Predator

Prologue✔️

It was cold.

That was her first thought as she stepped off the tiny little plane and onto Russian territory. Even after being in New York for almost four years, this was still a new feeling to her. This was a new kind of cold; the kind that stings your skin each time the wind blows and turns you blue and pink. She still shivered beneath her layers of thick coats and scarves that covered her body.

Upon exiting the plane, she found a short, balding man with plump, rosy cheeks holding a sign that read her name. Struggling with her many bags, she waddled over to him and smiled.

"Hi, I'm Grey."

He frowned and looked down at the sign before smiling widely. "Oh! Miss Clarke!" Her name sounded weird on his foreign tongue. "Yes, come. You need help?"

"Please." She gave a small smile and he gave a chortle before grabbing a few bags from her hands and leading her to his little cab.

Once all the bags were in the trunk except for one that hung off Grey's shoulder constantly, she climbed inside the warm vehicle and the man began to drive.

She leaned over, peering out the window at the land around her. White mountains lined the dark gray sky, snow covered the every inch of everything in thick layers and there were forests all around her it seemed. She could feel the silence through the window as she stared at the snow-capped canopies and sighed as the warm feeling of peace flooded her veins.

"You like Russia?" The driver spoke with a eager nod and smile.

"It's quite beautiful. Have you always lived here?"

"I born in St. Petersburg, few miles South of here. I move here at twenty-nine and stay." His English was choppy but she didn't mind as he seemed to be thrilled to be talking to her about his country. "Russia is home."

Grey smiled softly as she leaned back in the seat and watched the snowy land pass by outside. Besides the trees, it seemed there was nothing but nature and life blooming through snow that creatures pranced over. It was breathtaking.

Soon it seemed that the many trees got thinner and in their place grew little homes that puffed smoke from their chimneys in hopes of warming the bodies inside. There were few people outdoors at this time. Bundled in thick fur-lined coats, carrying stacks of wood in their gloved hands, each breath fanning into the air before them. They were men usually, hauling wood back to their families or large axes rested on their shoulders as they walked towards the forest. She saw only a couple women who merely stood outside to greet their returning husband before ushering him into the warm home.

Further down the long, winding road, a town formed. The cab driver drove to the center, where little shoppes and stores lined the brick road that branched off into few roads that more cabin-like homes surrounded and even one road that was barely hidden by the snow leading to the forest.

Grey swiftly climbed out after the driver who scurried to open the trunk for her and set her bags on the cold ground.

"How much do I owe you?"

The man gave her a price and she obliged, placing the money in his open palm.

"Sir, do you mind if I take a picture of you and your cab?" Grey asked slowly, so he could clearly understand her and his eyes light up and he nodded.

The man hurried over to the side of his cab and placed an arm on top and smiled the moment Grey pulled out her camera. After snapping a photo, he asked to see it.

"I look good!" He smiled. "This go in American magazine?"

"I do quite hope so." She replied which only caused him to smile more.

His hand buried in his pocket and he pulled out the rubles she had given him earlier and placed them back in her hand. "I need no money if you put me in magazine." He said. "Thank you."

"What's your name?"

"Klaus."

"I'll see to it that you get a copy of the magazine when it's printed."

"It was pleasure to meet you, Miss Clarke."

Grey gave him a smile and a sheepish wave as he drove away, leaving her alone in an unfamiliar town where she had no doubt no one spoke a lick of English. He had dropped her off in front of a little road that had few houses, one of which being hers for the next few months. She remembered her boss had showed her a picture of her new home, a cabin basically that only differed from the others around it because it was uninhabited.

She strolled down the road, lugging her bags on her shoulders or rolling over the cold snow, in search of her home. Finding the only house that wasn't puffing out smoke with dark windows was simple and she was thankful since her arms were already beginning to ache. Stumbling into the cold cabin, she dropped her bags and huffed, making her way to the first candle she saw and lighting it with the matches that had been laying beside it. It's flame illuminated the cabin in a dim orange glow

She could now make out the rooms and furniture that littered her home. The room she stood in was a living room with nothing but a bookshelf with dusty books lining it's shelves and a old couch in front of a fireplace and coffee table. On the other side of the room was the kitchen which consisted of a few counters and a stove and a fridge that looked older than her, and a tiny little table with one chair against a wall. There were two doors; one to a bathroom that when she walked in, she was hissed at by a furry rat who scurried past her feet making her squeal. The other door lead to where she'd be sleeping on a old bed that looked ready to break and a small dresser across from it, other than that a simple night table and a rug adorned the room.

With a sigh she moved back to her bags and began to haul them to her new room.

"Home sweet home." She muttered.