by J E Reed
Edited by Catherine Jones Payne
of Quill Pen Editorial
running with the wolves
Copyright © 2018 J.E. REED
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the publisher.
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
To my loving husband,
whose patience knows no bounds,
and whose encouragement could make anyone
believe in changing the world.
REALM: 1
DAY: 1
Lying in bed, the chatter caused her mind to stir from that blissful place that lingers on the edge of dreams. It was too loud, too early. She rolled over, the fog slowly clearing as voices turned to song, birds greeting the morning sun. Strange how they’d never woken her before.
She groaned, reaching for a pillow, but something stung her fingertip, and she jolted. A small droplet of blood formed on the tip of her index finger. Her heart thundered as she looked at the culprit and then her surroundings.
This wasn’t her room.
Instead of cool sheets and a soft bed, she lay on dead leaves and grass, the musty forest scent filling her nostrils. White walls were replaced by an endless array of trees that blotted out the sun, save for a few rays that fought their way through.
She blinked, pushing herself up.
Am I still dreaming?
Her finger pulsed as she scanned the vicinity, and fear crawled into her mind.
Nothing.
No fire, no tent or tracks. Nothing that indicated civilization existed.
Surely someone had to be here, someone could explain—wait, had she been abducted?
Who would want to kidnap her? Why wasn’t she bound if that were the case? The list of reasons for waking in the middle of a forest were slim. Abduction, a lapse in memory, a vacation gone horribly wrong.
She stood, using a tree for support, but dizziness rocked her back. She leaned her head against the trunk, waiting for the spell to pass.
Small specks flew across her vision. Abduction seemed the most likely of scenarios, but where were her captors? Could a drug explain her lapse in memory?
The last thing she could recall was dressing for bed. The girl examined herself, pleased to find shorts and a tee-shirt rather than pajamas. Brown hair hung loose around tan shoulders, and nothing around her wrists indicated she’d been bound. The only odd possession she carried was a little bracelet with leather threaded around a small blue stone. White veins traced a sky-colored surface like cracks of lightning.
Unease settled in her gut at the name etched on its surface.
It was a surrogate name. Something she used for gaming and online activities. Few knew her—
She paused. Her name. She couldn’t remember her name…
What’s going on?
Her throat tightened as she slumped against the tree again, fighting back tears. She was alone and didn’t know her own name. What were the odds?
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart.
Stay calm.
A forest in mid-summer wasn’t so bad.
Summer? Wasn’t it only January?
Her heart pounded faster as she realized one of two possibilities. Either time had passed without her knowledge, or she was further from home than she imagined.
Calm down. Think.
Summer, okay. Food would be easy. She’d spent a lot of time camping and experimented with a few survival techniques. That would help as long as she could remember them.
She glanced back at the name on her wrist. She tried to picture her husband calling when dinner was ready or when he needed her to fetch something from the house, but every time the recollection came close it eased away again. Like a cloud hanging over her mind. Maybe she’d recall it later. For now, Kiuno would have to do.
Knee-high foliage surrounded large trees, and fur covered vines snaked their way up the trunks. Thick air caused sweat to roll down her neck. She needed to find water.
Kiuno made her way through the foreign forest and allowed herself to become lost in its beauty. Heavy, snarled roots spread across the ground, connecting each tree in an endless network. Small animals eyed her with curiosity before scurrying beneath the brush.
It would have been the perfect painting.
Hours passed, and the temperature continued to rise as mosquitoes and other insects nipped at her skin. Beauty was turning to nightmare.
Kiuno stopped to catch her breath and plopped on a fallen log. Sweat rolled down her face as she tried to lift her hair for some relief. She was no stranger to the outdoors, but didn’t remember camping ever being so miserable.
She looked at the sun. Had someone noticed her missing yet? Surely her boss would call home regarding her absence. Her husband would know something was up.
Standing, she took another breath, wiped the sweat from her brow and started walking again, the dry patch in her throat a nagging reminder. Using the tree roots, Kiuno slid down a small hill and finally heard the sound she’d been searching for. Running water.
She made her way around a few more trees to find clear water cascading down a rocky cliff that stood twice the size of any person. The river stretched twenty feet across and flowed with a steady pace. Thick brush and cattail lined the bank, and a large piece of rock lay just below the falls, its previous fixture visible above.
Rushing to the water’s edge, Kiuno cupped her hands, the cool liquid easing her scratchy throat. She splashed more on her legs to ease the itchy bites.
Deep colored pebbles lined the river bank with small water plants growing between them. Little fish played among the foliage and larger stones. If she could catch one that would resolve her growling stomach.
