didn’t know who I was before, I definitely wouldn’t recognize myself now.

One last pass through the main camp before I head down the mountain, and our sleepy little vagrant town they’ve created up here in the mountains of Colorado is really starting to come to life for the day. The ten men that I’ve come to known as brothers are eating breakfast, laughing, bullshitting, and getting dressed.

“Anybody wanna go check out the bridge with me today?” I ask as I fill my thermos from the big water jug.

“We’re going on a raid, brother,” Moss says. “We’ll meet you back here tonight, huh?”

“When do I get to come along?” I have heard about these raids before, and when the guys get back they’re always in great spirits, it’s a huge party. I’m sure they’re up to something illegal, but if I’m going to be a vagrant, I want to be a part of the action, too.

“Let’s see if you’re still around this winter,” Moss says. “Grow a little hair on your chest and see if you still want in.”

I know this is a trust thing. I get it. I just don’t really like being excluded.

“Alright.” I shrug. “See ya tonight.” I head out down the side of the mountain alone, nowhere to really be, nothing to really do. On one hand, it’s liberating, on the other, I’m frustrated that I don’t have a purpose and goal. Just existing was a nice vacation for a while, but I need some responsibility.

As I make my way through the woods, an idea hits me. This giant rock formation down by the lake would make an excellent hunting base camp. In my mind, I start drawing out a blueprint. It flows so easily. I have to stop in my tracks and pull out a pencil and my journal from my backpack to draw this design while it’s fresh. I don’t know where this idea is coming from, but something inside me tells me I’m very good at this. This is going to be a game changer.

If I can pull off what I have in my mind, there’s no way in hell these guys will ever exclude me from anything ever again. I’ll be king of the mountain. I sprint down the hill, rejuvenated and ready to work.