Fight Club Descriptive Writing

The sun shone down brightly as Tyler and Zoe pulled into the parking lot. Its bright rays reflected by the white snow covering the trees around them. The sound of their doors opening and closing scared the few birds left in the forest. Their speedy escape shook the tree limbs. Their rustling mixed with the flapping of wings created a torrent of sound in this peaceful place.
“It looks amazing,” Zoe’s voice sounded harsh to Tyler. The last few miles of the ride they had been in near silence. The beauty of the snow covering the barren trees and ground as if painted by some great artist, enough to captivate both of their attentions.
“It really is,” he replied pulling their packs from the hatch of the SUV, “but not as beautiful as you”.
She walked over and gave him a peck on the lips.
“I’m glad we came, the waterfall should be frozen now and with all this snow…I can’t wait,” Zoe commented as she pulled on her pack and looked back at Tyler.
“Only a four mile hike and were there,” emotion coloring his voice. He too pulled on his pack and began to follow her, reaching back to feel the pocket on the side of his pack. The box holding the engagement ring he had bought months ago was there. Her excitement and the feel of the box tucked away in his bag assured him he had made the right choice. She talked about this place from the moment they met. The long trail through the snow covered forest to the frozen waterfall. He had been carrying that ring with him since the day he bought it. So many times he had touched it and considered asking her, but he wanted it to be perfect. Now it would be.
“Come on, hurry up!” The sound of her voice broke his momentary reverie. He hurried to catch up.
“We’ve got all day there is no reason to run up the mountain,” his words came out playfully.
“I know, but I’ve been asking you to come for the past two years and I’m so excited for you to finally see it.” Her reply was playful, with a hint of impatience. As he evened with her he grabbed her hand.
The trailhead is an old logging road still covered with gravel, allowing them to walk side by side for the first part of the journey.
Tyler could not have asked for a more perfect scene. The snow looked like icing, hand crafted for the top of each piece of large gravel. The forest was picturesque. The grey trunks of trees jutting from a sea of white powder, leaves long lost to the cold winter wind. The occasional pine still showed a hint of green beneath its blanket of snow. The crunching sound of their footsteps the only noise in this peaceful dream.
The gravel road lasted for around a mile before it ended at a line of trees. A small brown sign protruding from the ground marked the small footpath they would have to take to their destination.
“This is where it gets tougher. The path is thin and will be slick because of the snow.” Her warning serious as she looked up at him. Then he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up.
“Don’t be so serious. This isn’t my first time,” his voice trailed off as he kissed her gently, her cold lips meeting his.
The steam of their mingled breath obscured her pale face as she said, “Just be careful, what would your friends think if I had to carry you out of here?” Her giggle only had a moment to escape before Tyler leaned down and kissed her once more before setting her
down.
“They would think that I was with the most badass girl around.” His comment elicited a smile, as she turned to start down the narrow path. Again he reached back and touched the place where the ring was hidden, remembering the first time he saw her.
It was in an econ class nearly three years ago. The first day of spring semester. Not many college students chose the seven a.m. class, but he would learn she shared his love of mornings. It was her emerald green eyes that grabbed his attention. So bright and filled with an unending excitement for life. Her hair was shorter then, curly, and black, such a contrast to her pail skin. After a few weeks he had struck up a conversation with her. It only took a few more before he asked her out. The dinner was nice, and the conversation wonderful. His stomach twisted in knots as he leaned in for that first kiss.
“Is something wrong?” Her voice ending the pleasant daydream.
“No I’m coming,” he replied as he started up the path behind her, his mind still meandering thorough those wonderful memories. It didn’t take long before his mind was squarely back on the task at hand. The path had quickly become steeper and harder to traverse. As they continued to climb the left side of the path became a steep drop, the right thick with tree trunks and the dead remains of thickets. The snow was thicker here, Tayler could feel his feet try to slide out from under him with every step. Twice he fell and only narrowly caught himself on a nearby tree. “How much further till this flattens back out?” He forced the question out between deep breaths.
“Not much further now and we get a little break,” Zoe’s response came after a moment.
Another five minutes and the hill relented. Moving to a tree on the right side of the path Tayler sat down, back against it, and started rummaging through his pack. Zoe walked slowly over and set her pack next to him, “what are you looking for?”
After a moment he pulled out a thermos, “Coffee!” His response steady now that they had stopped.
“You’re such a baby,” she said as she rolled her eyes and walked to the other side of the path. Not acknowledging her comment, Tyler unscrewed the top. Steam poured out and engulfed his face. Its heat thawing his cold face. He never liked cold weather, which is why it had taken Zoe so long to talk him into this journey. He leaned down and took his first sip. He could feel the hot beverage as it spread through his cold body.
