by Sky Winters
A moment passed.
"And I'm gonna guess something else, too," said Jenny. "You're here looking for something. But you're not sure what."
"OK, tell me what you know about me," said Adeline, fear creeping into her gut.
"You just carry yourself like someone who's lost," said Jenny. "And you sure as hell ain't from around here."
"Ain't seen her before in my life," seconded Abraham, Eunice next to him still staring at Adeline with that same, glassy-eyed expression.
"Tell me, young lady," said Jenny, looking Adeline over with a skeptical eye, "why you'd come here? Why'd you come to this little town in the shadow of that ol' mountain?"
"I…just felt a calling, like I was meant to be here."
Jenny nodded, as if her suspicions had been confirmed.
"Left your old life behind, huh? Bet you had a nice little apartment in some city, job with a fancy white collar. Just dropped it like it was nothing, huh?"
How the hell does she know all of this? thought Adeline It was right, all of it.
"And now you're here," said Jenny.
"And now you're here," seconded Abraham.
Adeline was torn. Part of her felt that she could run, get out of that place as fast as possible, right then and there, abandoned the cabin, go back to Philly and see what of her old life she could salvage. But part of her, the more insistent part, wanted this strange woman to stop with the cryptic sayings and simply tell her what she needed to do.
"But enough of my rambling," said Jenny. "I think I know what's brought you to this far away little town."
"Oh?" asked Adeline.
"Yes…visions of a forest…a clearing…an abandoned building…these all sound familiar to your ears, yes?"
"How…. How do you know all of this?" asked Adeline, her eyes widening as she looked at Jenny with a perplexed expression.
"Because that's the way of our kind."
"Our…what?"
Jenny flashed a small, knowing smile of tiny, white teeth before pulling out a piece of notebook paper from behind her counter and scribbling something down on it with a nub of a pencil.
"Here," she said, handing the paper over to Adeline. "This should get you where you need to go. Though be warned, once you arrive there, things might never quite be the same for you."
"Never quite the same," said Abraham.
"But something tells me that no warning would ever talk you out of what you have in mind," said Jenny, placing the pencil nub back down on the counter.
Adeline looked at the piece of paper with eager eyes. It was a simple map written in sloppy pencil writing, indicating a drive up one of the roads from town, leading far into the mountains. She folded the paper in half and slipped it into her back pocket.
"What will I find up there?" Adeline asked.
"Answers, then more questions," said Jenny.
Adeline was eager to leave the coffee shop, both to be on her way and to get away from these strange people.
"Thanks for the coffee," she said, turning starting for the door, her body coiled tight like a spring, as if danger were just a hair's breadth away.
"Of course. Of course," said Jenny, sidling back behind the counter. "Good luck on your little quest for answers. And just remember, if you need anything else, ol' Jenny's here for you."
"Um, thanks," said Adeline, inching closer and closer to the door.
As she approached, Adeline felt compelled to take one last look at the strange shop. ’She scanned the décor, her eyes fell onto Eunice, the silent little girl. As the two made eye contact, the odd smile that the girl had on her face changed, twisted into something more knowing, more sinister.
Adeline's blood ran cold as the girl stared at her with the sort of scanning, skeptical expression that seemed out of place on a child's face. But what was more startling was what happened next. The girl's strikingly blue eyes narrowed, the blacks forming into slim slivers amidst brilliant, marbled blue. Her mouth then opened slightly, revealing to Adeline's shock and horror, a row of razor-sharp teeth.
They were not the teeth of a human, Adeline understood immediately, but those of an animal.
CHAPTER 4
Adeline's car trundled the uneven path that led up Bear Mountain. The road was unpaved and rough, the engine and tires of her economy car struggling to bring the car along the steep upward incline.
I need a goddamn truck for this, thought Adeline, her eyes on the road ahead, the midday sun streaming through the leaves above and streaking the cleared earth of the road with golden rakes of light.
Her mind was on the strange events at the coffee shop, the strange woman who ran the place and the way she seemed to know why Adeline was here, the talk of "animals," and the row of cat-like teeth that the little girl flashed her as she left.
There's no way, Adeline thought, her body bouncing along as the road grew rougher. I had to have been seeing things.
Try as she might've to convince herself that what she saw as simply a trick of her mind, Adeline couldn't shake the image of the little girl with the pointed teeth and the slivered eyes.
Or maybe it was just the way she was born, Adeline's internal monologue continued, I mean, strange eyes and sharp teeth aren't exactly proof of something…supernatural.
It wasn't enough. she couldn't talk herself out of what she'd seen.
Her mind drifted back to her life in Philadelphia, working as an executive assistant. It was a job that meant nothing to her, and seemingly even less to those who wrote her paycheck. From college on, she'd always imagined that she was meant for something beyond the life of a nine-to-five, Netflix and takeout afterward. She tried and tried to make herself fit in.
She dated here and there, but no man, despite their high-powered jobs and bevy of flashy possessions, seemed to entice her. None seemed to instill in her that feeling of love and surrender that she'd always thought.
