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She crosses her arms, probably irritated he’s not answering her question, then nods to the front door. ‘Outside. At the edge of the forest. I heard a loud crash. I went outside and there you were, lying in the snow.’
He stumbles over to the window and peers outside. Not that it does much good. That’s one hell of a snow storm. ‘Where exactly did you find me?’
She joins him at the window and points to the left. ‘Over there.’
He opens the door and goes outside into the blizzard.
‘Hey! What are you doing? Are you crazy? Come back inside.’
He scans the area, but it’s near on impossible to make out the trees, let alone anything else. ‘Was there anything with me,’ he shouts back at her.
‘A bit of wreckage from something, but I was kind of more focused on you.’
‘Was anyone out here with me?’
She joins him on the path, wrapping a heavy coat around herself. ‘What?’
‘Was I alone?’
‘Yes. Why? Should there be someone with you? I only found you. Have I missed someone else?’
He shakes his head. ‘I was alone.’
‘That’s a relief. I thought there was someone else lying out there for a minute. Will you come back inside now? It’s Baltic out here and you might have a head injury.’
He concentrates on his surroundings, ignoring her continuous efforts to get him indoors. There’s something out there. Something he can’t quite get a hold on. It’s familiar, but he can’t figure out where it’s coming from.
He opens his eyes and looks over to the forest. He’s got a niggling feeling they’re not alone out here. He looks at the sky and whistles. Nothing. No surprise there. ‘Did you see any animals around me?’
She frowns at him, clearly thinking he’s lost his mind.
‘Were there any animals?’ he asks again, trying not to let his irritation show. Whoever was in the forest has moved away. If his head wasn’t so sore he’d go after them. It’s probably nothing. Maybe just a nosy neighbour. Maybe.
‘Were there any animals?’ he asks again. He understands why she’s giving him strange looks, but right now, he couldn’t give a fuck what she thinks about him.
‘No, nothing. I did see a foot print from...’
‘From what?’
‘Okay so it might have looked like a reindeer print. But it was larger. I looked around, but couldn’t see any actual reindeer - just the print.’
He checks his wrist and curses. The leather band with the tracking device is gone. He curses, reaching up to his neck. It’s still there. The locket is still around his neck. Whatever else is going on right now, losing the last connection he has to them would be unbearable.
Losing his temper won’t help him in the slightest, but he’s seriously fucked off. He kicks the pile of logs, dislodging the wood, sending it tumbling to the ground. This is a fucking disaster. How the hell is he meant to get home? ‘Shit, shit, shit!’ He paces the driveway, stopping to punch the gate post, knocking the gate out of its catches.
‘Whoa there! I get you’re confused, but taking it out on my gate won’t help. And it’s flipping freezing out here. Your head is bleeding again too, so can you please come inside.’
She’s right. It’s not like he can see anything out here. He nods and turns back to the house, stumbling as a dizzy spell hits. She catches him before he falls, helping him back into the house.
Once inside, she shuts the door again and helps him over to the chair by the fire.
‘Sit down and this time stay down. If you keep running around the place like a blue-arsed fly, your head will never heal and I have a finite first aid supply.’
He does as he’s told, but only because his head is killing him. He’s taken bumps to the head before, but this feels completely different. The pain encompasses his entire head, keeping his thoughts fuzzy.
‘Stay there. I’ll get you something to drink. Tea? Coffee? Chocolate?’
‘What?’
