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I waded my way through the rushing stream, grappling for the reeds on the bank. After pulling myself up I watched my kayak crash against the rocks and escape further and further away from me. The foul taste in my mouth from the river water overwhelmed me, retching I reached for my water bottle, only to realise that like my kayak, it was gone. What I had expected to be a peaceful trip away had turned into a nightmare, fifteen miles downstream of my camp I had to make the decision of whether to attempt the walk back, or try and find some shelter for myself.
I turned to take in my surroundings, the forest loomed over me, the trees were easily over one hundred and fifty foot and were so densely packed together that I wondered how I would make my way through, it hadn’t seemed this large from in the river. The daylight was beginning to fade, meaning that I had to make my decision fast. With no signal available I decided that trying to find my way through this wood in the dark would be more perilous than I was equipped for. I found myself thinking about how remote the area was. The chances of bumping into someone who could help me find my way back were slim to none. I tried to take catalogue of what I had with me, being immediately disappointed with the revelation that I only had my Swiss army knife. The wind whipping around me and my dripping wet clothing sent a shiver through me; I had no choice but to make my way forward into the forest.
The fading light did not begin to penetrate the forest, so after my eyes had adjusted to the dim lighting I set about looking for the perfect area to try and build my shelter for the night. After half an hour of wandering through the forest I had determined that the forest floor was made up of large ferns, doc leaves and pine needles. All I had to do was find a fallen tree so I could use the branches for a structure and to start the ever essential fire. After another forty five minutes of aimless walking I found exactly what I was looking for, what appeared to be a fallen birch lying directly in front of me. The relief was instant; I began snapping branches and building a pile of material ready for building, my scouts experience kicked straight in. Building the structure with only my Swiss army knife proved difficult, I will not say that I didn’t nick my fingers a few times in the process. Eventually I stood back and looked at the small hut I had built, tall enough for a six year old to comfortably stand I was proud. The only thing I needed to do was gather enough palm fronds to lie across the makeshift roof and shelter me that little bit more. I gathered a pile of fronds and began to weave them through the sticks at the top of my hut. After deciding I was finally satisfied with the shelter I had built I began to search the undergrowth for something to help me start my fire. My numb hands fumbled with appalling objects that made my stomach lurch before finally clasping the thing I was looking for. A flint stone. I made it back to my small structure and started building my fire. After a good fifteen minutes of trying to use my knife and my stone I managed to create a spark. Lighting some dried pine needles to start my fire.
I sat back in my hut and welcomed the heat of the roaring fire, my clothes had mostly dried by this point, but my shoes and socks were still soggy, I arranged them next to the fire in an attempt to dry them. The heat of the fire was a glorious feeling after hours of damp clothing. The silence of the forest washed over me as I finally began to relax, but as I stared in my makeshift shelter I began to realise that the cracking noises I had been hearing the whole time were not just me moving in the undergrowth. Shrinking back into my hut I stayed as still as possible, watching the space around the fire rather than above it. The glint of flames against something caused me to look up. The first time I saw her I was stunned and terrified, wild dark hair and piercing green eyes stared at me from above my fire, and then I noticed, the shiny object reflecting my fire was a twelve inch machete. I froze, mind desperately racing, I began to speak “You can’t attack a man wearing no shoes; it’s an undignified way to die.” She stood still, staring at me but not speaking. The light from the fire highlighted the purple bruising on her bare arms. I wondered how long she’d been out here.
“If you are going to kill me at least tell me your name?” she blinked slowly at me, I could see her thinking about what I had just said, it was then I started to really fear for my life.
“I suppose if anything else on this trip was to go even more wrong, at least I would have died at the hands of a beautiful woman.” She burst out laughing, a melodic sound shattering the silence of the forest, ringing through the trees.
“Well I suppose it would have been a fantastic story to share with your friends, if you live to tell them it that is.” Her voice cut straight through the tension that was rising from her silence.
 “If you could tell me why that rather large knife in your hand wants to be running me through then I can see if it would be a good a story to tell? It would certainly take my mind off of being stranded in the woods. Take a seat there’s plenty of room.” The mystery woman did just that; and so she began to tell me the most interesting tale I had ever heard.
