Page 11 of Demon Rejected

Squatting was hard. My joints ached and my legs sent jolts of pain up to my very soul. Just as I was about to get up, I started to cry. I’m lost. I can barely get to the toilet. How will I run away from here? Who knows where I landed? This guy appears rugged and somehow nice, but Nurse Annie was all sugar and friendliness, too.

Damn people, I hate them all.

My face landed on my knees. I bit the inside of my cheek several times to stop my cry from being heard by Mountain Man. I stood like that a long time until I decided that no matter what happens next, it’s better to die on my feet, fighting, than crying on the toilet with my panties around my ankles. The sink became my new crutch. I got up and, after washing my hands, splashed cold water over my face.

It was the first time when I saw my reflection after the nightmare I got pushed into. Deep dark circles guarded my eyes, my cheeks looked hollow, and I was so pale, I could have passed as a ghost. I think I lost at least ten pounds. How long was I out?

As I touched my wrists, they already looked better. With the cause of the injury removed, my body was recovering fast. Again, I was losing the feeling for the passing of time. There was a new toothbrush waiting, and I used it to brush my teeth. It was a man’s bathroom, but a comb helped me make some sense of the tangled mess my hair became. I never had much, but I took pride in the beauty of my wild, thick red hair. It was my natural color, and many girls in school envied me for it.

Brushed and with my hair looking a bit better, I walked out of the tiny bathroom. The cabin looked neat even from this angle. On my left was a small kitchen nook that I had not noticed before. The hot plate was clean, hosting a pot filled with coffee.

I didn’t trust myself to walk back to the bed and pick up the cup I used, so I turned towards the cupboard and picked another cup. After pouring coffee, I found creamer in the fridge. I wasn’t in the mood to look for sugar. Carbs are bad either way.

After sipping half of my second cup of coffee, I opened the door to the closet, found a pair of jeans that were way too large for me but covered my legs. I used the belt to convince them to stay around my waist. Socks and a shawl were next. I can use the nightgown as a shirt. As I looked through his wardrobe, this was one of his shirts. An oversized sweatshirt should work as a jacket until I can get away from here.

Damn. Theoretically, the court order damned me to two years of staying at the mental institution. Did they know that it was a place where they did experiments on people? And if they knew, did they care? I’ll be homeless because there was no place I could go to get help.

I bent down to look at the shoes, a pair of sneakers felt like boats around my feet, but it was better than walking barefoot. Fuck. I wouldn’t be able to run in those. In my state, I wouldn’t be able to run. Period. Stumbling would be in my near future.

Ugh.

Weapon.

My mind worked frantically. I called out for Sparky, but she was gone. The same question that I asked myself before reappeared. Was Sparky real, or was she just a figment of my imagination? Maybe I was what they said, a troubled kid who enjoyed playing with matches a bit too much. I pulled a drawer on the kitchen cupboard and found a large knife. Was Mountain Man stupid to leave all these weapons here?

Armed with the long bread knife, I was about to do something stupid. I’ll escape. I won’t allow him to take me prisoner.

The sunlight blinded me as soon as I opened the door. I had to lift my hand to shield my eyes from the sun. The air was fresh and crisp, typical for an autumn day out there, in the mountains. All around me, snowy peaks glistened in the sunlight. The beauty that surrounded me made me almost forget what I was about to do. Right, kill Mountain Man, get his car keys, and run away.

He was splitting wood, his back towards me.

“You decided to join me," he said with his thick, strong voice without turning towards me.

My right hand started to shake. It took all my willpower and my left hand to steady it.

“I didn’t. Give me your car keys." My voice sounded weak.

Mountain Man put his axe down and turned to face me. I noticed his short beard and the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips.

“How about you tell me your name before you try to stab me?"

Why was he not scared? Oh well, maybe because even though I am 6 feet tall, he was still towering over me. His strong shoulders and muscular chest showed that he was not a stranger to exercise. This man ran with me in his arms without breaking a sweat.

“I don’t want to slash you. All I want are the keys."

“If I give you the keys, do you know where the car is?"

I bit my lip and looked at the way he shifted his weight from one foot to another. “I’ll find it. How fucking hard can it be?"

“I should put you over my knee and spank you for swearing!"

All the blood in my system invaded my cheeks, and they burned. Why was I feeling so embarrassed? I didn’t even know his name. What do I care what this man thought?

He started to unbutton his shirt. “I want to show you something. Maybe then you’ll want to talk."

I held on to the knife, moving it in front of me.

One moment Mountain Man stood there, the next moment, the air started to shiver and he shifted into a large grey wolf that looked at me.

“I’m going mad?" I cried out. I was about to slash my throat. My mind was the last thing I had. If I’m crazy, if my mind started conjuring these images, I didn’t want to live anymore just to be tortured by them. My skin kissed the steel of the knife. My eyes closed, and I hoped I made it now. I should have asked what date we had because, damn, I wanted to know if I made it to my 18th birthday.

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