by Rene Folsom
“Did you hear—?”
I didn’t get to finish my question before something large crashed to the ground a few feet away. Pop lurched upward, gasping in horror as he tried to stand, instead doing a backwards crab walk to avoid contact.
“It found us!” he yelled. “It was in the trees!”
I stared at the thing that had flown down from the heavens. Crouched low so that I couldn’t see its features, the thing seemed to be covered in brown fur and was smaller than a bear, but larger than any wolf I had seen. A rumbling growl resonated from it, and my heart shot straight into my throat as it met my gaze.
Its eyes were a piercing, glowing gold, shining with feral rage. But within those swirling golden orbs was a hint of… something more. An intelligent awareness. It glared at me, but with an added affect of a glower, as if it weren’t just a predator seeking out its prey, but a hunter pursuing its game.
“Beau, run!” my father’s voice screeched, reaching to the depths of my consciousness and pulling me out of my reverie.
I didn’t need to be told twice. Turning, I sprinted away from the creature, my father only a few strides ahead of me. He didn’t need to tug me along this time, because I was just as terrified as he was.
We pushed our way through the thicket, the sound of the beast close behind. I didn’t dare glance back at it, remembering my mistake from earlier. Instead, I made the extra effort to check for any protruding roots in the ground, ensuring history didn’t repeat itself.
But it didn’t need to, because the beast was much, much quicker than I was. It didn’t take long before I felt something large slam into my back, propelling me forward and onto my stomach. For the second time in one night, I enjoyed the not-so-pleasant taste of dirt between my teeth.
“Beau!”
Lifting my face, I noticed Pop looking back at me with wide, horrified eyes. I was about to push myself up and run to him, but the thing that had knocked me down grabbed me by the back of my shirt and twisted me around. I was once again slammed to the ground, my head making impact with something hard, but this time, I was facing up so I could see the creature that had been terrorizing us.
Female, was my first thought. Her face was covered in fur, the hair on top of her head long and reaching down to join her mane, but her features were slim and delicate like a woman’s. Her hair—and by extension, her fur—was a deep brown, silky, and straight. This was not the mangled fur of a wild wolf, but the slightly mussed hair of a woman who regularly brushed it. Her ears were pointed like an elf’s, long and sharp on each side of her head, poking out through her long, flowing hair. I felt her hands push down on my shoulders, and I looked to see that the fur extended down her forearms all the way to her fingers—which were all adorned with neatly clipped claws that threatened to tear through my shirt and into my skin. Looking back up at her, I noticed the thing that shocked me the most.
She was wearing clothes.
A slightly tattered plain black tee covered her torso, gray sweat pants hiding her, most likely, fur-covered legs from view. My mouth hung open as I took in the sight of a monster with a sense of decency.
Her ferocious snarl brought me back to reality. I stared up into her mouth, taking in with picture-perfect clarity the twin sets of fangs that replaced her canines. She brought them closer to my face, her hot breath wafting over my cheeks to light little fires along my skin. Then, she did something that brought my brain process to a complete standstill.
She spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
I gasped, staring up at her with wide eyes as something akin to regret shined in her expression. She opened her mouth again, brandishing her fangs and leaning down toward me.
“Get off him!”
With a flash of action, she was torn away before she could clamp down on my throat, which I could tell was her objective. I turned to see that my father had tackled her and was now wrestling with her, warring for dominance on the soiled surface of the forest floor.
With a vicious roar, she punched my dad across the cheek and pinned him down under her. She gave a wild howl of rage before rearing back with her right arm to slash open his throat.
“Wait!” I yelled, quickly scrambling to my feet. “Please, stop!”
I hadn’t expected her to listen, didn’t expect my words to overpower her rage. But when she paused, her glowing eyes lifting to meet mine, I knew there was more to her than this beastly act of fury.
“Beau, just run!” my father shouted at me, terror consuming his face, streaks of red tainting his skin as he struggled. “While it’s distracted, you need to get away!”
Staring into her eyes, I took note of the curiosity that flashed behind those striking, golden irises. I recognized the emotion, because I felt it all too often.
“Please, let my father go,” I pleaded. “Don’t hurt him, please! He was just scared, I promise. He would never hurt you.”
The voice in the back of my head scolded me for trying to reason with the beastly woman. How could she possibly understand me? But I knew she could. She had spoken before, meaning she held at least enough intelligence to be able to listen to reason.
In response to my words, she gave me a quizzical stare, which further proved my theory that this was not just some animal attacking out of instinct alone.
An idea struck me then as I continued to analyze her gaze. I wasn’t sure where it came from, or why I’d thought of it, but I couldn’t stop myself as the words came tumbling from my lips.
“Take me instead,” I blurted, holding my arms out wide, inviting her to accept my offer. “Let him go, and you can have me.”
“Beau, no!” Pop yelled. “Just run!”
Ignoring his words, I took a step closer to her in an attempt to show her I wasn’t a threat. “Please, if you let him go, I won’t fight you. You can have me, and he’ll just go home and say nothing to anyone if he wants me to survive. Your existence will be kept secret, and you’ll have me.”
