Into the Storm (2 page)

Joshua

Shutting the door behind me, I looked around. The wind was still fierce and now the heavy snow had joined in and I knew it was going to be an ugly night. Judging from what they said on the news, more ugly nights would follow. I slowly made my way to the barn to check on the generators, aware of the fact I would most likely lose power soon. Earlier, when the storm had started, I had opened the gates so I would be able to plow down the driveway to the road when the storm passed. Once I had built enough courage up, I would also plow out the road, so deliveries could get in. Then I would immediately shut the gates again. I was grateful I had a full delivery of groceries: supplies and liquor arrived only yesterday, so I wouldn’t have to worry about anything while the rest of the world coped with the aftermath of the huge storm. I was good for a few weeks. I’d been through this before and knew what to expect and how to be prepared.

Bear ran ahead of me, rolling in the snow and chuffing away as he chased the swirling flakes. I had to smile. Damn dog could find delight in anything around him. Entering the barn, I made sure the generators were ready to be fired up. My large 4x4 truck was already equipped with its plow and everything was prepared. A strange noise suddenly caught my attention and I saw Bear’s ears perk up as well. I walked to the door, recognizing the noise.

A car. On my property.

How the hell had someone found my driveway in this weather? Just as I was wondering, I heard a loud crash; and then there was silence. All of a sudden, Bear took off barking in the direction of the noise and I followed, yelling at him to return. He disappeared from sight, and I cursed as I followed as quickly as I was able. Last thing I needed was him getting lost in this fucking storm. I rounded the bend and froze in my tracks, looking in disbelief at the car that had crashed into the large oak tree by one of the trickier bends in the drive. I felt the stirrings of panic at the thought of who might be in the car. There were only a few I allowed on my property and it wasn’t a car I recognized. Part of me wanted to turn around and go lock myself in the house until whoever it was went away, but Bear was pawing and barking madly at the passenger door, which was swinging open in the wind. Taking in a deep, cold breath, I realized the driver must be hurt, and I knew I couldn’t walk away.

I made my way to the car and did a quick inspection of the situation. The engine was still running, and the extensive damage was on the passenger side where it had slammed into the tree. I could see a figure slumped over the wheel. The passenger door was hanging open from the impact, and I bent down and leaned into the car with nervous reluctance.

Behind the wheel was a woman. She was unconscious, and I could see her head was bleeding. I looked around, feeling helpless, unsure what to do next. Obviously, the only person around to help her was me. Bear was pushing and shoving me from behind, trying to get into the car, and I fell forward, tripping over something beside the door. Ignoring it, I pushed him back and crawled into the car.

Unsure of the injuries I was dealing with, I slowly pulled the woman away from the steering wheel. I could see a lot of blood and there were already bruises on her face. She was very pale and felt cold to my touch. I quickly undid her seatbelt and carefully tugged her over to the passenger side. I struggled, but managed to get the door shut before I moved around to the driver’s side and slid in, after getting Bear into the back. I wasted a few seconds trying to figure out how to move the seat back so I could attempt to drive the vehicle up to the house.

I heard a groan beside me and leaned over to assure the woman she was okay. Bear’s enormous head appeared over the back seat and I watched in shock as he licked her cheek, as if giving her comfort. He never went near anyone but me. I growled at him to get down and he surprised me by ignoring me once again and settled his head onto her shoulder. I saw her hand reach out and touch his fur before dropping back into her lap. Bear stayed where he was and I shook my head.

I was surprised but grateful when the car actually moved. I could hear the tire protesting as the dented metal from the car rubbed loudly where it was crushed into the wheel well and I hoped it wouldn’t go flat before we made it closer to the house. I maneuvered the car up to the barn and parked it in the empty space beside the truck. I moved around to the passenger side and opened the door. I gathered up the injured woman and heard a sudden gasp of intense pain as I straightened up. Startled, I looked down to see her staring back up at me, confused. Her tear-filled eyes were wide with pain. For a few seconds our eyes locked and then she went limp. But not before I also saw another emotion flit through her eyes.

Terror.

I laid the unconscious woman down on my bed and stood back, uncertain of what to do next. Bear sat down beside me and looked up at me with one of his chuffs.

“
What?” I snarled at him.

His answer was one of his usual looks that said, ‘Duh, stupid human.’ He raised himself up on his enormous paws and pushed at the form on my bed and looked back at me.

I nodded. Right. I needed to look after her and check out her injuries. I went and got some cloths, bandages and warm water. I should probably clean her up a little so I could see what I was dealing with. When I came back, Bear was stretched out beside her on the bed.

“
Yeah, get comfy. That helps a lot,” I snarked at him.

He ignored me and proceeded to lay his head down beside her. I saw a shiver go through her body.

Fuck, she was probably freezing.

Damned dog actually knew what he was doing, trying to warm her up.

