Ashley was in a state of disbelief when I transferred the good news to her. “Okay, so what did you do to him?”
“Excuse me?” I said in a questioning tone of voice.
“He was so adamant for us to be gone and then you spend five minutes up there and suddenly he changed his mind.”
“I worked my charm.”
Ashley cast me a wicked grin. “Sure you did, Sara”
“I didn’t do anything like that!”
“Will I have the cabin all to myself tonight?”
“You’re an idiot!” Ashley laughed at me in good humour, before she went around her car to prop open the trunk. “What are you doing?”
“Grabbing our stuff.”
“We still don’t have the key yet.”
“Oh.”
“He needs another five minutes,” I explained. “I will go get it, and after that you can pull out our things. Besides, we are nowhere near the cabin yet. It’s out back, you see.”
A loud yawn broke through the air, and I turned to see Taylor leaning over the hood with his hand hovering over his open mouth. Ben was rubbing the top of his back, sensing his partner’s drowsy mood. It’s the sky, I thought, noticing how pale it was over our heads. And the cold, I noted, since the chill only made me want to curl up in a blanket and sleep the day away.
“I’m heading inside,” I announced to the three of them, and turned around to make my way to the top of the hill. The front door was ajar when I approached it, giving me another opportunity to look at the claw marks that worked itself into the pine coloured door. “Hello!” I called out once I stepped inside, feeling uncomfortable with the never-ending darkness of this man’s house.
“In here!” was yelled from the back of the place, so I followed the sound until I reached his office space again. “Took me a while to find the keys,” he explained. “It will be in quite a state.”
“That’s alright, I’m used to roughing it,” I joked, which only made his green eyes sparkle. “So, I noticed there are claw marks outside of your door …” Our gaze was instantly broken, and the man in front of me became extremely uncomfortable. “Bears?”
“Wolves,” he mouthed quietly. “Lots of them.”
“Oh.”
“I warned you not to go outside at night.” He stood to his feet, making sure to avoid eye contact with me. “And if you and your friends are smart, then you will take my advice.”
“They were hungry?” I joked, but he chose not to respond. He reached into his black pants to hand me two sets of keys with a white tag dangling over them both.
“One and two,” he explained. “Those are the number of your cabins.”
“Okay.”
“It’s a bit of a drive, so you will have to follow me.”
“Far?’
“Two-minute drive, but its rough terrain.” He reached for a long black coat at the back of a wooden chair and threw it over his shoulders. “And I will have to look at the cabin myself since it’s been so long.”
“Alright.”
He snatched at his car keys and then deposited them in his coat pocket. “Let’s go,” he suggested, He pushed in his office chair and left the eerily dark room first. Silently he led the way, not wanting to speak to me until we reached the front of his house. “Let me lock the door.” The heavy door was shut harshly, and I noticed how he had two locks to secure it. He looked nervous doing it, doing his best to ignore the claw marks over the doorway as he did his task quickly. “You guys brought food?”
“Yeah, but we were hoping for a fire.”
“No fire.”
“How else are we supposed to eat?”
“Use my kitchen,” he declared. “But no fire.” He pulled on the doorknob to make sure it was secure. “Understood?”
“Yeah.” He took a step away, so sudden that I was compelled to follow him. “Nervous of someone breaking in?”
“No,” he said over his shoulder before he hopped down the steps two at a time. He was in a hurry to get to his car, looking at the skyline as if he was searching for something. By the time he jumped inside of his car I was still walking down the pathway, unable to keep up with his fast pace. “I haven’t got all day!” he jeered, which made me narrow my eyes at him. His car engine roared with impatience, so I told my friends to get in the car and follow his run-down truck.
“Sara, you upset him?” Ashley asked with some hesitation.
“I think that’s just his mood,” I teased. “Just drive.”
Ashley reversed out of the parking spot and slammed down on the pedal to keep up with the large pickup truck. It was the right vehicle, for it drove over the steep gravel road with certain ease. Ashley’s luxurious sedan was not meant for such road conditions, so she slowed down and softly prayed that she wouldn’t get a flat tire. It took us some minutes to reach a long stretch of cabins, spread out enough to give each occupant some privacy.
