Page 5 of Don't Call Me Daddy
Monsters aren’t real. Especially the fuckable monsters written about in romance stories.
None of this is real. You’re just freaking yourself out for no reason.
I suck in a calming breath and toss the bag of rice over my shoulder as I continue moving.
It was probably just a bear or something …
Somehow, that thought doesn’t make me feel any better. Because bears are real. Bears can actually kill me.
I pick up my pace, my whole body on high alert as I scan the tops of the tall, dense trees for any hint of light.
There’s a sharp crack in the distance, and I freeze.
I hear what sounds like crunching leaves beneath footsteps… the snap of a twig.
My stomach drops as panic races through my veins.
And then the forest goes completely silent.
I don’t wait to find out why.
“Nope. Nope. Nope.”
All logical thought leaves me as my fight-or-flight response kicks in, and I bolt, putting as much distance between me and whatever might or might not be chasing me, Fern’s warning be damned.
If something really is out there, trying to kill me, I’m at least going to make the fucker work for it.
I sprint as fast as I can, zigzagging through the overgrown, tangled forest to throw whatever’s chasing me off my trail. Hanging limbs and tall weeds smack against my skin as if the forest itself were trying to swallow me whole.
“Wait!” The voice comes out like a whisper in my ear, but I don’t stop as my heart nearly beats out of my chest.
They’ll try to trick you, throwing their voice. Whatever you do, don’t fall for it. It’s a trap.
I cover my ears with my hands, the rice bag slapping me in the face as I run and gasp for air, chest heaving and pulse racing. My muscles scream in pain as I weave through the forest, jumping over tree stumps like hurdles until my foot connects with something hard, and then, I’m falling.
Down. Down. Down.
My body beats against the rocky earth, and I clench the bag of rice to my chest as I take hit after hit. The only solace I have is that the faster I tumble down this hill, the more distance there is between me and whatever’s chasing me.
When I eventually stop tumbling, I let out a groan of pain and roll to my back, staring up at the bright stars shining through the treetops.
It’s a remarkable view. I really wish I weren’t running for my life so I could enjoy it.
Everything hurts, but I think I’m okay; nothing feels broken. I pat myself, checking for injuries, and am relieved to have only suffered some minor cuts and bruises.
My overalls are caked in mud, and there’s a big gash on my knee that’s bleeding. I wince as I push myself to a seated position, brushing the little rocks and dirt off my arms when a shadow figure towers over me.
“Hey, are you?—”
I let out a bloodcurdling scream, then use the only weapon I have available to me. Grabbing a fistful of rice, I hurl it straight at its face.
“Ow, fuck!”
I squint my eyes as the dark figure comes into view, and I realize it’s not a scary monster—at least, it doesn’t look like one—but a man. It’s hard to see him fully, but it looks like he’s wearing a light-blue button-up shirt and black dress pants.
“Is that … rice?” he says as he bends over and wipes at his eyes.
“What do you want from me?” I answer his question with one of my own.
