Chapter Seven

Vera

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The pine trees waved long spiky nails in the air as the wind blew them side to side. Clunking in the over-sized shoes Pax had given me, I padded my way behind him.

He moved through the brush and thick foliage like it was nothing, like he was a part of the trees, a fallen leaf that was rooting itself back in place.

He hadn't said one word to me, only sending me a nod or a hand wave if he thought I lingered too far behind him or wasn't moving fast enough.

Annoyed was too kind of a word to describe what I felt. I didn't want to be crawling around the forest looking for small game or big game or any fucking game. I wanted to learn about what happened, I wanted to look for my friend or try and find something to tell me how this all came to be.

I couldn't figure out what the hell he expected from me. The clothes I had on weren't my own, they were big and baggy and gobbling me up. It was hard for me to move, it was hard to slink and swim through the brush and leaves without making a sound.

And I didn't know these woods the way he did. I didn't have the years behind me to map out every dip, every tree, every stick that was hiding under four inches of old, dead leaves.

A part of me was trying to stay as far behind him as I could, afraid he would curve me in at any moment and point out our breakfast with this sick look in his eyes telling me it was my job to catch it.

The dark green backpack he wore was stuffed full of all kinds of things I didn't see any use for. A roll of wire was tucked in the side pocket, a flare gun was adjacent as the butt of the gun hung out of the side netting. Pax had even added yarn, clear fishing line, a net, and fuck if I knew what else.

Right before we took off into the vast freedom of tall trees, he warned me to stay quiet and move as fluidly as possible.

“Move against the wind, Vera, not with it. Watch where you put your feet, don't say a damn word, and if you're lucky, we'll come back with something good.”

Laying one foot down as easily as possible, I tried to watch how much weight I shifted against the ground, but there was debris everywhere. Sticks, leaves, fallen logs and trees, they littered the ground like confetti in Times Square on New Year's Eve.

How in the world am I supposed to avoid making a sound?

A small twig popped beneath my heel as I stepped forward, forcing Pax to jerk his shoulders. “Shh,” he snapped, whipping his head in my direction and holding a finger to his lips.

Shrugging my shoulders, I held my out my arms and curled my mouth in frustration. “I'm trying, give me a break. I'm not you, I'm not used to crawling around like a soundless critter.”

Arching a brow, his eyes flared open wide as he tapped his lips with his finger, signaling me to shut up.

Turning my palms out, I rolled my eyes, giving him a salute off my forehead. “Holy shit, alright I'll stop talking.” Whispering under my breath, Pax tilted his head into his shoulder and scowled.

I felt like a little kid being scolded for talking in the hallway at school. We were in the middle of nowhere, who the hell was going to hear us?

Walking behind him, I watched the woods come to life, moving in a dance with the wind. The treetops swirled in long circles, dipping back and forth as branches creaked and cracked in the distance.

I could hear the whir of the breeze as it brushed over my ears and bristled my skin, forcing a chill to run down my spine. Shivering, I tucked my face deeper into the jacket, tugging my hands up into the sleeves.

“Psst.” Lifting my hand to the side of my mouth, I tried to get his attention. “PSST,” I huffed louder as my voice drifted with the wind into his ear.

Cocking his head, Pax's lip curled up angrily. “Stop fucking talking.”

He was obviously agitated that I was breaching our verbal agreement of silence. But this game of quiet had gone on long enough.  “I have a question and you might be the only person in the world who can answer it.”

“What?” he growled through clamped teeth.

“If a tree falls in the woods and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?” I tried not to laugh, but this whole military-style animal ambush was starting to get old.

We had been walking for what seemed like hours and all we'd seen so far were a few chipmunks and one angry bird that dive-bombed us as we encroached on its nest.

How much longer did he expect us to do this?

Pursing his lips, Pax squared his shoulders, resting his hands on his hips. “Do you want me to leave you where you stand?”

“I'm sorry, it's just, we've been at this for a long time, and we have yet to set a trap or see anything worth catching and taking back. It's a waste of time if you ask me.”

“I didn't ask you, so unless I decide to ask your opinion, keep it to yourself. Now shut your mouth, stay close, and stop complaining. I'm warning you now, I won't hesitate to leave you here.”

Rolling my eyes, I stuffed my hands into my hair and looked up at the sky. Pax stalked angrily through a thick patch of brier bushes without a blink of the eye, not even bothering to wait for me.

Did I do something to piss him off?

His mood was so much different than when I woke up yesterday, I couldn't understand what I had done to cause it. He had gone from soothing and caring to as hard and cold as the ground we walked on.

His frustration seemed sky high, fueling this anger that was making me want to just walk off on my own. If I was getting in the way, if I wasn't doing it right, why the hell did he drag me out here to begin with?

Keeping him in my line of sight, I plucked at a bush by my side with bright red berries. They looked similar to a cranberry or a miniature cherry. Snapping a bushel off the branch, I ran my fingers around the smooth orbs.

My stomach growled for food, eager to just have something to fill it. Picking a single berry off the small stem, I held it to my lips.

In one heavy swoop, Pax's hand came down hard, slapping the berry to the ground. “What the hell are you doing?”

I stood baffled, my fingers still grasping an invisible cluster of fruit. He had dropped in from nowhere, coasting on the sounds and stealing the silence for himself. I wasn't sure how the hell he moved so swiftly without me noticing.

“What the hell, why'd you do that?”

“Do you even have a fucking clue what those are?”

Glancing down at the berries, I looked back at Pax. “They're berries.”

“No, those are Baneberries.”