The man’s car jolted to a stop and before a second passed by, he jumped out of his car and slammed the door behind him. He reached into his pocket, and then visibly looked frustrated to find something was amiss.
“He looks pissed,” Ben observed behind us, taking note of how the man was quickly striding his way towards us. “What did we do?”
Ashley rolled down her window, expecting the man to yell at us the second he stood in front of her car. “What is it, love?” she teased out lightly, hoping that would diffuse the situation.
He dragged a heavy hand over his mouth, letting it settle over the dark threads over his chin as he glared past Ashley to stare straight into my eyes. “You have the keys, right?”
“They’re in my pocket,” I sweetly replied, hoping that would sooth his temper.
“Right.”
I opened my door first and gave him a skeptical look. “You forgot?”
“I have a lot of things on my mind,” he drawled out lifelessly. He dropped his gaze away from me as he uttered, “can I use it?”
I walked around the hood of the car, wondering how I was able to tame this man so easily. It was clear I had an influence over him, making him more civilized if that was the proper word. The man held his hand out in front of me, making sure to have eye contact with me as I placed the keys into his hand. “Thanks,” he muttered out softly, though it sounded almost sad-like in a way.
“Should we leave our stuff in the car?”
“For now.”
He turned away from me, waving his hand as a small invitation for me to follow him. My friends were unsure whether to come along or not, so they stayed in the car since I was the only one that seemed to have any power over him.
The caretaker opened the first cabin door, holding it open for me until we both walked inside. He made sure we walked at the same pace, slowing down a little so I could be at his side. His hands were awkwardly held in front of him, two fingers playing with a ring on his right hand. “This is it,” he observed, and then stretched out his left hand to show the bleakness of our small cabin. “I’ll get you some new sheets, since I don’t know when last it has been changed. He cracked open a door to the left of him and flickered on a light. “Here is the bathroom. I’ll get you some fresh towels as well.” His voice was softer as he added, “You take baths?”
“Sometimes.”
“I will grab you some of those nice bath bombs we save for our special customers.” He winked at me slyly, so sudden it was gone before I took note of it. “May have some wine for you as well.”
“Are you planning to join me?”
“Never thought you’d ask,” he teased, before he leaned against the bathroom door. One hand was shoved into his pocket as he took a good long look at me. A tiny smirk crept over his face. “Usually the man that does the asking though.”
“And yet, you are the one that offered to bring me wine.”
“Ah.” He raised an eyebrow at me playfully, obviously feeling in a flirtatious mood. “Well, your friend did say you were single.”
Damn.
He turned his head to the left, looking at the closed blinds over the bathroom window. “You will keep your word, won’t you? Not to go outside at night.”
“I won’t.”
“Even the folks that work here won’t go outside,” he commented. “They know how dangerous it can be. I swear to God, even if I hear your screams, I won’t come out to save you,” he warned in a dark voice. “I’ve seen too many things to do that.”
“Like what?”
“Might as well not tell you,” he slowly uttered, “I’m starting to like having you around.” He tilted his head downwards to rest his chin over the top part of his chest. “Even though it’s a little selfish of me.” His lips curled downwards, and he became sober as unknown thoughts flickered though his mind. “I will go get your towels and stuff then.”
“Is it at your place?”
“Yeah.”
“I will help.”
“It’s light, you know,” he replied in that strange northern Canadian accent of his.
“I can still help.”
“Thanks,” he replied with a lighter expression. “My name is Damian by the way.”
“Sara.”
“Nice to meet you Sara,” he said with sudden glee.
“Nice to meet you too.”
He pushed himself off the doorway and slowly strode away, using a much lighter step than I was used too. Once we stepped outside, he blocked the grave sunlight with the back of his hand, looking less than pleased that it should hover over him. He never let his arm go downwards until he stood in front of the car, and then inserted his key into the car door to swing it wide open. I walked past his pick-up truck to let Ashley know what was happening, assuring her she could take out our stuff to put it inside of the cabin. The second key was tossed in the backseat between Ben and Taylor, knowing the two of them would fight over it like they always did.
A small chuckle escaped me after I shut my car door, and then I strode towards Damian’s pick-up truck where he was still waiting for me. “It’s open,” he mouthed, so I pulled on the handle and heaved the heavy door open. The first thing I noticed was the overwhelming scent of mint from his car air freshener, and the second was the bundle of clothes stashed at my feet. I was going to point out the absurdity of it all, but the sternness of Damian’s profile made me change my mind.
