Only Human

2

I could hear the chirping of birds around me. The air felt moist and cool. The smell of rotting leaves and wet tree bark surrounded me. My head lulled forward as I tried to lift it, still unable to open my eyes. My mouth hurt, it was hard to swallow. My shoulders and wrists ached. The faint taste of metallic suddenly very apparent. Panic set in as I remembered the last bits of my night.

My heart raced as I blinked my sight into focus, erratically checking my surroundings. I was facing the tree line. Huge towering pines and thick brush made it impossible to see further.

I strained my neck to look around. An ominous-looking cabin stood behind me. Old wood rotting away, covered in moss and fungus. There was a certain beauty to it nonetheless. Reality sunk back in just as quickly as it faded away when I heard leaves crunching. My eyes darted to the corner of the house where the noise came from.

"Don't you worry," an old harsh voice sounded as the rugged man rounded the side of the house. "You won't be there for too long." He smiled sinisterly as he brushed his hand over the tobacco-stained corners of his dirty white beard.

I bit at the cloth that pulled at the corners of my lips, the material rubbing at the skin on my cheeks.

"Hey!" I tried to yell but it came out sounding muffled.

My breathing increased as I pulled on the restraints. My arms outstretched between two trees. The presence of imminent death eerily hanging over me. Why wouldn't I be here long? What did he have planned for me?

I shook my body around screaming and yelling until the old man stood in front of me with a blood-stained bucket. He bent down to crouch in front of me. His skin was oily, eyebrows overgrown. His eyes were blue, resembling a deep pool of salt water. He put a finger up to his lips, hushing me. Then he slipped off my gag. I stumbled over my words as I tried to spit out a question. My throat suddenly dry at the sight of blood.

"Why are you doing this?" I searched his wicked eyes, worrying about what was coming next. Worrying that my insignificant little life was about to be over in the cruelest of ways.

"Because they took her. They took my wife" He whispered with clear agony in his voice. A part of me felt bad for him.

"Who took her?" I pushed. Maybe it would help me survive. If I could get information about why he's doing this, maybe I could stop him.

"Werewolves." He said straight-faced. I was stunned. Either I was taken by a complete nutcase or he was telling the truth.

"You need to untie me. You need to let me go right fucking now!" I yelled, trying to be strong but my panic was evident, even to me. He stared at me for a long moment, not speaking.

"What are you going to do to me?" My voice shook as I stared between the rough old man and the bucket next to him. My imagination suddenly ran wild with horrifying possibilities.

"Me?" A rumble came from his chest as he forced the dirty rag back into my mouth and wiped a handful of blood on my face.

"It's the wolves you should worry about." He flipped out a pocket knife and grabbed one of my hands.

"What are you doing? Stop!" I tried to yell through my gag.

"Once they catch your scent," he sliced his blade through my palm. "Mixed with the scent of a rouge," My heart bounced faster as I watched the red begin to roll down my arm. "It won't take long for them to find you." He finished as he sliced my other palm.

Tears stained my cheeks as I realized I was being fed to these monsters. Was I a sacrifice, an offering in an attempt to get his wife back? Maybe she deserved to be saved. Maybe I deserve to be the one to die in her place.

I gripped the ropes with my bloody palms and forced my weight from side to side, trying to break free but the ropes only burned my wrists and rubbed my severed palms. I let out a huff of air trying to shake the hair out of my face. The sun was hot above me, shining down on the top of my scalp. I leaned my head down for relief.

My shoulders ache as I hang helplessly, my hands tingling. Wondering when I would finally get a chance to escape, or when my life would be ended. I raised my head once more to embrace the inevitable.

I took in my surroundings. The wind began to pick up and I knew it wouldn't be long until something out there picked up the stench rolling off of me.

As the sun began to set I felt my hope slipping further and further away. I wasn't going to make it out of this. I've seen the old man's face, been to his hideaway. He wasn't going to let me go. I wasn't going to make it out of this alive.

A long howl in the distance caused my heart to race again. Blood rushed to my head causing adrenalin to take over. The waiting was over and now the hunt was on. They would come for me.

"Hey! Hey don't leave me here!!" I tried yelling at the old man. My throat feeling rough and scratchy.

Unsurprisingly he didn't come. I began to tirelessly fight the ropes that held me. Not making any progress I began to give up. I couldn't do anything to get out.

I could hear growling and yipping getting closer. It sounded like an entire pack of wolves. My breathing was erratic and uncontrollable as I tried endlessly to slip my hands out of the blood dripping ropes. It was never going to happen.

Crunching and cracking of twigs and leaves caused me to go still. I scanned the trendline as I held my breath in anticipation. I was about to be mauled to death.