I slowed, but some strange energy was still carrying me forward. Again, the roar broke through the trees, sending any remaining birds flying away. A rush of wind shook the branches and shot across my face. Chills ran up my spine. And then I saw it—the massive amounts of blood flowing across the forest soil, a growing river of filth.
"Oh my God…"
I felt my heart shake my body, cold and paralyzing. The warm liquid ran against my feet.
I froze and held the rifle against my chest like a child. Trembling, I rose the weapon in front of my body and aimed, but I couldn't see a thing.
The gun felt so heavy. My vision sheeted over with tears.
"Just. Breathe," I muttered and bit the inside of my cheek to clear my thoughts. When I did, I saw him cross through the trees.
He huddled against the leaves, forcing a full deer carcass over his shoulder. I should have been repulsed, but I was intrigued.
Instantly, I knew how dangerous this predator was, but what it was could be up for debate. He was more than the hunters my father had warned me of. He was something I had never seen before.
Was he a monster? Bigfoot? I couldn't be sure. But as I held my weapon against the right side of my chest, he turned and dropped the dead animal, staring directly at me.
With blood dripping from his teeth, he smiled.
No, no, no…
His presence defied all logic. A flash went off in my head, and he nodded as if he could read my mind. He knew exactly who I was. I had no doubt he had been stalking me for a long while, waiting for me to become dumb enough to cross the Great Divide. And now that I had, the obscene and muscular giant that stood before me was going to skin me alive.
My life flashed in front of my eyes. Within one moment, I understood that everything was connected, that he was aware of my loss, my sadness, and my hurt. I didn't know how. I couldn't say why. I just knew it to be true. It was as if he could sense it.
His muscles curled against his ripped wife-beater t-shirt. His body was immensely powerful. I dropped my gaze and saw the enormous bulge in the center of his pants. As we stood, facing one another, I felt a flurry of excitement wet between my thighs.
It was wrong. No, it didn't make any sense. But it was true. And no amount of sanity could take away this new feeling.
Before I could act, everything slowed down. I felt my father pick me up from the ground, throwing me over his shoulder like the beast did with that carcass. My dad's hurried wheezing startled me. I had never heard him breathe so hard. The only thing I could see was the leaves and soil crushed beneath his feet.
"Dad!" I cried. My heart was pounding so fast that it hurt. I gasped and inhaled so much air that I started to choke. "W-W-What was that?"
"It's okay," he repeated. "Everything is going to be okay."
But my eyes had been opened to something dark, sinister, and deeply evil. It couldn't have been an animal. It had to be some kind of devil.
Everything was not going to be okay. And as my father carried me back over the Great Divide, I heard a second scream, as well as a gunshot.
There were two of them.
Lilly
"You know the rules."
I could barely look my dad in the eyes. Pacing the room with his hunting rifle held tightly in his grip, he looked at me with both anger and confusion.
Outside, the sun was setting, and a cold breeze was coming in through the windows. But with my nerves so shaken, I couldn't feel a damn thing. "Do you hear me, Lilly? You were instructed to never cross that threshold."
I couldn't believe my stupidity, but I wasn't going to apologize for my actions. Something inside of me pushed me toward leaving.
Lost in a state of shock, I tried to make sense of what I had witnessed. "My entire life is a lie,” I muttered. "You lied to me, Dad."
Pausing, my father lowered the rifle and leaned back against his left heel. I took a deep breath and stared at him. The anger slowly drained from his face, and I saw someone who looked caught. "Critter, I—"
"Don't," I said as tears welled in my eyes. Swallowing, I managed to hold it all back. "You knew about that beast. Didn't you? You knew the entire time."
"I was trying to keep you safe," he said.