Little Red

by Trista Jaszczak

  “I’m going to bet it gets a little colder out here at night.”

  He shakes something off as he briefly glances at the ground.

  “Not much, but you probably will get chilly in just the leather.”

  I look at my old and faded leather jacket.

  The red leather is soft and worn from years of use, but I’ll be the first to admit, it’s not the warmest thing on Earth.

  “So, you lead the way?”

  He quickly looks away from me and nods.

  “This way.” He trails quietly deeper into the woods.

  I glare back at my bike and my helmet before heading after him

  “We’ll be able to find my bike again, right?” I call after him, now sprinting to keep up.

  He gives me a quick nod.

  “Hey!” I cry out.

  “Since when are we in a hurry?”

  He stops dead in his tracks to look up at the moon.

  “Can’t keep up?”

  I shoot him a dirty look.

  “Yes, but I just figured we didn’t have to be in such a hurry.”

  He turns to look at me and laughs.

  I can’t keep the uneasy feeling from tying a knot in my stomach.

  I feel somewhat ridiculous to even trust him.

  I feel as though I’m breaking one of the cardinal rules of “stranger danger.” Here I am following some man I don’t know into woods that I’m completely clueless about.

  I have got to be stupid.

  Not only am I going willingly, but now my guide is laughing like some crazed lunatic.

  What in the hell is he laughing at? I find myself laughing nervously.

  “You know, if you’re busy, we don’t - ” I stop.

  “You don’t have to.”

  His expression changes once more to a soft, sad, and sincere one.

  “It’s okay; I’ve got time.”

  I draw in a long breath and release it slowly.

  His expression softens again and he shakes his head.

  “Don’t worry about your bike.

  I know this place a little too well.”

  I finally nod as he begins walking at a slower pace.

  I catch up to him easily this time and keep a steady pace by his side

  “How old are you, Red?” Now I can hear a smile in his voice

  “Twenty-five.” I glance over at him.

  “How old are you?” He doesn’t look any more than 25 to be honest.

  No fine lines, no wrinkles.

  Just perfectly flawless skin buried under the scruff of facial hair

  “Thirty,” he says, keeping his eyes forward

  I shove my hands in my pockets and send a breath outward.

  “What exactly do you do?”

  “I’m a mechanic.

  I work on cars.

  I have my own business for restoration,” he explains

  “I’m not an idiot,” I tell him.

  “I know what a mechanic does,” I shoot, annoyed

  He laughs.

  “And just what do you do?”

  I peer at my feet and lick my lips.

  “I don’t really have a job.

  Not a steady one any way.

  I work where I can, and save what I can.”

  I see him nod from the corner of my eyes.

  “Do you always ride the bike everywhere?”

  I give him a nod.

  Other than my red leather jacket, my bike is my most valued possession.

  It’s a complete luxury for me, despite its age, and I’m very lucky to have it in the first place.

  “It’s all I have.

  Besides, gas is cheap.”

  He finally turns his head to look at me.

  “What do you do in the winter?”

  I stop and kick a large clump of hardening mud over my boots.

  “Migrate south.”

  This makes him laugh again as he gives me a genuine smile, one that gives me a little pang of excitement somewhere deep inside.

  I smile back.

  “It’s supposed to be warm down here, right?”

  “Something like that,” he says as his feet start moving.

  “So, how long do you plan on staying here?”

  I shrug.

  “As long as my ex doesn’t find me.”

  “Is he that bad?”

  I keep my eyes forward and give him a little nod.

  I suddenly feel something on my back.

  I glare next to me and realize his hand has gently landed on the small of my back, giving me a soft pat.

  I fight the urge to walk faster, to pull myself way.

  I swallow hard and feel my heart rate quicken.

  I look up and into his gray eyes again, and I can’t help but to notice that as he moves they seem to bounce light off in the way an animal’s would.

  I shake out of my thoughts, but can’t seem to manage to pull my eyes away from him

  He pulls his hand away and shyly looks away.

  “Sorry.” He shakes his head.

  “I get the impression he’s hurt you.”

  “He wasn’t nice,” I say, putting a good width of distance between us

  “Sorry,” he says softly.

  He glances over at me again.

  “You just remind me a lot of her.”

  “Of your sister?”

  He gives me another nod and looks down.

  His body tenses and relaxes a few more times.

  He glances at his feet and shoves his fists into his pockets

  “Sure is light out here,” I say, making a quick attempt to change the subject

  He laughs and looks up.

  “The full moon will do that, Red.”

  I suddenly feel silly and half-stupid.

  “I just didn’t think it would light up the woods.” Even in total darkness, I can feel the heat beginning to rise off my cheeks

  “What? You mean to tell me you don’t go playing in the woods alone back in Kentucky, Red?” He asks

  I let out a soft chuckle.

