Disguise

Perhaps it is Utterly Stupid

I was out the window when the snarling started, the emergency staircase was right there and without thinking I moved up, but just before the room was completely out of sight, I got one glance into it.

And what I saw were not two people, fighting like animals.

Instead I saw like two violent animals - gigantic wolves - going at each other's throats like death was the only way out.

Then they were out of sight and my fight or flight senses kicked in. I could hear the fight all the way up and tried to tune it out.

What the fuck?! Where did Atticus go?! Maybe I should turn around and help him! Where the hell did those wolves come from?! What was going on!?

The emergency exit was lit dimly, but it was clear enough to see with some stumbling on my part. I think I climbed two flights of stairs before I was looking at the familiar entrance of the hotel. Around me, I saw dark shadows of several animals far away, but I did not stop to stare. I could hear a lot of howls and growls and for a wild second, I thought it was a hostile animal takeover. The minute my feet touched the ground, without hesitation I headed for the dark woods.

Stay away from people that don't smell right.

Atticus' words were coming back to me and I avoided or changed my direction every time I smelled that distinct smell I recognized from the man in the room.

The woods got more dense and the ground got more uneven, it was getting harder to run without stumbling.

My mind was racing as fast as my legs but I didn't allow myself to stop.

Vaguely, it registered that there were other people in the building and I should probably go back and try to help. But the way that wildling was looking at me, it felt like he'd come specifically for me.

I was reaching my limit and soon I would have to stop. My heart was beating overtime and my legs could only push me so far, my lungs could only work so hard. Reece's loose pants and long sleeves were not helping my speed, nor was the fact that I was barefoot.

Climb trees.

Yes. That was right. Atticus said climb trees. I slowed down my pace and looked for an easy tree to climb, this was no time to attempt something out of my league. A nearby tree came into view, it seemed simple enough, small and I got to it without wasting another moment.

I approached the tree from an easier access point, trying to grip low lying branches without difficulty. I managed to raise myself up onto the tree. Then I took a deep breath, and pushed myself further up. My mind had only one focus.

Climbing it wasn't as easy I had thought. I was exhausted, my legs wouldn't do what I told them to, my chest was aching, and my vision was blurry from all the crying.

I managed to climb halfway through when the horrid smell hit me. My insides clenched as I resisted the urge to throw up. Whatever I had to avoid, it was close.

Reece knew what was happening! He knew what was happening and he tried to keep me safe. Is he safe?

Cutting through the trees came another human figure. It wasn't nude, it had on a piece of torn clothing, as if someone had ripped the material apart. It was moving slowly, making weird noises below me as it spun around in an area, clearly demented. I held in the scream that was escaping me as I made little to no movement at all.

The person then got down on all fours and I almost let out a horrified cry.

His back had a huge gash, so deep that blood was still flowing out of it. Even in the dark I could see how horrible someone would have had to be to inflict such a cut - deep to the bone.