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I needed coffee. Asap.
I yawned, looking around for any sign of a 24 hour diner. There was nothing that even suggested civilisation. Trees surrounded me, disappearing into the darkness of the sky, and endless road was set before me.
For a short while I continued to drive on, looking for a sign, anything really. The silence felt uncomfortable, and before long I found my hand reaching to turn the radio on. Some cheap pop song blared through the speakers and I rushed to turn it down, before changing my mind and just picking a different radio station. It was a news station that took my attention.
"Five victims were claimed in an explosion that took place in an apartment block in Caribou, Maine. Countless other people were injured when part of the building collapsed. Police are on the scene investigating the cause of this explosion, and so far the leading explanation for this tragic incident is a gas leak. We will keep you updated on the matter as we receive more information."
I turned the radio off, exhaling. Look for a bloody sign and just get the coffee. I tapped my fingernails on the steering wheel, looking left to right. Pushing everything I had just heard to the back of my mind.
It's not that I couldn't feel, but in my line of work it was best if I simply didn't think of what I had just heard. Of the devastation that I had inflicted.
I was so deep in thought that I nearly missed it. A sign hidden beneath the branches of overgrown forest.
I slammed on the brakes, then slowly reversed the car until the sign was back in my line of vision and I could see it clearly.
Verde Falls
Three miles
->
It was a small, faded sign. If I wasn't used to noticing minor details I probably would have missed it completely.
I turned to look right, where the arrow seemed to be pointing. It's true that the space between the trees was wide enough to be a road, but it was that covered in dirt and leaves that it was extremely unlikely it was actually used. I looked back at the condition of the sign and looked back at the road before coming to a conclusion. It was probably an old back way into the town, no longer used because of a new road.
Momentarily, I pondered over whether or not to take this road before coming to a conclusion. It would be better if I travelled this way, there would be less traffic so it would equate to a faster trip. And besides, it was only three miles. What could happen?
I turned onto the road and instantly all moonlight disappeared, blocked out by the huge tree canopies that hung above me. The forest felt empty, an eerie aura surrounding the local vicinity.
The road was rough, but of relatively good condition. I drove for a few more minutes, the radio silent. I exited into a clearing.
Instantly the road was clean, dark cobblestone underneath the car and not a single leaf in sight. I had emerged in the small town of Verde Falls, driving down a long and narrow road with small shops on either side. Park benches and dull street lights lined the pathways, with small moths fluttering around in the sky, drawn to the light emitted from the street lamps, yet dancing around cautiously. The town was very picturesque, with old fashioned houses on top of the shops. It reminded me of the villages that I had visited during my time in Europe.
It eventually became evident to me that they did not experience visitors often, when a few windows opened and a couple people looked down and stared at me as I went by. It was a foreign feeling, I felt as though under the brutality of their gazes, I was the prey. Never had I felt weak under the eyes of strangers.
Ignoring their gazes, I headed towards a little cafe at the end of the street with Lucie's written across the window in calligraphy. A small sign placed out on the pathway that said 'we're open' was written in the same calligraphy as the window. The road continued on after that, but it disappeared back into forest.
I parked the car and headed towards the cafe. I was eager to get inside; I could feel the eyes of the local people still drilling into my back.
I shivered, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. Some primal, instinctual part of me dared to say that it felt as though I was being watched by a predator.
Shaking off the odd sensation I pushed the door open, a small bell tinkling with my arrival.
The inside of the café was warm and instantly I felt comfortable. Tables and chairs were spread evenly around the small room and a fire was burning in the corner, a few pillows were left abandoned on the ground in front of the hearth.
A man was sitting at a table, white hair covering his head. "I swear," he muttered to a woman sitting across from him. "It's the neighbouring packs. The bloody bastards are too wimpy to attack us ourselves, that's why they're letting rogues-"
"Hello, you're new around here." The woman stood up, cutting him off. She gave me a small smile and turned to him, sending him a glare. So much could be interpreted from that glare. Perhaps it was a warning to him to be welcoming, or perhaps there was worry in that glare. Perhaps she didn't want the man acting brash against a possible intruder.
