Page 3 of The Wolf Slayer

She took in her surroundings as he drove toward a small light at the end of the road. As they came closer, she recognized it as a porch light hanging in front of a little log cabin. Blake braked softly and parked the bike in front of the cabin. She waited for him to put both his feet on the ground before she let go of him and climbed off.

“Do you live here all alone?” She couldn’t imagine anyone would want to live this secluded from civilization.

He nodded and walked to the front door.

She followed him inside, a little surprised that he didn’t have to unlock the door. Yet again, no one would ever find this cabin if they didn’t know what they were looking for. By what she could see in the dark, they were surrounded by trees and the only way out was the curvy dirt road.

“Does it not get lonely out here all by yourself?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Sometimes, but it’s been a nice change of pace for me.” With a welcoming gesture, he pointed at his surroundings. “Make yourself at home while I go and put some fresh sheets on the bed.” He took off his boots and hung up his jacket.

The cabin was small and very homey. To the right side was the living room, with a brown leather couch and armchair. The small living space was open to a small kitchen, which was to her left. The walls of the cabin hadn’t been paneled and exposed the tree trunks the cabin was built of. On the opposite side of the door was a hallway that led into the back of the house.

“I’m not planning on sleeping in it. I don’t mind taking the couch, so don’t even waste your time and energy on changing the sheets.”

She felt uncomfortable, her clothes were as dirty as she felt, and even though she was grateful that he let her stay the night, she just wanted to be home, so she could get out of those clothes and shower.

“You’re my guest and you only deserve the best, so I’ll be taking the couch.” He seemed to have his mind set so she didn’t argue over it. “First door to the right is the bathroom. There should still be hot water and I’ll grab you some fresh towels and clothes.” Without another word he walked down the hallway to the backroom, where she suspected the bedroom was.

She walked a few steps further into the room and looked around. His home was very masculine, and she could tell he had decorated it. There wasn’t much decor, and everything was very spartanic. Blake returned only a few moments later and handed her two towels, a t-shirt, a hoodie and some black joggers.

“Throw your dirty clothes in the hallway. I’ll throw them in the washer for you and make sure they are dried by morning.”

He turned around and walked back down the hallway. She walked behind him, but instead of following him to the back of the cabin where the bedroom was, she opened the first door to the right and walked into the bathroom.

She locked the door behind her and got out of her clothes. To be on the safe side, she wrapped herself with one of the towels before unlocking the door and quickly dropped her dirty clothes in the hallway. She stepped into the bathtub and turned on the hot water, letting it pour over her body. She rested her chin on her chest and watched as the blood and dirt flowed into the drain.

As she watched the water run down her body, her thoughts returned to the evening that had changed her whole outlook on life. That evening she’d stood in the bathroom, not knowing what she should think or do. She’d been sure that her mind had played a trick on her, until she’d walked into her hallway and had seen the drops of blood all over the floor. Seeing her own blood on the floor had confused her even more–she’d seen the knife stab her palm and all the blood everywhere proved it. Yet, there was no sign of injury on her hand, no wound, not even a scrape.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts again and she opened her eyes.

“Are you okay?” Blake’s voice seemed concerned and somehow, that made her feel appreciated by him.

“Yes, I’ll be right out.” She looked down at her feet, now the water was clear as it ran down her body.

“Take your time.” And she could hear him walk away.

She quickly cleaned herself with his soap and shampoo and rinsed off before turning off the water and stepping out of the bathtub. She grabbed the towels and dried herself off. She couldn’t help but study each inch of her body. She’d spent two days in the woods far away from any living soul. She’d needed a space to be able to test her theory.

In the early morning she’d parked Berta close to a hiking trail and wandered deep into the woods. Far off the trails, she’d found a little clearing at the bottom of a cliff where she’d set up her tent. That same day, she’d climbed halfway up the cliff to a stone ledge. She’d stood on that edge, for many hours, until the sun had started to set.

She’d been fighting with herself, weighing the pros and cons of her plan, but in the end, she’d jumped off the cliff. The ground had come closer and closer, much faster than she’d expected. She’d regretted her decision instantly; all she’d been able to think of was that she hadn’t been ready to die. The pain of hitting the ground had made her black out.

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been out, but after she’d regained consciousness, her body ached, and her blood had been splattered all over the ground around her. She’d checked her body for any kind of injuries, but she hadn’t been able to find any. Her insides had hurt for a few more minutes but there hadn’t been any sign of physical injuries. The only reason she’d known she hadn’t dreamed the whole fall was her dried blood that had stuck to her and her surroundings.

After she’d spent a restless night under the night sky, she’d repeated her fall the next day, worried she’d imagined the whole thing. She’d jumped off the cliff repeatedly just to prove to herself it was real. With each jump she’d climbed higher up the cliff, but the height of her jumps hadn’t changed the outcome. After coming to that conclusion, she’d left her campsite and had hiked back to Berta.

Niev shook her head and looked at her body in Blake’s mirror. She grabbed his clothes and put them on. They were far too big on her, and she had to roll up the sleeves of the hoodie and legs of the joggers. She stepped out of the bathroom and turned her head in both directions to see where Blake had gone. He’d returned to his bedroom where he was still changing the sheets on his bed. Even though it was a small room, it was able to fit a king size bed and a dresser. To the left-hand side was a door that opened to a small closet and to the right was a large window.

She walked in and grabbed a pillow and pillowcase. “You didn’t have to do this.” She didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but also didn’t want him going out of his way for her.

“It was about time anyway.” He shrugged his shoulders, stuffing the last pillow in its cover. Placing it on the bed, he raised his head to look at her. “I’m sure you’re hungry, let me grab you some food before I let you get some rest.” He walked out toward the kitchen.

She sat down on the bed and waited for him. She grabbed her pocketknife out of her backpack like she’d done so many times in the past weeks and started playing with the blade. It had been a gift from her father. He’d loved the outdoors and had given it to her on her sixteenth birthday. The knife had been one of the only things she’d been able to take with her when she’d left her home. Her father hadn’t talked to her in years, and he’d convinced her mother to do the same. They hadn’t approved of her move to Clemont and before she’d left, they’d given her the choice between staying home or being disowned. As she thought of their last words to each other, her hands started shaking and the knife slipped. The blade cut her palm, but before the blade parted from her skin it had healed.

“You should be careful with that.”

She flinched and looked up. Blake stood in the doorway and looked at the knife in her hands. She hadn’t heard him come in and wasn’t sure how much he’d seen. He handed her a plate with a freshly made sandwich and apple slices.

---