It was a sweltering summer afternoon in the forests of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The cicadas were humming particularly loud on this day which made the heat just a little more unbearable than it already was. Ollie Evans had just left his secluded mountain home to take a break from his monotonous everyday life. However, he was already considering turning back around. Despite the oppressive heat, he continued up the mountain path that he regularly walked. Ollie lived deep in the woods, three miles up a narrow dirt path from the nearest road. As he walked, his muscles ached. He was painfully thin and his skin had a sickly grey tone to it.
It had been weeks since he had left home last. In this day in age, one did not need to leave often. It had been at least 3 years since the local grocery story had started drone deliveries and after that Ollie had lost reason to come down from the mountains other than for special occasions. As the sun peeked through the foliage, it burnt Ollie’s skin. He looked up and smiled. With his eyes painfully squinted due to the brightness, he couldn’t remember the last time he had taken a walk for any reason other than to pick up food or come down the mountain for occasional visits.