Carnal

Chapter Twenty-Five - Breakdown

Ella's P.O.V.

I woke to the smell of burning pine.

I was engulfed by the large bed I laid in and the warmth surrounding me from the heavy fleece blanket that tucked me in made me want to go back to sleep.

I was more comfortable in that moment than I had ever been in my life.

But then I remembered that I had almost been killed by a version of Gollum that needed a dentist and an exorcism.

I could still picture the carnage that was spread across the room from the attack and the putrid copper odor of that creature's blood would be something that I never forgot.

I pulled myself up from the bed and sat up slightly to look around.

The bedroom I was in wasn't very big, maybe twenty feet from one far corner to the other. Dark wooden paneling covered the walls and ceiling. There was a small stone fireplace embedded in the wall facing the bed. A stuffed elk's head hung over the mantle.

Next to the bed on one side was a wall with a bay window. There were curtains pulled over the windows but I could see the trees outside through a portion where the curtain hadn't been pulled across far enough.

On the other wall was a door leading into an en suite and a door that was open, revealing a closet.

I sat up and threw off the covers, looking down to notice that I had been changed from my t-shirt into a much larger, much better smelling one. I placed a hand on my hip and was relieved to discover I still had on my underwear, which were now layered under a pair of oversized boxer briefs.

As I swung my legs over the side of the bed to get down, I noticed that my ankle was wrapped in a bandage that held it completely stiff.

I got down off the bed gently, careful not to put too much weight on my bad foot.

Becoming dizzy as I stood up, I leaned against the bed and took a few seconds to let my body adjust back to being upright.

Walking into the en suite, I turned on the light and looked into the mirror to see that the scratches around my neck had scabbed over already.

How long did I sleep?

Considering I felt like I had woken from the dead, I knew I had slept for much longer than I needed to.

I left the bathroom and ventured out into a small living room that was attached to a kitchen, both retaining that rustic cabin-look that the bedroom had.

I was giving the bear rug a funny look when I heard something coming from outside.

I walked over to the front door, which was open slightly, and I peeked out.

Seeing the sun setting over the snow-capped mountains in the distance, I stepped outside to get a better view.

It was freezing, but I didn't care. I wrapped my arms around myself and stepped out onto the porch.

The front of the house looked out over an expansive lake with large pine trees gathering on its edge. I could see forests that stretched on for miles and large mountains that rose to their snow-covered peaks in the far distance.

The sound of chopping wood pulled me from my daze and I looked over to see Cain standing about twenty feet from the cabin swinging an axe and cutting logs.

He heard the wooden beams of the porch creak as I walked closer and he turned to look up at me.

I hugged myself tighter as we made eye contact, suddenly getting chill bumps for an entirely different reason.