I remembered the bears who frequented the area. What if they hadn’t gone into hibernation yet? What if one needed a last meal before turning in for the winter? What if it was a bobcat? Neither were good adversaries to have. I couldn’t outrun them, and I sure as hell wouldn’t fare well fighting one.
I hurried to the edge of the trees, eyes peeled for movement as I grabbed a branch that twisted like a candy cane. It wasn’t much, but it would work in a pinch.
As I made my way back to the center of the road, something caught my eye in the distance, the likely source of the sounds. It was a trio of deer, strolling across the road. I burst into laughter, startling their tails into the air. The group froze and looked over in a panic, the classic deer-in-headlights formation in full swing before springing into the woods.
City life made me a paranoid fool. I was ready to beat poor Bambi and his friends to death with a makeshift club. I tossed it to the side, still grinning. Dad would have a field day if he saw me ready to take on the harmless hoofed critters.
I returned to my run, hitting my old pace. My goal was to make it to the main road and back, totaling five miles. It wasn’t anything near what I did in the past, but it was a healthy marker to hit, even if I threw in a lot of walking. I had to start somewhere.
All around the snow trickled down, the afternoon’s eight to twelve inches arriving early. Unlike the powdery coating that fell the night before, it was heavy and wet, sticking everywhere it touched. I tilted my head down and carried on, shielding my face.
I rounded the bend into the final stretch and heard the crunching again. “Fuck off, Bambi!” Shouting at deer was a new low, but the sound was rattling my nerves.
When the crunching didn’t stop, I looked ahead, surprised to see an SUV further up the trail. I slowed, eyeing it as I tried to make out the driver. No one else lived off the road. Whoever it was, was a quarter-mile down, so they hadn’t pulled in to turn around.
There was also a good chance it was a local coming to check on Dad. He had a bunch of old hunting buddies and guys from the highway department he still talked to.
Then again, if someone made a wrong turn, they’d end up lost. Beyond the cabin, the road snaked over twenty miles before ending at an old logging site. It had dozens of dead-end turnoffs where machinery was stored over the years. With the storm coming, it could be dangerous.
Through the snowfall, I made out a large figure driving and someone in the passenger seat. It was probably a family. Extra karma points were headed my way.
As the vehicle rolled to a stop, they didn’t honk. They didn’t move to drive around me either, not that they could. I was in the center of the road.
When the driver’s side door flew open, and a man jumped out, my heart dropped. I hadn’t considered a wayward murderer until that second.
As the door slammed, I realized how wrong the assumption of a deranged man was, though I was close. It was Jason. A thick stubble darkened his jaw, his eyes shadowed by dark circles. “Elena?” he called, voice ragged. His hands covered his eyes to block the snow.
He looked exhausted like he went to hell and back a thousand times over. Sympathy flooded my heart, but I quickly plugged the leak. The son of a bitch lied. He was a cheater.
I did what I did best: I ran.
“Elena, stop!” His voice boomed off the trees, shattering the silence of the forest.
I continued running, ignoring his calls, but once I heard the SUV, I realized how pointless it was. I made a beeline for the trees since he couldn’t drive through the damn forest. Sure, I was leaving tracks, but once I got far enough, I could disappear. Then I’d sneak in the back door of the cabin and have Dad turn him away.
I leaped over fallen limbs and weaved through trees, trying to muddy my trail. In the distance, the engine cut, and I could hear footsteps. I pushed ahead, no clue where I was going but away. I grew up in the woods, but it was years since I was in them. Hopefully, my instincts would serve me well. I knew I’d hit the creek eventually that led to the cabin.
“Elena!” It was a haunting bellow that seemed to bounce off every tree.
Why was he doing this? Why couldn’t he let me be? He did enough. And Lee. Why would she tell him where I was?
“Baby, listen to me, please!” He was gaining on me. He sounded way too close.
I summoned my inner Forrest Gump and kept going despite my lungs burning and thighs ready to tap out. I would have to drag myself back to the cabin.
I weaved in and out, dodging underbrush and ducking branches. He continued his pursuit, somehow contorting his 6’4” frame through the tight turns too. I hated him for being in shape. I hated him even more when I heard him right behind me.
I tensed, expecting him to grab me, but he didn’t. He maintained his pace at my heels, running at my side where he’d fit. I refused to look at him.
After what seemed like ages, we reached the creek, and I would have crossed if it didn’t mean hypothermia and likely death if the ice broke. The trail towards the cabin was covered in fallen debris, making it impenetrable. I had no choice but to head back to where I came from. I’d have to follow my tracks