Adeline wanted more. She wanted love. She wanted an escape from the ordinary. Above all, she wanted some place where she felt like she belonged.
Just when these needs began to reach a boiling point within her, that's when the urge to come to this strange, small town began. That's when the dreams began to invade her restless nights. That's when she knew that there had to be some reason why she felt her life as it wasn't the one she was meant to live.
So, for better or worse, she was here, in upstate New York, driving up a winding, forgotten road, her tires kicking up dust, the only clue as to where she was going a map given by a strange, old woman who had called her a "fox."
Why did she call me that? Adeline wondered. I'm a fox in my dreams…but there's no way that she could know that.
Her skepticism of her current circumstances was only matched by her desire to get to the bottom of the compulsion that brought her here. Despite nearly every part of her conscious mind screaming at her to turn back, she knew that she'd only be satisfied when she saw this through.
After a time, the incline of the mountain flattened out and the drive became easier. She glanced once more at the hand-drawn map, seeing that it indicated nothing but to keep driving. Looking ahead, she saw that the road changed slightly- it was smoother, more even. The tires of the car quieted as she drove this new section of the road, and she proceeded forward with much less trouble.
This part of the road seems like it's been kept-up, she thought. But by who?
As she continued, Adeline could see something through the forest. She couldn't tell, but it appeared to be a clearing of some sort, with a black crisscross cutting in front of it. She drove, her heart racing as she began to feel that her destination was finally within sight.
Drawing closer, she could soon make out that the black crisscross was a tall, fence topped with mean-looking coils of barbed wire.
Beyond the fence, she could make out the vague outline of a massive building. It was a building that struck her as immediately familiar. The closer she came, the more certain that this feeling wasn't a mere coincidence.
A chill ran through her body as she drove closer to the building. It was the forest compound from her dreams, of this she had no doubt. It was a massive building that stretched across the clearing, the façade a beige-cream color, tall windows on both sides of a set of tall, imposing steel doors that gave the building the look of a modern mansion combined with a military fortress.
Driving up to the gate of the compound, she killed the engine and stepped out, looking over the place with wide eyes and a mouth slacked open slightly. This was it. This was the place that she wasn't even sure existed.
She swept the property with a quick glance, looking for signs of life. No one could be found. The place seemed abandoned. The grass grew high and wild on the grounds, and the air was still and calm. It seemed to Adeline that this place had been abandoned within the last few months.
Her eyes settled on a small section of the fence that appeared to have been cut through, the snips along the iron clean and neat. It appeared to Adeline to be just the right size to climb through. She approached it, and dipping her body low, she slipped through the hole and onto the property itself.
No harm; no foul, she thought. Doesn't look like there's anyone here to mind if I take a little peek around.
A sense of familiarity overcame her as she took her first steps onto the compound grounds. It felt to her like coming back to a childhood home that she hadn't been to for years. Looking down the clearing of the grounds, she spotted a handful of small cabins that seemed to be just as abandoned as the rest of the place.
Who the hell lived here? she thought. Looks like a cult or something.
Adeline approached the front doors of the compound, the steel of the entrance smooth and striking among the greens and browns of the nature that surrounded her. She placed her hand on the cool surface, and found to her shock that the door opened. Stepping into the building, she noticed the modern décor of the place, the back windows of the living room looking out into the woods beyond. The air was still and musty, the air conditioning having not been used for a time, evidently.
But the place was a mess. It looked to Adeline like it’d been abandoned and then ransacked.
She walked further into the house, heading down the long hallways, peering into the many bedrooms and offices. It struck Adeline as a place intended for a large family It was simply too big for a few people.
Nice place, she thought, noting the tasteful appointments of the rooms, the fashionable art choices on the walls, and the sleek, modern look of the kitchen.
A bang rang out, a deep thud that cut through the still air of the home. Adeline's heart raced and her skin went cold at the idea of not being alone in this house. She stood stone-still in place in the bedroom where she was, listening for another sound.
Then she heard it. It wasn't a bang this time. It was heavy footfalls in the hallway outside, the heavy thudding steps of boots. They were growing closer and closer. Adeline's back was to the door, and she was almost too scared to turn around.
She wasn't alone. There was no denying it.
Then, the steps reached the threshold of the door, and Adeline could sense the unmistakable presence of another person. She closed her eyes, as though she could simply pretend whoever was there didn't exist.
"Who the hell are you?" the voice called out, a deep, man's voice that resonated through the bedroom.
Adeline took a breath and turned around. It was a man, alright- a tall, handsome man.
"I’m Adeline," she said, not sure how to answer the question any other way. "Who are you?"
"This is my home," the man said, gesturing to the space around him. "And you'd better have a damn good explanation for why you're trespassing. Now."
CHAPTER 5
Adeline stood frozen under the harsh glare of the man, her limbs stiff, her eyes wide.
"I'll say again, this is my home, and you'd better have a damn good reason for being here."
