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For nine years she’d embraced the rush of city life, enjoying the bright lights, the rush of living amongst thousands of others. Hitting the clubs, downing bottles of beers with the girls from her building, being able to pick up a chow mein at four am before heading to the office.
Ah, great days.
But even surrounded by thousands of people, it still got lonely. Lacey could go for days without seeing any of her friends despite living in the same complex. Many times she’d had to come up with an excuse not to head to the bar with them, usually because there wasn’t any extra money to buy a drink for herself, let alone a round.
Still, she’d choose living in the city over being isolated in the woods. Sure, there were issues with city life, but at least she had everything she wanted on her doorstep … when she could afford them.
Lacey leaned against the trunk of an old ash tree. The copper scent of blood no longer tickled her nose, replaced by a fresh scent that she realised how much she’d missed. City life was thrilling compared to the small-town upbringing she’d had, but she still felt comfortable out in the woods all the same.
They were familiar.
A few minutes later, she heard soft footsteps heading her way. Stepping away from the tree, she watched as Mr Gorgeous appeared, an unconscious teenage girl in his arms, her long red hair flowing towards the ground, and her denim shorts revealing long bare legs coated in thick blood. His rifle hung over his back.
Bile raced into the back of Lacey’s throat at the sight of jagged wounds adorning the girl’s right ankle. Blood smeared her pale flesh, black in the centre, morphing into bright crimson, with the hint of bone peeking through all the liquid. Blood continued to drip onto the ground.
“Is this your sister?” Lacey asked, trying to keep her heart from jumping out of her chest. She’d not seen that much blood in years and preferred it that way. Her chest ached at the thought of how much pain his sister had endured. A sliver of guilt wormed its way through her gut at having to prolong it by pretending to be hurt worse than what she was.
Nodding, he gestured with his head towards north and began moving, his legs quickly eating more ground than what she thought he would. “Those fuckfaces keep setting out traps. She got caught in one.”
Lacey started to move, her ankle throbbing with each step. It didn’t too long before the ache in her ankle deepened and the wince on her face became genuine. “They said they were hunting wolves.”
He released a long breath that echoed through the trees. “There’s a few here but they’re not dangerous.”
“There’s always idiots who don’t realise that.”
He slid a curious glance her way. “You don’t think wolves are dangerous?”
Lacey rose a brow in his direction and smiled. “Of course they are, but not if you leave them alone. They’re beautiful creatures and deserve to be able to live their lives free of stupid people with their stupid misconceptions.”
The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. “Tell that to everyone else.”
Lacey smiled through her own pain. “I would but everyone else is stupid.” They carried on walking in silence for a few minutes, the girl in his arms whimpering in pain but remained unconscious. “How far is your place?”
“Just through those trees. We’re almost there.”
But as Lacey hobbled after him, her stomach churned faster in her gut. A burning sensation of anticipation in her gut told her she was about to walk into something, something important, but she couldn’t place her finger on.
But whatever lay beyond, she knew one thing for certain.
She’d never be the same again.
