Page 6 of Beneath the Watching

It was impossible to find a clear path and I picked my way over rocks and fallen branches, my socked feet getting soakedand my toes turning numb. Al made fun of me for wearing socks to bed, but it’d sure come in handy even if the layer of protection was minor.

When I crossed the tree line and entered the forest, a sudden noise in the near distance sent a fissure of panic up my spine. There was no way to know if I was trespassing or if I was welcome here, no way to know what I was dealing with.

Quickly, I darted to the ground and ducked behind the trunk of the closest tree. I wasn’t ready to face anything, not before I even knew where I was. Drawing my legs close to my chest, I wrapped my arms around my knees and waited for the sounds to go away.

“She’s probably an ice cube by now.” I heard someone say after a few minutes of wishing my exhaled breaths weren’t so puffy and white.

Carefully, I scooted closer to the turf until I was almost laying down and I prayed they hadn’t spotted or heard me.

“Another interloper.” A different voice grumbled as a stick snapped under a boot. “I heard Ramone’s got the other one.”

My ankles hurt as the chill crept into my bones and stole any remaining warmth from my feet. Suddenly, my socks slipped in the snow shoving a surprised grunt from my lungs.

“There you are,” a man in a long coat said, swinging around the tree. He squatted in front of me. “You’re turning blue.”

By now, my teeth were chattering, and I was left unable to speak a decipherable word. A second man appeared behind him, his eyebrows drawing together as he looked me over. “Pick her up,” he said.

The first man, who quickly introduced himself as Jack, lifted me from the ground, holding me with one arm at my back and the other under my legs. My frozen feet dangled, flopping back and forth with every step he took as he lifted his legs over fallen logs and other blemishes strewn across the forest floor.

After several minutes, we came out of the woods onto what looked like a main road. “Benjamin, give her your coat. We can’t bring her back dead.”

The man shucked off his covering and placed it over me, tucking the edges in where he could.Dead?Was it that bad? Yes, I was extremely cold but I didn’t feel death knocking at my door. They had to be exaggerating.

Slowly, I began to warm up under the fabric and started becoming sleepy. I must’ve ended up dozing off because the next thing I knew, Jack said, “Wake up, sleepyhead.”

When I opened my eyes, I was in a vast room with soaring ceilings, lying on a couch under a pile of blankets. “Where am I?” I asked softly, moving myself to sit up.

Jack leaned down. “Oh, no. Don’t move too fast, you nearly died.” He tucked a blanket back around me. “He’ll kill me if anything happens to you.”

“Huh?” It didn’t feel true that I’d almost died. I pushed the comforter from my lap and rubbed my legs. My body felt normal, and the pain was gone as if it had never plagued me to begin with.

“Get her some water,” Jack said to Benjamin before turning to me and trying to tuck the blanket back in around my wiggling legs. “Or something stronger?” He looked down at me.

“No, I’m fine. Thank you.” I kept a close eye on the two men as they moved around.

The sound of a door creaking echoed across the room, drawing my gaze. Jack and Benjamin stopped fussing around me and stood at attention, waiting for whoever it was. I watched as the wooden panel slowly swung forward.

Stefan didn’t seem nearly as surprised to see me as I was to see him, his casual stroll across the floor a picture of relaxation. He was wearing the same clothing I had seen him in just hoursbefore, making it seem like the casino was situated on the other side of the entry.

My sense of time and my equilibrium were completely shaken up like I had entered a mirror and were now trapped behind the glass. It was an unnerving feeling, as if I’d entered a parallel universe. I still didn’t know where I was, and Stefan’s appearance here was as surreal as everything else. I was supposed to be safely under the covers in my and Al’s hotel suite.

Jack and Benjamin moved over to the right while the man walked toward me. He glanced down, taking in my appearance and seemingly finding it lacking—if the scowl was any indication.

“Jack, Benjamin,” Stefan said and paused. “Tell no one she was here. Tell no one where you found her.” Stefan turned to me again before returning his dark gaze to the two men. “As a matter of fact, you’ve never seen or heard of her. On pain of death. Is that understood?”

Benjamin and Jack nodded.

“Understood?” he snapped at them, repeating the question. Both men tensed and answered simultaneously, “Yes.”

He stared at Benjamin and then Jack. “Leave.” Both men vacated the room and Stefan stepped closer to me, eyeing the blanket before settling on my wet socks.

“What are you doing here?” he questioned me.

A short laugh huffed out of me. “I don’t know.”

“That’s not an answer.”

I tilted my head up. “I don’t why I’m here, I had no intention of being here. Where am I?”

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