Land of Smoke and Ashes

Through the Woods

He shook his head, eyes wide. "What? No. Not at all. I just happened to be passing by." When she continued to stare at him narrowly, he sighed. "Look, Ms. Porter, the necklace you've got. It's very valuable. Will you take a thousand dollars for it?"

She backed up again, and her heel caught on a root. She threw her hands up, just barely keeping her balance. "I—what do you know about it? It was my mothers." She cut herself off, not sure how much she wanted to tell the librarian. "Why are you here? How did you know I have it?"

"I saw you show it to your friend, that's all." The librarian moved closer, this time faster than she'd been expecting, nearly closing the space between them. He held out one hand. "May I see it?"

"No. Sorry." Natalie stuffed her hand into her pocket hurriedly. She didn't like the look on his face, it was the same one Pirate Pat had directed at her. At the necklace. "I don't think this is appropriate. I'm going now."

As soon as the necklace vanished into her pocket, the smile on Mr. Neilson's face disappeared. His expression went abruptly dark. "I think you should just give that to me, Natalie. You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into."

Natalie was still backing up, hoping fervently that she wouldn't trip again. She wanted to run, to put as much space between them as she possibly could, but she didn't want to take her eyes off him.

Before she could react, he lunged, hands grasping for her arm, and Natalie screamed. Her feet slid on the dirt path as she scrambled away from him.

She hit the ground on her hands and knees and felt something close around her ankle. Natalie kicked out, still screaming, and felt her heel connect with something soft. There was a grunt of pain from behind her, and the grip on her ankle was released. Natalie shot to her feet. The dirt trail sloped down in front of her, and she gathered speed, her heart slamming against her ribs. There was an enraged yell from somewhere behind her, and thumping footsteps. He was chasing her.

Her breath was ragged in her throat, and Natalie darted a look back over her shoulder. The librarian was catching up, and he looked furious.

Panicked, she fixed her gaze on the gap in the woods in front of her. Across the road and over the hill was her house, only five minutes away at most. But every time she looked back he was closing the distance between them, and it was only a matter of time before her reckless plunge through the woods sent her sprawling headfirst onto the trail.

She burst from the cover of the forest and onto the road, hoping desperately to see a car coming, someone she could flag down. But of course, the road was clear on both sides. Gasping past the stitch in her side, she kept running. A shout from across the road, and Natalie turned back to see her pursuer sprawl face first onto the trail. His foot must have found a root.

Fully aware she only had a few extra seconds, Natalie looked around frantically. If she could hide and make him think she'd kept going...

There, a fallen tree half gone to mulch, ferns sprouting around it. It would provide enough cover if he didn't stop and look hard. She darted over to it, dropping down onto her stomach. She clenched her fists, her entire body trembling. Her breathing was still loud and uneven, and she clapped her hands over her mouth, sure it would give her away.

The crunch of leaves and branches made her tense. He was just feet away, and he wasn't running anymore. Her stomach dropped. Somehow he'd figured out that she'd stopped running. He was looking for her.

Panic was rising in her throat, and she took a sharp, furtive look around, trying to assess the situation. If she got up now would she find him blocking the path?

She shifted on the ground as quietly as possible, and something beside her left hand glittered. Somehow the necklace must have dropped out of her pocket when she'd dove beside the log. Natalie snatched it up, her mind running in circles.

Get up or stay here. Hide or run.

"Natalie?"

She stiffened. The librarian was calling for her, and his voice sounded dangerously close.

"I know you're here somewhere. You can't have run that far when I fell, so I know you're hiding out here. All I want is the necklace."

Natalie uncurled her fingers slowly, staring down at the charm in her hand. She could give it to him and run. But why did he want it? It had to have something to do with her mother's disappearance, and if she surrendered the necklace and he disappeared she would never know.

"Natalie, be reasonable." He was trying to make his voice low and sympathetic, low and soothing.

Natalie clutched the charm tightly, shutting her eyes. She tried to keep her ragged breath quiet, clutching her hand over her mouth. The patch of moss she was on was damp, soaking through her pant legs, and her legs were starting to cramp up.

There was no way she was moving though. She couldn't give up the necklace. This was a part of her mother's past. She just wanted him gone. Wanted to be over the hill and safe at home. Wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"There you are."

His voice was suddenly impossibly close, and Natalie's eyes snapped open. The librarian was standing just above her, less than five feet away. Natalie scrambled to her feet, heart cramming itself into her throat. Maybe it was her fear, or springing up too fast, but the forest suddenly seemed to spin around her, the trees stretched and blurred, and Natalie clapped her hands to her forehead, still trying to stumble backwards and away.

"No!" For some reason the librarian looked alarmed. "No don't—"

He was running for her, arms outstretched, and Natalie shrieked, turning to run. And then the blur in front of her eyes grew worse. She was going to pass out, everything was going dark. She'd faint there in the middle of the woods and be completely at the mercy of this murderous librarian.

And then without warning the ground dropped from beneath her feet, and Natalie was falling.