“It started in late September of last year; I had been working as a waitress in a cocktail bar in a small town just outside of my city when I met what I thought was the man of my dreams. He came in most evenings that I worked and eventually introduced himself to me as John; he spent hours flirting with me and drinking with his group of friends. I never thought anything of the friends he kept but looking back on it was certainly a red flag that he always had such a large group of males around him all the time. Eventually he convinced me to meet up outside of work and go for drinks. We settled on a place near where I worked, he came and picked me up from my flat. Everything was going so well, he was so sweet and charming. I felt like the most special woman in the world. But what I hadn’t noticed was how obsessive his behaviour became so quickly. We went out a few more times, but he would never let me drive to the destination he would always pick me up, I just thought he was a gentleman that he wanted to take care of me. One evening we had agreed that he would pick me up from work and drive me home because he didn’t like me getting the train home late. We were driving from my work, as we went along the dual carriage way towards my flat, I realised that he had missed the exit, I looked back over my shoulder and noticed a black bmw car behind us that I recognised immediately, I turned to him and said ‘is that Jamie’s car? I thought he lived in the opposite direction?’ John didn’t say anything and continued driving, I thought he’d just missed the exit and was going to take the next one and turn around but he never turned off, he just continued down the dual carriageway. I eventually asked him where we were going and he just said ‘you’ll see’ I had already begun to panic and I realised after a while that the panic was definitely warranted.   Eventually he pulled up outside of this large metal gate and buzzed us in. I was pushed out of the car onto this drive way, in through the door of the house and that was the last time I saw the outside of the house for five and a half months, my room had someone stood outside the door twenty four hours of the day. The abuse I endured was too much to even put into words. Three days ago everyone left for some kind of meeting and I saw my chance and ran for it. When they left the building they usually locked all windows and doors, leaving mine unlocked so I could wander around the house. It took me twenty minutes to find a way out of the house. Rummaging through the house I found this machete, I used the handle to shatter the window in the door and used the blade to knock the shards away from the frame.  The adrenaline has been the only thing keeping me going for the last three days. The torture I had been through with those men, both my body and my mind had been destroyed in so many ways throughout those five and a half months. It took all of my strength to pull myself over that gate and run as far as I did. When I first came across you I assumed he must have sent someone after me.”
I leaned against my shelter trying to take in the story she had just told me. “I’m lost for words, no person should ever be held against their will fearing for their life. I don’t even know your name but this really does show I was right to fear you when you arrived. Not many people can go through that and come out the other side.” I couldn’t stop staring at this woman, her beauty and strength shined through every bruise, every scar and every healing cut on her body.
“Well I suppose if you know my story you should know my name, its Joan.”
“As in of arc?” I pitifully attempted to make her laugh.
“No, I’m named after Joan Jett.” 
She clearly didn’t appreciate my attempt at humour. “So what’s your plan then?” I asked.
“Well I suppose I was planning on killing you and taking your shelter, but that might be counterproductive.”
I nodded in agreement, “My car is about fifteen miles downstream, we could wait until daylight, make our way back to the river bank and then walk alongside it, it will be a long walk but I’m sure we could do it.”
Joan paused for a second, observing the setting around us before she spoke again “I think that sounds like a good way forward. I think the closer to the bank we are the easier it will be to find our way to the public footpath too.”
“I hadn’t even noticed that there was a public footpath that goes out this far.” I didn’t notice any kind of a path on my journey out.
“It’s about four miles out from where we are.” Joan adjusted her position as she finished speaking, sliding closer to the fire and crossing her legs, her whole demeanour had changed, and she had finally begun to relax.
“So you’ve been out here for three days in nothing but jeans and a vest?” I asked. Joan nodded “you must be grateful for the warmth then. I can’t imagine how awful the last two nights have been for you. You must be exhausted.” Joan nodded again, I moved over in the shelter and put my now dry jumper in the corner “You should sleep, come and sit next to me; there’s more than enough space for you to lie down and sleep.” Joan got up and made herself comfortable under the shelter. I tried to keep as much distance between the two of us as I could in the small shelter.
Eventually I must of fallen asleep sitting up against the side of the shelter; I woke up to Joan nudging my side
“Come on we need to get moving.” Joan’s tone was filled with urgency.
“Okay, okay, I’m moving.” I rubbed my eyes, trying to rid them of the blurry film they had gained through my uncomfortable few hours of rest. Joan was already up and ready to go, I picked up my jumper and offered it to her.
“It’s okay I don’t need it.” She tried to deny my offer but I insisted “You need it more than I do, I have long sleeves you don’t.”
She finally took the jumper and I put my shoes and socks on, welcoming the dry fabric warming my frozen feet.
We began walking away from our small camp. The bird song broke through the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over me and Joan. The sound of the undergrowth moving under foot kept me on edge; each twig snapping sent a jolt through my body, like I was waiting for an ambush. After what felt like hours Joan spoke “I think we’re almost at the edge of the forest.”