She appeared to be in her early sixties, with curly hair and blue eyes. I quickly returned her smile. "Yeah, I'm just passing through and thought about getting a coffee."
The woman smiled. "Of course." She moved towards the kitchen, shooting the man another glare with uncertain meaning along the way.
I moved to take a seat, studying the table while I waited. I could feel the man glaring at me the whole time, and I wasn't sure what exactly I had done. I guess I had came in during their conversation, which seemed to be of great importance, but if they were open anyone could have just simply walked in, so what reason does that give him to be so angry at me in particular? It's not like I even understood what they were talking about.
I shook my head. There was no point worrying about it, I was just here for a caffeine hit and would probably never lay eyes on this town again.
After a short wait the woman returned with my coffee and placed it on the table in front of me. The scent slowly drifted towards my nostrils and I felt my mouth begin to water. I stood up, the coffee in hand, and gave her a small smile. "Thank you for the coffee, how much money would you like for it?"
She laughed. "Don't worry about it, just continue on your way." She began to usher me out of the café, not stopping until I was back outside in the street. She gave me one last smile and then closed the door in my face.
I stood there in shock for a few seconds, just staring at the door in disbelief. She had seemed friendly enough, but it was clearly obvious that she didn't want me in the café. Now that I thought of it, this whole town seemed really unfriendly, really distant and completely and utterly cold towards me. "And you probably wonder why you don't get many tourists," I muttered under my breath as I unlocked my car.
Once I was inside the car I was quick to leave, going back the way I had come in, I wasn't sure where the other way lead -or even if it lead anywhere for that matter- so there was no point waiting around, there was nothing else in that small town and I had already gotten the coffee that I desired.
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It was about four am, and the sky was beginning to turn a shade of grey.
I had been driving for a couple of hours since my stop in Verde Falls for coffee, and was about an hour away from the border of New York. It definitely wasn't the first time that I had gone a full night without any sleep, but for some reason I was feeling really tired. I couldn't think clearly and my eyes were blurry. I yawned.
A wolf howled, surprisingly close. I raised an eyebrow but didn't think much of it. Travelling through the woods, I was bound to come across natural wildlife, that however didn't mean that it was going to cause me any trouble. That changed when the wolf ran out in front of my car.
I slammed on the brakes, stopping a few inches from it's body. It took a few steps back, then looked straight up at me and growled.
Every dirty grey hair on it's body stood on edge, almost as if it was attempting to make itself bigger than it already was. It was already huge. Not only was this wolf about a foot taller than an average wolf, the teeth it was barring at me were more like pale, white daggers than actual teeth. I leaned closer to the window, squinting at it. It's eyes were brown.
To any normal person, this simple fact may have seemed irrelevant. Wolves are born with blue eyes that eventually turn into a yellow or golden colour. Occasionally a full grown wolf is found with blue eyes, but wolves do not have dark brown eyes.
I wasn't sure if this wolf had a disease or something along those lines, but if it did it would probably pass it on to the rest of the wolf population if it was left to continue on. I reached for the gun under my seat.
I had no doubt in my abilities and would consider this kill one for the greater good. It was only a wolf, it could not plan its moves or comprehend at the same level as me. I opened the door and stepped out of the car, moving slowly and cautiously. I made sure I didn't make eye contact with it as though not to alarm it and raised the pistol, aiming it towards it's head. I fired.
Somehow the wolf managed to dodge the bullet and before I could comprehend what had happened it had leapt towards me, knocking me into the trees on the side of the road with extraordinary strength. It began to walk towards me, and by looking at it straight away I could tell that it was stalking it's prey; me.
I jumped to my feet, lifting the pistol and aiming once again at it's head.
