Charles Smith x Reader

Fifteen

Although this had been your home for as long as you could remember, the farm suddenly felt different. Like a prison that would soon be your doom.

You knew the plains like the back of your hand. But in the darkness, everything was different. Not only did it feel different to sneak around between the bales of hay, it was as if something could crawl out of every corner and slit your throat.

Something deep inside you, your rawest of primal instincts, screamed that there was danger. You didn't feel safe in your own home. It was more like you were an uninvited guest.

You wanted to call for your dog, but the words got stuck in your throat. Instead, only a soft whimper escaped. Straw rustled under your feet.

"Clarence...", you whispered into the darkness, hoping the dog's old ears could hear you.

Wherever he might be.

A shadow moved in the night, sluggish and heavy. Startled, you jumped back, only to breathe a sigh of relief.

Warm breath stroked your face. A relieved grin appeared on your lips.

"Hello.", you carefully stretched out your hand to give the bison the chance to recognise your scent.

The bull sniffed your trembling fingers briefly, then gently bumped his head against them to ask you to scratch his head. It was amusing to see how quickly a wild animal could become peaceful when it realised that one meant it no harm.

He now behaved more like your cows, which were sometimes just as greedy for stroking as the dog. Next to the bull, the two cows lifted themselves out of the straw and curiously stretched their heads in your direction.

Even though they behaved differently than usual, more hesitantly and quietly, it was still not entirely favourable that they drew all the attention to you.

Although there was no reason to be nervous yet. Maybe you were just driving yourself crazy.

There was a man dying in your house and you had broken two sacred rules with the tribe of this land. Things could be better. Your nerves were probably just getting the better of you.

All at once, Clarence barked again.

Startled, the bison jerked its huge head back and let out a loud roar. The cows were infected by the commotion. Hooves stamped on the ground.

To avoid being trampled, you jumped to the side, straight into a pile of hay. Your gaze jumped through the darkness.

And suddenly there was someone there.

The figure awoke from the night so suddenly that you flinched in fright. It was difficult to recognise anything, neither the face nor the clothes were recognisable.

But you could tell from the body language that the person was not happy about the dog's appearance. Clarence barked angrily at the stranger while trying to defend themselves with his hands and feet.

A muffled voice insulted the dog.

Upset by the unwanted visitor, the bison stomped towards the shadow, breathing heavily. Horns stabbed through the air.

Clarence snapped his teeth at the attacker's legs.

You were about to get up to defend your animals when suddenly something silver flashed in the light of the moon. A shiver crawled down your spine.

Whoever had dared to invade your home had brought a weapon with them.

But why?

Why would someone completely foreign come to you?

And armed at that.

Your thoughts immediately jumped to the men you had shot earlier that morning. Presumably someone had missed them. The bodies must still be in the same place.

Even if there were wolves and bears in the area, the animals would not remove everything from the remains. If they did at all. Most only took a bite and then realised it wasn't tasty.

But that still didn't explain how they found you. Gunshot wounds could be caused by anyone with a gun. And you certainly weren't the only one with a revolver in these lands.

The stranger pointed the revolver at Clarence. A shot rang out.

The dog flinched, not hit but frightened.

Your heart skipped a beat. With a curse on your lips, you remembered that you were also in possession of a gun.

Next, the stranger wanted to shoot the bison.

The bull was briefly startled by the sudden bang before switching back to the attack. With a menacing sound, it came towards the attacker.

Overwhelmed by his sheer size, the stranger stumbled out onto the meadow.

You seized the moment, jumped up and raised your weapon. It was difficult to aim in the dark.

And the bison was in the way. With its massive back, it almost completely obscured the target and made it impossible to place a shot without hitting it.

Gritting your teeth, you stumbled up to the goal while still trying to aim halfway sensibly. At least a shot to the feet as a warning would be enough. But the bison's fury made it almost impossible to get anywhere near a decent shot.

"Stop!", you shout into the night as the stranger tries to escape to the other side of the fence.

Your warning fell on deaf ears. They crawled inelegantly over the fence.

Your finger pulled the trigger.

Startled by the sudden bang, the bison dodged and ran to the other side of the ranch, behind your house, towards cover.

The bullet missed the target by just a few fingers' breadth. Wood splintered as it smashed into the fence.

Cursing, the attacker fell into the mud, but didn't waste a second and scrambled back up to disappear into the cover of the forest.

You had no desire to shoot a running person, so you fired another shot as a warning. The beat of your heart hammered against your chest. You could feel the adrenaline rushing through your veins.

A ringing filled your ears.

Your hands trembled as you walked to the fence to support yourself. As you did so, you noticed something sticky in the darkness.

You frowned in confusion.

It was blood. Not a lot, but enough to recognise it by smell. You thought that the long time in the house had made you odour-blind.

The stranger had injured themselves on his escape. Not a great success, but enough for you to know what to look for at dawn.