Page 15 of Prey

She left the way she came in, following a narrow path through dead leaves and tree roots, muttering so cutely, and I caught the words, “I bet I’m in trouble again.”

Yeah, she didn’t look like the type of girl who created a storm of trouble, but looks can be deceiving. I lost sight of her quickly as she vanished into the undergrowth, although I could still hear her crushing footsteps. I slid my T-shirt off again, preparing to take a therapeutic dip in the pool after she vacated it, when curiosity, or maybe it was purely a cock-pull forced me to chase after her.

My walk was deliberately light-footed, so she didn’t hear me because I was unsure if I wanted to disclose myself. But she was cute, regardless, which was why I followed her. Scanning the surrounding trees for any sign of movement, I stopped walking to listen for footsteps, but I couldn’t hear a thing.

Logically, she likely arrived by car, so walking back to the dirt road to the edge of the woods was the smartest thing to do. I knew the way by heart, could walk back with my eyes closed, and picked up my pace when I could see the edge of the forest that opened to a grassy pasture and my SUV parked beyond.

I checked for footmarks indented into the grass but found none. Then, I checked for fresh tire tread on the dirt road behind my vehicle, and there weren’t any. The forest was huge and had many ways to enter, but this entrance was the nearest to the water hole.

Concerned that she might’ve gotten lost, I walked back into the shade of the forest, searched for signs, and listened for her ceaseless chatter. I stepped off the track because something white caught my eye, partially nestled in the black earth. Stepping through ferns and rotting bark to discover that it was a plastic water bottle that looked as if it had been in there for weeks, so she didn’t leave it. Besides, she didn’t look like the type to litter.

The river sliced through the south end of the wood, so maybe she followed the sound of water in that direction. But that didn’t make sense either because she seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere after that phone call, so heading deeper into the forest toward the river was the wrong direction if she wanted to get out quickly.

I traveled further in that direction just because there was no evidence she followed the track back to the main entrance, and maybe if I ambled about, I’d spot her. A bird broke into song in the branches above me as a small critter rustled amongst the dead leaves, searching for food in the soft, damp earth, following the crunching of its teeth, biting into an exoskeleton insect. I couldn’t see the bird or the snuffling critter, but I could hear them, which is why the hearing was paramount over the other senses in the heart of a forest.

The river was close, and as I combed the trees and forest floor for signs of footsteps or dropped articles, I became doubtful that she had come this way. If she was unfamiliar with the area, then stepping off the trail was stupid, but then, she might have a cute, perky ass and tits, but she could also be dumb as fuck. Many students who go to college come out dumber than they were when they went in. Sometimes, I could almost see the IQ dropping of the students in my classes with every pathological word that dropped out of our professors’ mouths. I was almost there. I am now a senior, but I live in Mikky’s apartment in the city because campus vibes and frat partying aren’t my jam anymore. I looked forward to graduating and focusing one hundred percent of my time on the business, particularly the gentleman’s clubs.

My feet froze when I heard a cough and crouched beside a thick tree trunk, trying to spot them. The trees blocked out most of my viewing range, but when a figure moved quickly several yardsaway, I chased them on the balls of my feet so I wouldn’t make a lot of sound.

It was her. The closer I got, the more I could see she panicked and glimpsed behind her in fear. A woman on her own in a big wood. She’s Red Riding Hood, and I’m the wolf, but I was a wolf who got greater joy from scaring her than allowing her to meet me. She sensed me, maybe heard my breath and footsteps, and wasn’t happy. Little Red Riding Hood was trying to flee the grasp of the Big Bad Wolf.

My heart hammered as adrenaline surged through my body in exhilaration. I was unlikely to see this girl again, so I might take advantage of the situation. At first, I was concerned for her welfare, that perhaps she got lost, but now I’m loving the chase. I won’t let myself be seen because she might recognize me from college or articles about us on the internet. Besides, being a hidden monster on her delicious tail was more fun, planting fear in her mind as she was bound to be thinking the worst.

Man or bear?

Would you prefer to stumble across a bear or a man in the forest? Most women chose the bear. But unfortunately, this succulent geek girl had no choice because I took it from her. There were no bears around these parts, but there was a man, and that man was having the time of his fucking life breathing down her neck.

She found the track back to the dirt road where my SUV was parked, but it wouldn’t get easier for her. There’s no one to save you out here, babe. An isolated dirt road led out onto a back road surrounded by farmland, and it was another ten-minute drive to get out onto a main road that led back to the city.

The mermaid stopped, glanced back, and ducked behind a tree. When she stopped, I stopped and kept a good ten feet away. She let down her guard and started questioning whether she was imagining it all—the quick decline of sanity.

I glanced to my right when a thudding sound caught my attention, only to find it was a falling pine cone; when I turned back to my target, she had vanished.

Sneakers quietly padded the forest floor as I arrived at where she disappeared, and frustration grew as I scanned the area, unable to spot that flowing wet chocolate hair and grey and blue bag.

The trees dropped away as I stepped out into the open grassy field toward my SUV, which was still there. I thought she was squatted somewhere watching me, and if she was smart, she should’ve noted my registration number.

Unlocking the SUV and climbing inside, I first checked for messages on my phone to find one left from a random chick in my contacts, one message from Freddie, and one from Gothenburg Prison. I rarely replied to any chick that contacted me, and Freddie’s message asked about a liquor order, so it was not essential. Mikky asked me to call him back in the next ten minutes while he had phone access. Ten minutes had long passed, but I’ll call him anyway.

I stayed there waiting for her to emerge, eager to know where her car was parked. It’s possible that she parked under the awning of the trees, nestled in the grass, but it won’t be easy getting back out again.

Fuck, I’ve switched back to being concerned that she might be lost again. She was heading in the right direction to come out here. Where the fuck was she?

I started the engine to indicate to her that I was leaving so she’d relax and come out from her hiding place, then backed out down the dirt road until I came where I usually turned around. Checking in the rear vision mirrors for that little body to appear and was disappointed to see no sign of her, but when I drove further out onto the country road, I saw a red hatchback parkedthat wasn’t there when I came in. It was empty, and it must be hers.

I jotted her rego number down in my phone, then called Gothenburg prison and spoke to three runners before Mikael got on the line.

“Where have you been? I left a message on your phone over an hour ago?” he sounded fucked off.

“Busy. You don’t dictate my life,” I snapped back, showing that I’m not a fucking lackey no more. I did my time as a bottom feeder and worked my way up the Kaiser ladder.

He grunted, and I could tell he was smiling with pride. “I’m ready to go.”

“Two days early?”

“Yeah, there was some misunderstanding. Bring me a bottle of our finest whiskey from Savile.”

“Sure, but I’m out of town, so I’ll be there-”

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