Before worrying too much about food, Kiuno hoisted herself onto the fallen rock, slipping a few times on the green moss. She looked down river, hoping for some sign of civilization, but it only renewed her sense of dread. Forest extended for miles.
Her stomach flipped, and she sank down, drawing her knees into her chest.
Trapped. Alone.
Kiuno stayed there for some time wrestling with ideas. She had water, first priority taken care of. The river would provide food, and it wasn’t as though she’d be there forever.
Despite some optimism, her nervousness grew with the looming shadows. Beings seemed to form and vanish as evening played on her fears. It was too late to build a fire, but at least a tree would be safer than the ground.
Glancing between branches, Kiuno found one that split, creating a nook just big enough for her to squeeze in. She rested her back against the biggest branch and watched the orange glow dip below the horizon. Her stomach growled, her skin itched, and every sound made her jump and recheck her surroundings. She curled into herself, trying to reason the shadows were nothing more than the reflections of trees.
REALM: 1
DAY: 2
Sleep eluded her, every sound playing on the nightmares that could materialize any moment. Branches cracked nearby, wolves howled in the distance, and even the cricket’s song added to her terror.
Loneliness and fear lingered at the forefront of her mind.
Kiuno jolted.
Sweet relief flooded through her at the faint sign of dawn. She j
umped to the ground, careful of her footing and stretched the stiff muscles in her back and legs.
With morning, her fears were soon forgotten as she made her way to the river, splashing water over her face. She took in a breath, the crisp air refreshing.
Her stomach growled painfully as a fish broke the water’s surface. Priority two.
The thought of catching one brought to light the memories of her husband’s laughter with her previous attempts. They camped throughout the summer, and she was always trying something new. Her ideas usually resulted in his amusement, and they’d head back to their campsite empty-handed, but this time there was no backup plan.
Making a pole or net didn’t seem to be an option, but perhaps a spear would do. Even if she caught one, Kiuno still needed a way to cook it. Raw fish wouldn’t kill her, but it didn’t sound appealing.
She made her way deeper into the trees gathering a variety of small twigs and sticks. In theory, she knew how to create a spark, doing it was another matter. It usually resulted with her hands blistering, which would be problematic given the circumstances.
Once satisfied, Kiuno tossed her load beside the river and cleared a space. Igniting the forest wouldn’t help her chances of survival.
She pulled a few cattail pods to use as kindling and peeled them apart to reveal the fluffy white interior.
Using one foot to hold a log she chipped a notch in it then placed a second stick in the small hole. Moving slow at first Kiuno rotated the stick between her palms, adding enough force for friction.
Smoke was visible in moments.
She couldn’t be sure if the wood was different or another miraculous reason empowered her success, but she didn’t question the matter.
The tiny ember gave her a glimmer of hope. Carefully, Kiuno placed the small, red glow into the white fluff and blew the flame to life.
Success.
With a fire going, she picked up a larger branch and started chipping away at it with a rock. It was tedious and took the better part of the afternoon, but she finally had a spear. Whether it would work remained questionable.
She waded into waist high water, the need for sustenance overriding the fear of what might be lurking in the depths. After what felt like an hour, she turned back to the bank.
Still another hour passed as she stalked the tall grass until she found what she’d been searching for.
Holding the spear high, Kiuno held her breath as she crept forward and threw. As soon as the spear hit the water she dove, sure she’d missed until something moved beneath the sharpened edge.
At least her luck hadn’t run out.
Thankfully she knew how to fish and clean her catch. She removed her shirt and shoes to allow them to dry by the fire and set to cooking her meal.
Bland fish was far better than an empty stomach, and feeling satisfied, Kiuno nestled against a tree as the afternoon wound down. A sense of loneliness stirred as her heart ached for home.
Kiuno slept on the ground, hoping the flames would keep any wandering predators at bay. The fear that she might be stuck in the wilderness for an extended period clawed at her mind.
People often mentioned staying put when lost, but she wasn’t sure anyone knew where to start. Once they did there was no telling how long it would take for them to locate her. Perhaps her best option would be to keep moving.
Kiuno curled into herself as the fire crackled and popped and prayed for something to come of tomorrow.
STRANGE NOISES woke her in the middle of the night, and she decided a tree might be safer after all.
The fire dwindled to red coals by morning, and she waited for the sun to fully rise before climbing down.
Her foot slipped on a moss-covered branch, and she reached to brace herself, cursing when her fingers couldn’t grasp anything solid. Kiuno’s body collided with the hard earth, and a knotted root made itself known in the middle of her back. Tears sprang to her eyes as she gritted her teeth.
Kiuno limped to the river and turned her face to the sky. The sun bounced off the clouds in a vibrant array of orange with pink streaks shooting through the center.
Another perfect painting.