He reversed backwards with ease, using the manual stick without having to look down at it, before he did a sharp U-turn and let the car drive down the bumpy road. I looked over my shoulder to look at the back seat, taking note of the long gun case that laid over top of it. There was an emergency first-aid kit in there too, and a large flashlight that must have been extremely heavy.
“What made you want to come here?” he asked as a way to spark a conversation.
“Get out of the city,” I simply replied, since it was the painful truth. “What made you want to live out here?”
“I like the isolation.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like people,” he stated, but something in my heart told me it was all a lie.
“Why not?”
“I just don’t,” he replied in a bored voice. “What do you have planned for dinner?”
“Hot dogs.”
“Over the fire?”
“Well, not anymore,” I replied with attitude. “Since someone told me I couldn’t have it.”
“You can use my kitchen.” I knew he was ignoring me, but I was expecting at least some kind of reaction from him. “But you will have to be out of there before sun-down.”
“Why?”
“You just have too.”
“Okay,” I said with curiosity, just before he pulled into the car driveway. “What do you have for dinner?”
“Some fish.” He put the car in park, and for once in his life took his time to undo his seat belt. “Not enough for the four of you though.”
“What about two?” I teased, since I wanted a reaction out of him.
“One.”
I rolled my eyes at him, which earned a dark chuckle from the man beside of me.
My seat belt was undone at this point, and I cracked open the door to step outside. The air was brisk, showing the drop in temperature as the day gradually drew itself to a close. The car shook after Damian slammed his door, proving he was stronger than he looked. He stalked his way up the hill without me, letting his hands fall deep inside of his coat pocket. I liked the way his high collar just brushed against his chin line, taking note that his coat was the only expensive thing he owned so far. He stepped inside of his house without me, leaving me to follow him only by the sound of his footsteps. I met the back of him around a corner of a wall, realizing he was standing in front of a narrow staircase.
“I realized …” He removed his hands from his pocket and turned around to face me. “I shouldn’t bring you upstairs, since the two of us don’t know each other very well.” He licked his bottom lip meditatively. “I will grab the bed sheets— my bed sheets to be exact. Umm … it will be too much work opening the other place, and I have no idea where they store the stuff for the rooms are kept. Just make sure you keep my sheets clean.” He blushed slightly, realizing that he was implying something that he really shouldn’t. “I’ll—I’ll be back,” he stammered out, and then crept up the stairs silently.
Damian really was a curious person. I would say he was a hermit, but he didn’t strike me as that type of guy. He was isolated to be sure, and nervous, but for what reason was still a mystery to me. I took the liberty of turning on the hallway lights to see the empty hallway was a creamy shade of tan brown. It was odd to see no pictures up, or even paintings for that matter. This place didn’t feel like a home, and I was starting to wonder why that was the case.
He came down the stairs eventually, carrying clean white sheets with a heavy blanket in tow. Damian instructed me to put it in the truck, assuring me it was still unlocked before he headed up the stairs for more blankets.
The short moment in the truck alone allowed me to investigate his backseat more, taking note of the hunting knife on the truck floor. There was an open box of fishing hooks and other items that Damian must have used for fishing. I couldn’t see a fishing rod though, a curious thing, unless he laid it out in the trunk. The mint smell was alluring to me, making me not want to slink out the car but eventually I did. Damian was waiting for me outside of the front door, holding up another handful of blankets with a suspicious gaze.
“Looking around?’ he darkly remarked, since he must have caught me snooping.
“I was …”
“Yes, I know what you were doing.” He dropped the heavy items into my arms and then closed the front door behind him.
It’s like he has something shoved up his ass.
I stormed down the steps and turned to the grassy hill where his pick-up truck was waiting for me. I dropped the items in the backseat since there was no more room in the front and made sure to move the heavy gun case until it was no longer touching the blankets.
Footsteps came from behind me, and Damian came into my view with a heavy cardboard box in hand. “Towels,” he commented. “And some snacks that you guys might want to eat.”
“Wine?”
“Wine,” he confirmed with every attempt to not smile at me. “You can get in.”
