Chapter 4 What have you done?

Lily POV

I wake at 4am. Another night of restless sleep and just to add insult to injury, all I saw once I closed my eyes was the arrogant asshole from the Copyhub, the handsome one.

I tiptoe through the apartment, trying not to wake Maisie, as I head for an early morning jog in the woods nearby. As soon as I hit the sidewalk I start to run and let the music ease the whirring thoughts running through my mind.

I’m still angry at that insufferably arrogant jerk from yesterday, and I’d be lying if I said the whole encounter with Bruce and then Mark didn’t raise a million red flags. Maisie swore she’s never seen them act like that before, but it’s still creepy. I’ve been running for two hours when I hear the yelling over my music.

The hairs along my arms stand on end and goosebumps raise across my skin. I slip behind a tree as I try my best to see what’s going on, and if I’m running straight into danger. The sight before me is shocking.

Five men stand around a huge, injured animal, all of them have weapons raised. All of them are screaming at the animal, as if it can understand them. Another two men are crouched over another bigger animal nearby, poking and prodding at it. If I didn’t know better, I’d think they were wolves or bears but these woods don’t have wildlife like that.

I have to stifle my gasp as one of the two stands and speaks, “It’s dead. Do we still take it back or leave it here to rot?”

It’s…Mark.

My God, what have these men done? What is Mark involved in?

“Leave it for now. We need to get this one back to base. It’ll take all of us, these ones are bigger than the last. We’ll send someone back for the dead one before the sun comes up fully. Cover it with something so the other animals don’t get it.”

I wait behind the tree as the poor, injured animal is dragged into a cage and hoisted into the back of a waiting truck, it’s clearly hurt as it sighs and whines lowly. They keep prodding it with electric rods, and Mark clearly being a sadist, takes a knife from his belt and stabs the poor beast in the shoulder. It’s disgusting. It leaves out a high-pitched whine of pain, and I try to look away from the poor injured animal but can’t.

As soon as it’s loaded into the truck the men get in, some in the trailer with the caged animal, and drive off at speed.

I know I should leave but something in me pulls me forward towards the dead animal on the ground. I move ahead with caution, making sure I’m alone, and slowly pull back the tarp covering the animal, except…it’s not an animal anymore…it’s a man...a very arrogant, handsome man…and…he isn’t dead…

Shock rolls through me as bile rises in my throat and I retch into the trees behind me. What the hell is this?! What the hell is he? I saw it myself, he was an animal, just minutes ago…what the hell is happening here?

Panic begins to overtake me as I realise I’m standing over a dead body in the woods but then it moves…HE moves…

I should run, I know I should…but I can’t… he rolls towards me with a gut-wrenching moan and a feral look in his eyes. Blood pours from open wounds along his side and abdomen…he really will die if I don’t do something fast.

I put my hands up in surrender.

“I’m…I’m not going to hurt you…I don’t know what happened, I can help you if you let me, but we don’t have much time, those guys are coming back…”

The change on his face is instant… “Leo, Danny?” He barely gets the words out before he passes out. DAMN IT!!

I pull my phone from my pocket and dial Maisie. It’s the only chance I have to get this huge, arrogant man out of here before those men come back.

Maisie arrives ten minutes later, and it takes all our combined strength to lift the unconscious man into the back of my car.

“What the hell is going on Lil?” Maisie is glaring at me from the drivers seat.

“Please just drive Maise, we don’t have much time and he could die…I promise I’ll explain everything later.”

“Drive to where? We can’t get him up the stairs of our apartment?!”

“Grandpa’s, let’s go to Grandpa’s old place, out by the creek”

We drive in silence until we reach our grandpa’s abandoned farmhouse on the outskirts of town. It’s quiet here so no one should find us. We drag the unconscious man into the house and lay him on the old sofa. I try in vain to keep pressure on his wounds but it’s nearly impossible with all the blood.

Maisie grabs a med kit from my car, and we spend the next hour cleaning his wounds and stitching him up. Eventually his heart rate steadies, and a little colour returns to his face, but he still isn’t out of the woods.

“Spill it.” I know I can’t avoid telling Maisie, so I tell her everything…about Mark, the animal, everything except that the man on the sofa was an animal and turned back into a man when they left.

She’s pale when I finish.

“They’re dangerous Lil. I didn’t know Mark was one of them, but I’ve heard of them…there have been rumours about them for years…torture, experiments, weird things happening out at that old ranch near the highway…people often come looking for missing family. If they want this guy, then we’re all in trouble if they find him here.”

“We aren’t leaving him to die Maisie! Those men are monsters…if you’re afraid you should go. I can handle this.”

“No. No…I’m just saying we need to be careful. I’m meant to meet Abbie this morning, and you’re meant to be working. It’ll be suspicious if we don’t show up. I’ll call mom and tell her you’re sick, I’ll meet Abbie and tell her the same, that way no one will be suspicious. I’ll come back later with food and supplies.”

“Thanks Maisie. I owe you one.”

She whispers in my ear to be careful and then heads back into town.

I sit for hours watching the man on the sofa as his chest rises and falls. When he doesn’t move or wake, I decide it’s safe to go shower and change into clean clothes that aren’t stained with blood and dirt.

The shower is warm and inviting as I let the water fall over my naked body. I’m facing the wall, lost in thought, when I’m pulled back against a solid warm chest and strong arms wrap around my waist. “Why did you save me, little human? What is it you want?Hmm…”