“I think I can hear the river.” I replied. We began walking faster, as if just the thought of the water was propelling us forward. We eventually broke through the forest onto the bank of the river. The relief was instant, and the view was astounding. The clear water rushed past us, reeds waving in the breeze. Being in the open air was a very different experience to being in the dim light of the forest. I turned to look at Joan; she stood staring behind me, her face twisted into a grimace of fear. “Joan what’s wrong?” I asked before turning to look behind me. As I turned she grabbed onto my arm, her knife raised. “Joan, what is going on?” she stayed silent, gripping my forearm tightly. I managed to turn and take in what she was looking at. A dark haired man in a grey sweat suit was running towards us. “They’ve found me.” Joan whispered, her voice cracking slightly. That was when it hit me, if they had decided to keep her locked in a room; of course they wouldn’t just let her run away. She knew too much, she had seen too much.
“Joan pass me the knife please.” I asked her quietly.
Joan passed me the knife as the man rapidly grew closer. I couldn’t think straight, a thousand thoughts flew through my brain, not one of them sticking. The man was almost in front of us, I could now hear his laboured breathing. Eventually he stopped running and began walking the last few paces to us.
“Just. Hand. Her. Over.” He managed to force out the sentence between wheezes before reaching into his pocket. I lifted up the machete in my hand, the blade shining in the sun. I waited to see what he was trying to retrieve as he fumbled around in his pockets. Eventually he produced a small blue inhaler and immediately put it into his mouth. I couldn’t suppress my laughter. “Who ever heard of an asthmatic Henchman?” The man looked up at me.
“Do you really think we would waste our best men on this skinny tart?” he snapped, finally able to breathe again. Joan began laughing.
“My God Charlie, you must have felt so special when Jim finally chose you for something huh? He only did it because he can lose you. If I killed you now he wouldn’t bat an eyelid. He’s probably hoping you don’t come back.” Joan’s tone was more relaxed and snide now she had identified him. Charlie looked amused by her comments.
“You wouldn’t be able to take me down Joan, there’s nothing to you any more, no fight.” He chuckled to punctuate his sentence. He began to point at Joan “He’ll be so happy to have you back, just a cheap plaything to entertain us all.” It happened in a split second, I hadn’t even registered that the weight of the machete was gone before I saw the blade slash through the air and cut clean through his arm. He screeched in pain watching the blood pour from the stump that was once a hand.
“Run!” Joan screamed at me, and we both began sprinting away, Charlie was left stood, screaming in pain. We ran until our lungs felt close to bursting. My legs felt like they were moving on their own, like they were no longer being controlled by my brain. Eventually we stopped; we had put a great stretch of woodland and river between us and Charlie. More than I had noticed until I saw a wooden post with an arrow pointing left and a national trust symbol on the front of the post.
 “I think we should follow the sign, the trail will hopefully lead us back to my car” I managed to say between breaths.
“That’s probably our best bet right now.” Joan agreed and we began walking down the path. The trail was quiet, the trees here were much less densely packed together too so it was nice to feel the sunlight on my face. The path was much flatter than the rough terrain of the river bank, my ankles were incredibly grateful to be back on flat ground again. My legs ached from the running, making the walk feel much longer than it should have done.
“So what’s your plan for when we get out of here Joan?” she pondered my question for a few moments, watching the ground beneath her feet.
“I’m not too sure; I don’t think going back to my flat is a good idea before I speak to the police.” I nodded in agreement.
“Well I can take you back to my house so you can speak to the police in a safe environment?” I suggested to her.
“If it’s not too much trouble I would really appreciate that.” Joan’s tone seemed to relax but her jaw was still clenched, I hope knowing what was going to happen when we made it back to the car made it easier for her to calm down. I was just praying that the water hadn’t affected my car keys.
The walk along the trail took hours, by the time we had found the car park it was dusk. I hadn’t realised just how far into the forest we had been until we had made our way out of it. The relief washed over me as we made our way over to my Ford Mondeo. The roof bars brought home the reality that my beloved kayak was gone, but that paled in comparison to what Joan had been through in the last few months. I rummaged around in my pockets to retrieve the key to unlock it, luckily they seemed to be fine and the car unlocked. We both got into the car and I started it with ease. “Well it appears you managed to pack all your things before you got lost in the woods.” Joan laughed; my camping gear and phone had been left in the car before my disastrous venture upstream.
“It was meant to be my last kayak before coming home, I would happily have left the tent and my phone, losing my kayak was definitely not on the agenda for the weekend!” Joan laughed loudly as I reversed the car out of the space.
“Well I’m not too sure what I would have done if you hadn’t of lost your kayak.” I turned and smiled at her, resting my hand on her knee for a second.
“It’s a good thing the current was a lot stronger than I had anticipated then isn’t it.”
We drove the majority of the way home in silence, thinking only of the security that awaited us.