“Anna?” I called quietly while walking to her.
Silence.
“Anna? Please say something,” I dropped to my knees at her side and cradled her head in my lap.
Blood spilled out of the wound on her neck and a little trail made its way from the corner of her mouth down her cheek. I grabbed the bottom of the cloak and tore off a strip; I bunched it up and held it tightly against the wound hoping to at least stop the bleeding. I felt my hand get wet after a short time; lifting it, I saw that my palm was soaked in her blood.
“Oh my god,” I whispered.
Her eyes fluttered open and looked up at me in pain. I stared at the beautiful girl and cried. I ran my fingers through her fiery red hair, only to have them stick where it was matting with blood.
“Why did you come over? Why didn’t you just stay home? I always told you that you would regret not staying home. Why don’t you listen to me?” I sobbed.
“S-sorry,” she gurgled.
“You have no reason to be sorry.”
“Y-yes I do,” she said.
“About what happened?”
“Yes.” Came the soft response.
“Come on, you know we would have made up. We always do.”
“L-love you.”
The hot tears stung my cheeks as I stared into her face. The wolf didn’t get a chance to completely rip her throat out, but did the damage needed. I knew there was no hope.
“I love you too. You’re my bestest friend in the entire world.”
“Forever.”
“Always. Anna. I’m so sorry.”
“Not. Your. Fault.”
“Yes it is. If I had just told you. If I had warned you to stay away, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“No. Abby. I wa-wanted to come,” I saw the blood pool in her mouth and slowly spill out the sides.
"But I didn't tell you what was going on. I didn't think you would understand this."
"Stop," she smiled weakly while trying to lift her arm.
"You’re going to be okay,” I lied.
She managed another weak smile, “Liar.”
“It’s really not all that bad. A good surgeon and you’ll look like new,” the tears slid down my cheeks.
Her eyes began to slide shut, and her breathing became very shallow.
“Don’t go to sleep, Anna. Come on, wake up.”
Her eyes opened only briefly.
“Please don’t go. I need you,” I shook her slightly.
She tried to swallow, but the blood just gushed out of the holes in her throat, and she gurgled a bit more. I could see her trying to move her lips, but no sound was coming out now.
“Shh, don’t talk. Save your energy,” I said. “Just don’t die. The paramedics are on their way.”
“Y-you have to promise to ta-take care of yourself.”
“I love you, Anna,” I cried.
She nodded and took a few short breaths. A low gurgle was the last sound she made as I saw one solitary tear slide down her cheek.
“Anna?”
Silence.
“Anna!” I shouted while shaking her shoulders.
I shook her again, her head just lulled from side to side. Her chest was no longer rising and lowering. I grabbed her wrist searching for a pulse, but there was none.
“Oh god,” I laid her on the snow and began chest compressions.
The only thing that accomplished was spraying her blood all over my face. I held onto my dead friend, sobbing. I’d lost one more person. My best friend had died because of me. She was gone. Murdered. My sadness was replaced with anger and hatred. I looked at Connor; I’d never felt so mad.
Blood was dripping off my face, my hands and my white shirt were stained with it. I didn’t care though. The fire that I felt in my belly the night before was replaced by a damned bonfire. I reached into Connor’s bag and grabbed his huge axe. The once heavy weapon felt like a twig. I gently put Anna’s head on the ground and after kissing her cheek, I turned to the field. Red Riding Hood was not going to be the victim this time. She was getting some revenge.
“Alright. You want me. You got me!” I muttered starting my trek across the yard again.
About half-way across I stopped and stared, the silver wolf emerged and stood as massive as ever. His fur rustled in the wind as my cloak bellowed out around me.
“Red,” he growled.
“My, what a deep voice you have,” I said.
“All the better to greet you with, my dear,” the wolf growled while circling me.
His golden eyes were trained on me, "My, what big eyes you have.”
“All the better to see you with, my dear," said the wolf.
His big paws sunk deep into the snow as he circled around me again, "My, what big paws you have!"
"All the better to hug you with," said the wolf.
He snarled and snapped at my face, "My, what a big mouth you have."
"All the better to eat you with!" growled the wolf while lunging at me, “I told you, silly girl, that nobody can stop me.”
“I’m here to stop you,” I gripped the axe tighter, “You killed my best friend!”
“That girl shouldn’t have been here,” he said landing a few feet away from me.
“You shouldn’t be here,” I said.
“Are you ready to die? Or should I eat the huntsman first.”
I shook my head, “This isn’t his battle this time. You are mine.”
“And what exactly do you think you can do?” the silver wolf asked.
“I’m going to kill you then drop your dead, stinking carcass back on your miserable story.”
“Even if you would manage to kill me, do you really think I’m the only one? The great queen will keep bringing us out until you are dead. She won’t stop until she is ruler of all. We’re all nothing but puppets in her marionette show.”
“Then it’s time you became fire wood, wolf. This is my home. I will do what my father couldn’t. I’m sending you all back.”