Kiuno closed her eyes.
She was alive. Despite the uncomfortable circumstances, she still had a chance.
Kiuno traced the etched letters on the stone. Someone was responsible, someone knew she was here. Why go through the trouble if they were just going to abandon her?
Several people knew the name Kiuno, but only a select few knew the woman that hid behind it. Was she being punished for something?
A far more ominous thought flashed through her mind. What if she hadn’t been kidnapped at all? What if this was hell, and she was trapped in an endless convoluted purgatory? It was a place that reminded her of the things she feared most: abandonment and loneliness.
Kiuno shook her head trying to force the thoughts away.
She made quick work of another fish and spread the embers to cool before moving on. She wrapped the leftovers in a leaf and stuffed it in her back pocket.
After snacking on berries, Kiuno kept a steady pace throughout the afternoon and only stopped to splash water over her face.
Then she saw it.
It was faint at first, so much so that she thought her eyes were playing tricks on her, but rising against the blue sky, a thin wisp of smoke reached for the heavens.
Her heart jolted, and she ran from the river, grabbing her spear along the way.
Finally.
The trees opened to a thick meadow, and she relished in the cool breeze that raced across the tall grass.
Thorns grabbed at her bare legs, further irritating the skin, but it was a small price to pay for the glimmer of hope that moved closer with each step.
The land sloped downward, and she trudged through a muddy rut before climbing a steep hill and locating the source of the smoke.
Kiuno froze.
Standing thirty feet tall and made entirely of stone, a wall surrounded a small village, the thin cloud of smoke curling from its center. It looked like something from European history.
Kiuno’s heart hammered as she stared at the rooftops inside. An open gate stood to her left, the only apparent entrance.
What the hell?
Overwhelmed, she collapsed letting her legs stretch out before her.
A stone wall? Was this some kind of joke?
How far had she been taken from home? How long had she been unconscious?
Rising, she slid down the hillside and made her way toward the looming structure. Loose stones lay scattered along the outskirts like rich pieces of a long-forgotten history. Gray hues gave some life to the grim structure, but grass grew between the stones, almost as if the meadow were reclaiming lost territory.
Her hands shook as she traced over the rough edges, feeling the uneven blocks and wondering who’d first placed them.
Would they welcome her or even speak her language?
At the gate she paused, her gaze fixated on the ominous structure. Rusted thick iron bars crossed one another all the way to the top where they angled to form eerie jagged spikes.
Despite the fear, a soft murmur coaxed her inside. A sweet sound that promised to chase away the loneliness that tried to consume her.
A dirt path led to the middle of a tiny village, if it could be called such. Small wooden structures that appeared ready to collapse stood in the center.
She merely stood there gaping.
People were everywhere.
Some sat huddled in the tall grass while others used the buildings as protection from the sun.
Kiuno caught a few peering up, but they quickly looked away. None seemed concerned with the newcomer.
She examined each face. The same expression written on both young and old. Wide eyes revealed a look of someone cornered or captured. A few cried while others appeared as statues that hadn’t moved in days.
The most unnerving detail was their state of attire. Each wore something that
resembled the normalcy of her life. She’d been expecting something a little more foreign.
Getting her bearings, Kiuno turned to examine the small buildings and noticed a stone basin that rested behind the dwindling fire. She approached the people gathered around it and felt her stomach turn at the sight of the stale liquid.
“E-excuse me.” The man before her glanced up, seeming to determine she wasn’t of much interest before returning to the water. “I was wondering if you might be able to help me.”
“No.”
“But I’m lost.”
He huffed. “Does it look like we’re any different?”
She took a step back. “I just thought—”
“You thought wrong.” She caught sight of a bracelet around his wrist before he stomped away.
Her heart sank.
We? As in everyone?
Kiuno turned back toward the gate shifting her gaze across the sea of faces as her heart hammered. Had they all been abandoned out here?
She wandered to a patch of grass and plopped down, pulling the berries and fish from her pocket.
“Where did you get that?” She looked up to find several people watching her, or rather, the food she held.
“Out there—” Kiuno was thrown forward, the fish ripped from her hands, and her face smashed into the ground. Someone held their knee to her back while several scrambled through the dirt, kicking it in her face.
Kiuno fought against her captor, using her hips to knock him off balance and struggled to her feet. She ran her tongue over her lower lip, revealing a bitter metallic taste.
“Check her for more.” A man twice her size pointed, and she raised her hands in a vain attempt to ward him off.
In seconds, more hands were rummaging through her pockets and ripping at her clothes. She desperately tried to force them off and kicked one in his stomach, but her head crashed against the ground again before she was dragged from the chaos.
“Leave her be.” Her rescuer placed himself to her front.