Adeline's frantic mind struggled to come up with some reason, any reason for why she had broken into this strange house. She knew she could tell the truth, but an explanation that crazy would likely get her into even further hot water. It was one thing to be breaking and entering; it was a whole other thing to be an insane person breaking and entering.
"I…um…I got lost in the woods," said Adeline, internally wincing at her explanation.
"You stay put right there," said the man.
Adeline had no trouble obeying that command. She wasn't sure she could've moved even if she wanted to. As she stood there, her eyes on the man looming in the doorway, she couldn’t help but notice how strikingly handsome he was.
The man was tall. His large, muscular frame was like a solid wall blocking her escape. His hair was a sandy, dirty blonde, and close-cropped. His jaw was strong and wide, sitting below a face of a scruffy beard, a wide mouth of full lips pressed into a hard line, a strong, straight nose, and eyes as green as the leaves of the trees beyond the bedroom window. He was dressed in a flannel that clung tightly to his broad shoulders and defined pecs, and a pair of jeans that were snug in all the right places. A pair of black, sturdy boots completed the look. He struck Adeline as the manly, rugged type that the hipster men in Philly often sought to imitate. But this man was no faker. He was the real deal.
Adeline swallowed hard, both from the stress of being caught in the act and from the attraction she was feeling for this man standing before her.
Finally, she summoned the nerve to speak. "No! Please don't call the police!"
"I'm not gonna call the damn police," said the man. "Why would I? So, I can wait an hour for them to send a patrol car up here for one little woman?"
"Then what are you going to do?" asked Adeline.
"I'm gonna get to the bottom of why some girl would wander into my home," he said.
Adeline shot a glance around the place, noting that it didn't exactly look like a place that had been comfortably lived in. It didn't even appear that the electricity was on.
"Are you…. Are you sure you live here?" asked Adeline. "This place looks like it's been forgotten about."
The man glowered at Adeline for a moment.
"I live here as of a couple of days ago. This…is my family's home. But they're gone."
"Gone?"
"Yeah," the man said. "Just up and-"
He stopped himself, realizing that he was giving away too much information to a stranger.
"Actually, it's none of your damn business why I'm here. This is my family's home, meaning I've got a right to it. You, on the other hand, are a damn trespasser."
Adeline pressed on with the little bit of information that she had.
"If they're gone, how did you know to come here?"
The man's eyes narrowed.
"I…" he said, looking for the right words. "That's not important."
"Did you…just have a sense that you were supposed to be here?"
The man said nothing for a long moment.
"Just who are you?" he said, finally speaking.
"I think…I think that I'm someone who's here for the same reason that you are."
"What?" he said, his stiff, defensive posture loosening, Adeline's questions catching him off-guard.
"Did you have a dream about this place?"
Once more, the man said nothing. Adeline could see his jaw work under his cheeks.
"Come with me. Now," he said, turning his back to Adeline and walking down the hallway.
Not knowing what else to do, Adeline followed the man. Soon, they arrived in the kitchen, which Adeline realized, now that she had a chance to look it over, was one of the cleaner rooms in the place. The kitchen was modern and spacious, like the rest of the house. The appliances were stainless-steel and the countertops were a stylish, gray granite. Copper pots hung from the walls, and a large island was in the middle of the room. Floor-to-ceiling windows allowed for the same scenic view of the woods as the rest of the house.
; This is a pretty nice place, when you look past how it looks like squatters live here, she thought as the man took a seat at a small table by one of the windows.
"Sit," said the man, his voice commanding.
Adeline slid into the seat across from the man, her eyes locked onto his almost startlingly handsome features.
"You're the one who broke into my house, so you're going to be the first to say the truth about why you're here."
He's got me there, thought Adeline.
Realizing she had no other recourse, she explained everything to the man. The dreams, the call to this strange area, leaving her life behind, the cabin where she was staying, the strange encounter at the coffee shop- everything.
"A fox," the man said, looking away as he considered the word. "Dreams of a fox, running from wolves…."
"OK, now it's your turn," said Adeline.
"Tell me your name first," said the man.
"Um, Adeline. Adeline Parker."
"Adeline Parker," he repeated, as If trying the words on for size.
He cleared his throat, and began.
"Dreams, like you. I lived out west, in California. I'm an investor, believe it or not."
"Really?" asked Adeline, this new piece of information incongruent with the man's look and dress.
"Really. My name's Aaron Swift. And this is my family's place; that's true. Cousins, to be specific. But we never kept in touch; I knew they all lived here in the woods in some big compound, and I felt like whatever they were getting up to, I didn't need to know about it. But a few months ago, I started having dreams, like the ones you described. Dreams of running through the woods, this place here, and the pack of wolves. They got more and more intense as the days went on. And like you, I couldn't do anything else but come here and see for myself what was pulling me towards this part of the country. I knew that I wouldn't be able to rest until I figured out the secret to this place.
"But when I showed up just a few days ago, there wasn't a damn soul to be found. It looked like the entire compound was abandoned in a hurry. Last I heard from my cousins, they were all getting hitched; I expected family and a brood of kids. Instead, I found this."