I cocked my arm back and swung at his massive head. He side-stepped and swatted at my hand. He managed to hit it and knock the axe away. It disappeared into the snow and out of sight. A moment of panic took over as I looked for the hole it fell in. The wolf lunged at me and smacked me in the side of the head with one massive paw. I flew off my feet and landed on my side. Things were blurry for a few seconds, and an intense ringing started in my ears. I knew I didn’t have time to be scrabbling around, and I needed that axe. I let go of the book, and started searching the snow. I felt a tug on the back of the cloak and turned my head to see he had it in his teeth. He was playing tug of war with my body. He kept yanking as hard as he could backwards. The cord tightened more and more around my neck. Soon the air flow stopped. I clawed desperately at my neck. The world began to spin and darken as my air deprived body began shutting down. I managed to get a handful of the cord and just tugged until the cloak went flying off me. His enraged howl took the place of the ringing. His paws crunched under the snow as he ran toward me, my heart thumped, and I still didn’t have the axe. I wracked my brain for something, anything. I needed a weapon. Then it hit me, my shoes. I grabbed one of the pumps and when I heard the running stop, I swung around in time to see his massive, silver body launch into the air. As he was about to pounce on me I swung the shoe as hard as I could. The heel that was in my hand buried deep into his shoulder. I heard the yelp and watched him land with a thud to the ground. He staggered to his feet and where he landed was a small patch of blood.
“What the hell was that? A shoe?” he howled.
“Don’t mess with a chick and her shoes, asshole,” I said grabbing the other one off my other foot.
“Do you honestly think those are going to stop me?”
He smacked me down with one of his paws, and kept me pinned there. I struggled under the weight and tried to wiggle free. He laughed.
“Don’t even try. You’re stuck,” he barred his teeth at me and sunk his fangs into my should
er.
A searing pain shot through my body. I screamed out as he bit down harder. Once he released, he went again, this time chomping down on my leg. Through the pain I managed to smack him on the head with the shoe in my hand. He released me and staggered to the side. I quickly got up, and tried to go back on the offensive.
“I know they won’t, but they’ll stall you until I find this,” I stooped down and grabbed the axe that my foot had bumped in to. I hunched over a little, shoe in one hand and axe in the other.
The wolf had no idea what he was up against. I was enraged and slightly psychotic at the moment.
“You are nothing but a ridiculous girl that got lucky.”
“I’ll be getting lucky again when I bury this axe in your heart.”
“You won’t succeed. You’re going to fail and die along with everyone else you love.”
“No!” I shouted and launched myself at him, this time burying the other red, rhinestone shoe in his back.
He got a quick hit in and sent me flying into a nearby tree. I screamed out in pain and jerked my right arm free. A tree branch stuck out of it. I gripped it tightly, and yanked it as hard as I could.
“Abs!” I heard Connor scream.
“Stay there! I’m fine,” I yelled back to him.
The silver wolf’s fur was splotched with red, sticky blood. There were mats forming, and blood trickled off his paws. He was losing a lot, but now, so was I. I leaned against the offending tree for a bit of support as I used two hands to hold onto the axe.
“Are you ready to die?” The wolf sneered, “While there is only one of you, there are many of me.”
“You coward. You can’t even fight your battles on your own!” I shouted staggering a bit, woozy from the blood loss.
I saw about twenty or so wolves charge out of the woods. I knew it was now or never. If I didn’t make the final death blow now, I would never get it in. I hobbled closer to the leader of the pack. He stood there, swaying in the wind. I got within inches of his face. He snarled and growled at me. Drool falling off his jowls, and sinking into the snow below. I didn’t waver. I stood there, glaring into his eyes. Daring him. He reared up on his hind legs and as he came down on me, I buried the axe in his chest.
He didn’t make a sound. All he did was fall forward on top of me. I was too weak to even attempt to move out of his way. I lay under his furry body waiting for the barrage of other wolves. I lay there for what seemed like hours, but was probably really seconds. I could feel his blood soaking into my clothes and to the snow. I couldn’t move. A searing pain shot through my body. My shoulder hurt so bad that it was numb. My head was pounding, and I just wanted to sleep.
The book Abigail. You need to get the book! Read the filthy beast back! My mind willed me on.
I opened my eyes a little bit and saw the brown, leather bound book resting right next to me. I smiled meekly and grabbed it. I flipped to the end.
I licked my lips and put one hand on the dead wolf’s furry head; I was surprised by how soft his fur was, “Red Cap, however, quickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell dead. You hear that you bastard, dead.”
The silver wolf began to dematerialize in front of my eyes. Within a few seconds the wolfs entire body was gone, the weight was off my chest and I could actually breath.
I thought I heard Connor yelling for me in the distance, but I couldn’t be entirely sure.
“I’m going to sleep now,” I muttered.
I managed to turn my head to the side and saw the darkly tinted window of a town car go up and it drive away slowly.
The great queen was here!
I struggled to get up, I had to catch her. I stumbled a few feet before landing face first in the snow. The coldness quickly numbed my face. In no time at all I couldn’t feel my body. I let the darkness begin to over-take me. The warm, warm darkness.
“Wake up!” I heard someone shouting.
