Chapter 24

When Amaris woke she was in the woods. Her mind was hazy, but she was aware of all the foliage around her and the rays of sunlight coming through the trees. As she tried to remember where she was and how she got there, snatches of last night started coming back to her. All at once she remembered the hotel rooms and how she had just bolted and left Anna and her family to deal with the men while she escaped out the window. She also remembered running and jumping off the ledge and seeing the cement below. She should be dead right now or at the very least severely injured.  She took stock of her limbs and body.  Nothing seemed to be broken.  Then she realized that she was no where near the freeway. She could hear a lot of things, the wind rustling in the tree branches and the creeking of the trees as they swayed. She could hear the birds. Boy could she hear the birds! They were making an especially loud racket this morning. She could hear a stream close by, and further in the distance... Footsteps. Amaris scrambled to her feet. Only to realize that for whatever reason she was now naked. She could have sworn that last night she was in a t-shirt at least. Amaris scrambled into the under brush and hid. The footsteps had quickened now and were coming closer. They must have heard her. The footsteps came right up to the under brush that she was hiding in and stopped. “ Amaris. Amaris, I’m Marco. Lyle’s Lieutenant. He sent me to track you down out here and bring you back to camp. oh and here. He thought you might want these.” A shopping bag with some of her clothes in it was thrown over the bush to land right beside her. “I’ll just step over here while you dress.” Marco said with a chuckle.

Amaris was flabbergasted, not only did this man know where she was, but who she was as well. She quickly regained her composure and grabbed the clothes and started putting them on. When she was decent, she came around the brush and sat on a log to put on her shoes and socks. She did not know how she knew, but she could feel that this man meant her no harm, and that he was a part of her, almost like a cousin or an uncle. It was like there was a tethered connection.

“Thank you for the clothes. How did you find me?” As she tied her sneakers.

Marco grinned and looked at her with a proud smile “Easy, I’m the best tracker on the mountain.” And he gave a deep throaty chuckle. He threw away the stick that he had been playing with as she stood up and motioned for her to follow him.

Amaris suddenly noticed that this man had a very strong scent. Very masculine and earthy. It was one that told her that he was strong and not someone to be trifled with, but at the same time she also sensed subservience.

As they headed further away from the stream and back toward civilization, Amaris realized that she could hear the highway again. She did not know how far off it was now, but if she could hear it already then they could not be too far away. Amaris had time to clear her head as they walked since Marco turned out not to be that great of a conversationalist. She went over the events of last night. She was really worried for Anna and her parents. Finally she asked what she had been thinking. “Do you know if my friend Anna and her parents that were with me at the hotel are okay?”

Marco turned his head and looked back at her. “How do you think I knew where to start looking. Ben and I are old hunting buddies. He took care of those men almost single handedly, and only came out with a small gash on his arm.”

“Really? I’m surprised they did not sick those dogs they had on him.” Amaris added out loud.

At this statement Marco stopped walking and looked back at her with an incredulous look. “Last night was a full moon, and your birthday if I am not mistaken right?”

“Actually yes, I guess you are right I did not even have time to think about it with everything that was going on. How did you know that?” Amaris kept walking until she caught up to Marco and stood face to face with him. Marco seemed confused. “You don’t remember anything that happened to you last night? Anything weird?” Marco seemed to be waiting for something.

“Aside from the men that have been hunting me somehow knowing that I am at that very hotel and renting the room next door that has an adjoining door and braking in and attacking us AGAIN!, No not really why?”

Marco shook his head “Really?” He pressed one more time searching her face for something.

“Look when those guys barged into our room I ran into Anna’s parents room. There were more guys coming in from the outside door to their room so they told me to run and escape out the bathroom window, so I did. when I hit the ground I ran. That was when I heard the growling from the dogs that the men obviously must have brought with them. I was afraid that they would use them to try and track me, so I ran faster, only I came out at a cement run off ravine that was really deep. I only realized how deep after I jumped. I honestly don’t know how I got that far into the woods or how I’m not splattered all over the cement at the bottom of that ravine.”

“Well that explains it.” Marco said shaking his head with a chuckle. “And that’s why they say only once in a century. Can’t make that shit up.” Marco turned away and continued toward the highway laughing and muttering to himself the whole rest of the way.