Chapter 3 Lost in the Woods

[Rosalynd]

It's late by the time I'm ready to stop for dinner. I've been driving for almost 10 hours, only stopping to get gas. It's easy to forget, sometimes, how long the state of California really is until you find yourself traveling from the bottom to the top of it. My poor car has never seen this many miles in one day, so when I stop into the parking lot of this quaint restaurant just off of Hwy 101, I hear it make a faint wheezing sound as I turn off the engine.

That's not a good sign.

I walk into the backyard garden to order my food. It is beautiful, oversized sunflowers are taller than me as I walk through a path of wildflowers and native plants, buzzing with life. A grandmotherly figure takes my order and her husband, a kind old cowboy, brings my food to my table, bringing me a large cold glass of cola.

"On the house," he explains. "You look like you could use something to perk you up."

"Thank you," I gratefully take a sip. "Oh gods, this is good."

"May I ask you a question, Dearie?" he asks hesitantly. "It's totally okay if you don't want to share."

I swallow another gulp of soda. "Um, sure."

"Where are you going to stay tonight?"

"Stay?"

"Yes," he motions to the fading twilight. "It'll be dark soon and I heard there might be some rain."

I shake my head, swatting a fly out of my face and I reply, "I'm not afraid of a little rain. I have friends waiting for me. I'll be fine."

"If you need a place to stay, we have room here. It would be safer than having you go out in those woods alone." He looks around before adding quietly "The woods aren't safe at night."

I laugh. "Who am I going to run into out there? Sasquatch? The Big Bad Wolf?"

He doesn't laugh.

"Maybe."

I blink. He's serious.

"All I know is, young people disappear on that road all the time. I just want you to be safe."

I smile at him. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." I mumble as I take another big bite of my burger.

He shakes his head. "As you wish," he begins to walk away. "Just know the offer still stands."

I nod my thanks and return my attention to my food.

I have been driving for about an hour when the road becomes dark and the fog begins to roll in, dense like fallen clouds. An hour later, rain begins to fall and the winding highway becomes slick with water. As I continue north, the rain soon turns into hail as this freak summer storm turns colder. The windows fog up and I find myself wishing that I had taken the nice gentleman on his offer to stay at the restaurant.

At some point I make a wrong turn. I'm not sure where, but the highway gives way to a bumpy, barely paved road that winds through the trees. My wheels are soon stuck in a puddle of mud. I try to back out, but that's when the engine decides to die.

Everything goes completely still. The forest is dark, the sound of rainfall hitting my roof is a gentle pitter-patter. I open my door to assess my situation and find myself ankle-deep in mud.

I walk for a few minutes before I find a sign. Apparently, the nearest town is a place called Alderpoint, which is 5 miles away. Not wanting to walk that far in the rain, I go back to my car, lock the doors, and tilt my chair back. Nothing more is going to happen tonight, so I figure I might as well get comfortable. I can't exactly go anywhere until the rain stops and the sun comes up. It's impossible to see in that complete darkness, untainted by city lights.

I'm not sure when I fall asleep, but I do know when I wake up to the sound of a howl. My glasses are still on my face, having stayed in place as I dozed. Looking at my phone I can see that it is 3:58am.

Strange. There are no wolves in California.

I hear another howl, this time closer.

Saying a silent prayer, I double-check the doors and hunch down lower in my seat. I hear a sound like sniffing around the door. I stay still, holding my breath. I'm not sure how long I stay like this, I just know that every breath feels like an eternity.

Then, as suddenly as it starts, it all stops. The world becomes completely silent again. I let out my breath only to start hyperventilating. I try to calm myself down, but my heart is beating so rapidly that my chest hurts. I don't believe in sasquatch or bigfoot or whatever, but wolves, mountain lions, bears--those are all very much real and much bigger, faster, and stronger than I am.

I stay like this, crouched down, eyes wide awake, until sunlight begins to streak through the windows.

Just as I am about to sit up and check to see if I am safe, I hear a knock on the door.

"Hello, Miss, are you okay in there?" a deep, masculine voice asks from the other side of my steamy window.

I roll down the window just a little bit.

Smiling down at me is the friendly face of a tall, well-built man with the most amazing shade of hazel eyes I have ever seen.

"Hi," he waves. "My name is Axel. Do you need help?"

"Maybe..." I don't know if this guy is safe.

"It looks like you're having a bit of car trouble too. If you'd like, I can get a bit of breakfast into you at my place while you call a tow truck to come to pick up this..." he pauses as if trying to be careful with his words,"...car"

I roll my eyes at him.

"Let me think about it." I roll my window all the way up and pull out my phone. Wiping off the front windshield, I take a picture of his license plate and send it to Slone.

Rolling down my window a little bit, I ask. "Can I take your picture?"

He raises an eyebrow.

"I want to send it to my friend so that she can check to see if you are a serial killer."

"Seriously?"

"Yup."

He rolls his eyes, but then says, "Sure." He stands still for me, his chin slightly raised "Does that mean you're coming with me?"

"No," I mumble.

I roll my window all the way up and send the photo to Slone as well. Less than 10 seconds later I receive a text.

SLONE: Holy hell, girl, he's FIIIIINE!

ME: But is he a serial killer?

SLONE: Nah, he's way too hot!

ME: So was Jeffrey Dahmer.

SLONE: Would Jeffrey Dahmer let you take his photo?

ME: Fair point.

SLONE: If you don't take a slice of that beefcake I will!

ME: OMG!!

SLONE: He he! (winking devil)

Taking a deep, steadying breath, I cautiously step outside.

Axel takes a step back, giving me plenty of room.

"Let's try again," Axel holds out his hand. "Hello, my name is Axel Addams. I live in Rio Dell."

I look at his outstretched hand for a moment more before I reach across to shake it.

"Hi, Axel" This all feels very cheesy, but I decide to play along. "My name is Rosalynd, Rosalynd Reid. I just drove from LA yesterday."

We smile at one another. I can tell he is checking me out, so I do the same.

Standing this close to him, I catch a bit of his natural scent, a clean smell of soap and freshly cut pine. I look him up and down. He is well built, with a long auburn mullet that extends down his back. He is tall, almost ridiculously so. I'm a bit petite, but he is large even compared to most men. He is easily 6'4" tall and his shoulders are so broad they barely fit in the oversized flannel jacket he wears open to reveal a clean, white henley. His jeans look poured on, barely containing his well-muscled legs. I look away before he catches me staring at the impressive bulge in his pants.

He is different from Hunter in EVERY possible way.

"Rosalynd" the sound of my name on his tongue has me melting like warm butter as he draws my attention to his honey-colored eyes. "Let's get you out of this rain and back on the road again."

He smiles at me again and my breath catches. I wonder if he knows the superpower he contains within such a simple gesture. I feel a sudden urge to do things I probably shouldn't do with a stranger. Instead, I return his smile, blushing.

"Welcome to Humboldt County, Rosalynd Reid from LA."

At that moment I realize that even though he might not be a serial killer, that doesn't mean I'm not in trouble.

Deep, deep trouble.