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CHAPTER FOUR: FOR A MOMENT
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ANOTHER HIKER HAD BEEN found in the woods. An elderly woman spotted the mauled body of a man in her backyard, veins drained of blood and a bite mark on his neck. She said she saw a large bear rushing through the trees when she came out to investigate, but she wasn't certain, lost in the moment of terror. The news came as a shock to the people of La Push, particuarly Maggie Sullivan. Waking up one Saturday morning to hear yet another person had died, just like her mother and Carson, made her feel sick to her stomach.
"So the... cause was the same?" Dakota frowned, sparing Maggie an uncertain glance before turning her stare back to Wren and Everett. Everyone was present for breakfast that morning, even Vera, who spent most of her time working or partying with her friends. "What type of bear wants a person's blood?"
"We don't know," Everett said, eyes meeting Wren's for a moment too long. "But Ms Belcourt claims that's what she saw."
"Oh please," Dakota rolled her eyes, slumping back in her chair with a light scoff. "Ms Belcourt is as blind as a bat. I'm surprised she even noticed the body."
"Dakota," Wren hissed, but Dakota simply shrugged at her, unshamed.
"We just want you to take care, alright?" Everett sighed, running a hand down the side of his face. He was leaning up against the kitchen bench, arms crossed tight with tension over his chest. To Maggie, it looked like he could barely keep his eyes open, the bags underneath them incredibly prominent. "It's better to be safe than sorry."
"Don't worry, we'll be careful," Maggie assured them both, hating to see her uncle so overworked. Her siblings agreed with her, but none of them were as earnest as Maggie about it.
She supposed that came with experiencing these animal attacks firsthand, the anxiety and uncertainty.
"Good," Everett nodded, letting out a sigh as he noticed the time. "I should get going. It's my turn to open up the shop today."
Everett Ateara worked at La Push Motors on the outskirts of Forks and the reservation. He'd gone into business with a friend from school right after graduation and had been there ever since. Maggie knew he loved his job, but the older he got, the more strenuous it seemed to be for him, the more it wore him down.
"Stay safe," Wren cooed, pressing a kiss to her husband's lips and rolling her eyes as Zeke pretended to vomit over the tabletop. "I love you."
"Love you too," he murmured.
Then with one final goodbye to his nieces and nephew, he was gone.
