Winter Sage

2

Winter Sage | Chapter 2

It had been almost 16 hours since the stranger had arrived. No identity whatsoever. His new identity was made at her home and that made her feel even more responsible for his safety. She sighed. She couldn't possibly be responsible for this man? Was she to take care of him? It seemed like a cruel joke. She thought of calling the police or dropping him off at a random place and never come back. Yet, her once calloused heart did not allow her to do that.

He seemed harmless. He was friendly to Caspian and he did not request anything. The only thing that frightened her was his scars. Stitches. Grotesque lines that attached his body together.

"Sage," she called him. It was odd calling his name. She felt acquainted to him already. "Do you not have anywhere to go?"

He didn't answer for the longest time. He was still sitting below the window, stroking Caspian. "I think I used to. Not anymore."

She felt like she was stabbed in the gut. The guilt of just sending him away would be too big for her to handle. Yet, he wasn't her responsibility. Her mind was overwhelmed by two conflicting sides. She pursued her lips tightly. She lived alone. She couldn't fully trust this stranger. He could be a serial killer, or a kidnapper. He could be a robber who was a really good actor. And then again, he could genuinely be Winter, Sage, a lost soul who sought to find a new identity at her house. Why her house? Why not the one next door?

"Sage, why did you come to my house? Why not the one next door or the one on the second floor? How did you know to even come to this building?"

He hesitated. "I saw your light. It was dark. Cold. Your window was the only one with the light on." She scowled. Maybe she didn't believe him. Maybe she did. Either way, she didn't look satisfied. He took out a piece of crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "Actually, I got an address."

She took the piece of paper labeled on the top: 1001

And on the bottom: her address.

She shuddered. How did he get this address? Who sent him here? What did he want? She took a step back, towards the kitchen knife. Her hands shook, but Sage looked oblivious. "H-how did you get my address? Who gave it to you?!" She grabbed the knife and moved towards her phone, ready to dial 911 in case anything happened.

He looked down. He looked guilty, worried even. "I got it from a girl in a lab coat. Long black hair. She always wore a mask. She told me to come here. That I'll be safe. That everything will be okay. She said under one condition though."

"What is that?" She scowled in doubt. She held the knife up with her right hand and the phone in other.

"She said I have to offer something else in order to stay."

"W-what? You are not staying here! Who told you that you could stay?! You need to leave righ---"

"She said I need to offer you a story," he cut her off.

Her eyes flickered and she could feel it. She put down her phone and moved a step closer towards him. He looked so vulnerable. Maybe she was the villain of the scene. She was in need for a story. A good story, indeed. She was a hungry, desperate children's book author whose well of ideas had dried up a long time ago. It had been ages since she had written.

"You must have an awfully good story to offer me if you want to stay," she told him. It was a minor threat, but her heart was already pounding. A story! Fresh new story! Give it to me.

He didn't answer. He fidgeted his hands and looked at her directly in the eyes. She was captivated, once again. "I-I...don't know if it'll be a good story," he answered. Yet, Kennedy had already started developing a plot in her head. A stormy, cold night and a mysterious, corpse-like stranger and his adventure.