Wynonna Earp - The Book

Chapter 1 - Purgatory

Under the cover of night, the coach crept silently along the dusty, cobbled road. The sepia-brown tree trunks loomed intimidatingly above them. It was a hellish sight to see; the branches twisted and contorted into menacing figures, reaching up to the sky. Deep in the forest, the flaming orange leaves had fallen to the ground, and the empty space they left had been replaced by mint green leaves. Above them, the moon stood solitary in the sky. It glared down at the passengers, causing terrifying shadows to scuttle alongside them on the road. The hum of the engine, along with the motion of the coach created a calming sense of familiarity among the passengers.
On the inside of the coach, the passengers sat in their dilapidated grey seats in silence. At the back of the coach, the bright lights began to flicker. The sound of the bathroom door creaking open grabbed a girl's attention. She whipped her head around and saw a woman stood at the back of the coach. She had a commanding presence. She was an anomaly in the monotony of the Badlands. The studs on her leather jacket reflected the light of the coach. The woman began to descend the aisle, the buckles on her boots clinking with every step. Around her neck hung a beautiful necklace. It had a long gold chain with three things attached; The first was The Mati, known in the Greek culture to ward off the 'Evil Eye'. The second item was a small black piece of fringe, representing her country roots, and the third was a key with the inscription 'Αθηνα' or 'Athena' in English. Her dark hair cascaded down her back and swished side to side as she walked. She lowered herself onto the seat opposite the girl. The girl watched as the woman leant back against the window, her eyes drifted to the sights of the Badlands. She propped her feet up on the seat beside her to get more comfortable. "How was it?" The girl asked her, referring to the bathroom on the coach.
The woman lifted her head up to look at the girl. She studied her for a second before replying, "That bathroom is a crime against humanity!" She raised an eyebrow before continuing, "I'd put down the coffee if I were you," she said, gesturing to the coffee cup in the girl's hand. The girl looked down at her own petite hands.
"It's gone cold now anyways. I've never gone this long between hipster coffee shops," she replied, chuckling at her own joke.
"First time out West?" the woman asked kindly, her head rested back on the window. The girl only gave a small nod as a reply. She was too busy wrestling with her long grey cardigan, trying to cover her body to shield herself from the piercing wind. "Next stop's mine," the woman said, folding her arms dubiously.
"You live here?" the girl asked – she was desperate to learn more about the beautiful stranger opposite her.
The woman chuckled to herself as if the thought somehow amused her. "No," she smiled sadly at the girl. "Not anymore." She turned her head away from the girl for a moment and looked out of the window. "Funeral. My uncle's." She turned back and looked at the girl.
The girl smiled at the woman sympathetically. "I'm Kiersten. What did you say your name was again?"
The woman did not respond, she simply looked out of the window. To Kiersten, it seemed as if she was in a world of her own.
For the woman, she did not hear what Kiersten asked her. Her mind was still on why she left her hometown in the first place. Before she knew it, the green and black collage of the Badlands twisted, turned and morphed into the orange and red structure of her childhood home.

"There's so many of them!" She heard the voice of a little girl scream. Her older sister, Willa. "You said they can't attack the house!" she screamed at her father. Across the room, ravenous hands scratched at the window, prying hard for an opening.
"They've figured out how to get around the bedrock!" their dad said. His heart was thumping in his chest and panic invaded his lungs.
Willa's eyes flickered around the wood-lined room. On a small table a few feet from her, she saw The Gun. The silver plating and inscriptions reflected the light from outside providing a small piece of light for the room. "I've got the gun, daddy!" she said as she ran and picked it up to bring it to her dad. As she retrieved the gun, her father pulled one of their many bookshelves over and covered one of the windows in their home.
Huddled in the corner of the room, the younger version of the woman cradled her little sister in her arms. "Let's close our eyes and sing Mama's lullaby. Just until the bad guys go away."
As soon as she had finished her sentence, she heard a deafening crash and a short scream. She turned her head to see her older sister frozen in fear.
"DADDY!" Willa screamed.