I wanted to tell them to be quiet because I was going to sleep now, but the voice wouldn’t stop. It kept calling.
Is it saying my name?
I felt strong arms reaching under me, picking me up. I struggled against them.
“No, no!” I shouted and pushed as hard as I could against the solid object.
I landed with a thud on the ground. I managed to open my eyes, but everything was blurry. I scurried on the ground, trying to get away from whatever was trying to grab me. As I got to my feet again; I stumbled around and tripped over something. I reached out and felt a cold, naked body. I trained my eyes on the object and realized it was a naked woman. She lay motionless on the ground, and I screamed. I looked at my hands and saw blood. In fact, my entire body was covered in it. My weak body gave out and the blackness had me.
Chapter Thirty-nine
I woke up some time later in a hospital. My entire body hurt. A dull throbbing hit every muscle I knew I had and those that were still hiding deep down inside. It felt like I had been hit by a truck and side-swiped by a pick-up. I looked around the room and didn’t recognize anything. It was sterile and white. I saw Connor sitting in a chair on one side of me sleeping, and mom on the other. Every breath brought on a new wave of pain. Every square inch hurt. I wanted to scream, but my throat was so raw and hoarse. An awful smell invaded my nose. It was a mixture of bleach and Lysol with some sort of flower scent used in a poor attempt to mask the antiseptic smell.
“Hey, Abigail!” mom said taking my hand gently in hers.
“Mom?”
“You’re okay. We’re at the hospital.”
“I feel like I was hit by a truck.”
“The wolf did a number on you. There are a few broken ribs, your left wrist is fractured, you have a concussion, and it took a few hours for the surgeon to fix your shoulder.”
“What happened?”
“You did it,” she said.
“I did it? You mean…” my voice trailed off.
“That’s right, it’s over.”
The tears welled in my eyes. I felt someone grab my other hand. I looked and saw Connor’s worried face.
“Hey, stranger,” I said weakly.
“How are you?”
“Really sore. You’re okay?”
“Yeah, I was just knocked out for a few minutes. I ended up with nothing more than a minor concussion and a bruise. I woke up in time to see you send the wolf back.”
“So I did send him back?”
“Yes.”
“Anna!”
They both just sat there looking down at the floor.
“Please tell me that didn’t really happen.”
“I’m afraid so,” Connor said.
“She, she’s dead?” I cried.
“Yeah.”
“When’s the, um, funeral?” I asked quietly.
“It was last week,” mom said.
“Last week?” I looked over at her.
“You’ve been unconscious for about a week and half now.” Connor told me.
“What does everyone think happened to her?”
“Those dog attacks made their way south. You tried to protect Anna, but it was no use, the dog got her.”
“The truth,” I muttered.
“Relax and try not to think about it. I’ll take you to see her grave when you’re released from here,” Connor said kissing my forehead.
“Well look who’s awake!” A woman donning a sky blue nurse uniform.
“Yeah, I’m awake.”
“Well, you’re just in time for some pain meds,” she smiled kindly.
“Great.”
“How are you feeling?” she asked.
“Awful.”
“What is your pain on a scale of one to ten?”
“About a twenty,” I groaned.
“I imagine. I read in your chart that you were attacked by a pack of dogs?”
“Yeah. A pack of really big dogs.”
&
nbsp; She took the I.V. and dispensed a plunger of clear liquid into it. A rush of coldness ran through my arm, than my entire body was covered by warmth. My body felt so heavy. My eye lids grew heavy, and then the pain went away. I felt nothing as a familiar blackness crept in. It wrapped me in a sleepless wonder. My mind was blank, and it felt as though my body were floating. I felt like I was suspended by some invisible force in the air, being cradled by amazing warmth. That was how I spent most of my hospital stay.
“Abigail. Hey, wake up.”
“Huh?
“Do you want to go home today?” the soft, velvety voice asked.
“Yes.”
“Then you’re going to have to wake up and eat something.”
“Eat?”
“Yeah.”
“Eat what?” I asked sleepily.
I had them leave you some apple cinnamon oatmeal,” Connor smiled down at me, “Good morning, beautiful.”
“I like oatmeal,” I smiled weakly.
“Well, wake up and eat.”
“Help me up?” I reached my arms out and felt the familiar butterflies in my stomach that I had the first time I had seen him.
“You give me butterflies in my stomach,” he whispered into my ear.
“Me too,” I sighed smelling his spiciness.
“You scared me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I should be sorry. I couldn’t keep you safe.”
“No worries. I’m okay, unlike Anna.”
“Are you going to be alright?” he asked.
“I think so. I just don’t know what to think. I’m going to miss her.”
“I’m sure you are. You guys were friends for a long time.”
“Ten years.”
“It’s almost Valentine’s day,” he said while pushing the tray to me.
“How almost, is almost?”
“It’s in two weeks.”
“Oh.”
“I know it was Anna’s idea, but do you still want to go to that thing at Rush?”
“How about we pick another place?” I said taking a small bite of the gooey oatmeal.
The Last Grimm_Red's Hood Page 17
