Page 3 of Winter’s Teeth

“I’m fine,” he grunted, his voice a deep snarl that made me prickle with a touch of fear.

It dawned on me then that I was nearly naked with a stranger in the back of my car. The adrenaline was finally wearing off, now shifting to a dull survival response that warned me something wasn’t right here.

What was he doing in the water in the first place? How was he sitting up so soon? And why was his chest growing warm already? My fingers were ice cubes, but his chest was a few degrees warmer beneath my palm.

I sputtered and leaned away, clutching half of the quilt to my chest. The other half remained askew over his waist, blessedly hiding the rest of him I took great pains not to lay eyes on. The top half of him was a sight to behold though. Toned and lean, I realized, too late, he could easily overpower me.

“Help is coming,” I repeated weakly.

“I heard.” He reached for the door handle, then paused. “Where are my clothes?”

Thumb jerked over my shoulder, I deadpanned, “On the side of the road.”

When he pushed the door open, a cold wind rushed in, and I instinctively curled up on the other side of the car. Whoever he was, he scooted to the far edge and reached out for his clothes. As he tugged on his pants that had gone stiff with ice, his back muscles rippled, and the blue veins faded to a more alive shade of pale skin.

“Wait!” I gasped.

He ignored me and stepped out, shutting the door behind him as he headed across the street for the woods.

I took only a few seconds to pull my wet sweatpants back on and the coat I’d thrown up the bank on the side of the road. Without bothering to find my boots, I rushed after him, but I made it less than two steps into the road when sirens wailed and horns blared around the bend.

Help had arrived.

I held out a trembling hand, pointing into the woods as first responders swarmed me. “He went that way.”

“He’s on his feet?” one officer asked incredulously.

“He just came to a minute ago,” I explained, feeling oddly guilty for letting him get away.

“He’s probably confused and in shock,” said another officer. “Come on, boys!”

Men in blue uniforms plunged into the woods while one stayed behind to lead me to the ambulance that had just pulled up. “Let’s get you checked out and write down all your information in the meantime.”

I nodded, easily soothed by logic and a calm, sound voice.

After an EMT checked my vitals, Officer Reynolds started asking me simple questions: Name, age, home address. Where I was going to school since I said I was on my way back there. What exactly I saw and what I did.

“You seriously swam out there?” His pencil stalled on his notepad. Short breaths fogged in front of him.

“Yeah, I guess I just...had an adrenaline rush or something. I figured he didn’t have long if he’d already been in there a while.”

“You might be a hero, Rae Bennett.”

I cringed at the use of my surname. “I guess...”

Boots crunched nearby, and then the officers that had gone into the woods a few minutes ago poured back out.

“Hey, you find him yet?” Reynolds barked at his colleagues.

“Nothing,” said one man. “We’re gonna call for another search party. Maybe some dogs if they’re available. We couldn’t find his tracks, if he left any.”

“What? How’s that possible?”

“Beats me,” said the officer, stalling on his way back to his cruiser. “All we found was a set of the biggest black bear prints I’ve ever seen.”

“A bear? Seriously? You think it dragged him off?”

“I didn’t see signs of that, but we should see who’s around to spare for a more thorough search. See you back at base.”