Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75044 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
He sensed it in his bones. It was run or be mauled, so he darted into the path and ran so fast his brain could barely catch up with the movement of his body. His joints were stiff yet efficient, as if there was a puppeteer somewhere above forcing Colin’s muscles to work way beyond their normal capacity. He flew into the darkness, urged by the panting of the predator chasing him.
In the split second before Colin’s eyes became all but useless so far away from the car, it occurred to him that one should never ever run from a bear. But there was no room for any more decisions when his toes hit something, and the force he’d amassed through his speed sent him face-first into the dirt. Pebbles scraped his knees and bare hands, but he was unable to break his fall and hit the side of his face so hard his brain mushed from the shaking.
The sand tasted of kale.
He held his breath, keeping still as if he were one of the pebbles on the road. Maybe in this darkness, he stood a chance. The axeman’s footsteps did slow. Was this wild man able to sniff out Colin’s fear? The notion was ridiculous, but nothing about the world was logical anymore.
A beam from a flashlight shattered Colin’s hope. It blinded him for half a second, and he squeezed into a ball, unable to choose between running and begging for his life.
“I… I didn’t see your face. Just let me go. I won’t tell anyone,” he whimpered, too stunned to move from the dip in the ground that now felt like a safe haven.
All he got in answer was a grunt, as if the man was a real beast. They both knew Colin was lying. He’d seen the man’s face and would never forget it. A bushy black beard was its most prominent feature, and its wild, unkempt strands were like a warning that the stranger was feral. From the dark eyes, to the long tangled hair that partially obscured them, the axeman’s appearance screamed that he was not to be approached under any circumstances.
Still, he was human. He had to be. So how was Colin to act? Show weakness and submission, or fight tooth and nail?
Colin’s entire body shook under the weight of the man’s sharp stare, even though he could feel it rather than see. The upcoming doom was inevitable, and he still couldn’t decide whether he should beg or run.
“I… I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have used this road, I know, but I got lost. I didn’t want to invade anyone’s privacy,” he sobbed, struggling for air while his throat clenched, as if the invisible collar was not only still there but also growing tighter.
The man stepped closer, letting out a low snarl. Was he planning where to strike with the axe? Would he torture Colin first? Chop off his legs? Maybe trying to run would have been Colin’s best bet after all?
“I’m s—” his words turned into a yelp when the stranger sank to his knees and spun Colin around, twisting both of his arms back.
Fear held Colin rigid, with his cheek pressed against gravel, but the man paid him little attention, efficiently tying his wrists with rope.
So he wasn’t to die just yet. There was still a chance, though the little flame of hope in Colin’s heart dwindled when the man grabbed his ankles and tied them loosely to the wrists.
What the fuck was to happen to him?
“Please, my parents are waiting for me at home. They will be so angry if I’m late,” he babbled, with sweat beading on his forehead.
The axeman paid little attention to Colin’s pleading, and picked him up without effort. The heat of the man’s body came as a shock. He had to be burning up under the sweater, because he was like a furnace. Was he that excited about his kill? Or about his new prey?
Colin’s mouth kept working, but none of his wheezing apologies would alter his fate once it was sealed. The bear had him now, and once he was no longer sated from his last kill, Colin would be there to satisfy his bloodlust. The man was on his own turf and didn’t even bother to gag Colin, because he knew no one would hear Colin’s screams. The world was a mess of black and white around him, his senses aware of nothing but the smell of blood and male sweat.
So the man was human after all.
By the time the stranger pushed Colin into the passenger seat and, out of all things, buckled the seatbelt around him, the raw fear was losing its impact, and Colin went numb from the shock. He was able to breathe semi-normally again and watched the axeman circle the car in the bright white light. The stranger really was a giant, and when he hauled up the remains of his victim next, it was with very little effort.