Ignoring her scrambling away from him to stand up, the mancrossed his arms over his chest and gave her a hard glare. “Now that I’mcertain you can’t stab me, tell me what the hell are you doing out here?”
With her heart still slamming against her chest, Alessiakept her knees slightly bent as she stood up a few yards of away from him ifneeded, she was ready to bolt at any given second. Ignoring the dead leaves anddirt falling off of her where she had hit the ground earlier, she kept her eyesfocused on the man in front of her as if facing off with a wild bear.
“Who are you? And how is it any of your business?” Thoughshe was still out of breath from the shock of him grabbing her, she stillmanaged to reply as tartly as possible, despite the immense fear crackling atthe edges of her mind.
Tilting his head to the side, the man’s cold, shark blackeyes assessed her without any sign of emotion before a slow heartless grinspread across his lips. The rounds of his cheeks appeared slightly over thebushy hair of his overgrown beard as he smiled. Everything in Alessia told herto run, to just forget her stuff and run towards the road. Because even thoughthe man was smiling, his eyes remained cold and black.
“Well,” he began, taking a deep breath that expanded hiswide chest under his folded arms. “When I find some stranger camping on myland, it becomes my business.”
Alessia blinked a few times as she let his words replay inher head, forcing herself to calm down for a moment so she could at leastprocess what he was saying.
Shaking her head, she pointed to the ground. “This isn’tyours,” she said confidently, crossing her own arms back at the smug bastard.
He was lying, she researched this area thoroughly before sheeven left Yakima. Alessia picked this area for its distance from Yakima, itsproximity to the nearby town, and water sources.
Holding her chin up higher she tried to match his glacialstare with one of her own. “This land belongs to the state,” but even as thewords came out of her mouth, information she thought she was so sure of, thewords lost their bluster as she continued to stare into his unwavering blackeyes. “… at least I thought...”
“You thought wrong,” he snapped.
Her arms dropped and her shoulders drooped as every ounce ofbravado evaporated from her body at his succinct retort. Looking around, shetried to think, as the whirling thoughts plagued her all at once.
“Fine,” throwing up her hands in defeat, she glared at him.“I’ll get my things and leave.”
The man didn’t move. He just stood there like a statue withhis arms still crossed. Somehow, his expression grew even grimmer as he staredup at the blue sky past the dense treetops.
“There’s going to be a storm by sundown,” his tone wasbleak.
Skeptically she glanced up quickly at the sky above hishead, not wanting to take her eyes off the stranger for too long. Earlier shewent by the road to get a signal, but she forgot to look at the forecast. Shewas so happy to get her posts uploaded that she completely forgot all about theweather.
She opened her mouth to say she was fine, but he beganfirst.
“Though I would rather not,” relaxing his arms, he gave heran annoyed look. “I will allow you to stay in my cabin for one night, littlevagrant, and then you hit the road to wherever that isn’t here,” he pointed tothe ground meaningfully. “By morning.”
The abrupt hollow laughter erupted from her lips beforeAlessia could stop it. He was joking, right? Looking at his dark, cold eyes,she couldn't honestly tell.
Smirking at him, she gave him a sharp look. "Yeah sure,let me think about that for a moment crazy stranger that just attacked me inthe woods. Umm yeah, that's going to be a hard no for me, but thanks,though." Giving him a wide berth, she circled him and walked backwardstowards the direction of her camp while keeping an eye on him as he turned andwatched her retreat. "I will just get my stuff and I will just leave."
His eyes narrowed and she could see his lips thin into astraight line under his unkempt facial hair. Rolling his shoulders back, hestood straighter, more imposing and threatening.
“Look, I’m regretfully trying to do the decent thing hereand offer you shelter from the storm, I would suggest you not fight me on thisand…”
“Not fight you?” The incredulity in her voice came outlouder than she expected.
By this time, she stopped backing up altogether, she justcouldn’t believe the nerve of this man. He made it seem as if she should bethankful for the offer of some random mountain man suggesting she stay in hismost likely,rape-cabin. No, thank you.
“Excuse me for not wanting to take you up on yourkindoffer after you chased me, accosted me, and then kicked me off land I’m stillnot convinced is yours. So, no thank you.” Satisfied by her own snappishretort, she boldly turned on her heel and headed back to the camp, all thewhile straining past the thrashing percussion in her ears to hear if he wasfollowing her.
"Fine," he growled behind her, causing her to turnback around to face him. He was closer than she expected. Now his narrowedblack eyes positively gleamed with mounting irritation. "If you don't wantto crash on my couch through the storm, it suits me more than fine. I can justdrop you off at the sheriff’s office.”
His words felt like a punch to the gut.
“No!” Stepping back quickly, she tried to control the risingfrenzy in her voice. “Look, what’s your problem? I'm leaving just like youwanted. Let me just get my stuff, and I'll go. Just leave me alone, you don'thave to worry…"
His eyes grew wide. “Worry,” he repeated, shaking his headas he began to pace slowly in front of her. “Yes, the fuck I do. I have toworry about why the hell is some young woman doing a pathetic job of squattingon my property and I have got to somehow get rid of herbeforeshe getskilled.”
“What are you talking about? I…” she didn’t get a chance toargue because the man wasn’t through. His eyes glittered with escalating furyas he took a step forward.
"Oh yeah, you'll most likely get yourself killed ofexposure or by some animal attack or you'll do something else dumb. Maybe youwill head down the road towards town and by the time you get there, the stormhits. What you don't know is that there is absolutely nothing available or openat night in the Gaulding. Even the sheriff has all his calls routed to his house,leaving the station empty and locked. And if you're dumb enough to try to seekshelter at someone's house, you then stand the extremely high chance of gettingshot since no one would think anyone up to any good would be banging onanyone's door during a storm."
