CHAPTER TWO
Bianca looked in her rear-view mirror and saw nothing but darkness. There were no cars coming or going along this long, quiet stretch of road.
Wincing, she peered at the sign that was looming up. “Wolves Hollow,” she read aloud.
There was a small town just a few miles down the road. She could stop there for the night. “Come on, Old Rusty,” she urged her shivering, sputtering car. “Don’t give up now. We’re almost there.”
She tried to coax her car towards Wolves Hollow by stepping very gingerly on the gas pedal. “Just a little bit more...” she whispered.
There was a loud ticking and clanging sound from the engine. Black smoke spewed from under the hood.
With a bang like a gunshot, her car jerked to a violent stop and died.
“No!” Bianca shouted, slapping her hands on the steering wheel and stomping on the pedal. “Don’t do this! Keep going...”
She screamed when an explosion ripped the hood right off and slammed it into a tree.
The engine was on fire!
Bianca scrambled out of the car and stumbled away. She watched in horror as the fire spread quickly, swallowing up the front half of her car.
Bianca gasped when she remembered her suitcase in the back seat. Before she could open the door, another explosion sent flames racing towards the back of her car.
She jerked away, her survival instinct kicking in. She knew she had to get away before the fire reached the fuel tank.
Without looking back, Bianca darted into the woods to take cover behind the trees.
The final, deafening explosion made her duck instinctively and cover her head with her arms. Trembling, Bianca managed to lean around the huge tree to stare at her car.
For a moment, all she could do was stare in disbelief at the sight of her car engulfed in flames. Old Rusty was gone. An uncontrollable sob erupted from her chest without warning.
Everything she owned was being reduced to soot and ashes. She literally had nothing left but the clothes on her back.
The blinding, searing heat forced Bianca to move deeper into the woods. She let out a cry when she slipped on some loose rocks and lost her balance.
Her arms whirled as she tried to regain her footing. “Oh shit! Shit! No!” she shrieked.
She hadn’t realized that she was on a slope. She couldn’t even scream as she rolled and tumbled down the steep incline at a terrifying speed.
She finally stopped, abruptly and violently. All the air was knocked from her lungs when she crashed into a tree. Stunned, Bianca lay on the ground, blinking and breathing hard.
It took her a few tries to push herself up. Her arms were badly scratched and every muscle in her body throbbed with pain. She could only hope that she hadn’t broken anything.
When she finally got to her feet, Bianca looked up at the steep, forested slope in dismay. It was going to be an arduous climb back up. But she couldn’t stay in the woods. If she stayed here all night, she would likely be dead by morning. She could hear growls and howls echoing through the trees. No one would find her remains after the wild animals were done with her.
She had to get herself out of the woods and climb back to the road.
It might be a few hours before another vehicle came by, but at least she would be able to get help.
Bianca grimaced at the sharp pain in her limbs as she started her long, torturous climb. She gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep moving.
As she leaned against a tree to catch her breath, she heard a sound which made her blood run cold.
Panting, Bianca pushed away from the tree and stared wildly around. “Please,” she whispered. “Please don’t let it be...”
She heard the sound again and froze.
It was long and clear.
“Wolves,” she whispered.
It was the unmistakable howl of a wolf. And it sounded a lot nearer this time.