Page 11 of Seducing Sasquatch

Placing the knife gently on the counter, I sneak towards the gun. The floorboards creak and whine as I reach the hearth. High above my head, the gun sits waiting.

I’ve never touched a gun before. But how hard could it be?

Rising to my tiptoes, I grasp both ends of the weapon, pulling it from the hooks. It’s heavier than I expect as I hold it to my chest, wobbling it back and forth until one hand holds the barrel and the other clutches the grip.

“Just aim and shoot,” I hiss to myself. “Easy.”

I don’t believe myself, but it’s enough to get me moving. The storm still rolls in waves beyond the cabin as I clamber down the stairs, keeping my head up as I go. With the copious amounts of footprints leading in all directions, there’s no way for me to find where this monster headed. So I turn to the forest.

Each step is like wading through mud; my pants grow wet and cold as I press onward. It’s a feat just getting halfway from the cabin to the woods, and I’m short of breath as more ice rains down on me.

“Keep going,” I whisper, shielding myself from the icy needles that fall from the sky. I’ve never been good enough. Never in my life have I achieved much of anything. I’ve always fallen short. Now, as I wade through the tall clumps of snow, my mind flickers back to when I was a child receiving a participation award. Mom was thrilled; my father, on the other hand, grilled me for three hours for not getting a “proper” award. I cried all night. My award sat on my desk, watching me as I sniffled and huffed, like it was taunting me that this was all I was ever going to amount to. Never good enough.

My hair flings itself across my forehead, and tears leak from my eyes. Beyond where I stand, the forest grows darker; the world blurring in a mirage of pale grays and wandering shadows.

At this rate, there’s no way I’ll find Arden. And if I do, then what? I rub my face across my shoulder, trying my best to clear my vision. The gun seems to grow heavier in my grip as my forearms burn, just from holding it up.

But beyond the constant growl of the wind and the rustle of the trees that sway back and forth, I hear a distinct crunch of snow. Then another. But I can’t tell where it’s coming from with all the noise and commotion whipping around where I stand.

More and more footsteps rumble around me, yet not even a shadow escapes the forest. I gulp, my grip tightening on the shotgun.

“Arden!?” I call out, my throat clenching around my words.

The storm answers with another deafening rumble of wind, throwing more ice at me, and I wince against the cold.

“Please,” I cry. “Arden!”

Now I’m crying, and not from the gale that bites at my skin or rips through my clothes. Or even from the fear of giants roaming this mountain. But because once again I can’t do something right. I’m useless.

A weight claps against my shoulder, jarring me, and I let out a howl. Throwing myself around, gun at the ready, finger tight on the trigger. I come face to face with golden eyes and a timid smile.

My finger pulls taut on the trigger. But nothing happens. My brain catches up with who I’m looking at, and my stomach clenches.

Arden watches me with a tilt to his head and a strange amusement glowing in his gaze.

“What are you doing?”

As if the air has been knocked from my lungs, I sputter and gasp; my hands shake as the gun slips from my grip and sinks into the snow between us.

“I-I…Giants.”

Arden’s lips twitch into a smirk, and he steps closer, his body breaking the onslaught of icy rain from hitting me. “Giants, you say?”

My mouth hangs open as I watch the taller man, my gaze trained on him. Where did he come from?

“T-there were footprints… huge ones. With toes!” I explain. Yet hearing the words slip past my lips has me realizing just how insane I sound.

Arden simply nods, his brow furrowing. “There are big animals that live on this mountain. But not giants, I can promise you that.”

“But they were human footprints!” I press. “I saw them…” Spinning on my heel, I point out at the snow. Yet every indent has nearly disappeared amongst the sea of white.

“And you were going to shoot these giants?” Arden moves behind me, picking up the shotgun and wiping away the snow from the barrel. He pauses, cracking open the receiver, his brows shooting upwards, and a toothy grin spreads across his face.

“Tell me, hiker.” He clicks the gun shut. “How were you going to kill these giants with an unloaded gun?”

Heat explodes through me, and I drop my gaze. My bottom lip finds its way between my teeth. “I thought they all came loaded.”

The laugh that bellows from Arden’s chest brings a small smile to my lips. It’s a hearty laugh. One that’s highly contagious. And I find myself chuckling lightly under my breath.