Meet Me in the Woods
I was a supply hauler less than a week after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina. I was only there for a short period because my thesis defense had already been scheduled for the next week. It was an experience that stuck with me but I didn't feel the true impact of until returning to Western North Carolina just over a year later to visit family. During that trip, I listened to "Meet Me in the Woods" for the first time It resonated with me because it was the perfect descriptor of my experience and the impact it's had.
Leaving my home all the way in Dare County to haul supplies to Avery County was a journey to the unknown. I didn't know it at the time but I would come back changed. It's since become a darkness that has a hold on me.
There's no language for what I saw. I was only seeing what was accessible by 4x4 truck. The truth is worse than my worst dreams, not just because of what I saw and experienced but because of what wasn't even accessible. I've seen what darkness does and it changed who I was. Helene brought my fears to life. At night it weighs on me as I lie awake on the other end of the state and driving west of Hickory is like meeting that darkness in the woods again.