Page 2

CHAPTER 2

REDLEY

I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth. Heather was a nasty thing who looked down her nose at me at school. We hated each other until her little sister died last year. Since then, I couldn’t find anything in me other than pity for her. She still didn’t like me much, though, and now she’s gone.

“That makes number sixteen,” I say, as fear and dread race through me. This is only getting worse.

The first encounters with the Wolf went back well over one hundred years, beginning when the Littles first settled on this mountain. The native people in the area had been forced west, but they never touched this land even before they went. My great-great-grandpappy saw that as an opportunity to hide his moonshine operation rather than what it was—a warning. We should have stayed the hell away.

“Damn that Wolf,” I say, hating the sense of responsibility I have for what’s happening. My family started this settlement, and it all comes down on me.

He doesn’t quite roll his eyes, but they lift like he wants to. “You know I don’t believe in that crud, Red.”

Sometimes I think my neighbors are the biggest obstacle in finding that monster because none of them believe in him. The second is the police, who don’t come to help even when people die bloody. And even if they did, the people here wouldn’t welcome them.

No one believes me. I take a deep breath and swallow hard. I’m used to it, but I’m tired too. I don’t let his doubt or anyone else’s affect what I know, though.

“Then what do you think is happening?” I ask, sure that he’s about to tell me something that won’t explain the injuries. The cause of death they claim never does match the corpse.

“It’s a hard life out here, Redley. Sometimes people die hard too.” He shrugs, and I would be shocked by how cruel he sounds, but he’s just like everyone else.

“What exactly does that mean, Bobby?”

His dad waves for him, and he nods to me before heading back over to him.

People die hard around here far too often, I think to myself as I watch him go.

The line moves slow. Mail day is the worst day when people have something to talk about. I can practically hear the postmaster having the same conversation again and again from out here. I’m only getting angrier, though, because what the hell is the use of talking about things when you don’t do anything to stop them? At least it’s a sunny day and warm for April.

“They think she had a heart attack.” Abby and Donna Mills stand two people ahead of me, chatting back and forth with no effort to keep quiet. They wear their hair in matching braids, though Donna is a blond and Abby is a brunette.

“Well, she had a weak heart. Everyone knew that.” Donna’s nasal tone has always irritated me. She sounds so sure of herself as if we were all waiting on Heather to drop dead. Heather liked to ski during the winter.

“I never heard that,” I say, unable to force myself to keep quiet when people are making things up.

Abby turns around and looks down her nose at me as she speaks. “I’m not surprised by that, Red. You always were so worried about yourself and your little ghost stories. When did you ever worry about Heather or anyone else?”

Since I was ten years old, that's all I’ve ever done. The Mills sisters and I were in school together for a few years, and much like the rest of the town, we didn’t get along. These girls have always been rude to me, but it got a lot worse after my parents died. I open and close my hands, deciding it wouldn’t be a good idea to start a brawl on mail day when Granny is waiting for a package.

“So they found her at home?” I ask through my teeth.

Abby looks at Donna, asking for permission to answer me. “No,” she finally decides. “She was going for a hike, and she fell down the cliff. You know, the one with the waterfall over by Pike’s Ridge?”

“I know it.” There isn’t any hiking over that way, though, or any reason for her to be on that property at all.

“Well, that’s what happened,” she says when I don’t take the bait. “Sorry there aren’t any monsters around for you to get worked up about.” She wants me to respond. These girls love nothing more than something to discuss, and I’ve given that to them plenty of times.

“What a shame,” I say, deciding they aren’t going to win today.

She sneers and gives me a nasty up-and-down look before turning around and pretending I don’t exist. The adults standing between us act like they didn’t hear anything, and that’s fine by me. I’m used to it. My mind turns the story over, trying to decide what it could mean. A fall down a cliff is a good way to cover injuries.

The line moves slowly but surely, and eventually, I make it up to the front. The postmaster pulls a small box and a few letters out from under the desk, and I thank God Granny’s package is here. I go to grab it and the few letters, but he slaps his hand on top of them, holding them tight and stopping me from taking them.

“You hear about Heather?” he asks, and I don’t know how he’s not tired of this.

“Yeah, it’s a real shame.” I try to sound sad but busy.

“I know what you and your granny think,” he says with a conspiratorial smile, trying to get me on a good rant about the Wolf so he has something new to tell the people standing in line behind me. He doesn’t actually believe me, and I’m not interested in giving him more to gossip about.

“We don’t think anything. I just heard about Heather having a heart attack outside.” I try to deliver the lines convincingly, but I don’t think I manage it when he flashes me a smile.

“Are you looking for him out there in the woods? That’s what your daddy said he was doing before he passed.”

I’m not sure if that’s true or not. Daddy spent a lot of time in the woods, but he didn’t tell me what he was up to. I’ve wanted to go looking before, but Granny won’t let me. Says she can’t afford to lose her only remaining kin.

“There’s nothing out in the woods but the occasional bear,” I lie with as straight of a face as I can manage.

The people behind me in line start to complain, so he gives up on pressuring me and releases my belongings. “Sure, sure. See you later, Redley.” The postmaster winks at me as I leave, and I try to smile politely despite the uncomfortable twist in my stomach. He’s the same age as my daddy would be, and I’m not looking at him that way.

Bobby and his dad stand at the edge of the parking lot talking to people. He stares at me as I get back in my truck. I don’t know if he wants me to yearn for him or something, but it’s not happening. I did what I needed to do today. Heather isn’t my problem, and it’s time to get Granny her package before she’s pissed. I pull out, taking the one road back up until it’s no longer gravel, just dirt winding slowly and steadily up the mountain.

Properties are big out here, and you don’t often spot houses through the trees, but as I pass the end of each dirt drive, I can tell you who lives there, how long they’ve been there, and who their daddy and granddaddy are. Quite a few people have moved here over the years, but very few of them leave. When I pass the driveway that used to belong to my family, I avoid looking with everything I have, holding my breath like ghosts are waiting to possess me. I breathe a sigh of relief once I’ve passed.

The mountain really is something special in the fall, though. Now that I’m driving a lot slower, and the wind isn’t so harsh, I crank the windows down. Even though I’m a little too cold, it’s incredible compared to all that blistering heat before it. The pine trees hang onto their needles, sturdy and strong like always, but the leafy trees are just starting to turn red and golden. The little pops of color remind me of fairies or some other kind of magic even though I’m sure the only mysticism around here is the evil kind.

With the truck sputtering along and begging to stop, it takes nearly two hours to reach our cabin at the top. It’s not too big or too small, just right for the two of us, though I imagine it was close quarters when my daddy and his two brothers were young. My uncles died around the same time as my daddy, but we were never close.

Bringing Penny to a stop, I climb out and take a breath as I stare out over the vista. Grimm Groves may be drenched in blood and secrets, but it sure is beautiful.

“Goddammit, Redley!” my granny’s vicious shout comes from somewhere deep in the house. My stomach sinks. I had hoped running her errands and grabbing her package would put her in a good mood. Judging by the sun, I’m not even late. Taking the steps slowly, I try to keep my approach silent. Granny doesn’t like it when I’m loud, or quiet really, but she especially doesn’t like me loud.

“You better have my package, or you’ll regret it!” she shouts.

Just like I thought, her patience has run out.