As he tipped it back to take another sip it happened. Zoe’s scream was shrill in the silence of the woods. He looked up, but she was gone. Quickly he tossed the coffee aside, the brown liquid a stain on the white floor of the forest. When he arrived at the edge of the path he saw Zoe at the bottom of a hill. She had only slid down five or six feet. She looked up at him laughter in her face, “That would have been a lot more fun if I didn’t have to climb back up.” It took another minute before his heart slowed down and he was able to see any humor in the situation.
With a weary laugh he said, “I don’t think I can reach you, give me a minute and I’ll grab the rope from the bag.” He turned from her and moved toward the spilled coffee. What a waste he thought, looking at the steam rise from the dark stain. His nerves shaken, he knelt down and began emptying his pack, but a noise stopped him. A roar, nearby too, but it couldn’t be. Don’t they hibernate in the winter? His hands started shaking, and he poured the contents of his bag onto the snow. The rope was the last thing to fall out. He quickly picked it up and ran back toward the path.
At the edge he froze, dropping the rope to the ground.
Ten feet in front of Zoe was a black mass, blotted against the pure white snow. The bear was walking toward her. Five feet away it reared up on its hind legs and let out a terrifying roar. The tree tops swayed as birds shot from them, filling the forest with the sounds of squawking and beating wings.
Tyler’s heart beat as if it were trying to escape his chest. His thoughts swirling between outright terror and trying to decide what to do. The bear was closing now, his paw raised ready to attack. A deep breath and his mind was made up. Reaching in his pocket he retrieved a small knife. Flipping the blade open he jumped for the bears back. Though the fall was short, he had enough time to see the bear’s claws tear into Zoe’s arm as she tried to protect herself. The sight of her bright red blood spurting into the air was the last thing he saw as he landed, plunging the small knife into the bear’s
hide.
The bear immediately sprang to its hind legs tossing Tyler off. Quickly he rose from the snow, the roar of the bear mixed with Zoe’s shrill scream threatening to burst his eardrums. His move had not worked; the bear had not turned from Zoe. Without thinking he launched himself at the knife still lodged in the bears back. Pulling it out, he began to stab and swipe wildly at the bear, while screaming at the top of his lungs. Getting its attention away from Zoe was his only concern, her piercing screams were icy fingers tearing at the fabric of his soul. It only took a few seconds. The pain got the bear’s attention and it began to turn, but Tyler was lost the horror of losing the only woman he had ever loved. His mind disturbed, he didn’t even look up as the bear raised its blood covered paw. The hard impact against his head ended the fight.
A loud thumping in his ears woke him. He was strapped to a spine board on the floor of a helicopter as paramedics worked over him. He felt as though his head would explode from the pain. His first instinct was to scream Zoe’s name, but his effort was met with only mournful eyes. The pain and sorrow overwhelmed him and again he again fell into unconsciousness.
The next weeks passed in a drug filled haze. The blow from the bear had cracked his skull. Later, park rangers would tell him that Zoe had landed fifty yards from the bear’s den. Her screams must have woke it, and it came out to protect its cubs. Her death was quick, the bear’s second swipe caught her throat. They said he was lucky. The bear knocking him out is what saved his life. It only bit his arm to make sure he wasn’t getting back up, before returning to its den. That is where they found her and the cubs, when they went to put her down. Another hiker wasn’t far behind them on the path and had heard the screams. He saw what had happened and called for help, he saved Tyler’s life.
This information only deepened his depression. His mom had come from North Carolina to be with him. She drove him to Zoe’s funeral, but the pain meds created a haze over any memory of that day. She had found the ring in his pack, and delivered it to him in the hospital. The sight of it brought him to tears, but he wouldn’t let it go. It was a month before he was released from the hospital, another three before his skull and arm were fully healed.
The snow had melted before he made the trip back. The gray trees dotted with green buds, a sign spring had arrived. Without snow and ice to hinder his progress the hike went quickly. The path was brown earth now, with green shoots of grass beginning to push their way through the earth. The waterfall was as beautiful as Zoe had described it. The water turned white mist as it cascaded down the smooth rocks. As he approached, its spray covered his face hiding his tears. After a while he walked into the woods near the falls. He found a dogwood tree there, its white blossoms just starting to bud. At its base he dug a shallow hole and placed the ring in it. “I made it. I told you I would. I only wish you could be here with me.” His whispered words were cracked with sadness and barely audible over the torrent of noise coming from the waterfall. His tears fell into the hole and mixed with the dirt as he covered the ring, buried forever in a place she loved.