In the Woods, Bears

Chapter 58 - David

Barefoot in the soft summer grass, Kennedy used clothespins to attach the damp sheets to the laundry line stung across the backyard. The dryer in the barn was possessed and had to be at least a hundred years old. If there was an appliance that could summon demons, this clothes dryer was it. She'd watched the thing bounce across the floor the last time she'd turned it on. The only way to stop its janky progress had been to pull the plug. Since that day, she'd left the monstrous thing alone.

In the last two weeks, she had grown restless. The unstructured days had been fun at first. But the rainy days had been hard when she was trapped in the house with her mother and Nana for the whole day. She'd survived the soggy times by taking long naps. The baby was making her tired. Tomorrow, she planned to go down to the library and ask if they were hiring. A job would keep her busy and make her feel useful.

Now that her belly had a small roundness low down, her energy was coming back. The bump wasn't something you could see in clothes yet and she'd only woken up once in her bear shape. When it started, David had shaken Terry awake, and he'd slipped safely out of the mother's room before she'd fully turned. From what they said, she woke up long enough to roll off the bed, sprawl on her back in the hay, and start snoring.

This morning, she'd stripped every bed in the cabin after spending a while looking at pregnancy progression websites. It was a good thing she was out in the woods because it would not take long before her yoga pants would be the only thing that fit comfortably over her belly. Yesterday, she had stolen one of Jeremiah's big shirts. She liked how it floated around her when she tried it on. Plus, it smelled like him.

Through the billowing sheets, she saw David heading toward the barn at a solid trot with a backpack thrown over his shoulder. When she heard the four-wheeler rev, she dropped the pillowcase she was holding into the basket. He always said goodbye when he left the property. He ripped across the backyard, heading toward the trail that curved north through the pines. Not once did he look back, and she slid a hand possessively over Little Bear. Abandoning the wet wash, she headed toward the cabin.

*

Making slow but steady progress, her mother swept a broom across the rustic cabin floors. Her Mom and Nan had been packing for a few days, planning their trip home. Kennedy stalled in the doorway. It had been years since her mother could manage the extended standing that was necessary to sweep. The medicine provided daily miracles.

"Did you see him?" Her Mom asked, pausing to rest her hip against the back edge of the couch.

"I did. He took off like the devil was chasing him. Is there something going on?"

Rubbing her hip, she answered, "He said some girl named Snow, a cousin, had called him and he had to go home to help her. He said you knew her and would understand him leaving if she needed him. He's gonna call when he knows what is happening and promised to bring me some liniment when he returns." The smile she offered Kennedy stunned her. For half a second she saw the mother of her youth, the one that laughed. She tapped the broom on the ground and began to sweep. "He is a good boy. Reminds me of your dad sometimes. Always trying to make me laugh."

"Strange that he didn't tell me himself." A cold shudder moved across her back.

"Goose walking on your grave?"

"I don't know. The mountain folks can be dangerous. You know that. It's strange for him to just leave."

"David isn't like them."

"I hope not." Briskly, Kennedy rubbed her arms. He'd known she was hanging sheets. The man could have stopped and told her himself, but he hadn't.

*

David...

As fast as he was able, David wound his way through the wild to get to his baby cousin. The fear in her voice had made the air freeze in his lungs. She was the bravest person he knew. As he took the bumpy trail, making the engine whine, he had to grip tightly to stay on the machine. Whist had brought down the four-wheeler last weekend during a supply run. He'd thought when she brought it back that it was a peace offering. Now he wasn't sure. A horse or a truck would have been better, faster.

Snow and he had this spot where they used to fish. She'd told him to meet her there. "Come right away. Don't delay." The fact that she wouldn't say more had left his stomach sour and uneasy. He'd tried to call her back twice, but she hadn't answered. There'd been no response to his texts, and he'd been afraid to say too much in case someone else was reading them. This wasn't like her. Last night had been his turn to watch over Kennedy, so as long as whatever she needed wasn't too hard to fix, he'd be back soon enough that they wouldn't have to fill in his space in the schedule more than once. He'd texted Terry and promised more details when he had them. David didn't like leaving Kennedy or Little Bear. He wasn't stopping, but his body wanted him to, as the hours and daylight burned away.

Exhausted, he'd burned through the trail in the moonlight. Relying on luck as much as his headlights, he'd made the miles in record time. When the sun had begun to rise, he'd felt relief. At least he could see, and the lake wasn't far now.

When he saw Snow, hair blowing in the wind, the tightness in his chest relaxed. She looked whole. Body one gigantic ache, he brought the mechanical beast to an abrupt halt and leapt from it. With his body complaining at the sudden change in motion, his feet buzzed on the forest floor. "Snow," he called to her. When her face turned toward him, tear streaks marked her cheeks and her eyes were wide. Something was wrong.

"I'm sorry," she called out as the first blow hit his shoulder. Forced to the ground, dirt and grass against his teeth, he fought the hands that held him. "Don't fight," she screamed, "Don't hurt him." Once his hands were bound behind him, the knee left his back. He knew the men who had jumped him. David had held their children. Fleet as a deer, Snow ran toward them.

"Why?" He asked, spitting dirt and blood.

A man behind him said, "No choice. Your Lost girl has fucked things up badly. They want to talk to you about her. The wolves are here." They jerked him to standing. "Don't make us bind your legs."

Frantic, Snow reached for his arm, but he jerked it out of her reach. "I told you he would have walked with you if you had asked him." Her lower lip trembled. "You didn't have to hurt him."

When they forced a hood down over his head, he fought the urge to charge against them hard, even bound. Energy crackled up the sides of his body. "I don't understand. What is happening?"

"You'll see. We are to hold you until you are called in to explain."

He tried to shake the hood off. "Explain what?"

"Ain't my place to say."