I snapped my head toward her. “Choose your next words wisely, Alina.”
That earned a smirk from her.
“A woman will always come above you because you believe they cannot be violent and cruel. You will die at the hands of a woman, and you won’t know until it is too late.”
“You can drink to it in your dreams,Dorogusha, because it is a fantasy.”
“You bear my mark upon your face and still believe the lie youtell yourself after all this time?” Her brows furrowed, her smile coy with pure disbelief.
“It is well earned, but ultimately a sign of your failure.”
She swung the shovel, and it smacked against my palm as I caught it.
I stood quickly, stomping forward before pinning her to the wall with the handle across her chest, pressing down on her.
I lowered my face, just above hers. A few black drops of blood from my eye landed on her forehead, then her cheek. “I’m not here to hurt you. Not today.”
She laughed, straining against the pressure I was putting on her physically.
I refrained from any response.
“I can’t imagine anything worse for you; under the control of a man you hate.” Her tone was cutting, spiteful. “I suppose it’s about time you wore the collar.”
20
THE POISONER
The wooded area surrounding the farmhouse was dense, almost obscuring the house from where I stood. I did not intend to hunt today, but I needed time away from everyone, to get lost for a while. If I were lucky, maybe an unlucky creature would cross my path, and I would have something to butcher.
The sleet crunched under my boot as I stepped over the logs and twigs along the path. The sun was rising and adorning the icy branches of the forest. Despite the cold, the sun was pleasant on my face as I passed between trees. My heavy attire helped some with insulation. I wore pants and a jacket that I had taken from a test subject a while back. I wish I knew the craftsman, but there were no tags.
The rifle was heavy, the strap weighing on my shoulder.
As I approached a downward hill, I spotted the most regal sight.
In between the thickness of the forest trees was a buck. He was well-muscled and steam rose from his body, as if he had been running. His antlers stretched high to the heavens, three points.He was perfect. Majestic in ways that I wish I could leave be, but we could use some extra meat for dry reserves.
I knelt down and lifted my rifle steadily, careful not to make a sound or even breathe, for that matter.
Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.
I watched him in line with my barrel, waiting for just the right pause between each thump of my heart within my chest. One spell of stillness.
He lifted his head quickly, his ears flicking to turn toward whatever sound he thought he heard. Steam burst from his flared nostrils like an angry engine, standing as still as the trees.
Snap!
The illusion of stillness was broken when he leaped, the ground beneath me vibrating with diminishing frequency as he ran farther away.
I lowered the rifle, swiveling my head to my surroundings. Everything was still, even the birds pausing their cheerful trill.
Snap!
Another sound over my shoulder. But when I checked, nothing except the path from whence I came.
Slowly, I rose from my knees, keeping a cautious grip on my gun.
The sun had disappeared, the overcast clouds rolling in and covering the forest in a blanket of shade that somehow made it colder than it already was.
