AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER 1
Rorie’s legs burned as she waded across another knee deep stretch of water, the underlying mud oozing into her ragged sneakers and threatening to pull them off her feet. The weight of her saturated clothes dragged her down with every step but she ignored them. She couldn’t stop. She couldn’t go back.
Just as she reached a slightly raised hummock, tangled with roots and branches, her foot caught on a root half-buried in the muck and she stumbled forward, grasping desperately at the rough bark of the nearest tree to keep herself from falling headfirst into the murky water. Somehow she managed to pull herself up onto the small patch of solid ground, her body trembling from exertion and fear.
She sagged against the tree as she tried to catch her breath and quiet her pounding heart. As desperate as she’d been to escape her stepfather’s cruelty, she’d never envisioned fleeing through the swamp at night with nothing but the clothes on her back. At least I have my money, she reminded herself, once again checking the small wad of bills jammed into the front pocket of her jeans. It was a pitifully small wad - all she’d been able to squirrel away over the past few years - but fortunately she kept it hidden in an old coffee can in the hollow of a half dead tree behind their house. She’d managed to grab it as she ran. If she could only make it out of the swamp and away from Cypress Landing, it might be enough to help her start a new life.
But first she had to find her way out of the swamp.
Squinting up at the sky, she tried to pick out stars through the canopy of trees above her head, but the moon was playing hide and seek among the clouds. Even if it had been a cloudless night, she wasn’t sure she could use the stars to guide her way. She’d lived on the edge of the swamp for most of her life but she’d never ventured into it. No one who lived in Cypress Landing went very far into the swamp, although a few brave souls occasionally fished or hunted along the edges - but only in daylight and always with a partner.
She shifted uneasily, trying to peer into the surrounding darkness as the warnings about the monster who lived in the swamp whispered in her head. In other parts of the world the Others, beings of myth and legend, lived in harmony with humans. Not in Cypress Landing. They didn’t trust strange humans, let alone mysterious beings.
The creature who supposedly lived in the swamp was hated - and feared. She didn’t really believe that an evil monster lived there, or that the tales she’d heard about him hunting small children were true. Yet there were enough rumors about people going into the swamp and never returning to give her pause.
She’d fled into the swamp because she had no choice - no way to get past Harold and reach the road, let alone the town. Not that the town offered much safety either. Harold owned enough property and enough businesses that they’d been only too willing to overlook his abuse.
At the time she’d only thought of escape, but now the shadows seemed to press in around her, the twisted boughs of the ancient trees taking on menacing forms in the dim light. The usual night sounds faded away, replaced by an ominous silence. Her pulse thundered in her ears, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she fought a rising tide of panic.
A twig snapped somewhere in the gloom, the sound like a gunshot in the oppressive quiet. She froze, her body rigid with terror as her gaze darted wildly through the twisted mass of vegetation. Her breath caught in her throat as a misshapen silhouette loomed ahead, its form distorted by the twisted boughs and tangled vines. A monster - or a man?
“H-Harold?” she whispered, not sure which possibility was more terrifying.
The shape didn’t move, didn’t respond. It’s just a harmless cluster of branches and leaves, she told herself, taking another ragged breath. My mind is playing tricks on me. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to slow her breathing as the chorus of frogs started up again.
“Get a grip,” she muttered through gritted teeth. “He’s not here. No one’s here. You’re free.”
Free. The word felt strange on her tongue after all these years trapped under Harold’s iron fist, but she clung to it, letting it buoy her hopes as she started pushing her way through the undergrowth, ignoring the stinging scratches left by the branches. The hummock ended far too soon and the next channel was deeper, the water up to her waist. She forced herself to keep going, trying desperately not to think of all the other dangers that could be lurking in the dark waters. The monster might or might not exist, but snakes and gators and snapping turtles were very real.
Distant splashes and the sound of something large slithering into the water made her shudder, but she managed to reach the next dryer piece of land without mishap. Shivering, she pulled herself up onto a thick root above the water line. Even though the thick, humid air surrounded her like a blanket, the constant wetness chilled her, leaching away the warmth.
As she reached for a vine to help maneuver her way into the small open space ahead, the vine curled away from her with a soft hiss. Trying desperately to suppress a scream, she stumbled away from the huge snake and caught her foot on another gnarled root. Pain lanced through her ankle, sending her crashing to the moss-covered earth.
Her hands scrabbled against the damp soil, fingernails caking with mud as she fought to push herself upright but when she tried to put any weight on her throbbing ankle, the sharp stab of pain nearly buckled her knees. But she couldn’t stop, not now. She was still far too close to the house and too far from any hope of freedom.
Gritting her teeth, she managed to use a fallen branch to help her stand and support her as she started limping along. Every step sent fresh agony lancing up her leg, but she refused to surrender to it. She’d endured far worse at Harold’s hands; a twisted ankle was a small price to pay to be free of him.
Something shifted in the tangled undergrowth ahead of her and she came to a halt, her heart racing. Another silhouette seemed to take shape amongst the shadows, even more massive than the last one. It’s just an illusion, she told herself. Just another collection of leaves and branches.
The illusion moved.
She instinctively tried to back away, but her leg gave out and she collapsed to the ground. Her heart pounded in her throat as a massive figure materialized from the shadows. Too large to be Harold, he took a step forward, then another, until he was far enough away from the undergrowth to be visible in the uncertain moonlight. Visible enough for it to be clear he was not a man at all.
The skin covering that huge body was like the moss-covered bark of an ancient oak, while a tangled mass of vines concealed most of his face. Only his eyes were visible, a deep, glowing green in the dimness.
The monster.
A scream caught in her throat as those unnatural eyes focused on her, the weight of his gaze nearly suffocating her. She opened her mouth, desperate to give voice to the terror gripping her, but she was still too close to the house. Afraid she’d be heard, she gulped in air instead, clenching her fists as her sides. As she closed her mouth again, something shifted in that emerald gaze - surprise, perhaps, or curiosity?
Slowly, almost reverently, the monster inclined his head. She found herself holding her breath, mesmerized as he took another cautious step towards her, his movements graceful despite his towering, imposing frame. Very slowly, he kneeled down next to her and extended a huge hand. Despite his careful movements, she flinched instinctively as memories of Harold’s brutality flooded her mind.
A flash of what looked like sorrow crossed those luminous eyes, but he didn’t say anything, only kept his hand outstretched. Although her panic had unexpectedly receded, she wasn’t sure she wanted to take his hand. But between her ankle and her frantic desire to escape, she desperately needed help from someone - even a monster.
As she started to reach for his hand, her strength suddenly deserted her. The harrowing ordeal of the day, the desperate flight through the swamp, the pain of her twisted ankle, the shock of his presence—it all came crashing down over her. Black spots danced across her vision as the world tilted violently.
She swayed, her hand trembling as the darkness threatened to overwhelm her. Through the haze, she glimpsed him inching closer, his movements still slow and deliberate. With each inch, the mossy expanse of his shoulders seemed to swell larger, blotting out the gnarled trees surrounding them until he was all she could see.
A dull ringing filled her ears as the last remnants of her waning strength ebbed away. She felt herself tilting, the world spinning in a dizzying kaleidoscope of shadow and green as she succumbed to the beckoning darkness. The last thing she saw before blackness swallowed her whole was those glowing emerald eyes—so far from human, but brimming with a profound sadness that made her heart ache.
