Chapter 1
1213 Words
“Mummy, I’m cold…”
“And I’m hungry” tears are running down the little girl’s face, or is it raindrops?
“I know Kendy.” Grey eyes scanning the horizon, trying to see through the fog and rain. Keeping the two children close to her body, trying to shield them from the rain as much as possible. Thank God there’s no thunder, she thinks. Then she spots it, a light somewhere to the south.
Crouching down to the children’s level, she looks into the boy's eyes. “Rudi, I can see a light up ahead. I’ll take turns carrying you and Kendy, but let me start with her okay?”
“Okay mummy, I’m big and strong, I can walk all the way up there, promise” the five-year old’s face is set in a determined look.
Feeling thankful she gets up, picking up the little girl before setting off in the direction of where she thinks she spots a light, trudging through the mud, trying to follow the road as much as possible.
Sheara don’t know how long they have been on the road already. Everything has been so confusing. First the divorce, having to flee their hometown while all the time worried about being followed. She couldn’t risk using her car, so she sold it and used the money for bus tickets, but then the second bus never showed up to fetch them from where the first dropped them off. Now they have been walking for hours, trying to find a living soul somewhere, but it’s getting cold and with the rain streaming down she feels like breaking down and crying with her kids. She hopes the light she spotted will mean a safe spot to sleep for at least a few hours. She’ll do anything if it means protecting her twins.
It’s been hours on the road, when Sheara finally spots the turn off towards the light. Shifting the sleeping Kendy from one hip to the other, she takes Rudi's hand back in hers. Feeling thankful she follows the turn off between the trees, towards where she hopes a house, maybe something to eat for the children and a warm bed wait.
“Mummy, I’m so tired...” Rudi's voice is barely above a whisper.
Looking down in the moonlight she realizes that the boy’s face is deathly white, and she feels her heart constrict in worry. “I know, we’re almost there. Look it’s the road going to the house, see.” Trying to sound optimistic for the boy’s sake, to tamper his worry. At least the rain has stopped for now, she thinks while looking at the sky, but there’s more coming anytime soon. She hopes they can reach the house before then. But looking at Rudi she knows they need to take a rest first.
Stopping under the thickest trees, she shifts Kendy a few times to get the backpack off her back.
“Mummy…” the little girl’s sleepy voice sounds.
“Hi hunny, stand a bit for me, then I can see if your blanket is wet. Then we can all just sit down for a bit okay?”
Taking the blanket out she’s surprised to find it semi-dry still. Taking out the last fruit bars, she spreads the blanket for the children to sit on and giving them the bars for some energy to keep them going. Both children lay down immediately. She decides to wait for 15minutes before continuing down the road towards the house. At least the lights are more visible now. It can’t be far anymore; she thinks before sitting down with her back to a tree.
“Sir, there’s someone on the grounds. They crossed the borders a little while ago. I felt them break through. They haven’t left yet.”
“Well, what are you waiting for, you know the rules! Get them off my fuckin land! I don’t need some fuckin human staring at me, or another shifter or s**t!”
“Sure enough sir, will do.”
Sheara isn’t sure how long it was, somehow, she must have drifted off. The rain had started again while she slept. Luckily, it’s only a drizzle and she could barely feel it through the tree coverage. Feeling thankful that they all got a bit of rest, she stood up to wake the children, when she heard a strange sound. Something sounded like a low growl. s**t could there be wolves in these woods?!! No, it must be her imagination or maybe its thunder!
Not wanting to scare the children, she goes down on her knees to shake first Kendy and then Rudi awake, noticing again how white Rudi looks when he gives a cough. O no, the rain isn’t a good mix with his asthma. She will need to get him somewhere warm so she can give him a proper examination. But then again, she left all her medical things back where their home use to be.
“Come on little ones, it’s time to go.” Keeping her voice barely above a whisper, not wanting to attract anything that might be hiding in the woods around them.
When the kids are up, she puts the blanket away. Before picking up an exhausted Rudi, taking Kendy by the hand, when she hears another growl, closer this time. Sheara freezes!
“Mummy, what was that?” Kendy’s voice sounds really scared.
“Nothing dear, just some thunder. Uhm, let’s go, see if we can find that house, shall we?”
Picking up speed as best she could while Rudi rests on her shoulder, and their backpack on her back. She kept scanning the surrounding trees, looking for signs of any danger. Continuing towards the lights in the distance, when a sharp crack of true thunder rolls through the air.
“Come on Kendy, we must hurry!”
Going around a corner, Sheara can finally see the house in front of them when she also hears an unmistakable growl right behind them. Taking her daughter’s hand in her she tries to run as fast as possible while encouraging her daughter to run with her, while still carrying Rudi.
When she looks behind, she can clearly make out the outline of an animal. It was bigger than anything she has ever seen, except an elephant that is. Putting Rudi down, she yells. “Run you two, run!!”
When they reach the door, her hand hammers down on it, all the while trying to see where the animal had disappeared to, just as suddenly as its appearance a few minutes ago.
When the door doesn’t open, she tries the handle and when it moves, she throws the door open while pushing her kids before her. “Inside, NOW!!”
“Sir, they are here.”
“I fuckin told you to get them away Collin! I don’t want people on my land, never mind in my own house!” His voice thundered audibly over the heavy pounding on the door.
“I’m sorry Darius Sir…” Whatever he wanted to say is drowned out when the door flew open followed by three people barging into the house. The smell of violets and soft wet grass hit’s Darius almost immediately.
“Mate!”
The voice inside Darius’s mind, shocks him to a standstill. Not only have he not heard the voice in almost 15 years, what it said was so unexpected, something he has long since given up hearing.
Whatever Darius was thinking, is quickly replaced when he hears a dry, wracking cough, and the sound of a body hitting the floor.
“RUDI!!” Darius never thought he could hear so much anguish in such a beautiful voice all at once.
- Writer