“So?”

Sighing loudly, he dragged his hand over his beard and shook his head. “They're fucking poisonous. Do you have a death wish? Is that what this is all about? Did you do all this to yourself too?” Outlining my body with his hand, he stared coldly into my eyes.

Did he really just say that?

Pursing my lips, my brows shot up. “Fuck you. How can you even ask me something like that?” I wanted to slap him for even making the suggestion that I harmed myself for some unknown reason.

I would never do that, not ever. It wouldn't matter what the hell was going on in my life, nothing was bad enough for me to try and hurt myself on purpose.

“Look, I'm not going to babysit you out here. But if I have to talk to you like a five year old, I will—don't put anything in your mouth. Got it?”

My mouth shot down in an angry frown, pressing my eyebrows into the bridge of my nose, I scoffed. “You know what, have fun with this. I'm out.” Storming off in the opposite direction, I made sure to slam my feet into the ground to be as noisy as possible.

It was a bit childish for me to throw a temper tantrum that way, to purposely foil his hunting game because he pissed me off.

But screw him for saying that, for even implying something so cruel. I'm not a child and I don't expect to be treated like one.

I didn't need him to hold my hand in these woods. If Pax wanted to diddle around in the damn trees, trying to serenade the wildlife into his hands; he could have all that fun to himself.

I had other plans, more pressing matters that deserved the time and attention he was putting into stalking prey.

I was going to go find that bush, with or without Pax.

The air was frigid, nipping at the tip of my nose and making it numb. Sniffling, I cupped my hands over my face and blew a few hot breaths into my palms to warm up the skin.

I had no clue what the hell I was looking for or where I was going. But I was done playing Daniel Boone.

There seemed to be a light trail that zigzagged through the trees and bushes. It was mostly clear of debris and sharp thorned branches. If he had been able to stumble upon me out here in this, then I could find my way back to it.

A loud thrash overhead forced my body to jerk in surprise. Looking up, I noticed two squirrels chasing each other angrily. They were making high-pitched squeals as they bounced from tree to tree.

Holding my chest, I laughed to myself. Nothing to worry about, it's not a bear or anything that can eat you.

Watching them as I walked, my feet crunched down on the dead leaves and dry, brittle sticks. The instant fear had melted away and I found enjoyment in watching these two critters chase each other for no apparent reason at all.

There was a lightness that seemed to wash over me as a breath of fresh air filled my lungs. I was finally doing something to get answers, something tangible that tempted my curiosity to go out on a hunt of my own. It felt good to finally be looking for what I needed.

Taking another step, the ground disappeared and I tried to steady myself. But it was too late, my shoulders launched forward, arms waving wildly as I let out a frantic scream.

I should have been paying attention to my feet, not the wild animals making the trees their playground.

A deep hole had opened up in front of me, swallowing me in one quick bite. I hit the ground hard, landing on my side. Groaning, I rolled to my back and stared up at the sky.

Are you fucking kidding me?

Is the world out to get me?

The wind had been knocked out of my lungs, but as I wiggled my body, nothing was broken. Sitting up on my hands, I could see the top of the hole. It wasn't as big as the surprise fall made it seem.

It was about five feet deep, maybe three feet wide, and it didn't look natural. The walls were smooth, the shape too perfect of a rectangle to be a natural formation.

“Vera!” Pax's feet thudded, vibrating the walls of the over-sized ditch and kicking loose dirt onto my face in a cloud of dust.

“Down here!” I yelled back as I coughed and brushed the loose sand from my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I slowly let it out, forcing my lungs to relax and the air to flow in at a natural pace.

His face perched over the side, hand extending towards me to help me out. “I'm sorry, I should've told you about this.

“Yeah, a giant hole in the ground would have been nice to know about.” Gripping his wrist, his large fingers curled around my arm and yanked me out with ease.

“I never meant for you to find this, I planned on filling it in.”

“I'm fine, it's no big deal. It's just a hole, I'm glad it wasn't any deeper, shit would have gobbled me up and you might not have found me.”

Thinning his lips, he scratched his smooth head as crinkles formed at the corners of his eyes. “Trust me, I would have found you.”

“Pax—”

Cutting me off, he quietly said, “I dug this, Vera, and I should have told you about it yesterday. I'm sorry I didn't.” Brushing his hands down my back, he knocked the dirt off my neck and out of my hair.

The soft pressure riding my spine turned me rigid, the way his fingers teased the base of my skull sent goosebumps over my skin.

Why does he even care? He hasn't been the kind man he pretended to be yesterday.

He had been so distant and unwelcoming today, all he had done was drag me around the woods with an invisible tether. He asked me if I had harmed myself and threatened to leave me in the woods.

Now all of a sudden he cares?

For a simple man who needed barely anything to live on, he was more complicated than anyone I had met before.

But that still didn't stop the heat from bubbling up in my belly as his palm dragged over my back, it didn't change the fact that despite he was an arms length away, I could still smell his cologne and it fueled this arousal I couldn't understand.

Smiling, I wiped down my arms and legs before his hands made it any further. “It's just a hole, Pax, it's not like its a grave.” Forcing out a playful laugh, I looked up to meet his eyes.

His lids opened and closed slowly, his lip twitched at the corner. There was a seriousness that seemed to shadow his expression, turning it from stone still to timid and unsure.

What is he thinking?

Is there more to this hole in the ground?

He was a hunter, a lone man in solitude. Pax took to live, and by the way he stalked these woods, he lived to take.

Was that why he took me. . .

Because taking was easier than giving?