It jumped forward, twisting in the air at the right time in order to miss the bullet once again. It landed in front of me and grabbed the gun in it's mouth, trying to rip it from my hands. I fired again, and it twisted it's head so that the bullet didn't reach it's skull, but exited through the side of it's mouth. With one final tug his teeth tore through the gun and it broke in half. I raised my boot and kicked it in the stomach and then broke into a run towards my car. This wolf was not normal, and I wasn't stupid enough to be unarmed around a carnivorous creature.
Before I could even run a yard someone pulled me back by my hair and slammed me into the ground. I moved to get to my feet but someone kicked me in the gut and I fell to the side, hitting my head on a tree. Red and blue sparks erupted in front of my eyes and I couldn't see anything, panic erupted through my body. I couldn't remember the last time I had been this helpless. By the time I had realised what was happening, someone was holding me up against a tree by my throat. My eyes widened when I recognised the culprit. It was the elderly man from the café. I hadn't realised at first because his brown eyes were bulging with anger and half of his face was covered in blood, almost as if someone had injured him.
I looked around for the grey wolf, suddenly remembering it. When I didn't see it, I came to the conclusion that it was gone, although I was not sure why or where in such a short span of time. It then dawned on me that I couldn't breath and needed to sort this current inconvenience out first.
My hands went to my throat, and when I couldn't peel his fingers away they travelled up his arms and to his face. I began to push both of my thumbs into his eyes. He screamed and dropped me to the ground, and I began to gasp like a fish out of water, needing to fill my lungs with as much oxygen as I could. I began to crawl away, my throat burning in agony as I gasped for breath. I was too light headed to stand and could barely see clearly.
"Stupid little bitch!" He screeched from behind me, and I found myself flying into yet another tree. I landed on a pile of wet leaves and quickly moved to my knees, I was in the worst position imaginable. My chest was burning. I coughed, and blood splattered onto the leaves below me. I cringed. Internal bleeding wasn't a good sign last time I checked. I stood up, using the tree next to me for support. Leaning against the tree I coughed again, attempting to clear my throat.
"Why are you doing this?" I wheezed out, my throat protesting.
"You heard the conversation, you know where the town is, you can't be allowed to walk free." He said, hissing out between clenched teeth as he held one of his eyes, rapidly blinking with the other.
I looked down at him, regretting it instantly. "Why aren't you wearing any clothes?"
He let out a small laugh. "You don't have to worry about it, you're going to die regardless."
I gave him a crooked smile. "Aren't we all?"
He stared at me blankly, then began to walk towards me. I started to dry reach and began to hobble away, my ankle clicking when I put too much pressure on it. He was suddenly right behind me, and with one quick flick of his wrist sent me flying, my back painfully cracking when I collided with a tree trunk.
I looked up, my vision beginning to blur as he walked towards me, cracking his knuckles. He opened his mouth, as though to say something, but the words didn't come out, instead there was blood.
It poured out of his mouth and splashed onto the leaves below, where it created a sickly crimson-coloured puddle. At first I was confused, but then when his lifeless body dropped to the ground, it all made sense.
Someone stood behind him, his right hand holding a heart. He had just tore out his heart with his bare hand. He was tall, at least a foot taller than the man that he had been standing behind, which made me wonder why I hadn't seen him before. But it seemed to become clear why every second that passed while he was standing in the shadows. He literally disappeared into them.
He stepped out of the shadows, his mess of dark hair falling in little curls over his forehead. His tall body was lean, his waist and hips slender, his legs long. Yet, his body was ripped with powerful muscle, his whole presence commanding attention.
Just his presence alone made me feel as though I had to press myself to the ground and let him walk over me. A million different emotions clouded my mind at once.
Fear. Anxiety. Lust.
Slowly, he looked up from his hand, discarding the severed heart on the ground. He stepped over the dead man's body and looked straight at me, his eyes a deadly black.
He then said one word. "Mine."
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