When Blood Speaks

Part Seven

Everything was dark, but this time it was different. My legs stretched against the sheets, feeling the silky sensation against my skin. Each toe popped. Reaching up, my hands flexed, popping my fingers. Maddie pressed her paws onto my shoulder before softly calling into my ear.

Meow.

Opening my eyes, light was streaming in from the windows, but it was faint. It was snowing again. The wind howled outside, creating a howling sound echoed through the trees. Maddie shivered next to me before yawning. 

"Are you awake?" he called from the kitchen.

"Yes," I answered.

In the dresser mirror, I could see his reflection as he leaned in. His beard was becoming ragged, along with his short hair that now almost touched his eyes. The gray hairs revealing stress his job caused. "Have a safe hunt. I'm leaving for work."

Shifting my eyes to the door, he was gone. 

I yelled, "Love you. Stay safe."

Maddie howled.

The cabin creaked under the pressure of the wind. Climbing from the bed, my muscles were weak from the exhaustion of the accident. Old Blue was no more. The last remnant of my past was now gone. All I had left was Maddie.

Sneezing, I reached for a tissue on the nightstand. Maddie's tail flicked my legs as she squeezed between them. Glancing down, she flinched backward, sneezing and wiping at her nose. I bent down and reached for her. Her nose rubbed against my palm before she ran from the room.

It was red. Standing, my reflection stared back at me. There was a small dribble of blood falling from her nose. With tissue in hand, I reached to dab it away. Pulling the tissue away, there was no blood. I looked up again. My reflection was still bleeding.

"Shit," I grumbled.

Abandoning this particular looking glass, I left for another. In the bathroom, this one was different. There was no blood. Only a runny nose. Again, I used the tissue to wipe the mess away. This time it worked. Leaning forward, my hands held onto the sink as I closed my eyes, forcing myself to breathe.

"You're fine. Everything is fine," I murmured.

Maddie returned, continuing to yell at me as she circled in between my feet. The blood that had been on her nose was now gone. She was unfazed by whatever had spooked her a moment ago. With another sigh, I bent down. With force, she jumped to bump her head forcibly upon mine. Her purrs echoed, overshadowing the sound of the storm outside.

Two more times she slammed her head into mine, demanding attention. And twice I reached to scratch her neck and ears. Only when I moved to pick her up did she stop. Her purring continued. My reflection in the mirror held her as well, but once again, there was blood on her nose. My nose twitched, but I felt no blood. There was nothing and yet, the mirror showed otherwise.

My back hit the wall as I stepped backward, shaking my head. Maddie's purring stopped. She was staring at me. Her head tilted to the side before she turned to jump down into the sink. Calmly, she sat and stared. Just stared.

Bam!

Maddie didn't flinch. 

My heart leapt into my throat with adrenaline as I jerked my head to the bedroom. Maddie didn't move as I began to turn. There was nothing on the window, but there was a hole in the middle of the screen. Something had slammed through it before falling.

I ran back into the bedroom and pressed my hands onto the window, searching for whatever caused the hole to appear. The snow was blustering across the landscape allowing me to see only the white haze of the storm. I couldn't even see the shed behind the cabin.