I put down my supplies and got to work. I undid her wet, rather useless, coat and pulled it off her, gently lifting her to do so. Even unconscious, she let out a low groan of pain. I grabbed a blanket and draped it over her as I tried to clean up the blood on her face so I could tell if she was still bleeding or not. As I gently wiped away the blood, I frowned. The lump and bruise that were forming on her head were obviously from hitting the steering wheel. But another, even darker bruise was too low to have happened when she hit the wheel and there was a shape to the bruise. A definite outline. I bent lower, trying to discern the shape. My investigation stopped when she shivered again and I could see her shirt was wet from the snow and blood.

Taking a deep breath and hoping she didn’t wake while I was undressing her and begin screaming, I pulled off her shirt to change her into dry clothes and was horrified at what I saw: bruises covered her torso and arms. I lifted one arm and examined it. The dark impression of a large hand was wrapped around her small bicep, as if someone had used an ink roller then pressed their hand into her skin. It had taken a lot of force to make the clear imprints. Her right side was also deeply bruised, red and swollen. I shook my head. These injuries were not from hitting a tree. Suddenly furious, I removed her pants and found more bruising on her legs. Sickened, I realized I could actually make out the outline of a shoe print and, when I looked again, saw it matched one of the marks on her side.

I felt the bile rise up in my throat. Someone had hurt this little woman and unless I was mistaken, she was trying to escape from whoever did this. There was no other explanation as to why she would be out in this hellish storm. She had to be running. The anger I had been feeling at the unwelcome intrusion melted away as I stood looking at her bruised and battered body. Unpleasant memories of waking up in the hospital, beaten beyond recognition, swam through my mind. It had happened years ago, but I could still remember the pain I had been in.

Cursing under my breath, I cleaned her up as best I could, before dressing her in a set of my own shorts and shirt to cover her body. Not only was she a great deal shorter than I was, she was thin, and my clothes were huge on her but would at least warm her up. I added a couple of blankets and watched as Bear climbed back up on the bed and settled back down beside her. This time I didn’t protest.

The lights began to flicker and I knew I need to start up the generators and close up the barn. It had been impossible to do so with the unconscious woman in my arms. Leaving Bear with the woman, I grabbed the flashlight and I made my way outside, slower than ever. The efforts I had put forth had added a huge strain on my leg, and I was now limping worse than usual.

Just as I got to the barn, I was plunged into darkness as the power finally gave out. I turned on the flashlight and powered up the generators that would keep the house going for a while. Then, struggling against the fierce wind, I closed the barn doors and made my way back to the safety of the house. Inside, I stripped out of my wet clothes and changed into dry ones from the laundry room. I lit some candles and lanterns, and then made my way back to the bedroom to check on the woman.

Bear was still beside her and chuffed happily at me when I entered. I stroked his massive head as I looked down at her unconscious form. What if she didn’t wake up? What if she had internal injuries? I shook my head sadly. No one could get here even if I could call for help.

And I couldn’t leave to get help.

It had only been the last few years, after I got Bear, that I was able to leave the house. Still, at times, I felt the surge of overwhelming panic when I did.

I hadn’t left the property for five years.

We were stuck here.

I could only hope she woke up soon. As soon as the storm was over, I could plow the driveway and take her to the gate. Someone could come get her and take her away.

She could be their problem. Not mine.

I already had enough problems of my own. I had no idea how I could help anyone else when I couldn’t even help myself.

Chapter Two

Joshua

The wind howled ferociously and the heavy snow beat against the sides of the house all night. I sat in the chair beside the bed, occasionally checking on the woman to be sure she was still breathing, as well as adding logs to the fireplaces to keep the house warm.

Bear stayed beside her all night, seemingly guarding her. Aside from the occasional groan or whimper that escaped her lips, she remained still. Once, her hands fluttered upward and what sounded like scared little gasps came out of her mouth. Unsure what to do, I made some hushing noises like my mother used to make to soothe me as a child, and I gently clasped her hands in mine and tried to tuck them back under the covers. Both of her small hands grabbed onto one of mine and gripped it fiercely. I could see bruises forming on the back of both her hands, more evidence of the cruel beating she must have endured. Her gasps stopped and she became silent again, but her grip on my hand didn’t lessen. I leaned back in the chair, allowing her hands to stay resting on top of mine. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel the normal anxiety or panic I would at being touched by a stranger. I only felt the need to allow her this small comfort, and in turn, felt like I was being offered the same.

I studied her face in the dim light. The paleness of her skin was emphasized by the darkness of her hair that was spread across the pillow. I glanced down the bed and back up guessing she was at least a foot shorter than me. Her hands were small and well-manicured, so I doubted she did any sort of manual labor. Her face wasn’t classically beautiful, but rather attractive in a soft, lovely way. I imagined she was infinitely appealing when she smiled.

I shook my head. Why was I wondering what she looked like when she smiled?

I closed my eyes wearily, listening to the storm continue its destruction of the world outside the windows. Briefly, I wondered how long it would last. Last year we had one that went on for three solid days. It had taken two weeks before I was able to get my driveway plowed. A sudden sense of foreboding filled me and I opened my eyes again, staring at the woman lying in my bed.

What if I was stuck here with her for two weeks?