  “Not exactly.”

  “It’s just a little bit further,” he states as we both step over a large, fallen tree log.

  “It’s not too far from your bike, like I said, and we can easily find it.”

  I nod as I begin trailing behind him, strategically placing him in front of me to easily watch his moves.

  I’m smaller, and may be quick enough to outrun him if needed.

  Getting out of the woods in the right direction is what I need to worry about, if worse comes to worse.

  I keep my eyes forward and there, in a small clearing of trees with the bright moonlight highlighting it, is a small, run down cabin.

  Ethan turns to look at me.

  “Here it is.

  Warmer.

  It’s better than some tent, anyway.”

  I let out a sigh as I stare hard at the little old house.

  The earth has begun to consume it.

  The little house is covered half way up with moss, vines, and high weeds.

  The handful of windows are intact, but filthy and difficult to even see through.

  The small, covered porch seems rickety and barely able to hold the covering up.

  “Is it safe?”

  He gives me a slight nod.

  “I’ve been coming here for years.”

  “You know this place?” I ask, following him up the creakiest set of steps I’ve ever heard.

  I swallow my fear; this is how horror movies begin.

  I look up at him and he seems to pause in front of the door

  He takes a long look and finally lets out a sigh before turning back to me.

  “I know it very well, actually,” he says, digging something out of his pocket

&n
bsp; I gasp, stepping back, again putting more distance between us

  He laughs and holds up the shiny object, and I see that it’s nothing more than a thin and long pin-like object.

  “It’s for the door, Red.

  I told you that I wouldn’t hurt you.”

  I give my head a shake.

  I feel almost embarrassed for acting this way around him.

  “Sorry,” I tell him as I watch him jam the long, pin-like object through the key hole of the door.

  He begins wiggling it carefully, and eventually he is rewarded with a click.

  He turns, smiling, and pushes the door open

  “Ladies first,” he says, ushering me inside

  I hesitate, but eventually step in to a creaky floor and musty smelling cabin.

  It’s quiet, but much warmer, as Ethan had promised.

  I can hear the familiar flicking of a lighter behind me as I realize he’s now inside and lighting candles

  “How did you know about this place?” I ask

  As each tiny flicker of the lighter goes up in a small, orange flame, I see the large open room is rather furnished.

  At first glance, I see a twin bed in a corner, a nice little rocking chair overlooking one of the dirty windows, a tattered old couch, and a small table and chairs.

  It’s nothing fancy, just plain, and comforting, and well worn.

  I turn to Ethan who is busy lighting the last of the candles

  “My sister and I came here years ago.

  I just kept coming back after she...”

  “I’m so sorry,” I say again, not meaning to bring her up

  “It’s alright,” he tells me.

  “You look a lot like her.

  She was so beautiful and charismatic and graceful; tough, but at the same time feminine.”

  I feel my cheeks flush with color.

  “Thank you.”

  “She was my twin,” he says finally

  My eyes grow large as I begin to stare hard into him.

  I can’t imagine losing a sibling, let alone a twin

  “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he explains, a crackle in his voice popping out momentarily.

  “Bad group of guys.”

  I suddenly feel where the story is going, and it comes to me how she met her end.

  Her end had not been peaceful.

  I feel myself sinking into the old worn couch, staring at Ethan with sad, teary eyes

  “She was sixteen. We were sixteen.” He laughs.

  “God, when you’re sixteen you don’t think anything bad will happen, let alone here.” He shakes his head.

  “Not a town like this; not Greensburg.”

  It’s apparent Ethan just isn’t a man who talks about his feelings.

  Suddenly, my heart begins to ache for him.

  His silvery eyes wash over with what I can only guess are tears

  “We didn’t think anything of her walking to the store.

  Who does in a town like this?” he asks, shaking his head.

  “There were eight of us, you know? One girl who had seven brothers.

  How could it happen? We were always watching her.

  We were always checking on her.” He looks down at his feet, and I feel my lip quiver.

  “She was only supposed to go get a carton of milk.

  Our mother needed it for baking.

  Elise begged us.” His eyes meet mine again.

  “She begged us to let her go alone.” He looks at me as though I’m supposed to say something, but my mind feels lost and empty and I can barely manage to look him in the eyes.

  “After a while, we just knew.

  We knew something wasn’t right.” I hear his voice crackle again.

  “My brothers went after her.

  Elise and I were the youngest at sixteen, but I trailed after them anyway.” His eyes flit away from mine as he stares at the ceiling.

  “We got there just before her last scream.” I knew it was coming, but for some reason as the words trailed past his lips, my heart shattered for him.

  I look away from him and suddenly feel a few tears slide down my cheeks.

  “My brother, Colt, gave me a hard push, screaming for me to go get help.

