Fallen From Grace

Seven

"Danielle? Danielle! Wake up! There's someone out there!" Kristine cried in a hushed whisper, shaking the woman awake.

"Hmm? What?" Danielle murmured blinking her eyes in confusion.

"There's someone outside" Kristine repeated.

"Oh. Oh shit" Danielle scrambled out of bed, noting the time as just after 2 in the morning. "Stay here." She left the room and went straight to her gun safe. She pulled out a Beretta shotgun.

"You own a gun?!" Kristine croaked from behind her.

"I told you to stay in the other room" Danielle replied loading the gun and walking to the front door. She flipped the switch for the outdoor light and peered through the window of the door. Duke growled low at her side.

"I was afraid" Kristine whimpered.

"Stay right there." Danielle ordered giving a stern look and waiting for Kristine to acknowledge her. Kristine nodded frozen in place. Danielle slipped on her boots and opened the door, leaving Duke with Kristine. A moving shadow to her left had lift the gun, finger hovering over the trigger. She waited as the shadow moved closer into the light and was greeted by a black bear. It was a couple dozen feet away, ripping away at the trash cans. It's unusual for a bear to wander so close to her home. In the four years she'd lived here she'd only seen one bear before and that was on a hike, far from the house.

The bear lifted it's front paws, standing at least 6 feet tall. It's mouth opened displaying rows of sharp, intimidating teeth. Then it quickly began to pad towards her. With only about a dozen feet between them she pulled the trigger and a shot rang out into the darkness. The bear dropped to the ground and Danielle waited, watching with gun still aimed at the animal. When she was certain it was dead, she walked back into the house, unloading the gun and putting it back into the safe.

"What happened? I heard the gun shot" Kristine asked from her hiding spot behind the couch.

"It was a black bear. It's dead now" Danielle replied.

"You killed a bear?" She asked standing and smoothing her shaking hands over her stomach.

"Yes.." Danielle said slowly. "Would you have preferred I let it stay in the yard? It was coming right at me."

"No. I just..I don't know. I didn't expect it to be a bear. I..I thought he might have come looking for me"

The police didn't have any new information regarding the man. Whoever and wherever he was, he was good at hiding. Danielle frowned at Kristine's worried expression, wishing she could say with certainty that Kristine was safe. That the man would never hurt her again. But she didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep.

"It was only a bear. If that man were dumb enough to show up here, he'll meet the same fate as the bear" She promised instead.

Kristine shuddered at the thought. She didn't like guns, nor violence. She'd never wished harm on anyone, but for the first time in her life, she wished someone dead and the guilt that thought carried didn't sit well with her. She didn't want to live in fear though. She felt safe here with Danielle, but their time together was quickly coming to a close. Tomorrow Mother Elena would arrive and take Kristine back to the convent. The very place she was taken from and returning home scared her.

"Are you okay?" Danielle asked softly, closing the distance between them. She'd noticed the deep thoughts and worry etched between Kristine's brow. The woman met her gaze and nodded slowly, unconvincingly. Danielle wrapped her into a hug, running her hand over the Kristine's hair. Kristine's body melted against Danielle's, her arms wrapping tightly around the other woman's waist. "We should get back to bed, Tomorrow is going to be a long day" Danielle said after a while.

"What about the bear?" Kristine wondered. She really didn't want to step outside tomorrow to the sight of the dead animal.

"There's an animal control guy in town. I'll call him first thing in the morning. It's too late now to do anything." Danielle murmured, pulling back from the embrace.

"Okay" Kristine nodded. She sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair. "There's no way I'll be able to sleep now." She mused.

Danielle smirked as she tried to stifle a yawn. She was tired, but felt guilty saying so. "I'll stay up with you."

"No. It's okay" She smiled softly "Get some sleep, I can tell you're tired."

Danielle shifted her weight from one foot to the other, rubbing the back of her neck. "Do you want to lay with me?" She suggested and instantly blushed at how that sounded. "I uh just mean..platonically. Would it be easier to sleep if you're not alone?"

Kristine giggled and shook her head. "No, thank you." She moved to sit on the couch and flipped on the television, turning volume to low. "Go to bed Danielle."

"God you sound like my mother" Danielle laughed, but gave in, because she was tired after all. "Alright, good night again." She smiled and headed back to her bedroom.

Kristine watched as she walked away. She'd never mentioned anything of her family before, but was gone down the hall before Kristine could ask. She settled on the couch watching a marathon of a show she'd never heard of and stroked Duke's head. The act was calming and eventually she did fall back asleep, only to be haunted by nightmares of bears and all too real memories.

Hot tears ran down her cheeks when the gravity of her situation set in. Kristine was a small woman, standing only 5 foot 2 and 110 pounds soaking wet. Hands gripped her hair too tightly and she didn't have the strength to break free. Even if she did, there was no where for her to go. Still, every ounce of fight in her had her arms and legs flailing as she was dragged across the room by her hair. The man had at least a foot of height on her and easily 80 pounds. Her nails in his skin were like kitten scratches. He laughed tossing the woman like a rag doll to the filthy mattress on the floor.

"Fight all you want little nun, it only excites me more." He said in a menacing tone.

Kristine whimpered and tried to make herself as small as possible. Move as far way from the man as possible. She could tell from the look in his eye that what would happen next would break her.

She closed her eyes tightly and whispered prayers to herself. Her prayers were cut short by a shrill scream, she later realized had come from her own lips. Her ankle was grasped tightly and the man yanked so hard, she was suddenly flat on her back. He pinned down her hands with his knees as he straddled her. She wriggled and struggled under his weight to no avail.

"Please. Please don't do this" she cried.

"Where is your God now?" The man replied with a devilish smile.

She would later learn in her captive time, that that question would be asked over and over on repeat. As if she were being punished for devoting her life to God. She didn't understand the man's motives, but imagined he'd lost his faith long ago.

Kristine woke gasping for air. She wrapped her arms around her knees and cried. Duke nudged the woman with his nose and she looked at him with watery eyes. She smiled sadly and pet his head. It's as if he knew the pain she carried and wanted to comfort her. Dogs really are special creatures she thought to herself.