Journey of a Thousand Miles

Previously

…He folded the map carefully and tucked it into his pocket. Then he stepped out of the cabin and looked eastward. The plains continued as far as he could see, but beyond them, a dark line marked the beginning of the woods. He thought about the voice, the note, the tally marks, the warning. He thought about the woman in the photograph on his phone, whose name he still couldn't remember. Whatever was out there—whoever had built the watchtower and left the water and the note—they wanted him to walk. They wanted him to reach the end. And Jacob, with no other choice, began to walk. The journey of a thousand miles had begun.