Disturbed by his speech, Alessia took a few steps back andnearly shrieked when she bumped into a tree. Shaken and scared, she looked athim and swallowed nervously.
“I can’t go to the police,” she whispered.
After the briefest second, his dark eyes softened intorealization, before falling back into a stern mask. Silently, he just regardedher as he thought.
Finally, he spoke. “Fine then, I’ll drive you to the nexttown over from Gaulding it’s bigger and I think they have some sort offoundation out of their church or something to help homeless people. But eitherway,” the lethally soft change in his tone scared her. “You’re getting off myland and far from here so that you’re someone else’s problem.”
He wasn’t listening, nor was he going to, she realized.Shaking her head, she began to back up, holding out her hands to ward him off,she tried to inject strength she certainly didn’t have into her tone.
“Just leave me alone,” backing away slowly, she felt as ifshe was trying to coax herself out of a lion’s den. “I’m just going to get my…”
Alessia recognized the stranger’s internal decision beingmade the moment he thought of it.
“Fuck it, we do it the hard way,” he growled.
Her hands were still up, warding him away when she screamedout for him to stop. In one second, he was just standing there, yards away fromher, and the next, he was rushing her with alarming speed. The ground came ather fast, taking the air out of her lungs as she fought uselessly at hisfast-moving hands. Screaming, kicking, clawing, and scratching did nothing. Theloud zipping sound stunned her as she watched him grab her now bound wrists andhoist her up onto her feet and then over his shoulder in one quick sequence.
Alessia screamed wildly. “No, let me go! Let me go!”
The sound of her high-pitched screams rippled out in wavesaround them into the quiet forest. They were useless, she realized, as shestruggled to break the thick plastic zip tie around her wrists. Her voicewasn’t being heard by anyone other than the man who was walking with her overhis shoulder.
“You know,” he began in an irritated voice. “When I movedout here, I came here to get away from the world and enjoy the peace ofsolitude.” He made a sound that was a mixture of a grunt and a snarl as hestepped down and up a small ditch in the terrain, tightening his arm over theback of her knees to keep her in place. Alessia tried to use the chance to buckand kick, to somehow dislodge herself, but nothing worked.
Continuing his steady stride, he resumed his speech. “What Idid not expect to deal with was finding some homeless chick camping in mybackyard.” Stepping easily up onto a fallen tree and back down, the man ignoredher grunt of discomfort as he jostled her against his shoulder. “Tell me, howthe fuck am I supposed to go about my day knowing I could trip over youridiotic corpse at any moment because you underestimated these woods?”
Taking a deep breath, Alessia tried to renew her struggle inhis hold but every step he took with her upside down like this drained her ofher energy. Soon she found herself just lying limply over his shoulder, swayingto the gait of his stride. His arm around her knees tightened and she couldfeel the feathery light sensation of his beard scraping against her thin jeansas his head turned in her direction. There was silence between them as hecontinued to walk.
After some time, he finally spoke, his gruff voice was a bitsofter. "I know you won't believe me, but I have no intention of hurtingyou, kid."
He was right. She didn’t believe him, his intentions towardsher were made very clear the moment he tackled and tied her like an animal.
"Tonight, I will get you out of the rain and tomorrow Iwill drive you to the town I mentioned with the foundation." He spoke moreto himself than to her, his tone was firm and a bit self-congratulating as heconfirmed his plans aloud. "Once you're there, you can go to thefoundation or the authorities, hell, I don't care where as long as you're farfrom here."
“And if I go to the authorities and tell about how youaccosted and abducted me, what then?” What was she doing? Why was she arguingwith this crazy forest hermit? He could do anything to her now, why make him angry?Maybe it was that smug tone of his, she thought, she just wanted to throw awrench into his perfectly laid out plans he was making withherlife.
He let out a deep, dry chuckle.
“Well, I won’t have to worry about that will I?” The coldknot formed in her stomach as she waited for him to continue. “Since you areapparently avoiding the authorities for whatever reason, I could hardly believeyou will suddenly change her mind once I drop you off.”
Alessia shut her eyes as she mentally screamed at herselffor being so stupid and letting that fact slip to this man. Pressing her lipstogether, she resisted saying anything more to the man. She was going to saveher breath and energy and wait for an opportunity to strike.
The hollow sound of his boots hitting a hard surface jarredher. Wiggling to the side, she was able to see a wooden platform and steps. Thecold knot of fear in her stomach intensified as she realized he was carryingher inside the cabin he mentioned. Holding herself stiff as a board, Alessiaignored the comforting warmth of the space and focused on his footsteps slowingdown. Grabbing her around her waist and by her legs, he gently flipped herbackward. Alessia, bit her lip to keep from crying out as she felt herselftumble backward. Pushing her hair awkwardly away from her face with her boundhands, she blinked a couple of times as she tried to get her bearings. She wassitting on an ugly tan sofa that looked worn but felt surprisingly soft. Thesofa was situated in front of a large black metal wood heater with a wide metalgrate. Through the slatted grate, Alessia could see tiny orange embers glowingamongst the ashes.
Keeping her bound hands tight to her chest, she glared up athim with boiling hatred. “You can’t just keep me here,” she said evenly throughclenched teeth.
Shifting his weight from one leg to the other, he put hishands in his jacket pockets casually and gave her an impatient look. “Were younot listening, my whole goal is to get you off my property, not keep you.”
Outraged, she sat up straighter on the sofa and pointedtowards the front door behind him with her bound hands. “Then let me go. Let mejust go and get my things and I’ll leave like I said, there is no need tokeep…”
Running a hand over his hair in frustration, his black eyesgleamed in warning with his waning patience. "We already went throughthis," his deep voice had an unmistakable edge to it. "There is astorm coming, no matter how fast you walk, you will not be able to get out ofit in time."
Wild panic set in and it was getting harder to hold back theurge to cry. Bouncing in her seat with frustration, she yelled at him."Why do you care? Just let me go and I will leave, I promise!"
She hated the hysterical pitch in her voice, but she had toget him to see reason.
Somehow, his voice grew even softer in response to heroutburst, which only made her want to scream louder. “I gave you your options,”he pointed towards the wall and she could only assume that was the direction ofthe camp. “You turned them down, so here we are.”
"Why are those the only options?! You don't own all ofthese lands nor do you own me, so just let me…"