  I remember, I fell back and I caught a glimpse of two men over my sister.” I glance at him from the corner of my eyes and see his head drop.

  “My brothers went insane.

  They ran and grabbed the men who were just passing through.

  The men didn’t stand a chance.”

  I open my mouth, trying to find the right words.

  Something kind to say, but the words “I’m sorry” just don’t seem good enough.

  Before I can think, before I can stop what I’m about to do, I open my mouth to say something I never tell anyone.

  “My mother killed my father.” His head snaps up and his eyes lock with mine.

  I feel as though I can’t stop now; I have to keep going.

  He opened up; I have to do the same.

  “He abused me my entire life.

  My mother fought him constantly.

  We tried running, but it was useless.

  He always found us.” I swallow and pretend to scratch at my eyes.

  “One night he beat me pretty badly.

  I don’t remember too much.

  I can remember him grabbing my ponytail and my head slamming into a wall.

  I was told that was all my mother could take.

  She went into a rage.

  She just couldn’t bear him doing that to her child.” I look down.

  “She killed him.”

  Ethan is quiet and attentive as I feel his eyes on me.

  “She ended up going to jail.

  I was just fourteen and had no other family to speak of.

  So, of course, I went right into the custody of the state.

  One crappy foster home after another.” I give my head a shake.

  “They said she could appeal, said she stood a chance at getting out and getting me back.

  They had all her filed police reports against my father.

  But, before she could, she was stabbed and killed in prison.” I hear an unrecognizable noise come from Ethan.

  I look up at him and his silver eyes seem to want to comfort me.

  I watch as he walks slowly to the couch and sinks in next to me.

  “I haven’t had a real home before in my life, usually the next was as bad as the last.

  Beatings, not feeling like I belonged, and when I became too much of a ‘problem’ or ‘too expensive’ I was sent somewhere else.” I rest my head in my hands a moment.

  “For four years, I was miserable.

  Until I was eighteen, and I met Josh.” I laugh.

  “Josh Darren, the rich boy in town.

  Daddy’s a judge; mommy’s a lawyer.

  That had to mean a good life for poor ole Sam.” I look into his eyes again.

  “That’s when he began controlling every move I made.

  Everything I did was wrong.

  That’s when the beatings started.

  I had this friend, my only friend really; he fixed up old bikes and paid me to help him.

  It was my only job, but he paid me well enough.

  After six years of hell, I just got tired of it.

  I begged him for a bike and took off.” He stares at me blankly for a moment.

  Who could think of anything to say after hearing that? I give my lips a lick and sigh.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have.” He shakes his head and I suddenly feel his hand on my cheek in a way that I’ve never felt.

  It’s soft, warm, and comforting.

  I feel my heart beat speed up as I stare at him.

  I fight off both tears and bad memories. />
  I blink my eyes quickly as I feel one of his fingertips brush softly over my skin.

  I yank my body back and off the couch.

  I try to speak, try to explain myself, but I can barely move.

  Ethan lets out a breath as I find myself stumbling backward

  “I won’t hurt you,” he says again

  I feel my lip quiver as I urge myself to speak

  “You’re safe here.”

  “I can’t believe I just told you that,” I manage, choking back a few of my tears

  “I told you about my sister,” he says.

  “And you listened.”

  I nod.

  “I did.”

  “And, I listened to you.”

  I look down.

  “I’ve just never told anyone all of that.

  It’s my little secret, you know?”

  “Something tells me that’s the condensed version,” he says

  “And, the same for yours,” I say softly

  He gives me a little nod

  “Josh will find me here,” I say.

  “It’s just a matter of time.”

  His eyes grow wide as it settles on him.

  He knows I’m right

  “I really don’t want to cause you any trouble here,” I say, pushing my hair back from my eyes.

  “If you could just get me to a gas station and I could get some gas for my bike, I could head out.”

  “I,” he pauses.

  “I can’t.”

  “You can’t what?”

  “I can’t just let you walk out that door, knowing some lunatic is right behind you,” he says.

  “You’ll stay here.”

  “You’re going to protect someone that you don’t even know?” I ask, looking at him both confused and a little thankful

  “I know enough,” he tells me

  I run my hands down my face.

  “And, if he finds me, I’ll just be dragging you into this.”

  “And, my brothers,” he tells me

  I look up at him.

  “I assumed they…” I stop myself before I upset him

  He shakes his head.

  “They served some time, but not much.”

  My mouth forms a tight little O as I stare into his eyes once more.

  “You would really protect someone you don’t know?”

  “Someone who reminds me of my sister as much as you do? In a heartbeat.”

  I finally feel myself smile

  “I did bring you to a place that I’d left between Elise and me until now.” He turns his head to the side.