“Thanks,” I said with sudden sarcasm, and walked past him to get around the front of the car. “You have everything?”
“Just have to lock the door.”
“And then triple check it,” I quipped.
Damian ignored me once again, simply shutting the door with a loud sound before he strode up the hill as fast as he could.
Maybe I shouldn’t have said that.
I propped the door a little to let in some fresh air, hearing an unfamiliar whistle from a bird that was native to this area. The sound of heavy boots pounding against the gravel made me look upwards and to my left, seeing Damian opening the door with a lengthy gaze on my person. “Okay, we can go,” he muttered, and then climbed into his car seat beside me.
“Sorry about what I said earlier,” I apologized, hoping that would ease away the tension between us.
“I just want to be safe,” he uttered with uneasiness.
“That’s why you have a gun?”
He nodded his head slowly, while he let his hand hover over the key ignition.
“Bears?”
“Yes,” he said in a thin voice. “A lot of wild animals out here.” He placed the key into the silver ignition. “Coyotes, foxes, and sometimes moose.”
“You said wolves.”
“Wolves too,” he replied in barely a breath.
“You’ve been attacked by them?”
He wore a smile, but it was false looking. He sharply turned his head to me, letting his gaze search all over my telling visage. “No,” he exclaimed. “I haven’t been attacked by them.”
“Okay.”
“But others have,” he warned. “So, you …” he raised his right hand to point a finger at me, “stay inside tonight.”
“I will.”
He made no response, only turned the key to make the engine roar. A long arm stretched over the back of my car seat, bringing his body closer to me as he reversed out of the spot. I took a moment to truly look at his face, wondering why his eyes looked so eternally sad.
“Hey!” I called out, which made him stop mid-way to lock the storminess of his green eyes onto my pale blue ones. “You should join us for dinner tonight.”
“I already offered you guys to make dinner at my place.”
“Yeah, but we should spend the evening together,” I quickly replied. “My friends aren’t so bad.”
Damian continued to reverse out of the parking spot, only stopping to put the car in drive. He hadn’t responded to my statement, which made me regret my words. “Sure,” he replied through barely parted lips.
“It should be a good time.”
He nodded his head, though he looked like he didn’t believe it.
“I don’t want to force you.”
“It’s fine.”
“You don’t seem—”
“It’s fine,” he interrupted in a somber voice. “I’m not used to company, that’s all.”
“I see.”
Damian slowed down on a particularly bumpy track, not wanting our ride to be more uncomfortable than it needed to be. “As long as I sit next to you,” he piped up suddenly. “Only condition.”
“That works.”
The corner of his left lip curled upwards, compelling him to turn his face away so I could no longer see it.
“And Sara,” he began in a much more agreeable voice. “You can have some of my fish.” I laughed at his remark, glad that Damian was finally warming up to me. “But no one else.”
“Understood.”
“I like to go fishing.” He slowed down once he noticed Ashley’s car parked outside of the small cabin. “You could join me tomorrow, if you’d like.”
“I think my friends and I are going for a hike.”
“Yes,” Damian breathed out. “Friends.”
“But …” I let my voice trail away, unsure what I could possibly add to that.
“I’ll give you guys a map for the best trails.”
“Thanks,” I sadly droned, feeling like I rejected his subtle offer.
“First-aid kit since the trails will be rough at this time of year. I maintain it the best I can, but I’m only one person.” He parked the car and let his hands drop to the side of him. “You will stick to the paths.”
“Okay,” I smiled, since I liked that fatherly tone to his voice.
“If you are lost, it will be next to impossible to find you. These forests are deep.” He blinked at me with pain. “Very deep.”
“I’ll stay on the path, but just in case … can I have your number?”
“Why?”
“My friends might do something stupid.”
“Umm … sure.” Damian waited until I pulled my phone out of my pant pocket and then relayed the information, half smiling once I told him I got it all. “So, it’s only for emergencies?” he teased, after he stretched out his arm to lay it over the back of my headrest. “Or—”
“We’ll see.”
“Okay,” he said with a grin. “We will see.”
“We should take the stuff out of the car,” I suggested. “It’s going to get dark.”
Damian’s eyes widened at that statement and then he turned to the front window to look at the skyline. “No, not yet,” he breathed out with relief, and then pushed open his car door to step outside.