Savage Cinderella

Chapter 35 and 36

Chapter 35

Hunter or Prey?

Brinn crept out of her cozy nest into the dim light of dawn. The forest went from small stirrings of insects at night to an almost instantaneous symphony of bustling life as the sunlight broke over the mountains. Birds chirped loudly and squirrels and chipmunks left their nests and burrows to begin their day of foraging. Mosquitoes buzzed in the moist warm air and Brinn stretched and yawned, listening to the familiar sounds of the forest while getting her bearings.

The shots fired into the night let her know that Stockman had not slept, but had fired in blind fear at the invisible sounds of imaginary beasts. The thick forest was blacker than the darkest night when clouds covered the stars and moon. Real or imagined, the sound of creatures stirring could fix a person’s mind on the idea that they were being stalked. Brinn had gotten over that a long time ago, but remembered the feeling like it was yesterday. A sense of satisfaction rose from within at the thought of Stockman’s terror.

Unfortunately, it had been her own fear that kept her from coming out of hiding into the darkness when she heard helicopters flying overhead. She couldn’t risk drawing Stockman’s attention. It had seemed likely that the rain and thick forest would have made it impossible for rescuers to see her at any rate. At least someone was looking for her. The thought gave her a burst of hope.

Brinn watched the man from between the shrubs. She had chosen this particular hiding place because it was obscured from view, surrounded by a wall of thick rhododendron on one side and a mass of thorny berry bushes on the other. A person could pass right by and not know there was a small cave in between that sheltered her from wind, rain and her unwelcomed pursuer. Although the waterfall nearby would provide her with fresh drinking water this morning, it also covered the sound of approaching feet. Her enemy would be heading her way soon enough. A shiver of apprehension rushed through her. It was time to move on.

After an easy climb to the top of the next ledge, she found a good vantage point. She could make out the figure of the man in the distance, already trudging up the steep incline, holding onto trees as he went and looking at the ground for signs of his prey. He swatted at the relentless bugs buzzing around his head, cursing with each bite and sting, his clothes soaked from the night before.

Brinn took a moment to find pleasure in his suffering before she continued on. She’d covered her scent by rubbing her skin with a handful of wax myrtle leaves and found those same buzzing critters to be only a minor nuisance.

Any trail she'd left behind the night before was long since washed away by the rain. She retraced her tracks to keep him following. If others were coming to find her, she wanted to make sure she could be found. A niggle of doubt crowded in on her. Who would come after her? Did Justin even care that she was gone? Dismissing the notion, she knew she had no time for doubt. She also knew that, for now, she was on her own.

She grabbed some blackberries and stuffed them into her mouth as she made her way back onto the deer trail that led up higher into the hills. She made it to the falls, drank her fill and relieved herself, enjoying the thought that it was now up to her when he slept, ate, or peed. As if reading his thoughts, she backtracked down another trail and let out a loud yelp that startled the man, who had his pants around his ankles, squatting behind a tree. He’d conveniently squatted in a patch of nettles. She couldn’t help but smile.

He glared up at Brinn, who was no more than fifty feet away, and then toppled over. He tripped and stumbled as he tried to stand and pull up his pants. Brinn laughed out loud, baiting the man who was red-faced and fuming. Finally securing his belt, he picked up his gun and aimed it up the trail at her. He fired and missed as she disappeared into the trees.