Page 27 of The Hunter

I was still intact. For now.

Flinging off the heavy covers, I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The moment I stood, the world swayed, and I braced myself against the nightstand.

I didn’t care if I was dizzy. If I had trouble walking. I had to get out of here.

I staggered toward the door, fully expecting for it to be locked. But the knob turned with little effort.

Was it a trap? A test? Would some vicious monster greet me once I opened this door?

It didn’t matter if that were the case. I wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

My pulse thundered in my ears as I eased the door open, mentally preparing myself for anything and everything.

But there was nothing. No vicious monster. No wall of guards. No trap.

I cautiously looked up and down the hallway bathed in soft amber light before slipping out of the bedroom, my feet silent against the wood floors.

The place was eerily still, the only sound the faint ticking of an unseen clock and the wind outside.

I crept down a wide staircase, clutching the thick banister to steady myself. The scent of pine and burning logs clung to the air. At the bottom, the cabin opened into a cozy living room complete with vaulted ceilings, a handcrafted hearth, and a wall of windows gazing out over an endless sea of trees.

I spotted the front door and bolted for it. I half-expected alarms to shriek or locks to slam into place. But as I yanked the door open and a blast of cold air slapped me in the face, nothing happened.

A voice in my head warned me it was probably a setup, but I didn’t care. I wasn’t going to stay to find out, regardless of the fact that I didn’t have any shoes or other winter gear to protect me against the frigid temperatures.

I stepped onto a wide porch, the world stretching vast and gray in every direction. No driveway. No road. Just a dirt and gravel path that disappeared into thick woods.

I took off, veering into the cover of the trees while still trying to follow the dirt path, sharp branches lashing my face. The frozen ground bit into the soles of my feet through my socks, the snow making them damp and cold. My lungs burned, every breath feeling like glass shards slicing down my throat.

Still, I ran.

But despite how hard I pushed myself, it felt like I was getting nowhere, the forest twisting around me like a maze. Trees all the same height. The same thickets. The same barren trunks and tangled underbrush.

And when I came upon a misshapen rock I’d passed before, the reality hit me.

I was going in circles.

Frustration welled inside me, and I collapsed to the ground beside the rock, my hands digging into the frozen earth, tears burning behind my eyes.

I didn’t even know where I was. No sun to orient me. No sounds except the groaning of wind through the branches.

I wanted to scream. But I knew better. Sound could draw attention.

I had to move.

I started in what I hoped would be the right direction, when a sharp crack broke the silence. And not from underneath me.

It came from behind me.

I froze, not immediately moving.

But when I heard a deep growl, I slowly turned around, my heart slamming against my ribs.

A wolf stood mere feet away, low and sleek, its yellow eyes locked on mine.

I stumbled back, and my foot caught on the rock. I tried to remain upright, but I was too weak, too exhausted, and I fell hard, my body hitting the ground with a loud thud.

The wolf lunged.