Her eyes narrowed in thought, still studying me intently, probably ensuring it wasn’t a trick. I kept my arms held out in a non-threatening manner, praying to whomever would listen above that she’d take the deal and let my dad go. I didn’t care what happened to me, as long as he was okay.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of silence, she answered, her voice clear as day.
“Deal.”
At the sound of her voice, my father’s eyes widened in disbelief. He continued to stare, jaw slack, as she pulled away from him, standing to her full height, her stance still on full alert. He didn’t move for a few seconds, frozen in place after hearing her speak, unable to pull his gaze from the agile female.
His lack of movement caused her to snarl with impatience. “Leave!”
Jumping at the sound of her demand, he quickly stood, stumbling away from her and toward me. Grabbing my hand, he tried to pull me along, his movements frantic, disbelieving.
“Beau,” he pleaded. “C’mon. We need to get back to town, now!”
I pulled my hand from his grasp and shook my head. “I’m sorry, Pop, but a deal is a deal, and this is the only way to keep you safe. I’ll be fine. You just head on back and don’t tell anyone.” Fishing my keys from my pocket, I threw them at him. “Take my Jeep.”
He wore his thoughts on his face, and I could easily tell he thought I was bluffing—or had lost my mind—I wasn’t sure which.
“Beau, it will kill you!” he blubbered, trying to reason with me. “We need to go while we still have the chance.”
I knew he wouldn’t just let me go. What caring father would leave their only child to die? But I needed him to go, or else he may be killed as well.
“I’m sorry, Pop.” I turned to face him fully. “But I’m staying. You need to go, right now!”
I shoved him as hard as I could, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. A loud groan emanated from him as his tailbone took the brunt of the hit. I felt bad having hurt him, but there was no other way. I had to pu
sh him away, show him that it was best to leave me behind.
He lifted his head to yell at me, but stopped abruptly, swallowing his words when his gaze veered past me. I furrowed my brow in confusion, but understood why as soon as I felt a clawed hand grip my shoulder.
“We’re going,” she said to me with a gentle demand. “Leave him.”
She pulled on my shoulder, tugging me in the opposite direction away from the old, trembling man. He gave me one last pleading look, begging me with his eyes not to go. But I couldn’t listen to him. I had to go, or else he’d surely die.
Steeling myself to my fate, I turned and followed the beastly woman away from my father—my life.
The Hike
Fatigue overtook every muscle in my body as I continued following the beast-like creature up the mountain, my tired legs barely able to find purchase on the slick, leaf-covered ground. I couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t just done me in already. Did she want to make me so tired that all the fight would be drained from my body before she finally decided to attack? Was she that cruel?
Even though I knew she looked like an animal, her intelligence was startling, not to mention her agile body moved with grace through the mountainous terrain, like she was born and bred to live amongst the wild. A natural predator.
Stumbling again, I nearly slid back down a steep embankment just before a strong hand caught my wrist, yanking me upright. The claws on her opposite hand were dug into a tree trunk as she held steady and pulled me closer beside her.
“Only a few more minutes,” she clarified, and again, I wondered why she was drawing out the inevitable.
I thought about asking her what the hold up was. I’d probably piss her off by asking, but what did I have to lose? Before I could open my mouth to question why she hadn’t taken my life several miles back, we cleared the last cluster of trees and came upon a house.
No, not just a house… a mansion. Well, it wasn’t really a mansion, but compared to the rather tiny hole-in-the-wall house Pop and I lived in, this place was huge.
Mouth agape, I stopped in my tracks and stared at the beautiful house overlooking the mountainside. I could see everything up here. Ivywood was a mere speck in the distance below, the moon shining even brighter on the face of the mountains, casting a blue hue over the shrubbery. Even though it wasn’t full, the clear sky made it glow strong, like a bright beacon in the night.
Glancing at my captor, I noticed how beautiful her features were as she stared out at the valley below. When she wasn’t angry and ravenous, she was rather lovely. Then again, it might’ve been the exhaustion getting to me.
Feeling my eyes on her, she let out a light snarl, almost as if it were forced—a façade she had to put forth in order to save face. It made me wonder what was beneath that rough exterior, and I noticed myself wanting to get to know the creature inside. Although, I wasn’t sure that could ever happen. I wasn’t even sure how much longer I had on this earth.
The house was secluded, surrounded on nearly all sides by trees and forest growth. Her only neighbors were the wildlife and possibly a few large rocks that fell from the mountain not too far off in her backyard.
No wonder she doesn’t have decent people skills, I thought, a product of my exhaustion. The twitching of my lips was another side effect.
“Come. You look tired,” she said, leading the way to a large set of doors at the front of the house. It took me a few moments of gawking before I realized she wanted me to follow her inside. Curiosity got the best of me, and I trudged my way through the heavy double doors unassisted.
It wasn’t lost on me that the creature seemed to be concerned about my welfare. Why would she care if I looked tired? Was it part of her game? Damn. Maybe she did want her prey to fight for their last breath and just needed me good and secluded before she had her way with me.
