The Otherkind Book One:Heart

~*~ 10 ~*~

~*~ 10 ~*~

As I was watching him he suddenly stood very still, rigidly at attention. It reminded me of the way a hunting dog alerts to something. He looked like he was concentrating very hard, listening intently for something. Motioning with his hands he looked in at me. "Hurry up Rowan!" His voice sounded very different taking on a hard edge to it, as well as a very deep concern.

"NOW!" His voice a sharp report echoing across the snow, bouncing off the side of the mountain. Snow fell from the trees nearest us.

Startled I looked out the back window, of course I couldn't see anything. It was covered in snow.

"Hurry! Another vehicle is going to be coming!"

"Going to be? That is an obvious deduction Sherlock!"

Losing patience he reached in grabbing my arm, wrenching me out of my car.

"Bryce!"

"Would you —-just— trust me Rowan!" He ground out as if he was completely out of patience.

"How do you know a car is going to be coming now? I don't hear anything!" How could he know that? I stood there shivering looking towards the curve that I had just slid around. The road was extremely shiny with ice and wet slush, almost mirror-like in large patches. I couldn't believe we had not both pitched over the edge of that cliff. From where I stood now it looked impossible to recover from!

He stood very still listening for a moment. I listened too, not hearing anything at all. "Bryce? Nothings coming." I was trying to sound convincing as my teeth chattered so hard they hurt. I was barely out of the way of the door when he brushed past me, reaching in and snatching the keys dangling from the ignition, as an afterthought he grabbed my book bag that had been on the floor between us.

I looked at him and then took a couple steps out into the road a bit. There was nothing coming. What on Earth was he hearing?

With a suddenness that startled me he reached out, yanking the sleeve of my sweatshirt, pulling me back to the side of my car. Alarm was etched deep into his handsome face. "Would you please stop— oh never mind." He started pushing me very fast toward the front of my car and around the bumper. Then from afar off I heard the distinct sound of a really big truck just going through its gears, as if it was just starting out. Evidently a logging truck had just turned onto this road from off one of the little side roads. It was gaining speed, the sound coming closer. If he kept gaining speed like that and he came at that same icy curve that we had just slid all over, he would lose control!

"Come on!" Insistently he pulled at me. "Now Rowan!"

Jerking me past my car he looked with remorse at his own truck sitting vulnerable there for the briefest pause, then began leading me toward the bottom of the ravine. I was slipping all over the place, barely able stand up. It didn't help with him half dragging me, half pushing me. Snow was packing up inside my shoes, my feet were freezing, and my toes were incredibly painful as I struggled to keep my balance. I couldn't keep my feet under me at the speed he was pulling me. If he hadn't been holding my arm in an almost painful vice grip, I would have gone head first down the embankment.

With a sudden hard tug, he pulled me behind a large tree while at the same time spreading his leather trench coat around me. He was absolutely rigid with attention now, his hand still gripping my arm. The truck sounded like it was just about into the curve. With my feet under me again I could concentrate on other things, besides not going face first into the snow. I could hear the logging truck making horrible noises. The driver was, as I had feared, losing control on the treacherous curve. Struggling to hold onto the road, down shifting and furiously grinding gears. There was twisting, wrenching sounds of trees being taken out by the trailer of his heavy truck as it swung back and forth. The hot screech of metal on metal. I held my breath scared for the truck driver.