Following her through the large foyer, I couldn’t help it when my mind twisted its thoughts, dreaming up a whole new scenario where this beast could possibly have her way with me, and it had nothing to do with being her next meal—well, not in a traditional sense. Hell, it was probably just survival mode kicking in, wishing and hoping that this lengthy walk wasn’t the calm before the storm—before my death.
The place was clean, yet barren—empty floors and walls where furniture and photos should’ve been. In the center of one wall was a small, round table with a single, long-stemmed red rose poised neatly in the center. It was odd in its placement—alone—the only vibrant thing in the otherwise bland, empty house. It seemed sad, like the house was lonely sitting out on this mountainside all by itself, with no other inanimate objects to keep it company.
Ripping my eyes away from the bright red petals and rounding a corner, I watched as her clawed fingers scraped along the trim, scratch marks littering the frame where a door obviously used to be. She seemed tense, like she was attempting to control herself with each and every move she made. Was she trying to keep from scaring me? Or was this just the way she built up the suspense, the adrenaline rush being part of the hunt?
“You must be hungry,” she said as we continued down a long, unlit hallway, her voice deep and rich… coming out more like a seduction than a warning. Either way, I was still the victim—I knew that much. My boots hitting the hardwood floor were sluggish in comparison to the rapid beating of my heart, which had actually slowed significantly since my first run-in with her.
Turning into a large space, my captor flicked on a light switch, causing the sound of the florescent lights to hum, filling the silence of the night. With a jerky motion, she turned on me, glaring, searching… but for what?
“Are. You. Hungry?” she asked, each word annunciated as if I were some sort of imbecile. It seemed like time was crawling at a snail’s pace because I could’ve sworn she mentioned something about hunger ages ago. Her eyes were fierce—a piercing gold that seemed to illuminate beneath the bright lights.
I tried to swallow, my fear seeming to get stuck like a boulder in my throat, and shook my head. Food was the last thing on my mind at the moment, especially since now I was able to truly see my abductor—examine her features, her very beast-like features.
Inching closer to me, she stared straight into my eyes. Our gazes locked, a war between wills. Did she expect me to cave? To cower in front of her like most of her victims would? While I knew I was scared—terrified even—I also knew I would die a man, standing on my own two feet.
This compliant victim shit was over.
My heart hammered in my chest more ferociously than before as her face came closer, her warm breath washing over me in waves of intimidating heat. Before I had any sense to back away, she snarled and said, “Well, I am.”
This was it. She was hungry, and I was as good as dead.
Before my fear could squeak from my mouth, the beast turned on her heel and walked in the opposite direction, her muscles tense and movements slow, methodical. A puff of air escaped my lungs as I watched her open a large fridge, her clawed fingers diligently removing some rather normal items.
Ham, mayo, lettuce… bread.
Was she making me a sandwich? Fatten me up before she decided to devour me? How sick was this woman?
My eyes darted around the large kitchen, unease settling into my bones, my gaze catching on another single rose, the vase holding it upright just as vibrant as its ruby-red petals as it sat neatly in the center of the table. Something wasn’t quite right, but I just couldn’t place what. She should just get this over with already. I was almost angry she was drawing things out so long. She must’ve gotten off on torturing her victims, making us trust her just enough so that we didn’t see it coming—a false sense of security.
Deciding I wouldn’t give her that satisfaction, I steeled my nerves and slowly walked toward her while she stood at a high island countertop and set the contents between us.
“What’s all this?” I asked, my mind obviously unable to put two and two together. I really couldn’t think of anything else to
say, so asking her what the frack she was up to seemed to be the best way to go.
“You haven’t seen someone make a sandwich before?” I just stared at her. The more I tried to figure this beast out, the more confused I became. Her features seemed to soften just a tad, though not enough to really remove the fierceness from her tone. “You sure you don’t want one?” she asked, pointing a knife in the direction of the contents on the counter.
I shook my head again, knowing if I put anything in my stomach right now, it would just come right back up. Nerves seemed to have taken residence in my gut, and I knew for damn sure there was no room for food.
“Suit yourself. The guest room is down the hall and to the left.” Her voice was dismissive, flippant. Almost like I was annoying her and she needed me to get out of her face.
Didn’t need to tell me twice. Before I could blink, I turned and left the kitchen, my jerky movements fueled more by anger than fear. I didn’t want to admit to her or myself that her dismissal hurt.
Pushing my way through the last door in the hall, I flicked on the light and found myself in a rather large room with a nice-sized bed and an en suite bathroom. I immediately closed the door behind me and pressed my back against the cold wood, feeling a bit better by the barrier between the beast and myself.
So many questions were rattling through my brain, yet I knew I didn’t have the guts to go back out there. Not yet anyway.
Before I could think any further, my body seemed to gravitate toward the bed, exhaustion suddenly seeping through my body, saturating my muscles like a drug.
Collapsing on the plush surface and allowing myself to succumb to sleep, I couldn’t help but notice how different the world looked from this perspective—from the outlook of a dead man walking.
The Snooping
It was light out when I suddenly startled awake, my body drenched in sweat with the heat of the sun beating on me through the window. My boots were still on my feet, the soles caked in dried dirt, dangling off the side of the bed like some drunkard.
